I started watching Korean dramas again.

I finally have some free time, so I decided to start watching dramas again. Currently, I'm watching Dream High [드림 하이]. It was one of the highest ranking ones so I just decided that I would watch it. It might be the fact that IU is in it, or that there's so much song and dance, but I find it to be pretty enjoyable. I finished episodes 1-8 over the weekend and I'm hoping to finish by the end of next week. I don't have a TV, or anything else to do with all my free time, so I'll probably watch a few more dramas in the coming months.

Stringer Bell is still a badass.

Since I am currently unemployed, I spend a lot of time watching television. I am just finishing up this show Luther on BBC America and I have to say that it is one of the best shows that I've seen the entire year. If you've watched The Wire, then you know that Stringer Bell is one of the best characters in the entire show. The same actor, Idris Elba plays John Luther, a detective that's fucking badass.

A Korean drama from the Philippines!?

I stumbled across this while my mom was watching the Filipino Channel.  It's not really a Korean drama, it's a Filipino drama (which are just as cheesy).  The whole centers on Korean nationals in the Philippines.  Here's a bit from the series's Wiki:

The story of Koreana begins twenty years ago when Nerissa (Angelu de Leon), a Filipina caregiver falls in love with Philip (Marco Morales), a wealthy Korean national based in the Philippines. Defying conventional Korean standards, their relationship earns the ire of Chang Hee Jung (Eddie Garcia), Philip’s father who strongly resents his son’ decision of falling in love with a non-Korean.

Philip and Nerissa will soon bear a child causing Chang Hee Jung to set aside his misgivings, and to open his home to Philip and his family. But their happiness will be cut short as Violeta (Eula Valdez) Chang Hee Jung’s adoptive Filipina daughter, sets off an evil scheme against Nerissa. She will be thrown out of the house but secretly takes her baby with her.

To add on to her misery, Nerissa will be separated from her daughter after being involved in an unpleasant bus incident. The baby ends up in the arms of Josefina (Lotlot de Leon), an old maid who works as a cashier in a local beer club. Believing that the mother has already abandoned the child, Josefina takes her home, and names her Jenna (Kris Bernal).

Jenna, despite being raised in an unconventional neighborhood, grows up to be a sensible and cheerful young woman. Aware of her Korean heritage, she acquaints herself with all things Korean, particularly their cuisine. And while in the midst of fulfilling her dream of becoming a chef, she unexpectedly ends up in a Korean restaurant, unaware that the place she works for is actually owned by Chang Hee Jung.

After twenty years of living an incomplete life, how will Jenna unmask the secrets concealing her true identity? How will she take back what is rightfully hers? Will she end up neglecting her roots or embracing it all the more?

I'm not sure if I'll actually follow the series.  It sounds like they could be touching on some pretty heavy stuff with the different cultures and all that.  It'd also be interesting to see how Filipinos view and portray Koreans, but  I'll proably just end up asking my mom about it since she watches every drama out of the Philippines.

I just watched episode one and two of Stairway to Heaven.

So I decided to watch this Korean drama because it was recommended to me and it's one of the top rated dramas on crunchyroll. Since this is only the second drama I've gotten into, I really don't have much to compare it to. I can tell that it's been some time since the drama originally aired. The video quality, the way the characters dress, and the way Korea looks in the background all give it away. I sort of like it. Another thing i can tell from the first two episodes is that it's the entire series is going to be SAD AS FUCK. Coffee Prince was a little dramatic at some points, but it was pretty lighthearted, at least for the first two episodes. It definitely wasn't anything like this though. Seriously, SAD AS FUCK. I like it though. It's more along the lines of what I previously imagined k-dramas to be like. Anyway, I probably won't take as long to finish this series since I have a lot more free time on my hands now. I also made this contract with myself where I apply for two jobs in Korea before starting an episode. If I stick with it, I should have twenty applications sent in before the end of the week.

Law & Order: UK is pretty cool.

I've mentioned Law & Order: Los Angeles a few times and I really have been enjoying it for what it is.  However, I also just discovered Law & Order: UK on BBC America and I have to say that I like it a little better than the L.A. iteration.  It follows the same formula as the original L&O, with the first half of the show focusing on the detectives and the second half on the prosecution.  It even has the same speech at the start of the show except "district attorneys" is changed to "Crown Prosecutors."  There are a few differences though:

• Them English sure do talk funny.  Just kidding.  The show is easy to follow but the slang is a little tough to follow sometimes.  It's only bad when they're talking to hoodlums and hookers on the street.
• Apparently, Crown Prosecutors and Judges wear powdered wigs during their court proceedings.  I found this extremely funny.
• In the original, a recurring theme was Jack McCoy's liberal streak and how far he would take it.  In UK, it focuses a little more on how the prosecutor is torn up about his work, a little like the detectives on SVU.
• There's less science on the show.  I'm not sure if it's because CSI isn't popular in the UK or not, but there's just less of it.  There's also not a regular coroner either, so that might be part of it.
• I've also noticed that there are less guns on the show, which makes sense, but it's still interesting.  I've seen five episodes now and there's only been a gun that I've seen.  There hasn't been any looking for the gun, ballistic tests, gun shot residue tests, or finding where the shooter was standing.  It's a little weird.

All in all, I really like the show.  I've been looking it up on Wikipedia right now and it looks like I should try to see if I can illegally acquire this somehow.  Just kidding.  I pay for all the shit I watch.

I just finished watching Coffee Prince.

I started watching the series a while ago and I'm surprised that it actually took me so long to finish. Usually when I decide to watch something, I marathon the whole thing. I didn't think the series was boring or anything, I just got caught up in doing random shit. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I think it was a good show to watch for my first Korean drama. The premise was a little strange but it wasn't anything too weird. I actually kept thinking about Ouran High School Host Club (an anime) the entire time I was watching it. Now that it's over though, I'm left with a small little void inside of me that needs to be filled with another Korean drama. The only problem is that there are so many to choose from that I don't know where to start.

The Jersey Shore finale is tonight.

It's been a good run. I have to say that I enjoyed this season just as much as the first. Bringing Angelina back was a good choice because it brought so much drama to the house. I haven't really been following the news thats going on outside of the show like I did during the first, so I don't rally know what to expect for the next season, but with all the GTL in the first and the t-shirt times in the second, it can't possibly go wrong.

It's a constant struggle.

In her old age, my mom's only two joys are not my brother and me, but the Filipino Channel and computer solitaire. This doesn't bother me one bit, but since the big screen TV in the living room is currently not working, it means that the prime real estate in the house is now my brother's room, where one can enjoy cable TV while sitting at a computer desk. I particularly enjoy this spot because I can indulge in internet browsing and daytime Law & Order marathons. So now my brother's room has become a heated battlefield while my brother is at work/school in the day between my mom and me. My mom is surprisingly sneaky. When I get up to use the bathroom she will sneak in and firmly plant herself in the computer chair. Since I enjoy computer games myself, I know that it's pointless to interrupt someone when they're in the middle of a game, so once those cards are dealt on the screen there's no moving her until the game is done. If I miss that window where she completes a game and starts another one, then I'll be stuck with my iPad and now television for hours. I'm fairly sneaky myself, so sometimes when I want to use the computer, I'll call the house from my cell phone and when she gets up to answer it, I'll take over the computer. I'm able to defend the position for a while by telling her that I'm applying for jobs, which I actually do sometimes. However, my mom is a hardened veteran of subtle mind games so I always have to be on the lookout.

Law and Order: Los Angeles premieres tomorrow.

I've been seeing the hype for this on TV since I've been back and I'm really excited for this. For one thing, I am a huge L&O fan. I even own some box sets. There's also the fact that it's set in LA, which I think will have it's own unique effect on the show. However, I can totally see this going really bad, but hopefully Terrence Howard will be enough to save the show.

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love the Jersey Shore Season 2

I've been busy these past few weeks so I haven't been able to sit down and watch anything, but I just caught up with all the episodes of the Jersey Shore and I'm still going to have to say that it's the greatest reality TV show on air right now.  I think season 2 is just as good as the first, maybe even a ltitle better, so here's ten reasons why I love this season:

1. Angelina.  At first, I wasn't really sure why they brought her back for a second season, but it's great that they did.  In season one, we didn't really get a chance to see just how crazy she is, but now that she's here and here to stay, FUCKING RIDICULOUS.
2. There's so much in-house drama.  I feel like last season there wasn't as much conflict within the house.  There was just a lot of talk for the first few episodes how crazy Snooki was and the shit between Ronny, Sammie, and Mike.  This time there's just so much shit happening with everyone.
3. "I have the best blow-out in the nation." -Pauly D
4. There's a camera placed right at the mirror.  Every clip where it shows someone looking themselves at the mirror is fucking hilarious, whether it's Mike looking at himself, Pauly D fixing his hair, or J-Woww fixing her boobs.
5. Vinny.  To be honest, he was my favorite character in the first season.  He was down-to-earth and seemed like a guy I can actually get along with.  None of that has really changed, except now he's just doing more shit in the show.
6. Snooki is still bat-shit crazy.  I'm glad to see that nothing's changed.
7. Mike always pulls up his shirt in a club, girls start feeling his abs, and then he turns and looks at the camera.  This happens every episode, guaranteed.
8. It's in Miami.  It might be because I'm from California and I'm not that familiar with the actual Jersey Shore, but I've seen enough of CSI: Miami that the location speaks to me.
9. Ronny and Sammi's relationship is still so frustrating.  I thought I was really going to be tired of all their dumb shit this season, but I just can't stop watching it.  It's also the driving force of the rest of the drama of the show.
10. It's reality television at its best.  I'll stand by this statement if you want to believe me or not.

I've started watching Korean dramas.

Since I couldn't sleep yesterday, I was watching anime on my iPad on the crunchyroll app.  Then I realized that there was a ton of Korean dramas on there that I should probably started watching, so now I'm halfway through Coffee Prince.  I've been meaning to get into them for a while now.  I just never got around to downloading them.  Knowing me, I'll probably be spending the next week of my life in my room watching this shit.

10 things I learned about America from watching TV in Korea

I watch a lot of TV in Korea. I watch way more TV than I should. I have cable TV too, since it only costs me 4,000 won. It's really no surprise that there's a lot of American programming on TV here. Almost at any time of the day, I'm able to find something on in English. Anyway, here are some valuable insights into American culture that I've gotten from Korean television:

1. CSI, Bones, Law & Order: SVU and NCIS all show that there's a lot of crime in America. Run-of-the-mill vandalism and auto theft don't really happen in the United States, just extremely violent, often sexually motivated, murders occur.
2. Unless you're in Florida, because in Miami there's a lot of drug running and organized crime. It's okay though. Horatio Caine will take care of it.
3. The narrative of American history is one of crime and violence. Cold Case makes sure we know that.
4. American athletes like to come to Korea and play sports, especially baseball and basketball.
5. Steven Segal is the greatest actor of all time. I see Steven Segal on TV more times than I see my own shadow.
6. Chan Ho Park and Shin-soo Choo are the only two players worth knowing in MLB.
7. Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Denzel are all close contenders for that title.
8. America only makes action movies.
9. Every American carries a gun. If you don't have one, you're going to get killed and raped (see #1).
10. Sex only happens in America under the craziest of circumstances [anyone else in Korean can back me up on saying that the amount of soft-core porn that comes on after midnight is ridiculous].

SNSD has a new TV show.

This is part one of the first episode. I haven't finished watching the whole episode, but it looks like they're going to be just followed around cameras all day. I'm sure it'll be full of overwhelming adorableness.

Kara's commercial for Pepero

I seriously like Pepero so this video is awesome in all sorts of ways. There's a few other commercials too and you can check those out at allkpop.com, where I originally saw the video.

This is a commercial for the Corby with 2NE1. There are a few different versions that I've seen on TV, but I guess this is the full version. Also, Park Bom is starting to grow on me.

The Street Where Originality Lives

I saw this Adidas commercial on TV a few minutes ago and I just had to post it. Adidas just makes all their shit look so fun. Snoop Dogg is in it. David Beckham is in it too, if you're into that sort of thing.

Jersey Shore x Inglorious Basterds

I just found out that these came out. There's one for Avatar and one for TheHurtlocker. This one for Inglorious Basterds is probably my favorite. It also confirms the rumors that season 2 is going to be in Miami.

YES!

JERSEY SHORE SEASON 2 CONFIRMED!

I'm blaming the fact that I'm in Korea is the reason why I'm always so late on hearing the news, but season 2 is confirmed. There's no mention of Angelina in the article either, so maybe we should all be expecting a new cast member? I'm not too sure though. I've also read other reports stating that all the cast members accepted $10,000 an episode for the second series. Strangely enough, a TMZ article mentions that they'll be going to a different location. I'm not sure where that could be but my bets are on Miami.

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love The Jersey Shore

Last night I was put in charge of creating ten questions for a pub quiz. After debating a few different categories, I finally settled on creating ten questions on The Jersey Shore. However, after seeing the results of answers I received, it became apparent that some people are totally unfamiliar with the show. I can understand that you might not just like reality television and think the show's absolute garbage, which it is, but I still love the show though and here are my top ten reasons why (listed in no particular order).

1. It's reality television at it's finest (or worst depending on how you look at it). I enjoy most reality television and probably for the same exact reason other people enjoy it, THAT IT'S JUST SO ENTERTAINING TO SEE REAL PEOPLE AT THEIR TRASHIEST ON TELEVISION. The Jersey Shore takes this to a new level, setting it apart from other reality television series. I mean with cast member drama, fist fights, and hooking up left and right, is there anything more we can ask for from this show?
2. There's just so much hype that goes on outside the show. After every episode there'd be a new wave of articles and blog posts that you could spend more time reading than watching the actual episode.
3. Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. If you're familiar with the show, then you know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about. It's as if I could quote that guy for days. There's so much that self-absorbed guy has to offer. Seriously, without him on the show, then we'd just be watching Snooki's train wreck relationships for the entire hour, but that brings me to my next reason.
4. Snooki. From the moment she walked into the house you knew that she was going to be trouble. I've said it before, but it wouldn't be entirely bad thing if Snooki had her own show. I can imagine it being a lot like The Simple Life but a lot trashier and definitely more entertaining. She also probably holds the world record for "Most times having a crotch censored on television."
5. Just looking at the people on the show is worth it. It's not just the cast members either, but everyone who's on the show. It's as if your screen turns into some strange window into an alternate reality where normal people just don't exist.
6. The dumb facebook groups and fanpages that my friends join are absolutely hilarious. Personally, I don't really join any facebook groups, but these are a little tempting. Here are three of my favorite ones: the grenade from the jersey shore, Fist Pumping Like Champs, and my personal favorite, The noise Snooki makes when she's upset, "Waaaaaaahaaahaaaaaa!"
7. The fights are seriously worth watching. Can you really think of a more satisfying moment in reality television than when J-Woww punches Mike? Or a moment more shocking than when Snooki is punched in the face? Or a more brutal beat down than when Ronni beats the shit out of that bald dude on the boardwalk? Didn't think so.
8. There's so much slang to learn off the show. I can probably say "fistpumping" or "GTL" to a third of my friends and they'd understand what the fuck I meant by it. Also, I always understood "creeping" as a pejorative term for approaching girls, but the guys on the show seem to embrace it. The next I hear a girl saying that a dude in the bar is creeping I should go over there and give him a high five.
9. Watching the cast members dance is probably one of the subtly entertaining aspects of the show, but it's great. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who enjoys this, but I seriously have had to go back a few times on my video stream just to watch these precious moments over again.
10. I know that I mentioned fighting already and I've probably beaten it to death, but seriously, the scene where Snooki is punched has to be one of the craziest moments on MTV. If you haven't watched the series at all, you should at least watch the first few episodes to see what leads up to this scene.

The last episode of The Jersey Shore and the reunion

Well, the series is over and I actually watched the last episode and the reunion a few days ago, but I just never got around to it. I guess I needed time to just accept that it was over.

• The reunion episode was fucking ridiculous. There hasn't been a reunion episode this exciting since The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 3. The last real episode though, was just whatever.
• It was weird that they had Angelina there on the reunion episode. I actually think it's weirder that they didn't replace her the day after she left the house.
• Snooki is bat-shit. If anyone started dancing on the boardwalk, long enough for multiple people come up and dance with them, seriously. The freakout she had right after seeing her ex was funny too.
• I don't think it's fair that everyone wasn't able to take hot seat.
• Snooki and Mike making out in the hot tub!?!?!?!
• Not going to lie, but the whole Ronnie and Sammi break-up on stage was fucking hilarious. I seriously couldn't stop laughing.
• I also like when Ronnie seriously let Sammi have it, the crowd started applauding.
• I feel a little bad for Paully D's stalker. She's never really going to live that down.
• The series wrapped up nicely I think. I say that as if there was a script and that it was actually supposed to come to a real conclusion.