Hi everyone! I decided to create this space as a tribute to the Korean boy band DBSK / TVXQ / Tohoshinki. Many of us adore these boys because of their voices and their looks. There are hundreds of fansites where you can find lots of information about them. I will focus on the thoughts, opinions and way of living of a DBSK fan in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Please note this is my personal view on the group. Enjoy! ;-)
Oh man, I haven't updated like in a zillion years :-(
I've been busy with work and spending more time in Facebook and Live Journal. The TVXQ legal issue really got to me. The whole thing is just a ball of depressing mess. It is just tiring to try and explain why this happened. I just hope it ends soon, I want things to go back to normal!
Last year I started taking Japanese and Korean lessons. And for us westerners that's quite a challenge. We have to start from scratch learning a new alphabet and different word order. It's difficult but I'm eager to learn so yeah, this will be my second year. Hwaiting! :D
Work is uneventful and boring as always. I know I should be looking for another job but at this time leaving my current job would be siply suicidal.
Friends: we had our ups and downs last year but all in all, everything is ok with them. I'm glad that thanks to TVXQ I met a bunch of girls with whom I spend most of my weekends hanging out and having fun.
And about Changminnie, what can I say? I just wish all his dreams may come true. He's really skinny now so hopefully he ate a lot today without worrying about diets and looks and whatnot. He has the prettiest smile in the whole world and I l♥ve his mismatched eyes. All the best for him :D
I will try to update more often this year. Hwaiting! :D
I haven't updated in a while and the boys have been included in every single magazine our there but this HAD to be the first entry for 2009. Happy Birthday dear Changmin! May all your wishes come true ^ ^ I've made this video as a small present for my favorite TVXQ member:
I thought this was cute, I never imagined TVXQ in the Recipes section of a magazine.
So Changmin is the only who craves for sweets? Aw Minnie I love sweets too, chocolate is my drug! ^^
Unfortunately we will never see a white X-mas in Buenos Aires (unless a miracle or something really bad happens due to global warming) so we don't eat many sweets during X-mas here. Imagine having to bake a cake when the temperature is around 35°C!! X-mas dinner here mostly consists in cold meats and salads and ice cream or fruit salad as dessert.
DBSK’s 4th album was put under the 19 year age banned by the Youth Safety Association on November, however SM.ENT will starting next week file a legal case against this to the Justice Court/ District Court. DBSK’s Management SM Entertainment (SM), quoted by Money Today’s Star News: “We will go through administrative measures against the suspension by filing a case next week to the District Court” and “We have been getting ready for this legal case on the 2nd” “We have agreed to release a clean version of ‘Jumon - Mirotic’ by the administrative order, but this is something we do not agree with and feel this is entirely unfair. Therefore we have decided to file a case to the court against the administration’s disclosure.” The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs administration has on the November 27th declared that DBSK’s 4th album’s Mirotic’s lyrics were provocative and is harmful to the Youths. The Commission of Youth Protection have said that the words and the meaning of ‘Jumon-Mirotic’ is not the only problem but the entire lyrics’ meaning was harmful and overly suggestive (sexually). After the Commission of Youth Protection had released this statement SM.ENT said “Even before when the order had been put against MIROTIC, we have clearly negotiated and tried to explain the real meaning and explanation of the lyrics, but even after this the results came out unexpectedly and we are bewildered as of this moment” “and the JUMON -MIROTIC’s lyrical meaning is entirely different and miles away from the erotic or sexual that the association is making it to be.” DBSK’s 4th album by the end of November hit 460,000 sales. This is the highest record sale for this year out of any artists/idols. However with the current condition and news coverage of DBSK’s CD age ban has caused Japanese Media to release news coverage of this. On the 4th, Japan’s AsahiTv, Nihon Tv. etc. released their coverage as ‘Asia’s Star DBSK and the ban of the CD release single MIROTIC. Sankei Sports news on the 5th, Sports-Nippon released their news “Age ban on DBSK 4th album, will this affect DBSK’s attendance for NHK’s Red White ceremony?” (The PD for NHK has already released a statement saying that this incident will not affect DBSK’s attendance for NHK’s Red White ceremony) DBSk has also hit the top charts in Japan’s Oricon charts numerous times, and have won twice in a row the “Golden Artists Award” at the Best Hits Gayo Awards.
After judging that Rain’s Rainism was harmful and detrimental to youths last week, the Commission of Youth Protection has acted again by labeling DBSK’s Mirotic, Solbi’s Do It Do It, Trust Me and Make Up Sex from Dynamic Duo’s 4th album, etc in the same category as Rainism. This has created an uproar once again in Korea with the ruling taking effect from this week onwards. According to sources, the Commission of Youth Protection usually examines around 100 songs every month to see if they are harmful or detrimental to youths in Korea. But this is the first time that their scope is targeted specifically towards popular mainstream singers in Korea right now. In the last month alone, 110 songs were judged to be inappropriate with 32 of them Korean songs, setting a new record in the process. The reason for banning Mirotic was the same as Rainism in that part of the lyrics were inappropriate. The ruling will come into effect from 4th December with the song being banned from playing on tv or radio before 10pm. The Mirotic album will have stickers affixed to them that indicates “unsuitable for people under 19 years old”. The song lyrics will have to be modified if they are going to perform this during concerts or events. Action will be taken if any of the above are flouted. Although affected singers and their companies have expressed that they will adhere to the ruling, they can’t fathom the reasoning behind the ban. Industry critics feel that this will only heap more misery on the already suffering music industry. And one wonders if the “19-only” stickers restricting the sale of affected albums will actually have any effect. DBSK for example are already done with promoting Mirotic and are actually in the midst of promoting their follow-up song Wrong Number. With album sales already exceeding 300,000, it also means that most of their fans have already gotten the album already.
Part 2
Korea’s Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs is on a roll. After banning Rain and his Magic Stick, the Ministry has now turned their attention to Dong Bang Shin Ki. Just a couple of days ago, the Ministry banned TVXQ’s hit song “Mirotic” for its “suggestive sexual content” and asked SM Entertainment to change the lyrics of the song. SM Entertainment negotiated the terms for the condition but like Rain they were left with no choice but to comply with the Ministry’s decision to release an edited version of “Mirotic”. A representative from SM Entertainment released a statement on December 2, said, “The Commission of Youth Protection has determined ‘Mirotic‘ as one of the songs that are banned, therefore we will release an edited version. However, this decision will not necessarily satisfy Commission of Youth Protection because they have their own measure apart, but this step must be made to prevent further effects.” Based on Ministry decision, the new and improved “Mirotic” would most likely not include the words ‘jumun’, ‘nol kajjeosso’, and its famous line ‘I got you under my skin’ since these lyrics are “very harmful to the youth”, so the Ministry says. The squeaky clean version would be effective immediately on all future TVXQ activities.
Credits: KPOP JJANG
I just don’t know whether to laugh or cry. These guys have to be kidding me, this is simply LUDICROUS! Beyond ridiculous! They decide Mirotic is harmful now that like a zillion copies have been sold????? And after every single tv show and radio broadcast has played Mirotic another zillion times?? Even myself in Buenos Aires have an uncensored version in my hands... I wonder if they were drinking vodka while deciding this or they somewhat had to justify their salaries or something. I read all kind of comments at the TVXQ Argentinean forum, we were mad of course but also laughing our heads off when we read this. They cannot be more ridiculous even if they tried. For the time being I have added a support message in my signature at the forum (I SUPPORT MIROTIC’S ORIGINAL VERSION – UNDER MY SKIN) and have also joined a French Facebook group called “association Mirotic 100% skin”. C’mon people! We’re in 2008! Not in the Dark Ages! Have these guys even read the lyrics of songs like “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails or “I touch myself” by Devinyls or “cream” by Prince?? Just go get a life and leave DBSK alone.
So finally the infamous kissing scenes that were shown in a teaser days ago aired last November 23rd. Either the show was dreadful or the translation sucked because I was totally confused as to why these guys were laughing. Apparently Minnie and Yunho weren't having fun either, Yunho was totally lost and his mind was clearly some place else... They made poor Changmin drink from a bottle of water and these middle aged women were fighting for the bottle afterwards saying it was "holy water" (I have to admit they have a point there haha) and then they had to re-enact a scene from a K-drama which very conveniently ended up with a kissing scene:
Aw this was just sweet. Last November 23rd Yoochun, Junsu and Changmin were guests on "Fantasy couple" (I've seen it translated in 3 different ways so who knows what the real name of the show is...). This is a quiz show for kids. They had to pick a partner to answer the questions. Everybody's favorite was Yoochun closely followed by Changmin, and Junsu was everybody's least favorite member XD. This was just hilarious since in the end he and the little girl he teamed up with won the game. The girl said Junsu was now her favorite TVXQ member and they hugged (so sweet!! :D )
The videos cannot be embedded but you may watch some of the cuts here:
Last November 24 while TVXQ was at Kimpo airport, two Chinese fans approached Changmin, yelled at him and hit him on the head. There really isn't much evidence of this actually happening. People are making these accusations off of a fan video where the boys turn around and see some commotion happening in the background (where Changmin was) and also some photos of Changmin adjusting his beanie and rubbing his head. Rumor has it that these fans followed Changmin and Jaejoong to the men's restroom. Jaejoong didn't say anything but Changmin told them to get out and stop following them, hence their fury. (taken from the web)
I'm not sure if this is just a rumor but there are some pics and videos in which you can see there's something going on around them and you can actually hear the fans yelling something at Changmin. Probably SM took care not to make a big fuss of the whole thing. I'm just shocked that these girls think they can go through their lives thinking they can yell at and even throw things at a complete stranger (because let's be honest, even though some fans think they know TVXQ the truth is they are complete strangers) Now thinking about how protective Cassiopeias can be, I believe these girls have to be out of their minds to do something like that to the youngest and shyest of the group. For sure Cassiopeias won’t let them get away with it just like that. But my main concern is Changmin. I don’t know the guy personally but guessing from his behavior in public he must have felt humiliated, embarrassed, sad and furious all the same time. Why did this have to happen to HIM out of them all? I just hope he won’t take this personally even though it’s hard not to. It’s awful when someone stabs you with words for no reason (I’ve been there and know exactly how that feels...). Changmin, I just wish you can forget about this whole thing soon and just focus on your work and other happy stuff. We fangirls are there for you 24/7 and support you and TVXQ! 100% Hwaiting!! ♥
Last November 22 Yoochun, Junsu and Changmin were guests @ Star King. I found the show kind of boring although there were some interesting performances of some Japanese rock chicks and a bunch of 5-year olds impersonating the Wonder girls haha ;-) Here are 2 cuts of Changmin's absolute cuteness (aw, he just killed me, the guy is SO sweet, I just love him to bits ♥)
I just have one thing to say about this: WHAT THE HELL!!! 0_0
Fortunately Minnie's kiss looked totally naive and on the cheek but anyways, WHAT THE HELL!!! >_< Apparently this was shot on Nov 16th and aired on the 23rd.
Five awards winner DBSK did not hide their happiness at this year’s first award ceremony. DBSK seized 5 awards, including one of the daesangs ‘Album of the Year award’, at ‘2008 Mnet KM Music Festival’ (aka ‘2008 MKMF’) which opened at 7 o’clock on November 15th at the Seoul Jamshil Gymnasium. After ‘2008 MKMF’ ended, DBSK’s ChoiKang ChangMin met with a reporter and continuously repeated “Thank you” and was unable to control his happiness. Then he said that “I thought of a lot of things while returning in 2 years” and “It wasn’t as if we succeeded easily in Japan and while working before returning, the sense of responsibility was bit big”. ChoiKang ChangMin said “The worrying feeling of wondering if the fans forgot us overtook me” and revealed that “because of that, I prepared this album even more so while clenching my teeth”. And also, he expressed his feelings during the time they received the ‘Album of the Year Award’ saying that “During that time each of the members would’ve had their own businesses, and tears came out as the many events that occurred while preparing the album whizzed through my head” This day, ChoiKang ChangMin who went on the stage to receive the prize and cried could not hide his red eyes at the waiting room. Leader U-Know YunHo brightly smiled in the waiting room and said “I feel so great” and screamed “The fans are really the best”. Xiah JunSu and Micky YooChun said “Thank you” and showed their excited selves. YoungWoong JaeJoong cracked a smile while saying “I was really surprised/shocked that ChangMinnie cried”
Credits: annneonet@LJ
First of all, congratulations to the DBSK boys for the well-deserved awards. Now to Changmin’s tears... What can I say? Like one of the girls at the Pentagram forum said watching Changmin crying his eyes out while Yoochun was consoling him was simply bizarre and I totally agree (it should have been the other way around). Minnie-ah, I just hope you realize what you made us fangirls feel when we watched that. I believe half of the planet wished we could be there just to hug you ☺ Aw, I just think it was more than just getting emotional; Changmin looked like he had been bottling things up for a long time and that put together with all the stress the boys have been through lately plus all the TV and radio shows they appeared in during the Mirotic promotion combined with scarce hours of sleep... I don’t know, he had to break down at some point! Do not worry Minnie! You and the boys looked adorable and hard-working as always. We support you guys 100% TVXQ! Hwaiting! ♥
Dong Bang Shin Gi’s Choi Kang Chang Min was singled out as the Casanova of the group.
On MBC’s ‘Yoo Jae Suk & Kim Won Hee’s Come To Play’ (Shortened form: ‘Come To Play’) broadcast on October 27th, Choi Kang Chang Min ranked first place when Young Woong Jae Joong surveyed it’s members when asked “Which person is most like casanova among Dong Bang Shin Gi?”
Choi Kang Chang Min drew attention because of the overwhelming lead even before the ranking was announced. Suddenly exposing his fellow member, Young Woong Jae Joong stated, “Choi Kang Chang Min sometimes in the car passes by 100’s of women and looks at all 100 of those women.” And “He won’t express anything but he’ll unconsciously remember which woman was wearing pretty clothes when we passed by” added member, U-Know Yunho.
Sitting in the rear of Choi Kang Chang Min was Micky Yoochun. “When Micky Yoochun finds a woman after his heart, his pupils dilate” stated Young Woong Jae Joong causing an uproar among the group. “If he really favors a woman then there’s a very intense glitter in his eyes,” confessed Young Woong Jae Joong.
credits ♥ KPOP JJANG 짱
I just can’t seem to find the words to express what I felt when I watched this show. It was one of those few moments in life when I was rendered speechless kk. First of all to find out that Changmin (my little Changmin!!!) was singled out as the Casanova of DBSK, aish, I was totally flabbergasted 0_0 . And then towards the end of the show when they told about their first kisses I was WTF???? Minnie must have broken like a zillion hearts the night this show aired (Junsu as well but I think no one was prepared to hear Changmin’s story...). In any case I had already heard about JJ’s and Yunho’s stories and even though I hadn’t heard about Chunnie’s I assumed he was going to say something romantic. I felt like hugging Junsu when he spoke about his first kiss experience but I was in shock the moment Minnie opened his mouth to talk about his. It is really surprising the difference between first kiss experiences in South America and Korea. Here you would have your first kiss when you are really young compared to youths in Korea. In any case (and now I’ve recovered from the initial shock) GO CHANGMIN!! I just wish all of them had girlfriends to at least have a sort of normal life; what could be more normal than dating when you’re young???
Aw, there’s so many things I want to comment on these days but I cannot find the spare time nor the willpower to put in writing all the things I have in mind. We’ve been having a temperature of around 40 degrees in Buenos Aires (I foresee an Indian summer ahead...and just thinking that I loathe summer...) and being on my computer has turned somewhat unbearable. However, one thing that never fails to cheer me up and make me laugh my head off every single time I watch it is TVXQ! In the “Happy Together” show. The first episode they took part in was awfully hilarious but the one from 2008 was as funny as the previous one. I just wish Junsu and Changmin could have been there too (apparently they were in Japan at that time??) Anyways, Jaejoong’s randomness just kills me every single time and poor Chunnie, he always has to make a fool of himself to make us fall off our chairs with laughter hahaha. Note: for those who don’t have a clue what this is about, guests taking part in the show are locked into a sauna and they have to sing a song without mistakes to get out. Now, to the memorable images (this is just part 4, closed captions on the right):
I should have written about this sooner but I’ve been busy with work and quite frankly I didn’t feel like updating the blog (I’ve been feeling kind of blue lately and this is something that should be done with dedication at least) My Mirotic CD finally arrived on Wednesday, October 22nd less than a month after it was released. When I got it in my hands (I didn’t have to go through all the hassle at the customs office like last time I got something from Hong Kong) I felt like jumping and screaming. You know these are the bizarre – but nonetheless wonderful – things about globalization: I got my Mirotic even before some girls in Korea!! And all because I had preordered at YesAsia, unbelievable... Now, speaking about the interesting stuff *** Mirotic *** OMG, the box is just beautiful. I have version A that comes with a small photo book the size of the CD containing the oh so popular Mirotic pictures with the boys showing skin everywhere. Pure smex. When I saw THAT pic of Chunnie looking to the side with his mouth half opened, my heart skipped a beat. I made the corresponding comments in my other entry “about the Mirotic new look” but I have to mention it here once again, keke, that’s how sexy he looks. I knew which track was my favorite after the first time I played Mirotic. It has to be “Picture of you”; I just don’t get tired of listening to that song over and over again. Just like with “One” I think it’s one of those soul-wrenching songs that you shouldn’t listen to if someone just broke your heart. It’s sad but addictive anyways. Here are some pics of my treasured MIROTIC:
1. Mirotic 2. Wrong Number 3. 노을..바라보다 (Afterglow) 4. Crazy Love 5. HEY! Don't Bring Me Down 6. 넌 나의 노래 (You're My Melody) 7. 무지개 (Rainbow) 8. 낙원 (Paradise) 9. 악녀 (Are You A Good Girl?) 10. Flower Lady 11. 잊혀진계절 (Forgotten Season) 12. Love in the Ice (Korean)
Since Mirotic was released last September there has been a storm of comments regarding the new looks of TVXQ’s boys. I guess fans were shocked to find out they had sort of left their cute image behind and adopted a “sexier” look. Yes, the change was shocking. I always try to focus on their music and I’ve managed to do that so far because I could not relate to their boyish image in the past days. But now that the boys are gone and 5 handsome men are there instead I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep my mouth shut.... At least I have to comment on Micky’s new look. Boy, when I saw the Mirotic pics I was like “quien es ese chicooo, who’s that boy?” (Madonna’s music in the background). It’s like I was seeing Micky for the first time in my life. I knew he was there because of his voice, yes, but I had never looked at him twice in the past. It’s not that I thought he was unattractive or anything, he simply didn’t catch my attention before... Now, thanks to his stylist he has ALL MY ATTENTION! First of all, in the Mirotic MV when he was inside the crystal cage and tilted his head to the side showing his neck, that was the exact second I discovered him! Ke ke, why do necks have that effect on me...aish. But then with the pics! I just thought: absolutely smexy. Not so many people are happy with his new hair but I ADORE IT. I think it brings out the best of him. Oh and he hasn’t stopped showing me his neck or half opened eyes/mouth so he now has me drooling all over the keyboard like an idiot! I have to say 10 points to Micky’s new look (the pic in this entry is the one I’m using as my desktop background right now). About the others: Well, Changmin has certainly grown up. A lot. I’m not so enthusiastic about his hair color or do, doesn’t he look like that guy from Shinee? But he’s my favorite TVXQ ♥ so I’ll support him anyways. Even if I get bricks thrown at me, I like his hair when it’s long and messy. Junsu: I understand that everybody had to have a new look but in his case I think the Becks style (gelled spikes) he had during the “O” period was the one that suited him best. Since he has a sort of rounded face, the O style made his face look thinner. In any case, his new look was ok in black. I didn’t like it when he changed to a deep red a few days after the Mirotic showcase but I forgive him; I think he has the sexiest body of them all. Junsu should adopt Jeans and black T-shirts as his uniform; he looks so damn good in them! Jaejoong: Well, we all know anything looks good on him. I really like his new haircut and color (I think it was kind of plum color). I’m not so eager about him showing his body any chance he has; he’s way too thin. I’m glad he kind of stopped putting his hand over his mouth when he laughs, it really got on my nerves when he did that. Yunho: I’m really worried about him. If he was a girl I’d say he looks... anorexic. I won’t add anything else not to sound mean but boy please start eating cheeseburgers, you look so much better with a couple of extra kilos. Haircut is ok, not so sure about the color. All in all I like the new Mirotic image. There certainly is a before and after this look and we fans are more than happy to see a sexier side of TVXQ ^ ^ .
After waiting for 2 months I finally got my TVXQ goodies and I have to say that I'm quite impressed to say the least. I had already downloaded the O album – sorry guys- because it takes such a long time and all my savings to buy TVXQ music online (as explained in other posts, due to devaluation in my country CDs cost us 3 times as much as if we were buying them here and in any case they don’t sell them here). But since the sound quality wasn’t good I thought it over (for about 2 seconds) and placed my order with YesAsia. It took them 2 months and all my anger on the phone to get my stuff here but it was worth it. CD was really nice, unfortunately I will have to ask a Korean friend of a friend to translate TVXQ’s dedications but the pics are really nice. I already knew the O album was superb. It also comes with another CD with extra footage, interviews and photoshoots. But the DVD.... People! I have to say that all TVXQ overseas fans should buy these DVDs since we cannot attend those concerts on the other side of the world. The DVD is 3 hours long, it comes in a nice box containing 2 CDS and 1 calendar. Unfortunately mine was defective and it only had 4 months instead of the 12 that should have been included boohoooo... It also comes with a small photobook with images of the concert. The concert was really good although I didn’t understand the war images concept. Maybe because I loathe war images? I understood that they were showing them as if saying “we are against this” but I’m not sure if it is wise to show that kind of imagery to an audience mainly consisting of teens. In any case, the show was great. I wasn’t very happy when I heard they started with “Phantom” since it is one of the 2 songs in the album that I do not like but it was ok. The performance of Hey Girl with the girls and the chairs was really good. I loved the images before “Remember” with all the portraits on the wall and the little girl apart from the fact that I adore that song. The images and theatrical performance before “One” were magical and the song was simply beautiful (and soul-wrenching at the same time, I don’t know why this song makes me feel like that whenever I listen to it). There was one thing that I really enjoyed and that was Junsu’s solo performance of “My page”. I was like “what the hell??” When he started dancing like that I almost fell off my chair! When did he learn to dance like that??? Did he learn to move his hips with our Colombian Shakira??? I think that out of the 5, Xiah has a body to die for but if anyone needs evidence to confirm this please watch that performance. Changminnie got me smiling at the screen like an idiot when he sang “When I first kissed you” but that’s the effect he has on me almost all the time... I also liked Micky’s “One last cry”. I definitely did not like Jae’s solo “Crying” not because of him but because I do not like the song. All in all it is a great show, they even showed footage of Changmin’s birthday celebration on stage and some extra footage (making of DVD), I’m really happy with it.
Do you have a favorite drink? I do; mine is gin and tonic with lemon. I really enjoy having one whenever I go to an Irish pub with friends. And with salted pop-corn they can be so addictive. I’ve tried other drinks and cocktails but I always find myself asking for a gin and tonic when I go out. I have an English friend (actually he is Scottish) who says gin and tonics are drinks for old ladies with cats in Britain (??). I don’t care, I just like them (maybe because I AM an old lady??? In any case I have no cats, I like dogs better...) The title is this entry is also the title of a song by Andres Calamaro “Mi Gin Tonic”, lyrics below. It seems this drink inspired him to write a song...
Para ver bailar voy a un club mientras muerdo el limónde un gin tonic usado … en tu cadera,no me digas que voy a tener que ir a ver a tu grupo del siglo pasado,en la bombonera.
Hay días para quedarse a mirar,
hay días en que hay poco para ver,
hay días sospechosamente light,
hay un deseo que pido siempre que pasa un tren.
Para ver bailar voy a un club mientras muerdo el limónde un gin tonic usado … en tu cadera,todo bien porque voy a comer como un reyen tu agencia de coches usados … entre colegas.
Hay días para quedarse a mirar,
hay días en que hay poco para ver,
hay días sospechosamente light,
hay un deseo que pido siempre que pasa un tren.
También hay un deseo que pido siempre, que pasa un tren.
Today it rained cats and dogs in BA. This is a sight of the city at 9 am.
It suddenly became so dark as if it was night already and I knew a hail storm was coming. And yes there was hail in some parts of Buenos Aires, fortunately not near my home. Hail can be very destructive; years ago we had a hail storm that destroyed thousands of cars, roofs, terraces, appliances... People had to wait for 3-4 months to get their cars repaired since so many had been smashed and there were not enough spare parts for everyone. Insurance companies almost went bankrupt. In any case, it rained cats and dogs today. I didn’t feel like working at all, I just wanted to stay in bed for as long as possible....
