@60 ockoala
"How does Kim Su-na end up acting in two of my absolute fave dramas – I like to think its because she’s versatile, heart felt, and a gorgeous actress, who finds and elevates her dramas. You know my take at the end of the day – City Hall all the way!"
----Omona! I so love you ockoala! You made this little KSA fan so happy...

@mookie,
It feels soooo good reading you write about MNIKSS again... brings back our good old samsoonie loonie days... i miss those days... i have the company of city hallers and i love all of them to bits.. and i wouldn't have enjoyed city hall as much without them. but just like mnikss, samsoonie loonies also have a special place in my heart. ^^

@samsookie
seems like we like the same dramas... MNIKSS, Chall, Dal Ja's Spring are on my top 10... (mnikss and ch tied on number 1, 2-5 are left blank lol, 6 is HIT, 7 is Dal Ja's Spring, 8 is Bad Couple, 9 is Who Are You?) For Bad Family - i know i'll love it. My mom has watched it and she liked it and she practically told the story already (plus i can see some scenes while she's watching and im in front of my pc) - i just have to find the time to sit down and watch it to make it official on my top 10. HGD - i've heard a lot about it... maybe i should put it on my to watch list... I may be a minority - but for Coffee Prince, i've seen it - thanks but no thanks. I adore GY, story is just ok for me... but just like CJS, no matter how cute and good (and no matter how she adores and respect my KSA), i just simply can't stand watching YEH... i swear, i tried.. i just can't :(

@ kdxmel
You're not my long lost twin sister, are you? kidding~
it's great to know i'm not alone going crazy over mnikss and city hall.

------

EVERYONE GOT ME! I'll watch MNIKSS now.
Gosh I miss them... Ever since I first saw it, I always watch it at least once a month (or once every other month). But after watching it last Aug 2008, i've been busy subbing WIAN and as soon as we wrapped up WIAN, along came City Hall. I was actually thinking of watching MNIKSS again last Thursday as I finish the last few episodes of City Hall (again). I never knew that you'll be discussing mnikss come Friday. :p

I'm starting my MNIKSS marathon NOW. Good bye~

Happy Friday everyone!

Dilemma...what am I going to do about You're Beautiful? I usually don't watch a drama until it's done airing or it's shown on my local Korean channel at a decent time (meaning not during work hours) though I have to admit my new job is going to allow for more drama watching. But all this talk about how good it is is making me anxious to watch it. What about the suspense of waiting a whole week for the next episodes?? Arghh....I have a feeling I'm just going to give in to my curiosity.

As for MNIKSS, I'm so glad I bought the DVD box when I was back in Malaysia. Will be watching this soon maybe Monday since it's a holiday. KBS Hawaii started showing MFL this week and I had to watch it despite all I've heard. I adore YEH and wouldn't miss it for the world. It sounds like most of you didn't think it was so bad considering the acting calibres of the leads.

@Samsookie
How are you holding up? Packed the bag for the hospital yet? Trust me, you won't want to be scrambling with packing when the water breaks at 4 in the morning....ahh...speaking from experience. And as cingdoc mentioned, get some sleep because this word will no longer exist in the parenthood dictionary once the baby is born.

Finally caught Haeundae in the cinema today. (It just opened in Singapore on Thursday.) It was really, really great. Bawled like a child at the ending parts. Love Ha Ji Won and Sol Kyung Gu!

I just got finished watching the last episode of Sons of Sol Pharmacy.
I'm really going to miss it because it's one of those shows where I never skimmed through. I really think it would be a honor to marry one of the sons (I can't even pick which son I like best!). Mama Song may be a tough hurdle to jump, but she is just trying to bring out the best in the girls...she honestly doesn't want to be that evil mother-in-law. It ended so quietly, but beautifully. Time to go cry my eyes out.

I'm curious to know which son anyone would date/marry and why? Like I said I can't pick since I started liking one then liking another...

*Takes deep breath* My first time participating in an Open Thread. So here goes...

My recommendations; In no particular order, within the last couple years, & ones I've finished.

Korea:
1. Partners
2. New Heart
3. 9 Ends 2 Outs
4. Worlds Within
5. City Hall
6. Return of Iljimae
7. Painter of the Wind
8. Coffee Prince
9. Goong
10. The Devil

Taiwan:
1. Black & White
2. It Started With A Kiss (ISWAK) 1 & 2
3. My Queen
4. Romantic Princess (purely eye-candy and anime script)
5. ToGetHer (I really liked the cinematography for this idol drama)
6. Wayward Kenting (not for your average viewer - very realistic and slow)

Japan:
1. 1 Litre of Tears (touching, inspiring, and memorable)
2. Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2
3. Last Friends
4. Liar Game
5. Innocent Love (I must have a thing for dramas that Utada Hikaru sings the themes for)
6. Orthros No Inu

China:
1. My Youthfulness
2. Struggle
3. Return of Condor Heros (actually all the Jin Yong novel remakes by Zhang Ji Zhong)
4. Great Empress of Northern Wei
5. Chinese Paladin 1 (Was upset, tho understanding with the male lead b/c I really liked both female characters - pure storyline/eye-candy)
6. Chinese Paladin 3 (Really liked the 2nd main couple - figures right? lols - again, storyline/eye-candy)
7. Aristocrats

That's all I can think of for now. Gosh, that's a long list - my life seems filled with endless dramas - literally. Hahaha...

Gah, how come every single OT is so much fun? And all of JB's posting so interesting? I'm not complaining, just wish I had more time in my day, that's all.

I cooked the family a nice pot of Son-tofu, using the packets they sell in the korean supermarkets, cuz otherwise I'd be throwing every spice in the pot and coming up with something horrific (like when Hae-na tried to make Kimchi-jigae for Dong-chan, not edible). The result is yummy, and I'm salivating to dig in. A byproduct of my k-drama love is my increased desire to eat Korean food. It happens every week instead of every month. And on my way home from the supermarket this morning, I passed by a small store front advertising "Anna's mondu" and I immediately thought of Story of a Man. This is hopeless. I've given up fighting it.

ALODIA! *hugs*

Before you go, what is your take on MNIKSS cheating ex-bf?

Can he be redeemed?

Yes, he's a cheater. And as ppl say, once a cheater....?

But, can a cheater be redeemed? And, I have to disagree, there IS something to be said about being (1) rich, (2) good looking, and (3) intelligent (with a history together). It means that the cheating ex-bf isn't some unknown crazy sociopath. He's a guy that Samsoon knows, and she knows him better than anyone else knows him (better than his own parents know him, probably). Doesn't that count for something?

And what about wallflower blind-date guy? I really like him! He seems sweet, thoughtful and he dresses well, is polite... AND, Samsoon likes him!

Does ANYONE think that cheating ex-bf is worth a second shot, other than me?

@157 javabeans

Btw, in NY Times the other day, there was an article on fried chicken.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/dining/07chick.html?_r=1

And in the article (the inset) they had a recipe for Korean-style fried chicken.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/dining/071crex.html?ref=dining

So, a few days ago, I bought all the ingredients and we tried it. I followed the directions to a T, and it was quite possibly the worst fried chicken I've ever had. 4 hours of my life (grocery shopping, prep, cooking, eating, tossing, cleanup) gone that I will never get back.

I love korean-style fried chicken, but this was not it. It was a greasy, soggy, chewy mess.

Just wanted to share. If you ever come across a korean fried chicken recipe that works, please please share!

@ JB

The soon-tofu packets are a godsend, I've discovered it also invariably costs more to buy all the individual spices and concoct your own pot from scratch. Check 1 for delicious, check 2 for cheaper - what's not to love, packets all the way, baby! Glad *creative* minds think alike, your cousin, me, and the rest of the k-housewife world.

@ Samsooki

The cheatin-ex is NOT worth another shot, once a cheater, always a cheater (I have personal experience to back it up - it happened to me much alike KSS, I had to track down the cheater - not a memory I'd like to relive - but suffice to say, he cheated on the girl he cheated on me with later on as well).

However, I'm totally with you, the ex loved Sam-soon, why quantify it as "love" guys? Love is love, some folks understand and cherish the feeling, others treat it as a thrill and move on when the rush fades - but love is love, the feeling of wanting to be with that person, however ephemeral or permanent.
_________________________________________________________

My recipe for great korean fried chicken - step 1: grab purse, step 2: get into car, step 3: start the ignition, step 4: get on the road, step 5: drive to the nearest Kyochon, step 6: order the fried chicken, step 7: voila, best k-fried chicken ever!

Seriously, Samsooki, I am a vocal proponent of NEVER making fried foods at home. It's an egregious waste of good cooking oil, it makes your kitchen and pretty much the entire house smell like fried oil, you run the risk of burning yourself in random spots with the backsplash oil when you drop the item into the pot (cuz who owns a fryor, right?), and its costs a heck of a lot of money and time (as you can attest yourself now) to do the entire experience. That's why when I'm out dining, I always try to order the food item that is too diificult to cook at home, which means always ordering the fried item on the menu.

My langdon-unni might disagree - she's a southern lady (perhaps a Paula Deen in the kitchen), so she might actually attempt to fry foods in her kitchen and succeed. I'd say for the rest of us, it's KFC or Popeyes for my chicken fix.

*waves at Alodia!!*

I have a mini deep fryer, it's in a cupboard now. Believe me, it's one of the worst choices in the world to own a deep fryer.

PRO: You can have fried food at any time of the day!
CON: You can have fried food at any time of the day!

You can use the cooking oil a lot more if it's in a deep fryer, but then you'll be tempted to deep fry everything you have. I believe that's how deep fried Oreos came to be.

Paula Deen uses WAY too much butter (although I do confess to owning several of her cookbooks). And to going to a couple of her book signings...she was wearing really cute shoes both times.

Me: "Thanks, Paula!"
Paula Deen: "You're welcome, darlin'."

:-D

Now why did I thank her, exactly? For the privilege of contributing my dollars to her vast empire? Who knows.

Anyhoo...there's really only one trick to great fried chicken and it has nothing to do with coating or seasoning; soak the chicken in buttermilk for an hour or two before you fry it. Seriously, that's it! It will melt in your mouth.

As far as seasoning goes, I use McCormick Season & Fry. It's absolutely perfect. You don't even have to salt the chicken after it's done, unless you're a saltaholic. Once I discovered that stuff, there was no going back. It's kind of hard to find around here anymore, but really, any brand of fried chicken coating or seasoning will do; it's the buttermilk that's the most important part.

Hey cingdoc, sorry about that, I didn't scroll up high enough! Did you agree about the editing of the final episodes? Not that I wasn't pleased with the outcome (trying to be mindful of spoilers) but I really can't wait to see the unedited version for it to all make perfect sense! Plus, it will be awesome to watch it in on the big TV in all its glory.

And you should definitely jump on board with You're Beautiful, I think we're going to have a fantastic time with this one! I think this it's going to be everything we love and more, if the first two episodes are any indication! Nothing to cry about (yet) but you will definitely laugh your head off!

Uh oh....I've got a BAD feeling.

I just finished Episode 18 of Hong Gil Dong and quite frankly I'm scared to death! And there's no one to hold my hand! Do I sneak a peek at JB's recap of Ep 19 to see if I'm going to have a heart attack at some point? Or go in unspoiled and risk it?

A really BAD BAD BAD feeling.... :-(

But I don't really want to know anything in advance, so...I'm going in. Be prepared for possible blubbering and incoherent posting if things go horribly wrong.

*bighugs* Alodia!!!!

but samsooki, what the ex was doing was literally psycho behavior...the only pt on his side was he's not 'unknown'...but he's still continuing his cheating ways, just later on w/ samsoon being the other woman. redeeming him for what purpose though?! see, I bet u rem that sampling cakes scene, he saw samsoon, he had CR in his arms and he just smirked, it's not till samshik did his speech he went in shock and disbelief. What was that saying?! 1. he has no care of samsoon's feelings of seeing him with fiancee, he even went the low route of proudly smirking. 2. He really saw samsoon in a very low light, he saw samshik there all along, and not until samshik's proclaimation did he show any concern/jealousy and the shock...as in disbelief samsoon can do so much better... was deplorable. Rem that convo in the car, tactless much?! he can move on to someone better but NOT samsoon?! I bet our samsoonie did kick his balls purple in that beating scene we didnt see in full light.

I'm not saying all cheaters r not redeemable, but THIS one is not showing me any change of action he's going to even want to 'redeem' himself. You can't just listen to sweet word,s reminiscing on 'history' shared and turn a blind eye he's got one fiancee clinging on his other arm. Rem that line Samsoon said to HJ?! 'Memory is just memory it has no power.' If your argument is valid, we have to hold on to every bf we've had IF he's shown some renew interest in us no matter what. *shivers*

I really dont see how being 1.rich, 2. good looking, 3. having a history tog as having any influence on dudes changing their cheating ways... I'm intrigued to know y u think so though. Because even the ex was leagues better than any man on earth, he's a cheater (present tense), ie he will never be totally yours when he's cheating. Should we be in a less than half ass relationship just because he has some attractive qualities such as 1rich2cute3history?! Yes, samsoon knew him well, maybe as well as any human, I don't think what she knew of him shed a great light on him though, do u? so what's the logic that she should redeem just because she knew him well?! It's only his loss. she's loved him, but the history they shared was not exactly once in a lifetime rosy, right?!

Blatant Cheating (doing it consciously, habitually) involves a lot of lying and pretense, and hurting someone u 'love' repeatingly, for samsoonex, he was even on another lvl of grossness in his entitlement almost, he did not even try to hold up a more decent front. HE just blatantly 2-time/3 time as if he's the right to coz he's 1.rich2.cute3.theyhadahistory. it ended up rotting what bits of genuine 'love' or whatever the cheater had inside him(/her), even if there WAS sth real going on. Who had to time and leisure to sieve thro all the bull just to redeem a cheater?! y bother with a rotting tree when there r glorious forests out there?! Again was Samshik any less rich/cute? They did not share some history tog in Jeju/Hallu?! it's not the quantity of time spent with a person that has value, it's how u treasured those precious abeit fewer moments closer to your heart that counts.

Like is not love Samsooki, the core message of mnikss is love has no formula, no boundary.. we do not fall in love because of all those extraneous factors of a guy being nice/dress nice/think nice/talk nice etcetcetc. If you do think that should be the way to go for samsoon, she should have never ever fallen for samshik just on the note that he's been stinky to her. And it's samsoon's decision, never ours or the moms... I'm not saying that blinddate guy has any problem, it's more samsoon only had her eyes for samshik. You made it sound like girls have an obligation to fall for guys when they possess certain qualities and like us. He can be the thoughtful prettiest crown prince of the universe but we can still have a choice to care less.

That's it, I'm jumping on the You're Beautiful bandwagon!

@langdon
I totally agree about the buttermilk. My husband and friend thinks it's the best fried chicken ever when I make them with buttermilk.

@samsooki
Cheating bf - most women would say that's a no-no. I think the circumstance of the cheating may play a part in my decision though I'm afraid trust may become an issue later.

I just had the best "Thanksgiving" dinner ever: Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, Chinese noodles, Italian pesto pasta, French-Canadian poutine, Indian bread "roti", fried masala-potatoes, accompanied with a glass of orange juice. Yum! It was the best home-cooked meal I've had in ages *grins*

I've found a few Drama City episodes, which aired way back. The ones I've been watching are the standard rom-com happy-ending-guaranteed episodes, but wow.... they're really good! In one hour, they deem to hit all the grades with solid acting, and bringing a new freshness with the old cliches (the ones I watched had the "younger man/ older woman" plot in one, and the "landlady/tenant" cliche in the other). But the Younger Man was Park Ki Woong (positively adorable as a 'playboy' who has a tragic past!). The other Drama City episode had the 'landlady' as an ex-convict and the tenant as the detective who had arrested her in the past. Can I 'squeeeee' any louder about this? It was wonderful!

~~

@ the MNIKSS topic
I've been lurking on the thread, checking a few times a day, just to read these posts. They're so insightful and they're bringing a new layer to my initial view of the drama!

~~

Happy Sunday 'evening', everyone!

@ langdon-unni

DO NOT read JB's recap of Hong Gil Dong before watching. I will be here to talk with you about it afterwards.

@ cingdoc

That's how my mom makes fried chicken drummets! She tosses it in a salt, pepper and green onion mixture, and it's like crack when paired with beer. I'm still too lazy to make it myself, so I drive home with the grandchildren and tell her they want to eat it, and she makes it for us. ;-)

back in socal finally! this truly was a lazy/busy weekend haha. no drama watching AT ALL!! :(

so now the question is: do i start on You're Beautiful now and join in all the discussions and at the same time, suffer the angst of waiting every week??... hell who am i kidding, the answer is yes. i'll get to watch MNIKSS whilst i wait!! all the MNIKSS discussions have got me dying to continue it.

@cingdoc - haha thanks for the sympathy. even if they did smell to high heaven, it was such an awesome show and i got to meet anthony rapp after the show, so it was worth it :) i'm so glad you enjoyed TI! Team Park Kyu all the way!! their chemistry is just so awesome huh? I really can't wait until the 20-episode DVD set is out. must watch the unedited version to see what awesome parts they cut out of this wondrous show.

ok... waiting for 3 Rivers now.. haha. we'll see if it's improved this 2nd episode.

Oh God. I was right to be scared. So right. Glad I wasn't spoiled. I don't know if I can watch any more tonight. My heart is broken.

^lovenyc: very good plan!!

*hugs* cingdoc. Seriously, I'm all for rapist=castration/bodily harm to ensure it's 100% no chance of..., cheater=exile to irredeemable doucheland. falling in love with another person or more than 1 person at a time, I have more empathy towards, the whole falling part is not nec humanly controllable. Having ur love falling for someone else is hard enough to bear, but the dagger's always been the cover-ups and lies involved if he/she is cheating on u. If u choose to be with a cheater, just do not expect an honest, trustworthy relationship, whatever rocks your boat, I guess that must work for some peeps. Consider opportunity cost, investing, gambling more time on a cheater rob u the sanity of being happily single or all the excitement of hot samshik(s) coming your way.

Arghh!!! all u masterful cooks! *envy* (cingdoc, langdon, please adopt me....)I went to get us some Korean fried chicken (kekeke only 15 min drive away...) I'm not good at following recipes, lousiest baker on earth because the geek in me need to understand y 1/3 tsp of baking soda not powder and y both?!, and y not 1/4?!"?! ... then I'll always end up reading up on the science behind all the gluten...and the liquid:? ratio.....and lost interest in mixing up the batter. I'm the #1fangirl of Christopher Kimball though. Cooking is my fav spectator sport.

my fam is a gen 'ahead' of ockoala. My mom pulled that trick all the time, eating at granny's. She never cooks...I have a crippling disability in that dept, so my roomies can all cook, now hubby cooks. I'm a terrific dishwasher loader ( me so proud)

Your hubby is such a sweetheart! Mine is catchin up on his Law and Order/CSI Miami and I'm the one driving out to get fried chicken...

^ *sob* I'm in Norcal, cingdoc noona.....And I'm beyond curious with 85C. I was there twice now, both times on the way to weddings..ie. the wkend and short on time. The end of the line: IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT?! Tell me what to do, anything. to get sth there in 30 min?! I can bribe or give out free 'painfree' flu shots to my comrades in line with me..

sigh...I think I'll have to give up on some dudes. Sunday, stuck at work, sensing my pms hours away, I was dragging sth to the lab, passed by 3 'coworkers' or dudes I say hi/bye with, who speak my mother tongue...and growl when I don't speak it in front of them (even when others r around). I cater, no big deal. So me laboring this heavy thing half my wt, 3 dudes chitchating down the corridor, I say hi, they say hi.
Dude 1: o that looks heavy.
Me: *squeeze a smile* (Duh...)
Dude 2: are you going to help her?
Dude 1: er...no, what if my work insurance don't cover if I hurt myself.
Dude 3: smart, man!
Dude 2: I was not going to help anyways lolz
mook: ......

I do not really need the help, and I'm totally fine with the not helping. But I don't like hearing about how much a blip u r, dude!

I'm officially changing my username to GLUTTONFORPUNISHMENT.

So apparently I DID have it in me to watch one more episode...and (of course) it was the death scene and goodbye scene and OMG, PLEASE KILL ME NOW.

Kang Ji-hwan is seriously one of the best actors on this planet. And who is the man playing his father? He's right up there with KJH. Simply unbelievable. When I thought I couldn't possibly have any more tears left in me after ROI, Tamra, MiSa...along comes HGD to prove me wrong, so very wrong.

I took a break after Ep 19 to clean the kitchen. Unloaded the dishwasher...sobbing. Rinsed the dirty dishes...sobbing. Reloaded the dishwasher...sobbing. Let the cat out...not sobbing, but still crying. Decided what the hell and watched Ep 20. More (much more) sobbing and a trashcan full of Kleenex. Do I look as pretty crying as Sung Yuri does? Rest assured, I do not.

I feel like I have a code in my nodes.

Sniff.

@ cingdoc...Okay, that made me laugh. The boy band in all white making you think of Park Kyu! Tamra disease...it's hard to cure, isn't it? Almost as bad as City Hallitus. :-D

I'm SO glad you're watching You're Beautiful!!

@ langdon-unni

Sh*t, you're only on episode 20 of HGD and you've cried through every household chore tonight? I don't know what to say, except, KJH amazes, amazes some more, throw glittery dazzling dust on you until you can't blink, and all you can do is gaze at his magnificent emotiveness. All perfectly appropriate for whatever scene, and completely heartfelt and genuine. He turns on a dime, I tell you.

All I can say is, enjoy the final turn of the ride, sister, and let me know when you come to the end and whether you need some help getting off. I sat on the ride for days and days afterwards, until they took a plier and pried me off it, HGD is jsut that glorious for me.

@ mookie

85 degrees c, do what I do, which is arrive at 8 a.m. on weekends with my babies to enjoy breakfast, and buy pastries for the rest of the week. Line is only 10 deep, and you're in and out in 5 minutes, not bad. BTW, I don't do it because I want to, I do it cuz the ockoala babies wake up at 6 a.m. screaming for food, like little baby birds squawking. I have to forage for food at ungodly hours for them. Upside, I hardly ever experience the 85 degree c line of terror. I hear it strikes fear into people pulling into the parking lot.

I also take orders for friends, and buy for them on my early morning trips, and then they come by, pay homage and an offering to me, and get their bread.

@ cingdoc

I think my mom says her recipe is Taiwanese in origin, but honestly, after hanging out with y'all, I'd say half the recipes punting around Asia pretty much don't much have an ethinic origin anymore, and are just delicious food for the soul - like k-dramas.

One thing is for sure...I'm going to have to put in a LOT of treadmill time before I come to SoCal next year. Y'all are making me so hungry, sounds like I'm going to do nothing but eat the entire time I'm there! And I really have no problem with that. :-)

That, plus smooching on the ockoala babies if they'll let me!

Off to bed! I lub you guys!

@115 kdxmel:

Agree with you on "Love is all about timing, isn’t it?" If I remember right, back in the nights of 'Sex And The City", one of the girls likened getting hitched to flagging a taxi. When it's available and you're looking, then that's good timing.

And "available" does not only mean un-attached; it also means ready to get into a serious relationship. A great love of your life may have come at a time when you're not ready to settle, so you might miss out on that.

I so loved MNIKSS, that was my first k-drama and what a choice to get into k-drama addiction! I introduced my girlfriends to k-drama and it was MNIKSS that I recommended; of course they loved it to bits.

@alodia
Long lost twin sister? Yes! LOL, like you I've been stuck in CH for weeks now, nothing else even compares...but mnikss is one of the first korean dramas I've watched and seeing all the discussion here reminded me of what made me love that show so much. KSA (she's such a fiesty spirit, ain't she? strong and resilient, mature but never forgets how to have fun), great character development( even the ex-gf matured in the end, i also loved how Daniel's character "got" the girl in the end. so it seems persistence DOES work sometimes in dramas, huh?) Ahh I could go on and on but my paragraph is turning out too long again!!!

---

I'm watching You're Beautiful for the 2nd time, this time with subs (previously watched it with JB's recaps). Like many here I can't stand the thought of waiting for weekly eps but I think this is gonna be worth it!!! The emotional attachment isn't strong yet (not like CH, i can't ever imagine having to go through what the CHallers went through) so for now I'm actually HAPPY to be WAITING for next week's ep. Kindda like, something to look forward to, in a positive sort of way!!

@149 alodia

My first time to see you post.

Let me thank you from the bottom of my heart for CH and WIAN subs.

Like I said in my post above, MNIKSS is my first k-drama and that turned me into a KSA fan.

I did enjoy WIAN and loved, loved, loved CH.

Cheers!

Thanks for the tip, ockoala! *sigh* 8am wkend is not doable for me when I'm on vacation in Socal.... my bud lives 2 hours fr OC (sans traffic). and it's too much to ask her to get some ready for me when I visit her. :) Maybe it's a mixed blessing then, I could not try it out, so I won't love them like your ockoala babies and crave.

@cingdoc unni, I'm strange, I miss the fog when I used to complain constantly living near the beach. I'm technically a Midwest transplant, so living quite far fr SF now (when I do have SUNLIGHT)is actually closer to 'home'.
lolz I have a banana hubby, he's not really by birth, but the scorn I got fr my chinese friends when he told them he loves Panda Express ...I was not fast enough to shush him. I said, 'wei, his wifey is moi, the girl whom you pranked like telling me putting water with washed rice in rice cooker will result in congee/juk and I believed..... Panda Express is heaven sent.' I mean there's nth wrong with PE, but when my mominlaw saw my back cupboardful of shirakiku microwavable rice. I saw fr the despair in her eyes that she had mentally disowned me. (my mom eyes glowed when she saw such a great invention...of coz)

@ sleeplessinwgtn
"A great love of your life may have come at a time when you’re not ready to settle, so you might miss out on that."

Yes! Agree, agree. Another reason why i love mnikss so much is that it really explored the idea of "timing" when it comes to relationships. I kept wondering as i was watching it, if the ex-gf had come back earlier, and she and HB had gotten back together, and therefore had more time to get "settled in" their rekindled relationship, would the appearence of KSS have swayed HB? I would like to say No. HB would have been a happy bf at that time, his mental state of mind would not have been in turmoil thus allowing KSS to seep in...

---
I would like to join sleeplessinwgtn and thank Alodia for her hard work in subbing CH and wian too! You made it possible for people like us to enjoy what is possibly the greatest story ever told. Thank you!

@188 kdxmel -

if the ex-gf had come back earlier, and she and HB had gotten back together, and therefore had more time to get “settled in” their rekindled relationship, would the appearence of KSS have swayed HB? I would like to say No. HB would have been a happy bf at that time, his mental state of mind would not have been in turmoil thus allowing KSS to seep in.

That's an excellent point.

I would agree, HB would have stayed with JRW. And Samsoon would have gone with blind-date guy, probably. And I'm not sure if that result would have been so bad. Samsoon and Jin-Heon (aka Samshik aka "heonnie") would have been happy in their ignorance, no?

I guess my point is that we all make do with what our circumstances allow. Substitute "fate" or "destiny" for circumstances, if you wish, but the bottom line is that whatever our end result, how we got to where we are now, that's all we have and so we have to believe that what has happened (and what will happen) will be for the best.

Now, that's sort of cynical, but on the other hand, honestly, I DO believe that "true" love happens. It is just that I do not believe it happens for everyone in every case, nor does it always have to happen, and sometimes it happens more than once for the same person. Is it random or ordained or manufactured... well, I'm not that smart to know the answer to that one...

@samsooki

I'm with you on that - I don't think either alternative pairing would have been bad at all (Samshik and JRW, Samsoon and blind-date guy). I absolutely agree that both pairs would have been happy in their ignorance. You're not being cynical at all. To me, true love is what you make of it. I mean, I believe either pair would have made it work easily, and in this alternate universe, Samsoon would have seen the blind-date guy as her true love, and Samshik too, would have, actually, ALWAYS have, seen JRW as his.

Okay, this is it...the home stretch for me and Hong Gil Dong. Ran out of Kleenex last night but got a couple of rolls of TP handy (tmi? hehe).

Technically I'm still at work, so let's hope Ep 21 doesn't kick my butt like 19 and 20 did.

Let the handholding begin now...wish me luck!

mianneh, bear with me....

@kdxmel, you have good points, BUT.... in that alternate universe, the ppl there will no longer be our samsoon or our Jin Hoon There will no longer be mnikss, we'll have a chaebol having a long time gf, and a 30yo marrying a nice guy she met on a blinddate...and none of us will still be crazy about that drama all these years.

JH (aka samshik) and HJ: they did not really know each other and their relationship as well as they thought. A big flight of fancy in MNIKSS was the HJ vanishing act. I lost many debates with my gfs as to how that was realistic. It was not, esp the silly notion he could not take it that she was very ill and thus she had to get out of his sight, the without a word part, and EXPECTED he would be finnee with it 3 yrs later. HJ was written well, but when we girls/boys put ourselves in her shoes, would we just do EXACTLY as order per President Na? and did not even think of sending an encrypted email or call fr a phone booth and just say 'muak'?....and do anything to contact JH for 3 LONG yrs..+ she may die tmr?!?! I just do not know how it's possible to live thro the yrs, going thro what she did and did not once miss JH to the point she'll go the heck with President Na. If she was just gone for 3 days...I'll go along, but for anybody who's really been in a long distance relationship, the no contact for 3 yrs part is as unrealistic as it gets. My pt is when we met HJ, she was still naive and unrealistic in relationships, whereas our JH has grown. They could still be tog if we scratched out that whole3 yr part... but my gut is telling me even if there were no bumps, they would have grew apart. I'm the cynical one, I really don't think any relationship is 'easy'. And thinking it is 'easy' was exactly HJ's mistake in 'having faith' in their relationship. It's nth to do with true love or not, which I think they are and I do agree we can have as many true loves in our lives... but it's just the reality catching up on them. The same is true with samsoon and samshik, and that's y the ending is PERFECT.

But even for 3 days... if our JH knew of how HJ 'conspired' with President Na for his 'good'... he would bear a grudge. He's been fighting his battles with his mom who can be conniving and ruthless. If his girl was so naive (or dumb) to be manipulated by his mommy dearest. It's a big turn off. Then there's the trust...she's kept sth major fr him, and in a way she did not have faith/trust in him to have the strength to get thro it all with her.

The blind date guy...true, it would be fine for the samsoon then. but what's connected all of us with samsoon is how we can live thro her, facing all the issues faced by a 30 yo. She's at the point she still dreams, but she also conforms, she has established her own bearings/identity, but she has doubts and still growing. When she met the blinddate guy, she's still recovering fr the relationship with her ex, has pressures to get married and she is willing to settle with (any)one she is comfortable with. Falling in love, at that moment was a fantasy she's given up. Yes, we saw her having a good time with the guy, but mins in, she's already thinking of marriage. Yet, when venting out on samshik later on, I saw her missing a potential, but she did not refer to his name once, she thought he was her last resort she just want to hold on. Thro out the drama, we didnt see samsoon missing the guy, if he happened to be around, sure she's open for a date or so, but being comfortable with him or he's hubby material... was no longer good enough for the later samsoon. In a way she's not unlike samshik when they met, looking for love was the last thing on her list, she's still raw fr the hurt. She thought she can do without it and just find a guy to marry, but that's not true. With the juxtaposition of samshik and blinddate guy, we know our samsoon can't, never settle.

@193 mookie -

Wait.

Are you saying that.... if Samshik dumps Samsoonie at the end, or they "mutually" separate, because Samshik cannot get permission to marry from his mother, and Samsoonie's mother can't just sit still and watch her daughter be looked down upon by another family, then you think that Samsoonie wouldn't develop the capacity to love another, say, like blind date guy?

Why does Samshik have the ability to develop and have a heart big enough to love Samsoonie, but Samsoonie can't change and develop to love blind date guy?

It wouldn't be settling, at that point. Who knows, maybe blind date guy is really really awesome too....

@ mookie and Samsooki

"With the juxtaposition of samshik and blinddate guy, we know our samsoon can’t, never settle"

I disagree that "blind date guy" represents settling at all. BDG represents the unknown, just like the ending of MNIKSS represents the unknown. Love, finding love, finding love again, does not end at 30, 40, 50, 60 or even 70. While the 16 episodes we spent with Sam-soon and Sam-shik convinces us that they genuinely love each other at that time, and for a period of time, they may get married and have fat babies or they may break up.

I see the presence of BDG throughout the drama as representing the possibility that when one relationship doesn't work out, another one may be out there. He's the physical manifestation of the adage that there may be love when you least expect it. We may think BDG represents settling because, well, compared to Sam-shik, he's not as cute, as rich, or on the surface as compatible with Sam-soon. But remember, other than a few short encounters with Sam-soon, we don't know ANYTHING about BDG, or about how Sam-soon and his relationship may play out. Granted, I never want to find out, because I want SS-SS to remain together forever. But I love the "realistic" elements thrown into MNIKSS to remind me that this drama isn't about fairytale endings.

BTW, I LOVE the discussion about how if SS-SS met at a different time, either before HJ left, or after HJ had returned for a period of time, then their relationship might never have developed. I completely agree. It might still have happened, but chances are, both would never have had the opportunities to bond and bicker and feel this unwarranted attraction to each other. Love is like this, it's sometimes very opportunistic. And real.

This OT is the first time there has been such a long discussion about MNIKSS, and I think it's long overdue, because that was one drama after I watched, I had all these questions, thoughts, and more questions - much of which we are endeavoring to flesh out here.

May I?

I tend to agree with mookie that once trust has been broken/deteriorated, it's so hard to build and mend. So I think Samshik and JH would have had a hard time being in a relationship - the past would be rehashed whenever they fight, and only patience and very true love from both sides can heal wounded hearts. So even if there wasn't Samsoon, Samshik would probably end up leaving JH...just don't know how long it takes him to realize the love between JH and him isn't what he wants.

Likewise, Samsoon can not go back to ex-bf - too much bad history and personality/life-style differences. However, her possibility of falling in love with Blind-date guy, if Samshik had not intervened, could have been great. Afterall, accepting something/someone new without preconditions/history is usually easier emotionally.

I absolutely adore KSA, she made MNIKSS completely unforgetable and enjoyable. And she's such a hoot in real life too. Bian - fangirling here.

MNIKSS is great. No argument from me! But as far as we know, they're together and happy and getting nosebleeds on a regular basis.

But what about the poor wretched insane King?

What about the fake sword (!) and poor misguided Chang Whe?

What about poor Yinok and her stupid pretty clothes and stupid pretty hair ornaments and no red-bean buns anywhere in sight?

What about poor Hong Gil Dong, who (sob!) knew all along what "I LUB YOU" meant?

:-(

Moving right along...Ep 22 awaits.

I have a lot of mixed feelings.

Sometimes I feel like Samsoon is the immature one and Jin-Heon is the mature one. But then other times, I think Jin-Heon is the immature one and Samsoon is the adult.

But they are in such different positions, you cannot compare them. Being a single 30-y/o woman in Korea, with an inconsequential family background and not much education (no college), is worlds worlds worlds worlds away from being a single 27-y/o man who graduated college is from a very wealthy family.

The fact that Samshik likes Samsoon a lot is almost irrelevant with respect to Samshik's mom. The point is not who you like, but who would you marry. And Samshik will not be able to marry Samsoon because Samsoon is not of Samshik's socio-economic-familial class.

And from Samsoon's mom's POV, again, the issue isn't who you do like, but who can you marry. And Samsoon's mom knows that even if they do get married, Samsoon's problems won't be over, but she will fight that battle (of being looked down upon) every day for the rest of her life.

The first like 10 times I watched MNIKSS, I really was so happy that they got together. But then, the next like 10 times I watched it, I sort of began to feel uneasy, because Samsoon is either thumbing her nose at convention / Samshik's family, or, she is willing to suffer through a lifelong series of humiliations just to be with Samshik.

And Samshik-ah, dude, you don't get how much Samsoonie's life will be difficult EVEN IF you guys get married? Do you think everybody will suddenly accept her and then be nice? Don't you know that you will be fighting the same battles as Samsoonie, but now, either you are going against your family, or going against your wife?

Now, when I watch MNIKSS, I watch with the blind hope that Jin-Heon's mom will have a 3 ghosts of Christmas' ala Christmas Carol moment and then love Samsoonie the way that Jin-Heon does, and they can all be one happy family. Because if not, then I think that Samsoonie's older sister should beat some sense into Samsoon and get her to marry the blind date guy.

@197 langdon813

In about an episode (ep 23), you are about to reach one of the all-time, no questions from me, all-time greatest scenes ever by an insane king. The monologue scene by the cherry tree is so great - probably in my top 3 dramatic scenes of the whole drama. Can't wait for you to watch!

the pt is, samsoonie did not even think of the word love with blinddate guy. Sure if samsoonsamshik broke up, who can predict what the future curtails? But I think with samsoon picking samshik, she's so ready to love like there's no tmr with this dude, she no longer clung onto the notion she has to conform to the social norm of getting married, which u insisted that's what her ultimate goal in life should be, I disagree vehemently. she's sooooooooo ready to make babies with samshik out of wedlock, rem? Her priorities shifted, now she cant live without being in love with samshik, if she has to sacrifice everything for it, she's still willingly going into it with no regrets.

I do not think love is developed based on having a 'big enough a heart'. To look at it selfishly, we want to be in love because that is the only way we can be happy atm, we do not love because we want to make other parties happy, coz ultimately we'll get to the point that we cant be happy UNLESS that person is happy. Love is unpredictable, it can be a selfish beast, it is irrational, it can be ugly, and it also can be soo many awesome pretty things. samsoonie knows of it all, is opening her arms to take in the good, bad, ugly in the name of love. I do not think falling in love = u developed a bigger heart, esp in the case of samshik. He's always had a capacity of love, he loved HJ...he did try to savage their relationship, but what they had, dissipated with the cruelty of time and circumstances. I regard what samshik was going thro with HJ and samsoon as... samsoon crept into his mind, without him putting effort in making that happen (on the contrary, he tried his mightiest to NOT have her in any part near him, let alone his heart...) so, she occupied what's left vacant by HJ (she's moved into the cherished memory dept of JH) and the greatness of mnikss was, we were intricately shown how bits by bits fr scene to scene samsoon was creeping in his stubborn head, occupying a larger part till the blockhead of samshik finally got it that she's there to stay. It's like we have a finite space in our heart left for that special irreplaceable someone, if it's done occupied, there's no room for anyone else no matter how super.... that's what I got fr mnikss.

You know, I have enough faith in those 2 that the Pr.Na thing will not matter in their eyes, they may pop out some babies, and get married in Vegas... or not marry at all. They r daring like that. If they break up in the future it would be on their own terms, samshik can still be a butthead and childish and he has not really fully grown a complete sensitivity chip. His communication skills r not stellar... but it is servicable with samsoon, but she might not be able to stand him down the road, or vice versa... but I doubt these 2 rebels at heart will give Pr Na more than a shrug. Samsoon's mom is a softy, and a fangirl of Hyunbin (only a true fangirl gushes at his eyelashes), her only weapon is her handbag (and salt?!) Samshik head would be hard enough to take blows thro the years of training taking hits on the upside of his head fr samsoon alone (which he so deserved)

The reality is, samsoon thought of blinddate guy as a potential for marriage and sadly nth more than nuisance she can step all over at the end, and in the beginning @ the blinddate, she has to be practical, checking off the checklist of 'how to spot a nice guy' yet in turn shut down her heart. The 'falling' of the falling in love part just intrinsically meant u can't be practically checking off lists at the same time. She may develop some affection for him since he maybe good for her if Samshik was out of the picture, but they will not have what she's had with samshik. Just as samsoon loved her ex, what she had with him was not the same as well. Think about the time samsoon spent with the blinddate guy, she's not without guards, she was in a kind, timid voice, calm and collected, smiled without showing her teeth, she was all nonchalant talking about bumping into him when sis was all excited...still thinking of the first cake order as she's walking towards her date, she was Kim HeeJin, not waken to the fact that she could be so much more with being in her own skin as Kim SamSoon... she's not her complete in your face samsoonie who will pinch up her voice a la Pr.Na in one nanosecond and spun out a storm out of her mouth. She will crack out roaring laughs in the hysterics... she will be a clingy 15 yo gloating o so innocently just coz she's sipping fr the same straw as her honey. Frankly imo the blinddate guy was kind bleh, his behavior was the same as a pushover.. (he just stood there, gave out a sigh of 'o well..' while samsoon walked off the movie with samshik... and how puffing mad samshik's laser glare at the poor dude. U know, this is the godzillion time this has happend, it's to a point a man (in kdramaland) would physically fight (repeatedly punch samshik in his gorgeous smoldering face) for a woman he's interested in. he'll just let samsoon be, so she may still stay insecure in many things, she wont get the slap on her head that she nevere needed those tummy tuckers..and slowly bored to tears in their marriage. Whereas samshik forcefully stimulated a new confidence in Samsoon, he made her so much more sure of her real self, he made her love herself for what she truly is.

And selfishly, I don't want my samsoonie to change and develop whatever to accommodate a guy. She did that for her ex, she did not have to change herself for love to happen.. as we can see with samshik.

Why do we get married, ideally we marry a irreplaceable person we can't imagine living the rest of our lives without. What made someone irreplaceable though? seldom is it a list of fine qualities, but the exp we shared tog. The growth and transformation exp by samsoon and samshik with each other was irreplaceable. That's y the blinddate guy can only be wallflower. He can be a perfect candidate for my future daughter I must say, but just not with our samsoon.