Crayon Pop is still one of my favourite groups. They’ve just finished recording their comeback album which will be released in June, if I’m not mistaken. Teaser images have suggested a different, non-tracksuit, concept. Perhaps a bit sexier. We’ll see. That makes me think of a clip I saw of Crayon Pop where someone mentioned a sexy concept and how they wouldn’t be able to pull it off and Cho-a said: “I would” . I hope they keep their cute and sassy style, though.

They’ve also announced that they’ll be adding a sixth member for their Japanese promotions. Her name is Arisa.

So, to the main reason for this post. I’ve been waiting for Crayon Pop to release their song “1,2,3,4″ that they’ve been performing since last year, but it hasn’t been released as far as I know. I’ve heard the song in English and Japanese. Not in Korean so far. The Japanese version sounds a bit cutesier than the English version, but both are very good.

Here’s the Japanese version. … Continue reading

I don’t watch anime so much these days. The exception was Vision of Escaflowne, which I watched after hearing the synopsis at an anime soundtrack concert. It was a pretty good anime, but didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The other day I got Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人/Shingeki no Kyojin) recommended to me on Twitter (thanks Stephane). It seemed cool based on the single screen I had seen. I started watching it, and it’s very good. It’s different in a deceptive way. When you think you have the story figured out, it makes a sharp turn in another direction. That’s the impression I’ve gotten from the episodes that have aired so far.

The anime series is based on a manga by Hajime Isayama. It takes place in a world where … Continue reading

I was a bit sceptical about the drama series Gu Family Book judging by its first couple of episodes, which consisted of the back story for the main plot. However, I stuck with it to see when Suzy’s character would appear and after a few episodes the drama has really taken off. The main characters (Kang-chi, Yeo-wool and Chung-jo) are much more relatable.

Besides Suzy (the reason for my watching the drama in the first place), another beauty is Lee Yoo-bi, who plays Chung-jo … Continue reading

Nearly two weeks ago I attended UFC Sweden for the second time (UFC on Fuel TV 9). It was fun. Some great fights, even though the main event had been changed since Alexander Gustafsson wasn’t allowed to fight due to a cut (split eyebrow, I think). I was really impressed with the Irish fighter Conor McGregor. Many Swedish fighters performed well too. Tor Troeng owned fellow TUF contender Adam Cella.

The audience was really supportive of the Swedish fighters. Except one. Chris Spång, who looked extremely nervous and tentative. People were cheering when he walked in with the Swedish flag and when the fight started, but after a couple minutes without action the cheers died down. A guy behind me shouted out his frustration “Men slååå-råååå!!” (”Punch FFS!!”).

… Continue reading

I started watching another Korean drama series the other day. It’s called Gu Family Book (구가의 서). The reason I checked it out is because Suzy (Miss A, Dream High) plays one of the main parts, which the teaser suggests is a pretty bad-ass martial artist. The main character is played by Lee Seung-ki (The King 2 Hearts), but I haven’t gotten that far yet.

Gu Family Book is a period/fantasy drama. I generally have a hard time taking these seriously, since … Continue reading

An interaction from yesterday evening that illustrates one of the things I like about Twitter

And yes, it was very tasty

Yesterday I was kind of in a funk and did nothing but watch TV series and movies all day. The last film I saw was A Werewolf Boy (늑대소년) starring Park Bo-young (Scandal Makers) and Song Joong-ki. I didn’t have any big expectations and only picked it since I like Park Bo-young, but it was surprisingly good.

The movie takes place in the 60’s and is about a family (a mother and her two daughters) that moves to the countryside because the eldest daughter (Sun-i, played by Bo-young) has problems with her lungs. At their new house they come across an orphan boy who can’t speak and behaves like a wild animal. They decide to let the boy stay with them for a while until they hear back from social services about finding a home for him. Sun-i gets tired of the boy’s wild behaviour and starts to train him according to a book on training dogs.

… Continue reading

Last night I started watching the Korean drama series You’re the best, Lee Soon-shin (최고다 이순신). The main character is played by IU, which I admit is the reason I checked this drama out. She’s very adorable as Soon-shin, but the drama seems to be very good as well.

I’ve only watched two episodes, but the impression I’ve gotten so far is that the drama is about being brave when handling adversity, even though no one else believes in you and that “when a door closes, a window opens”.

… Continue reading

Two weeks ago I went into this Japanese store that’s near where I have my Korean class. I went there to see if they had any Korean groceries (the Korean food store is on the other side of town). They did. They also had a display case with some kitchen knives. I recognized them, since I’ve seen the brand (Tojiro/Fujitora) online. The price was really good too. I didn’t buy one since I already had a similar knife at home.

A while back I bought a couple of budget friendly kitchen knives with a bit harder steel for my sharpening hobby. One was a shirogami#2 Japanese carbon steel knife. I was considering a Tojiro, which is a budget brand, but the online shop where I was looking had similar knives at a lower price. I figured they were just OEM:ed knives from the same manufacturer and went for that one instead.

I really liked that knife. You have to be careful about it rusting, but it’s really easy to sharpen and takes a wicked edge. … Continue reading

It’s still pretty cold here in Sweden (lousy late spring). When I was going home after work, there were 8 minutes left until my bus would come, so I went into a store. In less than 8 minutes I managed to impulse buy a coffee/tea mug that has a motif that changes colour when the mug gets warm. A fairly useless feature, but I thought it was neat. I also bought a mini-frying pan that they had at the counter. I often have a fried egg for breakfast, so this pan is more suitable than a full-sized one.

It was such a small thing. Less than 8 minutes of my day, but it cheered me up somehow.

BTW, that sencha is very tasty. A bit expensive though.