#WAFFLEDEBACLE
Sammie here. Thanks for reading our blogs about the recent concerts we’ve been to and even our book Seoul Searching. This post is a little different than what we’ve done in the past. This is my account of what we here at K.F.C, as well as my coworkers and friends, have now deemed the IMFACT #waffledebacle.
Enjoy.
The day started like any other concert going day. I picked out an outfit, proceeded to change it fifteen times, until I ended up going shopping and finding the cutest dress to wear (on clearance too! I love me a sale J). I put on my most basic of make-up as I have zero skills in that department. And I spent an hour fixing my hair only to throw it up in my usual bun because I hate my hair any other way. My normal concert routine.
I arrived at the venue, waited in line, met up with friends, got into the building to meet the members of IMFACT as they signed an album to me, even some of them wished me a happy birthday. I fangirled a bit as we took group photos, and then the concert began. I rocked out, screamed, danced, and went crazy when they played my favorite songs. Again, my normal concert routine.
Then the show concluded, and it was time for the Pick-a-poses. This has always been one of my favorite moments of concerts run by Studio PAV. While most other companies have a hi-touch and a quick group photo after the show, Studio PAV delivers a once in a lifetime experience. A short, but intimate time with idols one on one. I have been to close to ten shows that Studio PAV has put on and usually I tend to say very little to the idols during these Pick-a-pose sessions. They say, “Thank you for coming.” I quickly respond with a smile and maybe a, “You’re show was great.” Click! The photo is taken, I walk away to get on the next line and repeat the same steps. MY NORMAL CONCERT ROUTINE!
WELL NOT THIS TIME!
I stood in line, waiting patiently, talking to the people around me about how amazing the show was and how hard IMFACT had gone during both their group and solo performances. I had no order to whom I wanted to see. As much as Jian was my bias, after the show they put on I was ready to make them all my biases. So, I chose the shortest line and asked who I was in line for as I couldn’t see the members ahead.
Main vocalist, visual, aka: perfection in an idol, Lee Sang.
A name I know I will now never forget. Nor will any of my friends, coworkers, or even my fiancé.
I was internally practicing what I wanted to say, like always, knowing the second, I was in front of him I would say absolutely nothing of what I had planned.
I heard the click of the woman ahead of me as her final photo was being taken and braced myself. It was my turn. My heart was racing, I told the woman with the camera in her hand the two photos I wanted and walked up to Lee Sang, his smirk could’ve knocked me off my feet if I wasn’t too preoccupied in my head. Thinking about it now, it was probably one of the sexiest things ever directed my way and I was too stupid to register it in the moment. I walked over and proudly, in Korean, told him the two numbers I wanted. The smirk suddenly became a full out smile as he asked if I spoke Korean. I responded quickly that I was learning and looked toward the camera for the poses.
And then, something I never planned for, happened. Something I never in a million years thought would ever be spoken to me from anyone apart from maybe my fiancé, left this idol’s lips.
“You’re very pretty.”
I’m not even joking I could feel his eyes on me. They were on me, and nowhere else.
My response? I laughed. I hadn’t looked at him. I couldn’t. Surely, he couldn’t be serious. And when he said nothing and the woman taking the photo still hadn’t taken the photo, I looked over to him. His eyes surprised at my response. Finally, my brain came to the conclusion, “Beesh he’s serious.”
I bowed my head and said thank you.
He followed up by asking me my name.
THIS WAS MORE INTERACTION THAN I’VE HAD WITH ANY OF THE OTHER IDOLS I HAVE MET!
I was simply staring at him for a little too long and his eyebrows raised while in my head I’m screaming, “Answer the damn question!”
I respond with my name. Mind you, we still have not taken the first photo. The woman was simply watching us. I’m pretty sure she had been in the middle of changing the film. It’s the only way the conversation was able to continue.
I will say again, I’ve done these Pick-a-poses multiple times. I have been there when the film needed to be reloaded and I stood awkwardly next to the members who simply waited for the film to be filled and the photo to be taken. We say nothing to each other. And I acknowledged it as, this is there job, they are being paid for this, they are tired and they want to go home so they want these pictures done and done quickly. I don’t blame them for that at all and I always forget to wish them a nice rest, but as you can all clearly see, talking to the idols is not my forte.
Lee Sang was different from all of them. Even from the rest of his members. He spoke confidently, but nervously. He was worried he had something incorrectly but also knew that he wanted to get out what he had to say.
I had again looked back to the woman ready for the photo, only to once again be asked a question, “Are you from around here?”
Snapping my neck in surprise that this conversation was continuing, I nodded my head and said, “Born and raised.”
That’s when the woman finally put the view finder up to her eye and we made the first pose.
Click.
One photo down. I looked to the poses as at that point I had totally forgotten what the second one I chose was and that’s when another thing fell from this man’s lips I never thought I would ever hear someone of his magnitude say to me.
He leaned in a bit and spoke slowly to make sure what he said was perfectly clear, “What should I do after the show? What should I see?”
My body felt like it had gone limp. My soul had left my body. No way. This god of a man was most definitely not asking me to hang out. No way. He just wanted to know what he should go and do before he had to hop on a plane back to South Korea.
I shrugged and responded, “hmm. I don’t know. What is it you want to see?” while internally I was saying “DO ME! SEE ME!” (disclaimer: I love my fiancé. With all my heart. But a damn sexy idol was potentially hitting on me. I’m still a woman. I have urges. And by the end of this, you’ll all see why my fiancé has nothing to worry about.)
The woman had begun to rush us to take the second picture. I was sad that moment had finally arrived but as she was trying to take the picture he kept talking saying, “We can still talk.”
WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO KEEP TALKING TO ME!?!?
He then mumbled something while smiling that I couldn’t understand, and I simply nodded my head thinking he had asked a yes or no question.
When I went to pull away he grabbed my hand and kept repeating a word that at first I was unable to understand and finally he spoke louder and I realized he was saying, “Waffle.”
I nodded to say I understood and repeated, “Waffle?”
He nodded excited and said, “I really want to try them.”
And here is where you will all see why my fiancé has nothing to worry about.
I responded, “Oh yeah! I love waffles.”
He smiled brightly and the hand that was holding onto mine went to my neck. I was dreaming. It had to be a sick vivid dream that wanted nothing more than to torture me. And then he gently squeezed and massaged, confirming I in fact was not dreaming, and suddenly 18+ thoughts were running in my mind begging for me to let them live their fantasy.
He let go and all I could think to do was walk away with a small “맛있어 (Masheeso- it’s delicious)”
You read that right. I WALKED AWAY! Instead of taking the bold move of saying something like, “I know I great waffle place!” for him to ask where and me to offer to take him…my dumb nervous ass walked away.
I could’ve gone back. I could’ve bought another Pick-a-pose, stood on his line, walked back up and said, “So about those waffles…”
So many scenarios I could’ve done, that I have now since played out in my head, all ending with me potentially EATING WAFFLES WITH LEE SANG OF IMFACT!
But alas, I didn’t do any of these things. I walked away never to see him again. Not knowing if he got those waffles he seemed so eager to devour. I walked away from an unfinished fan fiction moment. The romance writer inside of me died and has been laid to rest. She no longer resides in this body because she can’t believe what an idiot I was.
I told my friends and coworkers and all they could do was shake their heads in shame and say what an epic fail I had pulled. And that is how the IMFACT #waffledebacle ended.
But did it have to end like that? I could write a better ending, saying we found the typical New Jersey twenty-four-hour diner and got those waffles. I could say we talked about our lives, our likes and dislikes, and had some deep conversation over a large plate of warm fluffy squares topped with butter and syrup with a side of strong coffee to keep ourselves awake to enjoy each others company. I possibly could’ve said we drove around finding the perfect spot to wait for the sun to rise over New York City knowing I had to bring him back and we had to face reality.
And yet, none of that would be true and I am sat here left simply to wonder if Lee Sang got his waffles or not.
#waffledebacle
IMFACT Makes Impact on NJ IF’s
Studio PAV did it again. They brought one of K.F.C’s favorite groups to a town near us and made an unforgettable night for hundreds of IF’s. If you’re not sure what an IF is, read on to not only learn what they are, but also become one!
The date? August 17th. The time? 4pm. The place? White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey. Fans of the band Imfact, lovingly known as IF’s, waited excitedly to get into the venue to not only watch one of their favorite five membered bands perform but also meet and take group photos with them. And we were there to enjoy the party.
Imfact debuted in January of 2016 under Star Empire Entertainment. Consisting of five members, Jian, Ungjae, Lee Sang, Taeho, and Jeup, the group has pumped out solid single after solid single since their debut. Mixing up their styles from bubblegum pop, to hard rap pop, to their most recent style of build-to-a-sick-beat drop pop. We know these are not professional music terms but they make sense and describe perfectly IMFACT’s many era’s of music.
If readers are unfamiliar with Studio PAV, the company has brought bands that we would consider ‘underrated’ to the US to give their North American fans a shot to see their favorite small groups close to home. Bringing groups like VAV, Up10tion, Teep Top, and JJCC who would’ve most likely never made their way over here with any other company. What we love most about Studio PAV is what they offer to fans. Not only do VVIP/VIP fans get hi-touches and group photos, but after the show, fans can get one-on-one photos with their biases.
So kicking off in standard Studio PAV fashion, before the concert, fans were lined up, very well organized we might add, and brought into the venue to await receiving the album for the group members to sign. Once all the VIP fans received their signed albums, it was time for the hi-touch. Walking past all the members as we gave them high fives and they smiled and grabbed our hands just a little while longer than a simple high five to walk around behind them for a group photo where we posed, making our best finger hearts, grew the anticipation within us for what was next to come.
The concert.
The organized lines were then funneled calm, cool, and collected-ly in front of the stage for their special general admission spots. The actual general admission were placed a little further back behind the barricades. The excitement was building throughout the hall. Chants began and suddenly the lights went down and a small video began implying the show was about to begin.
The screams got louder as shadows moved around on stage. The stage lights came up and five amazingly talented men stood on stage. As they pumped out their hits like “The Light” and “Only U” they danced, some rather provocatively (looking at you Lee Sang), their hearts out and we could feel the energy radiating from them. They were as excited to be there as we were. We surmised they were giving it their absolute all since we were the last stop of the tour. Go big, and then go home. Lol. Following their latest songs they dove into some of the slower songs like, “In the club”.
After slowing it down, essentially giving themselves some time to calm their racing hearts and ours, they then went into their solo stages. Kicking it off was Lee Sang. Walking out onto the stage , guitar in his hand, he explained the song was for people who are struggling and how they need to hold on for the better days. It was so moving it even made members of the audience cry.
Ungjae was ready to make that stage his b*tch, for lack of a better phrase. Rapping over the backtrack of “Closer” by Chainsmokers, he rapped his deep voice out getting the audience to jump and dance to the beat.
What could possibly follow that up? Maybe a duet with Ungjae and Lee Sang? Yep. They. Did. THAT.
And then it was Jian’s turn. The opening beat of BTS’s “Mic Drop” flooded the speakers and the volume of the crowd strengthened. the boy not only rapped he danced so freakin hard we were astonished he had any sort of energy to continue the show after that.
The next two soloists were Taeho and Jeup, whose vocals made the whole room melt, and then probably the most iconic thing we’ve seen in K-pop concerts happened they both hit the stage for duet and what was it they started to sing?
QUEEN!!! FREAKIN QUEEN!!
How could it get more iconic? Oh, we know. Jian walking out in a white t-shirt and jeans with a half mic stand like Freddy Mercury to get the crowd to repeat his aye-o’s just like Freddy freakin Mercury. They did an entire medley of Queen songs! We will never forget that.
ICONIC!!
They all came back out dressed in sexy black suits to sing a cover of “Gangnam Style”, and then back to their original songs, performing their debut song “Lollipop”, and they finished the concert off with “Tension Up,” the song that got us into IMFACT.
This concert experience was a highlight of our summer concerts this year. In fact, we would positively say it was the BEST concert we have been to in quite some time. It could be because ever since we found out they existed, we had been dying for them to come to the US since we don’t know when we will make it to South Korea.
IMFACT delivered in both fan service and performances and we were sad the night had to end. But is almost didn’t end. At least for Sammie.
What are we talking about? Stay tuned for what is sure to be the saddest funniest thing you’ve ever read in your life. #waffledebacle
Travel NYC like a K-pop Idol
Ever wonder where your idol is when they are in a town or city near you? Or even, in a place you’ve always wanted to go? We have. And when they come to our city, New York City, and post pictures of places we see daily, or have heard about, we always feel the need to go and check out said places ourselves just to say “We were there too!”
That’s when we wondered…” Are we the only ones who do this?”
The answer we found was no! People are dying to see what idols see and be in an idols shoes even for that sliver of a second. Friends of ours, who are not familiar with NYC had reached out to us a few times with pictures of their bias standing at a street corner, sitting in a park, or eating in a restaurant, and asked us if we knew where they were. The crazy part was…we did. Having a mother who worked in Manhattan for all her young adult, and adult life, Sammie was bound to get the NYC bug as well. For as long as she could remember hopping on a train with her mother, walking up to the Chrysler Building where her mother worked, going out to lunch at different, fun, and unique spots, and once a month, for almost two or three years, going to see a Broadway show, was the norm. Her mother knew the city like the back of her hand, and unbeknownst to either of them, she was passing that trait down to her daughter.
Whenever we saw a celebrity post a photo of New York, we would run to her mother with the photo asking where it was. And like Rain Man, she knew exactly what street they were on and other stores and such around it. Sammie, while well versed in certain areas of the city, went on a different path for awhile and the city seemed like a distant past she would most likely forget. But when she got a job working in Manhattan, she found she would meet up with her mother to continue their adventures of unexplored areas of NY. And that’s when the genetics kicked in.
We will never forget the day we knew we had a series on our hands. A friend had reached out, fangirling over a photo ASTRO(아스트로) had posted on their Instagram, and Sammie laughed while saying, “Oh I haven’t been there in ages!”
We looked at her in awe. It was a picture of a hamburger. As we stared between her and the photo, the friend who had texted the image in the first place responded with the emoji that perfectly fit our faces :0 . This friend continued to send photos in which Sammie quickly identified where the members were. It soon became an ongoing thing. The second an artist came to NY, this friend sent a picture and within minutes Sammie had identified where it was.
And so Travel NYC like _____ was born.
We will be watching videos that the bands post, looking through their Instagram’s, and Twitter’s to find all their travels in NYC so that when one journeys here they will be able to follow the path of their kpop counterparts. So come and travel like an idol.
TRAILER:
MAJOR DISCLAIMER: We do not condone the act of stalking. We go to these places well after the idols have posted the videos, pictures, etc. DO NOT STALK!
K-CON NY 2019: Convention
A convention that continuously has one-uped itself, not only one-uped for this year, but it made us die to know what they have in store for 2020.
K-Con NY, had two new venues this year. The convention was held in the Javits Center, and the concerts were held in Madison Square Garden (MSG). We, at first, were a little nervous of how that scenario would work out. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of fans leaving one venue to walk to the next? All we could think was chaos. We were proven dead wrong. There was no issue at all. Fans filed out when they felt like it, and walked to and from the venues with ease. And while the sweltering heat and nearly suffocating humidity would’ve been a problem at the previous convention location, the refreshing air conditioned Javits Center made for an amazingly enjoyable experience.
And with the new indoor location, came fun and creative booths from both vendors and K-con themselves. As we walked around we found so many Instagram worthy sets, including the new trend of a ball pit filled with inflatable flamingos and donuts.
(check out the ball pit in the back of the photo) The K Food Fair within the convention offered K-con goers a one of a kind food experience. We got to sample Korean melons, pears, crunchy ramen snacks, and even a meal worm burger (which was shockingly delicious). Bibimgo offered samples of their 만두(mandu- dumplings), Melona had people spin a wheel to pick from a multitude of flavored ice cream pops, and for sale was Kung Fu Tea, who sold out by mid day both days.
The entrance to all the amazing free and tasty Korean food. After eating our way through the convention, it was time to shop the convention. The dominating force was Korean skin care. As Korean drama and K-pop fans all know, Korea takes their skincare very seriously and that prestige showed. There were several k-beauty, skincare, and makeup booths that came to show both their new and tried and true products. While we received a handful of samples, we also ended up purchasing some goodies as well. (Hint: we will be doing a skin care blog soon.)
The freebies we gave out and some of the stuff we bought! Albums stalls had lines wrapped around them twice if not three times of eager fans waiting to get their hands on exclusive merchandise, posters, and above all else, albums. There was even a small amount of clothing booths (we had actually hoped for a few more) that not only promoted k-pop, but Korea in general.
To put it simply, our bank accounts were heavily depleted.
The other aspect of the convention was panels. There seemed to be a lot more panels then previoulsy, which we have the larger venue of Javits Center to thank. These panels covered creative things like create your own fansign, and making your own embroidered patch, to educational like Women in Hallyu media, and how to start your own YouTube channel. Fans got to sit in and listen to some of their favorite YouTubers, artists, and industry professionals and left feeling inspired.
While we couldn’t cover the fan engagements, we did hear from several of the fans in the audience as well as ones who got to meet their idols that it was a once in a lifetime experience. Fans were shown so much love and appreciation from their favorite groups.
This two day experience was one to remember. We ate a lot, we saw a ton of bands, we learned a lot and we simply loved meeting all the amazing fans who love the same things we do! We have already begun to countdown until next K-con!
K-CON NY 2019 Presented by Toyota: The Preamble
K-con NY has two new places to call home this year. Since it’s inception in 2015, K-con NY hasn’t actually been in New York. It found itself in Newark, New Jersey, at the Prudential Center. Not a bad venue, but definitely not the best. While the concert was held within the building, the convention was held outside. Rain or shine. Hot as hell or cold as ice. Not an ideal location for fans to wait and potentially run into their idols. Unless they are all going for the soaking wet, shivering, or sunburnt to high heaven look.
But not anymore! K-con NY is making a big move. And will be held in none other than The Big Apple! Yes, this year it will actually be held in the city it got its title from. New York! (Just in case we weren’t clear on that) The convention will be held indoors (woo!) at the Javits Center, and the concert will be held a few blocks away at the famous Madison Square Garden (MSG).
And K.F.C is going to be there, taking you on our journey!!
We will be on our Instagram story giving you all the up to date information you could possibly want or need from KCON. And if you happen to be there, we will be posting where we are to come find us for our amazing freebies we are going to be handing out to all you amazing people!! Once you receive your freebies don’t forget to tag our insta, @koreanfromcontext, (maybe give us a follow if you haven’t already) and use out hashtag, #KFCdoesKCON
- 400 people will receive BTS photocards! (Some photos were taken at the last BTS performance at KCON NY!)
- 300 will receive 1 postcard of their choosing!
- 10 will be able to take home BTS magnets!
So find us quick! We can’t wait to meet you!
Hello 안녕하세요
My name is Sammie (쌔미). Since you probably don’t know who I am, because why and how would you, I have been writing since I was in the fifth grade. I thank my mother for the gene as she is a New York Time Best-Selling author. I have also been an avid Korean Pop and Korean Drama junkie for the last four or so years.
Since getting into said Korean things, I realized I was slowly starting to pick up words and phrases used fairly often. I’m sure fans can agree that they have also picked up certain phrases. Much to my mother and father’s dismay, I know more Korean than I do Spanish or Italian.
And I wanted to learn even more of the language, so I bought study books and tried to dive in head first. It was so BORING! For me, at least, the breaking down to the point I was stressing out over something that was supposed to be fun, made me hate the idea of learning a new language. It was frustrating! So much so I wanted to bang my head against a wall and throw in the towel. If you want to make something fun, try to not make it so clinical. I mean, that’s probably why my high school Spanish never stuck.
The only thing I could say the books helped with was the pronunciation and grammatical symmetry of the Hangul. Other than that, I wasn’t able to get any sort of enjoyment or feeling of accomplishment from the books.
What I realized was that simply watching K-dramas and listening to K-pop was more helpful to me. I even had a Korean mail lady at my old surf and skate shop who I would ask questions and she would give me the correct pronunciations. Soon she had let me start calling her 언니 (older sister spoken from another female) and we formed a friendship. I came to realize I was learning from what I heard in context. And from that I have grown in my knowledge and have chosen to continue my studies in a unique way. I want to use my writing and I want to bring you guys along.
So here is my pitch: How fun would it be to learn a new language while falling in love?
Korean From Context is my baby. It’s the idea that a person can learn from what’s being said around what they don’t necessarily know. It’s my platform for a new type of genre. Educational Romance.
Yes, this will be predominantly romance. My plan is to create one or two large novels (who knows maybe more!), while also making small scenarios, where you the friendly readers can ask me how a saying would be used, or how something would play out in a particular situation and I will write a scenario in which the statement would be used.
This is a site to learn and 재미있게 보내세요 (have fun)
