Thursday 20 December 2018

[GET THE LOOK] Yeri & Renjun x Jeno x Jaemin - 'Hair in the Air' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

Christmas is nearly here, and the weather outside is frightful! So, take a look with us for some winter clothes inspo from these SM artists’ super cute MV for ‘Hair in the Air’ (inc. Red Velvet's Yeri and NCT's Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin!)

Monday 10 December 2018

Searching for my Role Model as an Adult with Cerebral Palsy.


I wrote this article for The Mighty website.
You can also read it here.
Growing up with cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia) in the U.K., I received a lot of input from health professionals. There were physiotherapy sessions, special shoes, gaiters, a wheelchair, occupational therapist, offers of surgery and Botox injections. My condition was under consistent scrutiny – being told to walk up and down and up and down while doctors watched how I moved, placing white dot stickers on my joints so a computer could track my gait. Many sessions involved therapists pulling my bent legs up to measure the angle of my knee and test my flexibility.

Thursday 6 December 2018

Monday 3 December 2018

[UPCOMING EVENTS] 03/12/2018 - 09/12/2018



Read on UnitedKpop.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Here we have a few events to treat yourself to during the first week of December.

Tuesday 20 November 2018

You're Allowed to Have Bad Days

I wrote this for The Mighty. You can read it here too

I am someone who is prone to feeling guilty. For example, if I haven’t had a “productive enough” day, or if I have said something that could possibly be misconstrued by someone else – I will often feel bad about it. This also includes feeling guilty about being upset because of my disability or having tough times with my mental health.

Wednesday 7 November 2018

[GET THE LOOK] BoA - 'Woman' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

One of the most prominent queens of K-Pop has returned! Today, we are exploring BoA’s fashion in her ‘Woman’ MV and looking at how we can get the look for ourselves.

Monday 5 November 2018

[UPCOMING EVENTS] 05/11/2018 - 11/11/2018



Read on UnitedKpop

Hopefully you all had a lovely Halloween, whatever you were up to!

Now, are you ready for the Korean delights to be served up during the first full week of November?

Thursday 1 November 2018

[WEEKLY IDOL] TARGET



Read on UnitedKpop.

TARGET
are a seven member boy group under JSL company that debuted on January 24th of this year.

Monday 15 October 2018

Sunday 14 October 2018

[NEWS ROUND UP] BTS in the UK Special!



Read on UnitedKpop.

You may not know this, but a pretty big K-Pop group is in Europe right now. Yes, BTS have been taking the UK by storm this past week and are moving on to their tour stops in Amsterdam and Paris!

If you got the chance to see them in London, hopefully you had an awesome time. Even though I was not able to get tickets for myself, I’m not bitter…really, I’m not! *cries*

Anyway, as you can imagine, there has been quite a lot of coverage on the group from British news outlets, so here is a little summary.

Sunday 7 October 2018

[RELEASE ROUND UP] 01/10/2018 - 07/10/2018



Read on UnitedKpop.

It’s October already! Can you believe it?

As we settle into the autumn season, and get ourselves geared up for the spookiest time of the year, let’s take a quick look at just a few of the Korean music releases of the past week!

[VIDEO] How anxiety and depression have helped me.


A video on how my experiences with mental health issues has actually resulted in a few positive things. I hope you find it interesting and, if you have been through rough times yourself, that it makes you think of some positive outcomes from that.

Saturday 6 October 2018

[E-MAG ARTICLE] TONYMOLY Pocket Bunny Perfume Bar Review



[This article is part of the UnitedKpop Autumn 2018 E-magazine. 
You can read it here.]

I was lucky enough to go on a trip to South Korea back in June. One thing I noticed, but was not all too suprised by, was the sheer number of cosmetics shops. South Korea means business when it comes to beauty and skincare, of course. This was very evident with the shelves upon shelves of cosmetic products, through which I aimlessly wandered. From face masks and creams to lipsticks and blushers – there’s everything you could want.


Sunday 30 September 2018

Thursday 27 September 2018

[GET THE LOOK] GOT7 - 'Lullaby' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

As the summer season winds down to a close, you might be thinking it’s time to add some new autumn/winter clothing to your wardrobe. Today, we are using GOT7’s new MV ‘Lullaby’ to give us some ideas!

Thursday 13 September 2018

[GET THE LOOK] Oh!GG - 'Lil' Touch' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

Girls’ Generation (A.K.A SNSD) have made their long-awaited comeback as sub unit Oh!GG!

This is a group consisting of the members remaining with SM Entertainment after Seohyun, Tiffany and Sooyoung decided not to renew their contracts with the company.

This week, we will be using their first MV ‘Lil’ Touch’ as a guide for our style inspiration!

Tuesday 11 September 2018

[WEEKLY IDOL] TheEastLight



Read on UnitedKpop

TheEastLight are a six member band under Media Line Entertainment that debuted in 2016. The group is made up of: leader/drummer/ DJ Lee Seok Cheol, vocalist/keyboardist Lee Eun Sung, bassist Lee Sung Hyun, guitarist Kim Jun Wook, vocalist/guitarist Jeong Sa Gang and vocalist/keyboardist Lee Woo Jin.

Wednesday 29 August 2018

[OP-ED] Military Service - Should people like BTS be exempt?



Read on UnitedKpop.

You probably heard that, a little while ago, South Korean congressman Ha Tae Kyung proposed that people should be exempt from military service if they have outstanding achievements. He suggested that groups like BTS should be exempt because they have gained many great accolades - such as a number 1 on the Billboard 200 with their album Love Yourself: Tear.

Thursday 2 August 2018

[GET THE LOOK] SATURDAY - 'Mmook Jji Bba' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

New girl group SATURDAY give us this very cute summer look in their debut music video ‘Mmook Jji Bba’.

Let’s explore how we can get this look!

Saturday 28 July 2018

[NEWS ROUND UP] July 2018



Read on UnitedKpop.

Summer is well and truly upon us, and as we come to the end of July, it’s time again to take a look at some of the news stories that have been buzzing around the K-Pop world this month.

Tuesday 24 July 2018

[RELEASE ROUND UP] 16/07/18 - 22/07/18



Read on UnitedKpop.

Summer has hardly begun and we have already been enjoying some of the warmest weather on record. It seems that this selection of K-Pop releases are designed to keep us in that hot summer mood!

Thursday 19 July 2018

Friday 6 July 2018

Cosmetic products I recommend!



I am not exactly a high maintenance woman. I don't wear make-up...ever, and even moisturising is an effort for me - mainly because I am as lazy as they come. However, I do have some basic skincare/cosmetic products that I use and think are worthy of a recommendation - so here they are.

I hope these give you some inspiration, and maybe helps you if you are stuck with what to buy for your own skin and want to try something different!

Thursday 5 July 2018

[GET THE LOOK] SHINee - 'I Want You' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

SHINee are well known for their bold fashion choices and trend-setting ways. Given their recent MV releases, who better to focus on for our Get the Look?! This time, we are checking out the video for ‘I Want You’.

Sunday 1 July 2018

[E-MAG ARTICLE] HOW TO: Ddakji


This article was featured in the UKP Summer E-Magazine 2018.
You can read the full magazine here!


If you have watched Korean variety shows, especially ‘SBS Running Man’, you may be familiar with the game Ddakji (Sometimes also referred to as Ttakji).

Ddakji is a Korean game often played by groups of children outside on playgrounds, in villages and cul-de-sacs. It is incredibly simple and involves the flipping of paper tiles by slamming one down on another.

Today, I will regale you with my ddakji-making journey, instruct you on how you can make your own and how to play a game with them. Please be kind to me though, as you are about see that I am not really gifted in any artistic or crafting way (even with folding paper). I apologise!

Wednesday 27 June 2018

[TRAVEL] Abu Dhabi, Dubai and South Korea (15-25/06/2018)

Image may contain: 2 people, including Daniel Smith, people smiling, people standing, ocean, sky, outdoor and water

Here is a travel diary of sorts – documenting my experiences in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and South Korea!

Obviously, I couldn't include everything we did - this is more of a highlight reel.

If you have a read, I hope you enjoy it!

Tuesday 12 June 2018

[OP-ED] The issue of ticket touts/scalpers.




You might have heard about a little K-Pop group called BTS having a tour this year. Oh wait, BTS are everywhere right now!

So yes, tickets for many of BTS’  LOVE YOURSELF tour  went on sale at 9am on Friday 1st June, including for the Amsterdam, Paris and London venues. However, many fans were left disappointed when tickets were rapidly sold out only to then re-appear on ticket resale sites at hugely extortionate prices.

Thursday 7 June 2018

[GET THE LOOK] WJMK - 'STRONG' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

WJMK are a four member girl group with members from both Cosmic Girls (WJSN) and Weki Meki. Recently, they released an MV for their song ‘STRONG’. Let’s see how we can get their look!

Thursday 31 May 2018

Ideas for practicing self-care.

Img Source: https://feminisminindia.com/2016/10/26/self-care-mental-health-feminist-warriors/


These days, we are all busy. There's work to do, errands to run, bills to pay. It can be easy to let the simple things fall by the wayside during all this chaos and for us to forget what is really important. Taking care of ourselves!

"Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health...It is not something that we force ourselves to do, or something we don’t enjoy doing. As Agnes Wainman explained, self-care is “something that refuels us, rather than takes from us.”Self-care isn’t a selfish act either. It is not only about considering our needs; it is rather about knowing what we need to do in order to take care of ourselves, being subsequently, able to take care of others as well. That is, if I don’t take enough care of myself, I won’t be in the place to give to my loved ones either."

Here are a few basic ideas to help you get into the self-care habit...

Sunday 27 May 2018

[NEWS] Release Round Up (21/05/18 - 27/05/18)



Read on UnitedKpop

Unbelievably, we are nearly entering June now! The last full week of May gave us some great Korean music releases. Here are just a few of them!

Wednesday 23 May 2018

[GET THE LOOK] BTS - 'FAKE LOVE' MV



Read on UnitedKpop

Wow, it really is a great time for BTS, isn’t it?! Another award win at the Billboard Music Awards and their latest MV ‘FAKE LOVE’ enjoyed one of the biggest YouTube debuts of all time. This week, we are using this very music video as our fashion inspiration!

Thursday 10 May 2018

[GET THE LOOK] GFRIEND - 'Time for the Moon Night' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

The super sweet girl group GFRIEND have recently released a music video for the song ‘Time for the Moon Night’. This is the video we will be using as our inspiration today!

Thursday 3 May 2018

[CONCERT 411] BTS LOVE YOURSELF World Tour 2018



Read on UnitedKpop.

You have probably heard by now that K-Pop group BTS  announced a world tour, including some stops in Europe! Here, we aim to list all the information you need to get you prepared!

Thursday 26 April 2018

[GET THE LOOK] Jackson Wang - 'Dawn Of Us' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

GOT7 member Jackson recently treated us to another solo track. An entirely English song called ‘Dawn of Us’. Today, we are taking our style inspiration from the music video!

Wednesday 18 April 2018

[OP-ED] Could K-Pop be the key to peace in Korea?



Read on UnitedKpop.

You have probably heard about the special K-Pop concert that was held in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang at the start of this month. The line-up included artists such as Red Velvet, Seohyun of Girls’ Generation and Baek Ji Young. The concert was even attended by the supreme leader himself – Kim Jong Un – and his wife Ri Sol Ju. Jong Un was said to have been “deeply moved” by the event.

But what does this all mean for the North and South Korean relationship? Will it make a difference at all? Perhaps this is the dawn of a newly unified Korea?

Tuesday 17 April 2018

[TOP 10] South Korean celebrities and their pets!



Read on UnitedKpop.

Pets are our lovely companions that can offer us beautiful, unconditional love and affection, someone to care for and love. Many consider a pet to be a fully-fledged member of their family, and South Korean celebrities are no different! 

Here, in no particular order (how could we even consider ranking this?!), are a selection of Korean celebs and their pets.

Tuesday 10 April 2018

Should you go to University?

IMG: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/02/20/study-suggests-university-presses-publish-fewer-humanities-books


During the past year and few months working with 16-19 year olds at a local further education college, I have thought a lot about the different steps that are available to them next. I try to offer them advice on the subject quite a lot, so I thought it might be useful to share it on here!

So should you go to University?
The main 3 things I would emphasise in making your decision are as follows:

1. Ask yourself questions.
2. Weigh up the pros and cons as they relate to YOU specifically.
3. Do your research and inform yourself on all your options.


Sunday 8 April 2018

[NEWS] Release Round Up (02/04/2018 - 08/04/2018)



Read on UnitedKpop.

April is here and we hope you had a lovely Easter, whatever you were up to (likely eating far too much egg-shaped chocolate!) Let’s see some of what the world of K-Pop had to give us this week!

Wednesday 4 April 2018

[VIDEO] Tips on How To Relax.



A few tips to help achieve relaxation. I hope you find it helpful. :)

---

= 'The Little Book of Mindfulness: 10 minutes a day to less stress, more peace' by Dr. Patrizia Collard: HERE

= TONYMOLY Pureness 100 Mask Sheet (Variety Set - 10 Sheets): HERE


= 'HeadSpace App: https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
= 'Calm' App: https://www.calm.com/

= Yoga video that I personally like!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o0kNeOyH98

Monday 2 April 2018

[ANIME REVIEW] Devilman Crybaby

IMG: http://devilman.wikia.com/wiki/Devilman_Crybaby


Devilman Crybaby is a 10 episode anime series adapted by Netflix from the 1970s manga 'Devilman' by Go Nagai.

Given Netflix's history with producing some...less-than-stellar anime adaptations in the past, I think many anime fans were surprised to hear others dubbing this series 'the best anime of 2018'. Bearing in mind that it was released on the streaming service on January 5th, this is a huge statement to make!

Is it true though? Here's my review:

Friday 23 March 2018

[GET THE LOOK] NCT 127 - 'TOUCH' MV



Read on UnitedKpop

Earlier this month, NCT 127 came out with a music video for ‘TOUCH’. Here’s how you can get one of the main looks from the video for yourself!

Sunday 11 March 2018

Thursday 8 March 2018

[GET THE LOOK] J-Hope - 'Daydream' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

BTS member J-Hope recently released a solo mixtape entitled ‘Hope World’. It features 7 tracks, for 2 of which, he has released music videos. Today, let’s see how we can get the look from his ‘Daydream’ MV!

Wednesday 28 February 2018

[VIDEO] Problems of the Modern Twenty-something




Just a little weird fun, and mainly a reminder to myself...
If you watch, I hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: These aren't REAL problems...more like: 'first-world problems". :)

Saturday 24 February 2018

On social media and self-esteem

Image: https://makeawebsitehub.com/social-media-sites/


I’m sure you have been there before, just like I have – sat scrolling through social media pages like Facebook or Instagram, feeling thoroughly inadequate.

Thursday 22 February 2018

[GET THE LOOK] Suzy - 'SObeR' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

Former Miss A member and JYP darling Suzy has recently released an MV for her track ‘SObeR’!

The singer, often dubbed the ‘Nation’s First Love’ in South Korea, has a very unique style of dress in this video, which we are going to explore today.

Thursday 8 February 2018

Sunday 4 February 2018

[NEWS] Release Round Up (29/01/2018 – 04/02/2018)



Read on UnitedKpop.

As we moved through from a dreary January into February, we were treated to some more K-Pop releases. Let’s check out a small selection!

Saturday 27 January 2018

[VIDEO] FAQs about Cerebral Palsy.



In this video, I aim to answer a few frequently asked questions about Cerebral Palsy (or, at least, what questions I THINK would be frequently asked!) If you wish to find out more about the condition, try here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cerebra... I believe we should be open to discuss every sort of issue, including disability. If you have any questions about Cerebral Palsy or my personal experiences with it - please ask. I hope you enjoy the video and maybe even learn something new. :D

Thursday 25 January 2018

Saturday 20 January 2018

[NEWS] Release Round Up (15/01/18-21/01/18)



Read on UnitedKpop.

Another week in January has passed and there is a fresh batch of Korean music releases to help banish your winter blues!

Here is a small selection of the newest tracks that were debuted this week.

Thursday 11 January 2018

[GET THE LOOK] 2YOON - '24/7' MV



Read on UnitedKpop.

Female duo 2YOON released an MV for the single ‘24/7’ which features them switching a glam look for a more casual Country-Western vibe. Let’s explore how we can steal this style!