내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) - Translated (Eng)

This is the English translation of the lyrics for the song. Credit goes to Emily for the translation. I have changed some lines so the translation is not as literal and conveys more the meaning of the sentence. But as with most languages there are meanings that are not always easily translated into English.

For example, the most common translation of 내 머리가 나빠서 is 'Because I'm Stupid' but that it means more like 'Because I'm a Fool'. It can also, depending on context how strong the 'fool/stupid' is.

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid)
by SS501
from the Boys Over Flowers OST

Because I am a fool
The only thing I think about is you
But I know that you are thinking about somebody else
And you probably don’t even know my heart

I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no thoughts of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And my tears keep falling

Just looking at your retreating figure
Is happiness to me
Even if you don’t know my feelings
Even if you simply brush me aside

CHORUS:
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no memories of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And create my own memories

For me
Love is a beautiful scar
Even when I see your beautiful smile
I cannot smile with you

CHORUS:
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

Bye bye never say good bye
Even though I can never have you
I need you
I can’t say a word, I want you

I keep hoping and hoping
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) - Boys Over Flowers OST Lyrics

Here are the romanised lyrics 내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) song by SS501 (pronounced Double S 5-oh-1) from the Korean Drama 꽃보다남자 (Boys Over Flowers) followed by the original 한글 (Hangul). This song is the theme for Yoon Ji Hoo played by Kim Hyun Joong the leader of SS501. There is also another acoustic version sang by Kim Hung Joong and was first used in Episode 15 as the background music when he 'sang for his supper'.

nae mori-neun nohmuna nappaso
noh hanapakke nan morego
dareun sara-meul pogo-in-neun non
iron nae ma-eumdo moreuget-ji

noye haru-e naran optget-ji
tto chuokjo-cha optget-jiman
noman baraman bogo-in-neun nan
chakku nunmuri heureugoisso

noye dwin moseubeul
poneun gotdo nan haengbogiya
ajig naye ma-eu-meul mollado
ggeutnae seu-chideushi gado

CHORUS:
niga nomu bogoshipeun naren
neomu kyondigi himdeun nare-neun
noreul saranghanda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you
honja dashi tto missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

noye haru-e nan optget-ji
tto giokjo-cha optget-jiman
noman baraman pogo-in-neun na
honja chuo-geul mandeulgo isso

naegen sarangiran a-reum-da-un sang-chogata
noye yeppeun misoreul bowado
hamkke nan ut-chido mothae

CHORUS:
niga nomu saenggag-na-neun naren
kaseum shirigo seulpeun nare-neun
niga pogoshipda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you
honja dashi tto missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

Bye bye never say goodbye
irohke jabji mothajiman
I need you
amu maldo mothae
I want you
baraedo dashi baraedo

niga neomu bogoshipeun naren
nomu kyondigi himdeun nare-neun
noreul saranghanda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you

niga nomu saenggag-na-neun naren
kaseum shirigo seulpeun nare-neun
niga pogoshipda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you
honja dashi tto missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you


한글(Hangul)

내 머리는 너무나 나빠서
너 하나밖에 난 모르고
다른 사람을 보고있는 넌
이런 내 마음도 모르겠지

너의 하루에 나란 없겠지
또 추억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 난
자꾸 눈물이 흐르고있어

너의 뒷 모습을
보는것도 난 행복이야
아직 나의 마음을 몰라도
끝내 스치듯이 가도

CHORUS:
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

너의 하루에 난 없겠지
또 기억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 나
혼자 추억을 만들고 있어

내겐 사랑이란 아름다운 상처같아
너의 예쁜 미소를 보아도
함께 난 웃지도 못해

CHORUS:
니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

Bye bye never say good bye
이렇게 잡지 못하지만
I need you
아무 말도 못해 I want you
바래도 다시 바래도
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you

니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) by SS501

I really like the theme song to 꽃보다 남자 (Boys Over Flowers) which is called 내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) by SS501 of which one of the lead male characters in the show, Kim Hyun Joong is the lead singer of. The English more common title 'Because I'm Stupid' sounds silly but the literal translation actually means 'My Thoughts Are Bad' romanized as Nae Moriga Nappaso.

Although SS501 is actually a 5 man group, as the lead singer is busy filming the drama and one other member is recovering from surgery, the remaining three have gone on to release singles quite successfully. Here's a video of them singing the song at a variety show in Korea.



*Will upload lyrics later.

꽃보다 남자 (Boys Over Flowers) - YIIIEEEEeeee!

I feel like a teenager watching this new KBS drama called 꽃보다 남자　(Kodtpoda Namja) or Boys Over Flowers. It is based on a bishojo Japanese Manga of the same name (花より男子 Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio ). Some of you (who watch tv dramas) may remember a rather famous Taiwanese drama called Meteor Garden some years back. That was also based on the same manga.

With the latest tv version, I must say in comparison to the Taiwanese one, the guys are much cuter/hotter whatever. It makes watching the show much more enjoyable! Kee Kee Kee!!! What I like about the show is that it is also humourous and the producers add those funny cartoony sounds at just the right moments. What a way to spend a few mind numbing hours on the couch!

花より男子 Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio

Sypnopsis: The story surrounds 4 tall, good looking and rich teenagers called F4 (Flower 4) who go to a privileged school. The protagonist is Geum Jan Di (Koo Hye Sun), a dry cleaners daughter who through a life saving feat gets into the school. Although she comes for a totally different world, acts like a clumsy tomboy most of the time and is totally unaware of her own 'cuteness', she ends up being the love interest between the leader of F4 Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho) and his best friend (another F4 member) Yoon Ji Ho (Ki Hyun Joong).

Not wanting to ruin the rest of the drama for you, catch it on DVD soon (as it is still showing here in Korea), or you can find the torrents online (with Eng Subs) or just go to YouTube. Some Drama Addicts have already uploaded the episodes with Eng Subs.

Meanwhile, here is a YouTube video giving a preview of the story:

Instant Buttons

Recently I was wandering through the Bandi & Luni's bookstore in the basement of Jongno Tower and came across these cute 'Instant Buttons' in their stationery section in the basement. Each pack has 6 fabric covered buttons and 6 safety pins. So for an instant lift to an otherwise plain top/blouse, just pin them on!

If you really like them then just sew it on. When you get bored of that top, take them off and reuse on another top. How cool is that?!

You can get to Bandi & Luni's by Subway Line No. 1 - Jonggak Station. They have a decent selection of English books. There is a larger store at the COEX Mall reachable on Subway Line No. 2 - Samseong Station. For variety, there is also Yong Poong bookstore across from Jongno Tower.

Found another Hair Salon in Itaewon

Recently I posted a review on finding a hair salon with an English speaking stylist in Seoul. I found one in Itaewon called Green Turtle which above the Coffee Bean opposite Hamilton Hotel. I'm glad to say that I've found another one! It's a part of a chain and it's called Hair4U. I've added a link but it's all in Korean.

Hair4U is cheaper charging only KRW10,000 for Men's cut and KRW20,000 - KRW 25,000 for a Ladies' cut depending on length. It's located in the building behind the Dunkin Donuts on Itaewon Main Street. Walk around the corner from Dunkin Donuts and you will see a stairwell, just head up to the 2nd floor and Hair4U is just there.

Although the place is a little rundown, the people are friendly and speak a little English. I didn't feel as rushed as when I was at the Green Turtle which is a bonus as the last thing I want is to feel stressed when I am getting my hair done. I had a trim and a colour which turned out rather nicely.

Here's a pic of the building where the salon is located. At the top floor is a popular restaurant called Restaurant Terrace.

Seoul in Winter

This animoto video is made of up pictures I took during my wanderings around Seoul this winter. These are the more popular tourist areas of Insadong, Myeungdong, the palaces of Chandeokgung and Gyeungbukgung; and the Namdaemun market.

SNL with Beyonce and Justin Timberlake

Recently a friend of mine showed me this hilarious skit with Beyonce and 3 backup dancers, one of them being Justin Timberlake doing her 'Single Ladies' video. Justin Timberlake could really immitate those moves too. The other 2 guys weren't bad either. This was the best excerpt I could find on YouTube: Beyonce and JT on SNL: Single Ladies Video

The DMZ Tour

Recently I was sort of dragged to the DMZ by my OH (who has been there twice before) purely to be a tourist of course. But hopefully one who wasn’t going to be shot 5 times in the back for allegedly trespassing. Although my experience was without the discharge of gunfire and subsequent headlines across the world it had its hairy moments.

I was quite the reluctant tourist. My OH’s family was in town so the DMZ was a natural destination for ‘sight seeing’. Personally, I had no great interest in looking at a great big fence or going deep underground to see evidence of the North Koreans efforts to secretly infiltrate the South. But I wasn’t about to be the spoilsport of the group.

Rugged up and ready to go at 10.30am, we climbed into our rented Carnival (that’s the only MPV that could seat all 9 of us – 3 people sat in front!) and we were off to Paju. To get to the DMZ we went to the Imjingak Tourist Resort which has a ticket office in the parking lot. Right next to the large parking is the ‘Hill of Music’ which is a landscaped hill with a covered stage in the centre. That day there were tons of people there flying kites so quite an impressive sight.

View of parking lot and Hill of Music behind it


Don't those look like Mozarella Balls? (Seen from the top of Imjingak Resort building)

After you purchase your tickets, you wait to board the red busses that will take you to the DMZ. The busses leave from the area to the right of the ticket office. Now, all commentary is in Korean which is of course extremely helpful to foreign tourists!!! What they don’t tell you is that you should NOT take photos. This here tourist did not get that message.

Ticket office

Red busses that take you to the DMZ

The bus takes you through a checkpoint where an armed officer with a really big gun comes on board to check your passport. This is where clever me, decided to surreptitiously (just in case we really weren’t suppose to take photos) take a photo of the guards at the checkpoint. I tried to be fast but the first 2 didn’t capture the shot as I moved the camera too quickly.

The 3rd shot got it but that was also the shot that got me noticed! The guard that saw me gestures to the other guards and start talking among themselves while glancing at the bus. Finally the same army officer comes on board slowly making his way down the bus looking at each passenger. I fessed up and showed him my camera with the picture I took and proceeded to delete it in front of him. But I did manage to capture a shot of his back which he didn’t see so here you go.

It was all pretty uneventful after that. We went to see the 3rd Tunnel which was discovered in the late 70’s when a defector told the South Koreans that the North Koreans have been digging a tunnel invade the South. The tunnel is 2m in width and height and was only 52km from Seoul.

To go into the tunnel, we took the train option. The train is a bit like those that you find in an amusement park so moved relatively lowly. Keep your arms in at all times and don’t lean your head out as the fit in the tunnel is rather snug. We go down the green lit tunnel for about 10 mins, made me think of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but not as fun.

Where we catch the train

The 'One Earth' Sculpture dedicated towards a unified Korea

We get to walk through part of the tunnel which was quite damp and cramped. 2m clearance is not enough for someone who is 1.7m tall. All in all it was quite interesting so a worthwhile visit.

Next part of the tour was the Dorasan Station which is located at Gunnaemyeon. It is famous for being the northernmost station in South Korea. The idea for this station is to some day connect through to the main continent and thus completing the Iron Silk Road. The station was very modern but as it is not a passenger station, it was empty except for two really bored guards. I think looking at the pictures in the brochure would have sufficed for this part of the tour.

Dorasan Station

Bored guards


Back in the bus we headed to the Dora Observatory. This is the where we can see North Korea. At the top of the observatory they have pay per view telescopes where you can get a better look at the North’s Propaganda Village. It was completely empty and apparently it was built to show the South that they are equally modern and lead fulfilling lives. RIIIIGHT!

We did not go to Panmumjeom (think light blue barracks split in half between North and South Korea) to truly feel the division in this peninsular as it was closed to tourists for some reason that day. It is the location of place where truce talks between the North and South were first held during the Korean War. In fact if it hadn’t been for this trip, Panmunjeom would have just meant a place mentioned in Billy Joel’s song ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ to me. But now I am enlightened. It’s never too late for a geography and history lesson.

Carrot & Walnut Cake by White Wings

I normally bake cakes from scratch following a recipe. But recently, my OH has introduced me to the 'instant' kind. Prepared cake mixes that you just add water or eggs or milk or butter and voíla its ready to go into the oven in 5 minutes or something ridiculous like that.

Being a fan of carrot cake, I decided to try the White Wings version of the Carrot & Walnut cake together with icing. It was pretty easy to make. The box contained 3 packets. 1 was the cake mix, the other the icing mix and finally the walnuts. I just had to add 2 eggs, 1 cup of water and half a cup of oil. I used extra virgin (not sure of the effect) and added some more walnuts for more texture.

After mixing it all together, I just popped it into the oven at fan assisted 160C for 55mins according to the instructions. I then made the icing mixture by adding 1 tbs of butter which I accidentally melted by nuking it for too long in the microwave. I popped it into the fridge for an extra 5 minutes to 'stiffen' it up a bit more. : ) Then 4 tbs of milk instead of the 2 and a half as the icing was too thick to handle.

The taste of the cake was pretty mediocre. I would give it a 5/10. The colour seemed a little darker than I was used to and it was a little too cinnamony. There was a lot of carrot peels inside so they definitely did't scrimp on that but the taste didn't impress me. It was also a little dry, so only a 4/10 for texture.

4.5/10 overall rating. Probably won't buy this again. Going to try the Profiteroles next.

우뎅 ‘U-deng’

Another favourite street food of mine is 우뎅 ‘U-deng’. It’s fish cake that is boiled and rolled into a skewer. You spread this delicious soy sauce soaked together with onion, chilli and jujube (think red dates). They normally serve this with a bit of soup that has some kick to it too especially on a cold day. Thumbs up!

The U-deng are those in the skewers on the left. The things that look like French Fries at the front are actually Sweet Potato Fries.

허덕 ‘Hodok’

Korean street food is a must try. Once you get past the wondering what that is and actually pay the KRW900-1,000 for it, you may find that it actually tastes quite good. There are plenty of street vendors selling food especially in the popular shopping streets like Insadong, Myeungdong and even around Dongdaemun area.

One of the best street food that I have tried is called 허덕 ‘Hodok’ (not sure if I have written it accurately in Korean). It’s a fried glutinous pancake with a caramel & crushed pine nut filling. It comes in plain or green tea flavour. Not being a fan of green tea, I have not tried it but I see plenty of people queuing to buy them anyway.

The best 2 hodok vendors I have found is in Insadong and Myeundong. The one in Insadong is manned by two ajumma’s and their stall is situated at the crossroads of the backstreet of Fraser Suites and Insadong-gil (main street). That’s about ¾ the distance if you were to start at the top of the street closest to the memorial. They sell them for KRW900 each and if you go in the evening the queues almost encircle their stall!

The other really nice one is near the top end of the street where Migliore in Myeungdong is. After you get out of Migliore turn left and you will see a line of vendors going down the middle of that pedestrian street. It’s about 20m away from the entrance. I am sure these vendors move around a bit but every time I find them there and there’s a queue at least 6 deep each time.

Be careful when eating hodok. The filling’s hot so when you bit into it, the caramel might spill out onto your for eg. Clean white coat. Yes it has happened. If that happens in winter, just let the caramel freeze then pick it off. Do NOT attempt to wipe it off as my clever Mom informed me just in time!

Unfortunately I do not have a picture to upload yet but will do when I go pass another stall. If anyone knows other nice hodok vendors, please let me know.