~ Iburigurashi (Smoked Couple): Ep 1. Favorite Stills ~

“needing the type of hug where you bury your head in their shoulder and they just hold you tight and there’s this mutual need to keep holding on.” - @constellatedlove

~ Current drama watch is ‘Itaewon Class’. I love those off-the-road, traditional Asian food joints. I love the vibe: the portable stove that holds a pot of ramen or soup, bottles of soju and tiny glasses, pickled radishes and kimchi in small, porcelain white dishes.  I couldn’t help screengrabbing these stills and this beautiful quote from the first episode. ❤ ~

Such a precious friendship, Ao-san and Haru-chan. 🌼

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Quote from: Haro to Ao no Obento Bako

Through ‘Goblin’ I Learnt Life Is Beautiful In Both, Colors Of Light & Dark

Ah, where do I start with this show? The 'Goblin' was my first 2021 drama pick. I had heard SO much about it -- one of the highest drama ratings ever scored, the love story of Eun-Tak and Kim Shin and of course, the hardcore shipping of Wang Yeo and Kim Sun. 

My YT recs were spammed with "Goblin: funny moments" featuring the Gob and Deok-hwa. And then, I happened to read a Google Review by someone who was raving about how the world built is so vast, so intricate and so fascinating. My mind instantly packed in high expectations for the show.

I get why Gong Yoo is so popular but can I say I love him more when he's doing off-screen interviews? (Have you seen his recent one with IU on Palette? *adorbs*)

The show has everything for a fantasy lover like me --- Korean mythology, magic, fantastical characters and badass Gods. 

What I didn't enjoy very much, contrary to popular opinion, was Eun-Tak's character. I found her obsessive and more of a crybaby than anything else. No offense to the actress, who I'm convinced is massively talented.

The story revolves around Kim Shin, a cursed 900-year-old Goblin who was a general-of-war in his last life and is seeking his wife in the mortal world. The latter is the only one who can help him end the treacherous curse and send him peacefully to afterlife.

Eun-tak, an orphan since she was 9, can see ghosts and converses with them. She's also very aware of her destiny as the Goblin's wife. A high-schooler, she meets her destined husband (Gong Yoo) and  soon enough, the tale gets complicated as the two battle fear of death, their growing love for a each other and the wretched curse.

There is Wang Yeo, a scaredy-cat of a king who is similarly cursed to be a Grim Reaper for repenting his past-life sins. I must say, the GR (Grim Reaper) is hot.🔥 He's also one of the most fascinating characters in the show for me -- shy, reserved, melancholy, with a soft lover's heart. 

Personally, I liked his bromance with the Goblin more than the latter's love story with Eun-Tak. (** insert: the MIB'ish slow-mo scene where the two of them walk towards Eun-Tak to save her. Also, the beaut BGM**)

But I am also heartily biased towards 'Sunny' aka Kim Sun, Wang Yeo's queen and Kim Shin's sister in her previous birth. Sunny is everything that Yeo is not -- bold, courageous, unafraid of chasing the man she dotes on and a strong woman with an even stronger pool of self-love.

The story is slow-paced, highlighting how transitory life is and how beautiful it is to be alive. We see the gradual progression of days as the Goblin and Eun-Tak fall in love and how the latter shows our hero what it means to live fully. Just following this up with some of my favorite learnings from the drama now:

1. You cannot change the past but you can learn from it. Something Wang Yeo does so beautifully when he regains his memories as a GR and repents for his past acts of cruelty and injustice.

2. Choose yourself, over and over again. Ah, I learned so much from Sunny, especially about how sometimes, forgiveness is not the answer and you cannot force yourself to offer it.

3. Through pain and discomfort, we grow. I could see this with Kim Shin's character --- first a deft goblin with a cocky attitude, we see his heart open up to the vulnerability of being human, of loving someone even when there isn't a guarantee of a happy ending and letting pain help him rise to be a better man, to himself and those he loves.

While Goblin is a fascinating drama, I wouldn't call it a favorite nor something I'd like to re-watch. Maybe because the expectations I set for it were too high and the show felt a little too long and intense. Another lesson learned: never read Google reviews of a drama before you happen to watch it yourself.

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GIF Credits: | 2 - Yahoo News Singapore | 5 - Wattapad | 6 & 17 - Giphy | 11 - Pinterest | 

~ Over the last few months, I’ve been enjoying more minimal spreads. A funny connection that I’ve observed: the more I declutter my space (clothes, books, stationery, etc.), the more cleaner and simpler my journal pages turn out. I love how content they make me feel. And here’s to the tiny sushi stickers to whom my heart belongs. ~

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ Taught Me That to See the Good in the Bad is Indeed, a Very Brave Thing

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ is an absolute beam of light, there's no other way to describe the show. It is a haven for when you're lost, a huge hug of positivity when you're having low days and a thoroughly adorable drama.

The Story:

We have our lead protagonist, Gu Ra-Ra, a 24-year-old whose perpetually positive and cannot but look at the silver lining of every bad occurrence. She shines through adversity as she meets Jun Suwoon, a 19-year-old runaway who wants more from life than his family's stifling expectations.

It is in Eunpo, a little town away from Seoul, that the two meet accidentally. From here on we see the story of Ra-Ra and her jolting awareness of the real world as she loses everything she owns and has to now stand up on her two feet.

The show is so heartwarming because of the community of beautiful people Ra-Ra meets in her new, sleep town. Thanks to them (and a lot to Jun), Ra-Ra opens up her own piano academy 'La La Land'.

Dr.Cha: 

Jin Su-Kyeong:

Jin Ha-Yeong:

Lee Seung-Gi:

TWD: (The ‘Want Divorce’ Club)

Kim Man-Bok:

Detective Chu:

My Learnings from ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’:

1. Take life one day at a time.

Life is utterly unpredictable so sleep your worries away, and take one day at a time, as it comes. Gu Ra-Ra's 'let's do what we can do today' mantra is gold.

2. Love. Love is what makes the stars go around and rewrite themselves.

Oh man, if I can just hug Jun Woo and Ra-Ra for the beautiful, beautiful love they harbor and nurture, I'd have broken my screen by now.

3. Sometimes, we don't find family, it finds us.

To all the lovely people of Eunpo, I am smitten by the way you found Ra-Ra when she most needed companionship, love and comfort. It made me believe that there is sometimes more than just one family for some of us, and that sometimes that 'other' family finds you in the form of new friends, neighbors and landladies.

4. People may forget the rest, but they will always remember that one, unexpected act of kindness.

Ra-ra’s father was her biggest cheerleader and that is what made Ra-Ra stick to the piano. That one moment when her father cheered for her, defines Ra-Ra’s attitude when things get rough. It is this unexpected act of love that shapes Ra-Ra’s way of seeing the world and it showed me how powerful kindness can be. 

My Last Thoughts:

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Credits: Picture 1: letsott.com | Picture 2 & 3: Twitter (Hani, KPopandKDrama) | Picture 4: IDN Times | GIF 1 & 8: Tumgir | GIF 2: @dramaintherain​ | GIF 3: southsounder.com | GIF 4 & 6: Gfycat | GIF 5: Netflix | GIF 7: WiffleGif | GIF 9: Bitches Over Dramas 

~'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

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~ I wanted to do a little appreciation look-book of Jin Su-Kyung’s super pretty, prints, hair bands and bows, from ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’. So here it is! 🌼 ~

~ When the Camellia Blooms ~

if tumblr was person I’d hug the shit out of them. ❤