Halloween and the election, what a busy week! Since the election, I’ve been watching CNN and the Colbert Show religiously. I’m so happy that Obama won and can’t wait to see him in action. Btw did any of you guys vote?

Any who, here’s this week’s music round up with a new photo. I figured it was about time to change it up since this old one is so last season.

As always, enjoy. More »

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I guess our little Rain is trying to act all devious and shit. In his latest album “Rainism”, he wrote the lyrics for a song called “Bad Boy” and part of the lyrics go something like this:

“떨리는 니 몸 안을 돌고 있는 나의 MAGIC STICK/ 더 이상 넘어갈 수 없는 한곌 느낀 BODY SHAKE/ MAKE IT RANISM THE RANISM 내 몸을 느껴 버렸어”

Translated in English, it’d go something like this:

“My magic stick is spinning in your shivering body. You can’t go beyond my body shake. Make it Rainism The Rainism. Feel my body.”

Naughty naughty boy. Telling a lie here. It’s obviously a toothpick and not some magic stick so he claims. By the way, what the fuck is Rainism anyway!? Is the word synonymous with femininity?

Apparently half of the Korean media was up in arms over the use of explicit lyrics here. These uptight bitches argue that the reference to his “magic stick” is not appropriate for Korean audiences. “Toothpick” or “Tiny Pretzel Stick” would be more like it, since many of them can identify with that. Good things, occasionally, do come in small sizes.

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The KPop diva has released new photos by Markus Klinko and Indrani of her new look for her US debut. To say the least, she’s hot.

It’s very different from her teenage years where she was the innocent Korean Dream Teen but now she’s all grown up shakin’ what her umma gave her. However her new look has sparked controversy as she is a bit too revealing by Korean standards. While it is a little more bootylicious than before, I think we’re past the part where she was still baby Boa. If you recall last year, she was spotted completely wasted on her 21st birthday and soon afterwards she became the Hite spokes model. Also, her clothes aren’t that revealing (or at all).

While some of us may never let go, Boa’s debut is taking a turn for the best as she was recently invited to perform her “Eat You Up” single for Ben Lyon’s (E! Panelist) birthday. Apparently the guy is a fan as he was seen posing with her in various photos.

Good to know the she’s doing better after a bad MV call. Btw, Happy Birthday Boa (22 by Korea calendar)! More »

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Thanks a lot, Ningin. You did the most impossible thing to me. You influenced me into liking a boy band/group, something of which I shunned since my sophomore year of high school. The last boy band/group I was even remotely interested in happened to be G.O.D. Now, I like Dong Bang Shin Gi (Ki?! I like “g” better).

It all started with that Mirotic single. The song, which didn’t do anything for me at first, grew on me, and then after I paid more attention to the music video, I was hooked in a way. Then I listened to the whole album and the last song of the album, “Love in the Ice”, fully won me over with its prettiness and its awesome vocals.

However, it wasn’t until the “Dangerous Love” episode of Banjun Theatre that really cinched me to like them as a whole. The yaoi/slash implications, especially in the phone booth scene, made me swoon. Plus, Changmin/Max is just so adorable. He became my favourite member, and the image below the cut is made of the biggest, fantastic win ever.

So once again, THANKS A LOT NINGIN. You have created a monster of me! Even my close friend, when I told her about my new found love for this group, she was shocked. To be honest, I am shocked myself, but oh, this new found love is . . . so worth it. What a way to bring me back into the mainstream Korean media. More »

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Leave it to the Japanese to utilize technology for the sole purpose of dressing it up in a maid costume. Dennou AR figures from Geisha Entertainment utilize your webcam and a little cube to project the image of anime girl “ARis” (Alice) on your screen. We’ve seen similar applications before in the ARToolKit Hatsune Miku (which, prior to this, was the coolest thing I had ever seen), but Geisha has taken it a step further with the addition of the magic paddle, which allows for some limited abuse harassment interaction with ARis. More »

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Big Bang’s second album titled “Remember” is here! To jump start on things, Big Bang has released their video for the song “Red Sunset” a cover of a song by Lee Moon Sae. As a start, I guess I’ll have to review that first since I saw it first before the album.

Well, I must say, it’s a cute video. I thought Daesung was cute running around like a doofus. Of course, TOP is hot as always. It’s an interesting cover of the song. It’s definitely in the pop category. It’s very obvious that Big Bang’s style likes to constantly change. It was odd listening to “Number 1″ earlier today and then to jump to this. I was also distracted by their sign that read “Let’s go west!” Apparently, it’s an attempt at awareness for the major oil spill that happened in S. Korea a while ago. Well, I like the enthusiasm but it’s kinda late for that. It’s a very upbeat song and I must admit it’s catchy. But of course, Big Bang finally got better when they covered someone else’s song. More »

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The Wondergirls, a.k.a. the fabulous five that have taken over the Korean pop world with their bouncy hurricane of perkiness, reported that their leader Min Sun-Ye aced her college entrance exams. Sun-Ye is now officially accepted to Dongkook University for 2009. Congratulations are in order since the young pop princess tried to apply to the University once before but was denied. It is okay though, because we have Intel that Dongkook holds almost impossible standards just to watch its starlet students squirm. Plus we know that Sun-Ye is an exceptional student and held honor titles when she had time to attend class. More news on this quintessential quintet of cuteness is that they have also announced a new reality show called Wonder Bakery, and now released photos from their own Peripera cosmetic line advertisements. More »

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While everyone is focused on the elections (I’m only waiting for the aftermath, the final verdict, THE ULTIMATE JUDGEMENT), I am travelling down memory lanes. With fondness, I remember my arcade gaming days. While my parents were busy with their stuff at the bowling alley, I was left on my own to entertain myself. Often, I had a book to read, friends to play with, and people to talk with. However, most of my times were spent playing arcade games or watching other people play the said games. One of the games that was popular and will forever transcend time happens to be Pac-Man.

Unfortunately, it’s a game I never quite liked along with Tetris. Those two games frustrated me more than anything else. However, the point is, Pac-Man is like Mario. Mario is Nintendo’s icon and mascot. Pac-Man is Namco’s. Whether you are a gamer or not, those two are pretty much a universal symbol. It’s pretty symbolic if something like this happened on Halloween. I mean, how awesome is that?! I think it is. It’s freaking spectacular. I only wished I was there to see it. I would have so wanted to pose with them for a picture.

Ah, such is the life of a gamer/nerd like me. I find the most random things to be made of the biggest win. More »

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Yes, that’s Sung Kang’s face in the mural, part of his collaborative publicity campaign for Jump Shoes. Kind of crazy, huh? If you’re in the New York area, you can hoof over to the Jump Shoes flagship store at 89 Spring St., Soho, and see it for yourself, so large and incredible. I also have another of Sung Kang’s short films. It’s marketing, it’s art, and it’s cool. These are also posted on YouTube. You can make comments here, on YouTube, or on Sung’s blog. More »

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Elves ate my Ramen~! Yes, that’s what I said… Elves ate my Ramen! Well not actually? See freelance mangaka and fantasy artist Lindsey Henninger is better known as Elves ate my Ramen. We got to meet Lindsey while she was an honored guest at this years New York Anime Festival at the Jacob Javits Center. She visited the Ningin Booth and showed us her wonderful cosplay as Kallen from CodeGeass: Lelouch the Rebellion. Interesting facts about Lindsey, her art was voted the most popular by fans on TheOtaku.com, her Non-Anime related work have been showcased in galleries Ythroughout upstate New york and she has been a honoree guest for NYAF several times now. The fans that love her work (like me) always comment about her coloring technique and the softness she brings to her creations.

Date of Birth: December 21st BirthSign: Sagittarius Blood Type: O Negative BirthPlace: Upstate NY Favorite Things: My laptop, my books, my drafting table, my colored pencils, my baby blankie, and my kitty, FuzzButt. Favorite Manga or Mangaka: Matsuri Hino (creator of Vampire Knight and MeruPuri) and Yun Kouga (creator of Loveless). Favorite Drawing Accessories: Prismacolor colored pencils, colorless blender, and my tablet. More »

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The Yajima Beauty Salon, a comedic musical group of three men dressed up as black women, recently spent some time with the one and only DBSK/TVXQ. Being a newly convert in the religion of DBSK, I found that the time they shared together was an unforgettable one – even if Yajima is a bunch of trannies.

The two groups were found sharing a meal together at the Avex building. While the Avex building is suppose to be a place of serious matters, apparently someone was smart enough to bring a portable gas stove. Thanks to all the BBQ, they actually smoked up an entire meeting room. Gg?

Not only did the two share a meal, but Yajima Beauty Salon had the balls (literally) to perform for DBSK as a means of thanking them for the BBQ. It was like a moment from the movie Dream Girls only 10x better. DBSK members Jae Joong, Micky, Xiah and Max eventually joined in on the fun whereas Yunho recorded the whole performance.

I never realize DBSK and trannies could be such a good mix. More »

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Did any of you out there take a gander at the chaos? I am talking about the new remix of the song ”Them Girls” by Se7en feat Lil’Kim. When I first heard the songs original arrangement, at Se7en’s White Day celebration, I was sincerely impressed. I believed that the song could have been shopped out to stations right away. Now… with this latest edition I am not so sure anymore. With all these hold-ups and bad song choices, I am beginning to believe that Asian artists do not want to make it in the US at all. That they rather sabotage themselves so they can run and hide back in their own overseas markets. Especially in Korea and Japan where prepackaged talents are not much competition, there is pretty much no popular independent artists and music companies turn out their protégé product on schedule. More »

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Now that the Mirotic single has played out (but not their sexy bodies), it’s time for a new MV.

According to rumor, the new MV will be my all time favorite track “Wrong Number”. While there is no official word yet, it is one of the most popular tracks as Hero Jae Joong gets to rap for the first time. /Faints.

The new MV is going to be shot at the sleek M Boutique Hotel and include a flashy Aston Martin. Ballin? They’re going all out for this MV due to the recent hype they’ve received although I would have gone for a Bentley.

Source: SeoulBeats Photo Credit: bcgirl5549 of Soompi More »

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Korean will always be a tricky language for me. I was always able to speak Korean, but I didn’t learn how to read and write Hangeul until fifth grade. Since then, it’s been both a painful and joyful learning experience. Yes, it’s great that I can read and write it, but there will be certain aspect of the language that will drive me insane to the point of wanting to bash something.

For me, the most frustrating thing about Hangeul is these two vowel characters:ᅢ (ae) and ᅦ (e). When I learned these for the first time in fifth grade, they confused me. Phonetically, they sound the same. Graphically, they are not the same. Therefore, whenever I need to write something that uses one of those vowels, I usually end up using the wrong one. Frustrated? That I most certainly am. More »

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James Yee, the former US Army Guantanamo Chaplain and 2008 National Delegate for Barack Obama was out doing some grassroots campaigning in Ohio from October 23-26 for the Democratic Presidential Nominee. He made stops in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

During the four days, Capt Yee made several Get Out The Vote presentations at major Islamic centers in Columbus and Cincinnati, also focusing on Muslim Participation in the Political Process The American Muslim vote will make a serious impact this year in several key battleground, swing states which have significant Muslim constituencies - Ohio being one of them. More »

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Just in case you missed it, every Sunday we’re going to do a weekly wrap-up of the most popular/interesting news that you can find here on Ningin. The news accumulated below will be from all areas of Ningin including blog and social news.

Be sure to check them all out and tell us what you have to say! More »

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Dim Sum is like sex to me. I need to have it once a week, sometimes more. As I age I cannot do it 5 or 6 times a week anymore. I mean dim sum, not sex. The high fat content in dim sum has a lot to do with my expanding waistline as my metabolism slows… thanks to the freaking aging process. Come to think of it, I will probably need to have more sex to burn off the calories from dim sum. So it’s fair to say that the two have a perfect positive correlation. More dim sum, more sex. Now what’s not to like about that???

Ok, I meant to blog an entry about dim sum and not sex, so my sincerest apologies to those who have lost their appetite imagining me going at it in your head. If you want to go to a great dim sum place in New York City, go to Dim Sum Go Go. Located in the heart of Manhattan Chinatown, this restaurant serves up authentic dim sum dishes in a non-traditional manner. There is no waiting around for the poor old lady to come to your table with her cart. You just check off what you want on a list and hand it to your server and all your orders will come out simultaneously, hot and fresh. This service style suits impatient people like me to a tee. Usually I end up running around hunting for food in places that serve dim sum on a cart since I am in no mood to wait around for the cart to come to me. Once I even ended up in the kitchen where the servers load up their carts at this 100 year-old dim sum place in Hong Kong. Ya, cart style is not for me. More »

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One thing I never liked about when it comes to mangas is the question of box sets/bundles. Why can’t the companies release a series in a box set? The thing I hate the most is they release the first or the last volume of the series with a darn box. It’s like, hello! I don’t really care about a box! I care more about getting the whole series for a cheaper price with the box being an optional thing! Plus it’s a pain when each volumes are not at one store, so that means it’s hunting time through the net. Which is an issue for me, since I do not trust sellers who do not understand the concept of US Military shipping = US Priority Mail. However, that’s a different point all together.

With that said and done, I must say that I love Viz for thinking the way I do. Few months ago, I was debating on getting the entire Death Note manga series, all 13 volumes for myself. It’s a good thing I waited. I was perusing Amazon when I found this awesome thing in the whole world for $62.99.

I debated on getting this for a couple of days, and then after recommendations from friends and whatnot, I decided, why the heck not. After all, I did have a $50 Amazon gift certificate. <3 So now, I shall wait rather impatiently for this early Christmas present. Yay! More »

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The Korean American Film Festival NY (KAFFNY) is a one-day New York City showcase for emerging and established Korean filmmakers. KAFFNY 2009 is accepting short film submissions from filmmakers of ethnic Korean descent of any nationality around the world. All genres are welcome: narrative, animation, music video, documentary, experimental, etc. There is no entry fee. Submission deadline is November 30, 2008.

Please send DVD submissions, NTSC Region 0 or 1, to: KAFFNY c/o Barrel 23 W 36th Street, Suite 401 New York, NY 10018 USA

Dae Hoon Kim is one of the founders of the Korean American Film Festival New York (KAFFNY). Dae Hoon just wrapped up promoting his film “It Strikes Twice” at Pusan International Film Festival. He’ll be coming back to New York for KAFFNY in February 2009. We were able to catch up with him while he travels through Asia this month. More »

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If you didn’t know, Nintendo released their new gaming console Nintendo DSI earlier this month to replace the old but popular NDS. Similar to the NDS, the DSI has a double screen (one of which is touch) in addition to some nifty new features. It will include two cameras (one outside and in), a SD card slot, bigger screens, a new interface and some more user options on the startup page.

I love Nintendo but I can’t say I’m jumping for joy here. Supposedly the DSI doesn’t support an R4 card which is a big factor for me as I love homebrew games. Also, they’ve taken out the GBA card slot (for what reason I don’t know) which again limits the game selection by a lot. Some of us still play old school games!

While the camera is a fun feature as there are all sorts of photo editing included, it can’t replace the R4 and GBA. Unless this camera has SLR quality (which it doesn’t), I’m going to stick to my NDS. Sorry Nintendo!

For more information on the DSI, you can read Danny Choo’s review or Kotaku’s coverage. More »

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