BJ Alex Volume 2 - Book Review

 Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

BJ Alex is a completed 19+ BL webtoon manhwa written and illustrated by Mingwa.

The series was published and serialized by Lezhin Comics. It was digitally published in Korean by Lezhin Comics from November 24, 2017 to August 7, 2020.

The series was officially published book format by Lezhin Entertainment from February 25, 2021 to December 31,2021. It was published in English from August 31, 2021 to October 19, 2022.

The series is available in 9 languages, Korea, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Polish.

Every night at 10pm, Dong Gyun shuts himself in his room, tissues at the ready, and tunes into his favourite live cam show hosted by the captivating Alex. To Dong Gyun, Alex isn't just another online performer - he's confident, uninhibited, and everything Dong Gyun secretly wishes he could be.

But one drunken night changes everything. After blacking out at a school networking event. Dong Gyun wakes up in an unfamiliar bed... beneath a shirtless stranger who looks exactly like the from his screen.

When fantasy collides with reality, Dong Gyun's carefully guarded world unravels - because facing Alex in the flesh might be far more than he ever bargained for.

Volume 2 of BJ Alex continues on from volume 1 concluded, and we see what answer Dong Gyun gives to Jiwon to his proposal to help create content for his cam shows. We see Dong Gyun start to question whether he has a say in what they do, where and when to make the content for Jiwon to use. He begins to confide in his friend Chanwoo about the predicament he's in without going into too much detail, with Chanwoo making him see that he also has a say in this deal.

We don't really get much in the way of character development with Jiwon apart from him giving into Dong Gyun's whims and suggestions.

We also get to meet Myungdae that we learn is like Jiwon and has his own cam show under the name BJ MD.

Volume 2 seemingly ends with MD showing an interest in Dong Gyun and interested in asking him to be his sub for his own cam show. Which we see hits a nerve with Jiwon, but I personally feel that at this moment in time it's more because Dong Gyun is his and for his material, rather than him having any feelings for him.

Volume 2 is a good continuation of the story as we get to see more of how each of the characters think and how things could potentially develop.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Welsh Rarebit Potatoes

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

It's been a while since I posted a Pinch of Nom recipe and I have quite a few saved to share, so I think it's time to get back into it with these Welsh Rarebit Potatoes.

This recipe can be found in the Everyday Light recipe book under Bakes & Roasts.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

2 baking potatoes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp garlic granules

75g light cream cheese

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 spring onions, trimmed and both green and white thinly sliced

oil

40g reduced-fat cheddar, finely grated

Start off by pre-heating the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7.

Stab the potatoes with a fork, then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until they are soft in the middle when pricked with a fork. You can also use a microwave, baking on high for 7 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes until you can handle them comfortably.

Slice the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh leaving the skin intact.

Mash the potato flesh in a bowl with a for, then add 1 tsp of the Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, garlic granules, cream cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix it all together until combined and then stir in the spring onions.

Brush the potato skin with some oil, I tend to use my hand and rub a little oil on each of the potato skins.

Place on a baking tray and then scoop the mixture back into each of the potato skins.

Sprinkle the cheddar over the top of the potatoes and drizzle the other teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce on top.

Place in the middle of the hot oven for 10 minutes. 

When the cheese is bubbling  remove from the oven and serve.

These were really nice and I'd happily make and have them again.

I did find scooping out the flesh a little time consuming as they were still a little hot when I was scooping it out.

All the flavours worked really well together and the potatoes were cooked perfectly.

I served mine with some salad and it worked really well together.

I think this dish would be perfect for a lunch break at work, or even during the summer months when you want something quick and easy for tea or lunch.

If you're interested in any of Pinch of Nom's recipe's then you can buy the recipe books in all major supermarkets as well as online retailers Waterstones and Amazon.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

I-DLE - We Are

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

We Are is i-dle's 8th mini album and first album since rebranding.

On the 1st of May, 2025, the i-dle for (G) video was released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

On the 4th of May, 2025, the i-dentity Trailer's for Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua were released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Also on the 4th of May, 2025, the i-dentity Trailer was released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

On the 7th of May, 2025, the Girlfriend M/V Teaser was released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

On the 8th of May, 2025, the Girlfriend M/V was released.

On the 15th of May, 2025, the Good Thing M/V Teaser (Line 1 Ver.) and (On-Air Ver.) were released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

On the 19th of May, 2025, the Good Thing M/V was released, along with the physical and digital release of We Are.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

On the 26th of May, 2025, the Good Thing Choreography Practice Video was released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

On the 2nd of June, 2025, the Girlfriend Choreography Video was released.

Owned by Cube Entertainment

i-dle (아이들)

Soyeon wrote the lyrics an co-composed on tracks Good Thing and Girlfriend.

Yuqi co-wrote and co-composed on track Love Tease.

Minnie co-wrote and and co-composed on track Chain.

Miyeon wrote the lyrics and co-composed on track Unstoppable.

Shuhua wrote the lyrics for track 그래도 돼요 (If You Want).

We Are peaked at No.2 on the Circle Albums Chart, No.11 on the Oricon Albums Chart, No.86 on the UK Album Sales Chart and No.10 on the Billboard World Albums Chart.

Circle Sales = 1,090,662+

Oricon Sales =  10,158+

Total Sales = 1,100,820+

*YouTube views correct at time of writing post*

The M/V for Good Thing has so far gained 74,716,327 million views, with view continuing to increase on a daily basis.

We Are was released in 4 versions: Photobook, Special Jewel Case, Platform and Poca.

The Photobook version has 3 versions and is set out in paperback book style case, an comes with the Cd, photobook, lyrics paper set, photo poster, postcard, sticker and a random photocard.

Special Jewel Case version is set out in a jewel case and comes with the Cd, booklet, lyrics paper, sticker and random photocard.

The Platform version is set out in a plastic case an comes with a mini Cd, Mini Cd case, sticker, random mini card and a random photocard.

The Poca version is set out in a paperback book style case and comes with the user guide, photobook, random postcard, lyrics poster, QR card and 2 random photocards.

Track List:

Good Thing

Girlfriend

Love Tease

Chain

Unstoppable

그래도 돼요 (If You Want)

I have the jewel case version and I love the concept and styling for the booklet.

The album itself takes i-dle in a new direction, with it being the first album where all the members took part in it's production as well as their rebranding.

For me it allows us to see a different side to i-dle and allows them to show us where they want to take us on the next part of their journey as a group.

I really like Good Thing, it gives us the first glimpse on how they want to rebrand and move on with their music.

I loved the melody, and while I'm not really a fan of auto tune and effects on vocals, it really works with this song.

Good Thing

KBS WORLD TV

I was in love with Girlfriend from the first listen, I love the melody, vocals, rap and lyrics. As a pre-release for the album, it was perfect. It gave us a glimpse at a more risqué i-dle. Showing they were ready to move past their norms.

Girlfriend

MBCkpop

I love the melody for Love Tease, it feels really nostalgic. I also love how their vocal tones work with the music. I love how catchy the chorus is.

Love Tease

ShadowByYoongi

I love Chain. I love their vocals against the melody, as well as they try to keep the same deep vocal tones through the verses, then raising it at the chorus.

Chain

ShadowByYoongi

I love how different Unstoppable is to the other songs on the album, it sounds a little more vibrant than the previous songs. I love how they sing this song, it really shows their vocal range perfectly.

Unstoppable

ShadowByYoongi

The melody for 그래도 돼요 (If You Want) is stunning. Closing the album with a ballad is perfect, I am curious though to know whether the melody came first or if Shuhua wrote the lyrics first and they created the melody to match.

그래도 돼요 (If You Want)

ShadowByYoongi

I love this album, I love that they're trying new things and branching out and experimenting with their sound.

The main thing I love about this album is that with each song they participated on, you can hear that members style and sound, allowing the group to branch out and give it a try too.

I can't wait to see what they bring us next if this album, and their latest song Mono is anything to go by. Their next chapter is definitely going to be exciting.

Were you a fan of We Are?

Do you have a physical copy?

Which version(s) did you get?

What were your thoughts on Good Thing as the title track?

Do you a have favourite track on the album.

Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye