So I’ve been watching kdrama for 6 years now, and blogging for (approximately) 6 weeks. I know, it feels like so much longer, right?
Anyway. I have to say, these last 6 weeks have been a huge eye-opener for me, in so many ways. I’ve realized things that I’d never even thought of in my previous 6 years as a non-blogging kdrama watcher.
Let me rephrase that.
Some of these things are new revelations, and some are things that I’d sort of known in my head, but now, having stepped out of the lurking closet, these things have been magnified to a degree that they sort of blow my mind a little, and give me pause.
I call it the unifying power of the kdrama-verse.
ONE WORLD, ONE PASSION
I’d always known that the Hallyu wave had tremendous reach, and I knew in my head that there were people all over the world watching the same kdramas that I did, with the same enthusiasm and fervor.
Yet, when I started blogging and the stats showed me what countries the blog views came from, it boggled my mind that people from so many different countries were searching online for information on kdrama.
I didn’t even recognize a number of countries that my blog views came from, and it’s been highly educational mousing over those country names and having WordPress show me where they sit on the world map.
Some of the more exotic countries (exotic to my mind, but perhaps not to yours) are: Russian Federation, Israel, Estonia, Cyprus, Suriname, Kenya, Iraq, Nepal and Qatar.
Wow.
I mean, I’d known in my head that people the world over were watching kdrama, but it had never occurred to me that my fellow kdrama fans hailed from such far-flung and exotic places!
Not only did I learn this, I also learned that there is a country called Georgia. I mean, I’d always thought that Georgia was a US state. And yes, it is a US state, don’t get me wrong, that hasn’t changed or anything; I just didn’t know that there was an actual country called Georgia.
Thanks to the WordPress stats page, though, I now know this, and I know what Georgia’s flag looks like.
Now, who ever said blogging was a waste of time? It’s been improving my knowledge of the world by the day! 😉
It began to hit home for me that the drama-verse is literally made up of people from all over the world, united by a single passion: kdrama.
This was just scratching the surface, though.
As I ventured further into the drama-verse, I learned so much more.
FACE-TO-FACE (SORT OF) WITH FELLOW FANS
As part of my un-lurking, I began to comment actively on other blogs, including blogs where I’d only lurked before, and I even joined Twitter.
I’ve found that Twitter & blog conversations are so much fun coz it’s all focused on a common passion. You just know where to go when you want to share in some common k-love. And that is really one of the coolest things.
It was (and has been) so much fun chatting with fellow fans who not only shared the same passions, but who were always ready to squee, spazz and fangirl together with me.
It was easy to imagine that this was their full-time occupation and passion.
After some time, though, I began to get a sense of who they were in Real Life as well, and it boggled my mind that we came from such diverse walks of life.
As I explored the blogosphere, I discovered that we were doctors, lawyers, auditors, consultants, students, musicians, mothers, grandmothers, homemakers, and more, and we were all letting our inner fangirls out.
That is just so fascinating and amazing to me.
In the drama-verse, there are no boundaries dictated by age, occupation, gender, or station in life. We are all fangirls (and boys) sharing a deep-reaching passion for our k-stuff and k-people, and we simply enjoy sharing our passion with one another.
That is just the coolest thing, evar.
I suspect that if we’d met in real life, we may never have guessed that we could chat for hours on end or spazz over a drama or k-actor together like peas in a pod.
Let me qualify that statement by also saying that when that commonality is revealed in real life, the unifying powers of the k-universe are just as strong.
CASE IN POINT: A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE
On New Year’s Day this year, I met a new k-mad friend who’s less than half my age and we’ve totally hit it off.
I’d been invited to attend an informal piano recital at my ex-piano-teacher’s home, and afterwards, I chatted with the various people who had been in attendance. This particular young girl and I started talking about our experiences playing the piano and other related stuff, and somehow we eventually got to talking about learning Korean, which then got us started on kpop and kdrama.
I’m not much of a kpop fan, and she’s not much of a kdrama fan, but we hit gold when we discovered that we were both familiar with Minho and To The Beautiful You. Minho is her ultimate bias, and I rather enjoyed To The Beautiful You, in which he acted. We chatted away merrily for the next FOUR HOURS.
We now text each other and hang out together on occasion. Never mind that we are in totally different age brackets, or that she’s still in school and I’m a working adult, or that other people look at us and can’t understand how we get along so well.
How cool is that?! 😀
SHARING LIVES
I’ve discovered that conversations over Twitter start with the sharing of k-loves, and often evolve into something much deeper and more significant: the sharing of lives.
Beyond chatting about the most recent episode of the hottest new drama, or the latest piece of k-entertainment news, I’ve found that k-Twitter friends share bits and pieces of their personal lives too. From a work challenge, to fighting a bout of flu, to a visit to the dentist or doctor, to work travel woes, to festive recipes, to stuff related to family and friends.
I find that often, when I look around Twitter at all my fellow k-fans and friends, lives are spilling out, one to another, and then another.
And the fabulous thing is, words of encouragement, advice & wisdom, virtual hugs and cyber kisses are shared swiftly and generously.
Everyone responds so naturally and eagerly that it’s sometimes hard to believe that we are people who have never met in real life.
THE FREEING NATURE OF THE K-UNIVERSE
To a large extent, I feel much freer on my k-Twitter account than my real life Facebook account.
In real life, I am connected with colleagues and clients on Facebook, and it would be completely inappropriate to spazz over my k-obsession on my Facebook page. Also, not all my real-life friends appreciate my k-passion, so I stick to more universally accepted and appealing topics when engaging with them over Facebook.
On Twitter and in the blogosphere at large, though, there is no need to tread so cautiously like this.
I feel free (not only free, but encouraged! Coz my k-friends like it, heh) to post hot photos of Gong Yoo or of Park Shi Hoo & Jang Hyuk.
Here’s evidence:
At the same time, I believe that this freedom has helped many people who are introverts in real life to unleash our inner fangirls (& boys), to be free with giving voice to our likes and dislikes, and in expressing our support and affection for one another.
I’m an introvert at heart, though most people who’ve met me wouldn’t guess it. As an introvert, I do appreciate the freedom that the blogosphere and k-universe at large gives me.
I honestly think it’s one of the coolest things, that many bloggers are actually introverts, yet have perhaps hundreds of followers. Love that! 😀
HAS IT REALLY BEEN ALL ROSES & RAINBOWS?
Well, I would have to say no, it hasn’t been all roses and rainbows.
In my initial steps into the twitter-verse, for example, I found that not everyone was as welcoming or as friendly. Perhaps it was because I was (am?) unfamiliar with Twitter etiquette, but I sometimes felt a little deflated when I was pointedly ignored while genuinely trying to join in a conversation.
I’ve since decided that perhaps these are introverts that I’m trying to strike up conversations with, and even with the freedom that the k-twitter-verse gives, some introverted traits may still apply. Maybe.
Regardless, the good completely outweighs the less good. There are more people who are friendly than those who are not.
It particularly warms my heart when people are welcoming, friendly and kind right away, without any kind of suspicion or reserve. I love it when I can jump into a lively conversation with someone and we’ve only just met on Twitter or on a blog’s comments section.
I’ve met some genuinely lovely ladies on Twitter and in the blogosphere, and I love – really, LOVE! – talking with them.
You know who you are, my dears. Here’s a shout-out to my very special k-friends ♥ Cyber hugs for everyone! 😀
Also, I must say that the blog has been receiving a lot of love.
At barely 6 weeks old, the blog’s accumulated 3,102 views as I post this. I think that’s pretty amazing.
That’s quite a bit of love, for a blog that’s so young.
So thank you, for your warm welcome and your love! ♥
You guys make this k-universe a great place to be. Let’s keep on having fun together, in this fabulous cyber-place!
As for this blog, I just want to say that you are welcome here, no matter where you’re from. And, uh, you’re especially welcome if you’re from Georgia, heh. 😉
Hi there, I just discovered your blog while trying to find a review on Itaewon Class and then I started looking at your other reviews and posts and ended up here. I totally agree with what you’re saying, not a lot of people know that I like watching kdramas except for friends and they accept that despite being very confused about it(not necessarily because I’m ashamed but because I’m not open with my other interests as well) so it’s always really difficult to find people who are into watching them,basically anyone to fangirl with. Nobody at my school is interested in them but recently I joined amino and I found a kdrama community and I started talking to people and it was so awesome. I even got recommendations for kdramas and websites to stream them. I felt really understood.
Aw, that’s so great that you found a kdrama community, liability! 😀 It really helps, especially when people around you just don’t have the same interest. I have friends who watch dramas, but they simply don’t engage with dramas the same way I do, so when we talk dramas and I get into too much detail, or get too in depth with analyzing something, they start looking at me funny. 😆 But here online, everyone loves doing just that, and I feel right at home. 🥰🥰 I hope you’ll feel at home here too! <3
True. I’m an introvert and it’s really hard for me making friends. I’m worried that I’ll be forever alone without any friends but fortunately when i move to another school there is a girl that also love kdramas. We talked about kdramas and kpop all day since then. Now I’m 23, it’s been a few years since my high school graduation and she’s still my best friend. We continue to talk about kdramas and of course other stuff unrelated to kdrama or kpop but bruh, kdrama literally saving my social life.
About social media i feel free on any socmed because i make a separate account for my kpop obsession. But nowadays i feel lonely because I’m stanning an underrated actors atleast in my country and I have nobody to talk about them.
My top 3 bias are:
1. Kim Minseok
2. Seo In Guk
3. Lee Dongwook
I could talk about Lee Dongwook just fine on Twitter. He’s popular anyway.
But I can’t do anything about my two other biases. And Kim Minseok is in the military now. I have no fangirling material 🙁
Aw, that’s cool, that kdramas and kpop brought you and your best friend together! 🙂 As for your biases, I may not be able to help with 2 of them, but in terms of Seo In Guk, I do know that Kmuse of Dramas With a Side of Kimchi counts Seo In Guk as her ultimate bias. I think you might enjoy exploring her posts about him. Here’s one to start: a podcast that’s all about Seo In Guk! I hope you enjoy 🙂
I just entered the kverse thanks to DotS and me and a new friend spent a whole hike up and down through MacRichie talking about DotS. For FOUR HOURS too.
In fact it’s been a few months now and I’m not sure we’ve stopped…
So I totally get you and this post. Well done! Keep writing. Fly the Singapore flag high!
FOUR HOURS! You too! 😀 That’s extremely cool stuff, Purebristles! 😀 Thanks for the encouragement on the blog too – it’s always super cool to meet fellow Singaporeans on here! ^^
And, uh, you’re especially welcome if you’re from Georgia, heh. — this makes me laugh😃…
Tee hee. Glad that gave you a laugh, ling! 😀 And YOU’RE welcome always, even if you’re NOT from Georgia! XD
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Crazy holiday-ness is absolutely a valid thing to blame it on! Besides, I don’t mind waiting as there is never a rush. The sheer number of comments you handle in a day is massive! So I don’t mind waiting one bit!
Oh no! I’m sorry that you had a bad encounter like that! I mean can’t we all just get along! Though I’m sure you’re right, at some point I’m going to say something that doesn’t exactly mesh with a die-hard fans views and they’ll feel the need to put me in my place. Hearing how your twitter friends helped you through that I’m doubly happy to have joined the twitter legion! I’m still getting my bearings over there, but so far am really loving it. And the people I’ve chatted with are amazing to boot!
Heh. And the crazy festive schedule is only just winding down for me now, just as my January busy period is about to ramp up! XD It’s going to be a bit of a challenge balancing everything in these initial weeks of 2014. Hopefully after that, things will settle into a pattern that’s easier to manage ^^
Yay that you’re enjoying your foray into the twitter-verse! There ARE lots of lovely folks on there, and they can be such a great source of fun, support and general camaraderie for all things k.. and then some! And just think – a year from now, you’ll be a sunbae to the k-newbies on twitter too! Slightly mind-bending thought, perhaps, but it’s true! ^.~
I am so behind on comments and posting and reading! But my best friend was here for a week so I do have a valid excuse! But I still feel bad it’s taken me so long to respond!
January is an insane month for me at work so I’ll be around very little this month as well. After that its back to me having a lot more free time thankfully!
The twitter-verse is amazing! I’m glad I followed you there lol. The friends I’ve made in such a short time are phenomenal. Omo! It’s hard to think that I’ll be a Sunbae at some point. That feels a long way off, I still have so much to learn!
Heh. I say don’t worry about it.. December and January seem to be universally busy months for us all, not just those of us with BFFs visiting (how fun for you! Yay!). Also, Jan is turning out to be hectic for me work-wise too, so I totally feel you. I’m writing this in my hotel room in HK coz I’m here on a work trip – my way of keeping up with the blog and the dramaverse in whatever way I can while on the road!
You know how a year to us is like 7 years to a dog? Ha. In the blogosphere, a year is a very respectable amount of time. You’ll SO be a sunbae in a year! ^^
We appreciate your dedication! Answering comments while in your hotel room. Though we’d all understand I’m sure if you waited to respond until you were home!
So I age like a dog in the blogverse good to know lol!! But I can definitely see your point. A year will teach you a whole lot and help you to find your rhythm as a blogger. I’ve only been at this since November but I feel like I’ve already improved, that has a lot to do with some excellent help from you guys who are already established!
HAHA. “Age like a dog” isn’t quite what I meant (since that sounds rather rude, oops!), but yes, that’s pretty much how it works! XD A year is a long time in the blogosphere. I remember when I first started blogging, everything felt so far away. The one-year milestone felt like forever away, as did milestones like 20,000 views. Thing is, time flies, and very soon, you’ll be all sunbae-ed and unnie-ed up and guiding other newbies around the lovely k-blogosphere! Think of it more like rapid promotion.. That sounds way better than rapid aging..! XD
kekeke I thought it was hilarious! Bloggers age in dog years, I had a good giggle over it! Thought it would make a funny blog post too. I can totally see your point. A year is a very long span of time to manage a blog, stay creative with posts, and be involved in the blogverse with other bloggers. 20,000 views! Wow! My blog has just his 1,300, I’ve still got a long way to go.
I’ll have loads of good examples on how to be a good sunbae to other bloggers thanks to you and DDee and Shukmeister!
Hee. Yes, I imagine it would make a pretty funny blog post! XD And it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Congrats on hitting 1,300 views!! 😀 You know something else that I’ve learned? All those stats rack up in exponentially shorter periods of time. As in, it might feel like forever to hit your first 1,000 views, but then it’ll feel much faster hitting your second thousand. Same thing with the first 10,000. It might feel like forever to hit it, but once you do, it will take a much shorter time to hit 20,000. The effect only gets magnified as your numbers grow. It took about 10 months for this blog to hit 100,000 views, but now, just 3 months after hitting that milestone, I’m already halfway to hitting the next 100,000. It’s one of those weird blog things. So you’re going to be hitting 2,000 views very soon, Jaime. I’m sure of it! ^^
And yes, the blogosphere could always use more good sunbaes! I have faith that you’re going to be an awesome sunbae, ushering newbies into the wonderful world of k-blogging. And it’ll be sooner than you think! ;D
You know one of these days I might just make a blog about my blog age in dog years. It would be a total hoot. But maybe at the six month mark because then I’ll be closing in on my wise years 😉 Omo that is so true! Since my last comment I’ve already hit 1,500 views! Isn’t that insane? It really just blows my mind.
Hee. See? That exponential thing is true! Before you know it, you’ll be telling me that you’re hitting 5,000 views! ^.~ And YES, that post about aging in dog years sounds like a really fun one – I look forward to reading it! 😀
Would you believe that I’m already at 2,204 views! I had my best day yet the other day at 241 views in one day! It really just blows my mind that people are out there looking at the rambling posts that I put up!
Aw! Congrats, Jaime!! *showers confetti, sparkles and fluffy marshmallows* (coz you deserve a sweet treat to celebrate that milestone!).. I remember first crossing 100 views in a day and getting super excited about it, so I totally identify!! 😀 And to have hit 241 views in a single day, in a few short months is no mean feat, I say! Definitely worth a bit of a celebration! ^^ And just think – soon you’ll be crossing 3,000 views! ;D
*munches on fluffy marshmallows and dances in the sparkly confetti shower* Thanks! It is moving unbelievably fast now. Which is utterly crazy! People out there are reading the random thoughts I put out there. Thanks for letting me squee about views here! Omo, 3,000! That just sounds even more crazy! haha
Yes, people out there are reading your thoughts, Jaime! 😀 And 3,000 views will be here before you know it! I just added you to my blogroll, so that might contribute to your next views milestone 😉
Omo you are just the best! Thank you! I need to set up a blogroll, but I am having an old brain moment and can’t figure it out. However, once I do you’re so there! Along with a few other special places in the blogverse that I love a whole lot.
You’re very welcome! You can set up a blogroll by going to the Links part of your dashboard and creating a category called Blogroll.
The alternative is the Blogs I Follow widget, which I believe you’re already using. The only downside to the widget is that many bloggers set a limit of, say, 20 blogs (the maximum is 50), and then as they follow more blogs, the earlier follows get pushed out of sight. Which is a pity, coz it’s always the early follows that get pushed off. Also, with the widget you can’t choose which blogs appear and which don’t. I personally use the Links categories to manage my blogroll so that I can select which blogs get shown. And I can have it in alphabetical order, which appeals to the organized part of my brain, heh.
Thank you!!! You’ve no idea how long I’ve been trying to figure that one out! I feel rather silly, but with your instructions I was able to get a blog roll set up finally! Which means that my redecorating spree is now complete! All that’s left is to re-make a few headers that I loved from the old look. You’re the best, thank you!
You’re very welcome! 😀 Some of the dashboard functions aren’t as obvious as others, and once you know how, it’s not so hard anymore. Well, it works that way at least some of the time. ^.~
Yeah I didn’t even connect the dots that the links in the blogroll were controlled through the links option! But now that I know it’s super easy. I’ve still got a lot to learn about Worpress, but I’m seriously happy with having moved here and how the site itself is shaping up.
Oh yes, WordPress is way more user-friendly compared to what I experienced of Blogger. And then recently Dewaani talked about having to work code for drop-down menus and rotating banners.. Gosh. Here on WP those are just a matter of a click of a button. I am so relieved that I don’t have to work code to do those things! 😛
The heartwarming feels of this post! I keep reading your posts and want to shout out my agreement to your words and thoughts. From the moment I stuck my little toe into the drama-verse of the blogging world I have felt a lot of love. I’ve gotten viewers from all over the world and a few comments to boot! The love and kindness that is outpouring from everyone drama-land has just made me so utterly happy.
I created a drama facebook account but haven’t used it much at all. I’ve been really debating getting a twitter account as a means to pour out my drama-love. I do have a tumblr account which acts as a place for that a lot of times. However, reading this post really makes me want to try twitter. I’ve never used it before, but I would love a place to casually chat with all those who share my obsession and love.
Aw, yay that you enjoyed this post, Jaime! 😀 Indeed, dramaland is full of lovely people. Of course, there are less friendly people in it too, to be sure, but the nice ones do outnumber the less nice ones, and I have no doubt you’ll continue to have a great time frolicking in dramaland!
You’ll probably have a good use for your Facebook account soon.. coz the votes on the squee fest are still stacking in favor of a Facebook group chat 😉 And yes, twitter is a good place for casual chats and squees for all your k-related passions! Just beware spoilers in your feed coz quite a few people tweet while watching their dramas, and that can be tricky if you haven’t seen those shows and don’t want to be spoiled. Be like a ninja and dodge all the spoilery tweets and you’ll be fine ^.~
The friends that I’ve made in such a short time already in the dramaland blogverse are amazing (like you!). Thankfully I haven’t run into the less friendly sorts yet, but I know they’re out there. Even if I do, I’ve got the lovely people I’ve met here so I don’t need to worry about them at all.
Sadly I missed responding to this comment for 10 days! I don’t even have an excuse of lots of comments to try and respond to, I’m just spacey. I’m sad I missed the squee fest, but I do hope to attend the next event, or maybe even host an event of my own! We’ll see. I’ve just started really using my Facebook account, I think I’ll wait before adding Twitter to the mix since I’ve got a lot of accounts going already. But the instant squee factor of Twitter is alluring.
And now it’s my turn to have missed replying to your comment for (almost) 10 days! Eep. I plead hectic holiday season and comment confusion. I messed up my own system in choosing to reply to a certain chunk of comments and saving others for later and now everything’s all mixed up and I’m trying to catch all the comments I missed and I don’t know if I’ll get them all *pauses for breath* But it’s all good. I think.
It’s almost a guarantee that you will encounter a nasty comment at some point. Especially if you say something less flattering of a particular celeb in your review etc. I once incurred the wrath of a big Lee Bo Young fan by being very candid about how I found her underwhelming as an actress in my review of Equator Man. That was a new experience for me, dealing with a very upset and angry fan spewing rage. Thankfully, though, it all died down fairly quickly. A few comments back and forth and it stopped. And all my twitter friends were super supportive through it all.
I’d tweeted about the incident as a milestone in my blogging life, and everyone had flocked to read the exchange and give me encouragement at the same time. That’s one of the reasons getting on Twitter is great. You make drama friends and at your point of need, when you tweet something, someone is probably awake and reading your tweet and able to come to your aid or rescue if need be ^^
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i only discovered this blog on monday but i really enjoy it. Love all you GY pictures by the way. My first time in a forum like this as well. Hailing from the caribbean! I vote that they do a world tour lol. I posted on another commentary section just today how nice it is to be able to talk about dramas freely. I always hit them back that they watch Chinese fighting movies so leave me in my k-drama world. Hope to make some friends while i’m here. Is there anyway i can subscribe to your posts?
Aw thanks! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog! And yes, I do take pretty much every opportunity to showcase more GY ^^ Glad that there’s one more person here appreciating the GY goodness! 😉
Yes, isn’t it great that there is this whole k-world where every drama fan can meet fellow fans and actually have people share their excitement and love for drama? That’s one of the things I love about the kdrama-verse!
And yes, you can subscribe to my posts! On the side bar on the right of your screen, just above the section where my latest tweets are shown, there are 2 options available. You can either subscribe through an RSS Feed, or you can click the Follow button above that to receive notifications of new posts via email 🙂
Wah! How is it that I never knew you had a blog? I guess I did disappear from the kdrama universe since you started this blog. I love how global kdrama is. Twitter is a mess. I only get on when I’m willing to be bombarded by tweets and I kinda miss all the fun of chatting so easily.
Sunbae!!! 😀 Welcome to the blog!
Yes, the blog’s pretty new – just barely 6-7 weeks old – so if you’ve been away for quite a while, that would explain why you didn’t know!
I guess there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing, isn’t there? I completely understand the need to detox and get away from it all sometimes.
As for Twitter, I often get on, then get into a couple of conversations, and then just stick with those. I stop checking the main feed so that I don’t end up adding more than I can handle. I don’t know if that might work for you? 🙂
In any case, it’s good to have you back online!! Please don’t disappear for too long – you’ve been greatly missed in the drama-verse! <3
It’s really hard when there is no one around trying to kill off poorly written characters.
Ooh.. Your bloodlust is showing 😉 LOL!
Totally agree with you! I’ve been watching k-dramas on and off since 7-8 years now and I’ve started to write my thoughts on dramas lately over Musings of a Twinkie (Mawiie here, I dunno why my user name is different hehe) and it’s incredible how people from all over the world, from different background and horizon can stand united in the name of fandom LOL DRamas have brought me new friends and I always appreciate the really constructive exchange we have with other fan 😉
LOL! Thanks for outing yourself, Mawiie! I wouldn’t have been able to guess it was you otherwise! You’re like a secret spy, with multiple identities! (In celebration of Level 7, or in anticipation of Iris 2? Haha!)
Yes, it’s amazing how kdrama & kpop can bring otherwise completely different people onto the same page, and even more amazing is how it does that in an INSTANT! It’s like magic, I say! 😀
I’m looking forward to trading more thoughts & squees with you in the drama-verse, Mawiie!! Wheee! 😀
Hehehe I’m totally a spy (who just outed myself –> FAIL) I used to be a silent reader all these years, but last year one drama hit all the right notes for me…and I just decided to embrace my inner fangirl and join the community to squee LOL
To be honest (and I’m trying to be as objective as possible here), more than just those hours of entertainment, I did learn a lot from dramas. I’m now quite familiar with the culture, the language, and I even get to practice my English skills (I speak French and Vietnamese on daily basis and learn English as a teen in high school) by writing about stuffs that I love… It’s really wonderful! K-dramas have given us a voice!
It’s really amazing how different we all are. I think that people usually assume that k-drama fans consist only of younger girls (I, for one, am not exactly a teen anymore 😉 It always surprised me when I learn about what a fan does in “real life”. It doesn’t always compute for me… I’m starting to have a split personality disorder now LOL
Oh that’s so true!! I’ve learned heaps from watching kdrama! The culture & language & sometimes history too, take the top spots, and besides that, I also find certain scenes / dramas thought-provoking on a profound level, which spurs related realizations too. Watching kdrama is highly educational for sure! 😉 Wayyy more effective than putting me in a history lesson or language class! 😉
Yes, you are so right! My mind’s been boggled on more than a few occasions to realize that someone I’d been fangirling with, or a blogger I’d been following, was some kind of hot-shot professional, or a mother of 6, or a grandmother, for that matter. It’s hilarious – & fantastic! – how our inner fangirls all sound like we’re the same age! Coz you know, one never ages in the drama-verse! WOOT!! 😉
Late to the party as per usual but I had to delurk and coment on how spot on your observations are. I’ve come to know several wonderful people because of my drama-addiction. Me thinks that the fandom has expanded from what used to be around the time I joined the madness few year ago. Oh well, the more the merrier. 🙂
Nice blog you have here and I would totally have pegged you as a longtime blogger too.
Aw, it’s never to late to join this party 😉 Welcome to the blog, Timescout! As a former lurker myself, I completely get what a big deal it is to delurk & leave a comment, so thank you for sharing your experience! ^^
I agree the fandom keeps expanding at a mind-boggling rate! New people are getting onto the K-wave every day, and it’s awesome! More like-minded k-fans to share in all the k-love, wheee! 😀
Thanks for your kind comments on the blog! It’s such a compliment to be pegged as a longtime blogger – you made my day! THANKS! <3 <3
I’m a perennial silent reader on this type of blogs but I used to be quite active in LJ when it still had a proper drama community. Those people have now moved on to other things and platforms alas. I still do my fannish journaling there though. 🙂
I do like talking about dramas so I’ve recently taken upon commenting more here and there. So…. you’ll probably be seeing me around every now and then. 😉
LJ…? As a relatively new K-drama blogger, I am not familiar with what LJ stands for…I am most intrigued to find out Timescout ^.^
LJ = LiveJournal 🙂 It’s been around for years, in one form or other.
Ah…now that you mention it, I do remember vague mentionings of it. Thank you 🙂
Ah now that you mention it, my friends who had personal LJ blogs have also moved on & are no longer active.. I guess it wasn’t just the drama community on LJ then!
As a reformed persistent lurker myself, your journey reminds me so much of my own! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing you “show yourself” around here whenever you feel like it. Know that you’re always welcome, silent reader or active commenter <3 The drama-verse does not discriminate 😉
I’ve been an online fandom geek for so long I forget to appreciate how amazing it is: geographical distinctions disappear, and suddenly everyone you run into cares about exactly what you care about. I even refuse to get a Facebook account because I hate the thought of the real world intruding on the Internet world, which is such a lovely place as it is.
And nice post 🙂
Thanks, Amanda!! I’m glad you liked the post! 🙂
Yeah, the more I look around me, the more amazing & appealing this kdrama-verse is, & the more awesome people I meet who not only totally get my k-love but share in it too! Maybe you’ve got something there – preserving the integrity of our kdrama-verse! Perhaps we should ALL give up Facebook! 😉
This post is so spot-on! I recently unexpectedly hit it off with somebody because I knew about Big Bang.
P.S. I see how you managed to work in some extra pics of your ultimate bias. Niceeee 😉 lol
Wow, how cool is that?! 😀 It’s just amazing to me how kpop &/or kdrama can instantly bond even the unlikeliest of people! The kdrama-verse just rawks! ^^
Oh, & er, I am ALWAYS happy to find a reason for more Gong Yoo! XD I’m fairly single-minded that way, heh 😉
kfangurl, first, I love this post. So well thought out! You know I’m just a sometimes guest blogger for kakashi, but you clearly expressed a lot of thoughts similar to mine. The commonality among diversity is a wonderful thing. Great job (oh, and loved how you used Gong Yoo, too!)
About the Twittering – I understand completely. I felt ignored at first and at times still do. But I also feel lost when I go on and see 80 tweets have happened since I was last on. And then I feel like I’m barging in on conversations if I start tweeting. Another problem I find is when people follow me and I have no idea who they are. It might take me a while to engage in a conversation with them.
You are awesome – keep it up!
AWW!! THANK YOU!! 😀 You are very sweet, and so encouraging! <3
I'm so glad you enjoyed the post, and I'm particularly stoked that you liked the use of the Gong Yoo photos! 😉 Coz I thought they fit perfectly, and also coz I think he's awesome, heh! 😉
Wow, you've described my Twitter experience to a tee! High five, sista! It's much better now that I'm getting the hang of it, but as you said, sometimes I do feel a little ignored. I've since learned to take it in my stride, and that's made my Twitter experience a lot more enjoyable. That, and forging some stronger connections with new k-friends who make it so much fun 😀
I tried looking for you on Twitter but I didn't find you.. Are you using a different handle on Twitter? If we're already connected on Twitter, please let me know! Or, if we're not yet connected on Twitter, I'd love to get connected so that we can keep chatting! 😀
We’re already connected (that’s how I found your blog). I’m KLnoona on Twitter. Do I know you from Dramabeans OT?Honestly, I don’t have time to keep up with everyone’s names, and I myself have at least 3 alias!
KLnoona!!! I THOUGHT it might be you! I’ve enjoyed your posts on kakashi’s blog!! 😀 Love your work! ^^
I do go on Dramabeans everyday, but I usually don’t go on the OTs, coz I don’t generally watch dramas as they’re airing and the OTs are too full of spoilers 😛 I basically use kfangurl or kfangirl as my handle on the various sites I visit, so it should be easier to recognize me than it might be to recognize you! 😉
Maybe one day when I change my mind & start watching dramas as they’re airing like everyone else, I’ll be able to finally go and play with everyone else on the OT – it does sound like a heap of fun! ^^
Lovely post!!! Being part of this awesome asian drama community has been one of the best things in my life….being able to share your drama/music/life experiences with other people no matter the age/nationality/beliefs/gender has been a beauitful journey!!!
Thank you, Ayesha!! And welcome to the blog! 😀
It’s so cool, isn’t it, that we can find so many like-minded fans and friends in this community?! I love that friendships can be built up quickly and easily as we bond over our favorite dramas, songs, actors etc. The fact that it rises above all the usual boundaries makes it feel all the purer! <3
Totally…it’s a real blessing being part of this community!!!
Absolutely! I often feel more drawn to my k-world than the real world, coz it’s just so much more fun here ^^
Same here!!! Since last year, more than half of my interactions with people are with all my k-drama friends over twitter
Oh my, that’s becoming my experience too!! 😀
Just last night, I came back to my hotel room after a long business day in HK & instead of checking FB, I spent almost all my time chatting & laughing with k-friends on Twitter! So much fun! When I eventually got around to checking my RL FB, it felt uninteresting & boring in comparison! 😉
Awesome post, and so true. I’ve met some great people since starting to watch kdramas, blogging, commenting on blogs. I can’t believe that a year ago, I didn’t even know this community existed.
Thanks, cherrycordial!! I didn’t even realize that this community existed either! It’s kind of like one big k-facebook when it’s all put together! 😉
Glad to have met you here in the kdrama-verse! 🙂
Its so true! I enjoyed blogging, but it started being really fun when I started commenting on other people’s blogs. I think I understood how exciting it was to receive a comment and how welcome it was. Then I started to get comments (mainly from you!) and now there are just conversations taking place everywhere. I wish I could help you with the twitter thing, but I honestly don’t understand twitter so…
I know, right?! Conversations on our k-stuff are so much fun!! 😀 I’ve SO enjoyed chatting with you & spazzing with you (Gong Yoo!!!!) – you’re definitely a k-friend I’m sending big, BIG hugs to!! <3
Are you on Twitter, Eye Candy? If you are, do let me know, I'd love to chat with you there too!
Nope I’m not on twitter (for now) don’t worry I’ll let you know the moment that happens. Yep, the Gong Yoo spazzing has been awesome!!! (Especially since I worried that since Coffee Prince was so long ago no one would care about a review written now). Oh I’m sending those hugs right back (with some photos of Gong Yoo attached!)
Lol! You know I love me some Gong Yoo photos! 😀
Coffee Prince is one of my all-time favorite shows, so I plan to post a review of it sometime as well! Great shows are classics, and always worthy of some attention, imo. You were giving some love and attention to a worthy recipient – I was just joining in the love! 😉
Yes, if you do decide to get on Twitter, you must let me know! 😀
It’s true Coffee Prince (and Gong Yoo) are always deserving of some love!
Gong Yoo?? ALWAYS <3 <3 <3 😉
Aw, what a lovely post m’dear ^^
I’m just glad you met someone to ramble and talk about K-stuffs. The idea of this post is just wonderful, hehe. I love your blog and when I see new posts I get equally excited to read whatever it is you have installed for us to read.
^^
Aw!! bimbobunny, YOU are one of the awesome k-friends I’ve met, and I love trading thoughts with you! <3 I love that we get excited over the same k-stuff and it's just great fun spazzing together! 😀 If you're on Twitter, please let me know so that we can chat there too!
Thanks for always being such a warm encourager. All your words of encouragement and appreciation mean a lot to me <3
Here's a GREAT BIG CYBER HUG for ya!! <3
Likewise, I feel that I can relate to close to anything to post and it’s like seeing a near perfect reflection of myself when I read your stuff because it’s closely related to how I think and whatnot. Heh! Aw, sadly I don’t have twitter but if you like you could guest blog on my blog sometime. It would be awesome to spazz on a post with you ^__^ Hehe.
No problem, I’m here to encourage you so that I can read more of your stuff. Don’t you DARE LOSE INTEREST IN K-DRAMA you hear? Haha, yes that was a threat… sue me 😛
BWAHAHA!! This is the first time I’ve received an actual threat on this blog – what a historic moment! Lol! 😀
As for me losing interest in kdrama, that’s very unlikely.. I’m still loving it all, and right now I’m wanting MORE kdrama, not less! 😉 There’ve been times in the past when I wondered whether my interest in kdrama was waning, coz I felt so meh about everything I was watching. But every time, it just turned out that the dramas themselves were meh. I just needed a GOOD kdrama to spin me right back on track! 😉
Also, what an intriguing idea, to guest on your blog for a spazz post! I wouldn’t mind giving that a whirl sometime, when inspiration for a great topic strikes! 😉
Lovely, lovely, lovely post! I also love how diverse the K-drama loving world is. As I have watch different country views come up on blog stats, my mind has also been blown. It really makes me realize just how possible it is for the world to actually get along (not that they all have to watch K-drama), but just how amazing it is to feel friendship with people who share a common love. Hopefully one day we can all meet up somewhere and fangirl in person! And this really was a super wonderful post! Love it! ❤❤❤
Aw, THANK YOU!! <3 I'm so glad you enjoyed the post! <3
Truly, it is completely amazing, and quite surreal, to feel so connected to people on a global scale, all of us sharing a common love and passion! Perhaps if the whole world DID watch kdrama, we'd have fewer wars and less political dissent! *Go, Hallyu wave! Take over the world! Hwaiting!!* ^^
And indeed, if we did meet up to fangirl in person, that would be seriously awesome! 😀 In the meantime, though, cyber hugs will have to do. So, HUGS, k-friend! <3
^^~ big cyber hugs back chingu!
Hee! I’d thought you were an old-timer blogger for some reason. I really enjoy your blog (and the lovely, lovely pictures ;)). It’s so fun meeting others who share your passion.
Yes, it IS fantastic fun, isn’t it, poking around each other’s blogs and basically connecting with other passionate k-fans! 😀 I’m so glad that we’ve been chatting and having fun over our k-passion! 😀
Thanks for your kind comments about the blog! 😀 Perhaps it’s my 6 years of kdrama watching that’s made me sound like an old-time blogger, haha 😉 But I do take that as a compliment, so thank you! <3
You’re very welcome and I totally meant it as a compliment. (I reread and suddenly worried that it might not have sounded as nice as I meant it to.) I admire your posts — style and content — and would have pegged you as having done this for a while. 🙂
Aw.. thank you! 😀 That is really sweet of you to say, and very encouraging! <3
lovely post 🙂
And I love your blog…..it’s so good when we make friends here with people who share the same interest as us 🙂 And then, we start discussing other things as well…..
Nice to meet you kfangurl 😉
Aw, thanks snow_white! 🙂 I’m so glad that we’re connected in the blogosphere – I’ve had a great time chatting with you too! ^^
same here 🙂
oh, and about being ignored on Twitter … I’ve found that it is at time really hard to get a sense of who is talking to whom; I’m pretty sure most people don’t mean to ignore you. It just happens in the overall mess that it Twitter …
kakashi is right. 🙂 Don’t let it affect you too much. Sometimes it really is hard to keep track of things when you’re following 1,000+ people, reading recaps, watching a kdrama, downloading subs, AND debating with someone over whose drama hairstyle sucked the worse in 2012! (see post image http://outsideseoul.blogspot.com/2012/08/kdrama-linkapoloza.html)
Yeah, I agree with kakashi, don’t let it get to you too much. I know that sometimes Twitter is just spazzy ^^~
Aw, thanks for the assurance, my dear friends! <3 Yes, it is true that Twitter can be such a whirl of activity that it gets confusing 🙂
I find that the great thing is, even if there ARE individuals who don't seem to want to engage, there are always more awesome people in the k-universe just waiting to connect! And more awesome people join the community all the time too, which is great ^^
what about people from Switzerland? 🙂
Beautiful post, thank you – it is lovely knowing you! ^^
Lol! People from Switzerland are definitely welcome too! 😀
It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, kakashi! I will remember fondly the time I spammed you with multiple photos of Park Shi Hoo 😉 And the subsequent fabulous surprise you then pulled out in your winter wonderland post! Hee ^^