My Thoughts On ‘Our Beloved Summer’

‘True Beauty’ Taught Me That You Have A Right To Be Seen & Cherished As You Are

Well, well. For starters, this was such a well-made show. Also, post gazillion discussions with my friend, we've concluded that K-dramas from 2019 have become more progressive, liberal and busters of their own stereotypes.

‘True Beauty’ was all of the above along with being funny, cute and addressing social issues head-on. Speaking of the last one, this show really puts into perspective the pressure of being conventionally 'pretty' and the nature of school bullying that leads to traumatic experiences in the life of young Korean adults. For this, I really applaud the show.

The story is about 'ugly' looking 18-year-old Lim Joo Gyung who is bullied by her high-school classmates for her looks and appearance. It is rather devastating to watch the first two episodes because man, they really open your eyes to the gruesome shit people do to other people.

Tired of being bullied and unloved, Joo Gyung decides to switch schools. In the process, she discovers make-up and its unruly power to help her transform her appearance from zero to hero(ine).

As she learns to master make-up skills, she is shocked by how she can manipulate and hide what she really looks like. Plot-twist: she's already met our hero Lee Su Hoo by now, who's seen her 'non-pretty' avatar and since her transfer happens to be in his school, he's already dubious about her made-up self.

This is where the fun begins. Joo Gyung slowly discovers that with the help of beauty products, she can finally be a ‘normal teenager’ who has friends. Lee So Hu confronts her with his suspicions and upon them being confirmed, helps her keep her secret.

What follows is how Joo Gyung battles her own insecurities about herself, how the story displays with beautiful delicacy what it means to be truly beautiful and how, the people who love you will always be there, because they can see who you are, bone-deep.

Rather than using make-up as a crutch to keep running away from her lack of self-worth, we see how our heroine comes to terms with this and how she strives to be beautiful in her own might.

I cannot proceed without proclaiming my indefinite love for Lim Hee Gyung, Joo Gyung's older sister and a powerhouse of a woman. What's not there to love about her? NOTHING. 

I love how she's 'manly' enough to chase the person she's fallen for and I love her relationship with homeroom teacher Han Jun Woo, which is a complete power reversal than what is usually shown in K-dramas. She's the man here, she wears the damn pants and looks hot in them while she's at it. He, on the other hand, has no shame in being completely vulnerable and letting her take the lead.

Lim Hee Gyung is everything I want to see in female drama leads. She's funny, digs intense video-gaming, smart, independent and a boss of a career woman. On the other hand, Han Jun Woo is kind, makes for a thorough poet through and through, is calm, composed and very sure of himself.

There is no denying how much I love Hwang In Yeop in Han Seo Jun's avatar. Man, little did I know that the swordsman from 'Tale of Nokdu' was going to be a stellar second lead.

Seo Jun is everything Lee Su Ho is not: funny, understands and respects boundaries, isn't an asshole on purpose, loves Joo Gyung, respects her secret, respects her choice to love someone other than him rather than 'fight' for her by forcefully getting in her way, doesn't proclaim his feelings until he's sure she's not seeing anyone and is in general, SO MUCH MORE FUN than our boring, boring first lead. Sigh.

Women (heroines) of dramas, please wake-up. I'm kind of tired of looking at y'all throw away the most beautiful of men because you think being with a stuck-up-arrogant-cold male lead is 'true love'.

It isn't. Really.

Also, I want to highlight how the show has women running the entire storyline on the forefront.

Be it Lim Hee Gyung, her mother Hong Hyun Suk who's the primary bread earner of the family, or Soo-Ah or Kang Soo Jin. 

I loved how adorable, funny and cute Hyun Suk’s husband --- insert *one of my favorite K-actors* --- Lim Jae Pil is. Damn, I love gender-role reversals and what a success this drama has been with them. *happy tears and cheers*

Lastly, let's get on to my favorite learnings from the show:

1. Your healing is your responsibility. 

Something we see so beautifully through the characters of Joo Gyung and Su Ho. With their own respective healing journeys, we see them own their self-discovery versus piling it on each other in the name of love.

2. Stop hiding your light.

After losing his closest friend, we see Han Seo Jun shut his heart to music despite it being his first love. But with time, Lim Hee Gyung and Su Ho convince him that it is a loss to the world to keep his musical gifts to himself and we see Seo Jun share his light once again.

3. Your heart is what is the most beautiful thing about you.

Not your clothes, not your talents and not your face. Who you are, how you treat others and how you love is what determines how beautiful or ugly you are.

My last thoughts thoughts, “... the ultimate dumpling war.” 

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GIF Credits: GIF 1: @cafe330 | GIF 2, 4, 5, 18: Aghasewatchtv | GIF 3, 14: Soompi  | GIF 6: @youthofmay​ | GIF 7: Bitches Over Dramas | GIF 8: Xenews.net | GIF 12: @ohh!kdrama! | GIF 13: Unbothered Unnies | GIF 15: @allnightontum-blr-blog​ | 

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

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ Taught Me That to See the Good in the Bad is Indeed, a Very Brave Thing

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ is an absolute beam of light, there's no other way to describe the show. It is a haven for when you're lost, a huge hug of positivity when you're having low days and a thoroughly adorable drama.

The Story:

We have our lead protagonist, Gu Ra-Ra, a 24-year-old whose perpetually positive and cannot but look at the silver lining of every bad occurrence. She shines through adversity as she meets Jun Suwoon, a 19-year-old runaway who wants more from life than his family's stifling expectations.

It is in Eunpo, a little town away from Seoul, that the two meet accidentally. From here on we see the story of Ra-Ra and her jolting awareness of the real world as she loses everything she owns and has to now stand up on her two feet.

The show is so heartwarming because of the community of beautiful people Ra-Ra meets in her new, sleep town. Thanks to them (and a lot to Jun), Ra-Ra opens up her own piano academy 'La La Land'.

Dr.Cha: 

Jin Su-Kyeong:

Jin Ha-Yeong:

Lee Seung-Gi:

TWD: (The ‘Want Divorce’ Club)

Kim Man-Bok:

Detective Chu:

My Learnings from ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’:

1. Take life one day at a time.

Life is utterly unpredictable so sleep your worries away, and take one day at a time, as it comes. Gu Ra-Ra's 'let's do what we can do today' mantra is gold.

2. Love. Love is what makes the stars go around and rewrite themselves.

Oh man, if I can just hug Jun Woo and Ra-Ra for the beautiful, beautiful love they harbor and nurture, I'd have broken my screen by now.

3. Sometimes, we don't find family, it finds us.

To all the lovely people of Eunpo, I am smitten by the way you found Ra-Ra when she most needed companionship, love and comfort. It made me believe that there is sometimes more than just one family for some of us, and that sometimes that 'other' family finds you in the form of new friends, neighbors and landladies.

4. People may forget the rest, but they will always remember that one, unexpected act of kindness.

Ra-ra’s father was her biggest cheerleader and that is what made Ra-Ra stick to the piano. That one moment when her father cheered for her, defines Ra-Ra’s attitude when things get rough. It is this unexpected act of love that shapes Ra-Ra’s way of seeing the world and it showed me how powerful kindness can be. 

My Last Thoughts:

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Credits: Picture 1: letsott.com | Picture 2 & 3: Twitter (Hani, KPopandKDrama) | Picture 4: IDN Times | GIF 1 & 8: Tumgir | GIF 2: @dramaintherain​ | GIF 3: southsounder.com | GIF 4 & 6: Gfycat | GIF 5: Netflix | GIF 7: WiffleGif | GIF 9: Bitches Over Dramas 

~ Meteor Garden (2018) ~ 

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Credits | GIF 1: Bookwyrming Thoughts | GIF 2: Guidie Dyshen | GIF 3: We Heart It | GIF 4, 5, 6: Tumblr | GIF 7: Tenor | GIF 8: @optimisticgirl

~ My First Period Drama, 'The Tale Of Nokdu' Was Everything I Could've Hoped For And More ~

'The Tale Of Nokdu' was the fourth K-drama I picked up. Prior to it, I hadn't come across any period dramas and hence, this became an introduction to a whole new genre. I can't think of a more perfect one, to be honest.

My curiosity spiked up when I read the tiny Netflix summary of the show: "While on the run for his life, a young man discovers that the best place to lie low is in a village of widows -- disguised as a woman."

I was in.

The Story:

As the summary suggests, the story revolves around a young man, Jeon Nok-du, whose home is attacked by a bunch of assassins. Burning to know who wanted him & his family dead, he heads out to track the group of killers. His trail leads him to a widows village where he disguises himself as a woman to seek refuge and investigate further.

It is here he encounters Dong Dong-Joo, a trainee Gisaeng (with a secret agenda of her own), Lord Cha Yool Mu (a royal chef) and the Muwoldan, a sect of widows-turned-assassins.

Amidst political unrest in Joseon, we see Nok-du come to terms with his real identity, snoop around to find a political uprising against king Gwange-He underway and unearth secrets of those around him, both enemies and friends.

While all of this may sound extremely serious (and to a large extent, it is), there are regular pockets of delight, humor and a deep, powerful & healing love story.

What I particularly loved in the show was:

🥦  Nok-du's (Jang Dong Yoon's) gorgeous female avatar  🥦  Dong-Joo and Nok-du's infallible, solid love for each other     🥦 Tiny, sassy and fun Aeng-Du  🥦 Vice Curator Yeon Geun whose humor makes him absolutely huggable 🥦 The widow-assassins of Muwol who break a lot of Korean drama stereotypes very satisfyingly &  🥦 Lord Cha Yool Mu who plays a spectacular villain. 

The entire drama and its telling is woven with sincerity, depth and beautiful detailing. The story intensifies as the show progresses but it is totally worth the watch. In fact, the show holds a sweet spot on my 're-watch' list as well.

🥦 And here are my 3 favorite learnings from the show:🥦

1. You get to decide the kind of life you deserve to live. It is beautiful to watch the belief Nok-du places and nurtures in his life-values. It is his confidence in them that provides him the courage to craft a life that aligns with his heart.

2. Above all, love is the greatest healer. Dong-Joo's tale is brave, unique and filled with a lot of ups and downs. But it is her choice to allow love to free her heart of hate and revenge that speaks of immense courage and healing.

3. Even when the days are dark, your friends can be your anchors of light. No drama is complete without its side-cast and I personally believe that in this particular one, it is Nok-du's friends and family who bring in sunshine, laughter, warmth and presence on the dull, heavy days.

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Images | Netflix & Doodle App

~ Doing ordinary things with care fills you with soft warmth and joy.~ 

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Yesterday, as I cleaned and organized my stationery folder, I realized I was happy doing this seemingly banal thing because I was doing it with care. May be the little moments of life, which means almost every moment we spend, are not really that little if we pour care into them. 🌞

~ A very proud moment for me. I completed a 100 blog posts of original, heartwork yesterday evening.

This blog has been a source of comfort, creativity, fulfillment and a space where I’ve learned the joy of putting in consistent work to build something from scratch.

The feeling is indescribable and for everyone here, supporting my journey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Turning this into a beautiful memory today.🌼🥑 ~

~ On some days, I sorely miss creating layers in my journal. ~ 💕💕

~ Someone from Finland, over a Zoom call, said something that helps me change my life. . A conversation with a friend, on his terrace, can stay with me and help me embrace all that sparks joy. . A spring playlist appearing as a suggestion from YouTube turns out to be exactly what my heart needs to feel warm and hopeful. . If this isn't magic, I don't know what is. . Those inner, persistent nudges that illogically, consistently, lead to a spring of joy, each time listened to. . My body talking to me about how it feels, what it needs, how I can I provide for it. . A spontaneous text conversation at 4 pm on what scares me turns into a safe space for not just me, but for another one too. . If these aren't miracles, I don't know what are. . Remembering someone who has never left my heart despite more than a decade of not meeting each other. . If this isn't love, I don't know what is. . . ~ notes from everyday ~ . . P.S: A beautiful boat ride. 🌼

Bruch at Juco Cafe | 10th May, Saturday