Month: September 2013 (Page 4 of 6)

Cute Makeup

2013/09/13 / Nic / 19 Comments

Don’t touch my face! Other makeup wearers have this problem right? You spend all this time putting makeup on and then someone squishes your cheeks like that.

For me it’s not only the rubbing off makeup thing, but because I had acne as a teenager and I still need to be very careful with my skin I’m paranoid about germs on hands and what is getting on my face that could cause breakouts.

Sometimes Mr Gwon wants to be loving and touch my face or pinch my cheeks but I’ll be like “Ahh don’t touch my face!!!” Sorry!

Cultural Differences – Hierarchy

2013/09/13 / Nic / 16 Comments

We made this video because I randomly filmed something that showed the different experiences my husband has in Australia. As we said in the video this wouldn’t happen this way in Korea due to the big age differences between. We always say that neither country is right or wrong, it’s just different. So in Korea you can really only be close friends with someone who is the same age as you.

I’ve seen the problems arise when Koreans aren’t respectful enough to those older than them a lot in Australia. Possibly it happens more than in Korea because it can be difficult for Koreans who come out on working holiday visas. If they are around Australians a lot they may adopt a more Australian way and then accidentally offend a lot of other Koreans. You also get Koreans interacting in Australia who would have never met in Korea, from different regions in Korea, but here in Australia they may be working together or living together and there are some clashes.

As an Australian it is difficult for me to understand why it’s such a big deal sometimes. If someone has no malicious intent surely they can joke around a bit? The word ‘larrikin’ is often used to describe some elements of Australian culture, but it just doesn’t transfer well to Korean culture. Many times I’ve seen Korean people in Australia get very upset because someone Korean and younger than them didn’t use the correct level of speech with them, asked something too directly, made a joke that they thought was too disrespectful. For me as an Australian, if the person who was ‘disrespectful’ is overall a good person, I don’t worry about it much, but for many Koreans it’s something they can get very upset about and there have been huge problems arising from these mistakes.

Those who watch some Korean TV shows may have seen some incidents like that. The YG reality show ‘WIN Who is Next’ had an incident in one of the episodes. YG boss appointed someone whose age was in the middle as the group leader and this guy then spoke very directly to one of the older guys. That guy didn’t take it well at all and stormed out of the room. You may think that’s just made more dramatic for TV but it’s something that happens. People can find it very offensive. My husband, understanding how Australian culture is different, doesn’t ever get really upset about it and especially because he knows my brother is poking fun because he likes him, but it’s something I will have to be careful of in Korea.

5 points to anyone who recognises who my brother is…. some Sydney-siders might have seen him around.

When Pigs Fly

2013/09/12 / Nic / 8 Comments

He has always been the optimist in our relationship and I tend to be more pessimistic. But I am becoming more optimistic because of him. Not to the point of thinking pigs could fly though!

So don’t use that phrase with him to show how unlikely it is that something will happen because he won’t get it.

Bear Face Taro Latte

2013/09/12 / Nic / 9 Comments

Sky is Weird

2013/09/11 / Nic / 12 Comments

I swear he misses so many things simply because he is not wearing clothes. Didn’t want to subject our neighbours to his nudity.

The sky was really weird yesterday! I thought there was smoke from back burning in the mountains. Back burning is when they burn areas of bushland to make clear areas, so when there are real bushfires they can stop them. I checked the news later and it was smoke from real bushfires! That is a horribly early start to bushfire season in Australia. It’s going to be a very hot summer.

Eat Your Kimchi Interview – Part 1

2013/09/10 / Nic / 35 Comments

What is it REALLY like to be a full-time blogger?

When we heard Simon and Martina, the Canadian couple of Eat Your Kimchi fame were heading to Australia we knew we had to meet them. They have been a huge inspiration to us and one of the reasons why I first started blogging and why my husband and I are now blogging and making videos together.

Since starting the My Korean Husband blog I’ve realised how little people really know about blogging. It can be really isolating simply because friends and family don’t usually understand exactly what it is all about. This is one of the reasons why I was so keen to talk to Simon and Martina, not only because they blog about Korean stuff like me, but because I really wanted to talk to people that understand.

It’s fascinating what blogging has become in recent years and the huge differences between old media and new media. We have celebrities such as movie stars in Sydney all the time but I don’t think that many can command the number of people and passion that there was at the Korean Cultural Office last Friday. This is something that is so positive about blogging/vlogging. It’s authentic. When you see a movie star you really don’t know that much about their personal life or what they are really like. Bloggers however, have usually shared their real and authentic lives and their audience feels like they know them, that they are a friend, so there is a much bigger connection there. Not only that, but bloggers are accessible. They interact with fans and appreciate them so much.This is why there were so many people to see Simon and Martina and why the line for the meet and greet stretched so far down the street and why there were more people than the event organisers could have ever imagined.

Even with such a huge look into their lives I was still a bit apprehensive about meeting them. I figured I’d have to explain who I was as we are a much smaller blog than them. I worried about taking up their time. All those fears disappeared when they walked in the room though. Martina spotted me and said, “I know who you are!” and she then proceeded to talk about which of my comics she liked best. From the first second it was obvious that Simon and Martina (and Soozee) were just some of the friendliest, warmest and most genuine people you’ll ever meet.

We gave them a tote bag with a comic printed on it. I knew they’d be getting so many presents that day and wanted to give them something lightweight and that they could put other presents into. Eat Your Kimchi fans know that their pets are just a famous as they are, so I made a comic about one of the stories they told about their dog and cat.

So, on to the interview!

Winter Olympics

2013/09/09 / Nic / 17 Comments

I googled it and…. yeah not many! We do much better at the Summer Olympics.

Korea is a similar time zone to Australia so that is good for our athletes. Japan has just been announced as the host to the 2020 Summer Olympics which is also good for Australian athletes because of the similar time zone and we are used to competing in Asia.

What do you think about Japan winning this bid?