The double-edged swords

Growing up in the Philippines, it really isn’t that surprising that I have developed quite an interest into Kpop and Korean TV shows. For as long as I can remember, local channels there have been broadcasting a lot of dubbed Korean dramas and movies. However, it wasn't until I came to high school that I started gaining interest in Kpop and Kshows, and, that was about 7 years ago. Up to this day, I still find every little thing about Kpop and Kshows enticing.

So, what aspect of Korean music and shows got me hooked?

Adolescence + talented people + great music + heartfelt lyrics = hooked into KPOP

The equation says it all. For the sake of keeping this blog post with 700 words, I'll just talk about one Kpop group to illustrate my obsession. Currently, I am very much in love with the KPOP group, BTS. They create a lot of amazing songs with relatable and inspring messages that appeals to the audience quite well. 

BTS from 2 years ago during one of their dance practice

One of the BTS songs I really like is titled, "Nevermind". BTS member, Suga, raps about his personal struggles about being concerned of others. He is telling the audience, that, whatever you do in your life, you don’t have to care about the things other people are saying. Just focus on doing what you love. And, even if you fail, it’s okay. This song actually resonated to me a lot, and it made me reflect on myself. It , to some extent, gave me the courage to express who I really am.

Anything done in excess has its downsides. So, what are some of the downsides of having an obsession into Kpop and Kshows?

Concert tickets and merchandise + albums (digital and online) + college student = broke

Kpop albums and merchandise I collected in the last 3 years ☺

Unlike my freshman year in college where I worked two jobs during each school year and had the luxury to buy whatever merchandise I wanted, I don’t have the same luxury. I only work one job, now, which only lets me earn enough money to comfortably sustain my daily necessities here in college. So, going with that logic, I certainly shouldn’t be buying a $250 BTS concert ticket, but I did. To be honest, for a college student, that amount is a very big burden. So, I had to take some money out of my savings to purchase the ticket. It created a big dent in my budget and expense list. When I think about it, I know that it's such a waste to spend a large sum of money in one go, especially, since it took me forever to save them. It really is a pity, but I don't I'll ever regret buying that concert ticket one bit.

Watching Korean TV shows (drama and variety shows) + listening to Kpop = time not spent studying or doing homework

Truth to be told, whether I have classes, exams, homework, and other school related stuff that I must prepare and study for, it’s still a usual thing for me to watch a two-hour video related to any Kpop or Kshows throughout the day. I tend to procrastinate a lot, and watching Kshows or listening to Kpop makes it worse. It affects my concentration and motivation to study a lot. I mean, I still do all my responsibilities on time, but I probably would be better off if I didn't wait until the last minute to work on them. I have plans to go to graduate school, so I should be studying for the GREs, but instead of doing that, I often end up being too engrossed in watching TV shows that I become too unproductive and often end up procrastinating.

Happiness > No $ + Procrastination

Maybe you’re wondering why, even though I recognized that there are problems in obsessing over Kpop and Kdramas, I still don’t make much effort to steer them away from my lifestyle. This has been a concern to my parents, for a while now, and should be mine as well, but, the amount of happiness I get from listening to Kpop songs or watching Korean TV shows far outweigh the burden of the problems I get from obsessing over them. I don’t know if I’ll still be this obsessed over it in the future. But for now, since they give me the opportunity to unwind, I want enjoy them as much as I can. The BTS concert I was talking about earlier is actually scheduled this coming Friday. I bought the official concert light stick and even made a poster written in Korean. Kpop concerts are not really held that often in the US, so for once, I wanted to have whole fan girl experience.