Mr Sunshine Controversial Plot

The popular romance drama Mr. Sunshine with its ‘Hollywood cinematography’ makes Netflix’s ‘Mr. Sunshine’ a hit, has been dragged into a dispute over whether it has distorted history. The show, written by star writer Kim Eun Sook, has been accused of being an apologist for pro-Japanese collaborators before Japan’s colonial rule of Korea as well as being based on historical inaccuracies.

The 24-part drama, set in Korea in the late 1800s and early 1990s before the Japanese occupation, tells of a wartime romance between Korean-born US Marine Eugene Choi (played by veteran actor Lee Byung Hun) and Ko Ae Shin (played by Kim Tae Ri), a daughter of a family opposing Japanese imperialism.

The first controversy has been raised by Yonsei University professor Oh Young Seob, who said some of the basic historical facts portrayed in the series which cost 40 billion won (US$35.3 million) to make were wrong.

He said the drama incorrectly showed Americans staying in Korea before the 1871 US expedition to Korea, and a scene in which female lead Ko, a member of the righteous army, assassinating an American is also based on incorrect information, because at that point the independence movement fighters did not harbour hostility toward Americans. It left some regrets that the drama, which airs globally through Netflix, spent so much on high-end cinematography but lacked research and consultation on the historical setting.

Bigger disputes followed when the character Koo Dong Mae, played by Yoo Yeon Seok, a boy from a lower-class butcher family, went to Japan and returned to Korea as a member of the notorious Black Dragon Society. Many people pointed out the organisation was historically pro-Japanese. The society is suspected of being involved in the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, wife of King Gojong.

The sub male lead character, who secretly loves Ko, was featured as having no choice but to become a pro-Japan collaborator because the country abandoned him first, justifying his cruelty. Viewers were uncomfortable with some scenes depicting the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom as an uncivilised country being introduced to electricity, hotels and trains thanks to Western powers.

As the controversy continues, the drama’s production crew stated, “It was said that the character of Koo Dong Mae romanticised the pro-Japanese stance, and that it didn’t reflect the true historical context of the time. So we modified the entire character. The parts we’ve already finished filming will be modified according to the new character description as well.” Koo’s Black Dragon Society was changed to a fictional name.

On July 16, a petition appeared on the Cheong Wa Dae website calling on the government to prevent factual errors in period dramas. The petition stated, “In the historical facts that there are definite perpetrators and victims, Joseon was not depicted as a victim of colonisation but instead one that invited it. Koo Dong-mae’s character is a villain but by showing reasons he had to join the pro-Japanese organisation, his actions have been justified.”

“Many recent fantasy period dramas have made many viewers regard period dramas as more dramatised than historic. But the Japanese occupation is one of the most sensitive eras because it holds a historical perspective that is connected directly to the present day,” said Jung Duk-hyun, a culture critic.

It seems this drama have some controversies regarding the story line. In whatever case, I still like how Lee Byung Hun falls for Kim Tae Ri. Not in such an aggressive way, yet still so sweet :)

Song Joong Ki, Kim Ji Won & Jang Dong Gun for Asadal

tvN drama “Asadal” (working title) has confirmed its leading actors!

It was revealed earlier in the year that Song Joong Ki, Kim Ji Won, and Jang Dong Gun are in talks to star in the drama.

On July 26, it was announced that their casting is officially confirmed.

“Asadal” is a fantasy period drama about conflict, harmony, and love that take place in a fictional land. It will be written by Kim Young Hyun and Park Sang Yeon, who have worked on popular historical dramas including “The Great Queen Seon Deok,” “Tree with Deep Roots,” and “Six Flying Dragons,” while the PD (producing director) Kim Won Suk has led “Incomplete Life,” “Signal,” and “My Ahjussi.”

Jang Dong Gun plays Ta Gon, a war hero that leads the city to victory. Song Joong Ki is Eun Sum, who was born with the energy of a blue star that brings disaster, while Kim Ji Won will play Tan Ya, who was also born with the destiny of the same star.

“Asadal” is set to premiere on tvN in early 2019.

When You Finally Understand Yourself...

Last weekend, I had quite much time to think and evaluate myself and I just stumbled into an article  about the fear of dating, why it happened and how to deal with that. 

Some of my female friends have virtually never been single. The moment they are, a new great guy scoops them up. They not only have zero trouble landing a man, but they’re keeping their men interested, too (which ofcourse at times I do wonder what kind of magic they use).

Other female friends of mine are single by choice. They’re essentially never rejected. They date around, they’re wanted by many, and if anyone’s rejecting anyone, it’s them rejecting the men – rarely the other way around. And sometimes that's me (well, sometimes).

And then there’s the women who seem to always get rejected. These women might not be single by choice, and if they are, it’s only because of their fear of rejection. Their pattern seems to be that even if they do land a man, he’ll lose interest quickly. Or, they can’t even seem to get a man interested in them in the first place, as they’re always turned down when they attempt any sort of pursuit.

To my own reality, it's not to that extreme to be honest. I've always taught to identify everything in black or white, which one is right or wrong, subconsciously. It's from our early education that we should categorize everything in the exact area. With social pressures and past experiences (either looking from others' experiences or my own), I feel the need to make a good choice. There's no space for failure. It's like choosing the right career path for my life - the same goes for a relationship. I want it to work from the first attempt so that there's no need for heartache. But relationship cannot be that ideal, isn't it? 

In the past, I've invested my time and energy on the wrong guy. Maybe he's not over his ex-girlfriend or maybe he’s very recently single or the woman he really wants turned him down, and that makes him not available. But I just can't seem to see that, which ofcourse I pick the wrong men. That's silly. 

But that's the pattern I've been doing for the past few years. But why?

Then it comes out a good article, which I think I can relate to it much more than I understand myself; 

"If you’ve been rejected by men a bunch of times, and you’ve developed a fear of rejection, you might be avoiding the dating world all together. If you’re used to being rejected and disregarded, you might unconsciously seek out rejection because it’s what you’re familiar with. If you’re seeking rejection without realizing it, you could have a psychological attachment to rejection.

When you identify yourself with disappointment, disapproval and rejection, you can develop what’s known as a rejection attachment. Some of the women reading this article are guilty of ignoring the men who are interested in them, and instead going after the men who don’t seem to be that interested.

Perhaps this is proof of a rejection attachment. They know they’ll likely get turned down since the men they’re pursuing aren’t showing any signs of approval or interest towards them, but since rejection is what they know, they’re okay with it. They’re swimming in familiar territory, and it’s weirdly comfortable. 

Women with a rejection attachment probably believe that they are undesirable, so they collect evidence that supports that belief. This evidence-gathering would of course include seeking out approval from those who aren’t willing to give them any sort of validation, and pursuing those who aren’t fully returning their affections."

In which finally I realize that's so true. I should really work on the self-esteem issues which ofcourse, loving onself is a must before anything else. Why should I seek for other's validation? But to be honest, when I got that validation, all my insecurity issues disappear like wind. 

Maybe that's true, after being rejected, ghosted out many times and terrible dating experiences, I realize sometimes it can be tough to be optimistic about dating. Thinking that you are not good enough develop a negative attitude towards dating, which is not good. Negativity is a bad habit that needs to be broken. I swear I should really work on that. 

I realized that relationship is based on trial and error, which we should try to see whether we fit with each other. But the thing is that, I may not ready for that. I may not be brave enough to take the risk for another heartache. It's like I've developed the fear of dating over the past few years. I am sure there will be one day when things gonna work and my fear of dating would just turn into another force to get out form that hiding place or when the other person can ensure me that the relationship itself is worth taking risk for although it's really difficult to communicate that fear to someone you are not close to in the first place. But in the mean time, I should not just sit around without doing anything right?

I know the source of my fear now, and I should really putting myself out there. The more “no”s I experience, the closer I’ll get to a “yes”. It’s the magic of probability. In other words, the more dates I go on that don’t work out, or the more times I am being rejected, the closer I are to finding someone that it does work out with.

Besides, I should work on the self-esteem issues and positivity towards relationship. There were times when I write this article that push me to seek for psychologist help. But I guess, I found out what I really need to do at this moment, don't you think?

Mr. Sunshine First Impression

“Mr. Sunshine” Premieres With Breathtaking Cinematography And Promising Plot ~

There has been a lot of buzz around tvN’s latest drama “Mr. Sunshine,” and with good reason: it’s the third collaboration between writer Kim Eun Sook and director Lee Eung Bok, the writer-director combination behind hit K-dramas “Goblin” and “Descendants of the Sun.” “Mr. Sunshine” premiered its first two episodes over the weekend, but did it live up to the hype? Read on to find out!

Visually, at least, “Mr. Sunshine” went above and beyond all expectations, and the spectacular, sweeping camera shots of gorgeous scenery make the drama a treat to watch. After all, it’s easy to fall in love with a drama that looks like this:

And this:

And also all of this:

But it takes more than pure aesthetics to keep us invested in a drama, and “Mr. Sunshine” would do well to make sure it doesn’t over-emphasize the cinematography at the expense of its plot. The premiere episodes spend a lot of time panning over scenes of the ocean or montages of characters running through forests and fields, and while we definitely aren’t complaining about the beautiful scenery, the amount of time dedicated to it does make “Mr. Sunshine” feel rather slow-paced at times.

This effect is magnified by the fact that, when it does focus on its characters, the drama tends towards the melodramatic: expect a lot of tears and brooding from the first episodes. The premiere episodes sometimes feel contrived in this way, as if trying to force us to care about characters before we actually know enough about them to care. A tragic scene of a mother sacrificing her life for her child should be heartbreaking and moving, but when it is long and drawn-out and comes 10 minutes into the first episode, it feels slightly awkward.

But this is a relatively minor complaint compared to the overarching plot of “Mr. Sunshine,” which is extremely enticing. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the drama is enormous in scale: it crosses oceans and bridges time periods, bringing the traditional Joseon Dynasty into contact with the rapidly modernizing West. This backdrop of change and upheaval sets the perfect stage for the action and romance of the story. The first episode follows main character Choi Yoo Jin, the son of two Joseon servants, through his tragic childhood and his escape to the U.S. Child actor Kim Kang Hoon plays young Yoo Jin, carrying the show for much of the first episode — which is no small feat in a drama of such epic proportions. But Kim does a phenomenal job, showcasing an impressive range of emotions that makes it easy to become invested in his story.

In America, Yoo Jin calls himself Eugene, growing up to become an officer in the marines. Adult Eugene (played by Lee Byung Hun) is, so far, not nearly as charismatic as his childhood self; Lee Byung Hun spends a lot of time gazing forlornly into space while reminiscing about his tragic past. To be fair, there is a lot for Eugene to be forlorn about, but it’s going to take more than Lee Byung Hun’s silent brooding for adult Eugene to become a character that we care deeply about.

To be honest, I don't quite like Lee Byung Hun due to his rumor. There were concerns as well because of the age gap is too big. But now it's understandable after watching the premier. It needs to be Lee Byung Hun with good english speaking and age gap. He needs to be older so that he can have the merit and position to be appointed directly by the US. And I swear, I started to like him in this drama. He has such a sad eye yet charismatic and warm gaze. How come you are not falling for this old guy?

Female lead Go Ae Shin (played by Kim Tae Ri) has a similarly unhappy past: her parents, independence fighters, die at the hands of pro-Japanese sympathizers shortly after she is born. Thankfully, before this happens, “Mr. Sunshine” takes the opportunity to throw in a little treat for all the “Descendants of the Sun” fans out there, in the form of cameos by Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo as Ae Shin’s parents.

These two won’t be the only familiar faces to “Descendants” and “Goblin” fans: David Lee McInnis (top left below) and Jo Woo Jin (top right below) are also members of the supporting cast of “Mr. Sunshine.” Cameos galore!

In the absence of her mother and father, Ae Shin grows up as a noblewoman in her grandfather’s household. But she proves to be every bit as rebellious as her parents, showing an unladylike interest in the political happenings of Joseon and a determination to fight for her country.

And herein lies one of the greatest strengths of “Mr. Sunshine” thus far: its female characters are total badasses. I swear she's so charismatic to the point I love how she potrays her character really well. She rocks as a gunner! Her eyes really tells what she truly thinks.

Ae Shin rejects her grandfather’s order that she forget about her country’s politics and fill her time with embroidery instead, until he gives in and decides that if she’s going to stir up trouble, she might as well learn to defend herself. Which she does, quite well:

Equally as bold and intriguing is hotel owner Kudo Hina (played by Kim Min Jung), who makes only a brief appearance in the second episode. If what we’ve seen of her so far is any indication, we’re also going to like her quite a bit:

Of course, we can’t forget about the romance, and Eugene and Ae Shin so far regard each other with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion that promises to develop into sizzling chemistry as each tries to figure out if the other is a friend or an enemy.

It is worth noting that Eugene and Ae Shin first meet as equals — two highly capable individuals tasked with the same mission — and if “Mr. Sunshine” can continue to cultivate the mutual respect between the two as their feelings for each other grow, we’re going to love this romance.

“Mr. Sunshine” faced high expectations, and all in all, the drama put in an impressive first week, laying out a rich historical backdrop and furnishing it with promising characters. The drama is so visually stunning to watch that it is easy to forget that the plot itself moves somewhat slowly and does not always hold onto our attention. But, with 24 total episodes in store, “Mr. Sunshine” can afford to take a more leisurely pace.

And once the drama picks up and gives us more from Lee Byung Hun, “Mr. Sunshine” is absolutely going to be a gorgeous, captivating ride of epic proportions.

Living Life To The Fullest

At first I thought this might be a sign of depression, or something wrong with me, but I’ve come to realize it isn’t. It’s actually something quite positive. Because it isn’t that I don’t want to live—I do. It’s not that I don’t have a lot of things I really love and enjoy. I really do. I’m not tired of life. It’s the fact that, at any moment I can genuinely say I’ve lived a full and complete life and that everything that happens to me from this point forward is gravy.

But there were times I would feel as if I am a failure for not achieving what I want. Sometimes I feel I am still far from where I want to be, and there were times I am confused amd stressed out with where I want to be.

But, isn’t this how most of us drive ourselves to be better and remind ourselves that we are not there yet? It does not matter if you are clear in your head “where” you want to be, but you definitely know you have to be “there”. Every day we remind ourselves that we still have a lot to do, make loads of money, visit those exquisite places, learn something new, try out the various cuisines because that is what the world in their 20s seems to be doing, right? Living and advocating to live to your fullest?

What we fail to understand is that it is OKAY to feel lost. It is okay if you do not have everything figured out just yet. As they say – life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced!
Your 20s are not a time when you should sulk about your failures (do not even count the failures you add up by OCD). There will be days when you feel low, when life seems to go nowhere, you won’t love yourself, your income and expenditure won’t make sense to you, and you’ll feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and the strongest instinct would be to quit and run away to some never-land. These bizarre, unpleasant feelings are all OKAY, everyone feels this way at some point or the other, even the people behind those filter-perfect, happy stories!

So, keep on living and doing what you want consistently. It's okay if you are not there yet. As long as you work hard, it will.

Pengalaman Membuat Visa Turis New Zealand

Hi semuanya, 

Saya mau berbagi cerita pengalaman membuat visa New Zealand melalui VFS Global. Rencana liburan ke New Zealand bagi saya cukup mendadak. Sejujurnya saya lumayan takut juga karena kalau menyangkut visa, lebih baik jauh-jauh hari di planning ya. Jadi menurut saya, jika ada yang mau apply visa ke negera manapun, kalau bisa planning dari jauh - jauh hari. Kebetulan saya harus apply visa New Zealand dalam waktu yang singkat. Data yang diperlukan tidak serumit visa Australia, berikut data-data yang dibutuhkan:

1. Formulir yang sudah diisi lengkap. Formulir bisa didownload dari website VFS Global, atau bisa didownload di sini. Saya mengunakan form INZ1189 khusus untuk Tourist Visa, bisa di cek disini (form INZ1189)

2. Dua lembar pas foto 3.5×4.5 cm terbaru (kurang dari 6 bulan), berwarna, ukuran passport, latar belakang sebaiknya plain-colored (bukan warna putih). Saya sendiri menggunakan latar belakang berwarna abu-abu muda. Untuk lebih detail seperti apa foto yang diterima oleh kedutaan, bisa dicek disini

3. Passport yang masih berlaku sebaiknya 6-12 bulan sebelum keberangkatan (asli) dan fotokopi passport (halaman depan, seluruh travel history & halaman belakang) serta passport lama (jika ada)

New Zealand Immigration sejak 20 November 2017 memberlakukan e-visa, sehingga Passport Asli akan dikembalikan setelah mengajukan visa dan visa anda akan dikirimkan melalui email. 

Passport asli wajib dibawa karena pihak VFS harus melakukan scanning terhadap passport anda. 

4. Bukti dana untuk biaya hidup dan akomodasi di New Zealand (dalam bentuk rekening koran, buku tabungan, atau sertifikat deposito) minimal 1,000 NZD per bulan, atau 400 NZD per bulan jika akomodasi telah tersedia, atau formulir sponsor dari warga negara New Zealand jika kunjungan disponsori oleh mereka.

Menurut info yang saya dapat langsung dari VFS Global, tabungan kita harus bisa mengcover biaya hidup selama kita di New Zealand. Artinya berbeda antara saya yang 8 hari di New Zealand dengan Anda, yang mungkin akan stay sampai 40 hari di New Zealand. Nilai minimalnya adalah 1,000 NZD per bulan. Minimal ya, jangan mepet. Ada baiknya lebihkan. 

Tidak ada batas atau ketentuan seberapa lama bukti rekening koran harus dilampirkan. Normalnya 3 bulan rekening koran. Kebetulan karena saya bekerja di perusahaan, maka rekening saya ada 2, yang 1 khusus untuk payroll dan yang 1 lagi khusus untuk kebutuhan sehari-hari. Namun, saya hanya melampirkan rekening koran untuk kebutuhan sehari-hari selama 6 bulan terakhir. Berdasarkan dengan pengalaman saya apply visa Australia (satu Group negara persemakmuran Inggris), jika rekening anda tidak begitu aktif setiap bulannya, maka lebih baik lampirkan jangka waktu rekening koran lebih dari 3 bulan, bisa 6-9 bulan. Dan pastikan tidak ada mutasi yang sangat besar dalam jangka waktu tersebut. Jika terdapat kenaikan yang drastis, itu menjadi sebuah kecurigaan bagi pihak imigrasi. 

Karena saya tidak ada kenalan ataupun saudara di New Zealand, maka bagian sponsor dari penduduk asli New Zealand saya kosongkan. Jika ada yang mempunya saudara dan akan mensponsori kunjungan anda, ada baiknya lampirkan passpor orang yang bersangkutan dan invitation letter. 

5. Surat Referensi Kerja dan surat ijin cuti atau bukti kepemilikan perusahaan (untuk pemilik perusahaan) atau Kartu Pelajar (untuk pelajar dan mahasiswa)

Saya hanya melampirkan surat keterangan bekerja standard dalam Bahasa Inggris, dimana di dalam surat itu menyebutkan bahwa saya memang karyawan Perusahaan (sudah bekerja berapa lama, posisi/jabatan) dan ingin berlibur ke negara tetangga selama berapa hari (dijelaskan dan ditulis jelas). Tidak melampirkan surat cuti karena jika saya sudah menulis surat cuti, berarti tanggal cuti yang saya ambil sudah tetap, padahal saya belum tau apakah visa akan di approve atau tidak. Jadi saya memutuskan untuk melampirkan surat keterangan kerja biasa saja. 

6. Fotokopi Kartu Keluarga yang masih berlaku.

Saya juga melampirkan fotokopi KTP & Akta Kelahiran. 

7. Jadwal penerbangan

Karena rencana yang cukup mendadak, saya belum beli tiket pesawat atau booking akomodasi apapun. Setelah dipikir juga, lebih baik saya minta visa dulu baru di atur setelah visa didapatkan. Sehingga saya hanya membuat jadwal perjalanan dengan detail penerbangan (yang mau saya booking), tiba di New Zealand kapan dan rencana perjalanan saya setiap harinya hingga jadwal saya akan kembali ke tanah air. Menurut checklist yang saya baca, New Zealand Immigration menyarankan untuk tidak membeli tiket pesawat terlebih dahulu.

8. Additional document: Saya melampirkan NPWP saya juga. 

Utk checlistnya bisa dicek disini ya

Setelah semua data lengkap, maka waktunya melakukan permohonan Visa New Zealand. Permohonan Visa New Zealand hanya bisa diajukan melalui VFS Global, baik secara online atau manual. Jadi imigrasi New Zealand mendelegasikan pengurusan visa kepada VFS Global ini. 

Untuk biayanya, setau saya jika aplikasi online, biayanya akan jauh lebih murah berkisar antara Rp 1.7-1.8 juta. Untuk pengajuan manual/walk in ke VFS Global adalah Rp. 2,058,500.00 (bisa berubah sesuai kurs saat itu dan memang lebih mahal dibanding Australia). Itu biaya pengurusan sendiri ya, tanpa calo ataupun bantuan tour agent. 

Kantor VFS Global untuk pengurusan visa New Zealand bisa diurus di Jakarta dan Bali, ada di:

New Zealand Visa Application Centre

Kuningan City Mall 2nd Floor No. L2-19

Jl Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 18

Setiabudi, Kuningan, Jakarta 12940 Indonesia

New Zealand Visa Application Centre

Benoa Square Lantai 3 No. 7-9.3/A

Jalan Bypass I Gusti Ngurah Rai No. 21A

Kedonganan, Kuta

Bali 80361

Semua informasi mengenai pengajuan segala jenis visa (turis, bekerja, tinggal menetap) sudah ada informasinya lengkap di website VFS Global. Tapi jika memang ada yang mau ditanyakan, bisa telpon ke call centernya di +62 21 304 18701. Atau kirim aja email ke info.nzid@vfshelpline.com. Saya beberapa kali menghubungi via call center dan email. Mereka responsif dengan jawaban yang memuaskan.

Kantor mereka buka selama hari kerja (Senin-Jumat) dari jam 08:00 sampai 16:00, untuk memasukkan permohonan bebas jam berapa tapi untuk pengambilan visa, untuk pengajuan individu dari jam 14:00 sampai 16:00.

Perbedaan visa online dan manual. Kalau manual itu kita download dan print form dari website, kita isi manual, kita lampiri berkas-berkas kita, kalau sudah lengkap kita serahkan form beserta lampiran  ke VFS Global. Nanti kita akan dapat receipt yang ada Reference Number. Reference Number ini yang bisa kita pakai untuk melacak status permohonan visa kita secara online. Dalam waktu beberapa hari kerja, visa New Zealand (e-visa) akan di email ke email kita apapun hasilnya dan tidak ditempel di passport.

Sedangkan kalau visa online, kita mengisi semua form secara online (sign up dulu), upload foto, upload berkas, dan kirim. Datang atau tidak kita ke kantor VFS Global, tergantung dari kebijakan mereka. Ada beberapa applicants yang tetap diminta datang untuk menyerahkan passport dan berkas berkas, ada juga yang tidak. Hasilnya akan dikirim melalui email. E-visa, jadi tidak ditempel di passport juga. 

Sebetulnya pertimbangan kami buat apply visa secara manual adalah, biar lebih mudah berkomunikasi langsung sama yang ngurus, jadi lebih jelas, kalau ada yang kurang bisa ditanyain langsung. Dan saya agak males kalau harus mengisi online dan upload satu2 datanya lagi. 

Timeline: 

Jumat tanggal 29 Juni 2018, saya masukkan aplikasi visa

Senin tanggal 2 Juli 2018 dapat pemberitahuan bahwa aplikasi visa saya sedang dalam proses oleh New Zealand Immigration

Selasa tanggal 3 Juli 2018, e-visa saya keluar dan approve untuk multiple entry selama 3 tahun!!

Senang banget XD 

Saya tidak ada tips dan trick sih, yang penting data2 yang di submit adalah data-data yang benar :)

Good luck untuk aplikasi visanya