@serendipity

I also don’t understand the complaints about Personal Taste OTP lack of chemistry. Ok the show is not ground-breaking, but provided expectations are firmly managed it’s enjoyable enough. I’m only up to ep 4 and I hear things get better.

Oh, wait & Whoa! you'll find you had been been totally, wholeheartedly, swept away along the way, by the time you realize it.

@mookie
Dude, I'm disappointed! I don't usually make a point of whinging about any currently-airing show that has a fan following (such a large one at that) but with this I can't help but drop it like it is - my bad. I was totally looking forward to this and it's turned out completely different to what I was expecting. I'd been expecting something... I don't know... beautifully novel-adaptationish. It's my own fault really, for not having kept an open mind about it.
Episodes 1 & 2 felt a bit alien - it was probably because I can't get my head around adults playing the kid versions of their characters, although it makes sense in a way, and the actors look young enough to pull it off, but plot-wise it feels all disorientated, and as though the characters never seem to grow up/progress (a la Winter Sonata). But it seems no one else has a problem with that arrangement so fair enough.
With episodes 3 & 4 I was like ''YES! This is it! Ready for take-off!'' But come 5 & 6 and we're still where we were 8 years ago.
I don't know, I'm a bit conflicted about it. I don't want to give up on it entirely, and I'm sure I'll marathon it later. Maybe when I'm not so weary of all the emotionally over-wrought stuff I've been watching all autumn-winter-long. I really need to develop an appetite for a show like this again.
Also, the premise is super-interesting still. I remember watching WotS, it was probably the only show where I couldn't give two hoots about its male leads and the romance, because the sibling rivalry was electric just on its own! Hopefully, there'll be all that to look forward to with its remaining episodes. (Hyo-sun fighting!)

Acting? I don't doubt anyone's acting in CU. Even though it's a wee bit tiresome to see Eun-jo in a mono-mood (in spite of the breakthroughs in 3 & 4) and Hyo-sun was a little overacty in the first ep, but the acting's overall great. Out of the Weds-Thurs dramas, I've seen all of them, Sohn Yeh Jin's truly lovable in PT (though the drama's too easy breezy and Pasta-ish for me), and Kim So Yeon has to have the most difficult role of them all (deliberately annoying to the point of wanting to strangle her, endearing to the point of making you cry and strong enough to make you want to root for her - and hilarious!) and she's managing it really well actually.

Laughing hard at the Chuno comments! I couldn't agree more, on all of it.
Hahah... yes Seol-hwa aced makeup class, loved how she she wore purple eyeshadow and lipstick to match with her dirty purple rags.

Saying that, I really miss the show. Sniff!

Also, it's funny how Wang-son and Gen. Choi got to reprise their Chuno roles in their new projects, they got to trim their hair and don modern attire but they're still pretty much the same characters.

@eiko
That karaoke scene was awesome. I think the first song that Lee sings is from the Wife's Temptation OST (urgh!), tongue-in-cheek, because we know the lead actress was also in that drama and listening to him singing she falls blissfully asleep (how on earth?). Then when Lee and Wang duet they sing OBGYN's OST theme song. How weird, but funny. They're so loud, singing their hearts out for her, and yet she's still lying there asleep with a dorky smile on her face. Bwahahaha! I suppose she was pregnant and exhausted after a hard day at work or something.
Which episode are you up to now anyway? I still remember the stairwell kiss was in ep. 12 and the lift kiss in 14. Smoochsmoochsmooch!!

@54 supah

Let's see....the episode that just got through was the drunk scene....I think! LOL LOL.....yeah....that was when Seo talks to Lee about being pregnant and she's afraid, etc. and he gets drunk! I was laughing even before the car scene and the others started making fun of Lee asleep on Seo!

Yeah....Seo was in that loooooong drama where she got the best actress award. I got into that one because of her personality and all the others who were as evil...I thought her role was pretty evil because of her wanting to take revenge. I got turned off by the 2nd male lead cause he seemed to be tooooo complacent! But his sister is the same gal in Wish Upon A Star who was hells bells intent on marrying Kang-ha remember her?

I was watching a program on the local korean station King's Talk Show....unfortunately it's all in korean so I couldn't figure out what they were laughing about....however...they were several stars from OBGYN on the show...Wang, Lee, head nurse, Ahn and the nurse he married....Wang looked really handsome! He looked relaxed and was laughing and having a good time. It seemed obvious that the head nurse is a character because everything she said made the others laugh. I THINK.....the gist of the program is for people to tell stories and for others to vote if it's true or not. Does that program sound familiar? Then earlier they had a singing one I think called Star Show....they have different groups make appearences and it was 2 AM this time. One time they had SS501.

Oh dang I'm having anxiety attack with DW.....I haven't been able to watch episode 39 yet because it hasn't been posted on Viikii....but people watched it on special programming and from all indications on the SPOILERS....it wasn't good at all! Waaahhhhhh!!!!! Just reading the reactions I started tearing up!!!! There have been quite a few really cute incidents and it's always neat how "fate" intervenes with a chance meeting at the elevator or wherever! At this point the lead male has taken the opportunity to make things happen when he finds out lead female is out of the office somewhere and he'll go and check it out. he has all ready made it know he loves her.....she hasn't verbalized it to him but he has told her he knows how she feels because he can see it in her eyes. No kiss yet....but after reading spoiler....I think it won't happen for another several episodes.

I tell you it's so funny how people want to manipulate the story and make it happen another way!

It's 3 a.m. here.....guess I should go back to bed! Happy Monday!!!!

@ supah....again

Wanted to check with you. have you ever watched the drama Thousand Years of Love? The actor is 2nd lead in Cain and Abel. Wondering if it's a good drama. :-)

@ eiko

TYL, sung yuri is beautiful. SJS is good, but don't torture yourself... unless of course you play ockoala's drinking game while watching. then go for it!!! you'll be so wasted by ep 2 (or was it midway ep 1, ockoala?) that the drama gets to be very very good. i did enjoy most of it tho.. i'm a sucker for past loves reunited modern day or something like it.. ha!

@ 57 lb_tmi

Wow....THANK YOU (which was another great drama)....I'll check into that TYoL drama later on. I got curious with the title and checked the last episode last scene and wondered what it was all about.

hehehehe....so that's the one Ockoala was talking about! :-)

okay...add it to my list!

@supah...

er... tbh I dun think u r watching CU w/ any attention at all.. If there r any actors and actresses that CAN play a 16 yo, that will be MGY and SW. CJM is a well known babyface in the industry. If u complained about them looking to young as their adults, ok, but there are real ppl who looks much younger than their age walking around and 24 is still plenty young, I bet a lot of us r still carded at 24.. I can't compute your association of them to those playing unconvincingly as their younger selves in Winter Sonata. *shiver*

and MGY is monotonous?!! u lost me. I dont see how a scared, abused 16 yo can just open up and have an 180 just because she's moved to a new fancy place. She's emotionally manipulated by her mother, she is conscious about it (eg her mom deliberately being cold to her, yet uncharacteristically doting to younger stepsister in her face), yet there's no way out for her. Emotional scars, ever heard of them!?? Even in ep1, 2 we got layers upon layers y her characters behave as such, we got glimpses into her character hiding underneath the facade, and warming up slightly w/ KH. I'll just put it as this is a drama that requires more attention to details, but it all right there beautifully presented in the first 4 eps in plain sight.

So frankly, I dunno what u r talking about.

@ lb_tmi

Hahaha, you still remember!?! Yeah, I almost killed my liver and became a raging alcoholic because of watching Thousand Year's of Luuuuurve!~ I was drunk by the middle of the first episode, and I actually watched until ep. 5 (but stopped the drinking game long before that). @eiko, hhhmmm, I haven't talked about TYoL for a long time, I think my drinking game reference earlier was to Iljimae, which also is buckets of fun.

Anyways, Thousand Years is probably hands down unquestioned THE WORST DRAMA EVER MADE in terms of quality and acting, in the last decade. Now, I'm stating this as a possible empiracal statement, not an opinion. But I have a fondness for Thousand Years, because not only was version 1 Sung Yuri in it, as is SJS, but Lee Seon-kyun (The Voice) was also in it, and TYoL is a totally hapless drama that you can't help you want to pet it on the head, and say, there there, you tried, and give it a medal for effort.

The saguek portions of Thousand Years was so ridiculous bad and low budget, it was like my middle school performance of the Iliad, replete with boats floating in my friend's swimming pool as the launching of a 1000 ships. And when you think it can't get any worse, bam!, Princess whats-her-name zaps herself to modern Seoul and acts like a crazy person while SJS forgets that he's an ACTOR and instead acts like he's part-bum-part-street performer.

Man, belleza's summary of TYoL was worth its weight it gold, this is one drama that parodies itself, so you can only enjoy the complete insanity unfolding while sitting back going, "I can't believe SYR, SJS and LSK came out of this alive, and the latter smelling like roses years later."

Btw, version 1 Sung Yuri is any drama of her before Snow Queen (easy to spot, she still has her baby fat, and this is the SYR who gets flack for being a bad actresses - I find v. 1 SRY cute, not terribly annoying, and has a charm all her own). Version 2 SYR is the one I love, post Snow Queen and Hong Gil-dong. She's leaner, sleeker, bitcher, more adorable. I'm still slightly unsure how I would have felt had the deal not fallen through and she played Queen Seon-doek.

Anyways, @eiko, pretty much no one associated with TYoL acknowledges starring in it, it's that much of a train wreck, but it's totally fun if you want to watch a B-kdrama. I still don't know how TYoL got greenlit, SBS must have had a brainstorming session with a bunch of stoners attending.

@ supah

Huh, I'm a little confused? Are you saying that Winter Sonata had the teenager/adult role played by the same person and that was fine? Or that it didn't bother you so much, and that they progressed after the time jump?

I find WS completely unwatchable in their teenage high school years, bc we have Yonsama, who was in his 30s and pushing 40s in looks, playing a high school student! In fact, all the leads, it was impossible to accept the requisite high school youthful rebellion and angst from them. I don't mind WS once they hit their adult years (well, okay, I mind WS in the adult years, but it was for completely different issues), but the problem is that it was impossible for me to take the teeange section seriously.

Perhaps its the opposite for you in CU, you enjoyed the teeneage years and can't take the adult section seriously. I don't watch CU, but it sounds like character development as the writer intended took a nose-dive after the time jump. Which is a shame.

Oh, and I'm glad you like the Hero wrapup. I, too, am sad that it's not a very good drama overall, but the man against the establishment story is always very compelling.

@60 ockoala

Okay....i got ya! I'm laughing here cause if it's that terrible I won't even bother with it! There are other dramas out there! I crossed it off my list. I love my Baileys...but can't do a whole bottle at one sitting into one episode....I'd be sitting on the john all night!!!

LOL....LOL.....

And it's not like I don't have anything else to watch or check on! I get enough pointers by following you all on OT!

Happy Monday!

Hi ! I like to post Seo Woo's earlier ice cream CF in 2008, she is so funny !!
Here it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_OLqmCXHFI

I am officially in love with Personal Taste. And there is nary a hint of forcing myself to love it or loving it inspite of myself. Its just me and PT coming together naturally, hey, kinda like the evolution of Kae-in and Jin-ho's friendship and feelings for each other.

PT is like a Hotaru no Hikari with all the quitessential k-drama conflicts and emotional beats added (a few folks have make this observation, I'm merely reaffirming it). And unlike Hero, this blending of the styles works in PT (but did take awhile, PT didn't get going until ep. 6, and 7/8 has been brilliantly good, with still some editing, song choices, issues notwithstanding).

LMH show glimpses of wonderfully restrained emotional acting in BOF, but he was simply ON FIRE in episode 8. And a perfectly non-obstrusive yet meaningful and well-acted cameo by YEH. Sigh, PT is getting better and better. I officially give it my stamp of approval, and told sis to forget about WUAS and just start PT instead.

ockoala: You know, Hotaru no Hikari is getting apparently getting a season 2. I don't know why, but yeah. Throwing that out out there.

Now, now, now....I've never watched Thousand Years of Love, though I saw enough clips of the first few episodes to know how bad the special effects were....and I'mma let you finish that thought, but Fox with Nine Tails starring Kim Tae Hee may be able to take the position of worst drama ever. It was like some adult power ranger stuff going down... I... they're both bad dramas really.

I'm finally caught up with Prosecutor Princess. Off to go clip some videos of that and sync it up with "creep" by Radiohead (just kidding...but someone with more time please make my wish come true)

@mookie
Hey, I like to twin up dramas, and WS is CU's identical twin -- ok sorry, bad joke! The ONLY similarities were where the adults also play their character's teen version, and that's the sole reason for my bringing it up.
I felt I had been watching it closely enough, but maybe it's that my angstometer is full and I am in need of something fun and dynamic at this moment in time, where this is clearly a melodrama d'oh! I absolutely heart melos, but I guess there's a certain time of the year where I like to hibernate and get my fill of a good and substantial weepie/gluttonously-angsty melo and this is not that time.

About emotional scars: Ofc. Who doesn't have them? Different people react differently to their scars, and in terms of the drama - the way I see it is that EJ is miserable inside and her way of dealing with it is by wanting to drag everyone else down into the whirlpool of misery with her. Yet, I don't hate her, as her character isn't necessary evil - hell I adored her in the initial eps and even felt like rushing over to Korea and giving the girl a big fat bear hug.
It's all very subjective anyway, we don't all look for the same thing in a drama and I'm just repeating myself now but it's just not what I'm needing - not right now, maybe in a couple of months I'll be craving something like this again.

@ockoala
WS & CU: Yes! What you said - that's totally what I meant.

And Personal Taste - it has its very own charm and LMH was pretty good even in BBF, he's believable here too. I find him and SYJ are perfect together in this drama, they just gel. Don't have a clue what people are complaining about. *shrugs*

@eiko
You mean the great So! Ji! Sub! Second lead, never. First lead. Always first! xD

TYoL, I can only remember it hazily, I watched some of the first episode and that's about it. I can recall it being very Flight of the Navigators (or similar 80s Hollywood Sci-fi) but a classic Korean love story adaptation. There was something about a purple sky, eerie atmosphere, bolt of lightning and suddenly Sung Yuri appearing out of nowhere in a cute hanbok. Does she land on top of his red car or something or is that Superman? Haha!

Speaking of old-school SJS, I've been after Glass Slipper for ages and they're currently uploading it up on viikii & they've done up to episode 5 on there. http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/glassslippers# *does the happy dance*

Don't have a clue what TV show that'll be but I can just imagine it. That headnurse character was purely an outlet for writer Choi's cutting snark. Like the names she used to use against Ahn (omg!), the funniest part is when she calls Dr Seo; Gollum! Can you see the likeness? Hahaha!

@ janna

Oh, me, me, I wants a Hitaru Season 2! I would love to see some more emotional development and even some skinship between our OTP, hello, even a chaste peck on the cheek is good.

Nine-tailed Fox is pretty LOL bad, but I recall the special effects, general mood being a tad more serious than TYoL. What elevates TYoL to cult-bad status for me actually is the presence of such formidable actors like SJS and LSK, and they both act like they've never acted before and/or forgot how to act. The inherent irony is what makes TYoL love for me.

Btw, TYoL is totally, 100% I am sure of it, ripped off from The Iceman Cometh, a classic late 80s HK movie starring Yuen Biao and Maggie Cheung. It was actually a pretty good movie, but TYoL reversed the gender of the time traveler and added some reincarnation hoodoo. Fish out of water slapstick apparently transcends genres and decades, people still think it's funny.

@ supah

Yep...that's the guy So Ji-sub!!!!! Yummmmmm!!!!!

I didn't look at much of anything for TYoL.....last scene of final episode did have that purple looking sky with lighting bolts and the "enemy" comes out to get the Princess and takes her on his ship. Then SJS is seen in modern day and then goes running off....his friend who asks him where he's going looks a heck of a lot like the guy who took the Princess!

I believe in "fate"....also that we meet up with old souls from the past. It has given me goose bumps when I've recognized someone or even been to a place that is "deja vue". Years ago I met someone....I was sitting in a van and this guy comes to the van to talk to some of the people and he looks at me and I'm dumb founded because the first thing that comes to me is....I know you. Whew....it was like electrical shock!

I'm still trying to recover from DW episode 39....have to go over it after subbing is finished....even though I don't want to really go there, but I have to bite the bullet and even if I cry, I gotta know what happened!!! Sob...sob.......comfort is that I'm not the only one who was affected by that episode!!!!! Darn these writers know how to grab you and hold on with a vise that is cutting into the heart!!!! :-)

@ janna
LOL! Creep by Radiohead! How apt!
Since you're saying you've caught up, I totally think she fell for him in ep. 8 (the nightmare scene being a huuuuge indicator) just before Se Joon went and yanked the rug from beneath her feet (figuratively speaking). He's such a spoilsport, I was really beginning to enjoy them two together.

@ supah again

Ho....Gollum.....love Lord of the Rings!!!! :-)

nycgrl

Thank you! I thought I was the only one thinking that ep 7&8 for Cinderella's Sister was getting kinda choppy! I'm glad I'm not alone.

But still I'm not giving up on it yet. I'm still loving it and hoping the writers and directors will pull through for the actors, actresses, and fans' sakes. No doubt.

@supah,

I wont categorize CU in the classic Kmelo category at all, maybe that's y u r not feeling it. Tonally it was right on capturing a whimsical fairytale feel in beginning eps, a very angsty one of coz. Many of our fairytales r quite morose and dark anyways. I'm extremely allergic to K melo actually, other than MiSa I didnt cry/feel much over trite 'tragedies' Yes, 7, 8 has gone down substantially in writing, but our characters and actors r braving it thro still and there r scenes that absolutely tugged my heart esp when I watch it w/o any idea what the lines were (yes I agree the lines r atrocious)

I have the exact opposite observation of EJ as opposed to urs, but we can always agree to disagree, right?

'EJ is miserable inside and her way of dealing with it is by wanting to drag everyone else down into the whirlpool of misery with her'

I actually think she's holding herself up quite honorably considering she's still under constant emotional stress mainly fr her mom and now KH. Yes, she's still carrying that lost love w/ her, things and scenes still haunt her, but it was acted out so marvelously by MGY we actually got a mental picture of her coping and hinted on her winning over her demons (shaking off that repeated KH's sonnet ringing in her head when she passes by the pavillon) to be outwardly functional. If I have to blame dragging ppl down to misery, it maybe KH, but I see every action EJ did out of her brand of protection of ppl around her. For a wiser, older DS, we clearly see the daddy seeing thro the brittleness and can joke around her withdrawn w/ warmth. HS' demise is partly her own doing, but she's also a tougher cookie than her version 1.0 and in their world (or ours actually) we do need to gather every ounce of independence and tenacity. So yes EJ's relationship to HS maybe quite toxic, but HS is not getting nth out of it either. It's also human to feel HS' level of jealousy or borderline hatred towards her stepsis, but again she didnt act on every darker thoughts of hers. I dont call things not going our way as misery.. personally I expect things to not go my way most of the time and I appreciate the reward and satisfaction of working hard to get what I deserve.... and I just see these characters working very very hard. So to me CU is quite uplifting to even inspirational. Nobody is giving up or quitting life or gouging eyeballs in the name of love over some bumps in life, I dont see that often in Kdramaland.

Yes, we can do w/o the blotchy writing, writer shi!

@eiko
That's really interesting girl. I have been 'in love' before, and lost him, 6yrs ago and am still not over him enough to move on. Guess he was my 'soulmate'? The thing is, I lost him because I was a both a cynic and insecure, everytime he confessed he loved me I threw it back in his face ''but I don't believe in love''. I guess I'm eating my own words now.
And funnily enough, once when we'd newly met he was musing to himself: ''y'know once you experience love for yourself, all these cheesy love songs... and films and stories, they begin to make some kind of sense. Dontcha think?'' No, I didn't think then but I think it now.

It was much later when I watched the HK film Lavender, and that scene where Takeshi Kaneshiro wades through the streets of HK on a rainy night looking for his beloved missing pair of shoes - I wailed like a baby at that scene. (Even for that scene alone, he's got to be the best actor in the whole wide world, everr!) That film may seem weird to some but its symbolisms were not lost on me.

And speaking of shoes, I had another weird instance where I was in Paris (exactly this time last year), after an exhausting day at Disneyland, and random other places around Paris, me and my friend were trudging back to our hotel (on Blvd. De Magenta). I'd been wearing a very precious pair of shoes which were really old then I'd had them a few years from being a student nurse and would be on my feet around 10hrs a day, so you could imagine how comfy they were and perfect for trekking around Paris with. Well, I tripped over and fell and wait for this: the sole of my shoe came flying off! It actually came apart from the upper.
Yes, this kinda stuff only happens to me, and the only other pair of shoes I'd packed were a pair of dainty heels for a night out. I thought back to the film at that moment, lamenting over the shoes and started crying! My friend also exhausted just collapsed near me. So we're both sat there and this young guy who'd seen me fall came rushing over to see if we were ok, seeing my shoe was broken, he ran off down the block after promising to be back right away. He brought back a tube of super glue and fixed my shoe, in spite of all my protesting. He didn't even take money for it, my friend was like ''here take 20 euros, here take 30... '' no, he straight refused and then disappeared.
Lol, there was no 'connection' but since then I always carry a tube of super glue with me every where I go. And the original super glue tube he got me, I punched a hole into the tube and stuck an eiffel tower keyring on it, it's the best souvenir ever.
Funnily enough, we were wearing matchymatchy clothes. I was wearing a plain black cotton long tunic, indigo coloured skinny jeans and a zebra print scarf around my neck. He was wearing a plain black tee, same coloured skinny jeans and a black/white check scarf around his neck. Hee hee!

OK, I got carried away there, but how's that for strange encounters?

@mookie
I love the way you've dissected it there, I agree, it's not comparable to the usual kdrama melo genre.
Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention to it after all as I was seeing EJ in a relatively one-dimensional light after 3 and 4.
I do still feel for HS more though, she was really sincere at the start. I can understand EJ's aversion to her with the stark constrast in their attitudes and upbringing but HS isn't to blame for that. I feel bad for both of them, moreso HS.
Again, I've seen only up to 6, and wasn't fully invested enough. I will have to give it another shot right from the start.
I will have to do it for Ki-hoon's sake atleast. *weee....thud*

@mookie <3 and @supah

"I have the exact opposite observation of EJ as opposed to urs, but we can always agree to disagree, right?

‘EJ is miserable inside and her way of dealing with it is by wanting to drag everyone else down into the whirlpool of misery with her’ "

I'm with mookie. I don't think she's intentionally "dealing with it is by wanting to drag everyone else down into the whirlpool of misery with her". Huh? She's been just coping with her life in the only way she knows. The thing is she's slowly opening up realizing there are other options once she starts to recognize warmth and loving, compassionate and loyal hearts within those people(Dad, Taec) who actually loves, respects and cares for her.

I'm just skimming through the OT, so I didn't know if I overlooked anything. Sorry, if I had.

@72 supah

Oh...you had me smiling big time here!!!! No wonder you connect with Ma Hye-ri....you 2 and shoes!!! LOL LOL.....

Oi...oi....thanks for sharing. Love those kinds of encounters! You know what drama got me bawling big time? City Hall! Remember that scene in the rain and then they have that fight standing in the gazebo? By the way....you know both CSW and KSA were both drained emotionally doing that scene because it was so intense with the crying....during one part of the behind the scenes.....they both just leaned on each other. Anyway....before I forget what I wanted to tell you! The scene in the taxi where KSA is weeping and CSW sits there holding her wrist? he lets go and then the camera stays there on their hands and he uses the pinky of his left hand to touch the pinky of her right hand! Man...I lost it!!!!! I couldn't stop crying!!!! It brought back vivid memory of something that happened to me and that person....we were with a bunch of other people and sitting in a restaurant (by that time, we had gotten close and so holding hands and side glances were the norm)....anyway....he sat next to me on my right side and I was talking to the person next to me on my left....I felt something on the side of my right leg...he had leaned towards me and had his pinky finger touching my leg! I looked at him and he was smiling right at me! Talk about melting moments!

And then, I was visiting some people in Nampa, Idaho....went to their church service on a sunday evening and i was standing talking to people and I could feel like someone was looking at me. I looked around and there was a tall guy....dark hair with glasses looking right at me and he smiled! I can't remember if I groaned! hahahahaha.....a year later after i got home....was at church and who shows up? Yep....this guy in a sailor uniform and do you know the first question he asked me? Do I have a boyfriend? Isn't that a killer? I had never been in touch with him....but it was obvious he found out about me.

Aaaahhhh memories....memories.....fond, fond memories. I think about those guys and wonder where they are. I walked out on my husband in 2002....I knew it was coming and I wanted to do that years before....but wasn't brave enough. I'm glad I did....I feel a sense of freedom of myself as a person.

Nice to meetcha Supah! By the way.....it's really fun to walk in the rain....I did that in Waikiki after getting off the bus one day after work.....man, that was exhilarating! I felt like I was free and as soon as I got home I jumped into a hot shower. Of course...my hubby was glaring at me....but what the who! :-)

Oh yeah....if I ever meet a stranger with a tube of super glue I'll be sure to ask if she likes being on OT!

@mookie @celestiaorigin

I'm with mookie, faithfully, truly your CU fan hand-in-hand with @celestialorigin. :-)

@celestialorigin san
Have a safe trip to Japan. Take care. I think you are our OT's jetsetter. LOL

@ supah again....

you know girl....we gotta travel on road of experience to make all the mistakes and pick up the pieces so we can begin to function and know who we are and what is important to us.

some people think rules don't apply to them....but I've always loved connecting with people whether real or snail mail or computer....male or female....it's something that is very dear to me. my hubby used to get upset about that....I used to enjoy spending time in group functions and he would get jealous at the connections I made with people. He would outwardly flirt with other females....then harrass me later about certain males. I got sick and tired of it....at one point I got paranoid and then I got really p'od.....because he was making me feel like I was guilty about something. I've always felt that love is something "special".....when you love someone and that person is the one you want to be with....communicating with others is just something you do because it doesn't take away from how you feel about that special person. Live and learn....

Waving at you girlfriend!!!!! Enjoy Tuesday!!!!

ockoala: I do hope there some real romance for Hotaru too! And I agree the performances in TYoL were.. wow.. super bad. SJS whyyyyyy!...I'll have to check out that movie!

supah: There's definitely sparks flying, but In-woo is still his weird In-woo self. Here comes along Se-Joon starting to get proactive about stuff. But of course, I'm just worring about other characters... I'm really hoping for a game changing second half for Jung-sun to pull through with Se-Joon. All we need is a Freaky Friday set-up where Jung-sun ditches the glasses and goes all out in some platform Jimmy Choos and Hye-Ri..well Hye-Ri is never going back to that dowdy look again, but she could straighten her hair and wear something she can like... bend over in. Jung-sun can do a little character bonding by donating her glasses to fake In-Woo because looking the part of Harry Potter doesn't instantly mean you're a writer. He thinks he can pull a reverse Clark Kent with those dapper specs? Good thing he didn't pick out the moustache. (That just reminded me So Ji Sup did rock that in I'm sorry I love you.. I.. forgot about that horribleness) Oh In-woo, if you're going to work hard living the double life and got the cash....why can't you own at least two cars. Amateur!

@simplesim

Thank you. I think serendipity does fair amount of world hopping as well!

Oh , and that mom in CU, she's been called an evil mom and such. But in reality, it seems like she's been just existing at slightly above survival mode, or rather, since that's all she knew until she'd met my beloved DS(someone like him can be my husband candidate!), Yet, in ep 8, might it be that she is now at a place where she actually allows herself to re-evaluate what is more important for her?

@Mookie

Love all your EJ insights. Wish the writer/director is as invested as your writing.:-)

@ockoala, serendipity and PT lovers

Sorry to say I'm still not feeling it. I agree it has improved. Resumed watching it after I read the belly rubbing episode because it was so damn personally touching for me but something is just missing and I can't describe what it is but I wanna say maybe "magic?" like what CU was in the first 4 episodes. For PT I think I hate the editing, pacing, directing, writing and in that order. Thank god they've toned the gay cliches down and made the only real gay man in the show sympathetic so perhaps the show has some kind of commentary rather than just making easy gay jokes. I know, I know its just a show but I take the gay stuff personally since most of my guy friends are gay and I feel like a gay guy living in a female body.

BTW I know its my own personal kdrama pet peeve but I hated the "Coffee Prince" reference with YEH and even some (ok all!) of the BOF references and I think I was the only one who seriously hated the Hyun Bin reference in City Hall. The cross references to past kdramas that a lead starred in are meant to be cute and clever but it comes across as hit-over-your-head-with-a-hammer dumb and for me totally breaks whatever story spell the current drama is trying to weave. I would think dissociating from an iconic role is something the director and actor would want when they are in a different kdrama but what the hell do I know since this seems to be a frequently used ploy and seems to enthrall everyone else except me.

@ nycgrl

you are so cute when your expressing your grumpypants feelings. I love the cute winkwink fourth wall breaking jokes in dramas, as long as it's tastefully done and not overused. But I'm totally sentimental that way. Though I do suspect you may be in the minority but I do completely see where you are coming from. I adore you nonetheless, gay man in a woman's body you are! PT's PD is just horribly inept, he's not flat out incompetent, but he doesn't understand any flow and pacing requirements to allow a drama to really make an impact. But for me the heart and chemistry of the leads really overcome my dissatisfaction with the PD. JB and girlfriday's awesome recaps acually eliminate the editing issues, but also eliminates the LMH-SYJ awesome chemistry. I must keep watching!

Btw, just thought you'd might like to know, just, ummmm, oh, I started watching Mawang. That's all.

@ nycgrl

Oh, Personal Taste isn't good stuff by any means. It's completely ordinary fare. Unlike CU, it doesn't purport to do anything remotely original. I tossed it aside after 2 eppies, but am picking it up again because I'm in the mood for something mindless. And I'm quite charmed by the main actors. Nonetheless, I do have to consciously switch my brain off. Still, for all its faults, the least of its issues is its lead actors, who I are think are terrific, and may be the only reason I'm continuing to watch...

@ ockoala

I hope you have time and energy to marathon / ponder. And I hope you have a good translation, one that doesn't massacre Goethe and Rodin. And don't forget, we are here for you!

@ serendipity

But, but... you gotta wait and see... Ep.7 and 8 are the turning points. Suddenly you find yourself awoken in their micro universe, the shift has already taken place and you are serendipitously in their enchanted forest...

@ celestialorigin

Yes ma'am! Right away, ma'am! *off to watch 7 & 8*. Oh, and I take back what I wrote about "isn't good stuff". I should say "isn't quality stuff" -- Because it really isn't too shabby for what it sets out to do; just isn't high quality or special. Or, will I change my mind after 7 & 8? Can't wait to find out!

Shoot, I'm still up... Once again , messing u my tomorrow... Anyway, I thought one of the thing I like about "Sunaoni narenakute" is that Jaejung is wearing one of those non-descriptive cheap, badly cut salary man's uniform= gray suits most of the time and this guy he's portraying is "dameotoko" no self-confidence, broke and shy type. How interesting is that to see the most desirable man in Japan, voted #1, by Japanese girls surpassing all the celeb. cute Japanese guys( was a big news lately over there) ? I'm getting a kick out of it for sure. And he's also very talented in composing music(Yes! Shelter!) along with my adopted son Yuchun. Anyhow, just wanted to share.

Oh, and I just checked the update on Fuji TV site. Moon lovers(Kimutaku) is not starting till may 10th now.

@serendipity

I'd say you would. I was going to abandon the show after the first two episodes myself. felt like It was OK but didn't have time for this. Somehow, I followed it belatedly whenever I had some extra time and now!!! It's a different story. It's my #2 fav. after CU. this season. Sweet dreams.

@janna
Nooo! Don’t say that!
I *like* Jung Sun, yes,she's v. likeable, in a more conventional kdrama she would be first lead material, it's refreshing how she's nowhere near bitchy (Min Suk (Yoo Gun) makes up for that) but as geeky, cute and tomboyishly charming she is, she is so darn boring. I don't think she truly deserves Se-joon and hasn't had to fight hard, risking humiliation for him like HR has. Sorry, I'm one of the few who wants Hye-ri to end up with Se-joon. I have a longass summary lined up for why I'm on team sunbaennim. Will post it on the next PP recap.
In-woo is too much of a slippery fish. Episode 8 was filled with the purest of unadulterated affection(!) between the two, not the crackling sexual tension kind which at the best of times makes me cringe at the way its executed - but knee bucklingly Pure! Affection! Beyond that of just friends. But as always with In-woo - is it all an act? HR on the other hand was completely genuine with him. But I think she has an IW radar and acts accordingly, when he's fake she withdraws, when he's genuine she reciprocates.
I have a bad feeling they may begin to trivialise the sunbaennim love and emphasise the muffin love and then make HR all conflicted over both guys to the point where we'll be left with a What happened in Bali (pew, pew!) ending. Bring it on I say.
OK, maybe I'm exaggerating…

Clothes she can bend over in, hahaha! I'm right with you and yes, her outfits aren't fashionable at all, she dresses like a dowdy middle-aged schoolmistress - which is part of her charm but she desperately does need a wardrobe overhaul. She can't spend the entire series dressed like that, or can she?

IW's glasses, yes, they're so very… round!
(He should totally wear those aviators more often. Yum!)

So Jisub in MiSa: - #%$*^^!!!
This is the great SJS who can do no wrong, yet he disguised himself like THAT to seduce a girl, what was he thinking? I'd completely erased that image of him from my memory so thanks for the rejog. Watch and learn from the maknae Kim Soo Hyun as the young Kang Jin how to venge it up on a guy and steal his girl. Watch and learn, SJS! And you too Seo In-woo if that's your true agenda.

@eiko
Nooo! I'm not into shoes the same way as Hye-ri, I am a girlie girl at heart but when it comes to shoes, give me comfortable Converse any day. I am actually a little flat footed and very clumsy, so avoid big heels and stuff.
At that time, I was really embarrassed he'd touched my smelly shoes, hope he went home and soaked his hands in bleach, hahaha!
With Hye-ri her high heels affixiation is more as a symbolism with ''standing tall and being proud''. Where I can relate with her is her past of being bullied, taking a few knockbacks to her self-esteem and then being plain underestimated by all around, and I'm sure there are lots of us like that.

About Lavender, TK's 'Angel' character had a fascination with shoes and had a room full of zillions of pairs of shoes, all kinds of shoes, yet he grew an affixiation with that one old, ruined pair and only when Kelly Chen threw them away thinking they were rubbish, did he realise how he couldn't live without The One special pair. It was a symbolism for being in love with The One and how the world is full of so many people yet only The One matters and he searched for a whole day and night (or two?) scouring the rubbish tips of HK looking for them. Namsayin'?

Sorry to hear about your husband, sounds like he was jealous, seen as you build quite a rapport with people around you. The person who touched your knee, so sweet.

I loved that gazebo scene in City Hall, while KSA went all out, it was CSW's restrained acting in that scene which won me over.
The pinky - awww! The speed dial #5 story has to be the best though, how cool!

@ supah

Yeah....that speed dial #5 got to me also! That was perfect ending in bringing that story together as a "fate" sort of thing. Chance meeting. Don't we all wish we could meet that Knight in such a way?

Where are you on PP? I am side tracked into DW right now. They also have spoilers and it's so funny to read it because I'm only at ep39 and waiting for english sub whereas some others are into ep 70 all ready! They are RAW....with the emotional roller coaster of that drama....I'm not about to get slammed so I'm reading spoilers for now and getting a big kick out of it.

First episode of OML aired last night.

Another drama started up last week Wife's Back....involving another wicked mother-in-law situation. 2nd female lead in this one is Gukie fiancee from City Hall and she looks very different and playing a "sweet" role.

DWL and PSMAN taking back seat to some other dramas right now. With what I'm checking I'm not going into anything new....my DW addictiveness has got me wrapped up!

You know....life is one heck of a daily drama....if we end up being bored we only got ourselves to blame. Fun is when you're thinking about someone and the phone rings.....as we say here....chicken skin time.

Have you ever seen a Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamp? My sister sent me one she got in Michigan....it's really neat. Looks like a rose quartz but it's actually salt! On the internet it looks "orange".....not sure why. I have it right next to my desk so I can sit by it while I'm on my laptop.

It's 4 a.m. here....been up since 3 a.m.

Hope your day is or was grand!

@ supah again

that gazebo scene in CH was really excellent because Gukie was keeping himself in tact and in check because he didn't want Mi Rae to see him being emotional and caring about her....at that stage he was in love with her but had to finish off what he set out to do with his father. I also loved the scene in the restaurant where he goosed her! That was so cool!!!! Her reaction was priceless. That drama was one heck of a roller coaster ride. I hated his father so passionately that even now when I see his face in other dramas I cringe!!!! He tried to be subtle in Coffee Prince but he's showing his vile face in CU.

Oh yeah....didn't you just feel it when he was standing in her bedroom and reached out to touch her.....but pulled back? Yikes...I wanted him to touch her so she could turn and hug him and know that he was still there for her. I got the impression she was waiting.

Also, the scene where she is crying at the table in her room...the day before he returns to Inju City....in the behind the scenes video....after the director called CUT, she couldn't stop crying and they put a bunch of kleenex in her hand as she kept weeping.

I think there are many scenes like that in the dramas when the actor/actress get so caught up in the storyline and emotion takes over. Like in Tree of Heaven where Park Shin-hye spent most of her time crying and had me all teary with her.

Which reminds me that in DWL.....there is a scene where the lead male realizes he's missed his chance to grab at the lead female and he starts to weep. Darn...that was really touching the way he cried!

Okay....I better get something to eat here....tummy creating a scene with noise effects like there's a storm coming! :-)

I find out new stuff each day. I just read that apparently, Bae Soo-bin speaks fluent Chinese!! Seriously, he's fluent, and attended Beijing Film Academy and filmed a C-drama before he debuted in Korea. Okay, so weird that Jang Hyuk is making the remake of All About Eve. BSB is wired to make a Cdrama.

This news I read after hearing that Jung Woo-sung is speaking his own lines in Jianyu Jianghu. Oh, and JWS and Michelle Yeoh are currently in Taiwan finishing the filming with John Woo. Wahhh, I wanna be back in TW right now!

@ Personal Taste

OK, ep 7&8 definite improvements. Y'all still have to admit, though, this show has not a single original bone in its body. Nonetheless, tres fun. And while I have no doubt the plot will take a well-trodden path (his motives in moving in appear more manipulative than they were, she more hurt than angry, him desperate to win her and resorting to all manner of gratifying man-in-love behaviour, evil schemers foiled after much angst, reconciliation, happy ever after), there are fortunately enough variations on the kdrama romcom theme to make it still worth tracking. And, of course, some lovely acting and comic timing from our all-round cast.

Love Lee Min Ho. Love his wardrobe even more - not a single dud garment so far, all perfectly fitting and tasteful. I'm even digging the just-too-short pants, that's how sold I am on LMH the clothes-horse.

And the PT8 thread is such a hoot. I love bun-fights! So long as I can keep a safe distance. Oh, how glad I am that there was no internet when I was young, bait-able and lacking solid good sense (and not to mention, when I had exams).

@ ockoala

Bae Soo-bin - really? Could a man be more dreamy?

Jang Hyuk - Yeah, what to do. But after he acted his ass off in Chuno, I kinda have to concede that he's entitled to an easy job and good money. Evidently he will be dubbed? What a travesty, his acting voice is heavenly. Am SO not watching THAT! But at least the dear will be able to sleep-walk through the gig. By golly, he deserves a break after all the superhuman exertions of Chuno.

Ah, Michelle Yeoh, the Malaysian girl with the terrible Mandarin. Hopefully her Mandarin has improved some, though one has to worry whether jetting about the F1 circuit really helps.

@ serendipity

I concur, BSB gets dreamier each time I read something about him. I read in the article that Michelle is struggling with her lines in Jianyu Jianghu, and that JWS is actually doing much better, he's memorized them and his line readings are quite good.

Michelle has pretty terrible line readings in her movies, accent nothwithstanding, the beats in a sentence are ALL wrong, since its clear its not her first language. But I still like her regardless. JYJH is her first wuxia movie since Croaching Tiger.

Anyways, JH should take a vacation to Bali if he needs to relax, instead of making a weird as heck remake of AAE.

I finally caught up with PP and PT, and just finished Ep 12 of OML which is fantastic, the episode that we've all been waiting for.

PP is a pleasant surprise as the plot doesn't sound like one to my taste - but its execution is probably the best among these three, with right pacing and tight story development. KSY is wonderful in this 'not instantly likeable' character. Her delivery of HR is pitch perfect and engaging for this 'outside kdrama square' heorine. Oh yeay, I am in the minority, as supah, shipping for Prosecutor Yoon. I just wish they will give more screen time to him playing other aspects of Prosecutor Yoon than just being a serious prosecutor. I haven't seen Chuno but his small loanshark role in Mawang/The Devil is eye-catching enough for me to remember him and his very square/long jaw. That doesn't mean I don't like the role played by PSH but I am definitely on the Yoon-HR ship even though that will mean ultimate disappointment - unless Yoon is getting the PSH's deal in How to Meet a Perfect Neighbour, as the very rare second lead getting the girl!

Now, I'm glad to have watched PT from Ep 3-8 in one go. The first five episodes were ineptly done in so many ways with very clucky plot movement and unlikeable characters. The dialogues given to LMH and SYJ were often longer than necessary, so much so that you lost your patience and hit the f/f button. I would have dropped it if only watching those few early episodes. Nonetheless, they start to unclutter by episode 6, and ep 7 and 8 are, as said by girlfriday, the PT that we expect it to be. Both SYJ and LMH are putting such a fine performance that some scenes are heart tugging. KJ is a testing character and I only get to love her in that car scene when she so gleefully yells and encourages the very reserved JH to do the same. This should just be a small drama focussing on the dynamics of these two although I do love the gallery director whose acting is sublime.

Of course, I still love my OML no matter how cliche it may seem to be. CR and CSW plus the little girl are more than enough reasons for investing my hours on them. Love, love Episode 12!!

@ eiko and supah

Now that you are talking about the gazebo scene in City Hall. Do you notice that it is the same gazebo in PP where Prosecutor Yoon ordering HR to eat?

@94 epyc

oh how observant!!!! i've noticed many other places in various dramas...but totally missed the gazebo. I'll check it out. I'm sure supah didn't miss it!

Thanks!

@supah: Maybe sparks were too strong a word. More like.. fluttering? If In-woos intentions are pure, we can all just justify his creeper ways? Honestly, I don't want to accept .. wait I got a new track: "I did it for love" by BoA.

I don't want to project on the characters but.. If I could pick, and if that's what it boils down to, then it would be Se-Joon. So maybe that's why I'm trying to throw Jung-sun a bone. She's a normal girl like me! I'm glad she's not running off to scheme or anything, but yeah. She needs some more character development. Bad.

Maybe we should photoshop some aviators on In-Woo :D and a white cat to pet while Jenny talks to him in his office. "Here are my reports on Hye-Ri" "Yessssss"

@celestialorigin: Jaejung does fit the part... except for his hair. If he wanted to suffer for his art he'd be sporting it Taecyeon style: dark black, close-cut, creating an ocean of teenager tears when seen in public.

@ janna

the Taec hair was HORRIBLE when seen at the press conference, but in the drama, it's not as noticeably bad. now his teeth.. that's a WHOLE different story.. all i see is TEETHTEETHTEETHTEETHTEETH when i see Taec. i say all this lovingly, cuz i do love this boy so much :)

@celestialorigin @janna,

I think JaeJung is fine w/ his hair, he's a working white collar in Tokyo, he cant possibly spot that country bumpkin Taec look, that's too extreme. And he's surprising fitting in quite well in the ensemble cast.
All I can say there r 3 very gorgeous guy in 1 dorama for me, usu that's so not the case!

I'm a bit afraid the makjang will go too full a force after Sunao ep 2...

@ BSB
Have to admit I have never watched any of his works in entirety, but I'm very attracted to his face... and gosh he graduated fr BFA. WOW! I'm sure his mando is better than Michelle then ;)

I'm very addicted to PT8 that little 'wave, smile' bus scene, both of them r sooo effortlessly adorable. And the only piece of music cue I'm loving is the angsty 1 where JH is maddriving or meeting w/ Chairman Choi. I have a crush on SangJoon (duh). But I really have to skip InHee's or CR dad's scenes.. it's grating on my nerves.

@mookie

Yes, of course, he'd look hot even if he carries a bird's nest on his head, lol.

I'm packing like a mad person for 2 weeks in Tokyo. was/am thinking of just carry- on luggage(roller board, 2nd bag, a computer backpack and my purse), don't know, I may be dreaming...

@serendipity.

Are you sure you don't have a trip to Tokyo within next two weeks? It'll be fun to get together there... Since my squeeze has been raving about Singapore, I'm so tempted to fly over there from Tokyo just for a couple of days to check it out... But, I'm sure it won't happen because of the grocery lists I have form Japan. I'm sane enough not to drag them all the way there and back to NRT and then back to LAX, way too much... Anyhow, Pasadena in July? right?

OMG! YES! Power to the Yoon Se-joon supporters!
That now makes 4 of us: me, Amg1 (who is a guy, he said so himself), epyc and janna too! This is going to be so fun!

@epyc, you are sosogenius! Of course it's the same one, look here:

City Hall
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv152/DBCityHall/Ep19/45.jpg

PP
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu26/dramabeans/pp2/PP6-00042.jpg

Even the same angle, look at the white building in the back!
This gazebo truly is something special, it invokes feelings of love in whoever stands under it. I loved both the gazebo scenes, they're of so much importance!

@epyc Han Jung-soo and Park Shi Hoo are BOTH main leads in this, nothing has been implied about who the main guy is meant to be. All that's been said so far is that this drama has two male leads, so I wouldn't consign Yoonie as second.
yes, I totally agree he needs more screen time. I'm counting on the second half giving us more of his character background. Also, this may sound cheesy but I'm seeing little Yoon Bin as a catalyst in their relationship.

@janna ''I got a new track: “I did it for love” by BoA.''
Wahaha! This keeps on getting better! (Love that song by the way.)

I'm actually quite ashamed that as a proud Yoon supporter, I kinda developed a crush on IW during episode 8. *slaps cheek, 'focus! It's Se-joon! Se-joon is the one'*

@Ockoala

"Btw, just thought you’d might like to know, just, ummmm, oh, I started watching Mawang. That’s all."

O what a tease but I'm getting excited nonetheless. Can't wait to discuss.

@serendipity

PT would be no problem for me if it wasn't for the subject matter and I would actually enjoy it to a certain degree like I do with PP. But because it deals with gay issues I think I'm expecting something a bit more groundbreaking or the quality to be higher. It may be my issue alone.