BTS Part 5: BTS "WINGS" Overview

I love artists that make me feel like I can love them irrevocably and vice versa. Like they care for me, understand me, get me even if they don’t know me personally. Even though the same words could apply to any of their other fans. I’m not special but they make me feel like I am because I listen to them and support them. Such great words that relate to my life and others like me feel like we see each other as humans going through the same things. This is what BTS has done for me this comeback.

I’ve learned a lot while listening to Bangtan’s music. I’ve been following them for over a year now. I didn’t how I had so much love in my heart to give to each member. Sure, I love Jimin, but I can fan-out over each of them in a very unhealthy way. And my love for them has grown exponentially since I become an A.R.M.Y. I’ve loved their music, their performances, their choreography, the concepts they work within, the stories they’ve developed. I love their rudeness, their cuteness, their laughter. You could try your best not fall deeper into them, but it really can’t be helped. They do that naturally. Of course, I want them to be happy forever. I know that is unrealistic, so what I really want is for the people around them and for the fans that love them to support them and always love them as they go through their lives. They are still human. They will still have their low days. It’s really insensitive to expect to hear good music out of them at that time.

BTS Part 4: About WINGS - Tracks 10 thru 15

So... continuing on...

10. Lost

Story: This song is for the Vocal Line and was proudly written by Rap Mon. It is again about a young person expressing their thoughts, being lost between their childhood and their resistance to grow up within a harsh world. There are so many meaningful lyrics that asked questions but didn’t receive any good answers. It makes you imagine a young person really is in the middle of a desert and a raging storm. I also like the line about how ants who can't find their way keep bumping into each other but always came back home in a straight line. This is such a well-made song and one of the best among the Vocal Line’s songs that I’ve heard.

General Thoughts: The sound kind of reminds me of the Peter Pan concept from HYYH Pt.2. It also reminded me of when BTS did their reality show “Bon Voyage” when Suga “Lost my Taehyung, lost my Taehyung” on their broadcast screening. Not that Taehyung had anything to do with the song besides sing beautifully. It just reminds me of that. My buddy, Jimin, starts off the song, then Jin's part kills me in the second verse, but V's voice though [ugh, the pain]. The build-up to the chorus is phenomenal, including Kookie's high-note riffs.

BTS Part 3: About WINGS - Tracks 1 thru 9

I’ve always wanted to learn about what an artist is thinking when they create their work and how they can tell a story within their medium. BTS is one of the artists I wish I was a fly on the wall, watching them craft songs. They’ve told stories about their lives through their music and because music is supposed to an open dialogue, I wanted to add what I gained from listening to this album. I never did well in poetry English classes, but this review of BTS’s “WINGS” album is not actually a review, nor is it an analysis. It is more like an observation of what I’ve felt after repeating them, plus a little bit of fanning out.

My dream is to own all BTS merchandise one day.

Also, as new information came out and as I found more qualities of the album, my thoughts kept changing and rearranging. I’m not sure this post will be certain in all that I want to say, but it feels close to what I thought, whether it affected me personally or as I continued to find keywords that matched the concept.

So, here goes...

1. Intro: Boy Meets Evil

Story (in my head or what I choose to believe): What kinds of evils do young people face? Family, school, peer pressure, money troubles, the unknown future, and the fear of failing. This greed to succeed at all costs, the ambition to dream bigger and higher, becomes evil when reality snaps you out of all of it. These all would cause the temptation being used as a theme. The more you believe you are striving intrepidly toward your goals, the less the world cares. The world will not let go of you willingly. Without clean intention in your heart as you aspire, the world will throw curveballs from every corner to test your resolve. It is your duty not to fall on the wrong path and into temptation. That’s exactly what the song is not doing. The character has fallen into sin(?), i.e. pride, ego, lust, greed etc., because that is what humans do.

General Thoughts: I want to thank Jung Hoseok. Thank you for working so hard to provide us with such a powerful introduction into the album. It was his first time doing an intro to one of their albums and I got to see how much he's been wanting to do it, Hopie-style. He spent a lot of time stressing out about perfecting the choreography and the song for us. He ended up giving A.R.M.Ys, like me, who were on the edge of stanning, a reason to fall even harder for him. Where was the cute Hopie? Answer: Elsewhere. This was aggressive, sexy, rude Hoseok. That high kick, those body rolls, that tongue, the cheeks, the sudden appearance of J-abs. I'm positive he just wanted fangirls/boys to die. Read my post about J-Hoping.

Watch J-Hope - 'WINGS' Comeback Trailer: Boy Meets Evil - over and over and over again.

BTS Part 2: About the Music video

Just from the beginning:

So BTS is in a museum, even though they are the art and artists. My two biases, Jimin and Suga, come out like it’s nothing. Suga smacks Jimin upside the head while on a bike. That already was like damn, we in it.

They’re all playing with their new pairs. Suga and Jimin is with each other now, J-Hope is standing with V, and Namjoon is with Kookie. J-hope looks at Jin with binoculars, who is all by himself, staring deeply at a painting.

BTS Part 1: BTS's Comeback is going to save my entire semester

BTS's comeback has saved my entire semester.

I'm telling you right now this album WILL BE ON REPEAT forever.

Okay, so BTS's second album WINGS came out and ever since then I've been a complete total mess. During the first week, I barely ate. I stared blankly at the ceiling. I've cried before and after their release. I also hate feeling like my feelings are being judged, so here I'd like to exclusively tell you the tale of "The Day of the Comeback".

First of all, before I start rambling, I wanted to say "Happy Birthday" again to the ever-confusing but always beautiful, heart and soul Jimin on my blog. It already passed in Korea, but I am pretending like it's the 13th in America. Here goes: To my UB (ultimate bias), my absolute killer of feels and f’s. If a Somali man was anywhere close to as hot, sweet, angelic, manly, cute, sexy, talented, ambitious, hardworking, modest, squishy, just everything sweet and lovely and hopeful about the world, then marriage is for me.

"The Day of the Comeback"

The album came out on Sunday Oct 9th in the east at 11 am. I woke up at 9 am and waited, trying not to think about my imminent doom. My sister, now a hardcore Army because of me, kept bothering me.

"Asma, we’re trending!"

"Asma, we broke the V-app!"

"Asma, we are going to die."

At the time the MV came out, I was happily (distractedly) conversing with my mother and arguing with my brother. When I realized the seconds that passed, I hurriedly removed myself because I knew they wouldn’t understand my fangirling. And while I waited for the video to load into Super HD Full-Screen, my sister came through the hanging curtains, wide-eyed and shook. She watched it already! (I should have never made her an Army.) I yelled at her to go away. Usually I have enough patience to wait when a video is fully loaded for a proper viewing experience, but since my sister watched greatness before me and I was already anxious, I clicked it at about 1/8 of the way.

The whole thing was a blur. I couldn’t dance erratically. I couldn’t scream. I only flapped my sweater paws and tried not to faint and groan loudly. My brother was already judging me. Because of him, my mother wanted to know what was going on. In the end, I was sprawled out on the floor holding my head as if a dementor kissed me. I was almost in tears. My mind was so full of provocative thoughts. My heart was overflowing with emotions I couldn’t place. It was like the wind was literally punch out of me. All happening while my brother stared at me from the kitchen like I was stupid.

I quickly ran upstairs to our room and caught my sister watching the MV for the third time, squealing over Jungkook (her bias) to go away. We watched it together again on my MAC, dying again at our respective biases and the other members.

Since that fateful day, I’ve been living within a vacuum. I’ve stared blankly into the distance as I listened to the album without moving. That Monday was Columbus Day. I went to work, even though I wasn’t supposed to, maybe subconsciously just listen to the album alone loudly in my car. I’ve cried to all of the solos, especially "Begin", "First Love", "Reflection" and "2! 3!", BTS's official fan song for Army. I’ve sung fervently to "Lie", "Stigma", "Awake", and "Lost". I danced aggressively to the bangers ("Mama", "Am I Wrong", and "21st Century Girls", "Interlude: Wings") my effing heart out. I swayed sensually to "Intro: Boy Meets Evil" and "Blood, Sweat and Tears". I try to rap to "BTS Cypher 4", but who am I kidding?

This album is everything we wanted and more. I'm so proud of BTS and all that they have accomplished and for all the good things that will come.

HI, EVERYONE

How is everybody??? I missed you all. Writing entertainment nonsense people don't care to listen to me talk about is my forte and I missing writing to you!!!

I just wanted say thank you to you guys, the people who read, for checking up on me. I see two or three people from all over the world come back every day and visit to see if I've written anything new that day. Does that mean you like what I write? Could that be true? Or are you secretly mad that I don't post as often that you are passive-aggressively visiting my blog? First of all, I'm sorry. Honestly. However, if my family, college, work, and in general LIFE, doesn't leave me the freak alone for 5 hours a weekend to write and edit one blog post, then I hope you guys can understand why I can't write like I used to.

I still have things I want to talk about and opinions I want to express, so thank you again for bearing with me and being there for me as I struggle to find my voice in this overwhelming world.

Now, as I preview the next blog posts coming soon, I'm "Still Wishing There Will Be Better Days" together.

Love, Asma.

Been thinking about variety shows and their meanings

I think it's really funny that I watch both American and Korean variety shows regularly now. But then I started to ask myself what makes a variety show, in an entertainment context? What are the necessary ingredients?

First, I wanted to show you the types of variety shows I watch in America and by Korean television, via YouTube.

I'll start with the American TV variety shows I seen and explain why they were and are so good:

In The Last Millennia

The Carol Burnett Show

In Living Color

The Muppet Show

"Old" Saturday Night Live

Now it's not like I was born to watch all of these shows, but since then I have caught a few episode and laughed my cheeks off. These were the shows I thought made American Comedy so great and what I wish people would go back to.

The Ghost of The Past

American Idol –  season 4 to 7 (2004 - 2008)

So You Think You Can Dance - the cool seasons

The Arsenio Hall Show

American Idol used to be my shit. I learned a lot about old American classics hits, like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrel, "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys. I learned about some of my favorite artists from this show and they created some new favorite artists. It had its moments and its low moments, like the White Guys with Guitars.

Stuff I Watched Last Year

Little Big Shots

Maya & Marty

These are the shows I used to watch just a couple of months ago before they were either canceled, done for the season, or just got boring. Check out some of the performances on YouTube. Some of them were really incredible.

Shows I Still Watch

The Wendy Williams Show

Conan

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

@midnight

There are the shows I continue to watch. Most of them are late night talk shows that I watch on their respective channels apps. They're all awesome and funny. And don't care what you think about me watching Wendy. We both know she is trash but we still love it.

Coming Soon

Saturday Night Live (SNL)

Honestly, I watched the first episode this season it wasn't that good but I'm sure they can bring it back. They haven't given me a big laugh yet, so I'm waiting. Good luck!

For Korean Variety Shows, I watch:

Happy Together

Gag Concert

Hello Counselor

Weekly Idol

I love all of these shows weekly when I find time and I'm so happy that Doni is back and healthy on Weekly Idol. I can't wait for hilarity to ensue. SHINee's going to be there. Yay!


After what I've put together here... I learned that a variety in America needs to be hosted by a celebrity who can celebrities. Often times that host is a comedian and they along with the establish pace of the show add expected humor along the way. Some varieties are competition shows or talent showcases where the celebrities are the judges and the audience are the voters. Others are simply chat shows (political or gossip-based) with an acknowledged comedian helming the ship where celebrities and others in the creative industry promote their works, hence the musical act closing out the show. The most feared varieties are sketch comedies because the ones from the past were so good that people are also comparing new attempts to old punchlines. Sketch comedians have tried to live to the standards of yesteryear in an age where people were forced to be comedically immature and it breaks my heart when jokes land for me and not for others.

In Korea, I've noticed that hosts take into consideration the personality of celebrities and performers because that is what the audience is attracted to. In America, the personality is kind of glossed over almost to the point that is was nonexistent or over-exaggerated. A personality that is digestible (not oversimplified) for the people at home is good because it engages them in the speaker's life without being invasive. If you want to get invasive, then (sigh) your name with be all over the internet. (Poor Zico smh). Many of their celebrities are young people, so they take care of them while also trying to be funny for the show. It helps them open up more. As for variety competitions shows, I didn't list any because thank god they aren't yearly. I like that competition shows are company-based because companies know what they are looking for in an artist. If the artist fulfills that criteria and charms the audience, they will be a new signee, they will have established a fanbase that want to see them grow and develop under the guidance of that company. I still don't know the labels names by heart in America (I'll do my own research for those later and come back to you guys). And the competitions are shorter!!! Therefore it becomes a more fulfilling time for both the performers and the audience because we go through hell together.

Honestly, the reason why I thinking about variety shows like this is because I hope to make some entertainment for Somali audiences. So I'm learning as much as I can about the creative industries so I can use it in the future to introduce and promote Somali talent in a better way than both countries combined.

I hope you enjoy this post that took me three weeks to write. College sucks when you don't like what you're majoring in.

I'll try to write more soon. :)

image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Why Hoseok deserves all of the love.

There is a reason why I don't talk about BTS (or Bangtan) that much on this blog. Even though I genuinely love them, I feel like I'm going to be another internet Army saying some more mess and I don't want to do that to my boys.

Instead, I just wanted to say what was on my mind for a longest time. I'm going to make this quick because it doesn't need anymore hashing out.* I've been watching more people react to J-Hope's Sexy Moments today because more Hobi fans have made complilations than before. The reactors kept bring up his V-live in Tokyo where he voluntarily left the broadcast he started to Jimin because people were rudely calling for other members.

I realized that I also saying the same things the reactors said: "Hoseok is so cute, I don't see him as sexy. I probably will after this video, though." Then I kept remembering how anti-fans started a petition to kick him out of the group because they thought he was ugly.

I'm sure there's no more issue about this now but I just wanted to say all of the things I've been thinking about.

Asma"s Daily Throw-up #14

Hi, everyone, it's me!!!

School is in full swing. And guess what, I got a second job!!! This is good but it is basically the same as my first job. Annoying but helpful. Both jobs are flexible and both give me money, which I will save and buy expensive software and creative equipment I don't know how to use.

I hope everyone had good Eid. EID MUBARAK to those I've missed. My entire Somaliland family literally went to Hajj this year and did bother inviting us. I would have happily missed the first and second weeks of school to do the pilgrimage. But you have to be really spiritually sound to do the Hajj. I don't think I'm there yet. Hopefully sometime in the future, I'll get to go and I was thinking about bringing the women of my family to come with me.

I'm driving fine. I've made a few mistakes here and there, but for the most part, I will continue to believe I picked the right time to step away from college and pursue a license. All those years of shaking in the harsh wind and extreme humidity waiting to the late bus are so far behind me. Thank God.

What I've been doing lately:

• BTS be killing me. The short films. The vocals teasers. The anticipation. Jimin's #1 bias-worthy-ness. It hurts. I've definitely buying the album online. 

• My sister and I have been watching W - Two World. Lee Jongsuk is gorgeous and so talented and Han Hyojoo totally fits inside my wheelhouse of awesome Korean actresses. I've watching Cinderella and the Four Knights and the Age of Youth on my own. I'll let you know how those turn out.

• As I just started to fall into 2PM, they came back. How fortunate. I still haven't listened to the full album, but the title song is so good. Kings...

• Biology classes suck but I have to keep telling myself that this degree will help me pay the bills and fees for my expensive true work or "stuff" as my mother lovingly calls it.
• For EID, there was no better place to go but the bookstore and I bought this book "Stand Out" by Denise Anderson. I have slowly, in my own way, come to realize that without the proper background and exhibition of your skills, nobody in the design, publishing, marketing, or film industry will be willing to hire you or teach you themselves. You have to come with the skills ready to work from. So I am using this book to do what I've trying this whole year to do: Figure out who I and and what I stand for. I'll do my best to show my progress on this blog. Stay with me.

That's my update. I have to finish some A&P homework. *eye rolls*


image credits: BTS, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Maknae Appreciation Post

Happy Birthday to our favorite *maknae Jungkookie. He's turned 19 internationally, but in Korea, he became 20 years old. Much sadness to older ARMY's everywhere, but in recognition of that magnificent day, I'd like to compile a list of my favorite maknaes in KPop boy groups that I've been cooing over ever since I got into KPop.

*Maknaes are the youngest member of a Korean group by age order.

1. Jungkook, maknae of BTS
As talented as he is and as much as his voice makes me melt, when he lets himself go, ARMYs wonder if he's still not 16. How is he so tall? Why are his laugh and his rabbit teeth so endearing? Why am I so old and untalented?