Currently Watching: Witch's Romance, Angel Eyes, Global WGM, WGM

I rummaged through my drama folder to see what shows I was currently watching only to find out that this was it. I have 2 dramas and several variety shows. That's it. My, my, what a dry spell I have here.

I know I said I'd get a move on once God's Gift ended but I don't think I've made much progress. I've downloaded a handful of episodes of Three Days, Gapdong, Empress Ki, and Taiwanese dramas Just You and Fall In Love With Me. Have I seen any of them? Well, aside from the first half of Three Days' first episode? Nope. I have checked out the kissing scenes between Aaron Yan and Puff Guo from Just You on YouTube though. That's as far as I've gone with these dramas.

For the shows that I'm actually watching, and enjoying the hell out of, here's a short rundown.

1. Witch's Romance - We all know I'm a sucker for the noona romance, so it goes almost without saying that this drama is currently owning all my feels. I just love the whole dynamic of power play in noona romances. Here we have Uhm Jung-hwa's character as the bossy, go-get-it, career woman who knows what she wants and doesn't let anything get in her way. She's awesome and she knows it. Park Seo-joon's character, on the other hand, is the kind-hearted, younger man working his ass to the ground to make a living. The roles are totally reversed, and I love it.

They meet-(not-so)-cute and sparks fly - not exactly the positive kind of sparks at the beginning, but isn't that always the case? One thing leads to another, and as coincidence has it, they find themselves making out in bed. And don't we just love tvN's kisses? Mmmm-hmmmm... But then she finds out how old (or young) he is and kicks him off the bed (awwww). There's a 14-year age difference between the two of them and it doesn't sit well with her. But how much do we love that his reaction is the opposite. "What exactly is the problem?" he asks. "I'm 39 and you're 25!" she answers incredulously. But all he had to say to that was a confused "so?"

2. Angel Eyes - I told myself I wouldn't watch another melo, but Kang Ha-neul has a way of convincing me to do things I don't want to do. It's that damn smile. Too bad for me that he's only playing the young version of the lead male role and won't be around for the entire series, but that's good enough for me.

I tuned into the first 2 episodes without high expectations but Ha-neul's smile and adorable Busan accent killed me. Plus, his chemistry with Nam Ji-hyun was just moving. I didn't plan to stay for the long-haul, but the story's got me well and good so I might as well tune in to the next episodes. I was never a fan of Goo Hye-sun but here's to hoping she reels me back into the story and that she and Lee Sang-yoon are as swoon-worthy as their younger counterparts.

3. Global We Got Married - I was totally prepared to fall in love with SHINee's Key and his Japanese model wife Arisa. The fact that they both are fluent in Korean, Japanese, and English made for some awesome bonding. But I'm finding Arisa a tad too shy and Key a bit awkward. Perhaps it's because Arisa is really young, but they've been giving me the oppa-dongsaeng vibe rather than that of a dating couple.

Super Junior's Heechul and Taiwanese pop singer/actress Puff, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. Neither of them are fluent enough in each other's languages and therefore have the funniest conversations using broken Mandarin, Korean, and English, all spoken very loudly, and partnered with a barrage of hand gestures and body language. Yet, for some reason, I feel that there's more understanding between these two and skinship (and so much more) has come easier and earlier for them than any other couple in the history of We Got Married, global or otherwise. Kyaaaaaa!

4. We Got Married - I'm mostly watching the show for 2PM's Wooyoung and actress Park Se-young. These two are adorable together. They're still slightly awkward but things have been slowly progressing between them. Skinship has improved - he finally got to hold her hand! Haha. But, sadly, variety shows have been put on hold due to the tragic ferry incident. I totally understand why we don't have new episodes of our favorite shows, but I also do miss this couple and I hope they'll be back on air soon.

And... that's that. I'm still watching a couple of variety shows, but not religiously. Running Man will always be there, the last episode I caught was the one with the cast of Angel Eyes, so I'm still quite updated. I'm not sure when they resume filming for the show but I hear Sung Shi-kyung will be guesting? THAT EXCITES ME. I've also been watching random episodes of The Return of Superman and 1 Night 2 Days. But when it comes to dramas, I find myself tuning out most of the time. My attention span right now is soooo short that I tried watching the first episode of the Japanese drama Nodame Cantabile and turned it off midway in favor of watching random kpop videos on YouTube. Gah.

I'm crossing my fingers in hopes of getting out of this funk soon. A boatload of dramas are coming my way and there's a lot of them I want to watch. Hopefully I get my drama-watching ass back in shape by then.

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Wrapping Up: God's Gift - 14 Days

I woke up at the crack of dawn today just to squish in some time to watch the final 2 episodes of God's Gift. Needless to say, I was staring at my laptop screen at half past 6 in the morning, thinking to myself, "what in the name of sanity did I just watch?!"

Before anything else, let me just say that I sublimely enjoyed the gripping ride this show took me on. I seriously and genuinely loved it for what it was and what it aimed to be. Although at times choppy and confusing, I had always thought the directing was good, the writing was amazing, and the acting almost flawless. This drama introduced me to the magic of Jo Seung-woo and cemented my love for Lee Bo-young - and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Having said that, the finale episode took me for a great ride right until we hit the 40-minute mark and then I started questioning where the show was headed and how in the name of all that is good were they going to resolve every single question I had about the show's past, present, and future timelines. And by the time I hit the 50-minute mark and realized the show had less than 10 minutes to wrap things up, that's when I realized that I was going to be left hanging. So, obviously, in the scene with Dong-chan carrying Saet-byul off to the reservoir, and with only 4 minutes remaining, I was internally screaming for something to happen. Anything. A miracle.

And then it ended.

It was at this point that the aforementioned "what in the name of sanity did I just watch?!" comes in. Because, seriously, Show! I can open-mindedly accept major character deaths. I can. But when the plot starts to veer off track with so much wtf*ckery and with so much forced narratives, I am so not with you anymore.

Up until the point where we realize the gravity of the situation, and who the puppet master was, I was with the show. I understood what was happening. All the way to when Soo-hyun goes and visits the President, I understood the story and even wondered why they had not gone to the President in the first place with all the stuff they knew about the case. I was even willing to forgive all the little missteps it took to get to this point. But the moment Dong-chan found Saet-byul "dead" in the Mujin field, you completely lost me. And that ending? I died.

First of all, let us note that when Dong-chan gave the suicide note of Grandpa Chu's son to the Chief of Staff, we knew that he was doing this not only to save his family but he was also choosing to save Saet-byul. Later on, after the fake call from his mother, he rushes to Mujin to do just that. The only reason why he brought her to the reservoir was to hide a crime he thought his mother committed. So imagine  how he must have felt when he found out that Saet-byul was alive. Having realized that no crime had been committed, what he should have done was to back off from the water and live happily ever after.

Dong-chan's strange conclusion that he had to die in order for Saet-byul to live, and to fulfill that godawful prophecy, came out of left field. Saet-byul was alive. Dong-ho was alive. The President was taking care of things. The Chief of Staff couldn't touch him or his family anymore. No one had to die. To hell with that prophecy. If only he had turned to Soo-hyun when she was calling out to him, I'm sure she could've explained things to him. If he did, indeed, kill himself in the reservoir (and there's still a part of me holding on to the hope that he is still alive- after all, the show was cunning enough to leave things a bit vague), to what end did that serve? Who did he save with that final act of bravery? *shrugs*

Also, I'm fine with open-ended stories if they leave me with a sense of closure and hope for the characters' futures. But this finale left me with a lot of questions. Did Woo-jin survive? Did Soo-hyun leave her husband? Or, now that I think back to the episode, did her husband survive? Remind me, what exactly was the connection again between Grandpa Chu and Snake's Tae-oh? Was the President's son really his son? For the mere fact that the Chief of Staff went through all kinds of methods to save him - not to mention the weird relationship he has with the First Lady - I'm thinking that murderer was a bastard (both literally and figuratively). Plus, our murdering asshole looks a hell lot more like the Chief of Staff than he did the President.

But that's that, I suppose. As with every drama, we move on. Thank you, Show, for the gripping ride. I loved you wholeheartedly (up until the last few minutes of the final episode, at least). All I have to do now is hope for another Jo Seung-woo and Lee Bo-young pairing where I can hopefully ship them to my heart's content.

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My Lists: 10 things I miss most about Seoul

I'm booked for a trip to Seoul for autumn this year! I am beyond excited. Like, I have a feeling this trip is going to be awesome. (As if my previous 2 visits to Seoul have been anything less than awesome). For the first time ever, I'm traveling abroad with someone who isn't family. So that's bound to be interesting. Traveling together, as they say, is putting your friendship to the test. I don't know but I have a feeling we're gonna be pretty good during the 9-day trip. *crosses fingers*

My friend has never been to Korea before and is a fairly new k-drama/k-variety fan. How new? She watched her first drama last year. Which drama? Boys Over Flowers. She's that new. She eventually found Running Man on her own and has since marathoned the show, episode by episode, and is making her way through 2012's episodes by now. She's probably seen more episodes than I have.

Our upcoming trip (I know it's 6 months away but I can already feel it, okaaayyyy) will consist mostly of places I've already been to because it's my friend's first time, but I seriously don't mind. No one can possibly get sick of Hongdae and Myeongdong. I've added a handful of new places for me, like Nami Island! And Everland! And hopefully we get to watch a music show or two. *crosses fingers again*

There are just so many things I love about Seoul that I can't wait to experience again. Here's a rundown of my top 10 Seoul things, in no particular order.

1. Korean Barbecue - I've been to plenty Korean restaurants in my country. Most of them Korean-owned and as authentic as you can get outside of Korea. But, for some reason, nothing beats Korean food in Korea. Gimme some samgyupsal, kimchi jjigae, and sosa (soju + cider) and I'm a happy camper.

2. Korean Subways - Believe you me, no one appreciates the efficiency of the Korean rail system than a person who has to suffer commuting every single day in a city whose transportation infrastructure is probably one of the worst the world has seen. This is one of the pleasures Seoul has to offer that I tend to miss the very moment I have to get back on the Philippines' dreaded MRT.

3. Egg Bread - Mmmmm.... Gyeran bbang (계란빵) or egg bread is exactly what it sounds like. It's bread... with egg. Sounds simple, and it is. And sooo delish. There's an ahjussi selling them from a food truck in one of the alleys of Myeongdong and my sister and I once visited him thrice in a span of 4 days.

4. Nature in the City - Everyone thinks of Seoul as this busy, high-tech, concrete jungle - and for the most part, it's true. But, still, you're never 5 minutes away from some sort of natural space. Seoul is surrounded by mountains and this explains Seoulites' love for hiking and nature walks. Parks are everywhere, too. Along with the banks of the Han river and the restored Cheonggye stream, bodies of water aren't rare either.

5. Kitschy Cafés - I'm not a big coffee drinker but I somehow turn into one whenever I'm in Seoul. Not only because of their colder weather, but because the quaint little cafés keep appealing to the wannabe artist-writer in me. Cute little café in Hongdae? Gimme a Moleskin and toss me my quill, I'm going to drown in caffeine and write!

6. Street Art - For a city that boasts of its science and technological advancement, Seoul, ironically, has a lot of artists. From visual artists to buskers to fashion designers, Seoul is filled with them. It's no wonder that the mecca of artists boasts of street vandalism that looks like this:

7. Side Dishes - Banchan (반찬) refers to small dishes of food served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. Not only are they delicious, they are also free and refillable. Sometimes it means assorted kimchi and soy bean sprouts, sometimes it's spam and rolled omelettes. I could probably live well on banchan and rice alone.

8. Service - Free things a business gives out to customers are called "service" and is a very widely used marketing strategy over there. Whether it's free packets of body wash and face mask that come along with your purchases at Etude House, or the free serving of pretzels along with your sweet potato latte at Café Jass, these are all part and parcel of the Korean idea of service. Isn't that just awesome?

9.  Your favorite Korean artist on everything - In the land of k-pop and k-drama stars, of course it's going to be filled with all your oppas gracing billboards everywhere and advertising everything from the newest Nintendo game to an online shopping site. Sometimes, they're also on your soda cup at Lotteria.

10. Street Food - Notice how many items on this list are food related? I'm such a glutton. But seriously, street food. Everything from fish cake (odeng, 오뎅), spicy rice cake (ddeokbokki, 쫄볶이), blood sausages (soondae, 순대), and even kebabs and the Korean version of tempura (twigim, 튀김) can be found in food trucks everywhere. Easy access food!

I can't wait to experience all of this again this coming October. Aaaaaaah! Our trip isn't for another 6 months but my friend and I have already come up with a list of possible guesthouses to stay at and a rough draft of our itinerary. No, we're not excited. NOT. AT. ALL.

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My Lists: 4 current dramas I've started watching but haven't kept up with

For some reason, I am currently in a drama-watching slump. Not that there's a shortage of dramas in kdramaland, of course not. But none of these awesome dramas have been able to hold my attention for very long. Aside from the ever awesome God's Gift - 14 Days, I have yet to get past the first couple of episodes for each of these dramas.

1. Three Days - My love for Yoochun be damned, I saw half of the first episode and closed the window as soon as my sister suggested watching some We Got Married instead. Not because the drama wasn't good, I just wasn't in the right state of mind at the time.

2. Sly and Single Again - I love Lee Min-jung, I really do. But I don't know if that's enough for me to push through with watching this drama. Her character just seems very sad - in the pathetic sense of the word - to me. The again, I felt the same way about Song Ji-hyo's character in the beginning of Emergency Couple, but that changed after the first few episodes. Maybe I need to give this drama another shot.

3. Secret Love Affair - I've heard great things about this drama but I don't know if it's something I'd want to push through with. God knows I love Yoo Ah-in, but the many muted and sepia-toned scenes don't demand for my attention as much as they probably should.Or I might just really be in some kind of drama funk.

4. Hotel King - Admittedly, I only saw the first few minutes of the first episode while I was downloading it. And it was captivating. I just haven't gotten around to watching it because I'm not Lee Da-hae's biggest fan. And I worry about my nerves being grated every time she shows up on screen. I'll have to set this aside for now.

I may not have kept up with the many currently airing dramas, but I was able to finish Her Lovely Heels - a mini-drama based on a webcomic - last Friday. Pretty easy to do as this show ran for less than 15 minutes per episode, with a total of 10 episodes. Drama marathon in under 3 hours? I'm there. HA. But my feels for Her Lovely Heels and Hong Jong-hyun will have to wait till my next post.

For now, please cross some fingers for me in hopes that I get my ass in gear over the upcoming long weekend and get a move on on my drama watching.

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God's Gift continues to fascinate

So I went to find Hans Christian Andersen’s The Story of a Mother, the book from which the opening of God’s Gift - 14 Days' first episode was taken from. This is the same book that Dong-chan reads to Saet-byul in episode 10. Just like the little girl, I was curious about how the story ends.

The last bit of the story reads:

Then the mother wrung her hands, fell on her knees, and prayed to God, “Grant not my prayers, when they are contrary to Thy will, which at all times must be the best. Oh, hear them not;” and her head sank on her bosom. Then Death carried away her child to the unknown land.

I don’t know how much of God’s Gift is based on this book, but if it ends the same way the book does, I expect to be crying a river by the final episode.

P.S. Just like Saet-byul, I find myself falling in love with this ahjussi more and more every week. Just so that's clear.

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