onthethruway01

I've been thinking about how this craziness started so I decided to share it with you.

As you know, I am pretty much everyone's Unnie / Noona, including JYP. So this whole love of Asian stuff has being going on for a long time, but the K pop thing is relatively new.

Here's where it began:

Firstly, I can't explain it, but there is this weird connection between Jews and Chinese food. I do believe this is where it all started. Secondly, I do remember vaguely my mom taking Tae Kwon Do classes when I was a little girl. My interest really started when the master himself, Bruce Lee came around. I watched old episodes of The Green Hornet and even though the stereotypes were awful, I was mesmerized. I watched re-runs of Star Trek where George Takei played Sulu.

During the 70's, my best friend was from the Phillipine's. I learned all about their food ( sorry, not the most appetizing) and I learned how to play Mah Jong.

As the decade continued I discovered two awesome things from two different Asian countries; Kung Fu films and Godzilla movies. Saturdays were filled with Shaw Brother's movies like The Five Deadly Venom's with Gordon Liu, and Japanese men in rubber monster suits destroying Tokyo.

Then I discovered the pinnacle of Japanese film making and it's master, a genius known as Akira Kurasawa. Along with one of Japan's greatest actors, Toshiro Mifune, I learned what a samurai was and was hooked like a fish.

As the 70's rolled into the 80's, my fragile mind was brainwashed into watching Japanese animation. Phrases like "Ah, the Star Force," and "Fire the Wave Motion Gun," have been permanently etched into my brain. I even went to Science Fiction conventions dressed as one of the sisters from "Catseye."

My college friend Dan was a black belt in Karate. He taught me some Karate moves and even got me into Kendo (sword fighting).

I began eating Asian food every chance I could get. Chopsticks became an extension of my hands. My college offered Mandarin my senior year, and I was one of the first students to take the class. I took trips into New York's Chinatown with Frat boys I barely knew, whereby I stuffed my face at Wo Hop's, only to get stuck behind a garbage truck on Mulberry Street at 3 AM.

While working as an aerobics instructor, one of my patrons was a Korean woman who owned a flower shop. One day while working at the gym, this very young, handsome Korean man came in to visit her. It was obvious that he worked for her. The next thing I knew, I had a Korean boyfriend who didn't speak English. It was fun while it lasted.

As the 80's ended, I found myself at Seton Hall University enrolled in the Asian Studies Master's program where I ran around the halls chatting in Japanese to my little professor, Sensei Kikuoka ( say that ten times fast). Almost everyone in the department didn't speak English. It was insane. Our Japanese graduate student who taught the language class was unusually tall and cute as Hell. He had wild sushi parties in his dorm room every year.

At the same time, I was working full time for Hyundai ( not selling cars, but booking ocean bound cargo). That's where my Asian experience began to skyrocket. Let's just say it's far more pleasant to date a Korean man than it is to have one as your boss. That particular office was located in the area of Jersey so highly concentrated with Asian's, that if you threw a stone, it was bound to hit one. It was there that I discovered Japanese heaven on earth, a place now known as Mitsuwa. You want something Japanese but can't get to the Land of the Rising Sun? Come to Edgewater, New Jersey. Sake, plum wine, sushi, daikon, gyoza, udon, green tea, poky, natto ( yes natto. Thanks Chunnie, that stuff sucks). Books, magazines (even Korean magazines), clothes, toys, electronics, tea sets, Shiseido makeup, etc. Just about everything Japanese except Ninja gear and Japanese hookers are available at this place.

During the 90's and beyond, the Asian madness continued. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Tony Leung.. omg stop me.....Stephen Chow ( Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle), Daniel Wu, Daniel Henney, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau ( must stop, way too many). So many more. So much talent, it's mind boggling.

I discovered Yusuke Iseya in Casshern, and later in Sukiyaki Western Django. Puffy ( or Puffy Ami Yumi) became a cartoon that I watched with my kid. I was losing what little brain cells I had left. I watched Heroes on tv and fell for dorky Masi Oka. I watched The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift and discovered Korean American actor Sung Kang.

Then, like fate, this beautiful God of a Korean man had a supporting role in one of the worst films ever made. That man's name was and still is...wait for it....RRRRAAAAIIIIINNNN!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it was Rain ( Bi) who was responsible for my introduction into K Pop. After finding out who he was from Stephen Colbert, I began to investigate this Rain. " K Pop? What the hell is K Pop, " I asked myself? I got the answer, and I have never been the same. I watched a few K Dramas starring Rain and understood that I had to stop because they were so depressing, that I was bound to kill myself after watching them. So I went back to listening to Bi and watching his videos. But Rain was just the start. My friend Kitty ( it's her fault really) got me into Gackt, but in reality, although I am a rocker at heart, I somehow managed to bypass the Visual Kei and J Rock scene.

My downfall was stumbling upon a video on You Tube. "Oh look," I told myself. "Five pretty Korean boys dancing and singing. OMG, one is tied to a wall. Look at his body and face. JFC they don't belong together. Crap, one undulates like a snake and the tall one sings like nobody's business. Look at the arms on that one and holy shit the one in the glass case has a neck just dying to be sucked upon."

FUCK YOU DONG BANG SHINKI! FUCK YOU FOR BEING SO GOD DAMN FUCKING HOT AND AWESOME! YOU HAVE CONSUMED ME LIKE THE FIRES OF HELL! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL!

Sorry. Where was I? Oh yeah. So the next thing I knew I decided that the skinny, bony, crybaby with the pale skin, perfect collar bones, swan-like neck, and raspy voice was my favorite. Everyone at work was confused. "Why are there Asian men on Janet's cubicle? What's wrong with her?" I'll tell you what's wrong with me. I am an Asian woman trapped in a white woman's body. That my friends, is what's wrong with me.

Well friends, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I've since completely degraded myself by writing gay porn DBSK fan fiction and drawing pictures of Yoochun and Changmin naked. I've graduated from DBSK and have discovered other groups like 2AM, 2PM, Super Junior, SHINee, CN Blue, FT island, SS501, U-Kiss and my latest obsession, ZE:A (oh and the girl groups are fun too).

So my question to you, my friends, is how did you get into K-Pop? Please share your story. I'd love to hear it. I have so much fun here and I think you are all awesome. What are your likes and dislikes? Who are your biases? Do you like fan fiction? What is your favorite type of fan fiction? Do you draw? Do you write your own stuff? Any way, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. I had fun writing it. Take care and Saranghae, baby's!