It's Judy again! In addition to the Fabulous Kimjang vests that we can all be sporting there are further opportunities for those of us on the cutting edge of style. As I mentioned in an earlier post Ahjummas refer to 'middle aged women' and Halmeoni are 'grandmas.' Well, this particular look straddles both age groups so I'm sure it'll be a hit with most of our followers. To get this look we'll start at the top: Permed hair gets you noticed Sun visor is a must Neckerchi

Pat's Perspective: We, or I guess I should say, JUDY, got tickets to BTS! Fortunately for me, I will get one of the tickets she purchased. Even more fortunate for me is that I was standing right next to her when she got them. It was so much fun and the wildest ride ever to watch her get them in real time. Those of you who know us well, we live over a 1,000 miles apart, but I just happened to be in Tucson when the tickets went on sale. Judy made sure we did our homework

At the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards, husband/wife couple Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin cleaned up. He won the Best Actor award for Harbin , and she received the Best Actress award for No Other Choice. This is the first time a married couple has won these awards in the same year. Congratulations to both. I hope I have the opportunity to watch both of their performances. Hyun Bin and his wife Son Ye-jin who won lots of awards this year. Together they also won the Popular Sta

It's Judy with a quick update... some of the Gmamas are trying to get tickets for the BTS Comeback Tour scheduled for this year.... 80 concerts across the globe but we are mainly focused on those west of the Mississippi River. Never have I done something so complicated as this. There are multiple steps, multiple websites, multiple decisions, & multiple points of confusion. Not only have I had to learn the in's and out's, but I had to convey the information to 4 other indiv

A miracle happened, and it wasn't even Christmas. As this is our 400th post, it’s going to be a doozy… for us, that is. For our 100th, 200th, and 300th posts, we talked about our fascination with Kdramas, how our tastes have evolved and changed (actually, for Judy this isn’t true. She’s just as besotted with hot Korean men more than ever), how much we have enjoyed this long distance partnership, you know, the usual love fest for what we’re doing. For this our 400th post, we

It's Pat. .. One of my good friends, and even better, a Kdrama aficionado, just told me she binge watched a - get ready for it - A CHINESE DRAMA. (or CDrama as they're known.) Should we jump ship and do it? Weigh in! Well, fellow Gmama, Michele from Down Under, has been suggesting this for over a year. Somehow it feels like an act of betrayal... ~ Judy

Ju dy here. At last ther e is a Korean fashion trend I an embrace! Nope, it's not the underboob look. Nor is it the incredibly short skirts that you have to use a blanket to cover yourself when seated. What is it, you ask? Well, it's the kimjang vest favored by all ahjummas! What is an ahjumma? Well, it technically means middle aged woman but it's kind of morphed into a perjorative since no one wants to accept the fact that they are, in fact, middle-aged. It's kind o

I get notified whenever we have a new person 'Follow Us' on the Blog. Naturally I expect all my friends, family, & casual acquantances to do so. But occasionally Pat and I get a new follower that neither of us know. Being the friendly person I am, I send a welcoming email to thank them for becoming a Gmama... and I usually ask how they heard about us. Well, it's just like my friends that typically ignore my Kdrama suggestions... I get total silence in return. I have no cl

Having recently returned from Europe, I want to point out something that is similar between Europe and South Korea. Both places apparently they have a phobia against colorful clothing. Everywhere I went in Germany, Austria, & Italy the vast majority of people were wearing blacks, grays, and maybe some navy or brown thrown in for excitement. This is also true in Korea where the streets of Seoul look like a black & white photo. By contrast Americans are exuberant with their e

Okay, I’m going to say it. I’ve got a crush on Kim Go-eun. Fabulous Kim Go-eun Isn’t she beautiful? I think so. (Of course she’s young, and I think everyone young is beautiful…except, well, never mind.). No one has tears well up better than she can. She always looks like she on the verge of crying. She’s the master. She’s also one of the few actors who hasn’t had double eyelid surgery. To me, she just looks more authentic. I read an article about her that said she had

Judy here with an observation. It's going to be hard to describe this as I find it a very nuanced situation that I've noticed in Kdramas. It has to do with relationships and how I think they're different in Korea than in the United States. Park Hyung-sik & maybe Park Shin-he (No clue what the show is... perhaps Doctor Slump?) The first difference in relationships is what I will call The Declaration . In almost all instances the leading man (or woman) will directly state "I

It's Pat and It’s got to be said, and it’s got to be said right now: I MISS MR. SUNSHINE . There just isn’t anything as good, as compelling, as romantic, or as cinematically gorgeous as Mr. Sunshine. You know I’ve tried and tried and tried to find something as excellent but it hasn’t happened so far. Okay, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God runs a close second, but just second. It’s in the ‘always a bridesmaid but never a bride’ category. Anyone feel like I do? Weigh

It's Judy and I realize that I know something that perhaps you do not. Korean is the only Asian language that has circles in its written form. So you can easily distinguish Korean from all other Asian languages just by looking for that. 사랑해요 Korean "I Love You" (See those circles?) 愛してます Japanese 我爱你 Chinese ฉันรักคุณ Thai मुझे तुमसे प्यार है Hindi Pretty cool, isn't it! Wow. I learn something new every time a read a post of yours! ~ Pat

What exactly strikes terror in the hearts of every Korean conglomerate? It's not having the head of their Finance Department taken out in handcuffs. Nope, it's not the social media photos of the young inheritor caught in a compromising situation. It's not even a problem if the Directors' wives get in a cat fight in the lobby. None of those cause the kind of terror that the dreaded Blue Boxes bring... Blue boxes are apparently what the legal industry uses in Korea to perfo

It's Judy again. After a few months of enlightened and educational posts I wanted to reassure our readers that, in fact, I have not changed. Really, it's all about the gorgeous Korean men for me...Still. Yeah, yeah, yeah I get involved in the plots and the cinematography but have just accepted the fact that I am 100% enamored with these actors. And singers for that matter. I mean, have you seen BTS members dance? And they have those same 'gorgeous Korean' visuals too! A

No, this isn’t about making a bet. It’s about the Korean celebrities who have decided to forgo double eyelid surgery. There are both Korean actresses and singers who have chosen not to do this. This includes Jisoo and Jennie from BLACKPINK and several actresses in Kdramas. Kim Go-eun. Fabulous actor and monolid eyes.... Pat and I think they're beautiful. I just finished watching You and Everything Else starring Kim Go Eun. Not only am I fascinated by her, but I love how

Do you remember that old joke? It’s not really a joke. It’s a zen riddle to challenge rational thinking to help achieve enlightenment. Huh? Right. It’s way above my pay grade to understand deep thoughts like this, but it’s what I always think about when I watch a Kdrama and see how Koreans clap. Americans clap full out with our fingers against our palms. At least that’s the way I clap. Koreans clap with their fingers touching. It’s a more gentle clap, more measured an

It's Pat. In all the Kdramas I’ve watched, I’ve never heard of a ritual dinner. In the Kdrama I just finished, You and Everything Else , the film crew has a ritual dinner before they start filming their newest movie. The crew gathers together to have a staff person prostrate himself and ask the gods of heaven and earth to save them from the demons of schedule cancellations, fickle weather, retakes, tardiness, and accidents. Then he asks that these demons be sent far, fa

Judy here to keep you current! Koreans are definitely into personality tests... not only do they categorize themselves amongst acquaintances but they'll also include this information on job interviews! The latest trend is something being called Teto vs Egen. (Since you religiously read this blog you already know about the MBTI Personality Tests and Blood Type Personality Indicators.... but just in case you forgot I'll remind you.) MBTI stands for Myers-Brigg Type Indicator

We all notice the shoes off policy in Korean homes as depicted in Kdramas. But that's even starting to become more common in the US. How many of you noticed the difference in showering protocols? Park Shi-hoo (Not familiar with him but perhaps I should be...) I have rather fine hair. In order to look my absolute best I must shower and shampoo every morning to get maximum lift and volume for my hair. If I shower at night I closely resemble a drowned rat the next day. Cer