Anthem of the Mixed

Her name is T. aka Tasha Reid(Yoon Mi Rae). Mom is Korean and father is African-American. Wife to famous Korean hip-hop/rap artist Drunken Tiger. Multi-awarded but seemingly underrated. This song is called Black Happiness, relating about her experiences growing up colored in a very discriminating Korean society. Words to this music are too profound in the English translation. I hope it had the same effect in Korean. See full English translation below.

Black Happiness (감은행복) by: T

My skin was dark from my past
People used to point at me
Even at my mom
Even at my dad who was black, and in the army
People whisper behind my back
Said this and said that
I always had tears in my eyes
Although I was young
I saw my mother's sadness

Everything
seemed like it was my fault
Because of my guilt
I washed my face everytime during the day
With my tears I melt the white soap
I always hated my dark skin
why O why
Does the world judge me
When I hate the world
I close my eyes

I put my soul into the music my father gave me
I feel the volume
And fly higher and higher
Far away
la musique

(When I hate the world)
(Music soothes me)
(you gotta hold on)
(and love yourself)
(When I hate the world)
(Music raises me up)
(so you gotta be strong)
(you gotta hold on)
(and love yourself)

Time passed and I was thirteen
My skin was dark brown
Music doesn't judge color
They give me light
I lead my music
We lean on eachother
I don't feel lonely
Then one day
I was given a chance
I held on to my microphone

And suddenly I was on stage
I say goodbye to music and ask it to come back
Then I became nineteen
I have to lie
I put white makeup over my face
They told me to wear a mask
They said my mom's race was okay
But not my dad's
Every year my age was nineteen
During times when time stopped

I felt like I was in jail
And I leaned on myself
I spent endless, painful days
I ignored their warnings
And because I missed music
I tried to escape
But no, I got caught
I prayed all night
And now I'm free

credits to: rainieyang09

The well-heeled woman

www.suecommabonnie.com

A Korean modern woman is akin to a pair of high-heels. Lean and long, delicate yet sturdy. In fact, you can easily spot a foreigner from a distance with the absence of clacking high heels or the catwalk grace. Us, from the other side are usually criticized with our laid back manner of dressing. For them sloppy but we mean comfortable. We do know how to dress up on occasions. What woman wouldn't love to?

I came to Korea in the fall of '07. Among the first 'happening' places I've been to was in Myeongdong and I was treated to a sightful of these heel-clad women in all forms and sizes. Coming from the tropics (ehem, Third World) where flip-flops were our year round get-up, I felt misplaced amidst a throng of Korean Barbies.

Good thing, my friend Dee was there to save me. I mean she educated me with everything 'Korean'-- street-wise and fashion-wise. She has lived here for four years before her family migrated to the US. We're no fashionistas but we definitely cringe at TACKINESS! And I love looking at fashion trends. Seoul or anywhere in SK for that matter, is such an ideal place for trend-spotting because they know how to translate it! What you see in the runways or fashion magazines are what you literally see on the streets. No wonder, Korea is one big manufacturer of designer knock-offs!

For young Pinays planning to visit Korea or stay here for sometime, let me share with you a handful of tips for a street-smart experience. Some were handed down from my friend, Dee.

So here goes...from one Filipina to another...from one well-heeled woman (feeling lang no!) to another! ;)

1. Learn the chopsticks! Really!!! As in don't even think of coming here if you couldn't! Good thing I learned to use them since high school. My brother and I used to kupit some in Chowking! =) You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself if somebody treats you out. Some restaurants also don't provide forks for the simple reason that they don't have them! And if you're a foreigner, Koreans would definitely treat you for some authentic Korean food. Forks are usually reserved in fast food places or fine dining. Extreme, eh.

2 . Wear make up! Back home, I ONLY wore make-up for night-outs or if there's a pang-hotel occasion. Otherwise, why bother? Hello, ang init no! But in this country, respect is gained by one's demeanor. It's not saying that you'll clone yourself to be one of them. But a little brightness in the face would surely make a difference.

3. NO JEAN JACKETS!!! This tip was courtesy of Dee. I plead guilty of bringing my old one before! In the Philippines, that's no big deal but you'll understand what I mean once you get here!

4. Baby-Tees are so out! So if you plan to bring 10 new pieces that you thought were so cool from your cosmopolitan city, trust me...they don't belong here. They're good under shirts though!

5. Be friendly and courteous. By this I mean learn to greet and say, Ahnyonghaseyo! to anyone or even a simple nod. Also get used to bowing down to older people. Some say Koreans are rude but that's not entirely true.

6. Learn to walk in stilettos! ...or run or jump or chase a bus and climb flights of stairs with them! That's one wardrobe staple for every Korean woman ages 15 and above! It's ridiculous sometimes to see them so high and mighty in the middle of rain or snow or whatever catastrophe brings the day. Don't worry if u haven't brought one. You can get 'em cheap everywhere here. But I admit, I haven't gotten used to them at all!

7. Bring your FAKES. If you thought your knock-off LV, Chloe, Gucci etc. purses were so shameful in the Philippines, bring 'em here! This is one country where women pride themselves of owning anything designer, real or not! That doesn't end in bags too! Bring those scarves, wallets, belts, jewelry...anything that has foreign HIGH-fashion names on them as in haute couture ha...hindi fake Natasha! (meron ba? jologs hehe...)

8. Don't bring your oversized WINTER WONDERLAND costume. Unless you want to go sledding all day in the winter! Buy your winter clothes here. Instead, bring warm socks, undershirts, mufflers, gloves if you come here on winter time. The outer jackets are aplenty and inexpensive especially in a lot of discount stores.

9. Bring your ALIEN CARD everyday and everywhere. You'll never know when or where immigration randomly checks. (as in may topak!)

10. Yes, don't forget you're still 100% Filipino. So if someone asks you where you're from...say it ala Bb. Pilipinas...I'm from the Philippines!!! And yes, it's THE Philippines hindi lang "I'm from Philippines!"... please lang no!!!

Addiction starter

Yay! Just had my first Korean fashion magazine purchase! Took me more than a year to do so. Given the fact that they're purely in Korean (no matter how foreign the covers are at first glance), Costly with a big C, they are HEAVY! Blame it on impulse buying coming from a petty fight with the beau and running into a bookstore in my little town that has one decent bookstore with only a shelf, yes, a SHELF of foreign fiction novels.

So, here it is...Elle Korea June 2009. Could have been a great deal if only I could read it! It has Milla Jovovich on the cover. The issue comes with a special supplement and a neat little carrying case. Elle Korea is known for its freebies among the other Korean glossies. Impractical but its still worth feasting my eyes on celebrity fashions, with the pages' sweet perfume smell and drooling over the luxuries I could never afford! My very own cheap thrill, now in a different language!

I've always been a huge fashion/women's magazine reader ever since I could remember. My mother used to buy MOD, Woman's, Women's Journal and all other magazines in newsprint, back in the day (along with my Funny Comics, Bata Batuta or Ayos! comics!) I was already following Jessica Zafra's column, Womanagerie in Woman Today as early as 10 years old.

I just hope this little addiction wouldn't blow up as it had been. I had boxes and boxes back in Manila that I just trashed before coming here. Unlike with books that one can easily sell or give away, these are simply worth nothing! A mere extension of the insanely deceiving high-fashion and cosmetic industries. Again, impractical and feeding on my humble superficiality.

I like Red!

A cute, little song from one of our books.

I like Red
Red, Orange, Yellow
Green and Blue
Red, Red, I like Red

Red, Orange, Yellow
Green and Blue
Green, green, I like Green

Red, Orange, Yellow
Green and Blue
Blue, blue I like Blue
* Step by Step 1B

Cornell Class


Stanford Class


Tell me which class did it best??? Ivy league, eh...


I remember those days when everyone's only got 8 colors in the Crayola box. And those were all the colors you need to know. You can already color your rainbow, make the flowers red, the grasses green and the poop brown!

Now, who knows how many?

A little look up from Wiki says there are 133!

And Crayola even came up with the Silly Scents series with names like Alien Armpit, Smashed Pumpkin, Gargoyle Gas, Ogre Odor, Mummy's Tomb, Booger Buster, etc...Try to imagine how they would look (or smell) like...

Ding, dong, deenggggg!!!....