Does anyone else experience this phenomenon of learning a new word or phrase and then immediately seeing it pop up everywhere? I recently bought a copy of 덕혜옹주: 조선의 마지막 황녀 (Princess Deokhye: The Last Joseon Princess) which, now I’m reading it, is actually so depressing I don’t even know why I bought it in theContinue reading “무용지물”
Clazziquai Project – #Curious
I’ve had Clazziquai’s new album Travellers on repeat since it came to Spotify (bless). I love the new single so much. The lyrics and instrumentals kind of remind me of Ra-on and Yeong’s early friendships/shenanigans – though that might just be because I’ve been thinking of Moonlight Drawn By Clouds too much these days! Heh. (Seriously though. If IContinue reading “Clazziquai Project – #Curious”
화초서생
In terms of genre, 구르미 그린 달빛 checks all the boxes for me–historical rom-com, crossdressing (guilty pleasure don’t judge), princes who pretend they aren’t princes, and dramatic angst delivered in the most delicious of ways.
All the feels for ‘Age of Youth’
Yay long weekend! I just finished a 6 hour binge of 청춘시대 (Age of Youth). The last 4 episodes were such a rollercoaster – I think I cried in every single one. Ha. Given that I generally don’t like “slice of life” type shows–and the fact that the last Korean drama I actually finished was 마을:Continue reading “All the feels for ‘Age of Youth’”
すみません vs. すいません
So, I’m not crazy. I was re-watching きみはペット (incidentally, one of my favorite Japanese dramas) and I confirmed a long-standing suspicion. A lot of Japanese people pronounce すみません as すいません. For years I’ve thought my brain was somehow not computing the み sound correctly until I actually saw it spelled with い in a manga I was reading. TheContinue reading “すみません vs. すいません”
Q&A: New site name
Jeannie asked: Omg why did you change your URL? Astute readers of this blog might’ve noticed that my URL is no longer https://shiningkorean.wordpress.com – gasp! Five years ago when I first created this blog on WordPress, I decided to go with my favorite Korean word (at the time) as its site name/URL. I was one year intoContinue reading “Q&A: New site name”
The most useful phrase to know in Korean (and any language)
Literal ‘did that just happen?!’ moment last week. A friend of mine reached out to me last week, saying a coworker of hers needed help placing an order for 떡 for her child’s 백일 from a Korean bakery in Santa Clara. I’m not sure what this person’s situation was–whether she was Korean(-American) or married to Korean(-American)–but IContinue reading “The most useful phrase to know in Korean (and any language)”
What I learned from taking TOPIK II without studying
I almost didn’t even show up for the exam. Aside from a couple hours of reviewing grammar back in January, I didn’t prepare for TOPIK at all. I didn’t even spend time looking over old tests. But, as painful as I knew it was going to be, I knew there was still value in just takingContinue reading “What I learned from taking TOPIK II without studying”
볼장 다 보다
Sometimes there’s nothing harder than being honest with yourself. As much as it pains me to say it, looking back on the past couple years or so, I’ve noticed my… 욕심..? for Korean deteriorating. I’m frustrated by my lack of improvement. I’m at a level where improvement doesn’t come in leaps and bounds anymore; it comes from dedicated,Continue reading “볼장 다 보다”
Language Tag
Well, this is fun! Riccardo of Kaito Monogatari tagged me in this language learning questionnaire. Of all the people I know studying Japanese, Riccardo is the most prolific reader of Japanese literature that I know of. I hope I can be just as good some day. Anyway, thanks for tagging me, Riccardo! I’m always happy to talk about myselfContinue reading “Language Tag”
반짝반짝 한국어 