30 Day Challenge: Day 23-30 Finish It!!!!

Ok so I didn’t keep up with this very well at all. I slipped up and the month is almost over. I have 8 days left of the challenge.  Since it is about to be 2020 I was thinking I will just go ahead and knock the whole challenge out in one shot... here we go!!!

Day 23: Something you crave
Ice... so apparently I was/am anemic and the symptom of that was the desire to chew/eat ice regularly. I had to have ice by 9am and continued thru the day. It was really bad, but since treating the anemia that desire is almost gone. I say almost because there are times that my brain says you should get ice but its not strong enough for me to actually get the ice. BUT I love having popsicles (Banana flavored) and I prefer ice water, and very cold drinks.  I use getting sick and having a fever as my excuse to get banana pops 😂.

Day 24: Three Books on the Shelf

Ok So The Rap Year book is very informative my brother actually skimmed it and went through songs listed for each year and I sang or rapped a part of about 95% of the songs. He isn’t into rap so it was a cool bonding moment.

The Great Gatsby is probably one of my favorite stories, I think I read it at least twice and I have watched both the 1974 version and Leo and Toby version. I love both. I think its safe to say this is my all time favorite “adult” story. (Even though I read it in high school) (My favorite kid book is Witches by Roald Dahl and Hatchet by Gary Paulsen)

Ok now JUN.K the books below are called “making books”. Basically these are picture books that show how he prepared for his albums. The first one on the left is the making book for his first Japanese album “Love and Hate” in the book you will find behind the scenes pics of his photo shoots or concert practice. The middle is his making book for his 2nd Japanese album Love Letter. And the last is the making book for his album No Shadow ( which is BY FAR the SEXIEST for reasons...nipples).

Day 25: What’s in your bag?
So I don’t always carry a purse or bag but when I do more than likely you are going to find my IPad, lipstick/gloss, and my giant planner. If I have a small bag then just make up and debit/credit cards. I use to have like 100 pens/highlighters/markers/colored pencils/ but I have stopped carry those things which is dumb because I almost always need a pen.

Day 26: What do you think of your friends?
Kass and Danielle: Hot Mamas Literally

Eylul: Genius Beauty (You can do anything just do it babe)

Rachel: Kingpin the Godmotha (Big pimping working crazy remember to take it easy)

Tonya: Warrior and Ear Lover (I will never get over that fact)

Alise: Spiritual Kpop Nurse (keep going)

Megan P.: The Calm to my Hype... silent busy bee... doing stuff and not being boastful... Lowkey mom

Tony Ray: Classy Lewd Gentleman/activist (fight the power naked)

D. Coney: 1:1  My Guy (in a Denzel voice)

Jazmin: Quiet wise beyond her years... a blessing

Tao: Globetrotter Bear and by globe I mean Seattle to China  

Jess: My school girl... Masters... Doctorate!!! I will always be here to support and indulge in that Taeckay lifestyle

Please get at me if you feel like you should be on this list... but these are the people I talk to either everyday or our relationship goes back several years to 10 years back maybe more....

Day 27: Why did you want to do this challenge?
I was trying to revitalize this blog overall. I get a little disappointed because even with the amount of followers I have on instagram I am not really getting views, but I guess blogs are kind of played, but I think that the vlog business is starting to get a little saturated in other words everyone wants to be a vlogger  and don’t get me wrong if you can produce bomb content then keep going I mean I have some FAVORITES like Chris Cantada Force  PLUS I know how much production goes into vlogging, like its not just recording off your phone and uploading, I mean most are using their phones but there is editing and other concerns... I having been around videographers and Chris I see the work and money they have to put into it because they have to have equipment. They also have a niche and quite honestly my niche is me. LOL... well that and Positivity.

Day 28: this year/ last year pics and compare

 Ok we sit on the cusp of 2020 but here are December 2018 and December 2019. Difference I have a weave in 2018 (looking to do that again actually) but my real hair continues to flourish. I continue to have dark circles that can be seen EVEN with filters. I continue to love black eyeliner and the color gray. 2018 and 2019 Dani loves Jun. K I am not sure which loves him more... I have a droopy eye... 😞 FML its only gonna get worst as I age.

Day 29: What have you learned over the month?
I failed at this challenge. It is very difficult for me to keep good habits because it is easier to be lazy. So I guess I need to write up some kind of routine and work on developing better habits.

Day 30: Favorite song...
This anti climatic, like all this philosophical stuff and we end with favorite song... well I guess I can be philosophical here too LOL. First I have to figure out which artist I want to draw from. There are several artists that have made an impact on my life....
2pm: Again and again (preferably the ballad version)
Jun. K (from 2pm): Think about you
Drake: Shot for Me
Michael Jackson: Another Part of Me
Marques Houston: How You Just Gon
Mariah Carey: Lover Boy

And what is ironic or iconic or crazy about these artists, the decade that is about to end was eventful for each,  2pm debuted in 2008 but I found them at the end of 2014 and was around for 3 Korean Comebacks and 3 Japanese comebacks.
2pm gives us Jun. K and I have been there for his solo records and have waited through his 2 years of mandatory service in ROKA.
Drake “debuted” in 2009 and was already on the radar, but that fandom crept up on me suddenly I am listening to him and Jun. K back to back (you can kinda blame Jun. K, but I was with Aubrey during those Degrassi days)
Michael Jackson: died in 2009 (every time I remember this fact it happens to me all over again) but in 2014 they released some never released music and of course they tried to re-kill him and his legacy in 2019...say what you want I won’t let Michael go....
Marques Houston: Has been an artist since 1993... his last two releases were 2010’s Mattress Music and 2014’s Famous. Even though he is into producing and directing movies, I can’t let this dude go....
Mariah: the best... do I even need to say anything... people try to say she is not hitting all those notes and the truth is there are times that it is like she needed a little more tea and honey and less wine but she still ended up with 19 #1s before the decade ended... what she did was made herself the Queen of Christmas...

BUT... 
My favorite song is: ADTOY

WHY??? Its how I found 2pm/Jun. K and right now Jun. K is everything... that is just the reality of my life right now LOL!!!  This song written by the great JYP is a classic and in a sleek/classic yet modern way expresses who they are as 2pm... beastly, sexy, performers giving us fierce and manly. With rap and VOCALS... Minjun kills period....

OK the Challenge is over are you ready for the next??? LOL!

30 Day Challenge: Day 14: Celebrity Crush

OK so ya girl pulled a cop out... smh REALLY Day 14 said to post a pic of your family, and although I love my family, I just didn’t know what to say... and I didn’t want to post just the pic with a small blurb, so I went to Pinterest and looked up other 30 day challenges. I found a basic challenge and looked at number 14 LOL!!!! It said celebrity crush and I just about died. CAUSE everyone should know my celebrity crush.... OMG just the simple fact that I am on this topic is exciting. Not to say that my family isn’t but you know I share my family the way that I want to share my family and this wasn’t it. Not tonight at least.

 SO CELEBRITY CRUSH!!!!!!  You already know... but you know what here is my time to explain (as if I haven’t already) what it is about him in particular that turned me from someone who was just a Kdrama lover to a Jun.K lover. Formerly known as Kim Junsu of 2pm he changed his name to Kim Minjun (2012). Now you know when I say Minjun I am talking about Jun. K. (When I go on tangents on facebook, and I use Minjun instead of Jun. K I figure people think I am talking about two different people.) 

I KNEW that if I got into Kpop it was over for me. I knew I needed to keep Kpop casual, because Kdrama had already become a great passion for me. Like I have made my mom a full fledge dramabean, I actually turned my co-worker into a dramabean, but curiosity killed the cat

right??? My gateway to KPOP... The Drama: Boys Over Flowers (currently on Netflix check it out... its a starter Drama).  Kim Hyun Joong is the dude with the “red” (Auburn) hair color. He was the Second lead in this Drama. I really liked him more than the Lead (Lee Min Ho). When I really like something I look for more of it. (Here is where the cat was killed).  Come to find out Kim Hyun Joong was really a Kpop artist. From a group called SS501(Double S 5-0-1). There was a time when Kim Hyun Joong was THE guy I was talking about all the time so much so I was in my garage teaching myself the dance to his song: Unbreakable. (I still know it.) I also watched his other dramas and learned all about SS501.  Anyway Kim Hyun Joong was known as the “Korean statue” like that’s how “perfect” they thought him to be... until an ex came out talking about ”he abused me and caused me to miscarriage“ and all that type of crazy.... he kind of ended up in a web of dishonor and pulled one of those let me quietly enlist. Well you know Chris Brown said it best cause “these h*es ain’t loyal”... I mean I still appreciate Kim Hyun Joong’s work ((as I still appreciate Chris Brown’s (when its reasonable)) but between all the drama and the 2 years of enlistment I had to let it go.


All of this is happening in 2014 by the way... I distinctly remember 2pm was on the Go Crazy World Tour in THE USA and I was reading the articles like “oh cool a Kpop group is touring in the states, good for them” and basically a year later I was in love. Biggest regret is not going to see them when they were in the states. But that would have been a lot of money spent on something I didn’t even know or like...yet.

If you know me and you have paid attention to my antics than you already should know the songs that lead me to love 2pm. If you said ADTOY than you love me. ALL DAY I THINK OF YOU. Watch the video... I am going to put it right here... go ahead I’ll wait...

    

Its not the famous butt dance, or the fact that each member is sexy in his own special way... but at 3:14 the voice hit my WHOLE ear. In order to know the person with the voice I had to learn how to identify each member. I googled 2pm and said “no not him” five times, process of elimination. I found Jun. K. As the song At Last says: “then the spell was cast.”  So honestly I started to like 2pm by default, I mean Jun. K has written and produced some of their songs so you gotta like the group. I specifically love him. Overall it started with his voice. I looked up his solo work and let me keep it real I wondered how a very black r&b voice came out of this Korean boy. OH to be a black person who loves Kpop... it makes you question your reasoning from time to time. You can say what you want the reality is Korea has appropriated the **** out of black culture (so has Japan but I really don’t have the time cause as usual Japan took it to another level) Korea tends to teeter between appreciation for black culture and/or black face (the “Its supposed to be a joke but its hurtful” kind) I am not blind nor dumb, I see it. Folks made a super ridiculous big deal about Kpop star Henry’s music video that featured Korean girls with cornrows, yet Koreans will do blackface faster than a drunk white American politician and be like shoulder shrugs.  Apparently, Jun. K put on black American swagger so hard, band mate Junho thought he was American. I imagine Minjun’s reply was like: “Nah I’m from Daegu.” And Junho’s face is: 

                This took a turn didn’t it. 

MAY BE I am bias, but to me Minjun is soulful, in other words he has said: (paraphasing) “When I wrote the song “With You” I was listening to a lot of Motown and the Jackson 5, so that sound influenced me.” For your listening and viewing pleasure: With You.

I view Jun. K as an overall artist because this dude wrote a song called: “ Mary Poppins” and proceeds to dance with an umbrella you know cause that’s what Mary Poppins has with her and that big bag. 

This guy did a music video for his “Love Letter” track and dressed as Charlie Chaplin in the music video. His music videos always have an underlying artistic metaphor. In other words he is ahead of his time. (And No Shadows is one of the best metaphorical MV in his catalogue). And then there was the time he found trap music.... You know usually you have an artist and like you kind of know what to expect because they are in a particular genre, with a particular sound. Jun. K was like nah, I want to sound like Gene Kelly, in a trap house at Motown, with the Perry Como band behind me and give it a Christmas feel. DON’T BELIEVE ME??? 

The point is I feel like I can bring Jun. K to the barbecue and the debutante ball. He is going to impress everyone with his rendition of “You and I” by Stevie Wonder who inspired him to make music. 

His voice is amazing to me (even if I can tell when his pitch is off or when he makes mistakes) and as any woman would I noticed other things

about him that are nice as well...

Keeping it real, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my appreciation for Jun. K. The fact of the matter is I let things get out of control once I was single. (Is Jun. K the rebound that never got away?) I don’t know if any of this makes sense... but I hope you walk away knowing that Jun. K is my celebrity crush or as we say in the kpop world he is my ultimate bias. I am a Hottest, (2pm’s fan base name.) Someone said: “You’re not a hottest if you only love one member.” I do love my 6, but can I keep it real, I would have NEVER even researched 2pm if I had never heard Jun.K’s voice. BUT I wonder if he would still have been my bias if I started from the debut of 2pm considering he had NO lyrics and very minimum ad libs.

Poor “Junsu” and his undocumented lyrics or lack thereof. I am glad to have found 2pm when I did and I am happy to be at 30 days to go until Jun. K’s enlistment is complete. I really hope he spent his free time writing songs so he can come out and drop like 10 solos during the 400 some days that Chansung and Junho have left until 2pm can be WHOLE again. Ok not 10 that is excessive, but like 2-3... please. LOL! (And maybe another musical, drama or movie.)  No pressure.

I stan Jun. K to pieces.

 

  Me and my Jun. K merch...
1.) Phone case 2.) No Love Hate 3.) No Shadow Tour Tee) 4.) Pan. K school girl tee 5.) No Shadow Tour Hoodie