Triple Treat: Historical K-dramas, Spring 2013.

I love K-dramas. Although, I am not much of a fan of historical type Korean dramas or sageuk dramas back then. After watching The Moon Embracing the Sun, I fell in love with Korea's historical culture, especially with the Joseon era which is mostly the era portrayed in Korean historical dramas. After The Moon Embracing the Sun, I watched Sungkyunkwan Scandal and then Rooftop Prince, which are historical dramas. (Although Rooftop Prince is not much of a historical drama) And then it started.

Now, I want to get into the spring "fever" (or frenzy) and have a breath of fresh air, so I picked up three new K-dramas this Spring 2013, all of which are historical ones. First up is Gu Family Book which stars Lee Seung gi and Miss A's Suzy. This drama is a story about a son (Lee Seung gi) of a mountain spirit and a human who is destined to meet and fall in love(?) with a woman who is very skilled in martial arts (Suzy). 

Amateur doodle of my Gu Family Book feels.

Firstly, I like it in terms of its plot. I am currently on episode 6 of Gu Family Book and it is getting more exciting. The first two episodes were like the prologue, the story which happened before the real story. All I can say now is that this drama is beautifully pieced together, I can see that every scene leads to another, smoothly. On the other hand, it teaches me a lot about the Joseon Dynasty. And especially now that the distinguished Admiral Lee Soon Shin made an appearance in the drama, I can feel that I will learn a lot of exciting things about Korean history.

Next one is Jang Ok Jung, Living in Love which stars Kim Tae Hee as Jang Ok Jung or more popularly known as Lady Jang Hee Bin, a famous Royal concubine in the Joseon Dynasty (or as an antagonist in most dramas tackling her life). This drama is however more concentrated on her life as a fashion designer and how she met and fell in love with the king (which she became concubine of), King Suk Jong.

Yet another doodle, inspired by Jang Ok Jung's dress in episode 1.

What I love about this drama is how it's close to reality, to what really happened in Joseon. Jang Ok Jung as I've mentioned earlier, is a popular person in Korean history and I really am interested in her and would like to know more about her through this drama. Also, the pretty Hanboks caught my attention because they are just too lovely and one of a kind. I would like to own one just to know what it feels like wearing it, especially now that I'm so into sageuk dramas. Another reason for watching this is Yoo Ah In. I've been looking forward to this drama ever since it was announced because Yoo Ah In is just too gorgeous in Sungkyunkwan Scandal and I couldn't contain myself in just thinking that he would play the King in this drama.

Last but not the least is Mandate of Heaven, which stars Lee Dong Wook and Song Ji Hyo. This drama is about a father (Lee Dong Wook) of a sick daughter who becomes a fugitive after being accused of poisoning the king.

Lee Dong Wook & Song Ji Hyo in Mandate of Heaven.

I'm still in episode 2 of this drama so I can't really say much. In fact, I just reworded the synopsis I found for this drama in the paragraph above. It's actually a spoiler for me because I haven't even gotten into the part yet where Lee Dong Wook was accused. Although, the first part of the first episode shows that he became a fugitive. Anyways, I will continue on watching this as I'm looking forward to both Lee Dong Wook and Song Ji Hyo's performances.

On another note, I am really into this app for iPad called "Paper," which I actually used in drawing these (not so amusing) doodles. I'm looking forward to downloading the coloring thing in this app so I could make my amateur drawings more pretty and easy to look at.

2013 Global Seoul Mate.

When I got home today from a get-together with my high school friends, I opened my e-mail accounts and noticed that I received an e-mail with the subject "Notice of appointment of 2013 Global Seoul Mate." My eyes widened and I was so excited to receive the news, be it good or not so bad. The e-mail was empty (I couldn't wait for the photo to load) so I don't know if I that's good or bad. Next thing I did was to visit the Notice page of the Seoul Metropolitan Government website regarding the acceptance of 2013 Global Seoul Mates. I didn't get my hopes up because all news that I've been receiving are not that good these days that I was guessing that I won't be able to get a spot. However, I was shocked to know that I've been recruited as an official Global Seoul Mate!

My bronze medal/badge as a Global Seoul Mate.

So what is a Global Seoul Mate? Simply put, they are people (foreigners!) recognized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, who spreads their love, passion, and affinity for the wonderful city of Seoul through blogging and social media. Of course, if you do a good job in becoming a Global Seoul Mate, the Seoul Metropolitan Government might just recognize you and give you things or opportunities that you have been waiting for! For more info, visit this.

Personally, I find this strategy of having Global Seoul Mates really wise and useful. As Seoul is a really popular travel destination nowadays, it is indeed effective for their tourism to make use of the internet to gain more love from the public. It is really important that the world not only knows about Seoul but also knows it as a "place they'd rather be" on a vacation or even forever.

My Pledge:

I am a person who loves all things related to Korea and that's why I became a Global Seoul Mate.  Making use of my strange(?) fondness for Seoul, I would be able extend my feelings and thoughts to the people in the internet. I will also make sure to pitch in ideas on how to further make Seoul as appealing to the world as possible.

Seoul, My destiny.

Girls just want to have fun.

I come home in the morning light,
My mother says "When you gonna live your life right?"
Oh, mother, dear,
We're not the fortunate ones,
And girls,
They wanna have fu-un.
Oh, girls,
Just wanna have fun.

The phone rings in the middle of the night,
My father yells "What you gonna do with your life?"
Oh, daddy, dear,
You know you're still number one,
But girls,
They wanna have fu-un,
Oh, girls, just wanna have..
That's all they really want...
Some fun...

Cyndi Lauper's song Girls just want to have fun not only is pleasing to hear, but also tells a truthful story.

As I am entering my 20's, I am slowly realizing how life is not always easy to fathom. Like in Ms. Lauper's song, her parents keep asking her what she plans to do with her life. I, admittedly, am also bombarded with that question. I said earlier that life itself is not easy to understand. I say that because there's so many things that I want to do and yes, one of them is to have fun like what Ms. Lauper continuously informed the public with her song. Girls just want to have fun, but that doesn't mean that people will leave us girls alone and let us have all the fun. Unfortunately, not all we want will be understood by many. Nevertheless, the main thing that this song imparts me is that people could (badly!) judge our decisions but it is up to us to have fun, to just not care about what they think and move forward with our lives.

On a slightly different yet related note, I have finished the first season of the HBO series Girls. Lena Dunham, the creator, writer and star of Girls, once mentioned in an interview that Girls is not like Gossip Girl or Sex in the City. The series itself is unique because the story that it tells is what happens between Gossip Girl (teenage years) and Sex in the City (adult-ready-to-get-married-years). The series tackles the "quarter-life crisis" which many young adults go through especially after graduating from college and starting their careers. Girls (the series) communicates to its audience the crisis these young adults (especially women) like me go through and how they cope with it. It portrayed the issues in a hilarious way yet you can feel its weight on the characters. 

My thoughts: Not all of us has their own future planned. Some might do so, but it is not guaranteed that it would push through. There is no guarantee that what we want ourselves to be would be there in just a snap. There is no guarantee that what we planned to do next will be what we really do next. Sometimes the world just plays with us just a bit to shake us, to temporarily prevent us from looking forward to our goals. However, it is up to us to be strong and not let the world have its fun of ruining our plans and permanently erasing our real intentions from our hearts and minds. To end this entry, I present to you a photo of us Girls, having fun.

Don't open, dead inside. (A "The Walking Dead" Post!)

I recently finished all three seasons of The Walking Dead. Reasons for getting into the bandwagon? My  parents watch it and my sister was also curious. It's too creepy for me to watch alone on my computer so it's much better watching it on TV with my family. My parents won't also argue with what I watch because they also watch it! Haha. So, I finished it for a week and I am hooked. What sort of woman would not want Daryl Dixon? And may I add that he's wonderful archer? You see, I have a thing for people/characters who holds them bow and arrows. 

Would you look at that? Mm-hmm. (Photo from Wikipedia)

What I love about the series is how it depicts the modern society using the "post-apocalyptic" life. Even though the way of life has changed dramatically, the issues that we are facing currently are quite the same as what they're going through, except for the walkers. Another thing that made me hooked is the zombies/walkers/biters. I am not much of a fan of zombies although I found Zombieland and Warm Bodies awesome. I kind of find the idea of zombies intriguing. In The Walking Dead, zombies die completely when something pierces through their semi-dead brains. These types of ideas get me more and more curious. Many ideas or information about walkers were tackled in the show and I got more into them. And well, basically, Daryl. (Kidding! But really..)

Finally, one question that is lingering on my mind after watching The Walking Dead is how the hell did it start? What the fugg happened while Rick was in a coma? I hope I can find out on the next episode/season of The Walking Dead!

The K-drama Effect.

As an avid fan of Korean Dramas, I have to admit that these dramas have really affected me in one way or another. Yes, they affected me a great deal while I was watching but after I finish the series, I am always hungover. After watching, these dramas affect me in such a way that I would be incorporating new things into my life just to live like they lived in the drama. I expect that many avid K-drama watchers like me can relate. Although, not only K-drama fanatics would be able to relate, I suppose. Let's take for example those people who do "Cosplay." They are a perfect example because they are putting into "real life" their favorite characters from a game, comic book, anime, or TV/film. Like me, rather than putting on a costume and acting like my favorite character, I would for instance buy the food that they ate in the drama not only because I craved for it after watching but also to feel like I was with them somehow..

If I had made a drama for example and it was a huge hit, I would be ecstatic to find out how people have been affected by what I made. I have been thinking about this especially when I watched Marry Me, Mary (the protagonist, Mary, is an avid K-drama fan). I thought about how these dramas affected me and how this came to be. What sort of characteristic do these dramas have that it made me, for example, want to become a doctor? I had those questions in mind but really, it's just hard to answer by myself. I even came into a point that I want to make a drama or something that could affect many people just to realize the answer to my question. But really, that is the better way.

In this entry, I want to tackle about how some of these K-dramas have affected my way of life, interests, and wants. For starters, the general one. I, being the most amateur foodie that I am, now love Korean food. It's not that I didn't like it at all but I did have this traumatic experience in my childhood with Kimchi. I didn't like its smell though my mom really likes eating it. It stinks and the whole fridge stinks of it whenever my mom decides to buy a jar. But now, Kimchi is my best friend. I've tasted different sorts of Kimchi and so far, I have found a favorite brand of cabbage type Kimchi. 

This one is available in 1004 Mart in Al Barsha, Dubai, UAE

I am definitely in love with Korean food. I eat it. I cook some of it. I influence my family and friends to eat it. (and succeeded!) I've tried Korean foods like Jajangmyun, Ramyun, Doenjang Jjigae, etc. all because of dramas like Fantasy Couple, Big, and Marry me, Mary (consecutively). Just this afternoon actually I've cooked my second try on Ttukbeokki or Spicy Korean Rice Cake. I put in (together with rice cakes) fish cakes, hotdogs, and hard boiled eggs. 

It looks savory but don't be fooled-- it's spicy as hell!

I'll stop talking about food now. The drama to blame for the next one is My Girl. I'm actually re-watching some episodes of it just before writing this that's why I thought of it first. I started collecting snow globes after re-watching it back in 2007. Although 4 isn't much of a number for a collection, I consider it a huge addition in my interests. Snow globes are quite pricey and being a poor student (and now a poor bum), I didn't have much money to buy many. However, when I'm at a store, my eyes always go to those round and sparkly things.

My cramped room. Snow globes are to be found on the right just across my laptop.

Next drama would be Full House. I won't be elaborating on this. When I went to Korea last December 2011, I included the set ground of Full House in my itinerary. For further info click here. I've also included The Coffee Prince Shop although I haven't really finished the drama but here's a photo~

The popular painting and me all covered up.

This time it's My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. I was so into that drama and I found the drumstick plushie super cute and cuddly that I begged (yes, I did) my parents to buy one for me from Ebay.

Here is haggard me with the huge plushie. And oh look at the lower left corner, snow globes! Photo dates back to 2011.

Then we have Dream High! I learned the dance, practiced and practiced until I got used to it. I'm not good at dancing but I know how to copy the moves so why not. I also taught my friends how to do it so we danced it together but I'm not going to share the embarrassing video. Haha!

The next thing that I can think of was my ringtones/message alert tones. The ones that I had for long were Gumiho's ringtone in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (the one about Korean beef) and the other one was Ha Na/Yoona's ringtone and message alert tone. 

Lastly, my high school senior prom dress was inspired by Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress. This was because of Goong. I found all their dresses so beautiful~

Would you look at that peace sign? And the uncoordinated aqua blue bolero.

Those that I've mentioned above are just the physical types of effect to me by Korean dramas. They have also affected me mentally, emotionally and intellectually if I may say. They imparted me with wisdom, and other times nonsense. I believe that without these K-dramas, I literally wouldn't be who I am right now.

Blog Header.

Excuse my poor photoshop skills. I just want to change my header and I don't know what to do so I made a yucky collage of my few travels. I'll be changing it once I brainstorm of a beautiful idea and improve my PS skills.

Ciao.

EDIT: I just realized how shabby that was so I changed it again to a much less shabbier than the previous. Heeheee

Hairstyle Change.

Picture taken at Dubai Miracle Garden last March. Excuse the fake-happy face and look at the long hair. Imagine it staying for another month before I decided to cut it.

I've been planning to cut my hair since last February because I felt that I could use a change of "hair." Get it? air = hair. Whatever.. Anyways, I had this look on me ever since I had my hair digitally permed last April 2012 so could you imagine how my hair looked before I cut it? It was so dry and could barely breath if it was a person. Also, I've had that long hair since high school and never really got a hair cut (except for trimming, you know, for maintenance). So last weekend I decided to take a leap of faith (haha!) and change my hair. I've had like 2 folders containing photos of hair cuts and hair colors that I want and I finally decided the night before that I'm getting just my curls cut, a brown-brown hair color and red tips. I did not get my hair bleached though because I just wanted to try it out and avoid ruining my hair more because the perm really made my hair dry and my scalp couldn't anymore take the length of my hair. I am however planning to get my hair bleached once it's recovered.

It's time for before and after pics!

Before. Yes, it's a bathroom pic and it was my last day as an intern. Check out the dryness. Ugh.

After. Yes again, it's a bathroom pic at home. Bare faced and ready to sleep!

On the result:

I will rate my satisfaction from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. Badummmm-tss! It is an 8! I did not expect much on the tips since I did not get it bleached but I am quite satisfied on the results seeing that it came out stronger than the brown base color. And well, the length is good since it's not that short and has volume. I gave it an 8 because it really isn't the what I imagined it to be (because, no bleach!) but I'll patiently wait until I get pissed-off of my hair again and I'll be ready for a hair bleaching by then~ 

Blog name change?

I was going through my previous posts and I noticed that my posts are mostly about my numerous fandoms, travel, and life realizations. Now I'm thinking if I should change this blog into a fangirl related one. Being a fangirl is something that I am known of among my friends and I believe that "you can take away the fangirl from the fandom but you cannot take away the fandom in the fangirl." Did that make sense? Well yeah I know, I'm spouting off nonsense. I love the variety of fandoms that I'm in and I'm thinking whether that's enough to run this blog. I could make another one but I'm afraid I would have nothing much to put in here. I guess I'll keep thinking about it after this post and I'll change the blog name (not the blog adress) if I decide to or maybe I'll keep it. Let's see.

Top 10 Korean Romance Comedy Movies

I've always loved watching Romantic Comedies. There really is such a unique feeling when watching Romance movies with a hint of light-heartedness. I found this genre especially appealing when I started watching Korean Romance Comedies when I was younger. In my circle of (mostly girl) friends, I have found no one who disliked these kinds of movies even though they're sometimes "cliché." It just makes hopeless romantics like me feel all giddy inside. As I have watched quite a number of these movies, I could recommend some of my all time favorites. Most of these favorites are old ones or those "starting points" of those K-movie fanatics. I also chose these movies because they are those which have the elements of a Romantic Comedy. I will also recommend some of the good romance movies which are not much of a rom-com.

1. My Sassy Girl (2001)

Based on an internet novel, this movie is popular not only amongst K-movie fanatics, but also those who enjoy watching Romance Comedies of any origin. This movie was re-made into a Hollywood movie of the same title, so some are probably familiar of it. For those who are not familiar, this movie is about a strong, bold woman who becomes the girlfriend of a timid guy. It is indeed touching, romantic, and at the same time hilarious as hell. This movie, being number one in my list, will not disappoint rom-com lovers.

2. Windstruck (2004)

Windstruck is said to be the prequel of My Sassy Girl because of elements which connects it to the other movie. However, it's not completely its prequel and it stands on its own. It has its own charm as a movie. This is much more romantic than funny and what I love about this is how it touches your heart after watching. The movie's about destiny and how these two different people (a female cop and a male teacher) fell for each other.

3. Speedy Scandal (2008)

One of my favorite movies of all time. It is placed third, however, because it's not much romance between a woman and a man as it is much more about family. What I love about this movie is its unique take on family relationships: a really young single dad who already has a grandson. Guaranteed to make you feel crying and laughing all throughout the movie.

4. Love, So Divine (2004)

I watched this movie way back in high school and I still can't forget the feeling when I watched it. My heart felt like it was overwhelmed with emotions that I really can't forget it until today. This movie is about a seminarian who, with a course of events, falls in love with a girl just before he becomes a priest.

5. My Little Bride (2004)

I'm not much a fan of boy meets girl love story compared to known-each-other-for-a-long-time love story, that's why I love this. Tackles the topic of arranged marriage in modern society, early marriage, and huge age gap in love. This movie is cute and light.

6. 200 Pounds of Beauty (2006)

A movie that questions the standards of beauty. Quite touching and sure to provide a lesson to the viewers.

7. He was Cool (2004)

First movie that I watched based on an internet novel by Guiyeoni. Most suckers for bad boys would love this movie I suppose. Innocent girl meets bad boy from other school.

8. 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004)

This movie is also based from a popular internet novel and of course, is popular among those who love "bad boy" type of guys. High school girl becomes errand girl for a mean college guy.

9. Baby and Me (2008)

Who would be able to resist this adorable baby and handsome man? This movie full of cute and cuddly scenes is about a high school guy taking care of an abandoned baby which is said to be his own child.

10. Do re mi fa so la ti do (2008)

Also from an internet novel by Guiyeoni, this movie is about a charming, yet quite arrogant guy who falls in love with a strong-willed girl. Quite serious for a high school movie yet touching.

Other Romance K-movies I recommend:

Jenny, Juno (2005)

The Classic (2003)

Hello School Girl (2008)

Recent Ones:

My Black Mini Dress / Little Black Dress (2011)

An Introduction to Architecture / Architecture 101 (2012)

Feel free to add to the list! 

(photos taken from Google Images)

Miss Flower Music Tour by KTO

Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) has once again provided opportunities for Korean fanatics like me to express ourselves in order to win a free trip to Korea. This time, the contest is entitled Miss Flower Music Tour: You can be a song writer!

The contest encourages people to write a poem about Korea's spring, flowers and love. We all know that spring links to blooming flowers like the sign of a new beginning. And of course, what good way to express that through love and passion? This video below is shown for the contestant to gain inspiration in writing their own lyrics. 

Everyone can join, except you need to read the terms first (yes, it's important so that you won't get disappointed in the end) and create an account in www.ibuzzkorea.com before sending your entry. Without further ado, here's what I submitted.

By (username) genina07

I woke up missing your gentle embrace

The soft scent of yours impossible to replace

I want to soak in the pure beauty

That you once again will show me

Every color suits you

Albeit your mellow harmony's unique

Indeed you have an impeccable charm

And everyone yearns for your warmth

This might be the first time that I made lyrics and showed it to the public. I made one before when I was in first year of high school but then it was just for myself. I'm not a great poet/writer myself so I'm quite embarrassed of showing this publicly. Anyways, the point of this post is to share to my fellow Korean fanatics this contest!

How to join: here

More events/contests by KTO: here

LEE HI (이하이) - IT'S OVER M/V

YG's newest artist, Lee Hi with her own album this year. I really love this girl and I wish for her success!

This music video is her newest single, "It's over" from her album fully coming out this March 21, 2013. Do watch out for her full album as not only Lee Hi's voice and performance will rock the world but also YG's best producers like Tablo, Lydia Paek, Masta Wu, Choice37, Teddy, etc. came together to make amazing songs for her.

This is her other music video first released last 2012. As you can see, this YG rookie is really someone to look out for.

Lee Hi/Lee Hayi was a contestant in SBS Kpop Star who debuted with YG entertainment last year. For more info, click here.

Atlantis - Treasure Hunt Competition

Atlantis - Treasure Hunt Competition

Skyscrapers and Observatories.

It is one of my goals in life to visit some world famous skyscrapers/buildings/observatory decks. The reason is that I love looking from a bird's eye view and soaking in the beauty of the city be it at night or day. My journey started in May 2010, when I went back to Dubai for summer vacation during college. My parents and I planned to visit Burj Khalifa's observatory deck as it was newly opened for public viewing. Being the world's tallest building since January 2010, I was so exhilarated most especially when we were at the elevator. After arriving "At the Top," I was so amazed for a while and started taking pictures of the astounding view. Of course, I also managed to have my photos taken by my mom.

This photo was taken pre-opening of Burj Khalifa, December 2009 I think.

Excuse my "clown" face. Of course, the obligatory peace-sign.

Night view from the 124th floor of Burj Khalifa. Stunning Dubai.

In December 2011, my sister and I went to Seoul, South Korea. We visited two buildings' observatory. First is the 63 Building. The reason why this building was included in our itinerary is because of the Korean drama "My Girl." I love that Kdrama and I really wanted to visit that building so that I could rekindle the emotion that My Girl made me feel. 63 Building has both an Art Gallery and Observation deck on the 60th floor and the elevators have glass windows so that as people go up (or down), they can also enjoy the view.

Han River view from the 60th floor of 63 Building.

Seoul at night.

Oh the traffic jam.

And the mandatory photo.

Second (in Seoul) is the N Seoul Tower, located on Namsan Mountain. To fully enjoy the trip to N Seoul Tower, one must ride the Namsan cable car to the tower. 

Inside the cable car.

Pavilion at the grounds of N Seoul Tower.

"Love locks" turned into trees for Christmas. Excuse the jealous face.

View from the mountain.

Where you get your tickets. Duh.

Teddy Bear Museum also at N Seoul Tower.

More Teddy Bears.

Tiles with messages.

Seoul.

Ze toilet.

At the toilet, there's a view. Coolness.

N Seoul Tower.

Lastly, like what I've already posted in the past, my family and I went to Singapore in 2012. We visited Marina Bay Sands on our last day and took photos outside on our first day. See post here

So far, I've gone to four buildings in 3 different countries. I pledge and hope that there would be more to come! Now, here's a list of my target skyscrapers/towers/buildings:

Tokyo Tower, Tokyo, Japan.

Empire State Building, New York, U.S.A.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France.

Macau Tower, Macau, PRC. (Also Bunjee!)

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China.

Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan.

And many more!