Korean (K-POP) Christmas Songs Playlist

It's already December in a few days... Who's excited for Christmas? I am! Finally, I'm going back to the Philippines! 아싸~~

Currently, I’m staying at a country where people don’t celebrate Christmas so there’s no Christmas lights and giant Christmas trees to remind me that Christmas is near, well... except for the weather here.  But every year, wherever I am, when the -ber months come I love to listen to Christmas Songs to feel the holidays. Is it just me? ^^

So I decided to share a list of Christmas Songs sang by some of our favorite Korean artists. Here are 25 songs you can listen to as you count the days before Christmas~~ Enjoy!

2008

2PM - Only You (Winter Special)

Kang Min Kyung (Davichi) & Park Ji Heon (V.O.S) - Happy Together

XING Star - Feliz Navidad

XING Star - First Noel (TVXQ has a version too!)

XING Star - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

*XING Star's Christmas Songs has 2 versions, I prefer the one with Kevin because I'm biased XD But, I can't find the version with Kevin on YT, but I have it, leave a comment if you want a copy :) *

2009

MBLAQ - Last Christmas

4Minute ft Mario & Amen - Jingle Jingle

Untouchable with Hwa Young - Merry Christmas

2010

Yoseob & Daniel (Dalmatian) - First Snow and First Kiss

After School - Love Love Love

JYP Nation - This Christmas

Jellyfish Entertainment - Christmas Time

IU ft. Thunder (MBLAQ) - Merry Christmas in Advance

SHINee - Haru Christmas version

SNSD - Snowy Wish

2011

SM Town (Super Junior + Zhoumi & Henry) - Santa U Are The One

Henry & Amber - Happy Holidays

Superstar K3 - A Gift For You

Infinite - Lately (White Confession)

Eyagi Entertainment - Winter Story

T-ARA O My God

Starship Planet - Pink Romance

Secret - Christmas Magic

U-KISS - For KISSME

2012

Ailee - My Grown Up Christmas List

Click this for the playlist!

My YesStyle Experience

Just when I was planning to buy new pants, YesStyle announced their Korean Fashion Sale! I immediately checked their website  and found some pretty cheap pants/leggings that I like. 

Since it is my first time to order from YesStyle, I googled some reviews about their service and the item quality as I always do for sites I haven't tried. There were equally good and bad reviews about them. One review stated: "You get what you pay for", so if you opt to order the cheaper ones, the quality may not be as good as the more expensive ones. But you may still get great items for reasonable prices. So it's really a hit or a miss. 

Shipping:5 out of 5

I placed my order last November 3, the expected ship out date was Nov 19 because one of the items is not in stock yet and my credit card verification need some days to process. But I received an email on Nov 6 that my package was shipped out. The package arrived at my country 3 days after, Nov 9. And because of my dad's busy schedule and EMS' confusing 'vending-machine-type' of parcel pick up, I was only able to get it yesterday. ;A;

Pricing: 4 out of 5

Their prices are fair enough. But be sure to wait for their SALES so you can order MORE ;) My order total was $90.60 + $20 (shipping via EMS). I used a $5 coupon so I paid a total of $105.60 for 5 items. 

I received the package in perfect condition. The box was wrapped in a DHL plastic, and the 2b and skin79 was wrapped in a bubble wrap. 

My Orders: 

1. Into Arm and Body(100g) - $35 

I read some great reviews about this product so I wanted to give it a try. I hope this will be effective because it's quite pricey. 

2. Skin79 Super Plus Beblesh Balm Triple Functions (Orange BB Cream) 

SPF 50+ PA+++(40g) - $22

I watched a bb cream comparison youtube video, and this one is recommended for those with oily skin so I'm excited to try this. I've been using Etude's Precious Mineral BB Cream for more than a year now and I'm happy with it but it doesn't cater my t-zone problem.

3. Striped Print Leggings (Black and White) - $9.60

I really want this, and I ordered the smallest size but unfortunately it is still too big for me, so I just gave it to my mom. I wish there's a smaller size than S. 

4. Band-Waist Patterned Skinny Pants - $12

In the end, only this pants ended up with me. It fits me perfectly, and the quality is great. Now, I want the blue one too.

5. Paisley Print Leggings - $12

I bought this for my mom, it's kind of small for her so I think she'll give it to me soon. 

I'm happy with the clothes, and I'm very satisfied with the quality and fast shipment. I just hope the Skin79 bb cream and 2b will be effective. I will definitely order from YesStyle again, good thing they always have a sale. *-*

Where to watch Korean Dramas & Movies

DramaFire

What I love about this website is they don't cut the movie/drama into parts. Their players play one full hour of every episode. Plus, there are 3-5 video players you can choose from. You can choose which ever is compatible with your device and of course, the one that loads fastest. The videos are also compatible with your Android and Apple (iPad/iPhone) devices so you can watch the videos anywhere you want. 

They have Korean/Japanese/Taiwanese&HK Movies and Dramas, all subbed perfectly. ;) 

But since the website is relatively new, they have fewer dramas/movies compared to other websites, hence my second favorite website...

GoodDrama

They have a very wide variety of videos. From Korean/Japanese/Chinese/TW/HK movies and dramas, they also have animes! 

They have a very simple layout for their website so you can find what you're looking for easily. Also, each and every movie/drama has the synopsis and main cast listed that can help you decide whether or not to start watching a certain movie/drama, and of course the comments and ratings help a lot. (I wish they also add trailers for the movies XD)

I think the only con is that sometimes the subs are really rubbish. But they fix it after some time or not.

I asked some people from mwave's forum and they recommended the following websites:

• epdrama (They have some korean variety shows too!)
• Dailymotion 
• drama.net

If there are other good sites please feel free to share. 

My Top 3 KPOP stores

   A couple of friends asked me where I buy my kpop stuff. So I'll list my top 3, and discuss the 'pros' and 'cons' of each. ^^

   I've been collecting albums, official goods and some unofficial merch since the last quarter of 2011. During this time, I buy most of it from various local online shops on facebook. On summer of 2012, I started to purchase my collection from a korean supplier my friend knows and have it ship to the PH via balikbayan box (cheap albums and no tax). So note that most of the things that I buy from the following stores that I will discuss are just signed CDs and Japan releases. So far, I think I have around 150 CDs and counting ^^ 

          1. Yesasia

• Pros

• I love YesAsia's shipping! ♥ Because it is fast & FREE (for orders $25 and above). Based on their website, I live in Zone 1, I always choose the standard shipping so I can save on the shipping fee, the estimate delivery period is 6-14 days. But I always receive mine within 5 days, sometimes it comes the next day. Great, right? Oh! I forgot, they deliver it directly to my doorstep, so I don't have to go the post office. Perfect!
• Door-to-door delivery = NO TAX. For Japan releases, I order from cdjapan or yesasia. CDJapan may seem cheaper at first but when you add the shipping fee, the price is almost the same with Yesasia's price. So when their price is almost similar, I prefer ordering from YA. Why? Because I don't have to worry about customs tax when ordering from Yesasia, unlike whenever I order from CDJapan, everything has to be claimed from the post office. Aside from the hassle of going, the employees at our local post office are not so friendly. I know, we all have our own nightmare experiences with our local post office XD (There's this one time they asked my brother to buy KFC for them instead of paying for tax.)
• They have Specials & Exclusives, cheaper signed albums compared to the ones available on eBay. Plus, you're sure that Yesasia sells authentic ones, most sellers from eBay sell fake signed CDs. :( 

                          

                                    

• Their customer service is quick to respond. And they answer in English *ehem, gmarket*
• From time to time, they have Clearance Sales.

• Cons

• Their prices are pricier than most of the websites based in Korea. (Note: Yesasia is based in HK)
• There is no folded poster option. To get a poster, you will have to pay $5 more.
• There's a possibility you won't get all the freebies that you should get. There was this one time I pre-ordered 9 CDs (Japan released). I paid for it early so I can secure having the official bonus cards that comes with the CD, but when the CDs arrived, they only gave me 2 of the cards. ~.~ I never got a clear answer as to why they did not gave me 9.

          2. Soompi Shop

• Pros


• Soompi Specials! ♥ Cheap signed albums (even cheaper than Yesasia, and they offer more groups)

                 

• Cheap shipping fee~ they always charge me $3.99 if my order doesn't reach the $38 total to qualify for free shipping. Plus, they will give you a tracking number always so you know where your package is.
• Their customer service is great. Cecile is really nice and very accommodating.
• Cons 
• The available albums for the specials are veryyyy limited so you have to check their facebook page ALWAYS, especially when your bias group has or will have a comeback. ^^ (Tip: They usually post their specials between 1pm-4pm KST.)
• It takes some time for the specials to be shipped out. Mainly because the artists need some time to sign the CDs. Imagine, they have full-packed schedules promoting here and there, and there are hundreds of CDs waiting for their signature. So sometimes you have to wait 2-4 weeks depending on how busy the group is.
• They don't have posters.
• Their regular albums are pricier than other shops based in KR.

          3. Mwave Shop

• Pros
• They offer the cheapest signed albums and the shipping is free! Rest assured, their offers are legit. For some specials, the artists will even do a Meet & Greet LIVE and you can win some special gifts :) And, well... they're mnet you know XD
• They announce their specials a day before they open the pre-order (or sometimes hours before). 
• Their regular albums are cheaper than Soompi and YA.
• Free shipping for orders $25 and above.
• $1 Credit - Just earn gems and you can exchange 30 gems for a $1. Post more, save more ;) (CON-You may only use 1 credit per order :( )
• Cons
• They just opened the shop. So there's still a few reviews about their service. When you google them, there's more complaints (about their giveaways) more than the positive reviews. 
• They don't have an option for a registered airmail when you order the M&G special. (Boo!) I wonder what they'll do if my album gets lost in the mail. :(
• They rarely reply to emails. Or they don't reply at all. -_-

(Other sites I've used - Gmarket, eBay, kpoptown) ^^

First post...yay! ^^

I really don't know what to write for my first post, but I figured that I'll just talk about the stuff I am planning to post in the future...and what you can expect from my blog. ;)

Here's a temporary list:

1. Review of K-Movies & K-Dramas 
2. Product reviews (korean cosmetics, clothes, etc)
3. Website reviews and comparisons
4. Guide and tips on how to order online and how to deal with customs & taxes
5. Fangirl-Unnie tips to help my fellow fangirls ^^

I've been ordering my kpop collections and other things from various websites for about 2 years now, so everything I will post are based only on my own experience and may vary from other people's experience. 

Please feel free to ask anything. ^^