And Finally…
A couple years ago I started an anime blog. I met some amazing people and we all shared our love for anime.
Writing a blog did so much for me. It was good and bad.
The good?
It helped me write everyday and I started writing my books. I moved up from writing barely 100 words a day to somedays I would hit 4,ooo.
The bad?
I found myself incapable of keeping up with anime and writing. And I lost track of some of the dearest people I met on here.
As much as I wanted to do it all something had to give. And it turned out to be anime.
I still want to write about anime and I still think about what I can do to add this back into my schedule but I’m afraid of coming back only to disappear again.
But every now and then I stop by and read your posts and smile at what you are doing and accomplishing.
I wanted to share the product of my disappearance.
Through money problems and delays. It is finally ready. My first published book is up for pre-order.
I thought it would never happen. I look back at my trials to write everyday and part of it was just having fun writing about anime and what I loved.
I wanted to share the start of this new journey with you all since you all were here for the start.
Thank you, and keep doing what you do. I will still be around and I will stop by and check on you all. And also hope that I will join you again in writing about our love of anime.
Happy Watching!
Oppa Syndrome
*Dramatic music
The room is dark. The screen casts a glow on the pale fixated face. The bloodshot eyes blink slowly as they say, “Only one more episode.”
There is no time or meaning during a kdrama binge.
I feel like a zombie coming back to life. Sortof. I can’t make any promises.
I’ve been immersed in the land of Oppa’s. Watching kdrama after kdrama and kpop reality shows. My sleepy mind cleared for a moment while watching the documentary from BTS this last week. I’ve come to think of the men called Oppa and the ideal built around this them.
As far as I know no other country comes close to the Korean Oppa as far as idols are concerned.
So what/who is Oppa? In the Korean language it would be what you call your older brother. But there is a different connotation to this word, and those who watch kdramas are probably familiar with this, it would be what you call the man you are dating in Korea. A term of endearment like we in the states would say “honey.”
In facebook groups and all over social media women call out to these men as their “Oppa” or their stan.
I am fascinated about what exactly makes this obsession with these men so successful.
I mean you may remember me and my whole deal with abs…
haha but it is way more than how these men look. Even though it is a large part of it. All the idols in Korea have to be very careful with their appearance and weight.
Something struck me while I watch the BTS documentary. RM was talking about how he “has become RM” and it is hard for him to “remember who he is” They are putting on this character for the crowds.
So what makes an Oppa?
They don’t date in real life. That is part of the fantasy they sell in Korea. That these men are single and devoted to their fans.
They are kind, thoughtful, the real life prince, and available.
This isn’t an act for just the kdrama or the stage. Every social event this is how they act. There is even more pressure for them to act like the perfect Oppa. Because if they falter the fallout for these men is enormous. Up to even “fans” protesting that they leave their kpop group or not act in another drama. I know I’m just talking about how it is for men but honestly it can be worse for the women who are idols in Korea.
Why is it so bad? Sure in the states we have tons of scandals concerning stars but they generally don’t suffer forever (depending). But in Korea they are selling the “Oppa” and it isn’t just supposed to be on screen. It takes over their lives.
Taking the Disney prince to the extreme real life version.
Maybe you can think “Well, they knew this is what would happen.” Maybe so but I still find it a bit sad.
There seems to always be a cost for achieving extreme success. I wish that these actors and singers could have a bit of a normal personal life.
I’m thankful to them and the escape they give from the real world. They make it seem better somehow and I hope that they are happy even though it is probably hard to even go down to the store just to grab something to eat.
Happy watching!
Take care in these strange times 🙂
An Issue of Class in Kdramas
I lost my way from anime land. I fell into kdrama land so I guess I can’t complain much. I’m having a hard time trying to focus on anime so I just let this happen.
Kdramas have their own weaknesses even though they deal with the same tropes over and over I find them more refreshing than normal TV shows. It may be to the fact that I didn’t grow up watching them so the tropes seem new… Well newer.
They tend to be very dramatic. A theme pops up in Kdramas often and I don’t find it dramatic at all. It deals with the difference between the characters “class” to be more specific the socioeconomic status.
This is a topic that is very near and dear to me. I’ve notice in all three series that I am writing that is a common theme. It gets to me when those who are born into more privilege seem to get away with anything. We’ve come to face facts that money is power. This is a common theme in kdramas. Those with money bascially can do whatever they want. We see it in the news and we see it on TV. The truly frustrating part is all I can do it seems is write about it. Those with the gold make the rules. Right?
Itaewon Class is a kdrama that is recently airing on Netflix (in the states at least) and it really hammers home the difference between those who are rich a poor. There is only one lesson that the heir of a corporation learns: That he can get away with anything, including murder.
Life isn’t fair. I think this is something we learn at a young age. However, it tends to seem to be more fair to those with money. I think if you see this anime you will feel the injustice along with me. It is horrible but this is also an issue we see everyday. People get away with fraud, rape, murder, drug use… Mostly because they are born to a life we will never understand or have.
In the first episode I think I cried at least three times. This may be an old trope but the actors/actresses especially Park Seo-joon hit each note with perfection. Park Seo-joon portrays the main characters rage and secrets that you can’t look away from him. I want to know what is going on behind the mask that he puts on for the world. He has a plan and you hope that he completes it.
Each character is unique and they all have their own goals. Most of them you don’t know what is going on behind their eyes. I think that this one will keep me guessing until the end. My heart might just break a bit…
This drama isn’t finished airing but if you start watching be warned the week long wait is hard to handle. I hope for a happy ending with these characters but the great thing about kdramas is sometimes you never know what you will get.
Even though I miss anime land I’m in good company with my kdramas. Take a moment to check out Itaewon Class if you have time!
Happy Watching!
Dear Teacher
I wrote this yesterday after the gossip train hit me hard. I debated with myself if I should post it on my facebook page. It is a hard time of year for teachers and I have been hit by the rumor mill before. I’d thought I’d share it here. I don’t know yet if I have the courage to share it on facebook. I’m trying to open myself up to help others but I also don’t want to be the “pot calling the kettle black.”
I just thought I’d share this to show maybe how gossip and rumors hurt. Most of the time things we share aren’t even true and we think it will never get back to the person. It usually does and it hurts. This is a reminder to myself and maybe someone else, that our word hurt and it is a good idea to not spread lies or hearsay.
“The moment that you feel, just possibly, you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind, and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself…That is the moment, you might be starting to get it right.”
― Neil Gaiman
Sometimes something bothers you so much that it really eats at you. I get frustrated and mad when something takes up too much of my head space. Especially something that usually doesn’t bother me. I think it is because it is the end of the year and I’m already tired, this might be why certain comments got to me in a way that makes it hard to be a teacher.
You see I don’t really know many teachers at the high school. We are pretty isolated in our halls. I only really interact with those who come lunch.
So what do you think happens when you spread gossip and lies about another teacher? You put them even further in isolation.
In the past eight years I’ve come to not care what most teachers say about me. I can honestly say that they don’t know me or my teaching style, at all. Like, zero. I have never had another teacher come into my room and watch me teach. Never. Nada. When I hear that I’m a “bad teacher” I just laugh it off since they never saw me teach.
Because where did they get those ideas? From other teachers? Well, I haven’t had another teacher in my class so what would they know? From the students? Um, I’m going to tell you right off that students had told me on multiple occasions that other teachers were horrible. I can promise you that the rumor stops with me. I know not all students will like me or other teachers. Sometimes they don’t like teachers because they make them do work… gasp. Then that leaves the admins. All the admins who were in my room had nothing to say about me being a horrible teacher. I would like to think they wouldn’t say anything behind my back to other teachers. I believe that. I think we have a great group of admins in the building.
Then that leaves the fact that you are just assuming I’m a bad teacher even though you never saw me teach. Since that is all that is left.
I mean, that is kind of harsh. Then you tell other teachers (who I never met) that I am a bad teacher. Thus the journey to isolation begins. Since no one wants to hang out with the “bad teacher.”
It is no secret that I’ve struggled with my mental health. I’ve even gotten to the point where I almost ended my life. It took a community of support to help me stand up again. This community came from a group of writers who are still my pillars today.
The cool thing about these writers is that they actually read my work. But they don’t go around saying I’m a bad writer. They actually help me get better. I know, crazy concept. They read and help me. I read and help them. In this way we built a community of support around each other. The goal: To make our writing better.
What if instead of dragging me down and spreading rumors and lies about what I teach, maybe you could come and help me? Then I could help you? I’m sure there is a lot that can be learned from each other as a teacher. We face parents, communities, and students who try and drag us down. Why are we dragging each other down? In even writing this I have to admit when I first started it was easy to say another teacher was bad or not good at their job. I had to take a hard look at my life and what kind of person I wanted to be. Did I want to be the type of person to drag others down to make myself feel good? Or did I want to be the person to help others up?
My writing community took me out of the darkest place in my life. It is in a large part thanks to them that I’m still alive. My teaching community is something that I don’t really feel a part of. I’m isolated. I try my best for my students. I have failures as a teacher just like I do as a writer. The only difference is I have writers to bring me up again. I have a small amount of teachers who do, so sadly it only takes a few to tear someone down.
When you gossip and lie that is what you do. You tear that person down. You take away any encouragement that others gave. Do I really need to say that gossip hurts others? Because it does.
I made a promise to myself not to gossip about others. I hope and try to do that because I know what it is like on the receiving end. Since I don’t know the person what right do I have to talk badly about them? What right do I have if I do know them? The truth is I don’t. I never have the right to judge others. In the past I have lost friendships. I hurt people. This is why again, I make the choice every day to try and lift others up instead of tear them down. A quote from one of my writing groups is “A rising tide raises all ships” if we helped instead of gossiped what amazing teachers we could be.
I said before when I hear rumors about any teacher. It stops with me. I’m not great at confrontation but I don’t continue a rumor. That is a promise I will always try to keep.
I’m thankful to those teachers who helped me out over these last few years. It is encouraging to have you in my life. I hope I helped and encouraged you in some way too. Also how you came together and helped me after my surgery which took way longer than I thought to recover from. The cards, the food, and the visits helped me get through. Since it is a weird thing in a teachers mind that if we miss work we are a bad teacher. You helped me get through that month where it was hard for me to even walk around the classroom for over a month due to pain. You all made me feel like I wasn’t a useless teacher. Thank you. Thank you so much.
As teachers we could be so much more if we helped each other or even communicated. One year I remember I was completely left out of the choice to change novels for a class. Everyone else got the novel and I didn’t. Thus the infamous year of Serial began. I started it because I was left out (here comes the theme of isolation again). Then I saw the power of that unit. The admins in my room also saw it too. So I’m also not sure where the rumor started that I was told to stop teaching it. I have had four admins tell me to KEEP teaching it so… But don’t worry when we get our new curriculum I will fall in line with the rest. I just wish you could have seen the students and how much they learned from that unit. I worked hard on it. You never saw that either.
Despite the side tangent. There are a few things that I wish for my teaching community. I wish that we could help instead of tear down. I wish that everyone could be included. Right now I’m on the outside with a group of people. We tend to joke about being the outcasts in the department but honestly it really is true. Maybe part of that is our own fault too for not being the ones reaching out. I’m going to be honest I did try but after a couple years I stopped. However, we are a pretty cool group to be in you should get to know us a bit. You might be surprised.
In the end I wrote this really long essay that I won’t count toward my word count goal for the day ;). I did it to help drain the poison that infected me. It gave me a few sleepless nights. Writing helps me get over things. This way I can go back to ignoring comments said by those who don’t know me. Because I don’t want to focus on the bad. I want to focus on the good that other teachers brought into my life. This is the way that I can get back up again. I made that choice three years ago that I would keep going, so this is it. I’m still breathing and going. That is all I need.
KimchiSama 