Just a few notes from the housekeeper
by javabeans
(Random) SONG OF THE DAY
김연우 (Kim Yeon Woo) – “청소 하는 날” (cleaning day) [ zShare download ]
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In a nutshell:
- (More) web issues.
- Updates on this site.
- Possible future drama watching.
Edited to add: Media Temple rocks. Their support and hosting services are top-notch, and they’ve made my life ever so much less frustrating. In fact, if not for their level of helpful support, I’d have been sorely tempted to throw in the towel on numerous occasions. Never once have they made me feel stupid, although believe me I’ve felt it plenty of times.
Unfortunately, I’ve had to take Coffee Prince direct song links down. You can still download all the songs via batch links, but I said when the direct links killed my site I’d have to kill the links. Both died tonight, and the site is reviving without the links. I don’t know if someone linked to them somewhere but I got an incredibly sudden, drastic spike that completely disabled my server and I had to reconfigure some settings to get back online.
Web stuff blah:
(I should really just label all this stuff as How To Become an Accidental, Reluctant Systems Admin.)
Phew. I’ve learned, never say never. It’s probably a very good thing I didn’t know anything about web hosting until I actually did it, because if I’d known in advance all I’d need to know to run my own server, there’s probably no way I’d have been persuaded to do it. Nothing scares me more than having to configure settings on systems I’ve never heard about until about two seconds before I have to configure them.
The site has been running excruciatingly (or maybe just very; but it sure feels excruciating to me) slowly over the past few days, so I looked into what was going on, and bandwidth was one likely factor. The numbers probably mean nothing to you, but let’s just say that yesterday hit a new high at over 43GB of data transfer, which is fairly high (and especially for a mere blog). I considered taking down my media links (or a good chunk of them), but I’m stubborn and greedy and was determined to do what I could NOT to have to take em down.
It also looked like I was maxing out my max connections on apache, and we’ll just make a long story short of how I sweat bullets figuring out how to use Linux, access my root server, edit my config files connecting to SSH via putty, then reboot the server when I really didn’t have any idea what any of those things were. Or are. I’ve probably used all these terms wrongly, but that just goes to show how over my head this stuff is. Now that I’ve done it, of course, it seems simple, but when you’re wondering, “Uh, what exactly is apache again?,” those command lines are awfully hard to execute.
Now for words that make sense:
I had a Last.fm widget going in the sidebar for a bit, but that felt kind of vain so I took it down. If you care about the music listening habits of a stranger, here’s my Last.fm profile page.
Coffee Prince scripts posted through Episode 13.
If you’re not keeping track, Coffee Prince’s Unofficial Soundtrack is updated through Episode 14. The list isn’t entirely comprehensive, but I’ve done what I can to locate the most prominently used tracks. For instance, not all background tracks are identified every single time they’re played. That gets kind of tedious, and frankly I think including every little tiny thing actually detracts from the composition of the whole. (What I mean by that is, I’d rather locate the most significant song placements rather than get bogged down looking for every single measure of music ever used. But that’s just me.)
Upcoming dramas:
I don’t know which drama(s) I’m going to be watching next. I’m not that interested in what I’ve heard of the upcoming dramas (seems sageuk is coming back in full force?), so I may watch something that isn’t airing live. It will probably NOT include Time of Wolf and Dog (not my style), Karl/Oh Soo Jung (should’ve been a great concept, but man is the directing bland), or Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs (I hear it’s all right, but getting past an admittedly slow beginning is a lot to ask of an impatient viewer). Golden Bride doesn’t appeal to me, and what little I’ve seen of Snow in August strikes me as overdramatic and shrill.
See, I may watch a lot of dramas, but I’m pretty picky. Either it’s gotta be good, awesomely bad, or easily entertaining (which includes subcategories cheesy, fluffy, and/or mockable).
On my list of possibilities are Taereung National Village (off to a pleasant start), or perhaps risque sex-themed cable comedy-drama Hyena. I may finally get to Thank You but at this point I feel like the excitement has passed, and it seems there were already plenty of invigorating discussions while it was still airing. Alone in Love is on my must-watch list and I fully expect to fall in love, but I haven’t been in the mood to start it. Similarly, cable drama Someday has always seemed interesting despite its mixed reviews, but I haven’t been in the mood to start. I’d love to catch quirky vampire sitcom Hello Francesca (whose director went on to Soulmate) but I haven’t found it readily available.
Since you probably have a decent idea as to my (weird) taste in dramas by now, got any suggestions? Anything in particular that I’ve just gotta see?
Tags: bloggy
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1 Mics
August 15, 2007 at 10:33 AM
I remember you said before that you'd do summaries for Devil are you still going to do that? I don't even know why I'm asking you that, lol. I'm not a fan of any of the actors there. I heard that the drama was good though I haven't watched any of it yet. Anyway, whatever you do I'll be sure to read =)
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2 jellyfish
August 15, 2007 at 10:37 AM
You should definitely catch Thank You, even if its an old (as in not currently airing) drama =).
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3 Bamidele
August 15, 2007 at 10:41 AM
if only there was a Soulmate 2 to watch :(
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4 Fritz
August 15, 2007 at 10:49 AM
On Hello Francesca, I have watched the first part of this sitcon and I say it's pretty hilarious, to think that I have to watch the action and read the sub at the same time. I'm hoping you would give consideration on this, since I am also looking for the second part, and have not found any source so far.
You did a great job on Coffee Prince, and I am really falling in love with all the coffee princes. Keep up the good work.
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5 eej
August 15, 2007 at 11:08 AM
The Devil is an awesome series. I finally finished watching it last night with English subs., ofcourse. I highly recommend for you to consider this show. It's dark, different and quite a thrilling ride.
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6 stargazer377
August 15, 2007 at 11:11 AM
i agree with Bamidele -- if only Soulmate 2 came out. but i highly recommend Alone in Love. i have to say though, CP has been spoiling me too and idk if i'll start up anything just yet as well... maybe some of the old ones you've recommended. but good luck sorting out all the website admin. problems!! and if i'm not mistaken, i think silentregrets has Hello Francesca. thanks for all your hard work!!!!
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7 anonymous
August 15, 2007 at 11:13 AM
both devil and thank you were wonderful...and i'm currently also watching hana kimi ~ikemen paradise~. it's silly as heck, which makes it cute to watch. plus, it stars oguri shun from hanadan as sano izumi. XP i'm also quite enjoying time of dog and wolf and hyena looks really interesting, thank you for you work!
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8 La Plume
August 15, 2007 at 11:15 AM
Ahem La Plume = Deedlith
Like Mics said I remember you saying you were planning to watch "Mawang" which seemed like a pretty awesome show... I have only watched 4 episodes didn't get hooked though, but maybe I was simply not in the mood to watch it.
Though you said "Time between Dog and Wolf" was not your style, honestly I feel it's a pity.
It's not my kind of drama either, but I gave it a try because of Lee Jun Ki and I find it extremmelly exciting ^^ The drama was just good until episode 5 but it really picked up at episode 6 and now I feel almost as addicted as Coffee Prince ^^ The suspens is killing me!
As of shows which were already aired... It's unlikely you would do a review about that but Jumong was one of the best drama I've ever seen...
I don't really have any idea 'cuz the shows you've planned not to do a review seem more interesting to me than the one you're thinking of doing one...
Hope you'll get something you like... If it's interesting I'll give a try to these shows, still I would avoid "Thank you", I didn't manage to watch two episodes I was already bored. Reason why I avoided "Flower for my life" ^^ Sorry. Should have given it a chance but well not a lot of space, not my style so that was it.
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9 Ima
August 15, 2007 at 11:20 AM
I've seen Alone in Love last year and it's actually one of my favorites. If the series is a person, I can describe it as a quiet, a bit laid-back yet intense individual. The critics are so-so about it, I think they find the theme too ordinary (they're so wrong). But that didn't dampen my interest of finding out why and how the two leading characters divorced when they obviously still love each other (as what the plot description says).
Their story is poignant yet their bickerings as ex-husband and wife, as well as the supporting characters (the best friend and the sister), were all surprisingly a comic relief albeit this was supposedly a drama. I have to commend the actors for their brilliant performance, it's very natural and engaging.
Though I have to say towards the ending, some episodes became a little bit of a drag. But the last eppy wasn't a disappointment. It's as real as it can get.
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10 nixxochick
August 15, 2007 at 11:21 AM
i think Thank You is a great drama...yeah its a bit late since its no longer airing but nevertheless its really great!
Alone in Love is also great....
but im pretty sure anything you pick to take on would be enjoyable
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11 Javabeans
August 15, 2007 at 11:27 AM
Yes, I'd considered watching Devil/Mawang at one point. I still may -- even though I know the ending, it keeps getting raves. Plus, Mr. X seemed to really like it and that's always a stamp of approval. I have managed to locate a clubbox with Hello Francesca so I'll see how the first episode goes (if I watch it streaming, no screencaps!). I hear the third season wasn't as great, but the first and second should be better. I'm not a historical/sageuk fan (although I hear the Hong sisters might write one, in which case I'll have to try) but Jumong... eek, anything with that many episodes scares me off. And I hear that the constant extensions only served to degrade the quality, which started out excellent but watered down by the end. And LOL to La Plume, because it seems we have completely opposite tastes -- guess we must've happened to meet in the middle with Coffee Prince :)
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12 Jessica
August 15, 2007 at 11:57 AM
Holy... 43 GB in one day! But then seeing the number of comments you're getting on the Coffee Prince posts this doesn't surprise me.
So I guess... congratulations on your success? :)
Thanks so much!
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13 JooJinMooLovesME
August 15, 2007 at 12:21 PM
Alone in Love is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES. Its story, blended with the beautiful mood music, and the light comedy/tragedy that each character goes through that is purely human that makes it such a wonderful drama to watch over and over again.
I would be excited to read updates on Hyena and Someday. I own both, both haven't really started watching them due to time limitations. Though, I wouldn't really call Hyena the male version of Sex and the City, even though it is advertised that way.
Thanks for the frequent updates to your website. It keeps my workday going :D
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14 blueseeker
August 15, 2007 at 12:22 PM
I actually think you should give Thank you a chance, particularly if you liked Flowers for my life so much. If you start watching Alone in love and Someday please let me know what you think because i have not been in the mood to start it either but am rather curious. I feel there are not many kdramas right now worth to watch but it seems capital scandal, how to meet the perfect neighbor and just maybe golden era of a daughter in law. If you are a total addict like me lets try branching out to some jdramas at least until september comes around and we can get back on track....hehe.
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15 amy
August 15, 2007 at 12:35 PM
How about Ruler of Your Own World (As you wish) if you haven't watched it? It's a drama not to miss!
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16 mangoicy
August 15, 2007 at 12:59 PM
You're absolutely right.. the first half of your post above makes no sense to me whatsoever. LOL!
Recommendation: Of all the currently airing dramas, honestly, nothing is sparking my interest right now. I tried to watch 9th Inning 2 Outs. God.. *no offense to its loyal viewers* but words cannot describe how boring it was. I gave up after the first 2-3 episodes. The progress was way too slow, the storyline was too predictable, the acting was too mediocre. And we all know, TOO much of anything is not good for you -especially if they're all negatives-. Time of Wolf and Dog was too heavy for my taste, and Lee JunKi and Nam SangMi are lacking chemistry (again, sorry!). And that lack of chemistry is also the reason why I don't bother to watch Get Karl! (did I say sorry already?).
On a (much) lighter note! Some of the ones worth-mentioning, which you haven't covered for one reason or another, are Thank You (best of this year, extremely well-rated) and Capital Scandal (excellent drama, way way underrated).. But, as you've mentioned.. the train has left the platform, and I don't know if reviewing them now would be of your best interest. If, by any chance, you had not had a chance to watch these two (though I highly doubt it), may I suggest that you spare some extra time, even if you were not going to write anything about them. They were simply flawless in my book.
Then again, it's your blog, and you can write about whatever pleased you. I'm happy enough to get the chance to read your excellent writing -whatever it's all about-.
You rock!
err.. my socks! ~eek~
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17 eeky
August 15, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Oh man! I totally agree on your list of dramas NOT TO SEE!
I've previewed them all also and I dont like anything! "Time of Wolf and Dog , Karl/Oh Soo Jung, Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs, Golden Bride etc. Just overly dramatic and sappy not humorous.
So i've been complying with my lil gag shows like "star king" "ya shim" and such
until I get to preview "I am Sam" with yang dong gun and top. Let me know what you see. I want to Hello Francesca also!
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18 soomp
August 15, 2007 at 1:23 PM
o my lord, how i know the pain and heartache of trying to figure out how to run your own server! if only there was an "idiot's guide to sysadmin 101 for dummies" or something that told you exactly what apache and my.cnf settings you need for your current situation! (-_-)
i really love how you have so much music for us on your site, but hosting the mp3s on your server is really cramping your (server's) style :x. my suggestion would be to continue having the mp3 streams (random song of the day, appropriate song that matches the scene), cuz i love that part ^^;, but not have any mp3's for download directly from your server -- only from those 3rd party download sites. i think it will make a huge difference on your server performance... hehhhhhhh
*pat pat pat* treat yourself to a cookie or something delicious :)
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19 tory
August 15, 2007 at 1:40 PM
I'm a bit afraid to get hooked on to other k dramas especially after my obsession over CP haha, but I'm sure your next choice will be awesome. Can't wait!
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20 nycgal5
August 15, 2007 at 1:47 PM
Hmmm...what about Rude Woman/Outrageous Women? It's a little old but someone told me it was good. Not as good as Coffee Prince though.
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21 GreenT
August 15, 2007 at 2:01 PM
Javabeans, I agree with you on Karl/Oh Soo Jung ,Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs , &Golden Bride. Golden Bride's fake Viet girl's acting is really bad and overdone that's why I was really put off by it on the first ep. Didn't see Snow in August so no comments. My kids like watching Time of Wolf&Dog. We all watch the Eng.sub versions done by the WITH S2 Fansubs group.....(side note: you all are so generous with your time, we appreciate it a whole bunch).
I like watching Capital Scandals too, it's a bit dorky sometimes but really interesting to watch.
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22
August 15, 2007 at 2:05 PM
I would suggest skipping over Mawang. It was good, but it's pretty slow. There were times where I got frustrated with how stiff everyone stood, but that's probably because I'm used to having the actors move around a lot like in Kim Sam Soon, Delightful Girl, Coffee Prince, and Dal Ja's Spring. I think it's the type of drama you could skip out on. Thank You is a good drama to watch for characters, but the ending kinda disappointed me.
Now, for what you should watch. Capital Scandal as been pretty good so far, the main couple has been really entertaining to watch and doesn't follow all the normal cliches of dramas.
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23 Jubee1027
August 15, 2007 at 2:06 PM
I think you should watch 9 End 2 Outs. It's adorable to me. Thank You is a good watch and so is Alone in Love. The others are ok....
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24 kiwee
August 15, 2007 at 2:12 PM
oh god, please not capital scandal. that was way too much air city-esque-boring-terrorist-group-scheming-slash-maybe-it-wasnt-terrorist-but-very-unexciting. (as much as i love the main dude and girl).
and alone in love was ok. i thought it was pretty interesting in how they used a lot of characters, but frustrating in that they were so in denial. and the end was sort of abrupt. but whatever. i dont know if youd like thank you that much, because it was sort of melodramatic, but i watched it for the cute little girl. and the cute jang hyuk.
and the same for time of dog and wolf. dude there is way too much family-hatred-revenge-love-fate-y things going on there for me. even though i fell in love with the "good->evil" guy. (i get attached, what can i say)
i guess just wait and see what else.
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25 pizzamama
August 15, 2007 at 2:12 PM
I know you're not planning to watch Time Between Wolf and Dog and 9 end and 2 outs, but just in case you get curious in the future do not watch it. Time Between Wolf and Dog is a little over dramatic and the romance between the main two is not very well developed. 9 end and 2 outs is really, really slow. On the eighth episode, the main two haven't even started looking at each other in a different light yet. At least with Coffee Prince and Dal Ja's Spring the main guy started to look at the main girl differently at that point. Both of the dramas are not nearly as good as the ones you've been watching so far.
You should try watching Nodame Cantible it's from one to two years, but it's really good. If you liked Hana Yori Dango, you should like it too.
Good luck in finding a new drama!
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26 canyayasis
August 15, 2007 at 2:34 PM
I took THANK YOU and ALONE IN LOVE with me on vacation. And I was not disappointed.
Despite the premise - i found THANK YOU very funny - as in laugh out loud funny - the precocious little girl just blew me away with her comebacks to "Min Geo So's" insults. She held her own. The outtakes of her are hysterical -
ALONE IN LOVE gave me some memorable musical moments - the first song that was in Korean that I wanted to learn, was from this series. actually the song is called Thank YOu!
I'd almost say with THANK YOU - to start at ep. 3 - whatever you've read about the story line - it really kicks in at eppie 3.
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27 CW
August 15, 2007 at 2:37 PM
Out of curiosity, whose feet are those in the photo?
Oh and even though I rarely read the summaries (I love the photos/screencaps, though), I still enjoy coming to this blog. It's definitely a good distraction when I'm bored at work.
So your behind-the-scenes tid-bits and other posts are quite enjoyable to me. I just wanted you to know that there are people like me who like reading these other posts :)
Take care.
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28 merriwether
August 15, 2007 at 2:43 PM
Alone In Love is something I HIGHLY recommend and is incredibly underrated on soompi so I think you should go for it. I would love to see more people enjoy it as much as I have.
Shame about the server problems. Stay zen. ^^
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29 cocoa
August 15, 2007 at 2:44 PM
Can you do Soulmate? You wrote you were going to do it long ago and I'd love to follow along reading your insight and cute/fun summaries :D
I have most of Hello Francesca and that would be awesome as well! I love Ahn Sung Daek.
Thank you for your continued efforts to bring us wonderful summaries, I can only hope to write as well as you~
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30 Samantha
August 15, 2007 at 2:52 PM
Sorry about the server problems again....... But i agree with pizzamama probably you should try watching or looking up some j-dramas.... like nodamie cantible
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31 cocoa
August 15, 2007 at 2:53 PM
Oh, have you seen I am Ssaem, with Yang Dong Geun, Lee Min Young, etc? It's the one with the mobster daughter in high school and Yang Dong Geun as the professor. It just started but its on the same days as Coffee Prince. It's pretty cute.
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32 docmitasha
August 15, 2007 at 3:24 PM
I don't have any recommendations (I take mine from you usually ;)) but I agree that Get Karl was not worth it. I was actually looking forward to it, even though I'm not an Oh Ji Oh fan, but though the humor's not bad the pace is so slow and the story is aggravating at times. I have no problem with an irritating female lead, but her desperation clashed with what her character was meant to be and left a bad taste in my mouth. I haven't checked out 9and2outs and TODAW, but after reading this I probably won't =P. I actually never got around to watching Flowers of My Life...your summaries were so beautiful in themselves but I know I'll watch it for sure soon. I think Cha Tae Hyun is definitely one of the best actors out there. And then I haven't heard a bad word about Thank You, so I have that on my list too. Its a pity nothing that exciting is coming up soon, though Coffee Prince is a good way to end my live-watching season since soon it'll get too busy to try keeping up with a live show....its surprising how much more time it takes with all the great discussion and updates (though its also so much more fun and interesting and lively)! I think I'll be comparing new shows with CP for a while now so everything will seem kind of dull next to its freshness!
I've been looking for Hello Franceska for a while too, apart from the quirky story I like all the actors in it. I'll try to watch that when my Korean gets a little better!
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33 blue4u
August 15, 2007 at 4:25 PM
Well, i think whatever you choose will do because what i'm after and enjoy most is the recap,summary or translation you wrote each time in your blog. So do pick the most where your interest lies...i'm sure you have an earnest fan here. Thank you Javabeans, you're simply great!
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34 coollady
August 15, 2007 at 4:29 PM
hi, i never knew handling a blog site could be so frustrating?! good luck with that.
i'm quite picky in what dramas i watch all the way through too. i mean, i try out most dramas but it's quite rare when i actually watch the ENTIRE drama. here are my picks since you're asking and all: (1) Capital Scandal (Kyung Sung Scandal): this drama is so distinct not only in it's setting but in it's story. there are numerous surprises in every episode (that's right, EVERY episode) and the main leads intrigue you into their characters immediately. it has the perfect mix of suspense, mystery, romance, comedy, and tragedy. also, the book it's based on is written by Lee Sun Mi right? so that should give the drama some points right? highly recommended. (2) The Devil (Mawang): definitely an underrated show. good in it's story. and i knew the ending and who the manipulator was, but that didn't keep me from watching. liked it sooo much, i'm currently watching Resurrection until college starts. (3) Thank You: one of my favorites and the writer is famously known. very realistic and Different. all the actors esp. Suh Sun Ae (Lee Bom) are fantastic. this drama is really deep.
oh, and i know you know this but you really have a strange/bizarre taste in dramas. haha.
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35 addicted
August 15, 2007 at 4:40 PM
As Amy posted earlier, if you haven't already seen it, I too highly recommend Ruler Of Your Own World. It's a fabulous drama. I believe its one right up your alley. Although it's a few years old, it's adorably quirky and worth it. I ended up falling in love with everything about it.
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36 Gramps
August 15, 2007 at 4:49 PM
Housekeeper?? Javabeans, you are the Leonardo da Vinci of blogland. As well as your astonishing writing and translating talents, you have successfully pulled off a piece of server configuration that even seasoned sysadmins would approach with trepidation, especially if they were doing the computer equivalent of open-heart surgery on a site delivering more than 30 Gigs a day. I will name no names or places, but recently the entire sysadmin team of a major campus site allowed themselves the luxury of 48 hours scheduled total downtime to do essentially what you did, i.e. reconfigure the size and behaviour of the Apache listener pool; and even then they messed up so many other things in the process that the whole site was actually down for close on a week.
On dramas, I would hate to see your talents and energies wasted on Dog and Wolf, but at the same time I suspect it will in the longer term prove to be of some interest when the history of KDrama comes to be written. Whereas CP is showing how much better KDramas can be that most of us ever imagined, DW is displaying how much more awful they can get. Not in the sense of incompetence of acting, direction or photography. Those things are at the same high standards that now seem to have become second nature to Korean production units. I mean awful in the sense of sheer wrong-headedness, perversity even in the storyboarding. For the last three episodes, since the most preposterous variant yet of the loss of memory motif emerged from the hat (or the ocean) I had been watching it against the grain with considerable amusement at the absurdity of the lost-mistaken-confused identity pseudo-conflicts it was dishing up. But today's episode took the warped logic of the outrageous plot to a level of sheer nastiness that stopped being a laughing matter, to me at least. I won't be watching any more for now; though I expect I will come back to it later, though not exactly for the fun of it, in any sense.
As for Alone in Love, though some people might think this was now rather old hat, I personally would be delighted if you decided to write about it, because I think it is a very good series indeed which, like CP but in a different way, marked a significant milestone in the development of KDrama (or at least peak-time big-budget KDrama) by putting the sort of "ordinary" people and situations that normally occupy lower-budget slots into the Big Time. One of the main characters bicycles to work; the other takes the bus. They get to ride in other people's SUVs from time to time, but they have no Mercs, Mini Coopers, let alone private planes. Nor are their cellphones product-placed state-of-the-art models. (In fact, the only significant product placement, made rather easier by the fact that this was one of the earliest HD dramas, so you get to read all the labels on the cups and wrappers very clearly, was for Dunkin Donuts, which is hardly a domain of stratospheric conspicuous consumption.) One character is a half-orphan, and though her childhood loss of a parent does matter, it isn't life-destroying or even drastically life-shaping. That's about as far as the "traumatic past" component goes, apart from the core event which is the motor of the plot, preceding the main timeline, but repeatedly revisited in flashback and recollection and reflection, the birth of a stillborn child and its consequences for a young marriage. I was interested to see that AiL was one of the dramas recently bought by a US distributor and repackaged for the US market. I do rather wonder what US audiences make of it, because it the whole underlying dynamics of what first separates then eventually reconciles the couple stem from a sequence of events that simply couldn't have happened that way in the US (or the UK either, though parts of continental Europe are different) since the medical attitude to perinatal death radically changed in those countries some 30 years ago. Before than, a still birth was treated as, at least on the evidence of this drama , it still seems to be in Korea: the dead child was whisked away before even the mother, let alone the father, got a chance to see it, and returned to the grieving parents days later in a firmly sealed casket for cremation or burial. Whereas nowadays, the parents are allowed, indeed encouraged, to hold their dead child for as long as they wish and take leave of it together, in privacy and in their own time. The couple here are given no such chance to come to terms with their loss, and the consequences poison their marriage. Especially because the wife is left alone all night in her hospital bed, not knowing where her husband has gone and why he isn't by her side in her misery. She concludes that he has abandoned her in cowardly flight from a situation where she so badly needed his support. She only learns (at the same time as the viewers) that the truth is very different when the drama is far advanced, by which time irreperable damage seems to have been done. And not only seems to have been done. Although there is eventually a positive outcome of sorts, it comes at a considerable cost, and in the final voice-over the main female character reflects frankly enough that she can't honestly say that her life has reached a happy ending. Though it didn't bring quite the qualitative leap in KDrama that we're seeing in CP, and is neither so consistently accomplished or tautly constructed, I think you would enjoy it. And I am sure we would enjoy what your unique combination of insight and eloquence could show us about it.
But the bottom line is that I for one don't really care what drama you move on to next; whatever it is, your magic touch and miraculous vision will transform it into a thing of wonder. I suspect most of my fellow devotees will feel pretty much the same way.
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37 nhetski
August 15, 2007 at 5:00 PM
Javabeans, hope we can help with your server issues.. want a scone? or an ice cream? i can send u some in hopes it will make u feel better.. coz we are definitely stuck in your blog and your amazing writing :)
i agreee with docmashi, i can't recommned any drama to u coz i get recommendation from u (i only watch the dramas u've given the approval stamp on!). seriously, i am not excited about any of the new/old dramas - either too dark, too grim, too bland, too pathetic.. and as mangoicy said, anything on the extreme is not good for u.. but whatever series u decide to write on, i'd sure be looking it up..
by the way, the only other drama i'm watching is Hana Kimi japan (after I enjoyed HANADAN). i enjoy the series because it's very light but i don't really think it's worth putting caps or analysis coz it is quite simple and it really caters for teens :)
like the other CP addicts, i'm afraid i will be in CP mode even after the drama is finished. while i'm thankful that it will finish soon (i can get my sleep and social life back!), i'm gonna be so sad not seeing EC n HK on screen every week! thanks God i can always rewatch my downloads and go back to your blog to relieve the memories :)
thanks again for your hardwork, u r a gem!
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38 lime9
August 15, 2007 at 5:20 PM
i've watched "i am sam" without subs and it looks pretty funny.
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39 avonmarissa
August 15, 2007 at 6:10 PM
Javabeans, you should give those sageuk/historical dramas a chance. You might want to start from something shorter if Jumong is too long. I am watching Jumong right now and it is so addicting like crack cocaine, not that I have ever tried crack. Also BYJ's new historical drama starts airing this year. Who knows you might love those sageuks, all those men in historical costumes keep me watching, lol.
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40 obivia
August 15, 2007 at 6:43 PM
At first, I wasn't interested in watching "Thank You" because well... based on the synopsis, I was weary of it being all melodramatic, condescending, or cloying. (Just goes to show you how much faith I have in my fellow Koreans). I'm happy to say that I finally came around and immediately got hooked! It's by no means perfect and while there are the predictable scenes (why must there always be a piggyback scene in a Kmovie/drama?! I just don't get it!), I thought there was some pretty good acting (the little girl and her grandfather were adorable).
I'm with you on the lack of current dramas worth fawning over--what to do once CP is done!? I'm kinda looking forward to Bae Doona's drama--I'm a big fan!
Oh, and I also got around to watching TaeReung National Village--I don't regret that decision, either! I think I wanted to watch it cuz I heard it's somehow linked to Coffee Prince (I forgot--maybe you mentioned it here. Something about the music? Which, by the way, is really good!) I only wish it were longer than just 8 episodes!
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41 Mai
August 15, 2007 at 6:47 PM
wow. I kind of like what you said. I haven't even attempted to watch time of the wolf and dog. It just doesn't seem to interest me. It's very hard to pick drama.
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42 Lisa
August 15, 2007 at 7:04 PM
hi,
i don't know if you would have any interest in japanese dramas, but if so, i recommend kimi wa petto. it's fully subbed and i'm sure you can find it streaming somewhere. it's kind of dark and wrong, but is really original (barring that it was based on a manga).
also, i don't know if you ever saw Fog Street 01, 안개시정거리, which I think was based on a book... but it's only one of those one episode special dramas and is about a year old i think. but it's also pretty original (a guy falls in love with a girl who is sleepwalking, and doesn't realize it)
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43 Javabeans
August 15, 2007 at 7:11 PM
Thanks for your suggestions, everyone! It's interesting seeing everyone's (sometimes conflicting) opinions.
Jessica, I'm sure most of the bandwidth lies with the files I put up for download. Speaking of which, soomp, you ain't kidding! When tech support spouts out resolutions and possible problems, I have to stupidly ask, "Um, what is that?" so often I feel sorry for them having to deal with someone who barely grasps what she's doing. I may have to do what you suggest (although part of the fun was being able to host files that were non-expiring and completely available for everyone; third-party download sites are wonderful but they'd expire and be of limited use)... I even considered retiring links after a period of time, like many mp3-sharing blogs do, but that would be a bummer. Or maybe I'll be able to think of an intermediate solution.
CW, the feet are from a scene in Flowers For My Life. coollady, I don't think running a blog is supposed to be this frustrating. It's totally because I'm greedy and I want to do everything, and lots of traffic combined with lots of files available for download makes for a strain on my resources. But rather than scaling down what I put up on the site, I keep trying to figure out ways to make the system work so I don't have to pull back.
Thanks all for the comments, kind words, suggestions, and encouragement!
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44 Crystal
August 15, 2007 at 7:12 PM
It's so funny reading all the comments here and there. I was thinking, "What shall I watch after Coffee Prince?" and I feel that's the consensus with my fellow addicts. :)
Anyhow, here are my recs! I agree with avonmarissa above me to give sageuk dramas a chance. My first sageuk drama was Hwang Jin Yi, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was 24 episodes, a bit more serious/dramatic than I'm used to, but also a really compelling storyline. There wasn't much hype at soompi about it, but I really thought it was great. I was hooked. Because of it, I've decided to watch Damo and other historical dramas.
Have you seen 18 v. 29 with Ryu Soo Young? Lighthearted and funny. ^_^ It wasn't earth-shattering great, but it was pretty good. Wonderful Life also comes to mind as lighthearted fun. Part of that probably was because I love Kim Jae Won though :) ! (It's kind of hard coming up with interesting dramas EVERYBODY hasn't seen hehe)
Oh, and I also second Alone In Love! It's hard to describe that drama. There are great moments of silence in it, and it was very insightful. While I was watching it, it drew me in right away, but for some reason I couldn't exactly put my finger on why. I'd look forward to your take on those scenes! I also loved Thank You and Mawang just as everybody else mentioned above me!
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45 sistanyc
August 15, 2007 at 7:19 PM
Just like you Alone in Love is on my must see list, but I keep putting it off, and I'm not sure why I don't feel like committing to it. But I'll also weigh in that I hear nothing but great things about Ruler of Your Own World and would be thrilled to watch it alongside you --reading your blogs as I go along. I too am very curious about Someday, not because of anything I've heard--it's just that the live action/animation thing sounds intriguing and I'd love to watch Kim Min Joon (loved him in Damo, thought his talents were wasted in Lovers in Prague). Quite frankly I prefer to watch shows already on DVD--this waiting week-to-week to see the latest episodes of Coffee Prince is driving me nuts! I so enjoy getting completely emersed in a show and finishing it a few days that I'd love it if your next recap project went back to something that's not currently airing. (purely selfish on my part! lol)
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46 teokong
August 15, 2007 at 7:22 PM
Annyong haseyo, Javabeans. Hope your 'problem' with your sever will be resolved. I'm no techno geek so I don't understand and kind help. Mianhamnida. I'm addicted to Kdrama and learning words here and there. Mian nay, no recommendations. Whatever you do, is fine with me. Just to let you know, I'm a romantic idiot and LOVED happy ending.
KOMAPSUMNIDA, for your hardwork.
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47 nycgal5
August 15, 2007 at 7:36 PM
oh, I have another one. Capital Scandal was a really good drama.
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48 louise
August 15, 2007 at 7:46 PM
well, i know what you SHOULDN'T watch : Mackerel Run, gave me teary eyes for such eye candies without something really worth to watch..
You haven't watched "thank you"? it was the best drama for the first half of 2007 for me. A lil bit over dramatized, but all in all, worth to watch, and Jang Hyuck's butt is a little added bonus.. LOL..sorry, can't help it, it must be a sin not to distracted by his back figure, since the camera shoots it too much..
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49 gailt
August 15, 2007 at 7:49 PM
how about the bae doo na one? something about neighbors. (How to meet a perfect neighbor) hehe. Or the one about the daughter-in-law (Golden Era of Daughter-in-Law)? Or Soulmate would be nice too. I've already enjoyed it, but I'd love to know which little details and scenes you are going to highlight in your summaries. :)
thank you for your hardwork. and the colored javabeans-responses rock.
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50 nk
August 15, 2007 at 7:51 PM
Hmm... I have to admit that it took me awhile to start up on this drama but I am watching 9 End 2 Outs. It's kind of just silly fun and when I started watching this, Coffee Prince was starting to get really serious into the whole relationship square between the four main characters so it was a real nice balance. Plus, I think it sort of speaks to me on some level since I'm approaching 30. By the way, I don't know if you get this network but on American Cable TV they have the AZN Network which has started to air Someday. It's saved on my DVR but I have to admit that I have not yet watched it after seeing that the first scene was going to be a car accident which will somehow affect one of the main characters. I just thought, 'Ugh... Typical Korean drama plot.' But I will try to get into it this weekend and let you know. I'm trying to stay away from dramas that are too serious. It's summer! Need something fun and frivolous. I will suggest that you try to give War of Money another chance. It's sort of past the hype right now and sometimes I find it better to watch things after the hype so you're not influenced by other people's comments about it. As long as you can get past the first couple of episodes. I am kind of curious about Alone in Love now after your post. Maybe I'll check it out.
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