Someone here told me that D-addicts had softsubs for variety shows like Happy Together. I can't seem to find them and I was wondering if anyone had the actual link!

Jang Hyuk and Lee Da hee were on a show and I sadly need subs.

Thanks in advance!

@djes
My deepest condolences. And know that we are always here if you need us.

It's been awhile since I've been on the OT, but I have really missed it!

@ockoala
I didn't read your review since I didn't want to know what happens. But do you recommend watching it? I've heard mixed opinions about Ireland which is why I never got around to watch it.

I've seen the first two episodes of Cinderella Unni, which I've really liked. Also Harvest Villa is really good! I've only seen two episodes but hopefully will catch up with that next weekend. Oh and is anybody watching Down with Love with Ella and Jerry Yan? I'm kind of torn about it.

@91 & 96 ockoala

I am a shoujo-fiend. My mom is still trying to get me to remove about 2000 tankoubons or more of comics from her house.

Oh! What language are they in? Who is not a shoujo-fiend growing up (even partially in Asian culture)? They even have grown up version of shoujo manga in Japan nowadays...

"Legend of the Condor Heroes 2008" I just saw this title somewhere on some drama sites. You guys just convinced me to watch this. Hope it has sub titles. The one you and Langdon813 mentioned last night on previous OT, I went over to check it out and found that subs were in Thai/?or something... another option was to download it or sleep and I went to bed...

What does wuxia mean? Period drama? I love those Chinese martial art( don't know if it's the correct terminology), contemporary or period ones.

@85 mookie

It’s even cuter when my dad forwards me stuff he translates on romance (and this one he forwards to my hubby as well…)

‘Don’t give up on the girl you love and think she’ll be happier without you. A man should work harder in keeping her by his side and strive in making her happiness comes true!’
“爱一个女孩子，与其为了她的幸福而放弃她，不如留住她，为她的幸福而不断努力！”

I still want to draw hearts in crayons and send it to my daddy sometimes.

Oh, Soooo sweet. it's so good to hear you guys have a great relationship. My dad like cingdoc's has passed away 9 years ago with a stomach cancer. I so wish he's still around so that we can do things together...

Anyway, for those of Asian OT-ers who cooks with bean sprouts regularly, do you remove ends of beansprouts like they do in K dramas? I have to admit, I do, just because that what my mom does. it's tedious and time consuming and i don't like it, but like a potty trained baby, I just, sort of, have to do it... Or does anyone know the faster way of doing it, by any chance? Hahaha.. you can guess what my dinner was.

OK, back to catching up with dramas! :)

@ Down With Love

Despite the hype, I'm not enjoying DWL that much. My first objection is Ella - she's the equivalent of that girl in Lovers in Paris. I find her "cute" gestures fake and reeks of insincerity. And I can't stand the second lead as well (oh-i-am-so-pretty-and-feminine-so-i-cant-possibly-lose-my-guy)

The best part of DWL is Jerry Yan. Bear in mind this comment comes from a Dao Ming Si die-hard fan who watched MG 100x and once bought every trinkets associated with MG.

I find DWL's plot to be cheesy and while watching it, I had some sense of déjà vu. Hey, I've seen this story line somewhere... and I've seen that cartoon-ish character too somewhere. It's like stepping into a Taiwanese recycled minefield. But I don't care as long as I get a glimpse of Jerry, so I sat through it and press the FF button frequently.

However, I think my opinion belongs to the minority (referring to DWL discussions on previous OTs). There's a reason for all that hype and even if those reasons do not resonate with me personally, I still recommend to see it yourself and who knows, you might enjoy it more than you expect.

@ockoala

The experience of watching Ireland was what I liken to giving birth. But a painful labor that yields no delivery so the labor felt like it was for nothing. A miscarriage of thought. I think the reason why I groan when people want to watch Ireland is because the drama makes you work so hard to understand the meaning and message while giving very little pleasure and encourgement as you plod through. But like ockoala I persevered because of Hyun Bin and I went on hoping there is some morsel of meaning that I'll understand if I concentrate hard enough. But there is never that moment except in Hyun Bin's case to say, "love is a bitch and then you marry her". The interweaving of stories just exist because they do which is fine but I have a feeling the director and some of the actors may have been confused about the story and character which translates for me to the feeling that the drama is half-baked.

Hyun Bin was the only character I cared about while everyone else I totally wanted to tie up and dump in the hudson river--east coast style. This was by far Hyun Bin's best acting (sorry didn't see Friends) and if your a fan you should check it out and if your not a fan just run in the opposite direction.

I really hated the use of Danny Boy. They could have used any other celtic new age-y, sad Enya song to get the feeling of Ireland without using Danny Boy. It felt so laughably stereotypical like the production team had a brainstorming session about the concept and said lets make it really Irish sounding to get it into the viewer's head its about Ireland in case the viewers don't get it from the title of the drama.

@mookie

"Ireland is to Ruler of Your Own World as World’s Within is to Goodbye Solo."

Funny you should bring these dramas up. I'm watching Goodbye Solo right now and really liking it and one of the first thing that struck me was GS reminds me of "Ruler of Your Own World" in terms of the story feel except for the mystery element. ROYOW is one of my favorite dramas and it is sad to think what Ireland could have been in different hands but I can say without a doubt that I would never ever subject myself to watching Ireland again. It has its moments (all of the Hyun Bin scenes) but perhaps due to the execution it goes in the category of pretentious mess. To this day I'm confused whether I really hate it or sorta kinda like it but just can't rewatch it.

DWL has dropped to 2nd popular drama and it's now OML.....and I can see why and agree 1000%!!!

Darn....the episodes come rolling out quickly and so I checked on a few other dramas and one I'm chuckling over is Lawyers of Korea. Nothing to challenge your mind but oh so funny and Lee Soo Kyung is good....the lead male is also really good Lee Sung Jae. I might even call it slapstick but hey....it's fun!

@ Taohua

Since you already expressed an interest in watching Ireland, I say go for it. I didn't enjoy the experience but appreciated the effort the drama made to be unconventional. I would never straight out recommend Ireland, but for someone curious, I say, there is a greater likelihood you may like it than someone just asking for a recommendation for a good kdrama. The latter I would send to watch MNKISS for that plus a Binnie fix.

@ nycgrl

Yeah, what you just said. :-)

Ireland would have worked as anything other than a kdrama. An existential jdorama. A WKW movie. A Hou Hsaio-hsien movie. A short story. Hell, even a Sophia Coppella movie. Actually, someone just give me the damn script, that may have worked as well.

I spent all day tweeting to mookie how watching Ireland is like watching one sane person (HB) surrounded by three michusoo/crazy people (I hates on LNY but Kim Min-joon's character Jae-bo was equally infuriating), and I just wanted HB to get the hell out of there as fast as his perky butt and long legs can take him, preferably to another planet. And that slap Kang Kook delivered on wifey after picking up the phone and hearing her declaration of love for another man - Priceless (like a reverse Mastercard commercial).

If Ireland was ultimately about the disconnect between people, then it worked on me as well, because as a viewer I sure felt disconnected with the story.

@ celestialorigin

You want to watch LoCH 2008? I hope you like it, its a 50 ep. drama so dedication may be needed. I watched it in less than a week, without FF-ing anything cuz every detail is exquisite. Make sure you watch the 2008 adaptation, and not Zhang Zi-zhong's 2003 version.

YT has some parts w/ English sub uploaded, here is Ep 1, Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-glTwNreQo

Good luck finding the rest! Wuxia refers to period martial art pieces, always set in historical times, and with an underlying concept of martial arts chivalry, duty, country/clan loyalty, love and self-sacrifice.

As for all my mangas, its 100% in Chinese, which is the preferred language for my manga-addiction.

I now eat bean sprouts with the ends on, cuz its more nutritious that way, and I want to encourage the mostest nutritious eating habits now that I have the babies. My pint of Ben&Jerry's for dinner days are long long over. :-P

@celestialorigin

Removing the ends off bean sprouts is one giant pain in the ass, but I still do it.
I find that leaving yourself plenty of room to spread the pile out is much easier than picking them straight out of the bag. And doing it on the coffee table while watching TV eases the annoyance just a tiny bit. ;)

@ eiko

Lee Sung Jae carried Lawyers of Korea. :)
Wish he would do another drama soon. :(

@ockoala

I hate violence of any kind against women in kdramas but that has got to the most satisfying slap ever. I simply hated LNY's character.

@ eiko/hjkomo

I really loved Lawyers of Korea and agree with hjkomo that Lee Sung Jae made the drama. How does he make parsimony so sexy? I think he was my first Ajusshii crush. The scene of him fighting with Ryu Soo Young in the car park was beyond hysterically funny.

@1:77mookie (I like that name,so I will just keep you as that) Agree with @cingdoc

And thanks for sharing. OT family is just great! We can share everything, I dunno whether its anonymity or whether we share the same passion of kdramas, twdramas, ICOMYM, Team Park Kyu and many, many other things.

I find that my family and friends don’t understand this passion of mine and sometimes think that I am obsessed/addicted but here in OT and soompi it’s the norm. LOL OT is very special, different from soompi (where ppl share their ‘craze’ only) but here we share a part of our life and ‘true’ self.

I have been going thru a depression for a few months and trying to cope by ‘drowning’ in kdramas. That’s why I enjoy Pasta so much recently. I stay away from WISFC, Chuno, IRIS and the heavier ones!

I was so looking fwd to PT to keep my mind occupied but that’s not the case. Surprisingly, its CS that’s making me look fwd to next week! Even though I love CJM so much I was wary of CS becos of its melodrama content! I cringe when some soompian wrote about EJ being sexually abused! I don’t want that angle at all! :-( I really, really hope that it will have a EJ and KH will have a happy ending. MUST! Chuey teh! Anyone know how I can write to CS’s writer? :-p

Re: Cinderella Sister
For those who don’t understand EJ’s behavior, it’s not exaggerated. I have been kinda like her. I don’t have much parental love, a middle child of 9 siblings and parents trying to feed us and make ends meet! I was full of anger etc.

Re: Goodbye Solo
It’s a beautiful and unique drama (imo) If I am not mistaken, I have read MrX’s review on it. Some may find it slow moving but its about real sacrificial love in life. Atm, I am hoping and trying to be like the tough sweet ‘crazy’ divorced lady who has such a hard live but she still remains so positive. :-)
SPOILER!!! For Bidam lovers, he’s totally a different character but surprisingly I couldn’t hate him. Maybe I have real love for him. LOL

@108 ockoala

Thank you for the link. Hum... That's a big commitment, a bit discouraging for my already dire situation... 50 episodes?( I'll try the 1st episode to start with). The reality is that I'd better get ready for the 2 weeks seminar I'm co-teaching with my friend starting may 1st in Tokyo. I haven't even started translating the super thick English text(my share)... I must be the biggest procrastinator around... I've been telling myself "Hey, you gotta start it today or else" for this past week. Meantime, I've conveniently sprained my right ankle and been off my day job since the day before yesterday. No, I mean, it was excruciating for the first 24hours.

Anyway, bean sprouts ends... Hummm, I, mean, you are so right, in terms of nutrition and stuff... Still, Gosh, old habits die hard. Thus, watching something while doing it... Seems like a good idea for now. Thanks hjkomo.

Meantime, I'm watching PP. The first 2 episodes were a bit too much and boring, it sure didn't need two entire episodes to establish the shallow and annoying character of the main girl. I only lasted for Park Shi Hoo. He's another cutie pie. Ep3 and 4(I'm right in the midst of it) are getting better with some fast forwarding. I don't even know why I'm spending my precious time I should be working, on this drama.... Just because I don't feel like working yet, I guess....

Hi everyone! Its not really Friday here any longer but Happy OT posting!
I've been reading all the posts and reviewing reminded me what I love about OT. you guys truly are great!

@mookie
Its great that you have a relationship like that with your father. I'm not one to be jealous but I wish I knew a fraction of what that was like. I'm thankful that you have him in your life. It's one of those things that its wonderful to know exists out there for someone...you know?

@simplesim
About a month ago, I started and finished QSD and though I spent alot of time yelling at Bidam, it was all out of utter love and sympathy for him. I really don't think that he is a character that one can muster hatred for.Even other characters couldn't bring themselves to do it. I truly believe one either misunderstands, is confused by, pities or loves that man. He's a character I won't forget for quite some time.

I guess like everyone else I am watching the hot ones right now: Personal Taste, Cinderalla's Sister and Oh My Lady. However, over the past couple months, I've actually devoured quite a few Jodoramas waiting patiently for these shows to start. And now, I'm drama stalking Kimura Takuya! I definitely don't think that he's the best actor but there is something that draws me to him... Sincerity? Either way I've had tons of fun watching tons of shows. Now, I'm just waiting for the DVD release of Liar Game and finishing up Pride ;)

Hope everyone is has a wonderful coming week. And welcome all newcomers! Grab a cup o' Joe or Kool-aid (like me) and start posting! Everyone is eager to hear what you have to say!

@twin
o gosh your epic Candy, Candy saga is PLATINUM!! TVB USED to have eclectic good taste in their imports, 90% not age appropriate, but no adults KNOW!
so Candy Candy was on TV every single day cunningly right after sch. We did a funeral in our playground sandbox for Anthony. I read the manga later and it's still my absolute fav shoujo. O M G that Terry kiss I was 10 and if that's my heart's first romantic fluttering, that is it.

Re: Ireland

I tried but really if I'm very honest a 'pretentious mess' sums it up quite well. It's not boring, but thought provoking in a very unproductive way. I do not get the ending, I know it TRIED to be ethereally hopeful w/ that hand thing, but realistically it was a very long shot fr there to nowhere

I cant rewatch the whole drama also but I have some scenes that I liked. I vaguely rem one where binnie was running in circles in his suit and dress shoes.

@twin 'If Ireland was ultimately about the disconnect between people, then it worked on me as well, because as a viewer I sure felt disconnected with the story.' my exact sentiments and I think I've read many similar opinions on Ireland. I'm pretty sure this is what the PD is trying to aim at, but that is just poor artistic judgment on his part. (I've blacklisted him)

@simplesim
*hug* rough patches are part of life, good to know u find a comforting refuge in kdrama. I'm in total unexpected love w/ CU. kdramas do that to me, it always pull my rational rug under me in these when I'm most off guarded and I'm a fangirl of it all over again. It would be the first time for me, on paper, this may not be a brilliant script, or amazing lines but superb acting chemistry and earnest, thoughtful, diligent, controlled directing elevated it to much higher magical grounds. I have at least one fav, OMG*swoonmush* scene now fr every single ep. and it's escalating in how affected I'm.

I cant stop fangirling C!J!M!'s JiHoon, it's not humanly possible. He can emote billions of different shades of precise emotions w/ one endearing smile of his. that bubbling wine cellar scene in ep4, every little gesture and twitch these 2 delivered... considering MGY has no lines but just 2 utterance of 'um' I'm speechless. I'll spazz more and uncontrollably in JB/girlfriday's ep 4 recap for sure.

Goodbye Solo is in my top10 kdrama. it may bump to top5 w/ my current CJM madfangirling.

@hjkomo and nycgrl

I couldn't stop laughing during that fight in the car park! I thought it was hilarious! And yes....I agree about Lee Sung Jae....he's excellent! I had never seen him before but was curious to see how Lee Soo Kyung would do. I'm going into episode 7 now and I think I'll end up watching it cause it's getting interesting.

I'm just as curious about the 3 syllable word for money! And wouldn't you know he would get the wrong impression seeing her hugging that young man? But, of course, like in all the dramas....that's because he's in love with her and hasn't gotten the message yet!

Fun...fun!!!

My apologies re: anonymity to my sweet @ockoala I have seen you and baobei and your family. With your sweet smile and beautiful long hair, you can be Huang Rong. Serious! :-D Btw, can you do the chopstick thingy as done by EJ in the intro of Ep01 CS. I have been replaying it a few times. LOL
Love Ariel and kiv LOCH08 when I am in a better frame of mind to see it.

@ 13notoriousnoona
Have you seen Goodbye Solo? Then share with me what you think of his character there.

Thanks @ 14mookie. Now I can see the ‘twin’ of ockoala. :-)
Re: CS. Its really grabbing me like no other drama though I must confess I fwd all the scenes as much as possible of the stepmom. I can’t stand all the stepmoms I have seen, STH, BL etc Can’t recall any good stepmoms atm. Look fwd to all your raves/rants of CS. I will follow you like a shadow...LOL

@ ockoala, @nycgrl

Wow your reviews of Ireland are brilliant. They clearly warn me of what I'd be letting myself in for, should I take the leap. At the same time, they do intrigue. Maybe one day when I have plenty of head-space, time and energy I'll conduct a meta-experiment on myself to see how I fare with Ireland. I do like Binnie. But I do hate pretentiousness. OTOH I don't need my dramas to be all sunny. Witness my ability to "enjoy" WHIB (just finishing ep6) and of course my loving Mawang says a great deal in itself. I've always suspected I'm a Wagnerian at heart.

ockoala,

you might be interested in this:

http://www.neh.gov/news/archive/20100308.html

@ simplesim-moni

Giant Hugs!! Oh I'm sorry to hear about your recent sadness, I hope you are starting to feel more joy In your life. If you see me wandering aimlessly around town feel free to say hi anytime! Thanks for the lovely words for me, I only wish I was a HR, as for the now infamous chopsticks in hair running scene, I may have the hair, but I don't have EJ skittish scowl or an adorable Ki-boon chasing me so if I were to re-enact it, it would be pretty cringeworthy. :-p My hubby would bust a laughing and tell me to resume being an ahjumma.

@ djes

Like mookie says, wuxia as we know it is dead, it was born by TVB in the 70s, flourished in the 80s and died at the same hands of TVB in the late 90s (very fitting if you ask me). Like you said, wuxia serials in the last decade have been irrational, and abomindable messes. I stop watching them for the same reason you did, but LoCH 2008 reinvents the wuxia for a new generation. It is in fact the only wuxia I've seen in the last decade I can recommend. Ariel, Hu Ge, Yuan Hong and Liu Shishi modernize yet maintain the spirit of the novel.

@ kb

Oh thank you so much!

@ serendipity

If Ireland is about the disconnect that comes from people seeing connection, the WHIB is about human weakness when the connections are fundamentally not supposed to be. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

I've got two family getogethers this weekend when all I want to do is watch AMCG.

To those who are watching or have watched Lawyers of Korea....that roof top apartment looks like the same one used in The Last Scandal.

Also...egg throwing scene....reminded me of City Hall.

This is a fun drama....I am enjoying it!

So I'm studying like crazy for final exams this year. I'm in pharmacy school and let me tell you, it's not as easy as many people may think. Taking nine university courses at a time is insanely time-consuming and simply maddening!

And to make matters even more stressful, our government as just come out with proposed plans to decrease funding of about 500 million dollars per year to pharmacies across Ontario. This will cause many pharmacy owners to go bankrupt, and even the major chain stores are cutting back hours and staff. Many of my friends will lose their summer jobs before they even have a chance to start them. Many of us will probably end up with a horrible job, or even be unemployable after graduation.

Now when I had dreamed of being a pharmacist, I expected to be able to deliver quality patient care. To be able to consult with patients and inform them as much as possible about all they need to know about medicines. To be able to identify all possible drug therapy problems, preventing harm to the public. Did you know that about 1/3 of prescriptions have errors in them? We are the people responsible for catching these problems. How dangerous would it be if we missed those errors? Imagine the thousands of people would be poisoned by the wrong meds or overdosed or even under-dosing thus eliminating the effectiveness of the meds in the first place.

Is it wrong for a pharmacist to believe that their passion of chemistry and hope of being able to affect other people's lives could also translate into a way of life for them? Is it bad for us to see this as a profession that we could possible survive from, and support our families with?

As it is, there are hundreds of small pharmacies making barely a profit to live off of. Those are the ones that will be hurt the most, those families that had given their all to patients and their communities.

Those stores that do manage to pull through this crisis, well they won't be much better off. With less funding comes fewer staff, thus translating into longer wait times and a rushed workplace environment. Less health-threatening errors will be caught I assure you. And gone will be the time where we were able to speak with the patients, there will be less patient education and consolidation.

Services that some patients might have taken for granted, they will now have to pay out of their own pockets. We can't keep offering them for free anymore because there would be absolutely no way we could stay afloat. These include delivery, creation of compliance packs, and blood pressure monitoring to name a few. Dispensing fees and perhaps mark-up prices will also increase just for us to keep up. For many patients, this will be devastating and they will no longer be able to afford to maintain their health.

When I think about all this, it breaks my heart. Looking back at all of the people I have met after I starting in pharmacy, I can't even count the number who will be negatively affected by this. I am not being melodramatic when I say that lives are actually on the line here.

Pharmacists are the number one most trusted and accessible health care provider. This has been proven in many studies. I hope that we could stay that way. I hope that in the future we will still be able to offer the quality of care that we were trained to do.

We've put a lot of effort into gaining the specialized knowledge and skills required to effectively enter this profession. Currently, it would take at least six years of university to earn a degree in pharmacy, six long hard-working years. Dozens of all-nighters and hundreds of coffee cups while studying every semester. And to be honest, I’m paying for all of this off of student loans. My personal total of money borrowed will be at least $75,000 when I graduate, not yet counting any interest on it. That's only for tuition and doesn’t even begin to take into account high living accommodations in the city and food expenses while I’m away from home at University. This is the case with almost all of our students, and now with summer job opportunities being cut back, some of us won’t be able to afford making our dreams come true.

So at the risk of sounding unprofessional:
“Dear Ontario government, I wish you were smarter...
Then perhaps I wouldn’t feel like I should smack the upside of your head!”

Venting sure felt good. I was most likely very incohesive there and I do apologize.
Back to my avalanche of books I go...

@23AMG1

Ooppsss.....I don't follow UFC....but that name is familiar! I think my daughter follows that one!

I totally forgot about Merrie Monarch and probably because it's not on the main station...so I miss Kahiko last night! :-(

Oh well....I was enjoying Lawyers of Korea. Only thing that got to me after a while is that the female lead was going through some of the same character acting like in Loving U A 1000 Times....a really wishy washy type personality. But I loved the male lead and the 2nd male leads.....:-)

@nycgrl
Wang Jaesuk and Benicio Del Toro:
Now that you say it, I do see some similarities: the swagger, yes. The cool, laidback vibe, with that glimmer of compassion in their eyes.

Still, I feel Wang has more dimensions than BDT, like his very natural, non-forced sense of humour, super-sharp, very perceptive, always one step ahead. Then those times when he was child-like and insecure but in a very lovable way.

He comes from the old-Hallyu-school of acting, similar to Jo Han Sun, it's impossible for an actor like him to overact.
Yes, as Wang he got caught up in the odd canteen brawl and got the odd slap from an angry patient but I don't know whether I can see Suh Ji-suk, the actor playing a gangster.
Or maybe I'm thinking of Jo In-sung's brand of gangster (in Dirty Carnival) with all the circumstancial angst and high adrelanine fight scenes (which I loved).
My heart bled for In-sung, I simply loved him in DC, but there were times where he was also v. scary. Now I can't see SJS doing the scary and the angry, but I can see him as the ultra sharp, manipulative gangster, or the tragic, introverted kind who falls victim to ill fate and in turn cuts our hearts to pieces. Yes, I can see it now.

For all the AMCG watchers, if you haven't seen episode 11 yet, you should. :)
Besides a lot of information comming out this episode, it's got some great LOL moments. Seriously, Safecracker Grandpa doing his Mike Tyson impression. And the new baddie henchman Cobra Dude! LMAO! It's the closest we've seen to a character wearing a costume. The guy dresses like a gay biker(not that there's anything wrong with that) who goes to Freddy Krugers manicurist! :D

I for one am enjoying the daylights out of AMCG. It is totally my current crack drama! :)

@ trixicopper

We're almost halfway though AMCG, and this revenge drama works in a way that Queen of the Game, playing it straight, failed miserably. Why? Because QotG had screechy, self-involved lead characters, where AMCG paints its leads with broader strokes but with care and deftness. I enjoy BB's brand of simplistic journo aspirations, and I see MK as a very very lonely guy who probably feels like revenge will resolve whatever linger issues he has, but it won't.

AMCG 11 introduces two kdrama tropes I never expected, the "she''s your daughter!" connection, which then makes the central romance now between a guy and the girl whose father help kill the guys' dad. Yeah, it breaks no ground, but let's see this renders the characters even more flesh and blood.

Gay Biker Dude with a Whip (your Cobra Dude) was hilarious, like you said, but made even more improbable by the fact that he was hired not by Fatty Baddy Son but by Secretly Psycho Spy Dude/BB's ex. And they met in the bathroom to initiate the attack sequence. ROTFLMHF!

What gets my juices rolling is that Vivian is finally gonna snap and betray MK, it's no spoiler guys, that is the ONE plot "twist" you can see a mile coming from ep. 1 when BB steps into the picture. Girlfriend doesn't like it when another lass steps anywhere near her man.

@ twin-ahhh

Terry. The Kiss. You said you were 10? I was younger than that, and afterwards I lived in rainbows and unicorns land for years where I thought my prince charming was gonna come, at a costume ball, in a British boarding school, dancing to the waltz, dressed as Romeo (and I Juliet - and totally by accident, too), then BAM! - the kiss! - followed by a sun-drenched horseback ride on the rolling lawns to make me forget my first love. Sigh, shoujo-pathos perfection. Candy Candy is hands down still the most accomplished manga I've ever read, from the first page to the last, it's mastery of the genre and the story is unparallel.

You gave Anthony a sandbox funeral? Hahahahaha, replete with roses, I hope. I've never met an Anthony-shipper, but a few more mature folks have dared to say Albert-Candy 4eva! And I look at them and shake my head - I wish I could say "have you guys SEEN the way Candy and Terry look at each other, from their first meeting on that trans-Atlantic steamer, those two were star-crossed and meant to be if any couple was ever meant to be.' I <3 Terry so.

@ serendipity

I'm a Gemini - and I suspect bipolar when it comes to my tastes in entertainment. One moment its puppy dogs and kisses under the rain, and then the next moment its WHIB.

@ nycgrl

Hhhm, I had ceased seeing LNY's character in Ireland as a "woman" by about ep. 2, so that slap was not KK slapping his wife/a woman, but KK slapping this monstrous thing that didn't ever understand human empathy and spoke of words like "love" with it meant nothing other than "want." It was so satsifying, when she asked him to hit her again, I was like, NO, don't give her the satisfaction.

Omo! My OTP!
Look how cute they are together!
http://twitpic.com/19i0yz
http://twitpic.com/19huz0

And with MGY? Whaaa..?
http://twitpic.com/1cbtm7

Hubby watching The Celtic Woman on PBS singing Danny Boy. Seriously the funniest coincidence. I've now listened to Danny Boy more in one week that I have ever listened to it my entire life. It's still hauntingly lovely.

i just watched master of study on KBS world. just the last 2 epsd and i cried almost the whole ep.. but i don't know why, i don't have intention to start watching form ep 1... maybe not my genre... but the kids were adorable.. and i can't wait to watch oh my lady...

o gosh @twin seriously I'm feeling so Big Brothered lately!!! the dramagods r wathcing us! he's answering my prayers (w/ CU) and too bad babe, u may be taking up the bulk of the scorn (RIP pretty EJ hair *ohm*)

I was vividly 10. see TVB was a funny funny little enterprise then, it bought stuff and showed it without any bother of even knowing what it's about AT ALL.... so cartoons got randomly hacked halfway WHEN they started dubbing and that's semi LIVE and Candy Candy got cut... even the guys know of the Anthony and horse-riding, they even have a visual of that mousetrap and the number of teeth on that monster! but no guys know Terry coz it was cut soon after Anthony's death and the kids r all too traumatized. So it was not until I was older and can save up allowance to dump it all on shoujo that I know of Terry *dreamboat1*. Tbh parents DID bring me to interview a few British boarding sch for highsch... but all I can rem was rain, misery, frozen to bone and NO DASHING TERRY and I dun un the proper English... and I think I did cry, 1. bubble burst WAYYY To young for a shoujo(I was 12) 2. dread I really ended up in boarding (and the pages of Dickens flashing) 3. fugly uniforms

o gosh, I honestly did not realize I was sooooooo shoujo'd till now. but it was on that trip that I hulled and slurped up my Louis Cha masterpieces(saved my soul fr breaking)

so more mookie family stuff:

I was at baby cousin's housewarming, he's barely 25 and imagine the very stereotypical super geek... it's him. so... he asked me to go shopping w/ him tmr, and I asked him, ok, to Fry's?! (a mega geek dig) he said, no, I need to shop for a coat. I literally jawdropped for like a whole min. 1. I dont think he ever look at mirrors, he wore holed Tshirts not coz it's by design, but because he always just randomly wear what's on top of drawer ...hence SAME tees since highsch. so imagine my GLEE *mybabyisgrowingup* *sob* *what's not to wear: geek edition!*

my excitement barely contained, I asked so what coat do u have in mind? do u have a store u usu go to (I know he doesnt, I was just asking) blablabla
he then showed me a pic on his phone... and it's a WOMEN's COAT!!! $1800 USD, really not cheap, esp I dun think he's spent this amt on clothes his whole life totaled.

.... and it's not sth my aunt will wear... so *ding* GF!!!!!!!!!
I think I prob did a CJM mouth thing in CU4. I probed... so what size is she?! he said she's your size, that's y I want u to go with me.
me: o her birthday?! I can bake her a cake....
cousin: o no, she told me to get it, she's in @#!#$#% (some foreign Asian country)
me:... hold on, she like the coat and asked u to get it for her? how long have u been dating?
cousin: o she's just a friend.
me: ..... (@!$%$@6!#$^_) o, so an online friend? u guys were chatting fashion and she gushed about this coat and u offer to buy it since she cant get it where she's at?!
cousin: no, she just emailed me and asked me for a favor.

!$$%!#$^#%$&^$%#&*^(

ok... I already hated the girl, I havent met her, but this is WRONG. I may be too protective of my baby cousin, but still !$!^$!#$&^!#^ I'm brainstorming how I can ease him into NOT doing such a stupid deed.

Yesterday I had vegan korean food where the bibimbap (sans meat and egg) cost $20 and today I have bibimbap in Queens that cost $11 including the meat and egg. The math doesn't add up.

@eiko
LoK was the only role I found Lee So Kyung remotely tolerable. I really thought she was miscast in Soulmate and I would have liked Soulmate a lot better with a different actress. Also I'm probably not the first to say this but I can't stand her voice. Its totally grating to my ears like fingernails on a chalk board.

@ langdon813
My kdrama cycle is similar to yours 1 episode of prosecutor's princess followed by 1 episode of CU since Viikii translated PP first. Its a very good formula for me since I'm usually a marathoner but I can't wait for CU to finish so this is my coping mechanism.

Waiting for YB each week made me feel like a sick crack addict, waiting for CU feels more like reading a magical book that I can't put down. which is how I felt when reading His Dark Materials series.

@ ockoala

What do I think about WHIB (What Happened in Bali)? Wow, I don't think I'm thinking at all, I'm just being swept up in a maelstrom. Think? What "think"?

Well, of course I can't resist rising to the challenge of *analysing*. So here goes (bearing in mind that I'm only up to ep 9)...

I realized early on that this drama is not about thinking, in the sense that the plot is almost irrelevant. Even character development is not important -- from ep 1 we already meet everyone in their trapped state -- Rich Guy and Rich Girl trapped in an engagement of convenience, Poor Girl trapped in a cycle of poverty and survival, Poor Guy trapped in thwarted love and thwarted aspirations... The Disaster is set up from the word go. The whole drama is about the trainwreck that ensues. I really can't do better than "trainwreck" as a metaphor. We are definitely not to be cheered. We are not even being told much of a story. We are not learning any moral lesson. We are just watching a trainwreck. I thought of the word "autopsy" -- but even that is not as good as the word "trainwreck" because it implies that death has already occurred, whereas we join the cast of WHIB just before the great big crash, in time to watch it unfold before our horrified and fascinated eyes...

It's interesting that I'm so caught up, when on paper this drama is full of drama cliches I would normally abhor. I think it's partly testament to some amazing acting (by golly, the amount of wordless glaring or Visage of Despair every actor has to execute...). But, also, it's intention is clear and coherent. As a trainwreck, it's a good one! It is consistent -- it doesn't mess with my head by throwing me cute or funny moments. It uses tropes appropriately. For instance, I usually roll my eyes and mutter "lazy script-writing" when ridiculous coincidences are attributed to "fate" -- but here the amazing chance meetings are woven in to the fabric of the tale. "I keep bumping into [Poor Guy] - don't you think it must be fate?" Poor Girl says to Rich Guy. Several episodes later, Rich Guy says to Poor Girl, "Things keep happening to us - don't you think we might be fated too?" So the coincidences are embraced and woven in to the arc of despair, longing, misplaced hope, and jealousy.

Likewise the miscommunications and unlucky events (another tired trope), usually eye-roll inducing for me, in this drama are an integral part of the wreckage. The sheer bad luck of it all feels right because of what the drama sets out to do, which is to show us what happens when ambition, possessiveness, pride, manipulation and passion all collide messily. In the nature of people witnessing a trainwreck, we both dread and expect -- even, demand -- that the worst possible scenario is enacted.

The other interesting thing is that I'm not sure who the OTP are, and I don't think there is meant to be one. Because, this is not a drama about love. To ask "who loves whom?" is not relevant. At this point in the drama, I don't anyone loves anyone else. Rich Guy is developing deep crush on Poor Girl - and that's pretty far from true love. Rich Girl and Poor Guy have poisoned their relationship with too much jealousy, hurt and possessiveness for it ever to be a healthy love relationship. The question is not "who loves whom?" but "who is using whom?" And the answer seems to be "everyone, in their own way."

Bipolar addicts unite!! I'm not Gemini, but I totally do that thing too. Addicted to something like YB one moment (*waves to nycgrl* - me too! I was so obsessed with YAB it wasn't funny, in a grown woman), caught up in something like WHIB next. But come to think of it, I used to do this with my reading too. One moment something light and fluffy (e.g., Georgette Heyer, yay, I have read every single one), next moment something slit-your-wrists grim (i.e., the large bulk of modern fiction nowadays, it seems, golly cheery uncomplicated writing has gotten so out of fashion).

@nycgrl

'waiting for CU feels more like reading a magical book that I can’t put down. which is how I felt when reading His Dark Materials series.'

I'll take it as u approve CU for madloving?! ;)

@serendipity
*hand u some wine* CHEERS! welcome to the WHIB so dirty we need cold then hot showers club

I really miss belleza! :(

@;;30 Supah

Yummmm our General Choi! See how beautiful he looks when he smiles?!!!

@35 nycgrl

I don't know why I thought about whether some of the actors/actresses actually check into some of the different sites and read comments. And your mentioning "voice".....I have a difficult time with chinese/taiwanese dramas because of their high pitched voices. Or is it just their language and the way they speak? they seem to speak in a higher pitch from the korean or japanese dramas.

I'm looking forward to the new episodes

By the way....do you know who the 2nd male lead in LoK was?

@Amg1 : Bazinga.

@nycgirl 35 : $20?!? There must have been truffles on that instead of mushrooms. What a markup :o

@eiko 39 : I get what you mean. There are some chinese and taiwanese shows I've fully enjoyed, but sometimes I feel the boom mike is two centimeters above their head and they're using a stage voice. Too loud.

@37 mookie

I see you are back to normal and lose the Eun-Jo-ahhh...LOL

I think its for the best as I don't think we will hear that again any time soon! What say you? I think when they meet again Ki-hoon will call her Eun Jo shi. Oh... I so want them to meet but yet, i can barely bear the angst of EJ's coldness towards KH. And I dunno when the misunderstanding will clear up about the letter. :-(

Also, I miss Belleza sooo much. :-( She can always make me laugh.

@Belleza, where are you? Its springtime! Hope you are well. Are you watching CU and Dong Yi? :-)

@41 janna

Thanks for your response. After I sent that off I felt really terrible because it might come across as a "negative" remark. Like you, I've enjoyed several dramas and endured the voices. :-)

@ nycgrl

Will. Lyra. *sobs* I'm still crying inside, will probably be crying inside forever for the sweetest, most innocently romantic OTP I have ever encountered in any medium. Did you read HSM when it was still being published? Oh god, the wait must have been painful. I started late, and marathoned all three novels a few years ago, can't say any modern series has been this seminal for me. Have you read Lyra's Oxford (red cover), or Once Upon a Time in the North (blue cover, Lee Scoresby's book). Pullman promises there will be a green book - i.e. WILL'S BOOK!!! Cue my squeeing (which is so prolonged).

I have told hubby that I would die happy if Pullman can but introduce a heretofore unknown loophole in the fabric of his universe, so that we may leave that once a year meeting betwixt the benches and make me, and every Will-Lyra shipper, the happiest most satisfied folks on earth.

The Amber Spyglass gutpunched me so hard, sometimes I'll just reread it and cry for a few hours.

@ mookietwin

You had expectations about boarding school in the UK? Didn't Candy Candy teach you anything, boarding school sucked big donkey. Candy only endured bc "for Anthony's memory she was gonna become a lady" and bc she started her mad torried hate/love romance with Terry, plus Albert was around for her to chill with, plus the nice Cousins. But everything else about that experience blew for her, hence she took off faster than a jackrabbit once Terry left for America, there was nothing left in school for her to stay for.

Glad you didn't have to stay and wear fugly uniforms. :-P

@ serendipity

Simply marvelous insight into WHIB, and you're not even halfway done yet! The drama is so air-tight in its construction, it doesn't fall apart in the second half nor does it sink into the weight of its own excess.

I have lots to say about WHIB, but a lot hinges on the second half so will wait until you finish. But JIS won his Baeksang on the strength of his performance in WHIB, as did Ha Ji-won, but all four were outstanding, not a shrinking performance in the lot.

I've said off WHIB before, if at any moment, any of of these four can say, enough!, and just walk away.....but no one can, and conversely get spun tighter and tighter together, in a series of decisions, desires, and dissolution that makes the viewer compelled to keep watching, and keep feeling amazed at this subversion of the biggest kdrama trope of them all: the Cinderalla Story. But, belleza says it way better than me.

Oh, and I LOVE Georgette Heyer, I'm just rereading This Old Shades a few nights ago.

@ djes, sorry you never got to watch or read Candy Candy. Hope you've remedied that now. I reread Candy at least once a year (I never rewatch bc the cartoon is so dated but the manga is eternally amazing).

@34 mookie

Whaf? I'd love to get o know baby boy mookie cousin myself! Can I have his e-mail address? I'm due a new designer coat myself!!! LOL! Just kidding. Hope you'll be able to persuade him from getting ripped off by the virtual stranger.

@46 langdon813
CU owns me now. OWNS! ME! NOW!

I know, I know. I'm joining the club. First two episodes were emotionally too painful (the angst, the hurt, the confusions, uncertainties, seeking for inner safety, being able to trust others, assurances, etc., OMG, the list goes on and on and on. all the essentials for being here in this world were lacking in this young girls life)and made me so uncomfortable watching and I almost gave up. Happy to have stayed with it.

So, can this be a start of a new club? You are so good at coming up with cool names... hint hint.

@ockoala

I read it probably around 1999-2000 and I remember I had to wait for the amber spyglass to come out which was really agonizing. I loved the stories but couldn't bring myself to reread them so I gave the books to my friend. There is so much agony in HDM that is born chiefly by the children like in CU which makes it difficult for me to reread. haven't read any other books beyond the 3 part series. Are they worth reading?

@ mookie

Your cousin's story reminds me of when my nephew introduced me to his new gf when he was a sophomore in college. We are only a few years apart so I'm more like a noona to him and he frequently introduces new girlfriends to me. I took them out to dinner in NYC and I knew I disliked her within 5 minutes of sitting down. Why? Because she was materialistic, full of herself, and stupid to boot. Sometimes when your in a relationship you fail to see what others see plainly. He asked me what I thought of her and I told him its his life but she sucked big time. When he was breaking up with her, she told him she had been cheating on him the entire time they were dating. I'm good at picking fruit too.

@Serendipity
*Waves back* Are you watching CU as well? This is something I would think you would like.