Friday Music Favourites – 7 October

My dear,

My intention today was to write about Shinee’s new album, but I will have to postpone it for next week probably. First, I didn’t have the time to hear the album. Second – I was bewitched by another voice.

His name is Park Hyo-shin and he is like a veteran in the Korean show business, if we look at his discography (of course, he doesn’t look like a veteran literally). I happened to read about him in the Yonhap News Agency site. Recently, the site introduced a new section, called Korean Wave, which consists of news and interesting articles about the entertainment business in Korea. Very smart, indeed!

So when I opened the site last Thursday, I read the above article and decided to hear the song that was mentioned. In addition, the image jacket filled my curiosity even more. I am a fan of black and white photography and this blurred melancholic image incited my desire for good autumn pieces of music.

Breath is simply a splendid song! I dare to say, it is the best for these days’ bad weather! So cozy, so warm, and at the same time it refreshes the soul. It begins calm with soft piano tune at first and then develops into a burst of emotional and deep singing. Park Hyo-shin’s voice combines in a melodic unison with the tones of the piano. A marvelous tandem! This is a song for the soul, the lonely soul that wants to start anew; a song that delivers the sweet sorrow which you sense when you realize that you are not so alone and the positive days of your life are just beginning. And you sense it with all your heart – that feeling of thrill that goes in your whole body. I have never felt so connected with a song in my whole life. Even after I checked the lyrics (I usually have no interest in the lyrics at first, and even after then I don’t always pay attention to them), the message was the same.

            The second promotional song released was Beautiful Tomorrow. Here we have a different approach to the story, but the same melodic sequence, although a bit more dramatic. More like a confession than a reproach, entangled in gratitude towards the beloved one that once was a part of his life. A hint of hope for a new meeting at the end of the song describes the beauty of tomorrow.

            My dear, I am still in the process of listening of his new album I am a Dreamer and I’m a bit sad that I couldn’t give him much of the attention I wanted in this post. He definitely deserves all the fans he has! Since I am a newcomer, I have a lot to catch up, but it feels like I have found a hidden treasure! His mellow voice, with some husky notes, is like a fine hourglass that lets you feel the falling grains of sand on your skin and afterwards – with your soul. Marvelous sensation!

            As I read in another article on the Yonhap News site, the album “depicts stories of life, rather than more universal themes like love and emotions”. The singer said that he hopes the album will give “consolation, hope, and courage to people in their lives”. You already do it, Mr. Park. Message received!

R.

Image taken from Yonhap News Agency

Woohohoo!

Dear Oli, 

So many days have passed and there's a lot to tell!!!

Thank you for the awesome letter and the funny photos! It seems that you had a splendid weekend, hehe! 

It will be nice to see those awesome jeans you bought; hopefully you have already gone to some interesting parties wearing them. ;)

Well, the wedding! I totally forgot to tell you about the colour of the dress! It's a short mocha beige dress with short sleeves and a V-neck (or decolletage as I checked, I think it's the same word in French). I will post some pictures after a couple of weeks. The newlyweds will send me the so-called "official wedding photos" after they go back from their honeymoon which will be in Sicily. Actually, today is their first day of the trip. I wish them a lot of sun and lovely time there!

So, back to the main topic, the wedding was absolutely amazing! I am not accustomed to such events that flaunt with promises of true love, but I can say that I was really impressed by the purity and adoration that filled the eyes of the young couple. I think that nowadays it's really rare to see such bright examples of powerful and at the same time quiet kind of love. Or maybe I just don't spend much time around people in love, haha!

It was a simple, yet sophisticated event with around 60 of their close friends and relatives. I felt really honoured to be there and also wanted to somehow scream of happiness and share my thoughts to the world at that moment... But then I thought that I don't need everyone to know where I was and what I was doing at the exact same moment. 

I don't know if this is a side effect of my "Facebook diet" or just my grown up mind that tells me to enjoy the moment and not to waste those precious minutes only to brag about it in the social media. I was never a good sharer of things on Facebook but the fact that I always checked for news and new messages makes me an addict somehow... Anyway, I hope that I won't have to go back there at least until the beginning of November.

Job news! I went to an interview on Monday and yesterday they called me back! On Monday the 13th I will go to the HR department to see what documents I will need. It's a company that produces agricultural machinery and that sorts of things-something not in my field of interests, but the conditions are very good. I'm sick of being unemployed because it actually drives me crazy to have a lot of free time. Having so much free time is the worst thing that can happen to a young person with a lot of dreams. It makes them more depressed and not motivated because they actually don't do anything to achieve their goals during those moments. I think (and hope) that this job will give me some knowledge about things I have never dealt with. It will be difficult and challenging at first but you know, (almost) everything can be learned. Anyway, I will continue to look around for other opportunities, you never know what will pop up! ;)

It feels good to write letters to you, I am blessed to have someone so close who can calmly listen (or in our case read) to my stories. Hopefully you feel the same towards me, Oli. :) 

You still have time to decide about the last week of October but I can tell you-think also about the good experience you can have with someone. You may visit a certain place again and again but what matter the most are the people around you and how do they make you feel.

On the other hand, if you have the desire to explore new places, you can suggest this to your Chinese friend and I'm sure both of you can figure something out together. Even if you don't go to Paris now, you can always plan a weekend trip and enjoy a couple of amazing days in the good company of friends. :)

Aah, I see you wrote your letter under the influence of Beyonce and Jay-Z! I love Queen B!

I also enjoyed the song you posted (Oscar and the Wolf- Princes), it's already on my playlist!

My music suggestions are so many, but I will tell you about only three of them.

Right now I'm listening to Akdong Musician's new song. It reminds me of the sunny autumn days, the yellow leaves that fall peacefully on the ground and the walks in the park with friends. I really like AKMU, their innocent and fresh sound can get you out of any depressed state.

My second suggestion is a band I found a couple of days ago. It's called Les Sales, I think that they are also Korean. Their English is quite impressive, at least when we speak about the pronunciation. During autumn I usually listen mostly to such songs (indie-like, I'm not a genre specialist). So this song is really cheerful and it makes me want to go out for a walk, wrapped in a scarf, wearing cosy jeans and my favourite white blouse with black stripes. Yup, indie-ish style, haha!

Last but not least, The Wombats. This song is old, but also good for an autumn adventure in the city. ;)

That's enough for now, I hope that you won't get bored of my long letter! Thank you once again for you fast answer and awesome photos. It seems that you will be in charge for the blog photos for now. 

I'm really looking forward to your answer and am sending my greetings (and also my grandma's best wishes) to you and your family. Thank you once again for being such a wonderful friend with a big soul!

Take care, my dear!

R.