i’m obsessed with korean faces
plus: letting go of music quiz mentality
a continuous mix of stuff worth raving about
there will be no music pop quiz
I used to walk around like I might be music quizzed at any moment. Who put out the best release this week? who fell off? who’s worth the hype?
For a long time, across various cities, I was locked in and so was everyone around me - early Soundcloud days, even early streaming days. It’s a past time I was most devoted to, so it took time to loosen the habit of constantly searching for music. Now that I’ve stopped seeking so hard I realize how much energy and mindspace I have back. Still, when I think, I gotta listen to that new mixtape today, I have to remind myself there’s no deadline! I love being in my 40s (so far). It’s freeing! The best way to live as a music fan who’s done digging is to let the music news flow to me in time. I’ll still hear that new Kelela album. Trust.
i’m obsessed with korean faces
I got very into seeking out female-directed Korean movies1 (spoiler: they’re not as widely available as their male peers’ movies ofc). I had to get Hoopla which is free since it connects with your public library and you can rent 4 movies per month. I found it searching for Take Care of My Cat (2001 dir. Jeong Jae-eun). I watched it twice!
I love the characters. They’re 20 year-old childhood friends living through the phase where they’re trying to maintain their group friendship, while individually figuring out how to Be in the world.
Take Care of My Cat is centered in Incheon, not Seoul, another refreshing reason to watch. That and, never judge a Korean movie by it’s synopsis. They’ll always be overly simplified and give zero essence of what’s actually goin awn. Fun fact: when this movie was released in 2001, Incheon International Airport was a brand spankin’ new airport!2
Do you know Bae Doona? One of Korea’s best, seen here living out my dream (book, headlamp, cheeky cig, and plz note the cute antenna radio).
And then my favorite lines:
I relate but rather than 💧f l o w i n g💧 it’s more like I’m TREADING WATER, ya feel me? ( •_•)~
When I watch anything Korean (current rotation: never not Korean), I imagine how I could’ve turned out different, better, if I had access like this growing up. But being able to actually SEE other Koreans, varied versions of my own face through Korean actors’ and their portrayals, is incredibly hard to imagine. Plus, I didn’t know I could claim Korean. I didn’t know I counted (as an adoptee). If I had learned about myself then the way I do now, well, maybe I could’ve had at least 1 or 2 fewer life fuckups…
Do we think it’s a phase, or am I forever devoted to Korean content from now on? I wonder, but at the same time there are certain faces (mainly older ones) that immediately bring me sooo much comfort (think warm-embrace-of-grandma types) Now that I know the specific feeling of familial comfort can come from a screen, why wouldn’t I want to look at their faces forever? By watching all the Korean movies and series, I can cobble together my own version of my Korean family, since my biological one is (forever?) unknown.
nostalgic hazy summer night moods:
this one reads really earnestly. would be down to read more about this experience + tying it in with cinema xo
(Tone: Relaxed & Sincere) I so very much enjoyed reading your words, Bee! Thank you for this wonderful expression of where you are at/what you're currently moving through. Just reading your words felt like having a friend next to me, both of us relaxed, staring at the ceiling and just sharing what's pulsating between our hearts and minds...I appreciate you!
Re: Do we think it’s a phase, or am I forever devoted to Korean content from now on?- I know there are those who treat K-content as if it was made just for their entertainment...and while some may feel that way (if they choose to) I think, and will often say, there is so much wisdom and knowledge to learn from it...so much there to help one feel whole, safe, seen*...especially, for those suffering from the whiplash of brain rot and emotionally immature individuals screaming nonsense into microphones that's recorded/taped and subsequently blasted all over scrolling screens...but I digress. So, while some may view k-content as something to be consumed, others will recognize that behind every meal there's a cook, there's a buyer, there's a distributor, there's a farmer, there's a field, there's a plant, there's a seed...and those who can see that will never call it 'a phase' and treasure it beyond measure! 💜🖤✌🏼