The Bold Type Western Series Review

The Bold Type is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sarah Watson and produced by Universal Television for Freeform. It is inspired by the life and career of former Editor-In-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine Joanna Coles, who is executive producer of the series. Filmed in Toronto, Montreal, and New York City, the series chronicles the lives of three millennial women, portrayed by Katie Stevens as Jane Sloan - a writter at Scarlet Magazine, Aisha Dee as Kat Edison - social media Director at Scarlet Magazine, and Meghann Fahy as Sutton Brady-Hunter - a fashion stylish at Scarlet magazine, all of whom are employed at a fictional global publication called Scarlet in New York City.

I really love the pilot episode, how exciting it is to work on a magazine company. The idea of a millenial under 30 who works following their passion, feelings, justice and how they bring out about woman empowerment, social issues and social judgment is amazing. 

The series starts with 4 season, which is not yet end. Season 5 supposed to come within next month (May 2021). It centers on a trio of millennial women—Jane Sloan (played by Katie Stevens), Kat Edison (played by Aisha Dee), and Sutton Brady (played by Meghann Fahy)—living in New York City. The three best friends work for Scarlet, a fictional global women's magazine, spearheaded by its editor-in-chief, Jacqueline Carlyle (played by Melora Hardin). The young women navigate their lives in the big city, including their career trajectories and romantic relationships.

Jane begins the series as a new writer for the magazine after working as an assistant, struggling to find her writing voice. Sutton is in a secret romantic relationship with Richard Hunter (played by Sam Page), a Scarlet board member and attorney for the magazine's publishing firm; she also realizes that she is ready for a change in her career and attains a fashion assistant position for the magazine under department head Oliver Grayson (played by Stephen Conrad Moore). Meanwhile, secure in her position as Scarlet's social media director, Kat Edison meets photographer Adena El-Amin (played by Nikohl Boosheri) and starts to explore her sexuality, including the tribulations that said exploration brings.

Season two of The Bold Type follows Jane as she continues to find her journalistic voice in a new media-driven landscape, Kat and her struggle with her racial and sexual identity in addition to her relationship with Adena, and Sutton in the aftermath of her decision to end her relationship with Richard due to the realization that it could hinder her from advancing in her career in fashion industry. As we all know, about work that relates to talent and art, it requires certain connection to make it big into the industry and that's what Sutton is afraid of. She is afraid if someone gonna tell her that she can enter fashion industry due to her relationship with Richard. 

The third season sees Jane entering a new relationship with a fellow writer named Ryan (played by Dan Jeannotte) and collaborating with Jacqueline on a story regarding the abuse of models at the hands of a prominent photographer. Kat, in a career shift, becomes inspired to run for city council, supported by her campaign manager Tia (played by Alexis Floyd), with whom she also becomes romantically involved. Surprised by Adena's return during her campaign, Kat ponders whether her past relationship with Adena is unfinished. Sutton, while content in her role as a fashion assistant, considers pursuing a career as a fashion designer while navigating her rekindled—and newly public—relationship with Richard.

Season four of The Bold Type tells a story about Kat, Jane, Sutton, Jacqueline and Alex who confront challenges in their various relationships, bringing newfound understanding of their partners or creating irreparable rifts between them. 

First, Jane has her first mammogram and spirals into anxiety waiting for the results. Scarlet reels over their new dynamic, forcing everyone to adjust, while Jane tries to cope with the changes to Jacqueline's role at the magazine. Jane volunteers to write a story about a sex club, while Jane and Ryan try a different kind of marathon to rebuild their relationship. Jane's story on millennial weddings comes to a halt when she uncovers a secret about Jacqueline - her work situation leads to tension with her husband which enables them to get separated for several months and allows them to date someone else who can make them feel valuable. Jane feels like a fraud when asked to speak at a wellness seminar while struggling with a sudden feminine health problem. Jane tries to celebrate with her friends while struggling to process recent discoveries. Jane decides to throw Sutton an epic bachelorette party, but the bride can't quite bring herself to enjoy the festivities. Jane gets career news while facing some devastating personal issues. Jane is overjoyed that her brother, Evan, comes to town, and she introduces him to Ryan. However, her relationship with Ryan ends up because finally she was able to ask Ryan on what really happened during the book tour, in which Ryan slept with someone else while getting drunk. As she cannot forgive him, she finally let him go. With her plan on Masctectomy, Jane isn't comfortable in her post-surgery body, but a visit from her dad change her outlook. Jane tries to emulate Jacqueline's leadership with her new staff. Three months after surgery, Jane returns to Scarlet with new editorial duties. 

Second, Sutton and Richard make plans for the future. Sutton grapples with her complex reaction towards the massive changes in her life. Sutton struggles to balance her career and relationship. Sutton has doubts about how to kick off her plan to get promoted. Richard and Sutton dive into wedding plans. Sutton tries to bond with Richard's mother. And finally after several months, Sutton and Richard's wedding day is here, and Sutton is faced with a big decision as their plan after marriage is to move to San Fransisco, meanwhile, Sutton is offered a stylish position at Scarlet, which what she really wants - and to stay in New York. Sutton and Richard's long-distance relationship hits a snag. Sutton takes stock of her position at Scarlet, as Richard considers a world outside it.

Third, Kat's latest crusade to save a female-oriented sex toy company could lead her to begin dating again,  Kat goes out of her way to help a transgender runner get into the New York City Marathon. Kat tries to move forward at work with a podcast, but her first episode comes with a price. Kat plans her next move as she faces financial insecurity and turns to Alex for help. A blizzard hits New York City, and Kat is trapped at her new job with her nemesis; Kat faces a hard truth when she's forced to take some responsibility; Kat learns surprising information about RJ; Adena turns to Kat for help in dealing with RJ, which causes more trouble between Kat and the board; Kat and Adena need to work together on a Scarlet project, which becomes tense when Adena learns about Kat's most recent relationship; Sutton takes a big risk, but is disheartened when it goes awry; Kat considers her feelings on preconceived gender roles in the bedroom.

My Thoughts:

This series is so addicting. I really love the story of Jane Sloan navigating through the Editor life, how fashionable she is and how she manages to work on her relationship with Ryan. Even though it may not be good all the time, but she knows her worth. She forgive him once, as she was afraid to be alone. But, she finally be able to face the fears and stand up for herself. 

Meanwhile, my favorite couple here is Sutton and Richard. I know it's a big decision for Sutton to follow her passion to search for what her heart goes. As she needs money to stay alive and fine, while she wants to go for something her heart feels, fashion stylish. I also really look forward to her relationship with Richard as they have that future goals. I was really happy actually that Sutton got pregnant in Season 4 until finally she said she was not ready for the baby - and she has no plans to get pregnant. I know, some of them may say no child as their career is going well. It maybe alright that time because Sutton is still young, but relationship between two people should be balanced in my opinion. She cannot always have what she wants without compromising what Richard wants. 

Cheers~

How To Let The Past Behind and Move Forward

One of the keys to living a happy and healthy life is to leave the past behind. It's a piece of advice you probably hear a lot. Everyone has a past, has skeletons in their closet and no one is perfect. 

I've had a lot of sleepless nights. Nights when I was so worried about something that had happened in the past that I let it dictate my future. We’ve all been there at some point. You're not alone. The thing about is it is that, what about the past that is relevant to you right now? So, here is the 6 tips to leave the past behind and look forward to the future and have faith in yourself. 

1. Learn from the past but don't dwell there.

Everyone made a mistake, had a baggage and bad experiences in the past. Those experiences you had can actually be used for learning and future experiences. You can consider it as opportunities for growth, development and improvement, instead of something to be judged. You know, past experiences were learning curves to help us refine what our preferences, choices and personalities now. They build us to WHO WE ARE RIGHT NOW. 

2. Express yourself.

Don’t hesitate to get the pain you’re feeling off your chest. Whether it’s talking to the individual who has harmed you (or who you harmed), venting to a friend or writing it down, expressing your feelings can assist you in sorting out what, if anything, needs to be done to move on. Let go of that feeling, closed the book and open new chapter to move on. 

3. Stop pointing finger and comparing.

It is so easy to blame others for the past experiences. The problem is, blaming others gives power to someone else and makes us small. It also prevents you from going forward. So, stop pointing fingers. Besides, do not compare yourself to someone else. Life can't be lived comparing yourself to someone else. You can't be successful based on what someone else has done. Know that you are uniquely you, and you are who you are now. 

4. Focus on the present. 

One of the most effective ways to let go of the past is to embrace the present. Instead of reliving the past and getting consumed with negativity, keep yourself active and enjoy the current moment. Learn a new skill. Meditate. Exercise. Have dinner with a friend. Make a new friend. Whatever it is, just live in the moment - even if it’s just sitting at your desk and watching the clouds roll by. 

To achieve a more mindful state, be aware of what you are thinking and feeling, reduce self-consciousness, seek out new experiences and accept your negative feelings and situations as merely being a part of life.

5. Forgive those who wronged you - including yourself. 

No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Instead of kicking yourself for your past mistakes, cut yourself some slack and focus on the lessons that you’ve learned. Like Michelle Obama said, "Everyone on earth was carrying around an unseen history, and that alone deserved some tolerance." We cannot judged the future based on what had happened in the past. Look at the present. Also, people change all the time.

6. Count your blessings 

Instead of always thinking about the past, how about start by counting your blessing in the present. Give gratitude that we are still alive and healthy. By doing this, we are risking our heart to give some trust and faith for the future. Why do we have to dwell in the past?

Let the past behind, move forward and have faith. 

Cheers ~

Memories of Alhambra Drama Review

Memories of Alhambra tells a story about a groundbreaking AR game about medieval battles in the Alhambra (a real place in Spain). Yoo Jin Woo (played by Hyun Bin), CEO of an investment company that specializes in optical devices, travels to Granada, Spain to meet the creator of the game, Jung Se Joo (played by Park Chan Yeol). However, Se Joo has gone missing and there, he meets his older sister, Jung Hee Joo (played by Park Shin Hye), who is the owner of the hostel he stays in and a former guitarist. Both get entangled in mysterious incidents, as the border between the real world and the AR world built by Se Joo begins to blur.

This drama deserves a real appreciation for its plot and fresh new story ideas. We haven't encountered an augmented-reality games drama like this for years and I give a standing applause for Hyun Bin. He rocks the role of Yeo Jin Woo so much *applaud* that I have no idea who's gonna fit Yeo Jin Woo other than him. 

It was really exciting to play a game which happens in our reality, Zinu (Yeo Jin Woo's username in the games) gets so excited to explore the game and got level up, but then it's a new game and it is not completed yet. The problem appears when Jin Woo had a fight within the game with Cha Hyeong Seok (Jin Woo's ex-best friend who had an affair with Jin Woo's ex wife - Soo Jin). Jin Woo proceeds to defeat him in the game after leveling up to level 5, where Cha Hyung Seok was. Before their last battle, Jin Woo made a deal with Hee Joo to buy Hostel Bonita, which is under Hee Joo's name. The deal was made because Se Joo put the license for the game under Hostel Bonita, which means if Jin Woo got the ownership of the Hostel, he got the license for the game. 

Hee Joo got 10 billion won from Jin Woo, which was like a magic for her. After the deal was successful, Jin Woo invited Hyung Seok to meet with him in the middle of the night before Jin Woo's flight to Barcelona and go back to Seoul.

Jin Woo says that he’s headed back to Seoul the next morning, which indicates that he’s been successful with the business deal that they were both after. Hyung Seok’s face hardens at this news, and Jin Woo goads that he’s giving Hyung Seok a chance to beat him in the game, even though he lost in real life. He prods, “That’s the charm of games, right? Escapism and denying reality — a world where losers can become heroes.”

Jin Woo continues to jab at him by saying that Hyung Seok should have just taken his advice and spent time with his wife. That’s the last straw, and Hyung Seok attacks. The two rivals engage in an intense sword fight, and they both manage to slice each other’s arms. Hyung Seok paces as he catches his breath and says that he always wanted to tell Jin Woo something when they met one-on-one. 

He clarifies that he didn’t steal Soo Jin from Jin Woo and claims that he saved her from him because she seemed so miserable. He says that he was worried that Soo Jin would deteriorate next to Jin Woo.
Hyung Seok warns Jin Woo not to reject reality and points to him as the problem, since he’s failed in his second marriage. He advises Jin Woo to reflect on his failures unless he wants to continue to fail in his future marriages. Jin Woo smirks and calls Hyung Seok a bastard. He notes that all traitors justify their deeds with the same excuse — that it was for the people. Jin Woo points out that Hyung Seok’s justification is evidence that he’s a true traitor.

Hyung Seok punches Jin Woo, and they grab each other by the collar. The game notifies them that physical contact is prohibited and warns them that they will level down. At the warning, the two enemies release each other and both drop to level 3 in punishment. There’s nobody to stop this fight. The two rivals continue their sword fight, and Hyung Seok manages to fling the sword out of Jin Woo’s hands. Jin Woo just barely avoids Hyung Seok’s swings and runs to grab his sword stuck in the ground. He sees the shadow of Hyung Seok approaching behind him and times his attack to stick his sword right into Hyung Seok’s abdomen.

Hyung Seok freezes in shock as the sword pierces him, and he seems convincingly in pain. Jin Woo pulls out the sword and slices at Hyung Seok a few more times before the final blow that sends bloody Hyung Seok limp onto the bench. He looks at Hyung Seok, and the game congratulates him on winning and earning his enemy’s experience.

The next morning, Jin Woo wakes up to his phone ringing and sees that he’s missed 16 calls from Secretary Seo. Secretary Seo urgently explains that it’s an issue with Cha Hyung Seok. He was found dead on a park bench in the morning — dead with his eyes wide open. Jin Woo freezes at this news, and notice that Hyeong Seok died on the battle ground last night. Jin Woo looks shocked as he finally realizes there may be a defect in this genius game.

The game is magic to Jin Woo because it’s a technological breakthrough that will bring him and his company fame and fortune. And the game (if it functioned safely) would be magic to the world, because the kind of things that can be done with augmented reality, including but also in addition to gaming, could change the world in ways we can only imagine. But this defect is real, even though Jin Woo puts away the game contacts, he is still log in into the game. The border between AR and real world becomes blur. 

As Jin Woo looks through his phone, he hears the thunder outside followed by a guitar playing “Memories of Alhambra.” He looks around nervously and finds that his vision has changed into game mode. He checks his eyes, and once again, he has entered the game without his contacts.
The game notifies him that his enemy has arrived, and Jin Woo fearfully tightens his grip. He hears a knock on the door and asks who’s there. The door opens, and when he sees that it’s just Hee Joo, he sighs in relief. But then, he hears other footsteps approaching. It’s glitchy Hyung Seok with his sword, and Jin Woo looks petrified. The battle continues. Crazy. No one can see Hyung Seok, other than Jin Woo. He finally understands that why Se Joo hasn’t returned and what he’s afraid of. Jin Woo presumes that Se Joo was also under pursuit by someone that only he could see.

Everyone starts to think that Jin Woo had some mental problems, even though Hee Joo seems to believe him. Thus, to end this life-threatening game, is to finish the game with some clues given to him from Game Master (Se Joo) through the game. 

During the adventure, Jin Woo was able to find Emma, the game character of Hee Joo, which functions as healer. There was this quotes is when the golden key meets with the bracelet, the gate will open. The bracelet itself was worn by Emma. Se Joo was then released from predicament and Jin Woo as the game master was given the ability to have instance dungeon in which he can escape and save himself there in case anything happen.

The game was reset and Jin Woo's character was deleted from the game. But after one year, Jin Woo come back to the real world after the AR game was reconstructed and the border between AR and real life has been checked properly. The game was released to the world and it ends like that. 

My Thoughts:

I am seriously mind blown with the idea of this story. This show is so dynamic and actually feels like a reflection of the AR game itself. The plot is unpredictable and unsteady in a way that makes this show gripping. 

The blending of multiple dimensions is blowing my mind. But we never quite know because the rules of the overlap between virtual and reality are still a bit unclear. As this is a story that only the writers know why certain things happen, and despite this ambiguity, I’m actually enjoying this lawless game going rogue because it infuses the drama with an element of mystery that makes everything so unpredictable. 

I’m loving the unexpected surprises, even though they’re mostly terrifying. The way that Hyung Seok just appeared behind the door and ruthlessly attacked Jin Woo made me squeak in fear and pain for all the broken bones that Jin Woo probably just broke again. 

The twists and cliffhangers slap me in the face because they come out of nowhere, and the solid creative writing ensures that the cliffhangers keep me engaged and not infuriated. The cliffhanger endings leave us with a taste of what’s to come, making me intrigued by the unknown elements of this AR. Just when I think that the show is slowing down, it speeds up and then comes to an abrupt halt. There are so many interesting elements and plot points to work. 

Even though it's all mystery, I still don't really like that the writer is not a good storyteller because everything is a surprise. We all need the background why it happens, how could it happens and any solutions to end it need to be tell into a good story telling - which doesn't happen here. The more it gets into the ending, the weirder it gets for me. 

Anyway, Hyun Bin portrays Jin Woo very nicely. He did super super good, I think one of the reason why I continue this drama is to see how much Hyun Bin has grown since Secret Garden and hope that this drama goes well, even though sadly the storyline needs a bit of soft touch. 

I'm sorry to say but the romantic part didn't get me well. The connection was a bit off and no chemistry so far between Binnie & Pak Shin Hye LOL, or maybe I just didn't ship them together haha!

Overall is good, if you want something nice like an AR game drama, this one is worth to try ~ Enjoy!!

Search: WWW Korean Drama Review

Search: WWW is all about the story of three women in their late thirties — Bae Ta Mi, Cha Hyeon and Song Ga Kyeong — who work in the top two competitive web portal companies: Unicon and Barro. I am not an expert in such webtech thing, but Unicon & Barro might be like Yahoo or Google - which is very inetersting enough to see what kind of workplace there and how the three woman manages to survive the working life battle. 

This k-drama is actually 2019 television series, and I already watch it when it was aired on tvn during June 5 till July 25, 2019, which in fact the time when I turned 27 that year and watching those woman series give me such a heartful of passion and faith. I did not expect that this drama will have a huge popularity that year. It all about love life, work life, life as a whole. 

It was all started when Bae Ta Mi (played by Im Soo Jung) got fired from Unicon and she then decided to move to Barro to challenge and make Barro a bigger web portal than Unicon. 

Unicon grew because of Bae Ta Mi and her senior, Song Ga Kyeong (played by Jeon Hye Jin) until it was acquired by KU Group, in which Song Ga Kyeong got married to Jin Woo, the last child of Chairwoman Jang of KU Group. Their marriage was a marriage of convenience - to save Ga Kyeong's collapsed parent business. As a “sacrifice”, many of Unicon's decisions were made for the benefit of the KU Group. One of them is removing real time keywords. A kind of hot trending topic discussed.

One big incident was when the KU Group sided with one of the presidential candidates. That's why when candidate A got caught in a scandal and became a public conversation, Unicon deliberately deleted the keyword about candidate A so that the related article didn't come out. The reason is that they protect candidate A's human rights.

But this did not make sense, as a result the government made it a concrete one. Unicon's party was summoned to attend the trial, on charges of fabricated alias manipulation. Bae Ta Mi as a Unicon employee was asked to be a witness. Even though the one responsible was actually Song Ga Gyeong. But Ta Mi doesn't want to be a scapegoat either. At the trial, he attacked back. His name has become a trending topic and entered the real time keyword ranks.

Because of his behavior, Ta Mi was fired from Unicon. From here he got an offer from Barro, the competitor's web portal for Unicon. Barro and Unicon always compete to be in the top 1. To be precise, it's Barro who tries to tackle Unicon. So far, Unicon has always been number 1 and Barro only second. When Ta Mi entered Barro, Cha Hyeon / Scarlett (played by Lee Da Hee) refused - which is my favorite in this drama!!! 

Finally, Ta Mi promised that if Barro didn't win the top 1 title within 6 months, she would get out from Barro. From there Scarlett accepted. Ta Mi was appointed by Brian, the CEO Barro to form a TF (Task Force) team. This team is aimed at making Barro number 1. Ta Mi invites A Ra (Oh Ah Yeon) and Choi Bong Gi (Woo Ji Hyun) from Unicon to join. Meanwhile, from Barro there are Scarlett, Jennie (Ha Seung Ri), and Alex (Song Ji Ho).

Although others are engaged in IT, the culture of the Unicon and Barro companies is different. If at Unicon it seems stiff and formal, at Barro it is the opposite. Every room is nicely designed, far from "office" impression. Every employee is free to wear any fashion style. Plus, they are called by English names. Like Cha Hyeon who was called Scarlett. Min Ho Jung CEO Barro is called Brian. It sounds fuuun - like that kind of Western company ~!

The concept of Barro and Unicon is similar to Google. The web search portal also provides many features. Barro, for example, has a game feature, books, etc. So it turns out that designing a homepage for a web portal page is not easy, you know. Companies must place themselves in the user. What is the need. His search trends. His interests. How difficult is it to persuade a field that is considered less profitable.

The humanist side of a CEO is depicted when CEO Brian decides to resign because of a scandal. Even though Ta Mi and Scarlett convinced Brian that he didn't need to resign, he was adamant. He said, perhaps a public apology was sufficient for the business area. But when it comes to company image, he has to resign. Why? To convince the public that Barro's image is good. 

On the love life, Cha Hyeon - she is dating a friend at work. But sadly, her boyfriend cheated behind her. The funny thing is that Cha Hyeon's boyfriend was Ta Mi's ex from college. Cha Hyeon describes as a woman who is strong and doesn't want to appear weak. Once she found out that his boyfriend was cheating, she beat him up. 

Cha Hyeon is a woman who can't stay quiet when there is injustice. So the funny part is, Scarlett likes watching soap opera dramas, aka soap operas! She would just laugh, cry, got angry with the dramas go on. SO funny, love her personality here!

In the story, he got stuck with the actor because of some misunderstanding of an action drama and made the actor hurt. Seol Ji Hwan, a rookie actor whose name I never heard of. Finally Scarlett somehow admitted to being Seol Ji Hwan's manager. All for Seol Ji Hwan to be more acknowledged of his abilities. Both by the public and colleagues like directors, directors, et al. Finally they both fell in love.

It's really a drama, from fan-idol to couple. IS A REAL DAT EVENT? 

Meanwhile, Song Ga Gyeong. As mentioned above, she didn't get married because of love. Finally she had an affair, her husband too. They are not a normal couple. Everything changed when Ga Gyeong asked for a divorce. The reason is so that she can get out of Chairwoman Jang's confinement. Jin Woo agreed. Say at least this is the last thing he can do for 10 years of marriage.

Try to imagine 10 years of marriage without love, what will you do? You don't even live at home. Really got married because of formality and business alone. I am sorry for what happened to Ga Gyeong :(

Not knowing that before the divorce, Jin Woo fell in love with Ga Gyeong. 

The last and most complicated is Bae Ta Mi. The biggest part in this drama is Bae Ta Mi's relationship with Park Morgan (played by Jang Ki Yong). In the midst of stress at work, Ta Mi plays games at some kind of play place. She then met Park Morgan. It's funny. Starting from the chatter, it ended with a one night stand ..... thought Ta Mi. not for Morgan. He likes Ta Mi from the first sight. In the end, Ta Mi was chased. A 38-year-old woman, being chased by a 28-year-old man. 

Ta Mi doesn't want to just play around with dating. Uniquely, Ta Mi has no desire to get married. The concept of "love" for Ta Mi: living together is yes, but marriage is no. In contrast to Morgan, who hopes to get married and have a happy family. Naturally he has that kind of desire. From a young age, Morgan was "dumped" into an orphanage by his mother and was raised her adoptive parents. From the start of Ta Mi and Morgan's relationship, it was this difference in principle that was the source of the problem. It's also complicated, I already understand that both of them have different goals in dating. But still continued. Morgan said, "we can still be in love".

Ta Mi said, how can this relationship work? In the end, one of us will be hurt. Either Morgan who can't fulfill his dream of getting married, or Ta Mi who is forced to get married in order to continue the relationship with Morgan.

It's waaay toooo complicated. But what matters most is how to stay true to yourself and always try to find happiness in small things. Maybe it doesn't work at this time, but who knows it will later on? 

If you need a drama that feels right, challenging, complicated and more real, this one is recommended to watch!

Cheers~

18 Again Korean Drama Review

 

Jung Da-Jung (played by Kim Ha-Neul) is married to 37-year-old Hong Dae-Young (played by Yoon Sang-Hyun). They have have 18-year-old son and daughter. Jung Da-Jung works hard as a rookie announcer and she has a warm heart. She becomes completely fed up with her husband and is unable to deal with him anymore. Hong Dae-Young got fired from his job and he is looked down upon by his family. Jung Da-Jung hands him divorce papers.

Meanwhile, Hong Dae-Young looks at himself as an ordinary jobless middle-aged man. He regrets his life. At that moment, his body changes into that of an 18-year-old year old person, while his mind is still that of his 37-year-old self. Back in his teenage days, Hong Dae-Young (played by Lee Do-Hyun) was an excellent basketball player and also popular. Now, with his regained 18-year-old body, he changes his name to Ko Woo-Young and begins to live a new life.

During his new life, Woo-Young's goal is to get close to his children and become their good friend. Realizing that he has to pretend to be someone else to get close to those he loves, unable to take a good care of them, he realized what matters to him now. When Da-jung learns that Dae-young has another chance to get scouted for basketball by a prestigious college, she breaks things off for his own good. He begs her to let him stay, but Da-jung says that he already gave up his dream once for her and the kids, and this time she wants him to have a chance at a better future.

On the day of the finals game, Da-jung arrives at the school, but the thought of watching Dae-young play is too much so she turns to leave. She’s halfway across the bridge when Dae-young catches up to her, and Da-jung wails that he’ll regret this decision again. She thinks it’s her fault his life will be ruined again, and she wishes she’d never told him she knew who he was.

But Dae-young tells her, “It’s not your fault… it’s because of you.” He says that he used to think of giving up basketball as a sacrifice, but then he realized that those special moments with his family made him happier than basketball ever did. As he tells Da-jung this, she hears his voice change, and when she looks up, Dae-young is back in his older body. He continues that he didn’t realize how precious those moments were and would wish to go back eighteen years: “But Da-jung, you didn’t ruin my life. You gave me a chance. And my decision back then is the best decision I’ve ever made. I won’t miss out on that chance (again). You are my first love and my last. You are my life. I love you.”

They’ve learned some powerful lessons through their unusual experiences, and those lessons will carry them into the future with faith that if you cherish those you love, you will always have happiness.

Dae-young: Thinking back, endless happiness was always in our lives. It’s a common luxury all of us can have. For that happiness, we decided to love our decisions. We chose people based on love, and we are grateful for our decisions. As for my loved ones and myself… I would like to cheer them on to the end of time.

Da-jung: In life, even if you miss out on happiness, as long as you have that one person who will look for happiness with you, your life will be worth living.
Dae-young: Don’t forget that you love each other.
Da-jung: Be disappointed that you cannot cherish each other better.
Dae-young: And promise for a better tomorrow.
Da-jung: Like that, our lives will continue.

The King: Eternal Monarch Drama Review

The King: Eternal Monarch is a 2020 romantic-fantasy South Korean television series starring Lee Min Ho, Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Eun Chae and Lee Jung Jin. This drama is written by Kim Eun Sook, who also wrote Secret Garden, A Gentleman's Dignity, The Heirs, mega hit Descendant of the Sun and also Goblin.

This drama is really an awaited come back after two years hiatus of Goblin series and it is also the first drama after Lee Min Ho came back from military. Lee Min Ho was discharged on April 25th, 2019 which means this is the first project he works on.

The King: Eternal Monarch revolves around parallel universe theory, whereby Lee Gon (played by Lee Min Ho), a modern-day Emperor of the Kingdom of Corea, attempts to cross the barrier into an alternate reality where the Republic of Korea exists in the Kingdom's stead. He comes across detective Jung Tae Eul (played by Kim Go Eun), whom he recognises from an identity card he obtained during the turning-point of his childhood, his father's assassination when he was 8 years old. Lee Gon's half uncle, Lee Lim (played by Lee Jung Jin), who assassinated the previous king, Lee Ho (Lee Gon's father), is in hiding and assembling armies from both world whilst traversing back and forth between the two parallel worlds.

The theory of parallel worlds here in this drama refers to another person who would look exactly like you physically, even though the circumstances might be different (as in your name, your family structures even your personality). I believe the idea itself is a very creative and genius to put altogether the pieces into a story. However, as I had expected the story, quotes, fashion trend, catchphrase from the usual Kim Eun Sook drama, I would say, The King: Eternal Monarch is way beyond my expectation.

Is that because of the editing sequence? or the failed story telling?

Well, in whatever reasons it is, I feel the chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun is not there. The sequence for falling in love with the lost King of Corea is also a bit bland - Kim Go Eun as Jung Tae Eul who starts being so harsh at first suddenly becomes gentle towards Lee Gon.

Other than that, sometimes during the course of the event, the timeline doesn't make sense to me and in the end I give up entirely on trying to understand everything. The drama seemed more concerned with aesthetics and being epic than making sense. The frustrating thing for me is that this drama had an interesting premise and general story. It was the execution that was problematic. I often found myself sighing at what could have been if only the plot had been presented in a more coherent and focused way and the leads had been better developed. Most dramas don’t have enough material to fill the episodes, but this one had too much. We ended up with so many characters and threads that it felt messy and chaotic.

The latter half was a little more focused and better edited, but that could only go so far in solving the issues. Either way, there was potential there that wasn’t realized which is a shame. Despite my criticisms of this drama, I do appreciate that such a large-scale story was attempted.

Hopefully the next drama of Kim Eun Sook can be more of convincing.

Hi Bye, Mama! Korean Drama Review

I've always had a huge crush on fantasy drama about having limited time to live, specially the 49 days time to live. This time around, after many years since the 49 days Korean Drama, we have the same story about someone who has 49 days to come back and live as a human before finally going to the afterworld.

Why is it 49 days? Why it is not 14 days, or maybe just 30 days? Why is it always 49 days?

The traditions associated with the 49 days after death in Buddhism derive from “The Tibetan Book of the Dead,” also known as the “Bardo Thodol.” Tibetan Buddhists use this book to help guide their consciousness toward rebirth after they die.

“The Tibetan Book of the Dead” establishes many traditional beliefs Tibetan Buddhists have regarding the afterlife. They don’t believe that people who die go directly to heaven or hell. Prior to their next incarnation, Buddhists believe they go through stages after death. This belief directly contributes to the ceremonies and rituals Tibetan Buddhists perform for 49 days after a person dies.

Buddhists believe that a person will continue the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth until they reach nirvana, or enlightenment. However, they don’t necessarily believe that a person is immediately reborn after they die. A person first goes through an “intermediate state” (bardo) before his next rebirth. Many Buddhists believe 49 days is the longest length of time the intermediate state can last.

This is the key reason they perform religious ceremonies every day for 49 days. Buddhists offer up prayers to improve the odds that a person who has died will experience a positive rebirth. According to Tibetan Buddhists, when a person dies, they actually go through three stages. Prayers help them work through the process.

The first stage occurs immediately after someone dies. This is the stage when what remains of their consciousness accepts death and spends time reflecting on their living experiences. During the second stage, which can last up to 49 days (although some Buddhists believe that it always lasts that long), a person’s consciousness may run into apparitions that can frighten them if they forget these apparitions are not real and can’t hurt them. That’s why loved ones pray during the 49 days after death in Buddhism. They believe a person’s consciousness can still receive and understand the words spoken to them in prayer. Because of this, prayers can theoretically help a consciousness navigate this stage. Without them, the apparitions they encounter might confuse them to such a degree that when they’re reborn, they end up in a body that will slow down their progress toward enlightenment.

It’s interesting to note that the 49 days after death in Buddhism somewhat resembles beliefs from other cultures. While it’s important to remember that no two cultures or religions are exactly the same, according to some Christian beliefs, a soul remains on Earth for 40 days after death before fully transitioning to the afterlife.

Hi Bye Mama! is a South Korean drama about a woman, named Cha Yu Ri (played by Kim Tae Hee) who has been a ghost since she died 5 years ago due to tragic traffic accident. She left behind her husband Jo Kang Hwa (played by Lee Kyu Hyung) and their just born daughter, Seo Woo. Meanwhile, Jo Kang Hwa works as a chest surgeon. He was loving, but, after his wife died, his personality changed. After 5 years, his dead wife Cha Yu Ri reappears in front of him.

To become a human again, Cha Yu Ri carries out a reincarnation project for 49 days. She has to find her own place as a wife and a mother if she didn't die to stay alive within 49 days.

The story is very interesting and meaningful as it reminds us how precious being alive is, how great it is to touch someone we love, do something for them and cherish them when we are able to love. One of the great lesson they taught us is to live our life to the fullest so that we do not have any regrets later on. Love when you are able to love and do not waste our given times with meaningless things.

Every episodes made me cry ofcourse and I can't hold back my tears specially when the story talked about how difficult it is to just hold and talk to someone when you are dead and the other person is struggling to live their life. With Cha Yu Ri sudden death, it was really difficult and such a dark time for her husband and her parents. My guess is that, the 49 days given to her is like a gift from God so that her husband and her parents can finally move on with their lives. Because, even after 5 years after her death, they are still living in the dark with so many regrets and it was hard for them to move on. And this is also another lesson to live by, is to still move on with out lives, to become stronger and believe that someone we love will always live in our heart. Sad but true.

This drama is recommended for those who love emotional fantasy drama and this is also a drama comeback for Kim Tae Hee after 7 years. A must watch in Netflix!

Cheers ~

Money Heist Spanish Series Review

Netflix's phenomenon of 2019 - MONEY HEIST if you like drama series with full of complicated crimes, mission and action, then this is a must watch. Money Heist has gained a wide popularity across the continents. It is a spanish  heist crime drama series with the title "La Casa De Papel" created by Álex Pina. The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain.

The series was initially intended as a limited series to be told in two parts. It had its original run of 15 episodes on Spanish network Antena 3 from 2 May 2017 through 23 November 2017. Netflix acquired global streaming rights in late 2017. It re-cut the series into 22 shorter episodes and released them worldwide, beginning with the first part on 20 December 2017, followed by the second part on 6 April 2018. In April 2018, Netflix renewed the series with a significantly increased budget for 16 new episodes total. Part 3, with eight episodes, was released on 19 July 2019. Part 4, also with eight episodes, was released on 3 April 2020. A documentary involving the producers and the cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon.

The series was filmed in Madrid, Spain. Significant portions of part 3 were also filmed in Panama, Thailand and Florence, Italy. The narrative is told in a real-time-like fashion and relies on flashbacks, time-jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator for complexity. The series subverts the heist genre by being told from the perspective of a woman, Tokyo, (Úrsula Corberó) and having a strong Spanish identity, where emotional dynamics offset the perfect strategic crime.

The series received several awards including best drama series at the 46th International Emmy Awards, as well as critical acclaim for its sophisticated plot, interpersonal dramas, direction, and for trying to innovate Spanish television. The Italian anti-fascist song "Bella ciao," which plays multiple times throughout the series, became a summer hit across Europe in 2018. By 2018, the series was the most-watched non-English language series and one of the most-watched series overall on Netflix, with a particular resonance coming from viewers from Mediterranean Europe and the Latin world.

Story of Yanxi Palace Drama Review

With the case of COVID-19, we are all requested to stay at home and it allows me to have some time to watch the popular Chinese period drama, Story of Yanxi Palace. You all know, I always have big interest in historical drama. So, I just tune in to see what's the fuss about Story of Yanxi Palace.

Story of Yanxi Palace tells a story (Chinese: 延禧攻略) is a Chinese period drama series created by Yu Zheng. It is an original screenplay written by Zhou Mo, and later developed into a novel by Xiao Lian Mao. Starring Wu Jinyan, Charmaine Sheh, Qin Lan, Nie Yuan, Tan Zhuo and Xu Kai. This historical drama started in Qianlong Emperor Reign.

Qiaonlong is actually the 6th Emperopr of Qing Dynasty, also a grandson of Kangxi Emperor. His father is Yongzheng Emperor (Yinzhen - 4th Prince, in popular culture, this era potrayed in the story of Bu Bu Jin Xin/Scarlet Heart). The succession of Yinzhen to be the next Emperor of Qing was very controversial and I had also talked about this in Scarlet Heart Review. 

The story started when a young firecracker by the name of Wei Yingluo enters the court of the Qianlong Emperor, Aisin Gioro Hongli, as one of the palace embroiderers to secretly investigate her beloved sister's mysterious death and find the truth. At first believing the imperial guard Fuca Fuheng to be the prime suspect, Yingluo schemes to approach his sister, the Empress Fuca Rongyin, and succeeds in getting transferred from her embroidery unit to the Empress's Changchun Palace as her maid. Over time, she learns that the Fuca siblings are honest and kindhearted people, innocent of the crime, and even develops romantic affections for Fuheng, who is admired by many around the Palace, including Qianlong's Consort Chun who allies herself to Empress Fuca because of a deep-seated crush on her brother.

Though Yingluo is not noble by birth and is illiterate, the kindhearted Empress Fuca teaches her how to read and write, along with all the proper etiquette and mannerisms for noblewomen at the time. Yingluo also helps Empress Fuca survive a series of maneuvers by her chief rivals, becoming a trusted friend and confidant while never forgetting her own agenda of avenging her sister's murder. In time, Yingluo discovers that the actual murderer is a Consort of the late Emperor Yongzheng and mother of Qianlong's half brother, and hatches a plot to drive the culprit to her untimely death. Empress Fuca, for fear of Qianlong's fury over Yingluo's outrageous action, quickly banishes her to the palace sanitation unit to escape from his decree of punishment. There, Yingluo befriends and becomes sworn brothers with a handsome but conniving eunuch, Yuan Chunwang, who is subsequently revealed to be a bastard son of Emperor Yongzheng.

Without Yingluo, Empress Fuca falls victim to the machinations of Noble Consort Gao that puts her in a coma. News reaches Yingluo who hurriedly steals midnight visits into Empress Fuca's chamber to sit by her mistress's side and care for her. Yingluo's devotion to Empress Fuca convinces Qianlong to relent on his tough stance towards her and eventually allows her to return as maid. Empress Fuca is able to wake from her coma, and even becomes pregnant again. She goes through almost life-ending labor to give birth to another son, who is immediately the target of assassination by the duplicitous Consort Chun, devastated for having been rejected by Fuheng. After Consort Chun realized that she has no hope with Fuheng, she then plans to get Qianlong's favor and to has her own child for the next succession of the Emperor. When she knows that Empress Fuca (Qiaonlong's legal wife) gave birth to a Prince, she then plots to get rid of her child's rival.

Empress Fuca is driven to suicide when she is not able to save her newborn in a bizarre fire that rose overnight. After Empress Fuca's death, Yingluo is sent to live and guard over her mistress's grave at the Old Summer Palace. She stays there for a number of years with Yuan Chunwang until one year, during an imperial visit by Qianlong and his consorts to Fuca's grave, Yingluo unexpectedly learns that Consort Chun was responsible for her late mistress's suicide. She decides once again to enter the Forbidden City and exact retribution on the evildoers.

In order to achieve the goal, Yingluo knows she needs the hand of authority so she soon sets her eyes on the Emperor. She skillfully charms Qianlong, becoming part of his harem, and is bestowed a title, Consort Ling. With meticulous planning, she topples her rivals one after another, including the villainess, now Noble Consort Chun, even insofar as exposing her role in Empress Fuca's death, which incidentally leads to her fall from grace at the hands of Yingluo's archrival, the newly-named Empress Hoifa-Nara. Yingluo's captivation of Qianlong brings her numerous threats, such as from newcomer Concubine Shun, a beautiful and cunning woman dead set to even the score with Qianlong and Fuheng for having been forced into political marriage in the Forbidden City. Framing Yingluo for attempted assassination, Concubine Shun deftly teams up with Empress Hoifa-Nara to put Yingluo under house arrest and pull strings to starve her nearly to death. Nevertheless, Yingluo is able to reverse her situation, reveal Shun's treachery, and restore Qianlong's affections for her. Having reached stalemate at this point, Yingluo negotiates for a truce with Empress Hoifa-Nara on the condition that they both not harm any children of the palace in spite of the rivalry.

A decade later, however, the nihilistic Yuan Chunwang betrays Yingluo and joins Hoifa-Nara, causing a series of mishaps in the palace that even force the Empress's hand and break her hold on power. Hongzhou, the Emperor's brother, at the same time plots to sabotage Qianlong's Southern river tour. On a chosen night, a band of rebels suddenly storms onto the royal vessel just as a fire engulfs the Empress Dowager's cabin, prompting Qianlong to charge into the flaming cabin to save his mother, seemingly perishing himself in the process.

The next morning, as Hongzhou gallantly appears to restore order from the overnight coup, Qianlong and the Empress Dowager emerge safely from a secret passageway that had been purposely designed by Fuheng and expose Hongzhou's plan of treachery. After Qianlong sentences Hongzhou to death, Yuan Chunwang gets on his knees in front of the Emperor and claims he is a long-lost son of the Yongzheng Emperor. The Empress Dowager denies this, ever so slyly, which drives Yuan Chunwang into utter madness while leaving others unable to determine whether or not it is to protect Qianlong. At this time, Consort Ling comes out of hiding under the protection of the Emperor's guards, prompting Hoifa-Nara to protest once and for all the Emperor's lavished attention for Yingluo alone. In a fit of rage and jealousy, she cuts off her own hair, a taboo in Manchu tradition analogous to an outcry for divorce, effectively cursing the entire Aisin Gioro clan.

At the end, Empress Hoifa-Nara is permitted to keep her title, but loses all of the Emperor's affections. Wei Yingluo is elevated to a new title, 'Imperial Noble Consort', the highest possible rank for someone of non-noble birth. Remembering Empress Fuca's teachings, she embodies all the qualities of a virtuous consort, and supports the Emperor until death.

The way I see how Yingluo gets to her position, it amazes me how she stays true to herself and being straightforward, open, and doesn't have two-faced with Qiaonlong, which is the most important thing in a marriage. She understands him and treats him like any other husband and wife, not that kind of the King and his consort. That kind of attitude is the most important I guess to capture someone's heart, even it's a King. So, stay true to yourself :)

Calvin Chen and Qiao Qiao Got Hitched!

It didn't surprise me that much when Calvin Chen and Qiao Qiao are being together. But what's surprising is the sudden announcement just a day before Chinese New Year 2020.

Calvin Chen and Qiao Qiao had been linked long time ago back in 2010 during Love Buffet filming. Love Buffet is a Taiwanese Drama adapted from Japanese Manga. At first, Qiao Qiao is the leading female lead for Love Buffet. But after shooting few episodes, the female lead was replaced to Reen Yu (she got married to Vic Zhou in 2015) because of scheduling conflict after the filming was halted in 2010 due to typhoon in Taiwan. 

Back then I didn't like Qiao Qiao, maybe because I found her style doesn't suit my taste, specially when she starred at Magicians of Love with Ming Dao! Why she roamed around my list of favorite actors hahaha....But over time she gets even prettier, sexier and beautiful when she grows older and maturer. She has those fine lady-like now. 

The rumours started when Calvin has an umbrella date with Qiao Qiao. They didn't use face mask or anything and Calvin also hold Qiao Qiao under the umbrella to protect her from the rain. After that date, all the fans online speculate that they both were dating. At that time it was suspicious because they had not met for specific reason and Qiao Qiao has been replaced with Reen Yu. So there were no links for them to meet in that specific time. Yet, we all know Calvin is such a really friendly guy who has so many girl friends. Maybe they arranged the meeting for a reunion, we thought. But he bashed the rumour, saying they were just close friends. But that rumour didn't die, because we all know actually they are both very compatible with each other, considering the 8-year perfect gap on their age. 

Then in 2014, when Calvin published his solo album, with one love song featuring Qiao Qiao in the music video. That song is called 愛來無恙 (Ài Lái Wú Yàng) (How Has Love Been) with the lyrics much of a break-up and how one day they will meet again. There it was so strange that Qiao Qiao is the lady inside his MV. But we also thought, "Oh maybe she just helped him as his best friend by starring at his MV."

Then in 2016 when Calvin started the radio show, Qiao Qiao came to support him again. And since then, there is no news of even a bit of rumours going on between the two of them. Once I thought he doesn't like girl because he's been with Dylan Guo at the gym and when they travelled. I really hope someone I admire so much won't necessarily be someone who has his personal preference. Well, I am not judging thought. But I thought it will be good if he is straight, because it matters to me, as it may affect my choice and taste in a man. 

I once talked to my best friend about Calvin has been single even though he's almost 40 years old. And out of sudden, and out of blue, he annouced he's married to someone! And it's Qiao Qiao, someone we all know long time ago. They dated each other for 10 years OMG. I just can't believe it and how happy I am to know how loyal he is up till now. 

In one interview, he was asked why he lied about being in a relationship. Yet in fact, he didn't lie, he just didn't announce it. So there is nothing wrong with it. But why? 

Calvin said, "It is not because we were both in the showbiz industry. Joanne (Qiao Qiao) and I preferred not to announce it if we weren't sure of the outcome."

Calvin also said that their story is not love at first sight. They met through filming and that he actually felt bad the first time they met because he was more than half an hour late for the script reading. Then as time flows, he feels that he watched Joanne growing up as they got together when she was around 20 and he was 28. They've known each other for a long time and the relationship progressed naturally. It wasn't a shotgun wedding as many assumed with their sudden announcement. 

Calvin admits that they broke up at one point because Joanne felt like he wasn't listening to her and that they were both thinking of themselves at the time. The breakup lasted a full year with no contact before he started pursuing her again. Looking back, Calvin says, "it's like fate really brought us together." 

But in whatever case, I am glad they are happy being together!

Happy Wedding my long time fav actor ~

Crash Landing on You Drama Review

The most popular K-drama in early 2020 is Crash Landing on You, starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin. The story talks about a South Korean chaebol heiress crash lands north of the DMZ due to a paragliding mishap where she meets a North Korean officer and falls in love.

And truly, I like it! It’s a lot funnier than I expected for a show set in North Korean and starring a North Korean soldier. Hyun Bin’s straight-laced character absolutely cracks me up when he’s faced with Son Ye Jin’s hyper, almost manic energy. Their chemistry is already intense, especially their comedic chemistry, and I anticipate that to transfer over to romantic chemistry quite smoothly.

I didn’t immediately like either Se Ri or Jung Hyuk — Se Ri came across as spoiled and cold, while Jung Hyuk, being a soldier, seemed very stiff and formal. But as they interacted, they won me over, and I already love them both. Se Ri is strong and intelligent, enough of both to cast off her worthless family and create her own success, and she’s also hilariously quick-thinking to the point that she out-smarted a North Korean officer. And Jung Hyuk turns out to be a bit goofier than he seemed, the way he held onto his pride even as he stood on that land mine and suffered Se-ri’s taunts. I can’t wait to see them become closer, and watch as the more vulnerable, human sides of them emerge.

After several episodes, where they both started to care for each other, I can tell Hyun Bin's character in this drama is so warm and gentle. He can't help himself from falling for Se Ri. As I can tell, even thou Se Ri seems to be strong, yet she has that tragic story from her life. I really like this drama due to its important strong point on mental health. A few years back, Se Ri struggled with life, thought it would be best to commit suicide in Switzerland while travelling. Instead of wanting to die, she found the will to stay alive, the courage to stay strong and keep moving on. Such a good insight. 

You should watch this drama, I really recommend this drama guys ~

Happy New Year 2020

It feels so fast that 2019 has gone by. Before new year coming soon, I would like to think back about what has happened in 2019 and reflect back to what I can do better in the coming year.

It was really hard in the beginning of early 2019, because I felt that nothing would change and it will be the same this year. But God's timing is amazing. I was given a lot of time to really forget those painful memories, regain myself back and start exercising to be a better version of myself. I challenged myself to be more open, to look at things in a more flexible way.

I trusted myself that I am worthy, I deserved a love that is sure of me from the beginning. I learnt how to enjoy myself even though I am single, which in fact status does not correlate with how you feel about yourself. But in fact, I learnt how to enjoy my own company and focusing more on myself until suddenly someone came along. That was the best surprise I guess (because it was only a week after my birthday).

I used to think I am enough by myself, until liking someone gives me some fears - that is the possibility of being hurt. You open your heart for someone yet there is a fear of being hurt. Sometimes, once in a while, I was so insecure with my relationship, afraid it is not gonna last. What if he saw my bad side, what if after I said this, he would leave me alone? Sometimes I thought with those kind of feelings, which one is better, being single or being a relationship?

Somehow I know those kind of fears rooted from my past experience of being rejected by those guys I invested in much. I tried to forget those moments, yet it still affects me deeply. Then I realize, forgeting does not work in my case, instead I have to forgive and let go. Forgive them and forgive myself as well, that everything that has happened, is not because of my fault.

Thinking back, those memories has affected me in my current relationship. Even though everything is fine, sometimes I feel insecure and I need to eliminate those feelings if I want to move forward with my life. Even without a status, I am going to be fine with myself, I am complete and good with being my own self.

In 2019, I would like to thank God as well for His guidance that I am able to have another working experience in banking sector, a job that I wanted to try before.  Thanks God for allowing me to learn about something new, which challenges my limit.

I also want to thank God for His perfect timing. I feel loved. Thanking God for allowing me to have my first concert experience, and it's Ed Sheeran World Divide Tour. How can God be this good to me?! That was an amazing experience, and I could not imagine I could get that close to the stage.

Thinking back, 2019 is really wonderful that I am able to meet some new friends from prewedding session, have prewedding session to Bali two times in a row and also went to Japan last autumn. We used to think that our life does not go so well according to our plan, but if we try to reflect back and learn how much has given to us, life is beautiful indeed. Let's focus on what we have instead of what we do not have. Let's learn how to be grateful for the blessings and live life kindly and humbly.

In 2020, I would like to wish:

1. I am able to conquer my fears, let of my burdens and to love myself
2. Having a high self esteem so that I do not feel lacking every month
3. Exercise regularly (2 times a week) and maintain BMI
4. Eat healthier choice of food
5. To learn new skills and practice meditation regularly
6. Many more which I could not share all of them here

As there are more I would like to do, I wish, next year I could accomplish those all.

Let's live this life with more smile, less hate ~

Love Never Gives Up on Anyone

Life sure is full of surprises. It was just months ago but something big happened and changed the way I live my life. I do not know how it went up like this, but for sure, I finally found myself a boyfriend. A loving one.

Actually I knew him a day after my 27th birthday. He said "Hi Lishea" and with such an open mindset, I would like to get to know someone new at least. Nothing's wrong with being friendly. Out of sudden, we just made an appointment to meet the next Thrusday evening. But, due to some unavoidable work situation, I couldn't make it and he also couldn't make it at night after work. So the first time we met is a week after we chat briefly. It was also for a short period of two hours during lunch time because I do not want to spend so many hours meeting someone new.

To think about, I don't know myself why I decided to meet him. If he approached me before my 27th birthday and asked me out, I think I am sure I would reject that offer because I am not ready to meet anyone, somehow I made such promise I need time to be alone at least till my birthday.

So that Saturday, I met up with him. He looks better in real life than in picture to be honest. We had our lunch and  the conversation was going smoothly. He may not the exact kind of such ideal guy in my mind yet I find him very attractive and I would love to meet with him again.

Things going smoothly, I just like talking to him and without any kind of anxiety or even confusion. It was really effortless. Nothing much happened during that everyday chat. It's just some casual chat with a little bit of jokes and sharing session of my trip to Bali. And, if you asked me what kind of conversation I had with him the first time we met, I swear I forgot. But one thing for sure is that, I remember being myself, sharing pieces of my life story openly and it turns out he likes that vibe of me. After my trip to Bali for about 4 straight days, he called me in the evening after work. I used to reject someone's call if I don't really know that person well. The reason is that because I don't want to engage in a conversation in which I need to find something to talk about. Yeah, that was so lazy of me. But I don't know why at that evening, I just picked up the call without any reasoning. Maybe because he didn't reply to my last chat and I just decided to answer him. So anyway, that was the first time I heard his voice after the first meeting (ofcourse I forgot how his voice sounds like before).

He has such a deep and nice voice to hear and I remembered he asked where I am at that time. He talked about the traffic and how busy he was today at work - which made me surprised that I do not need to think about what to ask or say. But there was a feeling that I need to stop the phone call, even though the other reason is because I need to eat my dinner as well. After that phone call, everything feels different - somewhat I feel happy.

The next morning, I need to go to Soekarno Hatta International Airport for my first flight to Kuala Lumpur. Unexpectedly, he called right before my boarding time, and I missed the call and I decided to call him back before going for flight. It was just a brief moment, yet, the feeling is so special. We didn't meet that week and he went to Singapore as well for business trip. But we kept in touch by sharing photos, experiences and many more - till there was a time when he suddenly call at night when he was in the hotel, asking me to accompany him to bed. That was awkward to talk about an hour with someone I just met once.

To think back, I did that so called 'talk' before with someone I met briefly in a wedding party. After many years, he contacted me again by phone and we did talk about an hour (which was very awkward for me), but in the end, it didn't turn out well with that person.

This time, I told myself not to think much about having a call from him and just let things unfold naturally. After that call, the conversation wents smoothly with a bit of banter around and we decided to meet for a second date next week, which is around 2 weeks away after our first meeting. The funny thing is that, instead of being worry and anxious - not wanting to meet, I found myself waiting for the weekend, excited and anticipated to meet him.

And so, things are going smoothly and here we are, I found myself a boyfriend :D

I remembered after we got together, he revealed that he miss me as well after his Singapore business trip and cannot wait to meet up with me too (that was after our first meeting but we haven't planned for the next meeting).

A lot of emotional moment actually to even reach this stage. But I am sure of one thing, from the first time, there is no such anxiety or confusion and I feel his feeling is true with me - no such doubts about it and as I said before, relationship needs two people to work on that together. And it should never been a one-sided effort, because a real feeling would never make you confused in the beginning. All would be clear and you do not have to question what you mean to him/her.

I like how straight forward he is with his feeling and his intention right from the beginning and I do not know why, but I can sense he could balance my character as in we both do not know why but it happens our personality attracts each other effortlessly. He feels he can be himself when he is around me and I feel peace when I am with him. Maybe, that's true, it will happen at the right time.

So, have faith. The right person will come at the right time. Love never gives up on anyone who believes in love.

Cheers!~