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My Thoughts on ‘Our Beloved Summer’

In a line or two: 

Our Beloved Summer was such a healing, therapeutic watch that did not hide the 'humanness' of love.

The story: 

The drama is about two exes--- Kook Yeon Soo and Choi Woong (high-school students when they began dating) who had a 5-year relationship and broke up. They meet 5 years later and agree (fact: are forced) to shoot a documentary similar to the one they shot in high school. What starts from a '100 Things I Hate About You' turns into an introspective, messy yet heart-warming return to each other.

My Thoughts:

1. I love the layers in Kook Yeon Soo's personality. She's smart, socially inadept, deadpan, and more sensitive than she lets herself acknowledge. I love how the flaws in her character actually make her more endearing and relatable.

2. Kim Ji Woong, our male lead's best friend, is actually the prettiest one here, according to me. He's at constant war with himself, but I also love how he returns to the camera to shoot people's raw selves and finds comfort in it. 

I especially love his friendship with Choi Ung, who despite knowing that Kim Ji Woong has feelings for Yeon Soo, doesn’t push him away.

3. I thought the drama would come to be overwhelming given its storyline. But surprisingly, I couldn't keep away from it because of how comforting I found it to be. 

4. Then we have K-pop idol NJ. She's such a fireball. She's funny, adorable, and yet so trapped and defined by people's idea of her. I love how Choi Ung and she decide to remain friends, comforting each other when things aren't going their way. 

5. Okay, I love Choi Ung's parents so much! Honestly, the idea of running a restaurant and feeding people good food is the definition of a beautiful life for me. However, their care for Ung and his art is so cute and heart rendering.

6. It was through NJ that I realized how joy-crushing fame can be. You forget who you are and try too hard to become someone else's expectations of who you should be.

7. I think Choi-Ung's definition of happiness: "To do lie down and watch the sunlight stream through leaves" was when I first fell for him. 

I love how he's never glorified 'living big'. He's so content with his wants. He knows exactly the kind of people he wants to be around and isn't afraid to go for an unconventional way of living if it makes him peaceful and happy.

8. When they all head for a 3-day trip for the shoot, I got really emotional watching Yeon Soo enjoy herself. It was so nice to see her smile and laugh and let herself free. 

That was the first time I realized how lonely she must have been all these years, handling responsibilities and pushing people away to avoid hurt.

9. My favorite moment of the series was when Ung is waiting for Yeon's answer: will she travel to Germany with him as he enrolls in the architecture program? They meet at Sol Yi's restaurant and Yeon Soo chooses to stay back in Korea because that's what feels right to her. 

There is this amazing moment where they know what they have to do for themselves and yet are so supportive of each other, without letting go of the love they've fought so hard to come back to.

10.Then we have Sol-Yi. I mean, who cannot love her? She's Yeon Soo's 'Reality Check Provider' and also her soundboard + BFF. I have to say I absolutely enjoy watching Park Jin Joo on screen. Even with her supporting role in 'Her Private Life', she was fabulous. 

Here, Sol Yi is spontaneous, has a I-am-the-love-guru vibe and is atrocious in her choice of men. She cooks mediocre food but she doesn't give up on her dream. She's sassy, rude, amazing, and absolutely honest.

11. Lastly, I want to say I came to love Chae Ran so much. She's assistant produce to Kim Ji Ung and is also his unmistakable 'soulmate'. She possess so much sensitivity and yet is so calm and cool. 

I love how she decides to wait for Kim Ji Ung to be in a better headspace before she confesses her feelings for him. That was such a mature, soft, 'ah' moment.

Learnings:

1. When the Universe gives you second chances, grab them with both hands and work to give them your all. People do not come into your life accidentally. Each one is there for a reason.

2. Love has a funny, soft, ridiculously amazing way to make itself known. Allow yourself to feel it when it knocks your door. (P.S: Open it wide and let love rain in your heart.)

3. Love is a fairytale, with all the sparkles, the imperfections, the laughs, the tears, the growth, the support, and the gooey-warm feeling you get when you're with someone right for you.

4. Forgiveness is hard. But regret is worse. 

5. Whoever you were has made you who you are today. But you can always change if you don't like who you've become.

Last Words: 

Oh, please watch this show. It is absolutely adorable, warm and mature.💕💕

~ Our Beloved Summer ~ Favorite Moments / Stills (2) 🌺

~ Finished watching ‘What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’ last week and these are some of my favorite lines from the drama. Also, I think Ji-Ah was so cute.❤ ~ 

~'Itaewon Class’ Taught Me That As Long As You Believe, The Universe Will Make It Happen ~

I will get straight to the point: ‘Itaewon Class’ has been radical, powerful, inspiring and downright bomb. It is such a refreshing show and I am so glad to have watched it during this phase of my life.

The story centers around Park Saeroyi, a high school student who gets suspended for standing up against a bully and refusing to apologize for it. Even as life continues to knock him down, Saeroyi decides to get back up each time. His end goal is to bring down his rival, Chairman Jang Dae-Hee of the renowned food corporation, Janga.Co. As a part of his plan, Saeroyi decides to open his own pub in bustling Itaewon. Along the way, he meets and embraces a troupe of societal misfits who become the backbone of DanBam (his pub).

My Learnings from Itaewon Class:

1. Follow your gut, through and through.

I love Saeroyi for having such deep-rooted conviction in his beliefs and in his intuition. While he pursues his goal with logic and passion, it is his open heart that guides him through every rise and fall.

2. Be flexible; that's how you always remain a learner.

Another thing that I love about Saeroyi is the way he accepts new information and new mannerisms. He is open to suggestions, accepts when he is being stuck-up and rectifies his mistakes by learning how to be flexible.

3. Believe in yourself even when nobody does.

Man, this is such a spectacular thing to watch in Saeroyi, Yi-Seo and Hyeon-yi. Even when the world is against them, these 3 continue believing in themselves and that's exactly why they achieve remarkable things.

4. Have a vision for yourself.

It is delightful to meet goal-driven, visionary, Park Saeroyi even when he is far from where he wants to be. It is the vision that he's created for his life that drives him to be better and do better. Each act, word and thought is channeled for this vision and I loved, loved learning this from him.

5. Nobody can move mountains alone.

I love the DanBam family. I love how they have each other's back. I love seeing Saeroyi find a family once again. The people of DanBam prove that moving mountains is collective effort, not a solo job.

My last thoughts: 

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GIF Credits: GIF 1 - Annyeong Oppa | GIF 3 &5 - Soompi | GIF 4 - Giphy | GIF 4 - Kdrama Quotes Galore | GIF 6 - The Mind of a Maine Girl | GIF 7 & 10: Netflix | GIF 8: Kdrama Kisses | GIF 11: Soompi Forums

~ My favorite quote from ‘I Am Not A Robot’. I think Ji Ah and Min Kyu make one of the cutest, prettiest K-drama couples.🌼  ~

'I Am Not A Robot' Taught Me That Some People Are Worth Opening Your Heart For

This drama has a special place in my heart for the warmth and laughter it brought me. I recommend watching this show when you need a break from similar-trouped K-dramas and want to watch something light yet hearty.

The Story:

Kim Min Kyu is the Director of his father's firm, KM Finance. He's smart, witty and has absolutely distrusts fellow human beings. He bears a secret ailment where a single touch from another person can cause him a severe allergy resulting in death. Hiding his condition in order to continue keeping his father's company, Min Kyu keeps his distance from people.

After his father's death, he witnesses his father's closest colleague and confidant, Hwang Do Won, try to maliciously takeover the firm. Here's when Min Gyu pledges vengence against the man and his son (also Min Gyu's then BFF), Hwang Yoo Chul.

On the other hand, we have a team of fallen-from-fame scientists under the leadership of Hong Baek Gyun. Baek Gyun is a wiz and he's currently developing a humanoid called 'Aji 3' -- a robot that is created to resemble and think like a real person. For Baek Gyun, it is essential to secure a sponsor for releasing Aji 3 to the world. And in Kim Gyu, they find the perfect opportunity to do so.

However, things do not go as plan which is where our heroine, Jo Ji Ah comes in to the picture. On the day when Baek Gyun's team is supposed to send across Aji 3 for a live demo-testing to Min Gyu's home, a crucial part for the humanoid's functioning crashes. The scientists are desperate but Baek Gyun has a plan. Aji 3's physical looks exactly resemble those of his ex-lover Ji Ah and in order to save their hides, Baek Gyun asks her to step in as Aji 3's double.

Unaware of Min Gyun's disease, Ji Ah accepts the offer for the money she badly needs.

An inventor herself, Ji Ah has always been fascinated with making fun, wacky inventions that could also be useful to people. However, luck has not been on her side and Ji Ah is yet seeking her big breakthrough. Her big ray of hope lies in securing a prize at the annual competition for inventors sponsored by KM Finance. With her plans leading her to the very founder of the company she badly wants to impress, Ji Ah resolves to slyly deposit her proposal of ideas when she's playing Aji 3.

The story follows Min Gyu and Ji Ah's unconventional tale of friendship and love. Min Gyu's distrust of people slowly evaporates as he begins to spend more time with Aji 3. He also gradually opens up to the possibility that the world isn't as evil a place as he thinks it to be and it is safe to open his heart to it.

Side Characters:

I have an entourage of side characters that have added so much fun to the show.

There is Pi, Baek Gyun's first assistant who's a genius. She's been in love with her mentor ever since they began working together.

Then we have Hoktal, our blubbered, too-cute-but-doesn't-know-how-to-as-a-girl-out assistant. He reminds me of a lost puppy.

There is Ssanip, our youngest, funniest assistant in the team who has really bad comic timing. He's a complete softie.

Hwang Sun Hye is a tarot-card reader who also prides on giving the best relationship advice. Ji Ah's best friend, she's fierce, sexy and very charismatic.

Lastly, there's Jo Jin Bae, Ji Ah's brother. He works as Min Gyu's secretary and is extremely talented and smart. I love how he silently cheers Ji Ah on even though he's also the one who brings her frequent reality checks.

What I Liked:

~ I LOVED how this show cracked me up and was such an interesting story overall.🌼

~ Kim Min Gyu's 'Pretties' (a collection of all his precious gadgets whom he considers and talks to like one would with real people).🌼

~ Aji 3 and Min Gyu's super adorable friendship.🌼

~ Ji Ah's eccentric, never-going-to-stop-trying attitude.🌼

~ Ssanip and Hoktal's very fun bromance.🌼

~ Min Gyu's dazzling smile *take my heart, please.* 🌼

~ The slow, natural evolvement of relationships between all our  characters.🌼

~ Baek Gyun's journey to realizing the errors of his ways and owning his wrongs.🌼

~ Pi's no-nonsense crush on her boss.🌼

What I Didn’t Like:

~ I'd like to have seen more romance between Ji Ah and Min Gyu versus just Aji 3 & Min Gyu. I think that was missing for me.

My Favorite Learnings:

1. Trust is a journey. It doesn't happen overnight. 2. Let in people, especially if they are good for your heart. 3. Life is too beautiful to be afraid of, even when it hasn't been kind to you before.

My Last Thoughts: Aji 3's official enlistment as a 'pretty'.🙊

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GIF Credits: GIF 1, 9: @kdramareviews​ | GIF 2: Pinterest | GIF 10: We Heart It

~ Shin Hye Sun appreciation post for her absolutely delightful performance in Mr. Queen / Queen Cheorin ~ 💕

~ ‘Little House In The Forest’ Showed Me The Joys Of Mindful Living ~

I feel K-Variety shows have a way to help you tap into your Zen. My encounter with them has made me fall in love with how positive, uplifting and fun they can be.

'Little House In The Forest' is a special one among the litter. I received the link for the first episode from my friend who'd just stumbled upon the show and was already head over heels for it.

I won't lie, she had very good reasons to be.

What the show is about:

The central theme of the show is around how simple, mindful living can actually boost people's happiness.

We have 2 celebrity subjects in the show: 1) Subject A: Park Shin Hye 2) Subject B: So Ji Sub

The subjects are brought to individual cabins, set in different parts of a forested area and they are given various tasks through the days. These tasks are actual experiments in helping them discover happiness and calm in the everyday.

Our celebrity subjects are then required to do these tasks and share their honest experiences on how effective these experiences were for their overall well-being.

The tasks are simple yet really soothing to watch, but what makes the show fun is the distinct personalities of the celebrities.

The Guests:

Subject A, Park Shin Hye is cheerful, likes playing music when she's cooking, loves to eat and is a thorough maximalist (her weekly pantry that she gets from the city is proof of this).

USP: Park Shin Hye's attention to food is superb to watch. She thoughtfully plans her meals and ravishes them with respect and contentment. She cooks up the coolest menus and is quite proud of her flavors.

Subject B, Ji-Sub is a quick contrast to Shin Hye. He's quiet, unintentionally funny, likes to eat but isn't ballistic about it and needs very little to live well (his luggage i.e. a medium sized rucksack is proof that he's probably a modern day monk in hiding).

USP: Ji Sub surprises you with his sensitivity to things. At first, I did confuse his introverted personality for aloofness but he's brilliantly creative. He has this knack of building things out of thin air, such as a simple towel rack, a footstool and my favorite, a hammock.

I love him more because ramen is his favorite meal in the whole world (*take all the brownie points*)

We also have some random cuties who appear on the show. One of them is Bong, the cloud-white dog who will only follow human orders if there's food involved in the bargain. He's shamelessly selfish and won't chill around with the guests even when they ask him to stay for company. He likes sunny, windy days while sitting in grass and is also quite fond of flowers.

Side note: He has a hilarious first encounter with Ji-Sub where the two of them take offense and depart with sorry disappointment.

Then there are the cows. Yes, cows. These creatures of the nearby forests wander into the meadows that surround our guests' cabins and they often take a liking towards the camera.

However, when our guests get friendly with them, they find themselves and their homes surrounded by an entire herd that refuses to leave (oops).

And last but not the least, the narrator that comes in with a calming synopsis of the tasks, explains their meanings and pulls you in to try them as well.

The Tasks:

I especially enjoyed the experiments of happiness our celebrities received. A few of my favorites among them were:

1. Decorating a part of the cabin with your own unique art: Shin Hye painted a flower meadow around her window ❤

2. Taking 3 hours to prep, cook and enjoy lunch: Ji-Sub had a slow, barbeque style meal outdoors and enjoyed it with the surrounding mountains and clouds.

3. Capturing the colors of the rainbow through photographs of objects around them: The two of them traveling through the surrounding woods to notice flowers, dew drops and streams to capture these colors is very beautiful to watch.

4. Building a little something for the cabin as a goodbye gift: I loved Shin Hye making a cute bird nest outside hers for creatures to come and give the cabin company in her absence.

5. Turning off your smartphone post 6 p.m.: Ji-Sub was a stud as had switched his off from the morning itself (lol) while Shin Hye almost had a panic attack without hers for the evening. 

6. Going for a solo picnic.

There were a total of 44-46 tasks that the guests performed and there were glimpses of the omitted ones in the last episode (the director's cut).

What I Liked:

1. I loved the theme of the show in itself. It is positive, nourishing and very beautiful to see simple living in action.🌼 2. The celebrity guests, who with their contrasting personalities make the tasks so much more fun to watch. 🌼 3. Bong the doggo.🌼 4. The various happiness tasks that can be done even when if you're living in a city. 🌼 5. The resourceful nature of Ji-Sub who lives calmly even when he spends a winter night without electricity. 🌼 6. Shin-Hye's meal combos and her manner of eating. 🌼 7. The beautiful, simple and well-structured cabins in the woods. 🌼 8. The woods. 🌼

What I Didn't Like:

1. I feel they could have shown more tasks rather than just the select few.

My Learnings:

1. Happiness is not faraway. It is right here.

This is the biggest message that the show gives out. It displays how happiness is day to day affair and how we can welcome it where we are, without needing to head off to a cabin to look for it.

2. Who you are is enough and you deserve rest.

Both our celeb guests warm up to the idea of rest which for them, is such a stark contrast given their hectic lifestyles. I love Ji-Sub's evolution through the show: how he slowly gets more comfortable showing who he is onscreen, sheds off much of his shyness yet is naturally himself.

3. Listening to yourself requires you to sit down with yourself first.

If you really want to get in touch with your feelings, you have to let go of the mental clutter of thoughts and sit down with yourself. Letting go of excess to focus on what's important enhances your time and gives it an enriching, peaceful quality.

My last thoughts: 

This is a BEAUTIFUL show. One that deserves your time and one that is perfect if you want a feel-good watch. It adds value and purpose and helps you make better choices to live more fully.💕

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Image Credits: 1 - burnsocial.com | 9: Channel Korea |

~ If it isn’t obvious, I am shipping Lim Ju Kyung and Han Seo Jun all the way. ~ 💕💕💕

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GIF Credits: GIF 4: Pinterest | GIF 5 & 6: Tumbex | GIF 7: Amino Apps | GIF 8: Hey Bae | GIF 9: Soompi | GIF 10: You Are A Wonder | 

'Mr. Queen’ Taught Me “Be You. The World Will Adjust.”

I have no shame in proclaiming this so early into this year but… 'Mr. Queen' or ‘Queen Cheorin’ is my favorite drama watch of 2021.

Quite honestly, I don't know where to start with this show. There is so much happening in it, right from the very first scene and yet, it doesn't overwhelm or addle you (well done, team TVN).

A time-travel story, prominent Korean chef Jang-Bong Hwan's spirit suddenly transports back to the Joseon Dynasty and settles into Queen Kim So-Yong's body. Strangely, it is exactly at the same time when the Queen decides to jump into a palatial lake.

So what does a man from the 21st century do trapped in a woman's body from a couple of 100 years ago? Of course, he tries every possible trick in the book to swap back to his own physical being.

But the deities have other plans and we then see how Bong Hwan's spirit decides to own his role as a Queen until the heavens deem it right for him to return to present times.

I shall pause here and applaud the absolute brilliancy of actress Shin Hye-Sun who's done such a fantastic job portraying a narcissistic male spirit in a feminine form. She's a complete rock-star, our Queen Cheorin. She has zero hoots to give, she damns patriarchy in the face, she teaches the king a thing or two about how to run a goddamn country, she leads the creation of ramen as we know it today, she's bold, selfish and hellish funny.

King Cheoljung is another interesting entity. Sporting a façade as a 'puppet king', he's actually the mastermind behind the revolt brewing up among the masses. He was never really into Kim So-Yong because his heart is already tied to Jo Hwa-Jin. His marriage to So-Yong is nothing but an extension of court politics and this infuriates our very handsome but clearly-a-bit-twisted second lead, Kim Byeong-in.

In Byeong-in's defense, he's loved So-Yong ever since they were children and he's aware of her being despondent in finding no comfort or companionship in Cheoljong.

We then have two classic bitches-of-the-first-order in Queen Sunwon (great grandmother-in-law) and Queen Dowager Jo (mother-in-law). The former is supported by the slyest villain in the history of Joseon dynasty Kim Jwa-Guen and is evil enough on her own, mind you. Topped up with Queen Dowager's crappy antiques, the trio deserve an ovation for the amount of times they can piss you off.

The story follows the survival of Jang-Bong Hwan as Kim So-Yong amidst political intrigues and secrets that compose the palace and its people.

The show is hilarious. The comic timing, is absolutely woot-worthy and it just keeps wanting you to sit your ass down and move on to the next episode and then the next. Even through the darkest moments of storytelling, the show finds a way to make you laugh. And this, more than anything else (exception: Shin-Hye Sun's stellar performance) is the reason why I simply LOVE and adore the show.

I cannot not talk about Court Lady Choi-Hwa, a sensational, traditional mother-figure who's about to lose her shit thanks to the baffling antiques of our Mr. Queen. From walking with her skirt held up to her knees, from burping in your face, from taking over the Royal Kitchen and to dancing in the rain, So-Yong's sudden change of character causes Lady Choi to almost faint.

So-Yong, Lady Choi and Hong Yeon's femme bonding is one of my favorite parts of this entire tale, hands down.

There are so many sensational and cute side characters in the show but I'm going to list down some key learnings I picked up:

1. Have the courage to love yourself first.

Often, it is easier to love another before loving ourselves first. But to sit down with yourself and give yourself the love you crave for is a no-bargain deal, even if it means not having the space to love others.

2. Celebrate your weird, your crazy and your wild.

Life's really, really rather short to be anything but the whole of you. I love that about So-Yong: her ability to be radically herself and celebrate it.

3. You are only defeated when you think yourself to be.

No matter what life throws at you or if time has your back or not, you cannot be defeated until you allow yourself to be. I think this is one of my favorite qualities of King Cheoljung.

I'd like to rewatch this drama, at a slower pace, with large bowls of chili popcorn, now that the suspense is over and I know how it ends. My last words: So-Yong eating ramen. ❤

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GIF Credits: GIF 1 & 13 - Tumbex | GIF 2: Choi Jin-Hyuk y Dramas, Tumblr | GIF 3: @labelledejour​ | GIF 4: Aghasewatchtv | GIF 5: MyDramaList | GIF 5: Kenh 14 a | GIF 11: Dramabeans | GIF 12: Bitches Over Dramas | GIF 14: Tenor | GIF 15: @thingskateknows​ |