~ I Started Watching Traveler (Season 2) yesterday And I Am Already In Love With Kang Ha-Neul. Also,

~ I Found A Long-Lost Part Of Myself While Watching 'Meteor Garden' ~

Here's a fact: you can never get over the first drama you've watched. 

Every drama-lover I know confesses this lovingly. So, as I waited for being lovestruck yet one more time, I was drama-struck by Cupid instead.

My very first drama happened to be 'Meteor Garden’ (2018) a Chinese remake of the popular K-drama 'Boys Over Flowers'. Like the blink of an eye, I didn’t realize when I was already forty minutes into the first episode. 

That's how the drama bug got me.

The Story:

Meteor Garden revolves around the story of two Ming De university students, Daoming Si (Dylan Wang) and Dong Shancai (Shen Yue). While a typical rich brat meets a poor but badass girl, the story also pans out to accommodate a great cast of secondary characters. 

Beginning with the 'F4', Ming De's most popular boy-group starring its leader Ah Si (fierce, smart heir to the Daoming Group of industries), Huaze Lei (musical genius), Ximen Yan (tea god) and Feng Meizuo (art lover with an unbeatable memory).

There’s Dong Shancai's adorable mother and father, her best friends, Chen Qing (banana expert) and Xiao You (bubble-tea partner).

Over a span of 49 episodes, we watch Shancai and Si's unexpected love bloom, we celebrate the spirit of 'family' -- both in blood and otherwise, we cherish friendship as true as the color of a clear sky and we come face to face with a bounty of life-lessons as we fall deeper and deeper for the characters that make the show.

My favorite learnings from the drama:

1. Dong Shancai's character is a far cry from your typical C-drama heroine. She's strong, confident, boisterous and unafraid of speaking her mind. I absolutely love the way she teaches you to own who you are. To own your whole person --- your strengths, your weaknesses and to keep going exactly when you want to give up.

2. Meteor Garden celebrates love in different forms. The love between a mother and daughter, that between between two lovers, two friends, two almost-lovers-but-now-lifetime-BFFs, the kind of love that hurts because it isn't yours to claim, the kind of love that teaches you how to love with a big heart and then, the kind of love that you must let go of so that you can meet a love you deserve.

3. The F4 sum up the following sentence: find your tribe and love them hard. Their lifelong kinship reminds you that 'family' goes way past DNA and some of the best people in your life today, could have once-upon-a-time been complete strangers. They support, encourage, guide and hold each other up.

4. As a typical C-drama lead, you'd expect Daoming Se to totally own his privilege without acknowledging its side-effects. But Si's transformation from exactly this sort of person to someone who is open to changing for the better is refreshing. What blows my mind is how Si shows courage to write his own story, not the one that's expected of him.

5. While we're used to 'voicing' our opinions, Shancai taught me it's better to let your actions and virtues do the talking. Because, a pure heart may not always be a loud one but it will be seen nonetheless, since it is true to itself.

6. And then you have my favorite learning of all time: LOVE IS WORTH IT ALL.

It is worth growing into, growing for and fighting with every ounce of your soul. 

I've watched many love stories and read quite a few too, but I am unabashedly biased towards Si's pure, magical love for Shancai and vice versa.

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Image Credits | Netflix 

Image Art | Doodle Shape (Android App)

'I Am Not A Robot' Taught Me That Some People Are Worth Opening Your Heart For

This drama has a special place in my heart for the warmth and laughter it brought me. I recommend watching this show when you need a break from similar-trouped K-dramas and want to watch something light yet hearty.

The Story:

Kim Min Kyu is the Director of his father's firm, KM Finance. He's smart, witty and has absolutely distrusts fellow human beings. He bears a secret ailment where a single touch from another person can cause him a severe allergy resulting in death. Hiding his condition in order to continue keeping his father's company, Min Kyu keeps his distance from people.

After his father's death, he witnesses his father's closest colleague and confidant, Hwang Do Won, try to maliciously takeover the firm. Here's when Min Gyu pledges vengence against the man and his son (also Min Gyu's then BFF), Hwang Yoo Chul.

On the other hand, we have a team of fallen-from-fame scientists under the leadership of Hong Baek Gyun. Baek Gyun is a wiz and he's currently developing a humanoid called 'Aji 3' -- a robot that is created to resemble and think like a real person. For Baek Gyun, it is essential to secure a sponsor for releasing Aji 3 to the world. And in Kim Gyu, they find the perfect opportunity to do so.

However, things do not go as plan which is where our heroine, Jo Ji Ah comes in to the picture. On the day when Baek Gyun's team is supposed to send across Aji 3 for a live demo-testing to Min Gyu's home, a crucial part for the humanoid's functioning crashes. The scientists are desperate but Baek Gyun has a plan. Aji 3's physical looks exactly resemble those of his ex-lover Ji Ah and in order to save their hides, Baek Gyun asks her to step in as Aji 3's double.

Unaware of Min Gyun's disease, Ji Ah accepts the offer for the money she badly needs.

An inventor herself, Ji Ah has always been fascinated with making fun, wacky inventions that could also be useful to people. However, luck has not been on her side and Ji Ah is yet seeking her big breakthrough. Her big ray of hope lies in securing a prize at the annual competition for inventors sponsored by KM Finance. With her plans leading her to the very founder of the company she badly wants to impress, Ji Ah resolves to slyly deposit her proposal of ideas when she's playing Aji 3.

The story follows Min Gyu and Ji Ah's unconventional tale of friendship and love. Min Gyu's distrust of people slowly evaporates as he begins to spend more time with Aji 3. He also gradually opens up to the possibility that the world isn't as evil a place as he thinks it to be and it is safe to open his heart to it.

Side Characters:

I have an entourage of side characters that have added so much fun to the show.

There is Pi, Baek Gyun's first assistant who's a genius. She's been in love with her mentor ever since they began working together.

Then we have Hoktal, our blubbered, too-cute-but-doesn't-know-how-to-as-a-girl-out assistant. He reminds me of a lost puppy.

There is Ssanip, our youngest, funniest assistant in the team who has really bad comic timing. He's a complete softie.

Hwang Sun Hye is a tarot-card reader who also prides on giving the best relationship advice. Ji Ah's best friend, she's fierce, sexy and very charismatic.

Lastly, there's Jo Jin Bae, Ji Ah's brother. He works as Min Gyu's secretary and is extremely talented and smart. I love how he silently cheers Ji Ah on even though he's also the one who brings her frequent reality checks.

What I Liked:

~ I LOVED how this show cracked me up and was such an interesting story overall.🌼

~ Kim Min Gyu's 'Pretties' (a collection of all his precious gadgets whom he considers and talks to like one would with real people).🌼

~ Aji 3 and Min Gyu's super adorable friendship.🌼

~ Ji Ah's eccentric, never-going-to-stop-trying attitude.🌼

~ Ssanip and Hoktal's very fun bromance.🌼

~ Min Gyu's dazzling smile *take my heart, please.* 🌼

~ The slow, natural evolvement of relationships between all our  characters.🌼

~ Baek Gyun's journey to realizing the errors of his ways and owning his wrongs.🌼

~ Pi's no-nonsense crush on her boss.🌼

What I Didn’t Like:

~ I'd like to have seen more romance between Ji Ah and Min Gyu versus just Aji 3 & Min Gyu. I think that was missing for me.

My Favorite Learnings:

1. Trust is a journey. It doesn't happen overnight. 2. Let in people, especially if they are good for your heart. 3. Life is too beautiful to be afraid of, even when it hasn't been kind to you before.

My Last Thoughts: Aji 3's official enlistment as a 'pretty'.🙊

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GIF Credits: GIF 1, 9: @kdramareviews​ | GIF 2: Pinterest | GIF 10: We Heart It

~ Your positive thoughts from today are far more powerful than the negative thoughts from all the yesterdays ~🌼

I hope you have a very good morning.🌞

~ My favorite quote from ‘I Am Not A Robot’. I think Ji Ah and Min Kyu make one of the cutest, prettiest K-drama couples.🌼  ~

'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo' Taught Me That When You're Tired, Rest, Don't Quit

I have a LOT OF FEELINGS for this show. I am going to leave it at that.

The Story:

Kim Bok-joo, our young weightlifter finds no greater joy than when she's lifting weights. Her ultimate dream is to bag a gold medal. She's loud, huge, can break a few teeth when messed with and has the softest, purest heart. Her father, Kim Chang Gul runs a fried chicken joint and is as animated as his daughter.

Jung Joon-Hyun, is an upcoming star-athlete in the swimming department whose main struggle is to not mess up during the start-time of a race. Being one of the prettiest boys on campus, he suffers from abandonment issues & a rough heartbreak. However, he's got a killer smile and a warm heart that's open to healing.

The story pans around different subjects:

From the life of university athletes, to how love can be right next to you even when you cannot see it,

From addressing what it means to 'be and look like a woman', to how friendship is the knight in shining armor during your darkest times,

From what it means to be a team, to how choosing yourself over others is sometimes exactly what you need,

From unabashedly chasing your crush to knowing how 'family' goes beyond blood.

This drama was such a wonderful surprise for me. It is hilarious, sweet, impactful and a deeply comforting friend, especially when you need a pick-me-up. I am already planning a slow re-watch so that I can truly savor it, once again.

My favorite bits about the show include: ~ Bok-joo's refreshing personality and her confidence in being who she is.🐷 ~ Her heartwarming relationship with her father, Chang Gul  🐷 ~ Coach Choi Sung Eun and her strength + badassery 🐷 ~ First love 🐷 ~ Chung Nan Hee's pickup line of the millennium: "Do you like Messi?" 🐷 ~ 'Swag' 🐷 ~ Joon-Hyun and Bok-joo (forever and everrrrrrrrrrr) 🐷

Learnings:

1. The questions is: how beautiful are you on the inside? It was so nice to see a female lead character that focused on being beautiful within. I loved how Bok-joo never lost her innocence or the essence of who she is. For her, all that mattered was having a good heart.

2. And when you're tired, learn to rest, not quit This was my favorite learning. As we watch Bok-joo struggle with her love for weightlifting and this deep, repressed desire to do things that girls her age explore, it is heartwarming to see her take a break from her passion without entirely giving up on it. I'd like to give a small shoutout to her father, Chang Gul for being an absolute cutie and supporting her.

3. Some people are like sunshine and they deserve to be kept warm Joon-Hyun is one such person who lights up in Bok-joo's presence, while she feels thoroughly comfortable in her skin with him. It is this ease and this love between them that makes you realize how people can be each other's suns and moons.

My last words:

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GIF Credits: | GIF 1, 7 & 13: Pinterest | GIF 2: Steam Community | GIF 3: gfycat | GIF 4: KpopMap | GIF 5: @kdramascenarios | GIF 6: A Gypsy Socresses’s Library | GIF 8: Kdrama Fangirls Review Stuffs | GIF 9: Coffeecaramello | GIF 10: Cosmo.ph | GIF 11 & 15: We Heart It | GIF 12: @seokjinings | GIF 14: Wattapad | GIF 16: OneHallyu

“I was born to join in love, not hate --- that is my nature.” - Robert Fagles

~ Embracing fall and a tiny bit of Halloween in today's page from my Reflections Journal. ~ 🍂🎃

~ ‘Little House In The Forest’ Showed Me The Joys Of Mindful Living ~

I feel K-Variety shows have a way to help you tap into your Zen. My encounter with them has made me fall in love with how positive, uplifting and fun they can be.

'Little House In The Forest' is a special one among the litter. I received the link for the first episode from my friend who'd just stumbled upon the show and was already head over heels for it.

I won't lie, she had very good reasons to be.

What the show is about:

The central theme of the show is around how simple, mindful living can actually boost people's happiness.

We have 2 celebrity subjects in the show: 1) Subject A: Park Shin Hye 2) Subject B: So Ji Sub

The subjects are brought to individual cabins, set in different parts of a forested area and they are given various tasks through the days. These tasks are actual experiments in helping them discover happiness and calm in the everyday.

Our celebrity subjects are then required to do these tasks and share their honest experiences on how effective these experiences were for their overall well-being.

The tasks are simple yet really soothing to watch, but what makes the show fun is the distinct personalities of the celebrities.

The Guests:

Subject A, Park Shin Hye is cheerful, likes playing music when she's cooking, loves to eat and is a thorough maximalist (her weekly pantry that she gets from the city is proof of this).

USP: Park Shin Hye's attention to food is superb to watch. She thoughtfully plans her meals and ravishes them with respect and contentment. She cooks up the coolest menus and is quite proud of her flavors.

Subject B, Ji-Sub is a quick contrast to Shin Hye. He's quiet, unintentionally funny, likes to eat but isn't ballistic about it and needs very little to live well (his luggage i.e. a medium sized rucksack is proof that he's probably a modern day monk in hiding).

USP: Ji Sub surprises you with his sensitivity to things. At first, I did confuse his introverted personality for aloofness but he's brilliantly creative. He has this knack of building things out of thin air, such as a simple towel rack, a footstool and my favorite, a hammock.

I love him more because ramen is his favorite meal in the whole world (*take all the brownie points*)

We also have some random cuties who appear on the show. One of them is Bong, the cloud-white dog who will only follow human orders if there's food involved in the bargain. He's shamelessly selfish and won't chill around with the guests even when they ask him to stay for company. He likes sunny, windy days while sitting in grass and is also quite fond of flowers.

Side note: He has a hilarious first encounter with Ji-Sub where the two of them take offense and depart with sorry disappointment.

Then there are the cows. Yes, cows. These creatures of the nearby forests wander into the meadows that surround our guests' cabins and they often take a liking towards the camera.

However, when our guests get friendly with them, they find themselves and their homes surrounded by an entire herd that refuses to leave (oops).

And last but not the least, the narrator that comes in with a calming synopsis of the tasks, explains their meanings and pulls you in to try them as well.

The Tasks:

I especially enjoyed the experiments of happiness our celebrities received. A few of my favorites among them were:

1. Decorating a part of the cabin with your own unique art: Shin Hye painted a flower meadow around her window ❤

2. Taking 3 hours to prep, cook and enjoy lunch: Ji-Sub had a slow, barbeque style meal outdoors and enjoyed it with the surrounding mountains and clouds.

3. Capturing the colors of the rainbow through photographs of objects around them: The two of them traveling through the surrounding woods to notice flowers, dew drops and streams to capture these colors is very beautiful to watch.

4. Building a little something for the cabin as a goodbye gift: I loved Shin Hye making a cute bird nest outside hers for creatures to come and give the cabin company in her absence.

5. Turning off your smartphone post 6 p.m.: Ji-Sub was a stud as had switched his off from the morning itself (lol) while Shin Hye almost had a panic attack without hers for the evening. 

6. Going for a solo picnic.

There were a total of 44-46 tasks that the guests performed and there were glimpses of the omitted ones in the last episode (the director's cut).

What I Liked:

1. I loved the theme of the show in itself. It is positive, nourishing and very beautiful to see simple living in action.🌼 2. The celebrity guests, who with their contrasting personalities make the tasks so much more fun to watch. 🌼 3. Bong the doggo.🌼 4. The various happiness tasks that can be done even when if you're living in a city. 🌼 5. The resourceful nature of Ji-Sub who lives calmly even when he spends a winter night without electricity. 🌼 6. Shin-Hye's meal combos and her manner of eating. 🌼 7. The beautiful, simple and well-structured cabins in the woods. 🌼 8. The woods. 🌼

What I Didn't Like:

1. I feel they could have shown more tasks rather than just the select few.

My Learnings:

1. Happiness is not faraway. It is right here.

This is the biggest message that the show gives out. It displays how happiness is day to day affair and how we can welcome it where we are, without needing to head off to a cabin to look for it.

2. Who you are is enough and you deserve rest.

Both our celeb guests warm up to the idea of rest which for them, is such a stark contrast given their hectic lifestyles. I love Ji-Sub's evolution through the show: how he slowly gets more comfortable showing who he is onscreen, sheds off much of his shyness yet is naturally himself.

3. Listening to yourself requires you to sit down with yourself first.

If you really want to get in touch with your feelings, you have to let go of the mental clutter of thoughts and sit down with yourself. Letting go of excess to focus on what's important enhances your time and gives it an enriching, peaceful quality.

My last thoughts: 

This is a BEAUTIFUL show. One that deserves your time and one that is perfect if you want a feel-good watch. It adds value and purpose and helps you make better choices to live more fully.💕

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Image Credits: 1 - burnsocial.com | 9: Channel Korea |

~ My Thoughts on ‘Yuru Camp’, Season 1 ~

I was looking for an easy-going drama, and ‘Yuru Camp’ was exactly the one my tired mind needed. I am a sucker for nature & food-centric stories and this is the kind of healing I always want more of.

1. Right off the bat, I fell in love with the little while scooter of Shinma Rin and the breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji. I usually travel with my friends, but I could see the beauty of camping solo through Rin's passion for her hobby.

2. Rin may not be people-friendly but there is something very grounding about her. I think she's true to her heart in her own unique way and follows it. I love how comfortable she is with her herself & how much she relishes her own company. It was so lovely and refreshing to see that. On the other hand, it was also cute to watch her awkwardly open up to people and friendship. Nadeshiko was the primary reason for this happening, but I also loved Rin's efforts in taking the initiative to be a better friend. There's also such a caring side to Rin and this comes forth every time Nadeshiko does something reckless or stupid. Lol, I love that concern and the hilarious camaraderie the two share.

3. Now, a little about Nadeshiko, because even though she's shown to be a bit naïve, I found her very soulful as a person. For one thing, I love anyone who devours a cup of instant Nissan like they're eating the most delish dish in the world. Nadeshiko will always have my heart for it. Amidst getting lost and napping on the pavement, I love how she's always up for new things, new people and ideas. Her first camping experience with Rin, the serene beauty of Mt. Fuji against a pale, full moon instilled in her a love for the outdoors.

4. Even the school's outdoor club was such a cool venture. I loved how they find these perfect hot springs for their first outing and relish in the warmth of nature's water-gift. I even loved how they enjoy a dessert date, tasting each other's picks one after another.

5. My favorite moment was when Nadeshiko and Rin make a hot-pot on one of their camping trips. The mandu look so plump and juicy and the sheer deliciousness of having hot soup with dumplings almost bursting with filling brings goosies to my heart. I love how they relished each bite, especially Rin's face when she had her first one.💕

6. Another favorite moment was when they went camping in a forest, by the lake. Tall trees, an evening sun, and our 'Secret Blanet Society' of Rin and Nadeshiko was superb. There was also this moment when Nadeshiko's sister enjoys a cup of hot coffee sitting by the lake, when she comes to drop off her sibling at the campsite. That is such a peaceful and heart-filling moment too.

7. There is a solo trip that Rin takes, where the route to the camping site is blocked and she decides to persevere and take a longer detour. On the way, she buys buns filled with meat and vegetables. She learns how winging it is also a joy of travelling and finally, on arriving at the campsite, she watches a night sky shimmering with stars, tiny lights lit up in the village houses below, while enjoying a crispy-yet-soft grilled bun for dinner.

8. The show was such a lovely respite from my anxieties around regular life. It really made me feel all warm and happy on the inside. It also made me realize how much I love feel-good Japanese dramas that have no agenda except to cherish the beauty of simple things and everyday moments of living.

~ If it isn’t obvious, I am shipping Lim Ju Kyung and Han Seo Jun all the way. ~ 💕💕💕

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GIF Credits: GIF 4: Pinterest | GIF 5 & 6: Tumbex | GIF 7: Amino Apps | GIF 8: Hey Bae | GIF 9: Soompi | GIF 10: You Are A Wonder |