Hey, everyone. As you can see, I decided to switch up the sandals banner to one featuring Jay. Yay! I’ve been meaning to make a layout with this picture for a while since it’s so fierce. Man, those Wild Bunny photo shoots were awesome. Most of the scans circulating around of 2PM’s Elle Girl spread are kind of small and have watermarks on them. So here are some bigger scans without the watermark that I found on Daum. A little overdue, but enjoy!
HQ Gallery – added some images of 2PM, Hyolee, and B2ST (just one of Dongwoon – why do the magnaes always look so mature?).
By the way, I do believe that Jay is going to return for 2PM’s next album/single/mini-album. Before he left Korea, he said he was going back to Seattle to “study music.” But from reports I’ve read about his current activities, he’s doing a lot of b-boying and working in a friend’s garage. That doesn’t constitute as studying, does it? Which reminds me – I should go back to studying for finals.
To all my visitors who drop by looking for updates regarding resources or graphics, I am so, so sorry I’ve been slacking off for months. The truth is, ever since studying abroad, life has been pretty busy and hectic, just the way I like it (well, to a certain degree). It’s not exactly because I’m completely uninspired; I’m still designing flyers and stickers and possibly some business cards. I guess, to be frank, I’m concentrating on areas that will have an effect on my near future, so I’m designing for clients, school organizations, and for my internship. Hope you understand it’s not because I don’t care about you guys – I can only do so much!
So this is the latest flyer I’ve finished designing for a fraternity at my college. They are totally awesome, friendly people. Show some support and show up at the party! It was also the first time I purchased a stock online and man those things are expensive when purchasing on-the-go! Anyway, I actually quite like the colors here and it looks awesome at 300 dpi. It was also the first APD flyer I designed that I saw around campus in color. Sometimes I wonder where they’re passing the flyers out.
Now before I get criticized for being an overly sensitive fangirl, let me first clarify that fans in Korea, or Asia in general, are different from those here in the States. Here, a relationship is often initiated through music. We like what we hear, we follow that musician. In Korea, the reason why fans are so zealous is usually because the love that they have is not solely for the artist’s music. Rather, the artist him/herself is what drew the fans in. Fans watch the artists grow and develop, even from their trainee days. The bond they share is a different one, which is why fans would go to great lengths to support their idols (except, ironically, buying their music…haha but that’s a topic for another post).
Four years ago, Park Jaebom of 2PM was a rebellious teenager who auditioned for JYPE and made it in. As a result, he was sent to Korea to train during his high school years. With no friends or family in Korea, one would understand why he would feel lonely and take out his anger at fellow trainees and JYPE employees, even the boss himself. Jay was homesick and longed to return to the states, unsure of whether or not he would even debut. But his desire to make a lot of money to repay his parents was greater and so he stayed in Korea, working hard.
Eventually he debuted as the leader of boy band 2PM. But just as the group was experiencing a great amount of success, Jay’s world became to crumble before his eyes in a matter of only four days. Netizens found comments he made to his best friend on MySpace four years ago, calling Korea “gay” and longing to go back to America. These words he once made as a naive teenager became widespread and soon there were petitions to remove Jay from 2PM. Later, the issue blew even more out of proportion and there were even petitions encouraging Jay to take his own life, despite the fact that he had already made a public apology. Unable to handle this pressure the next time he goes on stage, and in order to protect his fellow bandmates, Jay decided to resign from 2PM and left to go back to Seattle, Washington on September 8. At least 500 weeping fans showed up at the airport, pleading the fallen star not to leave. Jaebum became a trending topic on Twitter overnight. When he arrived in America, all he could do was cry in his mother’s arms and tell her he was sorry.
It took all of four days to destroy this boy’s career. I wish he had been stronger. Many entertainers encounter scandals that can make or break their careers. But oftentimes it’s only temporary. After the storm has subsided, the thing that matters at the end of the day is all the love from his fans. Nonetheless, one can sympathize and understand how guilt-ridden Jay must have been. As a leader, he must have felt he should have been more responsible for his actions. Still, I think the lesson to learn from all this is forgiveness. And also that the Internet is a scary place full of people with no lives who sit behind a screen in anonymity, feeling like a god who can destroy a person’s dreams just like that. Even so, instead of bashing them and wishing for their deaths, let’s not stoop down to their level. Two wrongs don’t make a right. So to all those angered by this issue, we should learn to forgive, too.
What it all comes down to are cultural differences. In America, you can insult your country all you want, but no one cares. Heck, there’s going to be a good number of people who agree with you. But in Korea, there’s a sense of nationalism that they value so much, so for someone to call their country “gay” is just overstepping the line. Was Jay ignorant? Yes. Should he have done what he did? No. But should this have happened to him? No. Considering all the years of hard work and effort he put into training to have it swept away in an instant, is it really fair? It’s a sad day in Kpop for many of us. Even those of us who are not fans of 2PM are moved by this story.
But Jay’s with his family and friends now, so believe that he’s happy. And that he will return as a stronger, more mature person after studying music, as he says. It’s a shame he left, but he will always be 2PM’s leader. And instead of crying over 2PM’s videos – the MVs they made, the performances they put on, the variety shows they did that made us laugh – just be thankful that we have something to look back on and cherish. After watching Wild Bunny recently, it pains me to know that there may not be something like this with Jay ever again. But never say never. And let’s just simply enjoy the love and humor Jay has brought us all within the past year.
Why, hello. Today was the first day of class for me and it was rather mellow. I believe I’m taking high school Physics all over again. What fun. Looking forward to an interesting semester. Tutoring, interning, BCAS, and classes. Woot.
Scans – I added some scans of Marié Digby from her “Breathing Under Water” album.
HQ Image Gallery – added pictures of 2NE1, 2PM, Shinee, and G-Dragon.
For those of you still following the K-pop scene, you may have heard about f(x), a new girl group SM has conjured up. I don’t know if their name is supposed to be related to Calculus in any way, but it’s pretty corny. Victoria Song, the leader of the group, is actually Chinese. Represent! Too bad she (who is 22) is stuck with a bunch of 15 and 16-year-olds. Not that I have anything against teens since I was one myself before, but that probably means she’s not deviating from the cutesy image any time soon. Another girl, Krystal Jung, is actually Jessica’s (of SNSD) younger sister. And let me just say, if she’s anything like her older sister, I am not going to like her. Something about Jessica just annoys me to no end. Of course, the most talked-about member is the androgynous (or so it seems) Amber, who is also a Chinese-American (yay!). Unfortunately, SM is selling her as a handsome dude. And, well, if she happens to be straight, which I think she is, then I feel sorry for the poor girl. And how awkward, too.
Here’s their 40-second MV teaser. By the way, the full song isn’t all that impressive, unlike Shinee’s debut song, “Noona is so Pretty (Replay)” (which is actually the only song I like by them from their debut album). But their voices sound a bit more mature than SNSD’s, ironically. Kind of like CSJH’s (who, by the way, SM totally ditched! And they have actual talent!).
Went shopping with my family today and finally bought my cocoa butter from The Body Shop. Smells like vanilla and let’s hope it works. At night we watched Slumdog Millionaire. I’m still in love with that movie. It was kind of tiring translating every line for my parents in Chinese, though. haha And my brother admitted it was a good film.
I am finished with my portfolio and will be uploading it onto the server after my professor has evaluated it. It’s pretty plain, but eh… We might have to present it tomorrow. Hm, what to say except for, “So…here’s my portfolio. These are links. This is text. This is a picture. Tada.”
Last night I was watching the episode of Idol Army with 2PM which Susan sent me and it is effin’ epic & hilarious. I love these boys even more now. Jae can stand on the street and girls who don’t even know him would approach him ‘cus he’s that damn hot. And Nickhun’s little fan meeting was hilarious. Three seconds was all it took for him to be recognized. haha And and Chansung’s fan is a hoot. :p
Let’s end this post with two pictures shall we? The first is my lover Jaebom and the second is the sometimes hot, sometimes metro, very confusing Jo Kwon.
[ music ]돌아올지도 몰라 // 2PM
