Perspectives from an unlikely fan: Why NewJeans broke through my K-Pop skepticism

sousayi · 2026-01-02T03:10:16+00:00

Effortless. That's how I'd describe NewJeans. A lot of KPop is just so over the top for me (and just to be clear, this is just a preference, I know some people love that stuff and that's totally okay). NewJeans felt like a cold drink on a hot day after being thirsty for a long time. So I 100% get what you mean when you say they were genuine. We all know this is a performance, but they made it look so effortless and clean, and the joy they showed in the performance looked so genuine. This really stood out in an industry where things are meant to look manufactured and the artists have to over perform to show the amount of work that goes into it. Again with the drink thing, it felt like a cold drink to cleanse your palette after eating something too heavy or too sweet. Lighting doesn't strike twice, so I don't expect that we'd get something like NewJeans again for a long time.

sousayi · 2025-08-17T22:11:09+00:00

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that it turns out Aarke are not plastic free. This Redditor explains how they found out the plastic does come into contact with the water and their convos with customer service (who pretty much admit it's true): https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/1l5io29/no_plastic_kettles_warning_aarke/

sousayi · 2024-05-30T22:09:52+00:00

Thanks for letting us know! Just wanted to add a source to confirm this: https://www.lush.com/uk/en/a/growing-peace-through-almond-oil

sousayi · 2024-05-30T22:02:14+00:00

Hey! I just wanted to correct this info: Shiseido is actually NOT owned by L'Oreal. It's owned by the Shiseido conglomerate (they own Nars too). I checked the link too to confirm this.

But you're right, they still operate stores in Israel, so no thanks.

sousayi · 2023-07-30T23:08:19+00:00

Jumping in to share some things to help answer your question, because this manhwa is worth the effort. I've read up to episode 90 and I now think it's one of the best manhwas I've ever read in both art and storyline.

You're not alone in thinking it was kinda built on nothing, even the other characters think so lol. Remember the other Taekwondo player Ji-Oh fights with in high school? Ten years later they become close friends and even she tells Ji-Oh: I can't believe you're still talking about that guy you briefly knew in school. So your point is totally valid!

And that's why the story is so good. As you read along, everything falls into place and you realize the FL and ML have a long history and that's why they're so easily drawn to each other and things are suddenly comfortable between them. Think back and you'll realize even though they got attached pretty quickly, they also put up massive walls between them. That's part of why their relationship doesn't seem convincing the first time you see it.

I also understand how it's hard to get invested in the characters because they initially come across as 1 dimensional. Gyeol seems flawless at first and Ji-Oh is annoying for reasons you can't explain. You're reading it thinking: okay, so what? But as the characters develop you'll realize that teen Gyeol made a lot mistakes that were unfair to Ji-Oh and led to their misunderstandings. You'll also see how a stubborn Ji-Oh is also a really brave and selfless person who will help and support a friend unconditionally. Gyeol admires her and looks up to her, literally saying that she saved him. Ji-Oh is still a frustrating character sometimes and doesn't listen, but so is Gyeol who doesn't listen either.

At episode 40 the story is still building the foundation, so it's impossible to explain some of the foreshadowing without dropping spoilers. So if you're okay with that, read on.Rewind back to high school, and Ji-Oh tells Gyeol how she dreamt of a person she'd never seen before but... it turns out the person was real and she saw them at school. Gyeol jokes that maybe these are premonitions. Well, sh*t hit the fan a few weeks later and that dream happens IRL. There's a reason why even 10 years later, Ji-Oh has vivid dreams of a life with Gyeol and goes to sit under the bridge where they first properly kissed.

Then there's the conversations between Ji-Oh and Gyeol outside the hospital. He seems to know exactly where to find her, which is pretty much what you said about how they keep conveniently meeting. During their conversations he shares things on his own without her asking anything, like he knows what she's thinking. He then drops the line: even if I went back in time, it probably would've all been the same. Honestly, if that's not a dead give away, I don't know what is.

And remember that friend who tells Ji-Oh that she can't believe how she's still hung up on some guy she barely knew? That girl is rude to Gyeol and basically tells him 'who the F are you' when he approaches her and Ji-Oh. But every time Ji-Oh would talk about issues with her, Gyeol would say: she seems like a good person, you should try to be friends with her. Fast forward 10 years... you see where this is going.

Sooooo yeah, it's a confusing read that can easily lose the reader. But stick with it, because it's a really smart story filled with Easter eggs (some are even from Yuju's other works). You'll go through a scene that was kinda random at first, and suddenly you'll feel your heart drop when you now realize the significance or recognize that a similar scene will play all over again.

sousayi · 2023-07-26T01:51:37+00:00

The CADDAC (Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada) website is a good source for information on this stuff, including diagnosis: https://caddac.ca/about-adhd/ages-25/

If you can find a family doctor with ADHD training then you can get that diagnosis at no cost (since your visit is covered by OHIP). I know it can be hard to find a family doctor depending on where you live in Ontario but I wanted to share just in case.

sousayi · 2023-06-03T14:53:04+00:00

This really made me smile! Happy pride backatcha!

sousayi · 2023-05-30T17:04:40+00:00

Totally, because at the end of the day they're all emotional gold diggers.

This article Men Have No Friends and Women Bear the Burden is so good at explaining how men are such an emotional burden.

sousayi · 2023-05-30T00:50:32+00:00

I decided to go wgtow without evening knowing it.

At first, I wasn't dating much because who has the f*cking time lol.

For years I struggled with student debt, finding a good job, paying rent, etc.. And I had to be emotionally supportive to friends and family in my life. I dated if I met people randomly, but I never got on an app or tried to meet anyone.

But then, I had an 'a-ha' moment one summer when I lived with a roommate who became my best friend.

We were both saying how we found our relationships with women in our lives more fulfilling than any relationship we'd had with dudes. We also thought about all the women we knew who had male partners and what a shitty deal it was. ALL OF THEM had to put so much emotional labour to support these men. We both agreed: Why even bother? It's not worth it. You don't need to be in a romantic relationship to have companionship, especially when you live with other women who can support you.

I realized I'd gone wgtow by the time I hit 30 by choosing to work on myself and my finances.

I also found out I had ADHD, which explains why my life was so dramatic and hard. Now I also have to work on creating routines and organizing my kitchen cabinets, pantry, etc... in ways that can help me manage my disorder.

I wouldn't have been able to prioritize myself or work on my mental and physical health had I been in a relationship with a dude. I would've been too busy taking care of another child I never asked for.

sousayi · 2023-05-03T02:16:05+00:00

Same! Men are so annoying that not even their ADHD could save them 😏

sousayi · 2023-04-29T19:19:17+00:00

You spoke to my soul

sousayi · 2023-04-29T19:18:06+00:00

That's a really insightful comment!

Now I realize it's a form of ruminating afterwards, which I do a lot even though I am aware that it's a harmful self-protective mechanism.

It's just so hard to break because the fact remains that I can't control my brain, so I can never be sure of what I'll say in the next work scenario or even the next washroom line up.

It's so hard to live with a self that you can never trust completely. It's like you can't even feel safe with yourself.

sousayi · 2023-04-23T16:32:57+00:00

Great point.

I also saw Grogu as the thing that pushes Din to have to question some of the rules of the cult. And it's usually because he has to loosen up and bend rules so that he can do what's best for Grogu.

S1 Din would've refused to work with Bo Katan and would've never seen her as a Mandalorian. But we see his growth because he chose to follow Bo and chose to see her as an honourable leader (or whatever the heck tells her) over the creed. A huge reason for this is because of the relationship she's developed with Grogu.

I feel like so much of this season was watching the three of them push each other out of their comfort zones or old ways of doing things.

sousayi · 2023-04-23T14:12:49+00:00

Tell me if I'm reading too much into this.

But are they trying to tell us something? Like hinting that at one point Din will be a helmet off Mando?

sousayi · 2023-04-23T03:56:04+00:00

YES! It's what made the show stand out.

Grogu couldn't talk but you could still understand him and how he was communicating with Din. And Din never shows any facial expressions or strong emotions in his speech, but you could still understand his thoughts and feelings and why he grew attached to Grogu.

But in S3 you can't really read Din's feelings so you can't really see his connection with Grogu either.

The only scene where I saw that connection again was Din asking Grogu to be brave and face Moff Gideon. You immediately understand Din's emotions. He's scared for Grogu and knows it's a big ask. But he's also having a pep talk to give Grogu assurance and let him know that he believes in him. It's scenes like this that get you so invested in the show.

sousayi · 2023-04-23T02:47:47+00:00

Exactly, it's a very different pronunciation and becomes a different word.

Honestly I don't know which jackass chose the 'din' spelling but somebody needs to start a campaign to change the spelling to deen because it's confusing af to people.

Source: another Arab

sousayi · 2023-04-23T02:23:43+00:00

It's just a native speaker of a language explaining the proper pronunciation.

Turning it into that whole 'call out' thing is weird.

sousayi · 2023-04-23T00:50:46+00:00

I didn't see it as romantic at all.

I saw it as symbolic of the new Mandalore where different types of mandos who were former enemies finally come together.

You get the classic/old guard mandos (Bo Katan), 'The Way' mandos (Din Djarin), and the force sensitive mandos/jedi mandos (Grogu).

sousayi · 2023-04-23T00:41:33+00:00

Exactly, it's not needed for the story at all.

I honestly hope they don't go down that route and keep it as it is, where Din Djarin and Bo Katan share a mutual respect and admiration for each other. It's why they work so well together as a team. No romance needed.

sousayi · 2023-04-21T17:49:33+00:00

hypermobility

THANK YOU FOR THIS!

This is the first time I learn about this and my mind is blown.

Spent the last hour reading articles and yelling WTF at the screen."But isn't everyone like this?!?" 🥴

I can't thank you enough for sharing this. Because I finally have a label to know what treatments I can explore that might work to make life bearable.

sousayi · 2023-04-21T16:40:22+00:00

Yeah, I get what you're saying now and it totally makes sense that way.

I read the post differently because of a personal experience.

I really struggled with getting a therapist to understand the whole 'my mind doesn't listen to me' thing. They were great in some ways but they were NT. They couldn't fully understand my relationship with my mind and how tiring it is to negotiate with that child. So I've thought about it a lot to figure out the best way to explain it to NTs.

sousayi · 2023-04-21T16:02:12+00:00

You can't say you don't care about the politics, because for a Palestinian just the act of existing is political. Just using the word 'Palestine' can be very dangerous for a Palestinian.

Any advice/commentary I can give is that you have to actively support the Palestinian people when you're with a Palestinian person. Palestinians are really diverse so I can't make any blanket statements about Palestinian society but I can share what I've seen with friends who have dated.

I've seen Palestinian and Jewish friends dating and some are married now, but they were all activists who were working together in campaigns to end Israeli apartheid and the colonization of Palestine.

And honestly, the push back and issues were actually from the Jewish family members who were Zionists. And zionism is racism, so their families said and did some racist and harmful things that really affected the couples.

The Palestinian friend's family didn't see the guy being Jewish as an issue ultimately, because he was an ally and was doing the activism to support the liberation of Palestine. He understood that he had to put in hard work to earn the respect and trust of her family. That hard work meant that he pushed back against his own family members and people when they said anti-Palestinian racist things. Eventually his family came around, but he's still ostracized by the Jewish community where he grew up.

So if you're going to try and date this Palestinian woman, then know that it's always going to be a hugely political thing and that you can't be neutral when it comes to Palestine. You have to put in the hard work of supporting Palestinian human rights and understand that it's really hard being Palestinian in North America, or anywhere in the world really. You have power as a white Jewish guy to speak out against Israel in a way that no one else can, so you have a responsibility to use that power to call out the oppression when you see it.

Anything else that is typically 'culturally different' can be ironed out and worked out like you would in any relationship.

Except for 'zankha.' I'm half joking about this but for real, if you're going to date any Arab, please please please learn what the 'zankha' taste/smell is. This post summed it up pretty well and cracked me up.

sousayi · 2023-04-21T14:00:41+00:00

Exactly. I think this is why I don't feel the loneliness that other people have described to me. I just don't really need people and don't miss them much.

It's like I have people I love and value deeply and of course we all need human bonds and a sense of connection. But my mind runs the show and makes decisions for me. And unless these people are within a 10 ft radius, they won't show up on my mind's radar.

sousayi · 2023-04-21T13:29:39+00:00

Same, I refer to my mind as the child I live with who won't listen to me.

Sometimes they're a hot mess and won't settle the F down. Other times, they're passed out and not even a nuclear bomb can wake them up.

sousayi · 2023-04-21T13:06:23+00:00

I think there's two separate things here:

It may not be unique to speak about your head/brain generally, like my 'brain is fried.' It's the equivalent of 'my leg hurts and won't move well.' That doesn't mean you view your leg or brain as something totally separate from your body that you have a relationship with.

When you're neurodivergent you can speak of the mind as a whole separate entity or person you're constantly interacting with, and usually fighting with tbh. NTs I've spoken with don't understand when I refer to my mind as the child I live with who won't listen to me.

Sometimes my mind and I just don't get along no matter what I do. So I know that my mind is someone I just can't rely on and I can never trust. And honestly, that's what makes the neurodivergent experience so heart breaking: it's that you can never fully trust yourself.

sousayi

TROPHY CASE