It's been another week of good stuff being released, such as Fly to the Sky's latest (and last) album Decennium. I'm personally still feeling rather heartbroken that they're breaking up, although they have said that they will be coming back together to release smaller releases sometimes. That's like ending your marriage but still dating that person! I wish that they were staying together properly, because Decennium had so many amazing songs on it, they just keep getting better and better - I suppose it's good to go out on a high note, though. 신화 member and ballad singer 신혜성 also released an album this week. Keep Leaves is the 'second side' of his third solo album. The first side, Live and Let Live was released last year and had 신혜성... Show more

노래방 Goodness gracious this is popular. If your first encounter with Korean culture wasn't with K-Pop or K-Dramas, then it might have been at the Korean karaoke bar. It's also been blogged about here, here, here, here, here, and here. Oh, and here too. And kind of here. The thing about this Korean-wide phenomenon is that it permeates and flows through each and every Korean like the force. Sure, not everyone goes all the time but if you're Korean, you've gone to the 노래방. Plenty of times. And here's a brief comparison of 노래방 outside of Korea. Something that I see that makes me smile are these practice rooms: 노래연습장. It's not quite enough to embarrass yourself with your friends - now you can practice your craft so that you'll... Show more

A few exciting things have been happening for me on the music fandom front, and there's quite a few things that I'm looking forward to in the next week or so as well. FT Island came out with a new MV, 나쁜 여자야, from their latest mini-album Jump Up. It's a little weird without 오완빈, and a little strange to see and hear 송승현 in his place, but the new guy fits in quite well and FT Island's sound hasn't suffered from the member change. If anything, their music sounds a little more mature than it did before, which is never a bad thing. Epik High's Tablo released a book last year in November, 당신의 조각들, which was a collection of short stories he'd written in 1998-2001. Originally in English, these stories were translated and published in... Show more

반찬- Side dishes. It's all about presentation. I should mention that rice is like the daddy mac and kimchi is the mac daddy (that reference just happened. you heard it here first). Where one is the other is, too. They are expected at all main dishes (save noodle-based dishes like 짜장면 or 비빕국수). I mentioned rice before but I'm afraid that I missed a crucial cultural point. Rice is just about the only "side dish" that really should be finished. It's not overtly rude to leave some rice in one's bowl, but make it a point to finish your meal off by making that rice bowl empty. If you find yourself getting full fast, put the brakes on the 잡채 and finish your rice. If you're feeling particularly hungry or if your eyes perk up at the... Show more

Korean nursery rhymes First and foremost, unless you teach kindergarten or have small children, listening to nursery rhymes (regardless of language) is like dragging nails on a chalkboard. Even then, it can be a cruel form of punishment. For only the brave, continue reading. The first one that comes to mind for me is 곰 세 마리가 (Three Bears). Here's a blog entry that seems to dissect the song entirely. I'm sure anyone who watched 풀하우스 remembers it fondly. 내 동생 is made from pure sugar and should be considered mandatory for all kids. Here's a great flash animation. 동, 동, 동대문 is a twist on London Bridge is Falling Down. At 3:52 there's a cute game known in English as the "Rose of Sharon" (no relation to the epic song from... Show more