김연지 – 넌 또 다른 나

Some of the best music I’ve ever heard comes out of 불후의 명곡 and 김연지’s version of 이승철’s popular 넌 또 다른 나 is no different.

Lyrics

세상 끝에 홀로 버려진 나를 어느새 넌 다독거렸지 헤아려주고	I was left alone at the edge of the world But then you comforted me and tried to understand me
그래 나 살고픈 이유는 바로 너	Yes, you are the reason I want to live
나른한 햇살이 내 머리칼 비출 때 불현듯 난 말하고팠어	When the fading sun shone on my hair I suddenly wanted to say
이럴 땐 촛불이 더욱 어울리지만 지금 내 입 속에 소용돌이치는 한 마디	Candlelight works better at a time like this but There’s something I want to say
내 눈감는 날까지 널 곁에 두고싶다는	Until the day I close my eyes I want to keep you by my side
세상 끝에 홀로 버려진 나를 어느새 넌 다독거렸지 헤아려주고	I was left alone at the edge of the world But then you comforted me and tried to understand me
그래 나 살고픈 이유는 바로 너	Yes, you are the reason I want to live
사소한 일들로 많이도 다퉜지 그래서 오늘까지 왔어	We fought over a lot of small things That’s how we came this far
작은 어려움도 같이 염려해줬고 속 깊은 대화도 나눌 수가 있었던 거야	We overcame even the smallest of troubles together We were able to have meaningful conversations
알아주길 바래 넌 또 다른 나인걸	I want you to know that you are another me
세상 끝에 홀로 버려진 나를 어느새 넌 다독거렸지 헤아려주고	I was left alone at the edge of the world But then you comforted me and tried to understand me
그래 나 살고픈 이유는 바로 너	Yes, you are the reason I want to live
나와 또 다른 너를 보면서	With someone who is so different from me
어느새 여지까지 왔어 알아주길 바라	We came this far And I want you to know
그래 나 살고픈 이유는 바로 너	Yes, you are the reason I want to live
바로 너	Yes, you x 2
세상 끝에 홀로 버려진 나를	I was left alone at the edge of the world
세상 끝에 홀로 버려진 나를 어느새 넌 다독거렸지 헤아려주고	I was left alone at the edge of the world But then you comforted me and tried to understand me
그래 나 살고픈 이유는 바로 너	Yes, you are the reason I want to live
세상 끝에 홀로 버려진 나를 어느새 여지까지 왔어 알아주길 바라	I was left alone at the edge of the world We came this far And I want you to know
그래 나 살고픈 이유는 바로 너	Yes, you are the reason I want to live x2

KBS World Radio

I recently downloaded the KBS World Radio On-Air Application on Android and thought I’d do a short review.

KBS Mobile Applications

I’ve never used the app before primarily because the broadcasting is done in about 11 languages (including Korean) and because really what’s the point of a radio show that doesn’t have 성시경 saying 잘 자요…I digress but only because I miss his voice… In any case, KBS World Radio has a number of interesting features for anyone interested in learning not only more about Korean culture and music, but also about the language.

KBS World Radio On-Line App

Of particular interest to Korean language learners would be the following programs:

1. Drama Lines: In which popular drama lines useful for everyday conversation are explained. Apart from listening to the broadcast, you can always go back to the website to recap previous lessons and read the conversation in case you missed anything.
2. Korean Folk Tales: A great way of learning the culture of a country is by reading their folk tales. Folk Tales are read in English and are then made available on their website. This makes a great complement to anyone who’s reading the folk tales in Korean but needs to check their understanding.

Now if you don’t want to go to the website to find the content you’re looking for, well that’s where their second app, KBS World Radio, comes in handy because it’s basically the website condensed into app form. Just go to the drop-down menu and find the radio program you’re looking for :)

KBS World Radio- Korean Folktales

KBS World Radio- Drama Lines

Personally I wish this would come integrated with the other app, so you don’t need to go from one app to another but hopefully they’ll find a way to work around this in their next update :)

If you have any personal favourite radio program let me know in the comments

 

The Long Road to MBLAQ- Part 2

… we were jostled into the hall in a sea of black, but were able to get seats pretty comfortably, and that too behind people who weren’t too tall.

Lights out…first view of the stage

Since the showcase was part of the bigger exhibition on medical tourism, there were a lot of video clips played about the medical facilities in Korea. Don’t get me wrong…it’s nice to know what facilities are there but I hope to God no one ever falls so sick that they’ll have to use them… The Miso performance was delayed about 20 minutes so we ended up watching lots of videos while waiting. Let’s just say the Miso performance was well worth the wait. There were around 4-5 traditional performances and I was lucky enough to capture my favourites on camera. I didn’t bother to take videos of the rest and just enjoyed the mesmerizing performances. By the end of the performances I wasn’t sure if I wanted MBLAQ to come on stage or just have an encore for Miso. :)

Of course when MBLAQ finally came out, that’s when my ear drums blew. The screaming was just… shrill… I’m a fan, just not a screaming kind of fan (I’m the passive LED Scroller app kind of fan), so I was fairly regretting not wearing any ear plugs. The band had flown in the same morning, one member short, and the jet lag was pretty obvious. Notwithstanding, the fans greeted them with screams that overpowered the music system for the first couple of songs, so much so in fact that we thought for a moment that there was no music on…that could also be because we were in an exhibition hall, so the acoustics weren’t so hot. After the first few songs, they came out for their talk show segment, complete with lots of selfies, before performing their last hits of the night…They mentioned that they might stop by Ferrari World the next day and made good on their promise so lots of lucky fans got to take pictures and autographs. I didn’t take too many videos of the performances again because nothing can compare to the live experience but enjoy the clips anyway… ^^

We finished up at around 8pm (right on schedule) and headed back to the hotel (or rather, ran backwards on escalators back to the hotel), ordered room service and called it a night. Since room service had been disappointing at night, we decided to make use of the fact that we were practically in the exhibition centre, and ended up having breakfast at one of the cafe stalls there. We were aiming to check out early so we could catch the 11am bus back to Ibn Battuta but ended up being held up at the hotel and decided instead to take a cab to Al Wahda Mall, right opposite the bus station. We hung out for a while before walking down to the bus station where we could see some buses were already waiting. We got in, confirmed that we were going in the right direction… only to find out 2 minutes before departure that we were not, in fact, going to Ibn Battuta but were headed instead to the Ghubaiba Bus Station in Dubai (E101 goes back to Ibn Battuta while E100 goes to Ghubaiba). We decided not to change bus, partly because I overheard the bus to Ibn Battuta was already full and partly because that’s what being adventurous is all about. We looked up the bus station on Wojhati (Android App available too) and decided we’d get off at Jafiliya, grab the metro and then a taxi to our home away from home – Mirdif City Centre  for a much needed lunch. The bus on the way back, by the way, did not feel as slow as the one getting to Abu Dhabi… or maybe the eager anticipation to get to Abu Dhabi had made the bus seem slower than it really was.

Lunch at Gazebo

The taxi from Rashidiya Metro Station to Mirdif City Centre drops you off right in front of Gazebo and we decided that we were so famished that’s exactly where we’d have lunch. We had a much needed Biryani, finished off with a Matka Firni, walked it off and then headed to the taxi stand… where there were a million people waiting for a taxi. Okay that’s an exaggeration, but there were at least 25 people already in line. It was close to 5pm and I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to get a cab before Maghrib. If you’ve ever been at Rashidiya Metro Station near Maghrib time, you’ll know there are no taxis to be had there for love or money. We were lucky enough to get one by 5.30pm and finally got home about an hour later.

Overall, I had a great time using 3 different RTA services- taxi, metro and the bus and for anyone going to Abu Dhabi who doesn’t want to drive… I’d highly recommend the bus. It’s time consuming, but stress-free so if you don’t have other demands on your time, the bus is the way to go. If you are a busy bee though, driving down is the only other feasible option because taking a taxi will all but kill your monthly budget. The cost breakdown for the entire 2 days, 1 night (2박 1일) trip for 2 people from Ajman – Abu Dhabi- Ajman is:

Public Transport	AED 300
4 star hotel (1 night)	AED 500 incl taxes

 

Depending on how much and where you eat, the entire trip will cost less than AED 1000 (USD 272) for 2 people. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself. :)

If there’s anyone else who went to the concert, let me know what was your favourite part of the night and also, how did you get to the concert? Share your pics! :)

The Long Road to MBLAQ- Part 1

So there we were… sitting in an auditorium, watching JUMP end, thinking how best to leave the hall to escape the crowd. Then came the raffle and we thought…well why not stay for a few more minutes. And that’s all it took. A few more minutes for them to announce that… my mum had won tickets to the MBLAQ showcase. How we went from an overnight trip to Abu Dhabi to attend a Korean speech contest to winning MBLAQ showcases passes, I can’t quite tell. In any case, the tickets meant just one thing. I had to request for leave from work and plan another trip to Abu Dhabi…

What a night to win MBLAQ tickets…

 

I do drive but traffic, being what it is in UAE, I usually prefer not to. So this trip to Abu Dhabi, I decided to take my mum on a Public Transport Tour of the UAE, which is a fancy way of saying, planning the entire trip using only public transport. We’ve been in the UAE long before the concept of street names and public transport existed, and we’ve just continued with business as usual, taking only the occasional taxi. I ended up taking the metro when I started working and that’s about it. There’s a sprawling bus network in the city, which I’ve never experienced, so our eventual adventurous itinerary looked something like this:

Home – Rashidiya Metro Station	Taxi	45 mins
Rashidiya – Ibn Battuta Metro Station	Metro	1 hr 15 mins
Ibn Battuta Metro Station- Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station	Bus	1 hr 45 mins
Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station – BFF’s Place – Hotel/Exhibition Centre	BFF’s Car	20 mins + 20 mins
Hotel/Exhibition Centre – Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station	Taxi	15 mins
Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station – Jaffiliya Metro Station	Bus	1 hr 45 mins
Jaffiliya – Rashidiya Metro Station	Metro	20 mins
Rashidiya Metro Station – Mirdif City Centre – Home	Taxi	5 mins + 45 mins

 Travelling to Abu Dhabi by bus costs AED 25 so we topped up our Nol cards to cover the bus and metro fare and sat down for  long trip to the bus stop (You can also buy a ticket from the bus stop if you don’t have a Nol card). The good thing about getting on at Rashidiya is that it’s the first stop, so you’re bound to get a seat. If not… good luck standing for over an hour in the rush.

Empty Metro… not for long

I like travelling by metro (not during rush hour), but the only thing I don’t like is the fact that you can’t eat or drink on the metro. I suppose that’s why it’s so clean but anyway, by the time we reached our last stop, we were super hungry so we grabbed some snacks from the supermarket in the metro station. The bus stand is right outside, so we double checked the time and came back to sit inside because it was getting close to scorching midday. A few minutes after we sat down, mum noticed our bus (E101 from Ibn Battuta to Abu Central Bus Station) pull up. It was more than half an hour before the departure time and I wondered if we shouldn’t wait inside longer before getting onto the bus, but we decided to check it out and it’s a good thing we did. The line to the bus was huge and within 10 minutes the bus was full. Had we missed the bus, we’d have to wait for another hour before the next bus to Abu Dhabi! Phewww… It turns out that the seating was ladies in front, families and gents at the back, so we climbed in to the first two seats and buckled up for the long ride.

Getting ready to take our first bus ride…

Before you leave, people will come around with menus selling sandwiches, snacks and drinks to buy since you’re not allowed to take your own food on board. In a way, this is actually a good thing  because it stops people from getting smelly food on board which would bother other passengers and could dirty the bus. So anyway, off we went… or at least that’s what I kept telling my mum because at a speed of 80 kph in a big bus, you feel like you aren’t moving at all. It was in fact so slow that my mum was convinced she could walk to Abu Dhabi faster. In any case, it was the most stress-free ride ever and we eventually reached the central bus station, right opposite Al Wahda Mall, where we caught up with my BFF and were whisked away for a super-scrumptious lunch of Masala Dosa, Sambar, Chicken Cutlets, Paysam, Karachi Halwa and Jalebi. My mouth is now officially watering.

Abu Dhabi Bus Station… saying bye bye to our bus…

After a filling lunch (I stuffed myself to be very honest – that masala dosa was just amazing), we headed off to the hotel which is part of the exhibition centre where the showcase was being held. ADNEC is about 15-20 minutes away from the bus station, depending on the traffic, so I’d recommend staying at any of the hotels in ADNEC itself. By the time we checked in it was already 5pm so we rushed down to the exhibition centre to see if we could catch any of the activities before the Miso show.

Program for the Korean Medical Tourism Festival

On the way to the conference hall, we happened to pass by Exhibition Hall 5… let’s just say there was so much rush that we had to abandon all thoughts of checking out any of the funky exhibits for fear that we wouldn’t be able to get a good seat. Unfortunately, though the Miso show was open to public, they were seating people in the order of their tickets for the MBLAQ showcase, which meant my mum and I wouldn’t be able to see the show together. She ended up going back to the hotel room while the BFF and I stood in line and got jostled into the hall…

[Wait for Part 2 to find out more about the Miso performance and MBLAQ showcase! 기대해 주십시오~~ ^^]

Immortal Songs 2 | 불후의 명곡 2

I’m not a big fan of pop, English or otherwise, which is why it’s probably not surprising that my favourite music show on TV is Immortal Songs 2. It’s a refreshing blast from the past, with singers re-interpreting classic hits. I have to say, no matter where in the world you are, there’s nothing that can quite match the classics. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that nothing produced in the last ten years or so is even classic-worthy. Anyway, back to Immortal Songs… it’s a great show where you get to see artists show off new colours and experiment in ways that you wish they did on their albums. It’s rare to have a bad episode of the show, you’re usually sure to find at least one redeeming performance which will make you want to come back for more. All in all, Immortal Songs is like a great live concert with a line-up of fabulous singers. My personal favourites on the show are 알리, 벤, 정동하, JK김돈욱, VOS and recently 송슨연…

Here’s my playlist of best performances over the last couple of years… Enjoy! Let me know if you have any personal favourites :)

 

김진호- 가족사진 | Kim Jin Ho – Family Portrait

If you’re looking for a singer with unmistakable sincerity and lyrics that can blow you away… you needn’t look much further than Kim Jin Ho (former member of SG Wannabe). I’d watched the MV for his song “Family Portrait” last year, but there’s something so powerful about watching him sing it live.

Lyrics (with my best efforts at translating)

바쁘게 살아온 당신의 젊음에 의미를 더해줄 아이가 생기고	In your busy youth, you had a child who would lend purpose to your life.
그 날의 찍었던 가족사진 속에 설레는 웃음은 빛바래 가지만	Even though the excited smiles in the family portrait we took that day are fading
어른이 되어서 현실에 던져진 나는 철이 없는 아들 딸이 되어서	Thrown in to the real world, I ended up becoming a child who’d lost its way
이곳저곳에서 깨지고 또 일어서다 외로운 어느날 꺼내본 사진 속 아빠를 닮아있네	One lonely day, after falling down and getting back up again in countless places, I looked back at that family portrait and realized that I resembled my father.
내 젊을 어느 새 기울어 갈때 쯤 그제야 보이는 당신의 날 들이	As my youth fades away, only now can I see the life you lived.
가족사진속에 미소 띤 젊은 우리 엄마 꽃피던 시절은 나에게 다시 돌아와서	My young mother, smiling in the family portrait. I remember the days when the picture was taken
나를 꽃피우기위해 거름이 되어버렸던 그을린 그 시간들을 내가 깨끗이 모아서	I will collect the ashes of all the time you spent, like fertilizer to help me blossom,
당신의 웃음 꽃 피우길 피우길x3	Just to see your blooming smile again x3
나를 꽃피우기위해 거름이 되어버렸던 그을린 그 시간들을 내가 깨끗이 모아서	I will collect the ashes of all the time you spent, like fertilizer to help me blossom,
당신의 웃음 꽃 피우길 피우길x3	Just to see your blooming smile again x3