Monday, 20 May 2013
I have relocated!
Yeorobun, I have relocated to Wordpress because I rather prefer the features on there than Blogger. I figured that it's time for a change. Hover and click HERE to be redirected. See you on the other side! :)
Sunday, 31 March 2013
On the drama landscape so far...
I know that this post is long overdue. >.<
Before I go further on this,allow me to introduce you to a song. I just thought that this song is too good to go unnoticed without a listen. It's Shin Yong Jae's (from 4men) The Reason I Became A Singer. I first came across this song while watching a Korean reality singing programme called The Voice of Korea. (Just in case you were wondering,yes,it does share the same concept as its namesake,The Voice.) Some contestant did a brilliant rendition of this song which somewhat prompted me to search for the original version. It's no secret that 4men is one of my favorite voices in the industry,so I was stoked when I heard that the song was originally sung by Shin Yong Jae,and that he wrote the song. The lyrics,the amount of thought and care put into the execution of the song makes it all the more special. Check out the video with English translation of the lyrics below and you'll see what I mean. :)
Anyway, I digress. Where was I again? Oh,previously I did a poll so that I could vaguely get a brief idea on what you guys would prefer to hear me talk about on my next post and the majority of you answered:
Remember my last post on That Winter? I'm afraid that I won't be able to stick to my claim that I'll see the drama through the end of its course. I can't. I don't know why but I somehow fell out of love with it. It happened somehow around the halfway mark I think? And yet I convinced myself that there's something that I must've missed since a huge majority of the viewers absolutely adored the show. You know sometimes I wonder if it is my adverseness that prevents me from committing to a melodrama one hundred percent. The cinematography's breathtakingly stunning but why I am so easily distracted by the many glaring little plot holes in the storyline instead of focusing on the story itself? I admit,there were instances where I have seen dramas with so many glaring faults here and there (e.g. Flower Boy Next Door and School 2013) and yet I still managed to stick through the end. Why,you ask? The chemistry of the cast made it worthwhile,plus the acting by the main leads were often above par. The biggest flaw of all for That Winter is how awkward the sibling fauxcest felt as the story progressed further. Okay,you can go ahead and shoot me with your imaginary darts if you want to but personally I'm not feeling OTP vibes from our supposedly main couple. At first I felt considerable amount of sparks flying around but how is it that as the storyline progresses I felt like all that chemistry has somewhat converted into a sibling kind of chemistry? It felt that the writer-nim tried too hard to present us with the fauxcest dilemma. In the thirteenth episode Soo did something which further intensified the icky factor,God I just feel like strangling the writer-nim very violently. If there's a thing that I cannot stand it's makjangness and drama tropes that are being used,or rather abused in a way that doesn't make any sense at all. I just want to clarify that I do not hate this drama in any way,it just simply wasn't my cup of tea,I guess. I actually succumbed to reading recaps on Dramabeans instead from the 12th episode onward and I think it was truly a right decision having seen all the crap that's happened in the 14th and 15th episode. REALLY,NOH HEE KYUNG? Is this what us viewers get for putting our faith in you? You're lucky that I wasn't half as invested in the storyline as the most of the viewers was. Drama,you're also very lucky that the writer that I want to strangle the most is Yawang's writer but not you. (I ABSOLUTELY HATED THE SHOW, I STILL DO.) My parents ADORE the show.the more makjang it gets,the more my mum digs it. Anyway,I digress. That Winter,Everyone Dies (yes,pun intended) further reinforced my belief that I should just stay away from melodramas for good. What a disappointment. I think the main problem here is that all I really wanted was a decent storytelling from the director and the writer. Yes,the cinematography was out-of-the-world-amazing but as time went on it felt like all the director cared about was which angles actually portrayed the actors in the best light and thereon things started to get pretty heavily gimmicky instead of focusing on the trajectory of the characters.
Nine ,on the other hand is such a gem to watch,it's a bit hard for me to pinpoint exactly how I feel about this drama. Yes it did take awhile for me to get into it but I was sold after the third episode. I'm getting so many feels from this drama,it just encapsulates the whole mechanism of time travel really well. Every single action brings about a sensible effect and the motivation or driving force behind the characters are actually understandable,as in,if you were the main lead,you'd probably do the same thing as him. And what's even more amazing is that for the first time in my drama-watching history,I actually don't mind the tumor plot in a storyline. It did not feel like a drama trope being used for the sake of convenience. I know,I know,as crazy as it seems,apparently the storyline itself progresses so well that in fact half of the time I actually forgot that our main actually has tumor. Oh yes,our male lead ain't somebody you wanna ever mess with,cause he can definitely kick some serious ass,as shown towards the end of the first episode. I adore the nostalgic feels that this drama gives me. Although that Seo Taiji and Boys reference may be lost to me but it doesn't deter me from the entire watching experience,in fact I love how the show perfectly integrated Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You into the background without it feeling out of place at all. I really felt the conflict,the pain and the memories our main guy,Park Sun Woo felt. I was emotionally rooting for him and by the end of the 6th episode I just want him to be happy with Min Young already. I know,I'm not revealing much of the storyline but trust me,story's too good for me to spoil you the pleasure of discovering the little bits and pieces of the puzzle. To be honest,I went into this drama with zero expectations,and rightly so given the bland dramascape as of late. I have yet to find a drama that truly owned my heart and soul ( Case in point: Shut Up Flower Boy Band ,Queen In Hyun's Man) for this year. I have to say,tvN has really upped their ante as a cable channel. Although Flower Boy Next Door didn't own my heart like SUFBB but it was pretty well thought out albeit the lackluster episodes in between. I LOVED THE ENDING. And also it was a magical ride for me to have seen our main OTP grow and complement each other so perfectly. I'm a total sucker for anything related to the soulmate theory so naturally I totally dig their interaction with each another. It was truly magical seeing them both light up each other's life. Having seen all three dramas from the Flower Boy Franchise I'd rank it somewhere in the middle. I definitely enjoyed it way more than Flower Boy Ramyun Shop but it lacked a little something compared to SUFBB. After doing a little Math in my head I just realised that BLIMEY Nine is going to be my 7th tvN drama! Not all of them were downright awesome but I can confidently say that the prospects are pretty good. Well,ON THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS LEE JIN WOOK ,I wonder how come it took me eons to discover a gem of an eye candy like him omg,a guy has never looked so sexy even when he broods. And did I mention that our guy can actually plant REAL kisses. Oh yes,not the elementary ones that we usually see on the main broadcasting channels but the ones that makes your cheeks turn warm and before you know it you find yourself smiling along all the way through. You can get to know more about what others thought of this drama HERE and HERE.
And here we have last but not the least,I LIVE IN CHEONGDAMDONG! I LOVE THIS DRAMAS TO BITS. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this drama,like seriously. You can totally run up a search on this drama and I swear,you'll probably have to squint your eyes really hard to find anyone ever badmouthing about this drama. This is my first jTBC drama,also my first sitcom,first time embarking on a drama with an episode count of 170(which will the most episodes that I've ever watched for a drama). I usually don't do more than 30 episodes for a drama(with Bu Bu Jing Xin being the exception-I absolutely adored the novel and the drama largely stayed true to it so I also adored the TV adaptation) BUT after hearing so many exceptional reactions and reviews from the dramas-blogosphere I finally couldn't take it. My curiousity got the better of me,and after hearing that there's only complete Chinese subtitles are available I decided to take a leap of faith by jumping onto the bandwagon. I know that I'm a little more than a year late but you know what they say : better late than never. Sadly the ones that I sourced has crappy resolution but surprisingly it didn't make my dramawatching experience any less enjoyable. I only have one question to ask : DRAMA,WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE? I'm only about 45 episodes in but I've been loving this drama so much that I couldn't bring myself to marathon the episodes in fear of losing something as precious as this too quickly. I am so lucky that I am proficient enough to be able to read and converse in Mandarin. Thank you mom,dad,I owe all this greatness to you. Thank you so much for insisting on your children's Chinese education from young,I love you! Words cannot express how much I wish that this gem of a drama can reach out to more of our viewers out there.
Before I go further on this,allow me to introduce you to a song. I just thought that this song is too good to go unnoticed without a listen. It's Shin Yong Jae's (from 4men) The Reason I Became A Singer. I first came across this song while watching a Korean reality singing programme called The Voice of Korea. (Just in case you were wondering,yes,it does share the same concept as its namesake,The Voice.) Some contestant did a brilliant rendition of this song which somewhat prompted me to search for the original version. It's no secret that 4men is one of my favorite voices in the industry,so I was stoked when I heard that the song was originally sung by Shin Yong Jae,and that he wrote the song. The lyrics,the amount of thought and care put into the execution of the song makes it all the more special. Check out the video with English translation of the lyrics below and you'll see what I mean. :)
Anyway, I digress. Where was I again? Oh,previously I did a poll so that I could vaguely get a brief idea on what you guys would prefer to hear me talk about on my next post and the majority of you answered:
| Anything K-drama related (First Impressions,Reviews etc.) |
Nine ,on the other hand is such a gem to watch,it's a bit hard for me to pinpoint exactly how I feel about this drama. Yes it did take awhile for me to get into it but I was sold after the third episode. I'm getting so many feels from this drama,it just encapsulates the whole mechanism of time travel really well. Every single action brings about a sensible effect and the motivation or driving force behind the characters are actually understandable,as in,if you were the main lead,you'd probably do the same thing as him. And what's even more amazing is that for the first time in my drama-watching history,I actually don't mind the tumor plot in a storyline. It did not feel like a drama trope being used for the sake of convenience. I know,I know,as crazy as it seems,apparently the storyline itself progresses so well that in fact half of the time I actually forgot that our main actually has tumor. Oh yes,our male lead ain't somebody you wanna ever mess with,cause he can definitely kick some serious ass,as shown towards the end of the first episode. I adore the nostalgic feels that this drama gives me. Although that Seo Taiji and Boys reference may be lost to me but it doesn't deter me from the entire watching experience,in fact I love how the show perfectly integrated Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You into the background without it feeling out of place at all. I really felt the conflict,the pain and the memories our main guy,Park Sun Woo felt. I was emotionally rooting for him and by the end of the 6th episode I just want him to be happy with Min Young already. I know,I'm not revealing much of the storyline but trust me,story's too good for me to spoil you the pleasure of discovering the little bits and pieces of the puzzle. To be honest,I went into this drama with zero expectations,and rightly so given the bland dramascape as of late. I have yet to find a drama that truly owned my heart and soul ( Case in point: Shut Up Flower Boy Band ,Queen In Hyun's Man) for this year. I have to say,tvN has really upped their ante as a cable channel. Although Flower Boy Next Door didn't own my heart like SUFBB but it was pretty well thought out albeit the lackluster episodes in between. I LOVED THE ENDING. And also it was a magical ride for me to have seen our main OTP grow and complement each other so perfectly. I'm a total sucker for anything related to the soulmate theory so naturally I totally dig their interaction with each another. It was truly magical seeing them both light up each other's life. Having seen all three dramas from the Flower Boy Franchise I'd rank it somewhere in the middle. I definitely enjoyed it way more than Flower Boy Ramyun Shop but it lacked a little something compared to SUFBB. After doing a little Math in my head I just realised that BLIMEY Nine is going to be my 7th tvN drama! Not all of them were downright awesome but I can confidently say that the prospects are pretty good. Well,ON THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS LEE JIN WOOK ,I wonder how come it took me eons to discover a gem of an eye candy like him omg,a guy has never looked so sexy even when he broods. And did I mention that our guy can actually plant REAL kisses. Oh yes,not the elementary ones that we usually see on the main broadcasting channels but the ones that makes your cheeks turn warm and before you know it you find yourself smiling along all the way through. You can get to know more about what others thought of this drama HERE and HERE.
And here we have last but not the least,I LIVE IN CHEONGDAMDONG! I LOVE THIS DRAMAS TO BITS. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this drama,like seriously. You can totally run up a search on this drama and I swear,you'll probably have to squint your eyes really hard to find anyone ever badmouthing about this drama. This is my first jTBC drama,also my first sitcom,first time embarking on a drama with an episode count of 170(which will the most episodes that I've ever watched for a drama). I usually don't do more than 30 episodes for a drama(with Bu Bu Jing Xin being the exception-I absolutely adored the novel and the drama largely stayed true to it so I also adored the TV adaptation) BUT after hearing so many exceptional reactions and reviews from the dramas-blogosphere I finally couldn't take it. My curiousity got the better of me,and after hearing that there's only complete Chinese subtitles are available I decided to take a leap of faith by jumping onto the bandwagon. I know that I'm a little more than a year late but you know what they say : better late than never. Sadly the ones that I sourced has crappy resolution but surprisingly it didn't make my dramawatching experience any less enjoyable. I only have one question to ask : DRAMA,WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE? I'm only about 45 episodes in but I've been loving this drama so much that I couldn't bring myself to marathon the episodes in fear of losing something as precious as this too quickly. I am so lucky that I am proficient enough to be able to read and converse in Mandarin. Thank you mom,dad,I owe all this greatness to you. Thank you so much for insisting on your children's Chinese education from young,I love you! Words cannot express how much I wish that this gem of a drama can reach out to more of our viewers out there.
Saturday, 16 March 2013
The moment that I've been dreading all this while...
has arrived. I am now in a serious drama slump. I am in dire need of a little pick-me-up after all the insanity that's happened in my life. Is it just me being nitpicky or is there really a reduction of quality in the current batch of K-dramas? I have yet to find dramas this year that owned my heart and soul like what Queen In Hyun's Man and Shut Up Flower Boy Band did to me last year. School 2013 and Flower Boy Next Door gave me warm fuzzies while it lasted but it did not have a huge impact on me. It's been awhile since I've last felt burning passion for a K-drama,I wonder why? I was really tempted to drop That Winter the Wind Blows(hereinafter known as TWtWB) after the eighth episode but somehow the cinematography and the thought of seeing more Jo In Sung made me stick through 3 more episodes. At the time of publication,I'll be eleven episodes in and most probably would continue through until the very end since there's only five more episodes to go.
My point is that this drama feels like a reminiscence of the classic Korean dramas that started the entire Hallyu wave in the first place. Remember how insanely famous Bae Yong Joon,Song Seung Hoon(guy still can't even act to save a life),Song Hye Kyo,Won Bin,Choi Ji Woo et cetera was back then? I'm getting the very same old school vibes from TWtWB as well. The magical sparks that captivated the audience in the 2000s,I actually felt it in the first few episodes but somewhere halfway through I sorta got disconnected from the entire storyline. (I don't know why!Is it just me?)
As mentioned above,I do love the cinematography,BUT are the over the top close ups on the actors really necessary? I adored the close ups but after some time I started to find it to be quite distracting. I wanna focus on the storyline,not on how pretty and flawless your actors and actresses faces from certain angles.(Hey show,we get that this show is pretty heavy on all things pretty,we really do. I must admit that Jo In Sung DOES make suspenders look hot on him though. HEH.)
What didn't work for me: I don’t know if it’s just me being weird but I kinda stopped connecting with the characters from episode 8 onward this drama left me feeling cold. I’m still watching it because I’m still curious enough about Soo’s outcome to keep watching. He’s not a very good conman now isn't he? His cover’s blown here and there. I wonder how did he even managed to pull off the scam with Jinsung in the first episode.
I know that everyone’s been all about how this drama is awesome and all. Some were even moved to tears.
Nope,I did not even shed a single tear through eleven episodes.(I wonder if there’s something wrong with me,I feel so cold-blooded. :O) Kim Bum is so UNDERUTILIZED in this drama. I know that he's supposed to be the second male lead but seriously Noh Hee Kyung, how can you not give Jinsung's character more dimension? I feel like the side characters fall flat as they actually serve no purpose besides driving the plot forward whenever it's necessary. Hey,this problem seems familiar,no? Oh,now I remember. This problem was also present in Flower Boy Next Door too. Geez, what is with the scriptwriters these days? I totally understand that side characters aren't supposed to steal the limelight/thunder/spotlight or whatever you call it from the main characters but seriously, I hate it when the secondary leads aren't given much substance to work with,it frustrates me to no end. I've seen what Kim Bum can do and this isn't just it. He is capable of more. Yes,so much more!*fangirl pumps fists into the air* The motorbike scene was ridiculous. Really,who does their spying work in that kind of spot with such a high risk of exposure? Certainly not me. We are not THAT dense,you know,dear writer-nim. It's a shame seeing how often the Jinsung-Heesun gets thrown here and there for some occasional comic relief. I get that you don't want to overburden us viewers with all the tears,angst and conflict and whatnot but the whole random secondary OTP moments felt out of place. I want them to be together because there's a decent amount of chemistry between Kim Bum and Jung Eun Ji,I can feel it in my bones,but I don't want that part to be awkwardly integrated into the storyline,at least not like that.
This is my first Jo In Sung drama so I can't really make any comparison but I'll say that the drama watching experience was pretty much worth it since I've discovered such a charismatic gem like him though it. His screen presence is really no joke,I'm telling you. I came in solely for Kim Bum in the first place but instead I got captivated by Jo In Sung instead. I have to be honest,it was Jo In Sung's performance in the first three episodes that prompted me to continue watching this drama,I was sold. Yes,his delivery can be a little (okay maybe more than a little) over the top at times but who cares I love fawning over his super tall physique anyway.(I have a thing for tall guys)
Song Hye Kyo did a pretty decent job as Oh-Young,the rich blind heiress. For awhile,I actually forgot that she can actually see in real life (pretty believable eh?) so I have to give her props for that. I don't remember much of her from her previous works-melodramas in her early years,Full House and Worlds Within(yawn that show was so boring I couldn't even sit through an episode of it.Sorry Hyun Bin!) but I have to say that her delivery as Oh Young was her best performance yet. Okay,I've never completed any of the dramas mentioned earlier simply because none of it was good enough to merit my attention but it doesn't make my opinions less important. Jung Eun Ji is a decent actress(considering her background as an idol singer) and it's obvious that she has some raw potential in her. One downfall of her character as Heesun is that essentially it's pretty much similar to her previous role as Shiwon in Answer Me 1997 so there isn't really much breakthrough for her with Heesun. The only difference between the two,I feel, was the standard Seoul accent(I've no idea how it actually sounds like accurately since I'm no Korean) and her previous Busan accent. I still stand by what I've said earlier though,because I truly believe that with more experience under her belt throughout the evolution of time she'll definitely perform way better. She's still young so she still has plenty of time to hone her acting skills. Okay,I've only watched like two episodes of Answer Me 1997 before I dropped it(told 'ya I'm picky) so I'm merely judging her performance based on first impressions.
Confession time:
This is my first official venture into melodramas. I consider it my first melodrama since it's the first one that I've chosen to see through till the very end by choice. I usually stay away from melodramas if I can help it because I for one have never been a fan for tragic endings. In fact,I've stayed away from the famous 1 Litre of Tears J-drama for as long as I can remember simply because I cannot deal with all the crying that I'd be doing for each and every episode had I watched it. I've watched a couple of episodes from the Korean classic melodramas period during my childhood but (lucky for me!) it has always been a little bit of here and there rather than the dramas itself in its entirety. I only remember the most prominent parts from the dramas and the feels that certain scenes gave me.(Never underestimate the memory of a child!) Obviously at that time I couldn't understand why the main characters always had to either suffer from some kind of incurable disease(cancerous tumor,blindness,cancer for example) or have car accidents resulting in memory loss(amnesia). And then there's also the birth secrets(babies being swapped at birth,anyone?) plus fauxcest and oh-so-complicated love triangle(or is it rectangle ) to look out for. There's too many makjang drama tropes for me to list out one by one but I'm sure that you get what I mean. My exposure to Korean melodramas back when I was young wasn't by choice,but rather because the broadcasting stations in my country kept broadcasting it.(It was the IT thing at that time apparently. My elder sister was a HUGE fan of K-dramas back then.) Remember the times where people used to rent CDs from the rental stores? That's what my sister did. She rented lots of Hong Kong TVB dramas(too many for me too count) and also a couple of super famous K-dramas at that time. I can't remember the titles for those dramas but somehow one drama particularly stood out to me. It was Love Story in Harvard (That was my first exposure to Kim Tae Hee and Kim Rae Won) Goodness gracious,the English in it was atrocious! Seriously,Koreans whose first language isn't English should be prohibited from speaking it in dramas. Nothing puts me off like crappy English pronunciations.
Anyway,I digress. This post was supposed to be about TWtWB and my drama slump in the first place.
-___-
FACT : It is indeed the best one out of the current batch for the Wed-Thurs slot though.
I feel like I'm being all mean and nitpicky like some unreasonable ex-girlfriend. But really,for a first melodrama,it's not half bad at all. In fact,it way surpasses most of the try-too-hard makjang melodramas that the market is trying to sell these days.(I'm looking at you,I Miss You!) In fact,I can name so many more melodramas that are way crappier than this drama. I think this drama has achieved quite a feat. I can confidently say that this drama's way gripping and intense than Nice Guy(a.k.a The Innocent Man). At least it made narrative sense,and the characters aren't too out of the world ridiculous. One of the best things in a Noh Hee Kyung drama is that you can always count on good,insightful dialogues that makes you think. If you compare the lines for the two dramas,it is evident that Noh Hee Kyung is the better writer(At least,that's how it seemed to me). So yes,I'd say that TWtWB trumps over Nice Guy. At the moment I'm still not sure whether this drama is good enough to warrant a second watch (that privilege is only given to a select few that I've truly enjoyed-I'll elaborate more on that next time!) but I guess only time will tell. It depends on whether the writer is capable of giving me an ending that feels genuinely satisfactory.
I'm still not very sure about how I feel about this drama,so far it's been a mixed bag for me.Well it IS a melodrama after all,and there’s still 5 more episodes to go so we’ll see if my tears will eventually fall then. If they’re killing off any one of the character and leaving the other to be alone I’d probably be pretty devastated(although I have a strong feeling that they might embark on this route given the strong sense of foreboding in Soo’s narration of certain scenes). The way I see it,is that they either let they both live,or let them both die. Who knows,I might feel indifferent towards this drama after awhile and end up not caring about the outcome of the OTP at all.
Oh. About my drama slump. I can't seem to watch anything else besides TWtWB. I've tried! I tried watching five of the current airing J-dramas one mainland C-drama and three current airing K-dramas but somehow none of them stuck with me. I've completed lost the spark and urge to watch K-dramas. The current batch of dramas is too meh for me. Ish. The reason why I'm still watching TWtWB is because I've gone too far to stop now. I just have this urge to complete a melodrama for once for the sake of experience. HA. I've had a few close calls to dropping it but somehow my curiosity for Soo won out (for now).
I've been thinking of doing some analysis on drama OSTs perhaps on how well it actually compliments the drama itself but I'm still pretty unsure about it. Or maybe I can do another segment of Underrated Gems,or perhaps a post on K-indie music that I've discovered lately. Or should I write about something drama-related? What do you think? I'm not sure about drama reviews since my vocabulary glossary isn't exactly vast (it is quite limited and I don't really know a lot of bombastic words) so I'm worried that I'll run out of words to describe a particular scene. I actually think that this is the closest that I can get to writing a drama review. Hmm. It's not entirely impossible but it really depends on how much vibes I actually get from the particular drama itself (i.e. how strong is my urge to write/spaz about it).
It would mean to world to me if you can just take part in the poll. :)
Despite many positive reviews from a huge majority of viewers about how awesome this drama is and how it has managed to tug at their heartstrings,I've found that this drama has left me cold with it's execution. Now please do not get me wrong,this drama is really beautiful and the characters are actually quite intriguing(with the exception of Myungho-I really couldn't care less about him.) so I am not not going to discredit the facts. The exquisiteness of the visuals and exceptional cinematography deserves all the praise and recognition from the viewers(as proven by the recent uprise in ratings). This drama has been dominating the Wed-Thurs slot,and rightly so. I have only seen a handful of melodramas back in the early 2000s,and I've actually never managed to watch any of the dramas in it's entirety because the plot was too ridiculous for my own good. Hey I was barely a kid during the classic Korean melodramas period so I would've never gotten the ever-so-prevalent makjang elements in these dramas at that time anyway. I can still remember the birth secrets,fauxcest(seriously what is with the writers at that time huh they keep throwing this in almost in every other K-drama that I've seen in that time period)
I think this video by Bubz may give you a brief idea on some of the overused typical drama tropes at that time.
My point is that this drama feels like a reminiscence of the classic Korean dramas that started the entire Hallyu wave in the first place. Remember how insanely famous Bae Yong Joon,Song Seung Hoon(guy still can't even act to save a life),Song Hye Kyo,Won Bin,Choi Ji Woo et cetera was back then? I'm getting the very same old school vibes from TWtWB as well. The magical sparks that captivated the audience in the 2000s,I actually felt it in the first few episodes but somewhere halfway through I sorta got disconnected from the entire storyline. (I don't know why!Is it just me?)
As mentioned above,I do love the cinematography,BUT are the over the top close ups on the actors really necessary? I adored the close ups but after some time I started to find it to be quite distracting. I wanna focus on the storyline,not on how pretty and flawless your actors and actresses faces from certain angles.(Hey show,we get that this show is pretty heavy on all things pretty,we really do. I must admit that Jo In Sung DOES make suspenders look hot on him though. HEH.)
What didn't work for me: I don’t know if it’s just me being weird but I kinda stopped connecting with the characters from episode 8 onward this drama left me feeling cold. I’m still watching it because I’m still curious enough about Soo’s outcome to keep watching. He’s not a very good conman now isn't he? His cover’s blown here and there. I wonder how did he even managed to pull off the scam with Jinsung in the first episode.
I know that everyone’s been all about how this drama is awesome and all. Some were even moved to tears.
Nope,I did not even shed a single tear through eleven episodes.(I wonder if there’s something wrong with me,I feel so cold-blooded. :O) Kim Bum is so UNDERUTILIZED in this drama. I know that he's supposed to be the second male lead but seriously Noh Hee Kyung, how can you not give Jinsung's character more dimension? I feel like the side characters fall flat as they actually serve no purpose besides driving the plot forward whenever it's necessary. Hey,this problem seems familiar,no? Oh,now I remember. This problem was also present in Flower Boy Next Door too. Geez, what is with the scriptwriters these days? I totally understand that side characters aren't supposed to steal the limelight/thunder/spotlight or whatever you call it from the main characters but seriously, I hate it when the secondary leads aren't given much substance to work with,it frustrates me to no end. I've seen what Kim Bum can do and this isn't just it. He is capable of more. Yes,so much more!*fangirl pumps fists into the air* The motorbike scene was ridiculous. Really,who does their spying work in that kind of spot with such a high risk of exposure? Certainly not me. We are not THAT dense,you know,dear writer-nim. It's a shame seeing how often the Jinsung-Heesun gets thrown here and there for some occasional comic relief. I get that you don't want to overburden us viewers with all the tears,angst and conflict and whatnot but the whole random secondary OTP moments felt out of place. I want them to be together because there's a decent amount of chemistry between Kim Bum and Jung Eun Ji,I can feel it in my bones,but I don't want that part to be awkwardly integrated into the storyline,at least not like that.
This is my first Jo In Sung drama so I can't really make any comparison but I'll say that the drama watching experience was pretty much worth it since I've discovered such a charismatic gem like him though it. His screen presence is really no joke,I'm telling you. I came in solely for Kim Bum in the first place but instead I got captivated by Jo In Sung instead. I have to be honest,it was Jo In Sung's performance in the first three episodes that prompted me to continue watching this drama,I was sold. Yes,his delivery can be a little (okay maybe more than a little) over the top at times but who cares I love fawning over his super tall physique anyway.(I have a thing for tall guys)
Song Hye Kyo did a pretty decent job as Oh-Young,the rich blind heiress. For awhile,I actually forgot that she can actually see in real life (pretty believable eh?) so I have to give her props for that. I don't remember much of her from her previous works-melodramas in her early years,Full House and Worlds Within(yawn that show was so boring I couldn't even sit through an episode of it.Sorry Hyun Bin!) but I have to say that her delivery as Oh Young was her best performance yet. Okay,I've never completed any of the dramas mentioned earlier simply because none of it was good enough to merit my attention but it doesn't make my opinions less important. Jung Eun Ji is a decent actress(considering her background as an idol singer) and it's obvious that she has some raw potential in her. One downfall of her character as Heesun is that essentially it's pretty much similar to her previous role as Shiwon in Answer Me 1997 so there isn't really much breakthrough for her with Heesun. The only difference between the two,I feel, was the standard Seoul accent(I've no idea how it actually sounds like accurately since I'm no Korean) and her previous Busan accent. I still stand by what I've said earlier though,because I truly believe that with more experience under her belt throughout the evolution of time she'll definitely perform way better. She's still young so she still has plenty of time to hone her acting skills. Okay,I've only watched like two episodes of Answer Me 1997 before I dropped it(told 'ya I'm picky) so I'm merely judging her performance based on first impressions.
Confession time:
This is my first official venture into melodramas. I consider it my first melodrama since it's the first one that I've chosen to see through till the very end by choice. I usually stay away from melodramas if I can help it because I for one have never been a fan for tragic endings. In fact,I've stayed away from the famous 1 Litre of Tears J-drama for as long as I can remember simply because I cannot deal with all the crying that I'd be doing for each and every episode had I watched it. I've watched a couple of episodes from the Korean classic melodramas period during my childhood but (lucky for me!) it has always been a little bit of here and there rather than the dramas itself in its entirety. I only remember the most prominent parts from the dramas and the feels that certain scenes gave me.(Never underestimate the memory of a child!) Obviously at that time I couldn't understand why the main characters always had to either suffer from some kind of incurable disease(cancerous tumor,blindness,cancer for example) or have car accidents resulting in memory loss(amnesia). And then there's also the birth secrets(babies being swapped at birth,anyone?) plus fauxcest and oh-so-complicated love triangle(or is it rectangle ) to look out for. There's too many makjang drama tropes for me to list out one by one but I'm sure that you get what I mean. My exposure to Korean melodramas back when I was young wasn't by choice,but rather because the broadcasting stations in my country kept broadcasting it.(It was the IT thing at that time apparently. My elder sister was a HUGE fan of K-dramas back then.) Remember the times where people used to rent CDs from the rental stores? That's what my sister did. She rented lots of Hong Kong TVB dramas(too many for me too count) and also a couple of super famous K-dramas at that time. I can't remember the titles for those dramas but somehow one drama particularly stood out to me. It was Love Story in Harvard (That was my first exposure to Kim Tae Hee and Kim Rae Won) Goodness gracious,the English in it was atrocious! Seriously,Koreans whose first language isn't English should be prohibited from speaking it in dramas. Nothing puts me off like crappy English pronunciations.
Anyway,I digress. This post was supposed to be about TWtWB and my drama slump in the first place.
-___-
FACT : It is indeed the best one out of the current batch for the Wed-Thurs slot though.
I feel like I'm being all mean and nitpicky like some unreasonable ex-girlfriend. But really,for a first melodrama,it's not half bad at all. In fact,it way surpasses most of the try-too-hard makjang melodramas that the market is trying to sell these days.(I'm looking at you,I Miss You!) In fact,I can name so many more melodramas that are way crappier than this drama. I think this drama has achieved quite a feat. I can confidently say that this drama's way gripping and intense than Nice Guy(a.k.a The Innocent Man). At least it made narrative sense,and the characters aren't too out of the world ridiculous. One of the best things in a Noh Hee Kyung drama is that you can always count on good,insightful dialogues that makes you think. If you compare the lines for the two dramas,it is evident that Noh Hee Kyung is the better writer(At least,that's how it seemed to me). So yes,I'd say that TWtWB trumps over Nice Guy. At the moment I'm still not sure whether this drama is good enough to warrant a second watch (that privilege is only given to a select few that I've truly enjoyed-I'll elaborate more on that next time!) but I guess only time will tell. It depends on whether the writer is capable of giving me an ending that feels genuinely satisfactory.
I'm still not very sure about how I feel about this drama,so far it's been a mixed bag for me.Well it IS a melodrama after all,and there’s still 5 more episodes to go so we’ll see if my tears will eventually fall then. If they’re killing off any one of the character and leaving the other to be alone I’d probably be pretty devastated(although I have a strong feeling that they might embark on this route given the strong sense of foreboding in Soo’s narration of certain scenes). The way I see it,is that they either let they both live,or let them both die. Who knows,I might feel indifferent towards this drama after awhile and end up not caring about the outcome of the OTP at all.
Oh. About my drama slump. I can't seem to watch anything else besides TWtWB. I've tried! I tried watching five of the current airing J-dramas one mainland C-drama and three current airing K-dramas but somehow none of them stuck with me. I've completed lost the spark and urge to watch K-dramas. The current batch of dramas is too meh for me. Ish. The reason why I'm still watching TWtWB is because I've gone too far to stop now. I just have this urge to complete a melodrama for once for the sake of experience. HA. I've had a few close calls to dropping it but somehow my curiosity for Soo won out (for now).
I've been thinking of doing some analysis on drama OSTs perhaps on how well it actually compliments the drama itself but I'm still pretty unsure about it. Or maybe I can do another segment of Underrated Gems,or perhaps a post on K-indie music that I've discovered lately. Or should I write about something drama-related? What do you think? I'm not sure about drama reviews since my vocabulary glossary isn't exactly vast (it is quite limited and I don't really know a lot of bombastic words) so I'm worried that I'll run out of words to describe a particular scene. I actually think that this is the closest that I can get to writing a drama review. Hmm. It's not entirely impossible but it really depends on how much vibes I actually get from the particular drama itself (i.e. how strong is my urge to write/spaz about it).
It would mean to world to me if you can just take part in the poll. :)
Sunday, 3 March 2013
A voyage of rediscovery : Music
Ahhh,FT Island's Bad Woman. Where shall I start from? This song holds a really special meaning to me because it is the first Korean song that propelled me towards this tiny little genre of music called K-pop. You see,a friend of mine suggested this song to me as an introductory to FT Island's music. Their songs usually have string instrumentals,guitar riffs and bass notes of a rock song with the crooning vocals and lyrics of a ballad. Although the MV isn't exactly the best one out there (Let's face it,it is quite mediocre.)but Hongki's vocals particular stood out to me in this song.(Duh,that's why he's the lead vocalist.) I love the timbre of his voice,love the depth he gives to a song with that slightly hoarse-like voice of his. There's just something very powerful and genuine about the way he conveys his emotions whenever he sings. His vocals are raw and distinctive enough for me to be able to identify his voice. The moment he starts singing,I know right away that it's him.
This isn't a new release but BEAST's On Rainy Days is actually my favourite song from the group.Since it was meant as a promotional single from their Fiction and Fact album "Biga Oneun Naren" wasn't really promoted and performed as often on live music shows. It's a shame,really since I actually prefer this single over the heavily promoted lead single "Fiction".
I know that this blog primarily focuses on stuff related to the Korean entertainment/music industry as a whole but I believe that good music,like a good book is universal. You don’t even need to know what the song is about because you somehow (subconsciously) understand and get the message behind the song. Well,at least this is how I feel when I listen to Korean songs despite not knowing exactly what the lyrics of the song are about. This song The Fleeting Fireworks was originally sung by Jay Chou,and although the original song was pretty decent I was really blown away by Terry Lin's astonishingly brilliant cover of the song. His beautiful voice,along with the poetic lyrics(for English translation of the lyrics click HERE) made me see this song in a new light. I dare say that his version was definitely way better than the original.
What this song is about : The setting of the song is in the Northern Wei dynasty in the city of Luoyang. This song retells a love story between an imperial general and a girl he loved. It was a love at first sight for them. They secretly made a pact to marry no one but each other. However, just then, the general received orders to fight at the borders. In the subsequent years of warring, the capital of Luoyang was reduced to rumbles, destroyed. After years of awaiting the general's return to no avail, the girl entered a nunnery. The general then, against all odds, managed to return and found the nunnery the girl was in. Yet, all had changed and their affinity had ended. In this rainy night at the ancient temple, the two exchanged unspoken gazes, lamenting how the grandeur of this world vanished as easily as fireworks. The lyrics are filled with hidden passion and emotion of love and war. Check out Terry Lin's rendition of the song below!
Here's Yim Jae Bum's cover of Desperado (originally sung by The Eagles). I love his voice. :3
It's amazing how our perspective differs when we listen to the same song after some time under different circumstances,eh?
I hope that this post inspired you to give some love to the old songs in your laptop/cell phone/ipod/mp3. :)
This isn't a new release but BEAST's On Rainy Days is actually my favourite song from the group.Since it was meant as a promotional single from their Fiction and Fact album "Biga Oneun Naren" wasn't really promoted and performed as often on live music shows. It's a shame,really since I actually prefer this single over the heavily promoted lead single "Fiction".
I know that this blog primarily focuses on stuff related to the Korean entertainment/music industry as a whole but I believe that good music,like a good book is universal. You don’t even need to know what the song is about because you somehow (subconsciously) understand and get the message behind the song. Well,at least this is how I feel when I listen to Korean songs despite not knowing exactly what the lyrics of the song are about. This song The Fleeting Fireworks was originally sung by Jay Chou,and although the original song was pretty decent I was really blown away by Terry Lin's astonishingly brilliant cover of the song. His beautiful voice,along with the poetic lyrics(for English translation of the lyrics click HERE) made me see this song in a new light. I dare say that his version was definitely way better than the original.
What this song is about : The setting of the song is in the Northern Wei dynasty in the city of Luoyang. This song retells a love story between an imperial general and a girl he loved. It was a love at first sight for them. They secretly made a pact to marry no one but each other. However, just then, the general received orders to fight at the borders. In the subsequent years of warring, the capital of Luoyang was reduced to rumbles, destroyed. After years of awaiting the general's return to no avail, the girl entered a nunnery. The general then, against all odds, managed to return and found the nunnery the girl was in. Yet, all had changed and their affinity had ended. In this rainy night at the ancient temple, the two exchanged unspoken gazes, lamenting how the grandeur of this world vanished as easily as fireworks. The lyrics are filled with hidden passion and emotion of love and war. Check out Terry Lin's rendition of the song below!
Here's Yim Jae Bum's cover of Desperado (originally sung by The Eagles). I love his voice. :3
It's amazing how our perspective differs when we listen to the same song after some time under different circumstances,eh?
I hope that this post inspired you to give some love to the old songs in your laptop/cell phone/ipod/mp3. :)
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Currently listening to
Hello again,folks! How's it been for you guys?
I've been having a couple of less well-known albums that I really like on rotation lately so I thought that it would be a good idea to share them with y'all. I am well aware that my personal musical preference may not be the same as yours so my advice is that you should take it with a grain of salt.
Albums that withstood the test of time (meaning that I actually replay these albums on a daily basis without feeling sick of them,at all in no particular order) are as follows:
1. Park Ji Yoon's Tree of Life-also known as Dream of Becoming A Tree (2012)
As you can probably infer from my current choice of music,it seems that I'm rather inclined towards the soul/R&B genre as of late,which is actually something pretty new for me. These artists cannot be categorised in the K-indie genre but I suppose that they are quite independent in the sense that they actually can and have the ability to exercise more creative control and take reign in deciding what music do they want to portray to others,and that,I think,was what mattered to me the most.
I'm currently testing out two albums namely Jung Yup's Part I,Me (2011) and Lucia's Decalcomanie (2012),so I am actually quite excited and curious to see if they too will endure the test of time. If you do happen to have any good album recommendations,please feel free to blast away in the comments section down below.
This may seem quite abrupt and rather irrelevant but on a side note I am having quite some Flower Boy Next Door withdrawal symptoms. Never mind,here's a collection of GIFs from my favourite scene ever. HEH warm fuzzies.
I've been having a couple of less well-known albums that I really like on rotation lately so I thought that it would be a good idea to share them with y'all. I am well aware that my personal musical preference may not be the same as yours so my advice is that you should take it with a grain of salt.
Albums that withstood the test of time (meaning that I actually replay these albums on a daily basis without feeling sick of them,at all in no particular order) are as follows:
1. Park Ji Yoon's Tree of Life-also known as Dream of Becoming A Tree (2012)
- I can't seem to put my finger on it but somehow there's just something about Park Ji Yoon's airy vocals that just gets to me. The star of this album has to be Tree of Life. Seriously,this track is all kinds of awesome and it totally grew on me after the first listen.In order to make things easier for you,check out the first song playing in playlist below and you'll see what I mean. I don't love every single song on this album,but I still like the songs enough to replay them multiple times.
- One of the reviewers from American Kpop Fans said that she was "blindsided by the awesomeness that is Joo Young" and well, I couldn't agree more with her. Damn,I can't believe that this gem of a voice suddenly popped out of nowhere,astounding us with his sleek,velvety vocals. You want some soul/R&B? You've got yourself one,and a singer-songriter at that. How did a person of such calibre (caliber in American English) went unnoticed? I loved every single song on this album,surely this must mean something,no? I seem to have a thing for title tracks because my favourite track from this album is From Me to You. The other tracks on the album are equally good too quality-wise. You can check out From Me to You (third track on the playlist below) and It Was Farewell(sixth track) just to get a taste of his music. His voice somehow reminds me of Khalil Fong the Hong Kong soul Mandopop singer-songwriter. If you like Khalil 's voice,chances are that you'll probably like Joo Young's sound as well.
- I do think that this 3-person male vocal group is sorely underrated. For what it's worth,I truly feel that they are one of the best voices around in the industry. If you want some rich melodies of the soul/R&B genre then this would be your best bet. Why YG would ever let them go is beyond me. It happened with Big Mama,it happened with Su Pearls,all that I can say is,MEH. Perhaps it was best for them,since this means that they now have more artistic control,which is always good in my book. I was so tempted to go on a rant on how fired up I am over the disbandment of Su Pearl but I think that's a story better left for another day. Anyway,back to our boys,I actually quite like this album as a whole since the sound is pretty much consistent throughout. I don't have a favourite song though.
- d.ear (Lee Hyung-seok) is only of the early rookies of the year.,dropping a full length album with all tracks written, composed, and produced by d.ear himself. He comes from RealCollabo, the same company that houses Joo Young (mentioned above). Love Graphy is a solid debut from d.ear. I love that the instrumentals are kept clean and simple as a means to showcase his vocal abilities. My personal favourite from this album has to be Time Goes By. It has a jazz/R&B-ish vibe to it that I really like. One thing worth mentioning is that the flow of all of the tracks are really good in a very cohesive way. I love how the entire album stays consistent and true to its main theme until the very end. There wasn't a single track that felt out of place in terms of its musicality which I have to say is a quality that I can rarely find in albums nowadays. I am all about cohesiveness and consistency when it comes to albums so when it's properly done,that makes me a happy listener. I have to admit that there's a fine line between being consistent and boring,so I'm pleasantly surprised to see such a good piece of work from a rookie like d.ear.
As you can probably infer from my current choice of music,it seems that I'm rather inclined towards the soul/R&B genre as of late,which is actually something pretty new for me. These artists cannot be categorised in the K-indie genre but I suppose that they are quite independent in the sense that they actually can and have the ability to exercise more creative control and take reign in deciding what music do they want to portray to others,and that,I think,was what mattered to me the most.
I'm currently testing out two albums namely Jung Yup's Part I,Me (2011) and Lucia's Decalcomanie (2012),so I am actually quite excited and curious to see if they too will endure the test of time. If you do happen to have any good album recommendations,please feel free to blast away in the comments section down below.
This may seem quite abrupt and rather irrelevant but on a side note I am having quite some Flower Boy Next Door withdrawal symptoms. Never mind,here's a collection of GIFs from my favourite scene ever. HEH warm fuzzies.
-finito-
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Inspirational : A message to all the single ladies.
I stumbled upon this excerpt on a Tumblr inspirational advice blog where a 16-year-old was so worried about not falling in love and thought that there must be something wrong with her for her to be single at her age. I really love the response given by the blogger herself. I really do. Most of her thoughts struck a chord and particularly rung true for me,so I thought that hey,it would be a waste not to share such positive outlook in life with each and everyone of you,regardless of your current relationship status.
" If through some stroke of fate, nobody comes to love you romantically throughout your whole life, then you know what you do have? Platonic love. Familial love. And most importantly: you have self love.
Romantic love isn’t necessary to lead a fulfilled life. There are so, so many other kinds of love out there that are just as fulfilling. The love of your friends, of your family, of people who look up to you, of strangers.
And above all that is the love you can give yourself. There is great beauty in loving yourself, in loving your own company, in appreciating being alone rather than being lonely. In being happy just in observing the world, in interactions with your own loved once and with strangers, in appreciating your own life, and in learning more about yourself than you ever would have otherwise.
That is the kind of life you could have if nobody ever falls in love with you. And, hell, that’s the kind of life you could have if somebody does, as well. There is nothing at all that is stopping you from doing and experiencing those things in that way, even if you have somebody with you to love.
If you love yourself, nobody and nothing can ever bring you down. It’s not an easy thing to achieve, but once you do, oh how worth it it is.
So when you think about it, really.. suddenly a life without being anybody’s girlfriend or wife doesn’t seem quite so terrifying. Am I right? :] "
So,do you agree with the author's train of thoughts? Singlehood should not be viewed as a curse or an indication that there is “something wrong” with you. Personally,I find it very insightful (considering that the author's only 22). Since I am also single I find myself nodding furiously in agreement as I read this. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this,so do free feel to blast away.
Let's talk about music: Underrated Gems #1
I love discovering talented singers that are way under the radar and damn it feels super satisfying when I get to introduce them to my friends. I suppose that this Underrated Gems corner will be a habitual thing,since I've been dying to compile all my limited knowledge of Korean singers that are in dire need of recognition. Although I do admit that I've grown to be more inclined towards Korean music in recent years,I still don't really consider myself a huge fan of typical Korean pop music. Of course there are still quite a few gems here and there in K-pop,but more than often to be honest I find the music to be quite repetitive,which irks me a lot. Also,most of the typical K-pop material puts me off with catchy lyrics that makes no sense to me,at all. Besides,most typical K-pop musical acts usually already have a solid backing from various entertainment companies which relies on promoting their tracks heavily so I doubt that they'll need any more of my support. I am not bashing mainstream K-pop,I'm just saying that instead of being repetitive by introducing you guys to voices that you might already know about,I'd rather just introduce you to the less well known voices in the Korean music industry. So I guess this means that you can anticipate more of my thoughts and ramblings on relatively unknown singers,duos,groups,bands and whatnot in the future. You'd probably gather from the title of my blog the fact that I happen to be immensely obsessed when it comes to discovering awesome Korean indie bands so you'll also have these to look forward too. Friendly reminder: Don't forget to pause the player at the bottom of this blog before you move on.
Without further ado, I give you The One! No,I'm serious,this singer is really known as The One. I bet you thought I was trying to make a funny pun about him being The One,eh? HEH. I've tried to gather more information about him but sadly I could barely find anything on the net. Fear not,for I have put my stalker skills to good use. I managed to compile some videos of him performing which you will see below later on. I discovered this gem of a voice through his OST releases. All that I know is that he has participated in the second season of I Am a Singer(Naneun Gaseuda). I Am a Singer differs from other televised music competitions in that the participants are all veteran musicians who have established music careers varying from mega stardom to relative obscurity. Due to this fact, and because none of the accomplished singers desire to be voted last amongst their peers and eliminated, the level of performance is usually high and acclaimed by critics and viewers alike. (source:Wikipedia)
About the man : For those who don't know him -- he's a famous vocal trainer and artist who has taught over 400 artists including TVXQ, Super Junior, Sugar, Taeyeon,Fly to The Sky, and Shinhwa just to name a few.
I do hope that this has been helpful and I look forward to see you again in my next Underrated Gems segment. See ya! ♡
Without further ado, I give you The One! No,I'm serious,this singer is really known as The One. I bet you thought I was trying to make a funny pun about him being The One,eh? HEH. I've tried to gather more information about him but sadly I could barely find anything on the net. Fear not,for I have put my stalker skills to good use. I managed to compile some videos of him performing which you will see below later on. I discovered this gem of a voice through his OST releases. All that I know is that he has participated in the second season of I Am a Singer(Naneun Gaseuda). I Am a Singer differs from other televised music competitions in that the participants are all veteran musicians who have established music careers varying from mega stardom to relative obscurity. Due to this fact, and because none of the accomplished singers desire to be voted last amongst their peers and eliminated, the level of performance is usually high and acclaimed by critics and viewers alike. (source:Wikipedia)
About the man : For those who don't know him -- he's a famous vocal trainer and artist who has taught over 400 artists including TVXQ, Super Junior, Sugar, Taeyeon,Fly to The Sky, and Shinhwa just to name a few.
The One's rendition of the ever so famous That Man from the Secret Garden OST. Trust me,your bestie Hyun Bin will be so proud of you,The One! HAHAHAH I'm still laughing out loud at the absurdity of this sentence as we speak. Sorry,I couldn't find any info on this singer's actual birth name so we'll just have to go with The One for now. Koreans and their ridiculous glamour names in the music industry. *shrug*
Next up he also did a rendition of Kim Bum Soo's It Will Pass. Kim Bum Soo is one of my favourite voices in the Korean music industry. I could probably go on and on about why I love his voice if I wanted to but meh,it will be better for me save it for another post since he's not the main character today. Enjoy!
Want to Fly was my personal favourite among all of his live renditions. I don't know who the original singer is but damn,the lyrics and every line that he sang simply gives me the feels and judging from the audience's reaction,I think it's pretty safe for me to infer that they agree with me too.
He also did Jo Sung Mo's Do You Know. I'm having goosebumps again just thinking of the song. Damn impressive vocals.
Someday. No explanation needed.
That Person was his last and winning piece on the final round of I Am a Singer 2.
His most recent release is A Winter Story featured in the OST current airing drama That Winter,the Wind Blows starring Song Hye Gyo,Jo In Sung,Kim Bum and Jung Eun Ji. Gosh,the feels. I was so tempted to preach about the awesomeness of this drama or even nudge you guys to go and watch this drama but I finally decided against it. Why,you ask? The main reason being that I don't think that a gem like this drama will go unnoticed for too long since the blogosphere is already buzzing with excitement. This drama has even brought out people who've sworn off melodramas for good. HA. I guess having Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo starring in a drama after years of hiatus from the TV screen does help in some way. Plus,there's also Noh Hee Kyung who is one of the most highly regarded writers today in the Korean drama industry. Anyway,check out the song below! :)
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
19 Before 20: My birthday goal list!
This post was inspired by Miss Indie's blog post HERE. I figured that since I have so much time on my hands I might as well take on this challenge. So here's my take of my very own 19 before 20 list. I've had a hard time figuring out what I want for my life this year, but I feel that as long as I try achieving as much goals as possible it will be good enough for me and hopefully I will grow and mature better as an individual as a result. Here's to hoping!
1. Get lasik eye surgery. This was on my Before I Die bucket list last year and I still haven't gotten around to persuading my parents to allow me to get one.
2. Get my braces done. I happen to have a very serious phobia of dentists but my parents have been nagging me to get one for ages so this has to happen,pronto.
3. Read at least 10 books.
4. Figure out what I want in life and finalize my university selection.
5. Watch at least 3 decent 2013 Korean dramas. And by decent I mean dramas that are brilliantly written,witty,sleek,humorous,heartwarming with proper execution. Breathtaking visuals and cinematography also helps. School 2013 is already on this list. Flower Boy Next Door is proving itself to be a strong contender although at this point of time we still have 3 more episodes left but if it keeps staying awesome,I'll have another one under my belt. I've recently started on my first melodrama venture which is That Winter,the Wind Blows. It actually came across to me as a surprise since I am in fact strongly averse to melodramas and overused drama tropes like fauxcest,car accidents,switched identities,rich heiress falls in love with conman yada yada yada you know what I mean. I’m a little alarmed by how much I love TWtWB, actually. I know that dramas can always turn on you and suck at the end but as of now damnnn,the first three episodes worked for me. Jo In Sung shone brilliantly in this role. I swear I feel like calling him oppa chi-geum-tang-jang right now! (the chi-geum-tang-jang right now part is a pun on the most uttered phrase by the panda-eyed editor in FBND. HEH.) GO.WATCH.THIS.DRAMA.RIGHT.NOW. I am also having my fingers crossed for upcoming dramas like Nine and The Gu Family Book.
6. Read my long abandoned textbooks before I head to university.
7. Score well in IELTS.
8. Get another charm for my charm bracelet.
9. Lose 5kg.
10. Have a birthday celebration with my girlfriends.
11. Find my very own individual sense of style through experimenting while making my outfit choices. (Read : Expand my wardrobe collection)
12. Learn how to contour my face. (I have no idea on how to use a bronzer or a blush,so hopefully I'll slowly get the hang of it soon?)
13. Participate in some charity work of any sort.
14. Make some new friends.
15. Start video blogging.
16. Try to balance out my English and Chinese proficiency. I don't know why but somehow whenever I'm getting really good at either one of it,the other language will definitely deteriorate rapidly for sure. Can't I be just be equally good for both?
17. Get myself a decent,long lasting and timeless accessory.
18. Expand my skincare and makeup collection. I'd love to improvise my skincare routine and hone my makeup skills.
19. Take up a Korean language course.
Do you have any goals to achieve before your next birthday?
1. Get lasik eye surgery. This was on my Before I Die bucket list last year and I still haven't gotten around to persuading my parents to allow me to get one.
2. Get my braces done. I happen to have a very serious phobia of dentists but my parents have been nagging me to get one for ages so this has to happen,pronto.
3. Read at least 10 books.
4. Figure out what I want in life and finalize my university selection.
5. Watch at least 3 decent 2013 Korean dramas. And by decent I mean dramas that are brilliantly written,witty,sleek,humorous,heartwarming with proper execution. Breathtaking visuals and cinematography also helps. School 2013 is already on this list. Flower Boy Next Door is proving itself to be a strong contender although at this point of time we still have 3 more episodes left but if it keeps staying awesome,I'll have another one under my belt. I've recently started on my first melodrama venture which is That Winter,the Wind Blows. It actually came across to me as a surprise since I am in fact strongly averse to melodramas and overused drama tropes like fauxcest,car accidents,switched identities,rich heiress falls in love with conman yada yada yada you know what I mean. I’m a little alarmed by how much I love TWtWB, actually. I know that dramas can always turn on you and suck at the end but as of now damnnn,the first three episodes worked for me. Jo In Sung shone brilliantly in this role. I swear I feel like calling him oppa chi-geum-tang-jang right now! (the chi-geum-tang-jang right now part is a pun on the most uttered phrase by the panda-eyed editor in FBND. HEH.) GO.WATCH.THIS.DRAMA.RIGHT.NOW. I am also having my fingers crossed for upcoming dramas like Nine and The Gu Family Book.
6. Read my long abandoned textbooks before I head to university.
7. Score well in IELTS.
8. Get another charm for my charm bracelet.
9. Lose 5kg.
10. Have a birthday celebration with my girlfriends.
11. Find my very own individual sense of style through experimenting while making my outfit choices. (Read : Expand my wardrobe collection)
12. Learn how to contour my face. (I have no idea on how to use a bronzer or a blush,so hopefully I'll slowly get the hang of it soon?)
13. Participate in some charity work of any sort.
14. Make some new friends.
15. Start video blogging.
16. Try to balance out my English and Chinese proficiency. I don't know why but somehow whenever I'm getting really good at either one of it,the other language will definitely deteriorate rapidly for sure. Can't I be just be equally good for both?
17. Get myself a decent,long lasting and timeless accessory.
18. Expand my skincare and makeup collection. I'd love to improvise my skincare routine and hone my makeup skills.
19. Take up a Korean language course.
Do you have any goals to achieve before your next birthday?
Sunday, 17 February 2013
So...
I guess this is it! This will be my first attempt on blogging publicly so be niceee,people. I've been blogging for almost 4 years in my tiny little private space but I've always wondered what it'd be like if the public actually read the things that I wrote,be it random musings or vain picture and what not so here I am. I am an avid fan of all things Korean despite my inability to actually speak the language or read Hangul. Hopefully this place can be an interactive medium for you and me because I happen to love spazzing over awesome K-dramas,Korean indie bands,Big Bang,fashion and a whole load more of topics in general. Even if you do not fancy anything Korean related at all (which I don't mind at all,really.) it'll be nice for me to gain some insight from you people.
My first language is English but I'd say that my Chinese (Mandarin) is equally good as my English if not better. No worries guys,I'll be mainly using English. If I happen to come across any insightful Chinese quotes or phrases I'll try to keep my translation as close as possible to the original intended meaning. To be honest,I don’t really know a lot about English grammar. I think I know how to use it well enough, but if you were to ask me to describe the exact accurate usage of certain terms and phrases,I don't think I can explain it to you. So yes,I may not have a perfect command of English BUT I'll definitely try to stay as grammatically accurate as possible,deh?
I stole my blog's title from my Tumblr blog simply because my brain has refused to cooperate in giving me a super kickass awesome name and somehow this came out so I guess I owe it to my former 17 year old self for the name. lololol
You can ask me anything on Formspring here.
Find me on Tumblr right here.
Welcome aboard!
My first language is English but I'd say that my Chinese (Mandarin) is equally good as my English if not better. No worries guys,I'll be mainly using English. If I happen to come across any insightful Chinese quotes or phrases I'll try to keep my translation as close as possible to the original intended meaning. To be honest,I don’t really know a lot about English grammar. I think I know how to use it well enough, but if you were to ask me to describe the exact accurate usage of certain terms and phrases,I don't think I can explain it to you. So yes,I may not have a perfect command of English BUT I'll definitely try to stay as grammatically accurate as possible,deh?
I stole my blog's title from my Tumblr blog simply because my brain has refused to cooperate in giving me a super kickass awesome name and somehow this came out so I guess I owe it to my former 17 year old self for the name. lololol
You can ask me anything on Formspring here.
Find me on Tumblr right here.
Welcome aboard!
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