Seem as I have been long absent from my blogging activities here and I have such big plans for some future posts, I suffered from a nervous writers block when I really didn't know where to begin, so I've pushed back my coverage of Rain's erotic comeback, yet again and instead decided to take you through some of the highs and lows, well really there are no lows, of K-pop on social networking micro blogging phenomenon Twitter.
The number of idols cropping up on Twitter has been rising day by day, largely thanks to ever multiplying Super Junior members (and there are a lot of them anyway) and whilst a few hot favourites have disappointingly disappeared into the twitter clouds of silence (I'm mainly talking to you Seungho, but I forgive because the fact that you have an account and the slightest remote possibility that you might put out a message I could read in almost real time is too exciting for words.) the others are adding small moments of joy to meager existence with each and every attempt at English or 'twitpic' of what they are about to eat for dinner. Its almost (or not really anything like) like a direct line to the stars. I suppose its actually quite a lot like this Korean "fan cafes" (fan club websites) where the idols actually write back on message boards and distantly converse with their raving fanbase, except Twitter for the most part is just "talking out loud" into the internet, and announcing your thoughts / feelings / opinions / statements to anyone who wants to listen, I suppose the 2010 term for this is "sharing" but that just always seems so creepy to me...
So, as I was saying, a bevy of K-pop beauties are now "tweeting" and brightening up my dreary Twitter timeline (to explain for any non twitterers out there, the timeline is the list of twitter posts from all the people I "follow"), admittedly it often is just jammed full or incomprehensible Korean that I rarely bother to attempt to translate, and this can be someone annoying to scroll through, so I stick to only following my favourites or those I determine to be top class twitter users (heavy on pictures and preferably some English). I check twitter from my phone so often catch the updates only minutes after they happen, just image the thrill of knowing Sungmin posted
a picture of his cat just moments ago!! or to wake up and find that Heechul has even considered time zones and wished all his "undead petals" (apparently this is an adoring term he uses for his fans..) a "good morning" at a vaguely appropriate hour. Pathetic as it may be, it really brings a smile to me face..
Anyway, let me take you through the handful I decided to follow:
I feel I should mention my thoughts on the guys as well as their twitters, so Sungmin, congratulations on making it into my inner circle of SuJu hotties. I can't believe it took me so long to realise how adorable you are, and you give me this slight vibe of Japanese ichiban Sakurai Sho which I can only describe as "earnest, hardworking, sexy, chipmunk face", more on this another time...Although he initially impressed, aside from his wonderfully emo username I have to say that Sungmin has not been so active lately, and since I read that he is giving his cats up for adoption i'm a bit worried that we are destined for nothing more than occasional
"lonely wine glass" shots (actually just noticed that wine glass isn't lonely, wine for 2?? oh Sungmin!!!)...
----------------------------------------------------
Super Junior's Choi Siwoon
His name is Siwoon, I don't even need to make a pun/portmandeau a la JinSWOON, because its his actual name, say it fast, SWOON. Siwoon by name, swoon by nature... well at least for a while. You see he jumped right up the list after I realised I had seriously overlooked him, (ok, to be honest I saw
this picture..) and I even though Jess had discounted him for familiar jaw issues, and there are times when I cannot deny that my mind is telling me he reminds me of
Sam the Eagle from the Muppets... I was sticking by him until I found out about his relationship.... with Jesus. Its a deal breaker for me. He continues to post adorable ovary exploding pictures of him and his drama child co-star but I just cant focus on him anymore. Alas Siwoon is out of the inner circle, for now. To his credit he did delight me with the most fantastic sentence to ever grace Twitter...
"Thank you Jesus for making me so hot!"
I can't argue with that.
----------------------------------------------------
2AM's Jo Kwon
Whilst the boat is still out on whether i'll ever develop a crush on this cutie, (
and whether I consider that mouth to be 'erotic'...) I definitely consider myself a fan, really, how can you not be? I must say Jo Kwon is an absolute wiz on Twitter, twit pics galore, usually coherent English tweets, regular updates, most days we even get a goodnight! A real MUST for kpop fans on twitter, he spoils us. Although he lost me today when he started on about Kelly Clarkson and a misunderstanding at a concert, and that time he posted not one, but TWO shots of
the "cute" teapot wearing sunglasses... But he's given us at least a half dozen adorable selcas and then kindly sharing some of the moment 2AM birthday fun with JinSWOON and muscleface,
I really wasnt going to call him muscleface, after he was doing so well in that photo shoot, but honestly, I have never seen a more muscular face!!:
Thanks to Jo Kwon for sharing this gem. Keep up the good work.
----------------------------------------------------
U-Kiss's Alexander (and his dad too)
Ahh Xander, you are such an intriguing being to me, and to choose such a "fierce" image as your profile picture is both terrifying and endearing. Xander's tweets are pretty fact filled, multilingual and well wishing, he seems like a nice kid, and there's some loving Eusebio family action there and of course inter-group chatter (other popular U-Kiss tweeters include "he who shall not be named" after he made me so pissed off i'm refusing to acknowledge him until his hair is fixed...) A typical tweet "
Bom dia!! Preparing for Music Bank today~ Oh yea, I'm temporarily a sub-MC for MC Adrien @ Arirang Showbiz Extra~ Anyway, hv a nice day!^^" , often a slight overuse of "Soooo tiring..." but I applaud his use of internet lingo, text speak and capitals, a fine representative of a multicultural Korean Idol. Occasionally things get a bit too religious for me, and I really didn't know what to make of the whole kerfuffle when some DJ in the Philippines made some remarks about U-Kiss looking like lesbians and Xander's dad got "all up in his grill" twitter style...I cant be bothered to sift through to the quotes, but it happened. Xander's dad should also be noted for his contribution to TVXQ trending topics and religious support of SuJu Siwoon...
----------------------------------------------------
Super Junior's Kim Heechul
I've saved the best til last. The day Kim Heechul joined twitter the world was changed, my heart skipped a beat, time stood still, and my framed portrait of Hero Jaejoong* wept a magical single solitary tear. Now I am somewhat biased in that opinion because I LOVE HEECHUL. Heechul is on my list of the k-pop elite who tick all three boxes of my own personal criteria in almost equal measure: 1 - I want to be his girlfriend, 2 - I want to be his best friend, 3 - I want to be him.
(The only other definite winner this triple crown is G-Dragon, T.O.P cut it close but point 1 is just too overpowering to consider other options) I am pretty convinced that Heechul is a genius, and absolute bloody genius, I dont want to spiral off topic today so for the meantime just take my word for it and enjoy the wonders of Heechul's twitter ♥ . Reason's to love it include: he has the initiative/egomania to set a picture of himself as his own background, his user name is "Heedictator", he posts not only twit pics, but animated gifs, song recommendations, and drunken tweets, after a jumpy start he seems to have settled into a lovely regularly posting twitter user, occasionally attempts english and absolutely blew my mind posting
Hanchul (HankengXHeechul) fan art.
Honestly, these posts ^ can literally make my day.
Knowing how epically emo amazing his cyworld entries can be, I just know his twitter followers are in for further treats...
Heechul oppa, saranghae xxx
----------------------------------------------------
So if your google reader/ live journal / feed burner / hourly web searches aren't keeping you up to date with all the latest then why not add twitter to your list and hear it straight from the horses mouth, or for us non Korean speakers, revel in the fact that "that guy you like" is tapping away on his iphone right now, trying to communicate with you, if you could only learn to read hangul...
In case you were wondering where all the other big k-pop names are "sharing" these days, thats over on Me2day (korea's twitter equivalent) which I got as far as signing up for before decided i'm better to just wait for the important translations to show up at my regular sources, but GD, Key, 2NE1, anytime you want to join twitter, i'm ready and waiting.
ps. If you want an explanation of twitter trending topics, I wrote about it a while back on
my other blog, but with a j-pop example, and a mention of Fall Out Boy...
* when I say "framed portrait" I mean my treasured Hero Jaejoong "I love you" socks, still kept inside their cellophane wrapper and proudly pinned to the notice board above my desk...
- BUNNY
