[REVIEW] Angel Aqua Moisture CC Cream

Hey guys! It’s been awhile since I last posted anything, nonetheless review any products, but my experience with the ANGEL AQUA Moisture CC Cream is something I must share.

I went to Olive Young (Korea’s equivalent of Sephora) in Myeongdong looking for a new BB or CC cream to try out. Recently my skin has been improving thanks to the treatments and advice from my dermatologist. My dermatologist had recommended me to stop using the BB cream I had been using previously and to find a new one, so that’s how I ended up in Olive Young.

Because of language barriers, I wasn’t able to tell the sales lady my skin type or any specifics, but she recommended the ANGEL AQUA Moisture CC Cream since a lot of Koreans use it and it was one of their more popular CC creams.

From the little English that was on the box, this CC cream seemed like a really great choice. It boasts of:

• SPF25, PA++
• Ethanol-free
• Tar colorants-free
• Mineral oil-free
• Animal origins ingredients-free
• Chemical fragrance-free
• 55% Water Content

On the side of the box it also says:

• Dermatologically-tested
• Paraben-free
• Against animal testing

I have very sensitive, combination acne-prone skin, and all of these sounded really good with no fragrances or other chemicals and ingredients that are irritating and pore-clogging.

Plus this was animal-cruelty free, a really great bonus (I’m assuming it’s also a vegan makeup product since it claims no animal ingredients, but I can’t be 100% sure).

I ended up buying this CC cream. For 15,000won (roughly $15) for 45mL, this is a really great price for any sort of BB/CC cream or foundation in general.

The first couple days I used this CC cream was AMAZING. Although it has such a high water content (something I feared would not help with my oily skin), with a great primer and finishing powder, this stayed matte for HOURS. I went through a whole day (12 hours) wearing this CC cream and it didn’t budge or get nastily oily at all! I didn’t even have to blot since it didn’t look oily or gross by the end of the day.

Also, this CC cream blended so well and changed into my skin tone, making it look so natural like second skin. It even covered up my marks and redness really well. I really thought I had found my magic go-to CC cream.

It wasn’t until after the first few days that I started noticing some changes that my skin was going through. Although I do have combination skin with oily parts, I noticed that my skin stopped reacting well to the CC cream. It started getting oily very quickly (despite using primer and finishing powder, and also changing my primer/bases and finishing powders to see if it’d help). It looked really gross and to blot and pat on more powder made it look even grosser and didn’t help my skin condition.

And worst of all, I started getting little bumps all over my forehead and nose. They are not acne bumps, but an allergic reaction/irritation. I’ve NEVER in my life ever broken out or had a pimple on my nose or forehead, so for me to have tiny clusters of pimple-like bumps was so scary.

At first I thought it was a bad reaction to the new makeup remover I was using (since I started using that around the same time I started using the CC cream), but even after switching and using a different remover, my skin was getting worse. I finally realized it was the CC cream. Somehow my oil production on my face increased after using the CC cream and my skin just didn’t react well to it. I wanted to believe it wasn’t the CC cream because of it’s benefits and claims of having very little bad ingredients (like fragrances and mineral oils and such), but after stopping the use of that CC cream and switching to a BB cream, I realized it was the CC Cream.

Now I don’t want to completely slam or hate on this product. Reading the ingredients list, there are still a ton of ingredients and chemicals that I have no idea what they are (but that’s the same for any beauty product). It also contains a lot of citrus products, such as lemon peel oil and various citrus fruit extracts, which I think may have irritated my skin due to the acidity. Of course, it’s not high acidity (or else it wouldn’t go on your face), but I haven’t had any beauty products that contained so many citrus-like chemicals and ingredients, so that may have been a factor. Also, I’m not a bit citrus fruit/smell person.

Like I said, I DON’T COMPLETELY HATE THE PRODUCT. I’m just saying this product did not work well for me. My mother has normal skin (not overly oily or dry, so lucky!) and she absolutely LOVES this CC cream. I’ve also read/watched some reviews of people who had positive experiences with the CC Cream.

I wish I could love this CC cream again, but my reaction to it was just so bad. I have no idea why my skin would not tolerate this CC cream formula, but I don’t discourage others from trying it out. My first initial reaction was so wonderful and to know others who’ve tried and liked it (such as my mom) makes me still encourage others to try.

I’m going to give my skin some time to relax and heal and if for some reason, I still have a skin allergy and I feel it wasn’t due to the CC cream, I may give it another try. But it also doesn’t control oil that well (I guess it did at first but my skin quickly got used to it?) so I may not go back. I also wouldn’t recommend this for people with very oily skin or those who live in hot, humid places. If you have sensitive skin that’s combination/normal/dry then I would recommend to try this CC cream.

Quick review if contemplating purchasing this CC Cream:

Pros:

• Moisturizing
• Medium-high coverage
• Adjusts to any skin tone quickly
• Blends easily
• Contains SPF

Cons:

• Not suitable for oily skin
• Has a dewy finish
• Doesn’t cover pores well
• Has a citrus-y scent (which may be good or bad, but for me was a slight downside)

If you’ve ever tried or are contemplating trying the ANGEL AQUA Moisture CC Cream, let me know in the comments! I’m curious to see how others think of this CC cream or any questions that you may have.

Etude House Beauty Haul (50% off!)

Today I went to Etude House and it happened to be the first day of their summer sale. They had some products that ranged from 20% off to 50% off, so I obviously HAD to go shopping because who doesn’t like amazing beauty products that are on sale?

The reason I went to Etude House was because my normal AC Clinic skin routine toner and moisturizer (you can learn more about my acne-prone skin routine care by clicking here) ran out so I needed some backup until I could order more online/find new products that I liked.  And it was also very lucky that Etude House’s AC Clinic line was part of the 50% off sale!  I never tried the products before but was always interested since I heard some good things about it.

The products were originally around the 8,000won – 11,000won range, but half off was such a bargain. I mean seriously, my whole haul would have cost 71,000won, but with all the deals and sales they had, it was only 31,000won (ㅇ_ㅇ)!! (the 40,000won is because I paid with two 20,000won bills, just incase you may have been confused about the receipt)

Beside the AC Clinic line, I also purchased some spray sunscreen (50% off),  floral deodorant mist (also 50% off. I was curious since I’ve never tried Korean deodorant, plus it was only a couple dollars because of the sale), nail polish (the only full-priced product I bought. I wanted to buy their ice cream cone nail polish that so many beauty gurus have raved about, but decided not to since I already purchased a lot of stuff), and random beauty accessories (such as eye liner brush, nail dotting tool, etc. since it was 20% off).

When I’ve used the products long enough I may make some reviews about them, but for now I’m just so happy to have gone shopping, gotten some new beauty products, all while saving a lot of money~ Can’t wait to try them all out^^ Let me know if any of you guys have tried any of these products and your experience with them!

My Korean Product Daily Skin Care Routine (Day & Night)

My skin isn’t the most perfect out there. Previously, I suffered from severe cystic acne that thankfully went away (except for the occasional cyst occurring once in awhile and of course, some small pimples that I can deal with compared to cysts). But because my skin is sensitive and very acne-prone, including being combination skin with various parts being dry while others very oily, I’m very picky and careful with what products I use in my daily skin care routine. 

Since I lived in Korea during the time my acne got worse and my mother is Korean, she’s the one who recommended and ordered these Korean skin care products for me. Some were good, others made my skin worse, but I’ve gone through enough products to figure out what I like and didn’t like. Here’s my current routine that doesn’t break me out and keeps my skin hydrated and in top condition:

• SKIN79 AC Clinic Anti Trouble toner
• SKIN79 AC Clinic Anti Trouble lotion
• ISA KNOX MX-II Platinum: Ultra Moisture Cream
• ISA KNOX MX-11 Platinum: Eye Cream
• Any lip balm (currently: Yes To Carrots Lip Butter)

The Process:

The first step in my skin care routine is to wash my face. I use various cleansers and rotate between three different ones (depending on the condition of my skin that day), so I won’t name them unless you guys want a review about cleansers. 

After washing my face, I actually don’t dry it with a towel. This is the most important step in keeping your skin hydrated and helping the products absorb into the skin. I keep the skin wet and pat my face to help my skin absorb some of the water. While my face is still wet, I apply one or two quirts of toner in my hands, pat that in the face and while my face is still a bit wet (but not as wet as earlier), I apply two squirts of lotion onto my hands, rub it in my hands to distribute the product evenly in my palms, and pat it into my face.

I learned this trick from a video where Miss A‘s Suzy was explaining her skin care routine. She wets her face and while her face is still wet, rubs some skin oil around her palms and pats it into her face to help it absorb. I tried to look for the interview where she talks about this but I can’t find it, but I’m pretty sure it’s her who said it (if not, I apologize and please correct me about it!).

After that’s properly absorbed into my skin and it feels nice and supple, I deal with my dry areas (my chin and around my nose, sometimes the area between my eyebrows). If those or any other areas are still a bit dry, I’ll use my ISA KNOX cream. This is my day routine, at night it’s the same except I’ll also use eye cream to help reduce eye bags and prevent any future eye wrinkles. 

After all that, I use any lip balm I have near me since my lips become dry and chapped easily. 

Product Reviews:

The AC Clinic Anti Trouble toner’s name is technically just “SKIN79 AC Clinic Anti Trouble” but it is a toner since it states so on the back of the product. It’s supposed to be “promptly absorbed without stickiness” and it’s definitely not sticky, but I’ve never experienced stickiness from a toner so it’s odd that they would state that. Anyways, it contains Unshiu Oil, which is extracted from a type of citrus plant, that helps to keep the skin healthy and clean from environmental factors (such as pollution, dust, etc.). This toner also contains Salicylic Acid (although I don’t know what percentage) to prevent any future breakouts. It’s actually very moisturizing, which is surprising for a toner since I usually experience dryness instead of moisture from any toner after it absorbs into the skin. That’s why I like this toner a lot, doesn’t dry me out, is moisturizing, and smells and feels very refreshing.

The 2nd product from this line is the SKIN79 AC Clinic Anti Trouble Lotion. This product claims to be a “soothing lotion caring trouble by keeping balance of water and oil” (not the best English, but excusable since this is an Asian product and I like it nonetheless). It’s an oil-free gel-type lotion that also contains Unshiu Oil, Beta Glucan (gives nutrients to the skin and make the skin smoother), and Hyluronic Acid (a natural moisturizer). 

This product isn’t too thick or oily and actually absorbs into the skin quickly. It takes care of my normal skin areas (my forehead and cheeks), but for my chin and nose, it’s not moisturizing enough so I also use a cream for that area.

 

 

The cream I use is the ISA KNOX MX-II Platinum: Ultra Moisture Cream. Apparently this product is pretty pricey (at least for me, at around $35USD), but my mom is the one who tried this ISA KNOX line, liked it, and bought the set for me to also try out. I also really love it. It smells wonderful (not that is has any artificial fragrances, but that it smells very pure and clean, if that makes sense), and although thicker and oily-ish, it doesn’t break me out. It will sit on top of the skin when first applied, but give it about a minute and it’ll absorb and feels great! Don’t apply too much at once though, or your skin could get too oily or clog your pores. It’s really great for those dry areas that are just too stubborn for normal moisturizers. 

 

That was my day routine. At night, I’ll use the ISA KNOX MX-II Platinum: Eye Cream for my under eye circles and the area near the ends of your eyes that crinkle when you smile (is that called your smile wrinkle area?). I used this cream just for the heck of it since it was sitting in my mom’s beauty product shelf unused, and I have to say I really do see an improvement. My eye bags have greatly diminished and although it doesn’t have any color correction properties, I feel like the color is less purple and prominent than before. I’ve also become a bit paranoid about wrinkles since I’m beginning to reach that age where your skin will start showing signs of aging if not taken care of (I’m 20 years old), so I make sure to use this around my eyes to keep it hydrated and prevent any future wrinkles. I like that this comes in a tube since it’s more sanitary and won’t taint the product as easily (unlike the ultra moisture cream, where it is in a tub). 

 

Last but not least, I always apply lip balm to keep my lips hydrated and supple. My lips dry easily whether in hot humid summer weather or in the cold winter months (probably due to my acne pills and birth control), so I always carry and use lip balm. The one I’m currently using and really like is the Yes To Carrots Lip Butter. It has an unfamiliar, almost odd smell but using the product, it’s very moisurizing compared to Chapstick or other cheap lip balm products. I got this on sale at Walgreen’s for $0.99USD, but I think the regular price is $2-$3USD. It’s worth the money (since I’m used to buying $1USD Chapstick). Most lip balms  are waxy and just sits on top of my lips, but this one actually absorbs (unless my lips are ultra dry in which it will just sit on top of the dry, cracked skin). 

I’m not sure if this product is available internationally, but I know the other products can be found online and shipped internationally (although I got mine shipped in Korea through Korean sites). 

Feel free to leave any comments if you’ve tried any of these products before or have an interest and have any questions about these products. Also, if there are any reviews you’d like me to make (such as about cleansers or other Korean beauty/makeup products).

My Opinion about Z.HERA (debut)

Recently, Z.HERA (real name: Ji Hye Rin) made her debut with “Peacock” and as I’m typing this, a video of her first LIVE performance was released on YouTube. 

Some background info about Z.HERA: 

According to ALLKPOP, during her younger years she was trained in Shaolin martial arts in China and was featured in a Korean documentary program in 2006 called ‘Human Theater’. Known as “Shaolin girl”, the 11-year-old stated on the program that she wanted to become a singer.

Now fast forward to 6 years later, and she’s now made her debut in the KPOP scene. 

She reminds me a bit of BoA with the slightly nasally voice, yet prominent (not the same as ‘strong’) vocals. This is all being said positively. Plus, her voice just has this unique tone that I’m enjoying a lot. And with her song “Peacock,” it’s music style is reminiscent of an older KPOP style (around the early 2000s). I really enjoy her debut song and image. She’s still young and her voice sounds like it as well, but it’s refreshing to hear a style of music that hasn’t been heard in awhile (yet is by no means outdated). Since I have only her very first debut performance to go by for LIVE vocals, she’s on-pitch and sounds nearly identical with the studio vocals. So it’s good to know she does have music talent. She’s still a bit shaky but in her defense, she did a lot of dancing and only just debuted. And with all the smiling she did she seemed a bit nervous.

But nonetheless with what I’ve seen so far, I’m anticipating more LIVE performances and seeing/hearing improvement and hoping she won’t just fall out of the KPOP scene, although it seems likely to happen since right now the industry is being overrun by boy idol groups. Also, just being a female solo singer is already making her chances harder of succeeding. But hopefully she has what it takes, because I know I’ll be keeping an eye out for her in the KPOP music scene. 

(clicking the links below will open a new tab, so go check out her M/V and LIVE performance debut! Also check out her mini-album ‘Z.HERA Born.’)

http://youtu.be/nHbZ-91IiaA

http://youtu.be/UFya5Pv8O2M

From the city of Seoul to the countryside of South Korea

I am just finishing my second year of university, and since then I’ve gone back to Seoul twice during my summer/winter vacation to see my family. It’s hard, I get homesick easily for my parents, brothers, and life in general in Korea.

We’ve lived in Seoul for 3 years and just a month ago, my dad found out that his job was transferring him to the countryside of Korea (near Songtan). We’ve lived there previously before moving to Seoul, but having lived life in both the rural and suburban areas, I’m pretty sad that they’re moving back to Songtan. I’m going to miss living in Seoul.

Life in Seoul is fast-paced and very exciting (or at least, for a young person like me). The public transportation (such as the buses and subway) is very fast and efficient, making it easy to go anywhere without having to drive or invest a lot of time and money to travel. From my old house near line 4, I was a few stops away from some of the major shopping areas in Seoul (Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, Itaewon, I-Park in Yongsan Station). And life is always bustling, whether in the day or night.

Unlike the countryside, where life dulls down at around 9 or 10pm, in Seoul, the late night shopping centers start opening at that time until 4 or 5am, noraebangs are opened late, cafes are too, people are out clubbing or drinking with friends, and the city just feels so alive at night.

In the rural areas, life is much slower. There are more local groceries and businesses and definitely more elderly people around (ahjummas and ahjusshis). Transportation is also harder. To get to Seoul I’d either have to take a taxi to the subway station (compared to in Seoul when I would walk 10 minutes to get to the station) or take the bus and then transfer to the subway station, or take a local bus to go to the main bus terminal that will take me straight to Seoul. Nonetheless, it’s more of a hassle to travel, although in general South Korea’s public transportation system is really great. At least they have buses and subway stops to nearly everywhere in Korea that are easy to use, it just takes more time to travel and effort to travel when you’re in the countryside.

I guess there are a few advantages to living in the countryside. First, the local weekly markets are really nice and inexpensive. It’s definitely cheaper to buy food, clothes, and supplies in the rural areas. The vegetables and fruits are really fresh and cheaper than buying them in Seoul since these are from local farms in the area. Also, I noticed that stationary stores (the places that sell pens, notebooks, phone charms, and other little cute trinkets) are way cheaper too and still just as cute and fun. Even restaurants are also inexpensive and actually taste a lot better.

I remember in Songtan, about 4 years ago when we lived there, there was this really delicious pizza and chicken delivery place. I thought it was a chain restaurant but I hadn’t seen any in Seoul, and also, for some reason there were no pizza+chicken delivery places in Seoul unlike in the countryside. It still baffles me why there wasn’t any but now that I think about it, the pizza+chicken places have faded out because it’s too expensive and less profitable to sell both pizza and chicken rather than one or the other. When I come back home (well, to my new home) in Songtan for the summer, I hope that delivery place is still there or one that sells both pizza and chicken.

I guess I got a bit too carried away with talking about food, I can’t help it since Songtan had some really delicious, inexpensive food places compared to Seoul. Even the Korean BBQ meat (samgyeopsal) is super cheap, mmmmmmm.

It’s also nice because when we lived in Songtan before, I have memories of walking with my mom to buy groceries and other necessities at the local supermarkets. In Seoul, we would just call and have our groceries delivered from the Lotte Mart across the street or my mom would actually drive to E-Mart. All these places are always crowded with lots of people and it can be stressful and overwhelming sometimes. You get used to it, but that doesn’t mean it feels any better or more comfortable. It will be nice to spend some quality time with my mom in a relaxed area by walking together to the market and buying things without feeling rushed.

These are a few differences I’ve noticed about living in both Seoul and Korea’s countryside,. It’s not everything and I feel like I didn’t go too in-depth, so if there’s anything you’d like to know more about feel free to ask or leave a comment!

Skin79 Haul/Mini-Review

My Skin79 beauty haul!

I got this way back in the summer while I was in Seoul, in July I think. I haven’t done a review in awhile since I forgot where the pictures on my computer were till now.

I ordered this from G-Market and I had only ordered the Gold BB Cream, but in Korea always give away special freebies with your beauty purchases so my one order of Gold BB Cream included 4 mini Pink BB creams, 1 mini-rose lip gloss, and many beauty samples. This was all for just 23,000won (so roughly $20?). I think that’s a very good, reasonable price for all these products^^

For the Gold BB cream, I had tried it before, so I already knew what to expect. But I had never tried the Pink BB cream, and now I really love the Pink BB cream more than the Gold one. The Gold BB cream is much more oily, which is good if you have dry skin or for the winter time when the air dries out your skin, but since my skin is already quite oily, it made my skin look more oily. Even when I powdered over it, a couple hours later it looks oily and the BB cream look more apparent on my face.

For the Pink BB cream, it’s less oily but still gives my face good moisture and it’s a good balancing formula. The BB cream isn’t that thick or heavy and it applies quite smoothly. I really do prefer the pink one and recommend it for people who have oily skin. I also think it made me break out less and helped a bit with my break outs!

The free beauty samples I got with my order included other BB creams, including an Orange BB cream and some sort of Gold Snail BB cream. I heard for moisturizers, companies use snail goo, so it’s actually rather healthy and good for your sin. I think the Gold Snail BB cream is more focused on older skin, like anti-wrinkling and moisturizing (since older skin tend to be more dry, making it more likely to wrinkle). Of course, all the BB creams are anti-wrinkle and such, but I think the Snail one is more focused on that aspect than the other BB creams.

I’m not sure what the Orange BB cream is for, but I think it’s just for people who are more sweaty because of a busy, active lifestyle? Hahaha I am not too sure since my mom tried the Orange and Snail BB cream. She said the shade was a bit darker than her skin tone, so she preferred the Gold one over the Orange one. I don’t know if she ever tried the Snail one or not.

I also received a loooooot of samples of Skin79’s BB cleanser, meant to be a cleanser for BB cream. I have to say, after using the samples I loved it so much that I ordered the actual full-sized product and I LOVE it! I didn’t take any pictures of me using the product, the at first it’s like a smooth gel-consistency that when you put onto your face, it turns into a bubbly foam. I usually use about three, sometimes four, squirts at the end of the day when I’m cleaning my face. It cleans off the BB cream without drying out my skin and it doesn’t make me break out at all. My skin is really acne-prone and although this product didn’t mention being for acne-prone skin, it doesn’t cause breakouts.

A definite recommendation for those who want to clean off their BB cream (I think it’d work well with foundation too, although I haven’t tried). I also used it to clean off mascara from my lashes and it does that too! Love it~ The only thing it can’t really clean is eyeliner since that’s way too near my eyes and I wouldn’t want to risk getting that bubbly foam in my eye.

This is my mini-review of my Skin79 haul. If you ever tried any of these products, let me know how they worked for you! I’m curious to know if anyone had as many good experiences with Skin79’s products as me or not~ Or I guess if you have any questions about the products just ask and I’ll try to answer^^

Very cute Korean phone app TUTORIAL (for home screen, lock screen, etc.)!

My friend showed me this adorable app where you can download a theme for your home screen, lock screen, etc. and it’s just so cuuuuute~!!

It’s called “Phone Theme Shop” and it’s for the Android. I don’t know if it works if you don’t have an Android, but since I have an Android I know it works for me.

Although it’s a Korean app, a lot of things are in English so it’s easy to follow and understand 🙂

I had a bit of difficulty and confusion, though, when trying to make themes work and such, so here’s a tutorial to help you guys out (incase you’re like me and a little slow when it comes to new technology^^;;). It seems long and complicated, but it really isn’t that hard! It can just get a bit confusing if you don’t know what to do exactly.

I had to take pictures with my camera with ‘bleeeh’ quality, so sorry for that! On to the tutorial~

First search on Google Play for the app “Phone Theme Shop” and install.

After installing, open the app and you should get this screen:

Click ‘Launcher Theme’ and you’ll get this screen:

In the left column you see things like ‘Launcher theme’, ‘Icon pack’, ‘Lock screen theme’, etc. Whichever part of you phone you want to customize, you click on that button.

The only ones I’ve done so far are:

• ‘Launcher theme’ to edit the home screen
• ‘Lock screen theme’ to edit the lock screen
• ‘SMS theme’ to edit the text messaging home screen

Whatever you want to edit, click that button and it’ll take you to a scroll-down screen of many, many themes.

Here’s a tip: Some themes are free while others are not (the ones that aren’t, you need an account where you download different apps and click ads to collect points [beans]. It’s a hassle, but if you want the really good themes, you can make an account. I, on the other hand, don’t want to deal with that so I only download the free themes).

To tell which themes are free and which aren’t, when you click a theme, under the blue ‘Install’ button there are two main differences:

The ones with ‘ ___ beans’ are not free while the ones that are blank under the ‘Install’ button are free.

When you find a theme you like (preferably a free one if you don’t have a Phone Theme Shop account), click install and it’ll be on your phone. But it won’t automatically activate on your phone yet. You need to download certain apps to make these themes compatible with your phone. When you download themes for certain parts of your phone, they will tell you that you can’t activate that theme until you install so-and-so app. They’ll automatically direct you to the app you need to install, so here are the ones I had to download for the home screen, lock screen, and texting screen:

After you install an app, open it and it’ll take you to this page (here’s the one when you install the ‘GO Launcher Ex’ and ‘GO Locker’):

Click ‘Installed’ and you’ll find themes that you installed from the Phone Theme Shop app.

Click ‘Apply’ to whichever theme you want to install, and then it’ll be on your phone, yay! (‘∇’)

To always edit your themes, just click either ‘GO Launcher Ex’, ‘GO SMS Pro’, etc. to apply the theme for whichever part of the phone. From there they have ‘Featured’ themes and ‘Installed’ themes and just click ‘Installed’ and click the theme you want to use.

And there you have it! The tutorial to getting very cute phone screens, lock screens, etc. for your phone  (*´∀｀*)☆

Hope it wasn’t confusing. If you have an questions or comments, feel free to ask/post!

Now enjoy as I end this post with my new adorable lock screen~

Ethnic/Racial Cliques and Groups in School

I do not live in Seoul anymore. Extreme sadness to that.

Instead, I am currently in the United States attending university. My family still lives in Korea though, so I plan to go back to Seoul during the summer in 2012.

Through becoming friends with my current group of friends here in my first year of university, I realized throughout most of my life, my “clique” consisted of a random variety of types of people.

A couple weeks into school, I joined some Asian culture club and I was actually able to meet my close university friends through the organization. All the girls I became close friends with love K-Pop (especially Big Bang, DBSK, and 2PM!) and I’m so glad that the group I have is diversified.

My friends here consist of various races such as Caucasian, African-American, Chinese, Filipino, Hispanic, Jamaican, Indian, you name it! I just love how diverse our group is  because in my university (and probably in other places as well) most cliques are based on ethnicity/race. For example, whenever we hang out in the cafe, we’ll see groups of Hispanics or the Asians together. Even a small group of Caucasians every now and then. But then you look at my group and it’s like (quoting what my friend said, excuse the language) a “cluster f*ck of races” and I feel like that perfectly describes us. I wouldn’t want to trade my group of friends for anything, whether it’s a group of Korean or half Koreans. Not that I have anything against them, but I truly enjoy the little things I’ve learned about other races that i had no idea about such as discovering about Trinidad and the lives my friends had in their home countries (like Guatemala and Spain).

This reminds me of high school. In high school it’s the same thing, most groups stick together based on race. I would see so many various Korean cliques together: the preppy Koreans, the hip-hop Koreans, the gamer Koreans, etc.  and then the groups of Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, etc. (but mainly I would see Korean groups since that’s what a majority of my high school was made up of).

Then there was my group (back in high school): me (a half-Korean girl), my Vietnamese-Filipino best friend, half-Korean best guy friend, Korean gamer guy friend, Korean girl, and occasionally another Korean guy.

Okay, wait a minute. I just realized, most of my group on high school consists of Koreans or half-Koreans. But the thing is, we all seem so different. Like, I’m quiet and shy, but a bit more preppy while some of my friends were more sporty, others more nerdy, others into games. When I think back, we all didn’t have very much in common besides somehow clicking and becoming best friends (which I completely love them for!)

The point is, diversity is the best (whether through ethnicity or even just personality/hobbies). I’m grateful that I was able to find a clique in university that isn’t much of a clique based on race or ethnicity, but just on commonality like K-Pop, video games, being chill, and having the same classes.  I’m half Korean but I know I would never be able to fit into a group of full Koreans because I don’t look full Korean, can’t speak it fluently, and my personality is not quite like most Koreans, and I’m also half Hispanic. I know for a fact I wouldn’t fit in with a group of full Hispanic girls because I look and act too Asian (hahahaha, sad but true!). I also cannot speak Spanish AT ALL. I was so worried when I started school because I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to make friends. I love Asian (or more specifically, Korean-) culture so much but my school has an extremely low percentage of Asians and I hadn’t lived in America for a long time so I know the way I thought and acted wouldn’t be typical of most other Americans attending the school. I’m also not like most teens where I would drink, do drugs, party, etc. (or at least, not like the popular kids! hahaha)

In the end though, I was able to find people like me: displaced in the social hierarchy of school but still very honest and open to new cultures and experiences (plus we’re good kids! hahaha, not doing anything too crazy or bad on weekends~) So I’m also grateful that I didn’t get sucked into the wrong kind of crowd.

I am not at all judging groups that stick together and are of the same race/ethnicity, but growing up as half-and-half always made me displaced amongst cliques so I always usually had a diverse range of close friends instead of sticking with one kind of group. In a way I’m sort of jealous of groups of the same race because it seems fun to be able to relate customs, foods, language, and other commonalities with people who experienced the same thing because of the same culture. Nonetheless, I love being half-and-half and the life lessons I learned through it, such as not to judge others because of them being “different” and having an open mind to different cultures 🙂

So anyways, let me guys know what kind of clique/group of friends you guys have! I’m interested to know about others’ experiences with this as well 🙂 Also be aware that I’m loosely using the term “clique” in a way to describe a group of people. I am trying in no way to stereotype or judge.

The Deal With Korean Females Being Thin (Part 2)

Someone recently commented on my post The Deal With Korean Females Being Thin and I was replying to the comment but realized I had a lot more to say than I originally expected.

It’s been almost a year since I last wrote that post and I so, I decided to write a follow up about how I’m doing now concerning the obession of being thin (in Korea). If you haven’t read the post, read it here or else this post might not make as much sense as it would if you read the previous one: https://jennikim.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/the-deal-with-korean-females-and-being-thin/.

I’m about 5’4 and my lowest weight that I achieved (a couple months after that post) was 109lbs. I used to think thinner was better and I didn’t think anything was wrong with me, especially since I was still eating three healthy meals a day and excercising, yet what triggered an alarm in my brain was the fact that I wasn’t getting my period anymore. I found myself obsessed with calorie and fat intake as well, making it hard to enjoy eating in general.

My current weight now is around 130lbs. When I was at my lowest weight, I was almost ‘underweight’ so I decided it was unhealthy and I intentionally gained some weight. I feel fat and not as pretty now, especially since I can’t fit into some of my clothes from my thinner days, but I’ve been told I look better and that I look more curvy. Despite this, I want to lose weight again but it’s obviously easier to gain weight than lose it. But looking back, I saw a full body picture I took of myself and when I had first taken the picture I was nearly underweight yet thought “Eww, I still look fat” yet looking back on it now, about 20lbs heavier, I realize I looked way too thin. Almost like a toothpick or stringy little girl instead of the teenager/almost-woman that I’m supposed to be.

I just want to let others know that it really doesn’t matter how much you weigh in Korea. It’s more about your body structure. I know some girls who are 5’4 and 130lbs yet they look overweight because of their body structure of either having more fat stored in their thighs, hips, or arms (basically genetics of where fat gets stored first). Excercise really does work but please don’t lose weight just to drop the pounds. I became so overly obsessed with losing pounds that I didn’t focus on my own health and body. Focus more on the fat around whatever area you want to lose weight with and just be satisfied when you see the centimeters/inches slowly disappear.

I actually really hate my weight gain and have even stopped weighing myself daily (I don’t think I’ve touched a scale in practically a month), but just be happy with yourself, I think that’s the best thing to do when you feel like your weight is never good enough. Because whether you’re thin or fat, you’ll feel unsatisfied with yourself, so eating as healthy as you can and living a good healthy lifestyle is what’s best.

Sorry, I will edit this post later so it can make more sense and make it sound less…demanding/judgmental (if it even does sound like that). I just really wanted to get these thoughts out since I’ve been there. Feel free to share any experiences you’ve had dealing with this topic, whether you’re dealing with anorexia now or are recovering/have recovered from it.

SNSD Photobook

OMG, AA-chan (fromm AA-chan.net) made me so jealous when he posted a video of his SNSD photobook!

I want that photobook D: