From The Airport - Hongdae

Last weekend was really busy for me. I cleaned up my new apartment all afternoon up to the very last minute I could, then left for Hongdae. A senior (weird how we don't really use that naming in English, but as Korea has rubbed on me, and he is older than me, I feel weird saying "friend") from McGill I met through Minho (met in China: isn't it amazing to have Korean acquaintances that you have met in China? I love how my stories are always more complicated than they need to be...) was having a concert in Hongdae at 8PM. I have mentioned him before, when I wrote about in a previous blog entry, and said I did narration on one of his songs, BLACK SKIES.

So I obviously went to see his show. I don't know what I was expecting, but I couldn't have been happier. I am a big pop music fan, for "music" lovers, what I like usually is crap, but while I love pop, I like all kinds of music as long as it's not too death-metal-sounding (mind you, I admire the artist's research when it comes to death metal's instrumental, I just don't like the yelling part) French rap or western (unless I am in a western bar with people who know those in-line dances and do them together, in this one particular scenario I love western music).

Anyways, straying again...

The show was just the prefect length for a standing concert and the room, while being full, was not packed to the extent of having to look for place to put your feet at. I was really happy with everything in general. They had lockers for jackets (I love Korea) and the room was pretty clean, giving an almost high classy feeling. If you want to get there, here are the direction Min sent me to get there, and even me, who gets lost in a phone box, got there with no problem. I love GPS in phones, makes it so easy to get around. I don't remember the name of the concert avenue though ha ha.. Might edit this entry later and add...

**.... omg U_U I had to stop writing. "Let it Go" started playing in the coffe shop I'm stationed at. This song has taken over Korea... how many months have passed since the movie is out? **

...the name of the place.

I was like SUPER underdressed. I had helped out at a school's market day in the morning and dressed up warmly to stand the cold outside for the few hours I'd have to stand outside, then got to cleaning my apartment and went there directly, so I was wearing short boots black pants and a long red woollen sweater with my hair down. I was thinking, hm, it's hongdae, people are more "grungy" than the pretty dressed up style people wear in say, Gangnam. Well appears Hongdae has more than one type of people hanging out there and I still have a lot to learn. 

People at the concert avenue were all dressed-up, heels, dresses and clean-cut jackets, suits, formal/semi-formal ... and there was me. Even Min, who came with his date, was all dressed-up. Man I felt soooo sexy

The only good point was that, for once, I was not overly tall, as all the people sort of had heels. I actually felt short over my 173cm, trying to see the front stage, with tall koreans all around. It felt quite disorientated for a while. 

Then music took over everything else. I was not expecting much "liveliness" from a band with only two people doing everything on their own, but they were great. There was something on stage, that I have rarely seen. It was everything but boring and I suggest anyone who gets a chance, to go see them play. 

If it can be proof enough, I did not take any pictures or film anything as I was watching, because I didn't want to miss the show (now, I regret not having done so, because I only have words to describe the concert, and well. You need to believe me don't you?

After the show I went out with Min and a couple of his friends for a drink and as most of the places we wanted to go to were full so we ended up going to this Japanese place that had amazing food. We also drank Sake-lemon-soda, A mix I had never had before and really liked. To be honest, I don't like the flowery taste of sake, so I was dreading it, but mixed like this it tastes amazing!

Sake lemon soda heaven mix

We had a lot of different yummy foods, but my personal favourite was the tuna tataki. 

Emergency Couple

...yah. For people back home that read this title and got their hopes up, nope, I am not in couple. Men will always be the only mystery that I will never be able to solve. And for now, it's okay like that. 

Emergency Couple is a drama going on right now, that I like a lot (it's getting completely overshadowed by another TV show, You Who Came from a Star - starring Kim SooHyun - but as that show will end next week we'll have EC see the end of the tunnel soon) and I have been watching with Miss N. these past weeks. 

As I was watching episode 7 I kept getting annoyed: there was this song, I don't know why, that I was sure I had heard before. Not the typical pop song, more like an Indie song. But I don't really listen to indie bands so I was confused. Where could I have heard it? The mystery was complete, but I kept being buggered by the fact that I was sure I was supposed to know where I heard it. A long time ago. 

And then the realization dawned upon me....

FLASH BACK.

Last spring a friend of a friend, in an indie band in Korea called FROM THE AIRPORT, asked me if I could help them. They needed someone to do narration in one of their songs. I told them I'd be glad, but I was afraid they would not like my accent - because I have my own way of saying things, that is neither French, Canadian, American or English. 

It was on a weekday, so it had to be a simple back and forth, as it was kinda far. Their studio is in Hapjung ( near Hongdae ) so it's about an hour and half from Dongtan. 

I got there and we ate - yayy yummy free food - and went to the studio. The recording itself didn't take long. We looked at the fake news articles I was supposed to read, to see if there were any words that would make it awkward to pronounce in a news anchor voice, fixed a few sentences and that was it. I think I read it like 3 times and they really liked it. I was happy they liked it. I liked the guitar solo just before my part.

BACK TO NOW...

It's the guitar solo that got me. The song I narrated on was in a FREAKING KOREAN DRAMA :) (I start speaking around 2:03min, it's a very short part).

I had been sick for a week and kept having stomach pain in weird times throughout the day, but realizing that it was that song, I didn't care anymore. I kept smiling.

I replayed the part over and over.

But sadly. My glorious moment will probably only be known by me. As soon as I start speaking my part, the main female lead starts talking and we can barely hear me, unless you know and you try to hear it. As I did. 

Still. 

I have always been a happy background music for people around me (nickname my mom gave me as a kid, cuz I'd never stop talking, and when they'd tell me to shut it, I'd just keep saying what I had to say, but I'd sing it).

Anyways, I'm super happy they got their songs in a drama ^3^