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Open Thread #336

 
Romantic Punch – “TGIF” [ Download ]

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Hello and Happy Friday!
I'm a year old, but hopefully my attention span hasn't changed. Now where are my glasses...? Oh yeah, on top of my head. :-)

Based on my calculations, I posted 12 SqueeCaps in 16 days (the first eight of BOTC, the last four of FHThai). Episodes 9 and 10 are typed, waiting on final snark/squee and graphics. Please be patient with me!

And as a shameless plug, our SqueeCappers have started Nail Shop Paris or JoAnne's affectionate term "WTHParis". It's really an ode to Song Jae Rim, but, as usual, the gang is on fire. I think they are almost as good as mine 8-). Just kidding - they are awesomesauce! So for anyone who desperately searched for recaps to gush over, sorry for the lateness!

And of course, we are still doing AofF as well.

Thanks to the above recap schedule, (I estimate about 6 hours of my life per SqueeCap) I haven't watched a heck of a lot last week. Everything is in queue, though, and now that I've switched to the graveyard shift I'll have more time to watch!

My question on double spacing last week generated a lot of debate, so thanks to everyone that left a comment! No controversial questions this week, I promise. :-D

Take care, everyone!

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Oh, I wasn't first. Close, though.

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No way! I loved Nail Shop Paris! I had so many unintentional laughs during that show, and sometimes, though I've not succumbed, sometimes I even want to watch it again.

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Watch it again and squee with us, please?

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Will do! Let's face it, squeeing over SJR in WTFParis is so fun!

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12 SqueeCaps in 16 days?! That is inhuman. @-@ (boggled eyes)

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Julia -

grrRARRAgrrrwaaarrrerrr

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Happy birthday shuk! That amont of sqeecaps is a lot! Didn't realize it was that many at once because ii can only access rhe blogg with my vpn.

Also i blame you all for catching the sjr bugg and marathoning wtfparis (such a fitting nickname)

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Manin!
Thank you!

I didn't think about at the time. I just finished one, moved the video, blogged it, contacted JoAnne for comments, and went on to the next one, only back tracking for the final graphics that JoAnne can inspire me to create! lol

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Shuk:

sounds like you guys have a pretty efficient system down! As long as you don't tire yourself out!

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Shukmeister -

Sending you Happy Birthday wishes!

Gotta love the SqueeCaps. ...... Many thanks to you and the SqueeTeam!

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korfan -

Thanks! One step closer to the half-century mark. :-)

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Happy b-day!
And I love your squeecaps, BotC is fantastic :--)
(and your squee/snark commenter JA as well ;--) )

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Dorotka -

JoAnne is the snark-glue that keeps us all together and squeeing! lol

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Shukie!!! Youre a march baby too?? Happy birthday! Hope we get to meet some time this year. How is that coming along?? I am going volcano tripping with pillowhead in april. Bromo and kawah ijen in indonesia. She is coming all the way from guam. I am excited esp since Secret love affair is our new fave and we get to marathon and squee together. Eeeee

Have a good weekend birthday girl. Good health to enjoy the rest of e blessings AND to be able to squeecap adequately :)

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Selamat, enz!

Thanks! And I know you secretly want me to get current with BOTC so I can look at SLA and maybe get hooked... lol

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Shukkie, you deserve some time off for your birthday! Go drink the soju and do some karaoke, don't just snark about it! Maybe you'll get a 생일 축하합니다 from a nice Korean guy.

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Korazy -

No rest for the wicked. LOL I'm working seven days straight until Sunday, unfortunately. But look out after that!

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Secretly?? I am never secretly anything!! I want you to get on the SLA train and DROP botc. How is that? :). I can imagine all the fans getting ready to wallop me for that

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HAHAHAHAHA No, lah. ;-)

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Happy Birthday Shuk! 12 squeecaps in 16 days is insane! But I love them! So keep them coming!

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Aigoo -

Thank you! I'm giving it my best shot.

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Happy birthday!

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Kamsahamida, owl!

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Shuk ~

Happy Birthday ! You're not getting older, you're getter better.

Here's a video you might enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRqkTVOovPQ

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John [snicker] That was amusing, if perhaps NSFW. Thank you!

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barbara black fox -

LOL - I told somebody we needed to celebrate my not having died.... :-)

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Dear Shuk,
Happy Birthday to You!

http://youtu.be/gwR0iMKTVMs

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kopytko -

dziękuję! Gosh they look so young in that clip, but I like Jaejoong's voice better than the other two members of JYJ.

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Same here. Actually I hadn't cared about any of DBSK boys until I saw this clip. It was enough to show that JJ can sing and really has a good voice. The other DBSK/JYJ guys definitely have skills, but their voices aren't as distinctive.

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Junsu's voice is recognizable, but he tends to sings slightly above his register, so it frequently sounds a ittle strained.

Micky's a much better actor, imho.

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Why don't you say "100 lat" ?

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Happy Birthday! =)

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I appreciate it, thanks!

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Happy birthday Shukmeister! sorry to be late, I was at work.

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redfox -

Work sometimes comes before joy. But thank you. :-)

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Happy Birthday! :)

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August - Thank you!

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Happiest Birthday!!

Wow, your sqeecap efforts are mind blowing! I admit that I need to spend some time in the squeecaps - my belly and lungs need a good laugh workout and you all generously oblige. I need a few more hours in the day! I love Mo in AoF so I guess I now need to follow along with you all with WTFParis.

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Waiting -

Thanks for popping over to kakashi's blog and enjoying our efforts!

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Happy Birthday, Shuk! Wish you many more squeecapping years ahead.

Love your and the gang's squeecaps in Problematic of the Unproblematic.

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Thank you, dramabliss. And it always good to see you on OT.

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HB!

Yay! for Nail Shop Paris. I was totally caught off guard w/that drama just last weekend. I wanted to take a break from my current dramas & wanted something light & fun to watch. I was browsing DramaFever & saw that Nail Shop Paris was only 10 episodes & decided to watch it. I had never heard anything about it & I went in thinking it'd be similar (in the fun/hijinks department) to Coffee Prince or You're Beautiful. But I was sadly sadly mistaken.

It was soooooo soooooooo bad. I had to keep watching b/c 10 episode could not abate my wonder. I kept wondering--who the hell wrote this? and who in the name of $%$ thought it was remotely good & greenlit the project? and what actor would read this and want to be in it? and on and on. the questions were endless. everything was so random and it was this bad mix of genres & the fantasy genre threw me for the worst loop of all.

I decided to see it through to the end. It definitely is the number 1 worst drama of all time for me. But perhaps that's a good thing. It's memorable.

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a_diva -

Then you have to read the SqueeCaps, although I warn you they may make you want to rewatch.... lol

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Happy birthday dear Shukmeister!!

Wow, talk about a marathon! I always enjoy reading your comments here, and as for your squeecapping ... too funny for words!

Wishing you another year full of great dramas and hot namjas : D

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Am I first? :-)

One comment for today: jdorama Lost Days needs to wrap it up already.

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Oooh you own that blog I had bookmarked because of the EXO = desserts infographic.

http://sakisaki6.tumblr.com/post/77435017297/exo-as-sweets

I use it as a guide when my fangirl little sis talks about Kai this and Kyungsoo that.

I still can't tell everyone apart. Especially since they always change their hairstyles and colors for each performance... It's like a technicolor memory game. @____@

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Yep, that's me!
Cool, you're my first fan. :-)
& I can't tell if my other comment posted, but yes, will watch WTFPARIS with you. xoxo

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Sssh... I'm not supposed to like EXO.

My sis and I are in a cold war because she called Mo Il Hwa ugly. So I called her bias Kai ugly back. LOL

I keep telling her I'm only memorizing the names of her kpop Oppas so I know whom to insult... but I concede that the DO kid has a nice voice. :D

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Tell her that's all DO has. Mwahuahahaha.

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EXO and Mo Il Hwa - I love them both (all)!! Embrace all the beauty and stop the war, there's enough luv to go around for sister♥love :) If you'd like, check out my site for drawings of Mo Il Hwa, several EXO members (it takes a long time do draw all of them there are 12, phew!), it's kdrama kpop fan time, Yes!

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I write lots in my blog. Shuckie's birthday poem, chulmoon's link to a drum concert, and a crash course on Google Translate might interest you. See "Open Thread" page on my blog for the rest of the story. See http://jreidy17.wordpress.com/ot/

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Trivia question - which drama has them playing Red Light/Green Light (Red Rose of Sharon) children's game. Swear I saw that somewhere.

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Cunning Single Lady!!!! The episode just aired this week.

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What are all the children's games we have seen in dramas?

I remember seeing Hop Scotch in Haeundae Lovers (surprised me to see a game I grew up with played all the way in Korea).

Playful Kiss had that start of word/end of word character game (what's it called? anyone want to play it with me?) I think I've seen that one in other dramas too.

There must have been jump rope somewhere.

Obviously Go-Stop EVERYWHERE.

I tap the great Beanie encyclopedic knowledge base for more. :-)

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Julia ~

I've seen some sort of game in several dramas where the players call out an animal's name and you have to mimic the animal with your hands.

Not sure what it's called or if that helps.

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A similar end of word/start of word game was played in Tree with Deep Roots which had a bearing on some aspect of the narrative in a later episode.

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I know I have lost it when I have nothing left to eat in the house except coffee, tea, dried beans, rice, and ramen, yet I feel the seductive power of the pretty Asian on the package and consider buying more coffee at the HMart sale
http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_newsearch.asp?keyword=coffeemix_big

Open packet, pour, inhale, sip, ahhhh ....

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Sort on a theme today. Anyone play one of the video games created by Korean companies? Supposedly there are 132 popular video games from companies like GameUs, Nettention, Darim Vision, Visual Shower and iTreeWorks. Right now, I feel like I am walking on the wild side just trying to install the Hangul typing app that is all in Korean from LovingKorean's site. It would be fun some day to play a video game in Korean.

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Only Anipang and Kakao Mahjong at present. I got up into the high 600,000s on Anipang until having to shelve all my gaming activities due to work demands. Fortunately, I have the Korean keyboard option installed on my iPhone, which helps greatly since I registered for both sites in Hangul.

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Bride of the Century !! 2 hours more !! that's all for this time being..

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ahh. 2 hours in my timezone.

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Lucky!! I have to wait til Monday for some reason before they are sobbed on gooddrama. That is really a crack drama. Enjoy!

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Sobbed? haha

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*subbed* Aigoo!! Sorry, I must need more coffee.

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some dramas get subbed, some get sobbed. some get robbed and some get bobbed.

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LOL!

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Very true....

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Uuuuugh! I missed it! Curses!!! lol

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I haven't watched ep10 yet ..and its only 1 drama that I follow these days ..thats how college sucks you -_- I stopped watching cunning single lady until I find a free time to watchit in peace and without feeling guilty over wasting hours of studying ...well I need to go now and finish my homework ?? hahaha

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Happy OT beanies! ^^
Been busy, have not been watching much of kdramas. Been catching on recaps mostly--reading faster then watching.
I saw clips of Tablo and daughter on Return of superman. They are so cute together. Haru is going to grow up to be working in both music and acting industry. Love the part where she's so shy with GD oppa. ♥
Definitely a GD fan. Heheh

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Harus meeting with big bang was so cute and funny. She was so shy. Love the relationship woth her and tablo.

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OMG. They are my fave family. Tablo and Haru's <3 Super cute. Do you know where to watch it with eng subs or where to download it? KBS on youtube seems to update few episodes late. Can't get enough of them.

Yeah, Haru definitely is Tablo && Hye Jeong's daughter. Geneeeesss. I bet she'll sign on with YG in the future.

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Just saying hi CV!

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Happy OT

Dear Drama gods! Why do nice drama dads always have to die?! Can you please stop that!

EC: So after CSL this was the 2nd dead dad in a week -.- But if it makes CM’s mom a nice person I’m kind of fine with it. It’s nice to see that JH recognises that maybe she has also feelings left for CM though it pains me to see Chief Gook not getting to confess to her (damn you cell phone from hell!). I think JH is a nice catalyst for Chief Gook to come out of his shell and even if he does have feelings for JH at the moment I think it says everything that he can’t let go of the photo of him and Ji Hye! I just hope that we get a satisfactory ending with the last few episodes! Meaning for me that Chief Gook gets a girl and CM and JH start their relationship again (and maybe YK gets AR?!).

GG: This drama has me on the edge of my seat every single episode! There were some great moments in this week’s episodes but my most favourite thing is definitely the DC+SB couple^^ Those two are so cute together!
Finally we get a bit more of DC’s past and why he hates his family so much. The thing that worries me still is the fact that in the original time line he had SB’s hairclip in his pocket and the sleeping pills SH found at his home…
The budding friendship between SH and DC warms my heart because SH is in desperate need of someone who is there for her now that she is confronted with a cheating husband.
Now I just need Monday to come fast^^

CSL: Female 2nd lead is starting to annoy the hell out of me. Though it’s clear that she doesn’t stand a chance because JW just has eyes for AR and I am screaming at her: ‘Lady just get it already. He is so not interested in you!’ It’s kind of pathetic how she clings to him but well…
My heart breaks for SH though because he really likes AR and the discovery that she is JW’s ex-wife… The heartbreak in his eyes =(
As of now I am totally pro AR+JW getting together again! If only they’d finally sit down and TALK to each other -.-

Movies:

And the Jo Seung Woo love continues^^

The Classic: I bawled my eyes out T.T SO GOOD <3 Definitely one of those movies you need to watch when you’re in desperate need of a good cry. It opens the floodgate pretty well^^ And yeah JSW rocks this one as well =)

Love Phobia: Oh dear… Jo Seung Woo STOP MAKING ME CRY! Such a beautiful but sad movie! The metaphorical ending was a nice touch and made me cry like a baby!

And can I please have a JSW for myself who stares at me with those loving eyes and sing me lullabies? That would be perfect^^

Oh and does anyone know where I can find Tazza with English subs online? On sites that are viewable outside the US (since I live in Europe)? I swear it’s not easy to find and I don’t have the money right now to buy the DVD^^ (but I need more Jo Seung Woo movies :P)

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Variety:

RM: That was a nice episode =) I love it when the RM cast works as a team! The ‘Angel Eyes’ cast was hilarious and I loved it how they outsmarted the cast in the first game :D JK’s reaction was priceless when he realised that they didn’t win^^
Oh and Ji Hyo vs. Seungri and Kang Ha Neul was so funny to watch^^
The quiz section was fun and I missed the wind blast that makes their faces look ridiculous :D
And YAY for the cast winning the last mission =)
And I guess I am going to look for Kim Ji Suk’s old variety appearances because I love his heodangness :D

SR: I just managed to watch the Haru/Tablo cuts this week but they were adorable once again trying to suppress laughter^^
LOL at the PD’s forgetting to count right answers because of Shin Hye (though she was adorable doing the movements)^^ But nothing trumps Yu PD participating in the speed quiz :D Love him!

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1N2D S3: Pffft… 1N2D meets Entertainment Weekly – The Hidden Camera Edition xD
Manipulating the interview was so fun to watch and I cracked up so much when JY all of a sudden was like, ‘This wood is 36 years old’, because he counted the annual rings :D That was so random yet hilarious^^ Oh and I swear that joke about JH’s age… I feel bad for him but it’ll never get old^^ The food guessing game…Poor Junho and the pickled radish^^ And JH and DC being a little mean and make him take more bites. Love their pettiness. Thank god JM got onion pretty fast because that was a little overkill for JH. God their reactions to the special juice…priceless^^ I admit I did a little happy dance for JH to get the third indoor sleeping spot =) He has suffered long enough and JY had luck always on his side until now.
I could watch them being all confused after the kiss of the morning angel every week :D My reaction would probably be the same as Park Shin Hye’s > trying to suppress laughter^^
LOL at the PD’s forgetting to count right answers because of Shin Hye (though she was adorable doing the movements)^^ But nothing trumps Yu PD participating in the speed quiz :D Love him!

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Good parents in dramaland always have to die, especially if they do so sacrificing themselves for their children.

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Yep.

Nice parents are not allowed by law to stay in kdramaland.

http://kdramalaws.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/good-parent-ban/

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Funny website. Thanks for posting.

As to good parents: one of the reasons I like A Little Love Never Hurts is the good parents/bad parents. The bad parents turn to good parents and then they stay that way. There is one formally bad father who is currently in the recovery room after an operation, but I predict he will wake up with a successful result in the next episode.

Of course, now that we are on episode 49 of 50, all the kids are angels.

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That is not totally true. Sometimes they are allowed to stay if they first get some horrible disease first. Or amnesia. Or both.

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JSW totally does that eye-loving so well. I esp loved it in The Classic, when he handed that firefly to SYJ. Gaaahhhhh...

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Tazza is so difficult to find, I ended up buying the DVD, but it is worth it. I quite liked it.

After last week's discussion about JSW I started to watch God's Gift, am at ep 6 now and I must confess I am underwhelmed. :/ I'll finish it, because it is Jo Seung Woo and he is great, but the whole rest is very disappointing. The police procedures are laughable and get bended all for the sake of the plot. But just like in I Can Hear Your Voice and the unprofessional legal dealings in that show I can't tolerate such obvious mistakes. Also I'll never become a fan of Lee Bo Young.

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Well the new month is coming (= money :P) and the new MBLAQ album wants to be bought as well^^ So... I guess I am off to ordering those two things xD

Well we can't all like it. I have learnt not to take police work or anything regarding legal stuff too serious in KDramas because it would just give me severe headaches. But I got right sucked into the whole story from episode one and I enjoy the ride. JSW is just awesome and I really like LBY but that's all very subjective. Also, I am a big sucker for 'parents trying to save their children' stories :D

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Okay question regarding Tazza: Do you know where to find the DVD with Regional Code 2 and Eng subs? Because the only ones I can find with Eng Subs are either Region 1 or 3 and I can't watch those -.-

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http://www.zoommovie.com/korean-movie/tazza-the-high-rollers/dvd-2863

Also I invested 30 Euros in a DVD player that could be de-coded and I'm able to watch all DVDs now. ;)

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Thanks =)

Well I'd actually have to look for an external DVD player for my laptop since I am mostly watching movies on my laptop (I don't have a DVD player at my student residence so...). But considering my love for Korean Movies and Dramas and the fact that it's easier to get them with English subs for Region 1 should justify the purchase of a Region 1 player :D

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Lots of the DVDs are much cheaper if you buy them not in Region 2. So the investment for the player is soon refunded.

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Ohh, where did you get that?
I did a quick search on Amazon for region code free DVD players, but they were all super expensive...

Well, although our DVD player actually can play my Face Reader DVD, although it's supposedly region 3 as well - not sure whether it's the DVD or the player, but I won't complain either way xD

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I've got a Samsung DVD Player. It was on sale in a store, I checked the Internet with the exact type number, brand name etc. and decided to buy it, as I found an instruction which number combination is to enter with the help of the remote to de-code it. The guarantee is lost after that, but as the player was so cheap it is a manageable amount.

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Hi there, I'm a JSW fan too!! Absolutely love his voice. Have you seen Who Are U? (the movie, not the drama). My favorite scene is when JSW grabs his guitar and sings his heart out in front of the computer. His friend, who was sleeping across the room, wakes up and gives him a wtf look (dude, people are trying to sleep here!)

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I haven't found Who are U yet...But if I do I'll definitely watch it ;)

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doramax264 has it

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Greetings my Wondrous Beans!

I have nothing to add. I'm all squeed out. Just wanted to say hey.

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(nods understandingly)

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JoAnne -

Completely understandable.

Sending you and the SqueeTeam a big thank you.

Have a great weekend!

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Why no squee for SLA???!!! WAEEEEE.???!!

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I haven't even seen Ep 4 yet Enz! But that kiss in the garage. Well.

I think this one might be too ACTUALLY hot to squee without embarrassment.

I told someone on Twitter that what I want is for this drama to be redone, each time with a different puppy, as the last project they take on before MS. First this, then the Army, then they come back as men. It will be a rite of passage.

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Of course, it could all end in death and destruction or a WTF half naked body in a pool.

I can pretty much guarantee it will end in at least some of the above, I think.

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NO!

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Please NO! I swear, I will not go through another flippin kdrama for a sudden death in the last 30 secs again! I've had 2, which is 2 to many. NO!NO!NO!NO! I will always wait till they are completed and I don't here any screams of rage from worldwide beanies. I think I'll stop now till it's complete.

Well that didn't last 30 sec. Just please, no.

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Ha! Love the reference to one of the biggest WTF endings ever! The show that I just don't love to hate, I simply hate.

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No way, i think very few puppies can do this role. But its a great idea for a rite of passage!!

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Poor Enz, still looking for squeers. I promise I will get on board - I'm sure next episode will do the trick. Or at least after he takes a shower *wink wink*

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It's a hard life when fame hits and you are in such demand! Your squeecaps are excellent but it is mind boggling to me how you guys can do so many, so quickly. Obviously you have it down to a science now - didn't your say your first one took 5 days or something crazy like that? Well done, ladies.

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Korazy Lady -

Yes! We haven't quite reached a year - WAML Episode 1 posted around the middle of April last year - but it's amazing when you see that first one (which was basically a short essay on Hand Towel's abs) to 4 or 5 we have going on simultaneously.

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WAML - (such a luscious mind wander) suits, shirts, and shirtless^^

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I keep hearing about this squeecaps
Can someone kindly give me the direct link to the squeecaps pls juseyo (۳º̩̩́_º̩̩̀)۳

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@okiejune sshi
Kamsahamnida :D ~

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Happy Friday!

Maybe somone here can help me finding an old song...

I'm currently watching "The Last Match", and quite enjoying it, eventhough it's an old drama (1994). Anyway, I'm looking for a song that Javabeans mentioned a few years ago, but the download link is dead, and I couldn't find the song on youtube etc.

The song is called “새로운 사랑을” (Newfound love)

and here is the relevant post:

http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/11/stepping-into-jang-dong-guns-shoes/

If someone can help me find the song, I'll really appreciate it.

Thanks!

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http://yadi.sk/d/lrHRI1B3LPw3X
You should be able to download it from here.

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Thanks a million! You made my day!

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Dramabeans ate my commet.. trial nr 2:

Happy friday hope you all are good!
Smog is back after week of blue sky. Still spring is here *break into the tom lehrer song*

Kdrama toddlers will get an update later!

Watching:
Bride of the century: glad the course is revesled. Still wish she would have toødd him her real identity. Hopefully the angst won't be too painfull.

Wtfparis: marathoned this thanks to the squeecap gang. Wtf sid i just watch? Why do i kinda want more? And SJR is awesome.

Heartless city; just started watching this. Why did i not watch this before? Baksa <3 also soo don't die and leave the bromance

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Hi Manin,

I hope you've had a better week and your spirits are lifted.

Very much enjoying and watching Bride of the Century also.

So glad that I watched Heartless City (Cruel City) and met the main quartet of characters Baksa, Lee Jin-Sook, Safari, and Kim Hyun-Soo. Baksa is such a memorable character and was a great role for Jung Kyoung-Ho.

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August:

Yes, this week has been a bit better. how are you?

Bride of the century is good. It's pretty much every cliche out there in a way, but it's done quite well so it drags you in doesn't it?

Yes, I saw a clip of his fighting scene in ep 1. And just had to see what this is all about. Know I'm way behind everyone else on watching it but wow.

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OMG you're watching WTFParis and Heartless City at the same time. That is an AWESOME drama week you're having!

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We actually have SqueeCapped all three: Heartless City, BOTC, and WTHParis. LOL
We are hipsters! Or some geriatric equivalent, lol.

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While you are into doing horrible awful really bad dramas, you might as well do "Panda & Hedgehog" while you are at it :)

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Actually, that one is in the works too, by bcook. The first episode is already out on the blog.
:-D

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Shuk: Yes I saw the squeecap for the first episode of Heartless city so started to watch it. Already finished WTFParis and want someone to discuss it with! :p

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Mary: Yes yes I am! Feel like I need to start two weeks as well soon for SJR. Or rewatch the good bits "The moon that embraces the sun" (never realized until I stumbled upon that interview on your blogg that he was in it..)

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Manin -

Hope you're doing well this week.

Sounds like you're really enjoying your dramas! Fantastic!

I'll have to get to what you're watching at a later time. .... My "to watch later list" is too long! There are just not enough hours in a day!

Although, currently I am watching Jung Kyung-ho (from Heartless City) in Time Between Dog and Wolf. ..... I swear, he looks the same. .... Not older, not younger. The same.

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I think LJK hasn't changed much, too. Although sometimes I can be very biased abot him.

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It's the hair - that crazy mop between TBD&W, My Girl, Arang, etc etc. His face: the same.

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juja & Shukmeister -

Totally true.

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Korfan:

Yes this week is better. Just had some bad news though. Still been a better week. How are things on your end of the world?

Haha I actually lost my "to watch" -list (yes there was an actual list.. needed a way to keep track) so now I'm just randomly picking up things. At least most of them are marathon-able by now? :P

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Manin -

Glad to know your week is better.

How are things here, you ask? ...... We just had a 5.3 earthquake about half an hour ago! ...... Here I was reading OT and the shaking started!

Everything is fine though. ...... No injuries, nothing fell, the power didn't go out and I didn't lose my internet connection.

On a different note, yes a "to watch" list is a must if you want to keep track! ..... I know I need to!

Take care!

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Oh wow! That's scary! Glad everything is fine and no injuries though. Take care of yourself.

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Manin -

Thank you! ...... Aftershocks today, so everyone is feeling a little anxious, but overall everything's ok.

If anything, it's a reminder to be as prepared as possible in case something goes terribly wrong. .... There are no guarantees, of course, but we try our best.

I know it's frivolous to say, but at times like this you're kind of glad the power didn't go out so that the drama-viewing can continue! ...... The drama-viewing keeps you a little distracted from more serious events for a while, at least.

Anyway, you take care also and have a good week.

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Hope you're feeling better and having a great visit with your dad. Don't underestimate the power of polllution.

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I am thanks. How are things with you Carole?

Still got another week to go before my dad gets here but I'm really loking forward to it. Need to pack stuff to send home with him though :p

Pollution is slightly depressing. I try to make sure to always wear my mask but I must say it's getting a little warm wearing it :P

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take care of yourself!

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Bride of the Century is the show I look forward to the most and highly anticipate each week. So excited, less than an hour before the BOTC raw live stream starts.

- Great chemistry
- Nice kisses
- Skinship fanservice
- Witty banter between the OTP
- Interesting characters and plot
- Romance
- Light Melo
- Lee Hong-Ki, Yang Jin-Sung, & Coco the Kitten :)
- Gem of a Drama

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Happy weekend beanies!

So let's talk about Secret Love Affair. I've only watched up to episode 3 so SPOILERS up to there. Feel free to talk about episode 4 if you reply though. I'll try to watch it before I reply. Work is really messing with my drama watching schedule tho. Adult life, blegh.

Anyway while I like the style and mood of the drama, I'm just not sure how I feel about how the plot is shaking out so far. Like what was the point of - SPOILER - killing off Seon Jae's mother except to give him a reason to hold off on joining the music school for awhile? I wish they had done so either at a later date or found a different way to make that happen because it was hard to feel anything about his mother's death when it happened so abruptly and when we barely got to know her as a character beforehand. It truly felt like just a plot twist which seems kind of cheap. Also how fast did they organize that funeral? Adding to that, does anyone know how much time passes before she sends him the book? They said something about him going to do his military service - did that happen? YAI did a great job with that scene of Seon Jae crying while reading the book though.

Also I feel like the kiss happened so quickly?! Although it seems more like a broken boy reaching out to someone he desperately hopes will anchor him than anything romantic which I suppose is the point. I also wish they had allowed us to see the kiss from Hye Won's POV as well. Filmed as it was, it was hard to connect with what was happening because I couldn't see how she was responding to it. Perhaps that was the point tho as I feel that scene was more about Seon Jae and his need for someone than her.

I like that we finally get to see Seo Young Woo humanized a bit. I feel so bad for her and her ilk. Yeah, she's rich and mean but she's SO isolated and unhappy. I also feel like Hye Won's job is so exhausting, juggling the competing interests of these perpetually feuding rich people. It's not worth the money.

Sad to see Seon Jae's cute friend pimping himself out. I thought he was an announcer, not an actor - why is he getting involved in that?

I'm also really curious as to where they plan to take Dami's character. She seems more like a petulant little sister than someone I care for.

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I'm enjoying that drama so much I started ep 4 without subs just to see what happened next. After I figured out what happened I waited to re-watch with subs.

I feel like the drama doesn't need us to care about his mother so much as see the devastation it brings to Seon Jae's state of mind. That it did.

I also wondered how much time had gone by when he received that book. 3,6,12 months?

I liked the kiss. A lot. Even though it was kind of an attacking kiss, I saw is as an artist reaching for his muse for comfort. Actually, I think the music used in this is great and I would love to know the piece that played during that scene. Does anyone know it?

As for daughter,step mom, dad.... these people give me a headache. You (the drama) can humanize them all you want, but they're just petty, selfish, whiny people. With a lot of greed and self entitlement. Ugh!

His friends, well the girl clings like sand spur and annoys me as much. The boy needs to find another way to make a living. At least they are both loyal friends and tried to help him.(That's for #4)

Anyway to avoid spoilers I'm not going to say anything more except I want the next episode now!

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That's an interesting way of looking at the kiss. I guess I didn't like it because it was too much like typical drama kisses where the man is the aggressor and the woman barely responds. I was expecting this show (given the tone and the cable channel) to not fall prey to those conventions. It's like Hey, women enjoy kisses too if they aren't forced on them! Female sexuality must really be a terrifying thing to some people.
But anyway, I just find it difficult to enjoy a kiss if only one person is enjoying it (or in this case, if I don't even know if the other person is enjoying it because I can't see her reaction). But idk, maybe those are just my own issues talking.
I did like the way the music started just as he approached her though - the drama is using music sparingly but I like that because it's not overwhelming. I don't know the music but maybe check the Viki comments? There's someone who usually posts the names of the piano pieces they play so perhaps they'll have named that piece as well.

While I agree that his mother's death seems to serve the purpose of allowing us (and Hye Won) to see him vulnerable, I wish then that they hadn't actually shown her at all. They could have just said she died suddenly. As it is, it just seems disingenuous to treat a character like that - simply using her to advance someone else's development with none of her own. It might be bothering me so much because it's a female character being sacrificed for a male character's development which is just SO typical and frustrating. But again, those might be my own issues coming to the fore.

Anyway I don't dislike the show - I just feel a bit confused as to where it's going but perhaps that's the point, to keep us on our toes.

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The kiss was all about SJ but we focused on her in the aftermath. She invited him in, the camera stayed with her as she went to make tea and heard the news her husband was on his way home.

I hope the next kiss is shown differently but I'm not unhappy with their first kiss. She was aware of his feelings before but until the kiss she seemed amused, flattered and tiny bit flustered but afterward there was a realisation that it wasn't 100% one sided.

All IMO of course.

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I think the whole point of the kiss was to be one-sided and a little ambiguous. It was all mixed signals—Hye Won kept her mouth open even as he was obviously positioning himself to kiss her, she dropped her purse (which seems to be a sign of a great Kdrama kiss, at least based on Love Rain), but then she made a scared little noise and pushed him away at the end. The movie SLA was based on really built all of its tension from whether or not the female lead was using the male lead or actually loved him, and this is sort of a nod to that.

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I think everything about Secret Love Affair wants to take viewers out of their comfort zone. It's an interesting watch, for sure, but with it's odd camera angles, random abrupt happenings (aka his Mom), and intricate schemings I think it will take me a little longer to fully engage in it.

As far as the garage kiss, he seemed like such a wounded, pathetic animal impulsively trying to find a way to break from his pain. And he is just one of the many fractured characters in this drama.

Interestingly, she also had an obnoxious husband and turned to an affair in a Wife's Credentials, only this time she's the strong one in her marriage. (I''ve also seen her as the mega sexy adulteress in My Husband's Woman.) I am really anxious to see how this affair unfolds. It must be heady stuff for someone her age to be so adored by someone like him. I think the "real fun" is just beginning and when it does, we better put on our seat belts. I'm sure it will be one tumultuous ride!

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Korazy Lady ~

abrupt happenings (aka his Mom)

The way that issue was depicted on the screen was a cross between WTF & LOL

Spoiler for SECRET LOVE AFFAIR

Implied Truck Of Doom
Funeral House
Cremation

Wham, Bam, Ash in a Can, all in about 2 minutes.

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The three of them silently screaming and banging on the window while we're still wrapping our head around what happened - it's powerful stuff. I need to watch this one early in the evening because if you doze, you may miss an important development!

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LOL! Well put. I wonder if that was how it was written in the first draft.

*still giggling* :)

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Replying to your later comment about the nail polish since I can't reply directly to it:

I really like your take on the scene. While I also felt that his words allowed her to briefly see herself in a different light, I felt that she took off the nail polish because she saw her husband and felt guilty about letting herself get carried away by this kind of attention from someone else. Also did you notice that they sleep in separate beds? I felt like she shut it down because she knew it was improper for her to be dwelling on his infatuation with her and she didn't want to give it too much weight. But I can definitely see your interpretation as well.

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@ soprection

I can see why you think the husband may have a part in it; and he might, just a little. However, I do think it has more to do with how his words made her FEEL. She took the nail polish off as if she was getting rid of her emotions.

I did notice they slept in separate beds, which means to me there is no emotion in the marriage. She definitely knows it's improper, but she can't even seem to appreciate such thoughts from someone when she has shut her emotional needs down so completely.

Thanks for the feedback, especially since that scene was so realistic to me.

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SPOILERS
They had to kill off his mother to shake his world in its foundation. It is a sudden massive loss on the so far most important day of his life. If that doesn't shake you, I don't know what.
We needed this development so that both Hye Won and Seo Jae are able and willing to cross a line plotwise. Something big had to happen to slowly start the affair.

The kiss was desperate. His world seized to exist and she is like a goddess to him. It is good, that we didn't see her reaction, because the viewer has to ponder over it longer. Their affair is not going to be something that hits you in the face. It will be complicated, passionate and layered. This scene is the garage was executed and acted so well and it is still a riddle that has to be solved. Just wonderful.

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His acting in phenomenal. I'm reluctant to say on here the I have never found him appealing, but I don't think it will end up mattering much because I'm sure his acting will make me end up craving him, lol!

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Don't feel bad. I saw Yoo Ah-In in The Man Who Can't Get Married and didn't even realize he was the same guy people were obsessing over when he started blowing up not too long after that. He (and his acting) didn't leave much of an impression there at all.
His acting does seem to have improved here but I still don't find him attractive, although he does have a cute, doughy face, like a child. I assume its the acting that wins people over but this is only the second thing I've seen him in so jury's still out for me.

Just fyi, if you've never seen The Man Who Can't Get Married, check it out, man, because it's so good - full of odd, interesting characters and it really doesn't feel like the typical K-drama. It's actually a remake of a J-drama and you can definitely see that in the tone, plot and characterization.

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I have watched that, and you're right, I didn't even recognize him! I literally went and looked up the cast to see if it could be him. I had already seen him in SKKS and while everyone was all gaga over him, I was making the acquaintance of Song Joong Ki, one of my true loves, lol.

Appearancewise, he does nothing for me. I don't find his character charismatic or particularly sympathetic at the moment, either. Emotionally damaged yes, but I'm hoping that angst and lust are not all the relationship is built on.

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Pillow lips and soulful eyes. That is all.

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Something I really loved about this kiss is that it wasn't shot in the typical K-drama format - zoom in on the lips, zoom out and pan around the couple. That we don't even get to see their faces just makes this kiss that much more intimate.

Does she close her eyes and relax? Does she give in to the kiss and tentatively raise an arm to half-halfheartedly embrace him? Who knows.

What we do get to see is a moment of resistance and shock followed by her dropping her purse; for a brief moment she loses control of herself and the situation.

I love the intensity and heat of this show and I love how it's portrayed, not in longing looks (so far) but rather with his trying to reign in his overwhelming emotions and her coming to terms with her own.

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ALSO can we talk about Seon Jae and his whole "she's a goddess, i'm totally taken with her, scent of a woman" thing because the whole time he was typing that, I was just sitting there like "Is this boy crazy? He doesn't even know this woman!" Talking about he feels like he's been reborn since his encounter with her. Like whoa, hyperbole much? Is that just supposed to express his youth and naivete? Is it supposed to tell us he has the soul of an artist because he gets carried away so easily? That doesn't sound like love to me but obsession.

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soprection ~

Re: scent of a woman thing.

When she sniffed her own arm, I laughed.

Yeah, the boy is caught up in lust. A lustful virgin (?) who has the hots for a rich older women. Yeah, the boy has it bad.

How's the Van Halen song go?

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I think he is infatuated with her world. It's a world that he only has access to through randomly (or fatefully) meeting her. she represents all that, passion, opportunity, escape, a whole new world. He is so naive and she is so not. Interesting.

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owl ~

I was kind of disappointed when she removed the nail polish from her toe.

The security guard calling her when Sun-Jae was contemplating her foot. Busted !

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The CCTV/security cameras in Korea (at least in kdramaland) are SO invasive!

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Loved that scene. He seems to have a slight foot fetish, but he also wanted to do something good for her as he feared she'd wake up. He cares for her. Nobody else really cares for her, nobody else does something for her, they all want something.

The CCTV camera could be the foreboding that they'll be found out.

I have a hard time to remember when was the last time I saw a show where every single scene was open to so many interpretations.

So cleverly and well done.

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I loved the scene where he was so nervous around her as she washed her feet of the glue and then suddenly, as if he coukdnt bear it anymore, he looked away. I LOVED that scene

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It was like if he watched a second longer, he wouldnt be able to control himself and would need to let his hormones take over!!

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I understood why she did it, but I was also disappointed. To me, that was a very poignant and reveling scene as to her character.

Painting your toes is a very feminine thing. We do it to make ourselves look and feel good generally. Many times they are hidden in shoes or under desks, so they are not seen; it's just for ourselves. She allowed herself to feel feminine for only a short while, then reverted back to the capable, emotionless, sexless wife and employee.

If she were to have kept the polish on, she would remember that she was a female, not an automaton. Therefore she would have to confront the fact that he sees her as a woman, where she barely acknowledges it.

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@ Enz - I thought it was very obvious that SJ was sporting an erection watching her. Or is it just my dirty mind?

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@newbie. I'd have to rewatch! But going by his reaction, he should be. Too much to observe and i didnt look THEREhaha

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Lol. Me neither. I saw it in his face. :P Pure want.

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Newbie, i think erection spotted!! :p. After he rearranged her shoes, there was a scene that captured a side profile and then he wouldn't face her as he continued talking to her while she washed her feet. He also kind of kept putting his hands over the area.

I researched for the good of beanies everywhere. Youre welcome!

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Lol! That's the scene I meant. Guess I have to go and re-watch. Again. Life is hard.

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I like that - that is a good way of looking at it. It would tie into him calling her a goddess because she's helping grant something he could never accomplish in his own strength.

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I love Sun Jae's obsessive love =X He's like Sweet Potato from INR3 done right—youthful, earnest, and so incredibly taken with an older woman that he can't see straight. Many Kdrama love stories feel kind of problematic for me because of how creepy and overbearing the male leads tend to be. (Like Kim Tan from Heirs. A slideshow of your stalker photos is not how you should be showing your appreciation, you Stan.) But Sun Jae just strikes me as really, wonderfully romantic and genuine. Hye Won is the first person he's really been able to connect with about his passion for the piano, and on top of that she's a beautiful woman. So he's out of control in love with her. I regret that he forced her to kiss him, but I think that without that scene his character would have just been silly wish-fulfillment for ajummas like me. Being enraged and lashing out makes him feel like a real, flawed human being. I can't wait to see where they go with his pursuit of Hye Won...it has a lot of potential to actually be like Heirs. But I think the screenwriter will make it work even for picky me.

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Soprection, it was totally in keeping with his character taht he would feel like that.

FINALLY meeting someone beautiful cultured from the art world and THEN having her appreciate his talent and CONNECT so completely through shared love of music, she must have exceeded his wildest imagination of how a meeting like that would be.

I comepletely got how he must have felt. Its like some of us woth this drama i suppose. We had some expectations based on the director and cast and subject matter and then to see the vision that was created, it exceeded at least my expectations and i am IN LOVE. Totally consumed by the drama. So, how could he not feel the same?

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The mother's daeth didnt feel anything like a plot twist. It felt like a real life death that occurs randomly and suddenly and cruelly. It did serve to make him feel even more guilty as he had been mean to her the night before and the death happened because she wanted to make it up to him for some perceived wrong that she done to him and she was buying that hand warmer thing to be supportive of his piano quest.

All that made him want to cut out that part of his life even more. So, thats how i read it.

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Plus, I felt that her death was foreshadowed very well. Doesn't she drop a dish in the very first scene she has? And fall down at another time? We have already been told that she is An Accident Waiting to Happen.

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He was so wounded when he kissed her. Softy in cadence pointed out that the were having parallel conversation. She asked about the book. When he said it made him waver, he was talking about his feelings for her ( i know you said its ridiculous that he should have those but she affected him deeply). It is not inconceivable that a young man with all his hormones suddenly meets someone who is completely in tune with his love for music would feel that 'captured'.

Back to the conversation, she thinks ( as did i actually) that he is talking about wavering on returning to music. When she calls him up on lying about being ok, she was so empathetic.

In his state of mind at that time, with "everything is hell" and with how much he connects with her ( even if one sidedly at this point), it isnt jarring that it ended with him kissing her.

The initial response was totally in keeping. I dont need to see the kiss to feel the surprise and shock that HW felt. And then HE was in turn in shock as well when he broke off the kiss.

I am not so sure though of the next response , which is to ask him in. Some are saying it was her stringing him along but i really dont feel that. I felt she lost control of herself in that moment. She leads such a claibrate calculated life,; it is so completley out of character for her to have asked him in. Her mind was not in its right place. But she snapped out of it quite quickly and she was back to her cool problem solving self.

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Sorry for the multiple grammatical and spelling mistakes. Embarrassing

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It happens in the throes of passion. ;)

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Enz, my fellow SLA drooler, loved everything you said! You perceive the show just like I do.

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I so needed squee-ers . Thanks for sharing your thoughts too.

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So do I. I am scouting the net for sites that TALK about this show. It needs to get out. There is so much to say. About. Every. Single. Scene.

This one got me hook, line and sinker.

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Agree completely with you two! Subscribe every word written by you... I've been looking for somewhere else and opened this post today looking for these kind of comments.. Let's hope it stays that way, so interesting and layered.

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Well said.

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Oh, she was definitely not leading him on.

My take on the conversation; she was always talking about the book, he was always, always talking about them.

My take on the kiss: He was possessed, absolutely unable NOT to do it. It was desire and hurt and that shot of bravery mixed with desperation you get when it's all hell, anyway. The moment she dropped her purse, she was into it.

My take on the invite into the house: it was a foregone conclusion that they'd have sex. That was her intent. She didn't even pretend to argue with him. She was completely lifted outside of hersel by the force of his need, and she only came BACK to herself when the housekeeper startled her.

Realizing that her husband was on the way home and she'd never even have known - that he would literally have walked in on her having sex with a boy he hoped would be his star - that scared her, how close she came to that. In her fear, she opts to pretend like he has misunderstood the situation. He is confused, but at this point, he's willing for her to be the leader in this. She is his teacher, the one that Fate decreed for him. When he said that, he was certainly not talking about just the piano.

And now I have to go back and look for erections.

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Wow, I think you should write for this show because this comment is selling me on the show more than the show is.

In truth though, it never occurred to me that she invited him in because she intended to sleep with him. I thought she was doing it because she was confused and needed a moment to clear her head and figure out what to do next and how to deal with what happened. But I still haven't watched episode 4 yet so.

Still I like your interpretation cause it's saucy.

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Agreed. And what is this I hear about noticeable erections? Now I must rewatch everything. For research of course

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You definitely have some very good insights into the show. It's obvious you've given it quite some thought. I also thought that he was referring to music when he talked about wavering but I didn't cotton on to the dual meaning of the conversation.

While I am unsure how I feel about Seon Jae's feelings, I don't question that he believes in the depth and intensity of them.

I think that stringing him along would go against everything that Hye Won stands for so I also think that that interpretation is incorrect. I can't say what her inviting him in could mean until I watch episode 4 and see what comes next. But I could certainly see her losing herself for a minute there as a result of the shock of the kiss and thereby doing something so out of character.

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Just want to say that I am loving all this conversation about Secret Love Affair. As people have said, it's the kind of show that gives you so much to think and talk about with every scene; there's so much going on beneath the surface, and so many potential interpretations of people's words and actions. Subtle and complex -- I am really captivated by it so far. I was a bit disappointed to see that it wasn't getting official DB recaps, but these comments have helped to make up for that.

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I've collected a bunch of links to commentary/recaps on my tumblr:

http://skellywriter.tumblr.com/

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Thank you! I hope some behind-the-scenes videos will come out too - I'd love to see them working together

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Thanks skelly!

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I agree that SeonJae's mother dying was random and abrupt. I think the purpose was to get SJ in a desperate bad situation so that at the end of episode 4 SPOILER he is invited into Hye-Won 's home by her husband.

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Anyone use flash card/vocabulary software? What do you like? Naver dictionary flashcards, Anki, Quizlet, zKorean, FLTR, etc. Do you know of others? Any apps that do flashcards for the Samsung Android phone?

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I use Hangul from TeachersParadise.com and Korean Flashcards from Bravolol or the one from BH Inc. All pretty good apps. So far though the best tutorial site I found is TalkToMeinKorean.com.

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love the bravolol app. First phrases I need to learn? "I'm not interested. Leave me alone" haha

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Hello Julia, I've found that Anki works the best for me. I study Japanese and Korean at uni, and use Anki as part of my vocabulary learning & exam preparation. I like to really customize my flashcards for best efficiency, so I use audio & pictures too. I think the spaced repetition learning that Anki and similar software provides is a great method for studying languages, especially if you intend to learn a lot of vocabulary. I have it on my android phone too which is handy when i'm not too lazy to review my cards on-to-go (usually i prefer to doze off or listen to music instead)

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Hi Everybody!

I hope you are all doing well today.

Nothing too spectacular going on around here this week, but the drama-viewing continues!

This week:

YFAS - 1 more ep to go. *sniff* ...... I have one more episode to watch and I'm missing it already. ..... Just so good.

Full Sun/Beyond The Clouds - To all the Beanies who recommended that I tune in again after I declared last week that I was unsure if I would, I'm sending you a big Thank You!! ...... I tuned in again, and as luck would have it, two eps are being broadcast so I'm up to ep 6! ...... You guys were right, it is quite interesting indeed! ...... Se-ro's quasi-breakdown in the park, as played by Yoon Kye-sang, amazing.

Biscuit Teacher Star Candy - Finished this a couple of hours ago. ...... Liked it. ..... Gong Hyo-jin just never disappoints.

Time Between Dog and Wolf - Watching it off and on. ...... Starting to get interesting now that Lee Jun-ki's character is "on the inside."

Caught a bit of two more eps of Miss Korea after a couple of weeks. ...... To be honest, I don't even know what episodes they were, but the things that were going on were pretty much where I figured they would be at this point. ...... I'll tune in again in a couple of weeks as see how things are progressing.

Watched the first episodes of the new season of Appa Oediga. ...... Everyone's still getting settled, but one thing is clear, Bi-na is a little tornado in human form. Heh.

That's about it for now. ....... Everyone take care and have a great Friday!

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korfan ~

Full Sun/Beyond The Clouds is a good drama, a shame that viewership in Korea is so small.

Good story, good acting

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John -

Indeed!

I remember you were one of the people who recommended Full Sun to me last week, so certainly a Thank You for you!

And you're right about the ratings. It is unfortunate. I wonder what that's about.

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korfan

I envy you, because you still have to watch ep.6-12 of Full Sun & it's getting so intense... Glad you're on board..
It makes 20 of us now :-(
(+ Gummimochi who is super fast to deliver great recap every week)

Another topic : does anybody know where I could watch Oh Ji-ho drama Cheo Yong with eng. sub ?? I want to check it out but can't seem to find it on any of the usual sites...

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johanna ~

Ghost Seeing Detective Cheo Yong is available on DailyMotion.

I'm including a link to FaceBook which has links to the episodes ( for some reason DailyMotion was difficult for me to navigate. )

https://www.facebook.com/notes/secret-%EC%8B%9C%ED%81%AC%EB%A6%BF-kpop/engsub-ghost-seeing-detective-cheoyong-episodes/664936746887766

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Thank youuuuuuuuu

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johanna -

I'm glad I was able to join the Full Sun viewership also!

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Yay, some Full Sun love! It´s the only drama that I´m really hooked on currently and it makes me so sad that it´s so under-appreciated. It´s not the BEST drama ever but it is good enough that I would expect a much better fan reaction. Everyone was crazy for Secret and in my opinion Full Sun has a much better story, more intriguing characters, and less makjang-ness. Sero/Yoon Kye-sang is just awesome in so many ways, and though he doesn't get as much love (gee, i wonder why), Jo Jin-woong is also giving a stand out performance. What i like best about the show is the soft, melancholy tone (created mostly by the gorgeous music) that somehow makes it seem more realistic and a little contemplative- less like a Melodrama (capital M). And while it isn't really breaking out of the standard melodrama tropes, it is hitting its plot points and revealing its secrets relatively quickly so we can move on to consequences and fall out. Really excited for where the story could potentially go next week now that most the stuff set up in the premise has played out. Full Sun fighting!!!

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Pearl~ai88 ~

less makjang-ness

Exactly ! It has a lot of the Drama tropes without the mind numbing makjangery.

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Pearl~ai88 & John -

Less makjang-ness / makjangery is always cool!

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Watching

K Drama:

Empress Ki: Ki & Tal Tal would have made a good Power Couple

Bride Of The Century: Yang Jin Sung you have a new fan.

Inspiration Generation: Fighting !

God's Gift: The husband is a dirt bag. Soo Hyun & Dong Chan would be a good couple

Secret Love Affair: Have the Hubby deliver Boy Toy to house.

Full Sun: Se-ro, run away with Young-won and Grandmother

Ghost-Seeing Detective Cheo Yong: Oh Ji Eun !

Various J dramas.

I stumbled on to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu :)

Also, check out My Beautiful Woman

https://www.youtube.com/user/WacoalThailand

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Inspirational Generation - when all else fails, bring in the phone brigade! Create mass technological confusion, just lol!

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owl ~

Yes, very "high tech" for the times. So-so the operator.

Too bad they couldn't have worked in a Lily Tomlin 1 Ringy Dingy, 2 Ringy Dingy meta reference.

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So yeah this week for most of the week I've put drama watching on hold, because I found this clip of Kwon Jin-ah on youtube and my immediate reaction was I'd buy her album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIKqmpJCpHQ&list=FLrSiv6BIos-TOrIBw_xzNnw&index=19

With a little research I found she was a contestant on K-Pop Star 3 which presented a problem all by itself for me as I despise American Idol and the soulless corporate produced crap it produces. Still I found it in English subs and gave it a try and fell in love as despite the fact I still say JYP and YG produce the kind of soulless music I hate, they're at least looking for someone more talented than American Idol. With that I spent this week catching up on the 17 episodes I've been able to find with English subtitles. Now I'm happy as it looks like in recent episodes Kwon Jin-ah is finally getting the attention she deserves from the judges and producers. For my money and in my opinion as much as I love the shorties, Almeng, and to a much lesser degree Bernard and Sam, Kwon Jin-ah is in my opinion by far the best singer and still the only one of the bunch that I would buy an album by. If she wins like I hope she does I hope she picks Antenna Music over JYP and YG.

Is anyone else watching K-Pop Star 3? Who are you rooting for to win?

On the drama front I did manage to finish this weeks episodes of Bride of the Century. Have to say I was disappointed I wanted more from the supernatural element than that.

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Hello all,
thanks to the time change (Europe changes this weekend), I have a little time to make a post, before I get super busy.
Thus... I wish all of you a happy and warm spring and many happy hours in the Dramaland ;--) (But go outside sometimes as well, flowers are blooming, sun shining... at least here :--) ).

PS Sad Choi Jin Hyuk in black is soo hot... though I cried buckets...

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Dorotka - Glad you are getting flowers there. The daffodils are doing fine, but the rhododendrons don't even have a blush of color yet.

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Good morning beanies! So behind on my dramas right now and have just been surviving with the recaps. Work is getting in the way of my drama watching. :(

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I. Can't. Get. Enough. Of. Song. Jae. Rim. *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE*
There's so much Mo Il Hwa these few eps I'm practically dying of happiness and fangirl mode overload.

I need MOar. MOre Il Hwa and im basically praying that someone writes a Fanfic on the MoSo OTP.

and and and SJR was/is/forever shall be such a badass MOfo in AOF. (pun. heh)

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Have a Mo Il Hwa video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJOFT7pJSY

:D

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Also I finally watched the final episode of Let's Eat. I know it's late but I didn't want it to be over. :((((

Anyway I loved the ending. I actually teared up when they read the rice poem. I feel like it summed up the essence of the show beautifully.

I love that Jinyi finally learned what's really important and saw that her father isn't totally innocent but still managed to retain her positive outlook. If anyone could not only forgive but befriend Kwangsuk after what happened, it's her. I also appreciate that they managed to redeem his character. I also love that SooKyung was finally there for Jinyi when she needed her without her having to ask her to be there. I feel like the gang are a little makeshift family now and it's lovely.

It was good to see Lawyer Kim finally let go of Soo Kyung for good. I was afraid he was about to guilt trip her again but he saved himself. I loved getting to see SooKyung and DaeYoung being cute and couple-y together. I only wished we had gotten a proper kiss because the first one was awkward. And they totally teased us with it too! But him taking that selca while kissing her cheek was ADORABLE. I also loved how KyungMi grilled DaeYoung when she came over, haha.

I was really pleasantly surprised by DooJoon's acting here. I was able to forget who he was and see him as his character most times and that's a really good sign.

The show wasn't perfect - I never loved how they treated Lawyer Oh's character, although I always appreciated her confidence (but them equating her dieting with regaining her confidence is questionable at best); the murderer/stalker storyline could have been dealt with better and I had issues with the way they approached KyungMi and the Manager's marriage - but despite that, I love the show and I loved all of the characters and I am going to miss it terribly. It was funny and silly and cute and clever and it really brightened my days.

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soprection ~

Let's Eat is on my permanent favorites list. I miss them.

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Why is the special not being shown on gooddrama??!! Hs anyone seen it anywhere??

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I looked for the special on Viki and it isn't there either. But I want to see it too. :(

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Yeah, I miss Let's Eat and thought the poem was a nice touch as well.

If you haven't already, you might want to add your comments to the Series Review of Let's Eat.

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Ok, so....

Before dramas... A relative just died. She had the same name as my Mom. It feels very creepy. I like my uncle and want to console him, but neither me or my Mom really want to go to the funeral. But they were in Spain so I don´t even know where she´ll be buried.

Russia, Putin and the other freaks: When I compared Putin to Jae Kyung last time, I also realized that Europe. the World, is acting like the father was. I hope they wake up as harshly and do something. Now we need a Hwi Kyung, the hero to bring the villain down. Where is he in this situation? So are there drama villains in real life, but no heroes? No way...
Russian citizens think their country has the right to occupy and ethnically "clean" other countries. Well, I say, make life livable in your own country first, then your citizens wouldn´t have to flee their home. They have always invaded others´ land and pillaged like there is no tomorrow. they are only capable of destruction. They can´t just work their ass off on their own, they need to take from others. Also, could a caged animal be set free and live on its own? they don´t manage without the dictatorship... next to Russia, even North Korea has hope. At least people want to be free. Now I know how south koreans feel living next to a psycho.

Dramas going slow. Don´t feel like watching. I have been busy with art. Why do I go through so much trouble to make a sheet of metal rust? it should be easy, but it is like witchcraft to me. Instead of rusting, it turns bright blue in my hands. what the hell...

question.... ah, I dunno really. who is the best roommate in dramaland? or who are the best roommates, cause there are many.... ah I know who you are going to name - Sweet Potato. Right? any others? or does he win hands down?

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Yeah, sometimes you have to go to the funeral...cause sadly, the time will come when they will also have to come to funerals in our family. Sad but true. We will need comfort one day from those relatives. One of the hardest things in life..funerals.

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redfox -

Sending you my condolences regarding the death of your relative.

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Hope everyone at Harvard has fun tonight! I'm always so curious about the attendees' reactions to them! You all should come back to the OT to post summaries. :)

No dramas for me late, still concentrating on my running. Just watching a movie now and then.

Great trailers came out this week! X-Men Days of Future's Past and the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was pleasantly surprised by the TMNT one, even though they made Mikey look scary/weird/uglyish. :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

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Good morning, everyone! :D

I'm catching up on Cunning Single Lady and it is so good! It really reminds me of Persuasion by Jane Austen.

I watched the first episode of Bride of the Century, but I found it boring. But I'm reading the recaps and I think I'm going to give it a second chance.

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Ooo, I think you're right about the Jane Austen comparison! I LOVE Persuasion. I think my liking of CSL just went up by association, lol :)

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Hey beanies, it's been a long while since I've been here.

I wanted to watch an older drama but I'm not so sure. Any recommendations? I'm thinking of neukkim since JB and GF have mentioned it many times. Maybe MiSA or the lat match or sandglass?

P.S. Are there any lakorn watching beanies around with suggestions, I've completed full house thai and rak boon. I don't really like the slap kiss revenge types like sawan biang so any rom commish suggestions????

Another question I would like to ask is where can I find them with good english subs to watch. I can't use viki, hulu DF in my country. I generally have to download a drama to watch it peacefully *hangs head in shame but perks up immediately after* Anyways a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do for her drama fix right?

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MiSa for sure. My fave melo ever. <3

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Jasmin's Lakhorns has a lot of titles for download.

- I liked Roy Mai. It's got past / present overlap (the heroine ends up going back to to relive her ancestor's life), the supernatural element (that also cross time), not a lot of annoying relatives (but a few, I'll grant), and I looked forward to the ending.

Unfortunately I did watch it on Viki, though it might be on YouTube. And the Viki Thailand channel on YT has a few.

Good luck!

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Definitely try Feelings- why? Lee Jung Jae. ;D plus the plot was good and stuff, lol. Just don't expect the standard RomCom resolution.

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@tokkioncrack - I'm definitely a lakorn watcher beanie! Try Oum Ruk or Sood Sanae Ha for rom comedies. Both are with Ann and Ken, a much beloved couple and great actors, both of them.

Some other recommendations that aren't rom com, but aren't slap kiss type dramas, these are just regular dramas or melodramas that are good - Taddao Bussaya, Roy Marn.

Like Shuk said, you can check out Jasmin's lakorns. They have lakorns to download there, hq ones are found on alwaysmeena though. They also have a list of completed lakorns with english subs too. Hope that helps.

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Taddao Bussaya was a fun rom-com/gender bender I think you might like! I watched it on wishboniko's channel on youtube which I believe has been closed (broke my heart)....

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Bride of the century

Secret love affair

Two best show on my tv/computer

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Hello Beanies,

It's been a while, months? In the middle of the season paper writing hell now so this could be a rare appearance lol.

Impressions: Not really loving any show.

Loved Let's Eat, that was a bright spot.

Can We Love had it's moments and some interesting character stuff.

Full House Thai was charming. Could have wrapped in 16 episodes.

Dropped Miss Korea and Golden Rainbow.

Emergency Couple- Behind, not sure I care if I catch up.

Age of Feeling: Well, Mo Il Hwa is fun.

Secret Love Affair: Wake me up if something hot happens.

Bride of the Century-Started off with a bang, personality transplants happened, so, yeah.

Cunning Single Lady-I really like the cast more than show itself.

I hope everyone else is enjoying at least one drama, because I'm totally in the dumps. Boo. Hoping for something fun soon.

Happy Viewing Beanies!

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How about checking out In A Good Way, the Taiwanese drama? I know most T-dramas tend to be OTT, but this gem is definitely the exception.

It's a slice of life college drama and I think you'll love it for the writing, acting, awesome OST/BGM, and an exceptional OTP that will make you squeal and swoon on both in reel and real. :D

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Hi all:

Still waiting for Spring in these parts.

Present Drama crack: Angel's Revenge. Oh my gosh! This drama is so good. At 48 episodes now, we're about midway in our vengeful journey and wow the nastiness and obsession of Big Bad Tae-jeong and his deluded wife JiHui is affecting me viscerally. I actually feel anger when he comes on the screen. Not something I usually feel about villains, who generally only affect me mentally. The baddies in this drama seriously make me grit my teeth. I like that they affect me in such an emotional way. Makes me remember again how stories are supposed to affect us.

God's Gift: Really loving Dong Chan. R?eally finding him a fun delightful character. Have accepted heroine's impetuousness. She and her daughter share the same trait of doing/saying something without quite thinking it through. You want to shake them, especially Mom who should know better.

Secret Love Affair: Ah me, moral treachery will soon be afoot...twice over. Not sure if I can watch this. Student will be betraying male mentor and girlfriend. Wifey will be betraying hubby and hair-dresser. I know they made his girlfriend a little prickly and pushy but that's a trait we have been taught to like in other characters..so I can't dislike her. Same thing for cuckolded-to-be hubby. I don't dislike him. Makes it hard, then, to be fully on board with this adultery...piano porn not withstanding.

Inspiring Generation: I decided to jump into chapter 22 after avoiding this for a while. Gotta say the whole operation reminded me of The Sting...as done by a high school acting class, especially the fake telephone routing bit. Couldn't watch the entire thing. Not hating it but...just wow.

Didn't watch a lot of new dramas this week, but watched a few k-movies and looked at a few old dramas.

Haven't watched my weekly j-dramas yet..but it looks as if Lost Days and Tantei have some new subs.

Have a great weekend, all.

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But is Da Mi really his girlfriend? I think it's one-sided. He refused to kiss her several times and he said to his teacher that she is not his gf. She pushes herself into his life, they might have known each other for a very long time and she had his mom's support. Though his signals are not the strongest ones, he definitely doesn't see her as his girlfriend. He knows, that he wants something very different from life.

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True, she really isn't. She wants to be. He's been kinda non-committal to her without really telling her the big "NO, you're not for me!"

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::SPOILER::

Carole, are you also a bit irritated with the suggested incest in Lost Days? In fact, I'm getting irritated with suggested or shown incest in all programs these days. It's like they're saying we're never supposed to be comfortable with our brothers and cousins any more.

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J-dramas definitely have an obsession with incest. I don't know why but they do it a lot lately. Sometimes a k-drama -- such as Bride o the century-- has a sniff of incest but never so blatantly as in J-dramas.

I like Wataru. I had hoped he wouldn't fall into the typical hentai outside-the-norm-and-worthy-of-our-pity-and-disgust character one finds in certain j-dramas. It annoys me and although he definitely seems very conflicted about his attraction to his sister, am not happy that the writers decided to go so overboard in making him a "monster" that they made him a victim of obsessive love for his sister. It just seems to frickin dismissive and judgmental, as if "he isn't normal so he is not like us."

One thing I can't stand is the way certain traits in j-dramas are used to readily make us know who to hate. I know American films do the same thing and we kinda know who to hate by how a character is depicted. But the demonizing of certain folks in j-drama and certain traits really bug me. So the incest thing is really annoying me. Especially when one sees how easily the sins and weirdnesses of the other characters seem to be forgiven by the writers.

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I totally agree, especially how other characters' bad traits are forgiven, but the "demon" is unforgivable. Either they all own up to their crap and try to improve themselves, or we accept people have good and bad to them.

Wataru is really overdone, though. And why wasn't that psycho hoobae sent packing ages ago?

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LOL!

Murderer in mountain is now conveniently forgotten....until...

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All that said, there is this perverse part of me that keeps hoping the writers are really telling us something about the evil in all of us. Everyone seems to have decided that Wataru represents the ultimate evil which taints the herd. And i don't want that. IT's too easy. Evil is in everyone...and pouring all our evil into one character whom we can then destroy and purge from society is just too judgmental and puritanical for me.

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Agreed.

Plus, I'm truly hating how self-righteous the others are with Rinka, and how they're acting as if she should tell them all her personal business.

Still, I'll be watching ep 9. :-)

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Darn! Forgot to mention Wonderful Days. Gently moving. Slow and sweet like molasses. And a mystery too. Good drama.

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Good morning!

What I'm loving this week:

My Prettiest Moments (with Lee Jeon suk) – So real it hurt enough to forgive everyone’s painfully honest moments.

*Spoiler alert*

Secret Love Affair: It’s like watching a quality movie. There is no filler - I love that - plus it moves. So much has already happened in this drama by ep 3 & 4! Oh Hye Won is efficiently excellent at what she does, which is to manage the difficult, rich, and influential people she works for as director of the Seohan Arts Foundation. There is a bit of conflict of interest when it comes to her husband, Lang Joon Hyung, because while he is a music instructor there, he has little clout and is resentful. Hye Won is caught in the middle of making what the higher ups want to happen which skirts around giving preference to Joon Hyung. She is good at what she does, but compromising takes its toll.

Genius pianist Lee Sun Jae’s story is real enough – I suspect it will parallel the Russian composer’s story he skimmed and tossed in the trash. But I cringe at Hye Won’s email correspondence with Sun Jae because he thinks he’s conversing with another guy so what he says is unfiltered says things he would probably never say to a female (let alone if he knew it was Hye Won). Hye Won already has the upper hand in the direction of Sun Jae’s musical future, so to have personal and emotional ammo is disconcerting and, if possible, tilts the 40/20-something age imbalance even further.

The ambiance of the drama (which I continue to want to call a jdrama) is alluring. I do not wish for a tortured existence for Sun Jae, but it seems like that level of musical genius, the academy environment, the professionals he will be surrounded by, and the noona romance only point to that.

*end spoiler*

Bride of the Century: Is there evil deception and good deception?

I marathoned Single Cunning Lady and I’m loving flower boys Secretary Gil Yo Han (L) and Kook Seung Hyun (scrunching those cute dimples). Our divorced couple has the cutest facial expressions~

Check out my drawing of Leader Mo on y website if you'd like on my site, more in progress.

\/ & ♥

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'But I cringe at Hye Won’s email correspondence with Sun Jae because he thinks he’s conversing with another guy so what he says is unfiltered says things he would probably never say to a female (let alone if he knew it was Hye Won). Hye Won already has the upper hand in the direction of Sun Jae’s musical future, so to have personal and emotional ammo is disconcerting and, if possible, tilts the 40/20-something age imbalance even further. '

Here am I hoping, that she will fall so hard for him, that all the obvious superiority she has over him will become unimportant after all. :D

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Here am I hoping, that she will fall so hard for him, that all the obvious superiority she has over him will become unimportant after all.

Oh, I hope not! I find that recent noona romances have introduced various plot devices that serve to defuse and undermine the older woman/younger man imbalance. Like making the older woman emotionally immatures (INR3), or making the younger man her boss/social superior (INR) or giving the younger man superpowers (I Hear Your Voice).

I would love for once to see a drama that includes a depiction of the complications that can come with a noona romance and the age/maturity difference and I definitely think that Secret Love Affair is one to do that. Especially since it's taken the time to establish that the power imbalance between the two extends way beyond just the factor of age, and that Hye Won has the upper hand in all kinds of ways (the thing where Hye Won knows that Sun Jae is her chat partner, but he doesn't, is part of that, kind of takes it to another level). If it goes in a direction where all of that goes out of the window because of how hard she falls for him, I'll be disappointed. I mean, i want her to fall for him hard, but not so hard as to undermine the power dynamic that the show has spent its time setting up.

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I completely agree, Because. For once, this female lead is actually a grown up who's fully able to take care of herself and everyone else. She gets shit done. But the one thing she's never really sorted out is how to be truly happy after giving up on the piano, and that's the one thing the Sun Jae excels at, and can teach her how to remember. I think she'll keep the upper hand in their relationship—as the genius folks on Tumblr pointed out, by inviting Sun Jae into the house after he forced a kiss on her, she regained her power by inviting him in. Even kicking him out wouldn't have done that: if she did, she would have acknowledged that he was a threat she might not be able to control.

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Please don't give me nightmares by suggesting SLA could become anything like INR3 *shudders*. That's for sure not what I meant, that a Shing Shing like character should evolve.

I trust the makers, that they'll stay within the boundaries of the world they created, that's a given, but I'd love to see Hye Won lose a little of her control when she is with him. He fell hard, and I'd eventually like to see that she feels just like him. I want to see her loving him, because he deserves it and she feels something for the first time in years, not because he is a love stricken boy toy she can control just like her hubby.

Guess that's my inner optimist, who right now wishes for a conventional and therefore very unconventional happy ending in a Kdrama. But we are only at the beginning. Who knows what'll happen.

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So...here are the two issues that will keep me from enjoying this drama. If I had a hard time getting past the 10-ish year age difference in I Hear Your Voice, than a 20 year difference is going to be completely out of the ballpark for me (and adding to that, the power imbalance ).

The second issue is the adultery. I don't expect fictional characters to always display good moral character, but I find it hard to root for a character that cheats on their spouse. That's just kind of a deal-breaker for me, unless there is genuine repentance and some time has past.

It sure seems like Korean dramas take kind of a soft stance on adultery. I'm thinking about "The Woman Who Married Three Times" - which I have stopped watching, but keep up with the comments/recaps on Soompi Forums. I was dumbfounded to see last weekend that it appears that the heroine will be getting back with her second husband, the one who repeatedly cheated on her with the actress. And his whole family's attitude towards the cheating was that a wife should endure it. Having seen this attitude multiple times in Korean dramas, I wonder if IRL attitudes are similar?

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IRL?

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oh, in real life? I got it just as I clicked 'submit' ha. Adultery, no, never. Like in Doctor Zhivago or Centennial, the epic, grand scale of the books/movies can't justify adulterous behavior no matter how desperate. You've made a good point, do we watch to see how it plays out, is it total escapism, or that it just plain exists no matter what sometimes, and is part of the story?

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I also agree with you about the adultery thing. I can have some sympathy for the pain and emotions that lead to adultery, but honestly it's just wrong and I hate being pushed to be supportive of a character who's cheating. I'm like, suck it up you made a marriage vow- sorry it sucks now but tough toasties.

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I totally love the power dynamics issues. That's the biggest issue/themes in may-september or noona romances. Because that rings true. The wealth and power of one versus the neediness of the other and how sexual connection is not always pure (as in solely about love), but even if it's not entirely a "normal" "pure" connection, it is still true and real in its own way. Age-appropriate so-called and status-appropriate relationships have subtly dynamics as well but we see them more in a noona-romance or in a chaebol-cinderella romance.

So far, this show is being very honest. He is shown as being sexually attracted to her because of her power and her art and her mature sexuality. Then he is shown as needing her..possibly because now he lost his mother.

She likes him because he is someone who sees her as sexual. So far, he's the only one in the drama who seems to have done this. He represents the admiration she always needed, and her lost talent and her lost romantic ideas of what her life and her marriage would be. She also likes him because --unlike all the folks she deals with daily-- he is a poor guy from the hood. Maybe she was poor and unsophisticated back in the day. He has none of the sophisticated repressed game-playng she sees among her peers. And now he has lost his mother. Maternal love also kicks in.

There is a lot binding these two together.

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Secret Love Affair is interesting and much darker, literally, than most Kdrama I've watched.

There is so much scheming, corrupt power dynamics and flawed humanity in varying stage of anguish and despair. It is harder to deal with because it isn’t presented in an over the top, laughable way that is standard on long weekend dramas.

I find the total reversal of gender dynamics in age, status, privilege, and sexual experience intriguing. The Lee Sun-Jae’s virginity and lack of sophistication is being bellowed loudly. I assume that there is no way Oh Hye-won and Lee Sun-Jae will end up together because no matter how far kdrama stretches the boundaries the resolution will always be conservative and inoffensive to patriarchy. K-drama is like Shakespeare in that way.

I haven’t committed to the drama because while I find the characters interesting, I haven't found one I like enough to care about. I know Oh Hye-won is the moral center of the series, but one suspects she will be morally off-centered soon.

Actually, I think why I haven't connected with her so far is because I hate her job. I have no patience with her patience in dealing the bunch she manages. Instead of seeing her as a fixer, I see her as an enabler.

Actually what I really wanted to say is that Oh Hye-won has the best ponytail I've seen in k-drama so far.

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Hi Yumi Imuy - This is a dark drama and a tensely exciting subject all around. I was wondering if you hate OHW's job for her sake? Like how the family uses her and she allows it? As for being a fixer or an enabler - I can see a difference between doing what you are told at a job (fixer) and in your personal life (enabler) in situations where it could be one or the other. Her job is to make others look good. For Oh Hye-won it is complicated since there is a very fine line between her professional and personal life.

There is a built in tension between the practicality and politics of the Arts Institute and the pure passion in the level of music and investment in intense talent. When I think of the scene where OHW and LSJ's play together, LSJ could fully express his passion in the environment she's created, and she fully embraces his passionate playing. His youthfulness and her lost youth and her experience and his naivete collide in that scene. How is that not going to spill over?

And who is looking out for her? Just a little of the right attention from someone who admires her goes a long way. She, too, looks out for him. How far and long he/she allows it to go remains to be seen.

Thanks for the good thoughts to ponder, everyone~

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Owl. you are right that there is a difference between a fixer and enabler and i think correct in drawing the line between the professional and personal.

My response was more emotional and i was thinking more on connotation than denotation in definitions.

So my emotional use of the word 'fixer' leaned towards the idea of one-off incidents, that at fixed and went away.

With 'enabling' I was using it to mean covering up so that people can repeat the same annoying self-destructive behavior.

Of course by default, fixers are often enablers.

I hate OHW job for MY SAKE. Because she works with those annoying power-hungry, pathetic, people whose worth and charisma I haven't been able to identify--i'm force to watch them to follow the story, and they try the little patience I have.

The interesting setting is a strong point in the drama's favor. After so many stories about class, money, and power set in corporations, it is interesting to see this take on how greed and privilege affects another area of society.

Sometimes one or another aspect in a drama irritates so much that I wish it were different. The medicine in episode 18 of Emergency Couple was so bad, I wishes they had set the story in a bakery or with pipe-fitters.

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Oh, man, even I, who has no medical background whatsoever, cringed at the medicine in ep 18.
*spoiler*
I wondered if those with some knowledge of medicine wouldn't just throw the remote through the TV when Chief Gook, who was on probation, strolled in to do the special surgery that only he could perform in the entire hospital. I also thought why did they add an extra episode to EC when this one could have been left out for the most part. Nothing new happened. I must have my com with my rom and this ep bombed. Anyhoot, your post caused me to rant off the page, sorry, and it's 1 a.m. and I just finished the movie Cold Steel Winter and I'm so buzzed, and have to catch a 6:40 a.m. flight - I'm so doomed. Good night @@

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safe trip.

EC 18 not only had story issue but also execution issues.

ah well.

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Owl

Quotes from sly and single again

"A finished fate is finished."

"Move your body if your heart is in pain."

I live by both. Totally in agreement on the quality of SLA as an art piece. I might love it as much as age of innocence by the end of the drama, or at least i hope so.

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Hi Enz ~ I loved when the mom said, "A finished fate is finished." I call this kdrama "Non-emergency Couple." But in "Emergency Couple" the following quote counters with "I guess even if it comes to an end, it doesn't really end."

Contradictions? Or both true? Like your comment, I guess it's how one chooses to live one's life. Carpe diem! Live life well!

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Well, i think sometimes people just wont allow a finished fate to finish!! They insist on believing that they cant get over someone even years and years down the line. If you insist on believing it, it happens.

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Owl, I just noticed your question about "is there good deception and bad deception?" I think that typically, as I think we'll see in Bride of the Century, a fictional story will show that there are consequences to the act of deception, no matter what goes into the motive. Not sure how they'll fit it into the story in the time we have left, though!

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Happy Friday, Beanies!

Cleaned out my Inbox this week and came across an email I had sent myself from the KPOPCON. The Gender and Sexuality speaker mentioned two websites that I thought this group might find interesting. The first is Beyonhallyu.com, which has news, but also analysis, of the whole industry.

The second is a blog called thegrandnarrative.com. From the About page: The Grand Narrative is all about discussing Korean feminism, sexuality, and popular culture, and in the last seven years has become one of the leading English-language sources on those topics, getting mentions in such sources as TIME, The Washington Post, BUST, CNN, The Associated Press, Slate, and Jezebel.

I haven't spent much time on either one (seems like it would be a time suck), so if you do, let us know of anything interesting that you find.

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I am familiar with The Grand Narrative and it's a great site but I was unfamiliar with Beyondhallyu.com. Thanks for the link.

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That's Beyondhallyu.com.

My bad.

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Advice please!

I'm on the 4th ep of 'Get Karl" and it's been awhile since I have been turned of so completely by a main lead. She is awful; not her acting, but the character. If I were Karl I'd throw salt on her! There are quite a few that annoy me, but this one is just a real work of art. So, is he just going to become goo in her hands or is this worth watching?

Thanks for any advice. Happy Friday!

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I made it thru the entire series 'Get Karl'. She remains annoying as a lead, but somewhere along the line her pitifulness and her genuine love for the man made me forgive her. I was a middling drama for me, not a strong rec but OK.

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Thanks! I've hit a dry spell for dramas or movies to watch. I'm all caught up on everything I want to watch, hesitant to start a few till there finished and I see what the consensus is (Age of Feeling, God's Gift). Bride of the Century and Secret Love Affair are sucking me dry of patience I want to watch them so badly.

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Have you tried The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry? (Also known as Still Marry Me) I liked it a lot and I felt it was more realistic in its depiction of a thirty-something woman's work and romantic challenges. Also one of the main character's friends, Bu Gu, is AWESOME and just a fount of fabulous platitudes about realism in life and relationships. I want to be her when I grow up - successful, independent and loving it!

I'm sad to hear you aren't enjoying Get Karl. I wanted to check it out (for Uhm Jung Hwa) but not if her character's perpetually a spoiled harpy.

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Ugh, sorry. Bu Gi - darn autocorrect.

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Spring has really sprung around here. I want to take my camera and get some photos of the lovely Lady Bank's Roses that are blooming so profusely now. My own garden has a few roses and I put out my tomato plants last week. They are enjoying the rain.

Dramas:
A Little Love Never Hurts--I liked the past two episodes. It was cool to see Mi Joo and Ha Rim do the traditional bowing to the elders. Everyone was so excited. MJ and HR do seem to be a bit behind on the relationship timeline. I mean, wouldn't you discuss the number of children you want and how you will handle money BEFORE you get married? Is that an Asian thing?

I do like the story arc for Mi Joos father, Song Ho Sub. He was a immature playboy in the beginning, but now he is stepping up to the role of the father and actually enjoying himself. (I have to tell you that his name in the translator I use comes up as Lied Ho Unterseeboot. LOL).

Wondering how the writers will resolve the Jae Min/Ha Kyeong relationship. It seems too mean to leave them apart while everyone else is happy.

BTW--I predict three pregnancies by the end of the series.

Cunning Single Lady--I am enjoying this very much. I have to admit, I started watching it for Joo Sand Wook, who I loved in Good Doctor. But now I am totally shipping Guk Seng Hyeon with Ae Ra. He is just so much nicer to her. Jeong Woo and Ae Ra sped a lot of time inflicting additional damage to each other. Who wants a relationship like that?

Three Days--Thinking of dropping this. I fall asleep during it. Guess it isn't that exciting...

That's it for now.

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RE;'I am totally shipping Guk Seng Hyeon with Ae Ra. '

Apparently there was an unsolved issue between AR and JW but I feel that JW has been mistreating AR. There must be some excuses for his behavior but he is a mature adult so he needs to be much nicer and civil towards her. Though he was heartbroken because AR dumped him, he should not blame everything on AR. There are many reasons why AR gave up on the marriage even without her unfortunate miscarriage. It seems that JW never defended AR against mistreatments by his mom and sister against AR.
Knowing that AR used to be married to JW but GSH still loves AR tells us that GSH genuinely loves her. But hey, this is K dramaland so that the happy ending will go to AR and JW.

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At the beginning of the show, I thought GSH was pretty adorable. But based on the last couple of episodes, I thought that GSH appeared to be turning somewhat stalkerish. The back hug where he kept grabbing as she tried to pull out not once, but several times. How he kept appearing wherever she was.

It's a typical KDrama development for a second lead, though. Along with the female second lead scheming.

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It's been difficult this week for my attention to be fully turned to KDramas when I'm watching them...we are in the process of a move, which we are taking slowly.

I keep thinking that "taking it slowly" is the best option for moving at this stage of my life. In the middle of this move, I'm not so sure. Maybe it's best to endure the pain and exhaustion of a quick move, saving the cash needed for overlapping residences and utility bills, and just getting it over with, even if you are living out of boxes for months afterwards.

On the bright side, in the new house, I will have a home office/sewing/craft/project room, which will be really nice. I am attempting to organize it as we move things in. Continued organization will be a challenge, but I still want to start things right.

For my next post - my KDrama related commentary this week- I'm going to talk about Emergency Couple's similarities with yet another show (last week, I listed the similarities with Cunning Single Lady).

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Re; Secret Love Affair: I am in the minority that I view those immoral or unethical themes without casting my own moral codes and I love the show. I think YAI is brilliant in portraying the hot blooded youth yet he is insecure and very vulnerable at the same time. He does not know how to handle his emotion towards the wife of his professor. I see their relationship as a marriage of convenience or arranged marriage almost. Well, because they are in the same business, they are almost like business partners. He is the boss on surface but the real boss is his wife. His wife is clever enough not to show her ability on spot but she is capable to pull string to make him( her puppet) to move into certain direction as she plans. She is indeed a very skillful business woman.
Because you are an American, you might not have encountered such a marriage ( I am not criticizing you. my husband is American and he does not understand those people who choose marriage of convenience in my country. )but I do in my home country. I have seen those marriages continue while their wives and husbands carry on their own lives and affairs. I am please to see this drama giving a light on those souless/loveless marraiges where usual Kdamaland will not go into far. For that, I find this drama brilliant so far. While YAI's figure can act on his passion and emotion, the woman cannot. If the woman choose to be with the Piano genius, she would be more likely to lose everything and despite of her husband's selfish attitude, she has her own moral code against her betrayal towards him. So what can she do about it? I think that the whole setting is a break through for Kdrama land. The fact that the woman is so elegant, mature and capable is a breath of fresh air in Asian dramaland.

By the way,I think that the young girl is not actually YAI's GF but she wishes she were.

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For me, it's not really a moral code thing. It's more a pain thing. I hate being betrayed, and my father was a serial adulterer. So i have a personal discomfort with this -- although in typical human hypocritical fashion-- I'm way more easygoing and forgiving of female adulterers than male adulterers. For me, the tough part is being lied to...especially lying to people who trust you. I generally like contract and arranged marriages and have no problems with them. In my stories, I have a lot of arranged marriges. But lying and deception is troubling. Even if it's an arranged marriage, some people do fall in love. And all people hate being lied to.

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Affairs in real life are awful, sometimes a marriage ends, but all the marriages I witnessed ending up in a divorce didn't end due to the affair, they were long over before the new partner appeared. The affair was only the trigger to finally act on the already messed up situation.

That said, it is fiction. We also watch crime shows and we even root for the criminal. Dexter comes to my mind. A serial killer we all want to escape. A huge paradox. And yet it was a hit show.

Secrecy comes with thrills. And we all know the excitement of the beginnings of love or infatuation. The juxtaposition of these thrills and the moral code we viewers live makes for a great guiltfree entertainment. I think that's why lots of people are already emotionally involved in this show.

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LOL, nope, can't watch Dexter either. I've tried, a few times.

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They're definitely likable characters too, which makes us root for them. And the love seems very -- for lack of a better word-- supernatural...the way all real passionate love feels. It is not entirely out of their control but the passion has a force all its own and we instinctively sense that they are being blown about by something greater than human will. Musical passionate soul meeting musical passionate soul and all.

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Mmmm, "it's a pain thing." So true.

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It is. I think most often we like to believe that morality comes from some silly code that unthinking folks subscribe to because they are conventional. It seems to me that moral codes are intrinsically linked to the desire to not cause needless pain to others, to ourselves, and to the other person we sin with or against.

No action is done in a vacuum. So whether we love morally or ethically or immorally or unethically someone's gonna get hurt. But the problem with adultery is that it hurts a lot more people --other than k-drama mothers who have ideas about who their kids should marry.

No one is a blank slate so I don't think I believe it when someone says they don't apply moral codes. It doesn't seem possible. All we can do is be aware of the moral codes we are temporarily putting aside.

So when folks say they don't apply moral code eto other folks behavior, I find that suspect. We can try to understand but clearly people who don't apply moral codes would probably think differently if suddenly they were cheated on. Not applying moral codes are a luxury for those whose lives are protected --now, in the past, and in the future-- from the effects of pain caused by folks dismissing the moral code.

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Not applying moral codes are a luxury for those whose lives are protected –now, in the past, and in the future– from the effects of pain caused by folks dismissing the moral code.

I can't agree with a blanket statement like that, to be quite honest. I may never have been married, but I've been cheated on, and even with that I and many other people still able to look at adultery/cheating dramas on their own merits as stories, with characters who are not stand-ins for me. Or I might look serious askance at age-gap relationships in real life where one party is really young, while being able to digest fiction that deals with May-December relationships (Lost in Translation).

It's not hard to imagine, in this day and age, that a lot of others might be able to do the same.

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At this point, we don't even know that Hye Won is really going to cheat on her husband. In A Wife's Credentials, the previous drama from the writer/PD of Secret Love Affair, she formally left her (jerk) husband after realizing that she had feelings for someone else. To me, that's not cheating—that's waking up. And it's not too late for Hye Won to do the same.

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I think we will see the literal secret affair. Her husband is not such an obvious jerk as in A Wife's Credentials, he's just someone she can't really respect. A problem so many couples around her got too. Both are deeply intertwined due to their jobs and her character is not that of a woman, that would run off mindlessly to live out newfound passion with a young guy.

I think we'll get to see a very long and painfull process. (The scene with the CCTV already hinted at them being watched and scrutinized although they barely did nothing.)

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I just would like to say something besides the drama. Though your father caused pains in your heart, the fact that you are happy with your relationship with your husband is quite remarkable. My mother's father is a serious adulterer. He was quite open and she told me that the year she was born, he had two or three babies born in the same year with other women. His action scarred my mom deep and she told me that she never trusts men. I doubt that she trusted my father who was decent either so my parents' relationship was quite bad. You did not fall into a trap where your parents fell.( I think we tend to repeat our parents' mistakes) That is your fortune. Brava!!

I see you feel the pain when you watch those dramas where they portray adultery. I totally understand that. I personally take that any drama settings are just drama so I can watch them without my emotion goes ups and downs much( though I admit that some dramas makes me upset) I actually feel that I cannot afford to get emotional since my emotion affects on my high blood pressure! When I get emotionally upset, I immediately turn into a variety show that makes me laugh out loud to ease my high BP.

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I'm with you on not applying my own moral codes to a character when I'm watching a drama.

Or not expecting the character to behave the way I would, anyway (a lesson all of us, including me, need to be reminded of at times).

It all depends on different circumstances, too - if I'm watching, say a historical drama either a sageuk or Downton Abbey, I can't judge Lady Mary Crawley for being willing to go into a marriage of convenience at the start because there was literally no other option for a girl like her back then. Same goes with Secret Love Affair, which I intend to catch sometime - the circumstances of Hye-won's life are obviously nothing like ours, and I would like to see more before throwing a blanket judgment of 'adultery bad!!!' on it.

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It's been said that a story is an argument between the self and the soul. So even if we put aside moral codes, the characters in the story haven't. They are still struggling with their souls about those moral codes they are trespassing. This is why we like characters who seem aware of their moral codes and who feel guilty or who at least think matters through or think of other folks' feelings before they put their moral codes aside. And this is also why we generally don't like characters who run rough-shod over people by disregarding their own consciences or characters who simply have no consciences and whose morals/consciences aren't embattled.

So if we supposedly put aside all our moral codes and let the characters be themselves...we won't be able to understand the hero/heroine's struggle with conscience.

In short, one has to keep one's moral code in order to understand a character's struggle. Because it makes one understand the character's pain and decisions and hurt even more. And one can keep one's moral code at hand...without judging adulterous characters.

The only reason I specifically said I cannot watch an adultery drama without there being a good reason for the adultery is because I hate silly "they are in love and love made them do it" tropes. That is an excuse that irks the wounded little kid in me. And good writing is more complex than the "the heart wants what the heart wants."

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I don't expect a character to act according to MY moral code, but that doesn't mean they can't have their own, or act within a context! But human beings are not perfect, in life or fiction.

Imperfection is a major part of what makes many fictional characters three-dimensional, and while we can appreciate that added sense of realism, I don't see why the actions taken by characters due to their flaws, suddenly makes characters totally unpalatable to a viewer, for no other reason than 'because the writer said so' or 'because that person is not acting like me'.

I mean, I don't always agree with the actions of Harry Potter, but does that mean I can't enjoy his story, or root for him as a hero when the reason for those actions is rooted in past neglect and trauma? (I know we all have certain limits when it comes to what we can and can't watch, and my personal one is children being abused or harmed by adults - but that is different from character assessment)

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Oh, pogo, when my children were young, I had to avoid all shows and movies that featured "babies in danger." It just hit too close to home with all my mommy anxieties!

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I tend to agree with you, Carole.

I could never "turn off" my moral sensibilities. They are too much a part of my core beliefs, at the very heart of who I am.

That doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a fictional story that prominently features characters that don't share all my moral beliefs, or that I am unable to observe and reason through the motivations and actions of a character that I don't click with morally.

The further that protagonists are from my own morals, the less likely I will empathize with them.

Adultery is one of those hot-button issues largely because so many people have seen major negative consequences of it in their lives. Even if it hasn't happened personally to us, we may know of someone who has experienced great pain because of it.

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That doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy a fictional story that prominently features characters that don’t share all my moral beliefs, or that I am unable to observe and reason through the motivations and actions of a character that I don’t click with morally.

Exactly.

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I'm wondering if the husband won't care if his wife has an affair, as long as he can claim the student as his own. He seems a lot more concerned about his status than he is about his wife.

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I think he might care.

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Actually, I agree, I think he will care, but not enough to do anything about it, as long as he can claim the student. I haven't seen any sign of passion or tenderness in him. Their relationship looks more like a little kid following an adult around asking for things.

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For me, adultery is not a deal breaker. It is not something I would do or support in real life--but dramas don't have to conform to my worldview to be of value and enjoyed.

i watch dramas to see other ways life is constructed and to see how people manage to find joy although constrained by a lack of choices.

There are many reasons to marry and many ways of designing a marital partnership. Each marriage is different and the people in the marriage makes the rule for that marriage. So I would have to see how the adultery happens before knowing if I would be offended or not.

I will say more than the possibility of OHW committing adultery the element I find most offensive is the cynicism and corruption of the world we are visiting. More than OHW committing adultery I was offended by the daughter's attempt to bring OHW down to her level of ???? by setting her up with a host.

I am curious to know what story the writer intends to tell. Since OHW seems to be the moral center of the drama, will the writer say that human beings are all corrupt, cynical users and those who have not sinned only abstained because they had no reason/opportunity to sin. Or will the writer let us know that being good in a corrupt world is hard, and even when we think we have it all together our humanity makes of all vulnerable to stumbles that can lead to devastating falls.

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Greetings from Russia!

I haven't posted here in ages, and I'm so happy to see so many familiar names!

I hope things are, overall, going well with all of you :)

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Sethe! Long time no hear. Thanks for stopping by.

I've meandered into the world of blogging since last we talked and seem to persistently talk on Open Thread about everything Korean except dramas ... oh, I am being sucked into giving English tutor lessons to International pen pals I met on Interpals.com and actually starting to learn Korean (in my own crazy way). Have some Korean pen pals to help with that.

So what's new with you?

Maybe we could Skype some day :-) jreidy At lycos.com is my email address.

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Hi Julia! Great to hear from you!

I'm in Moscow, teaching English. My students are all ages and all levels, from children to adults and from absolute beginners to upper intermediate/advanced... it's an interesting mix. My students, for the most part, are really great... friendly, motivated, and with really interesting and different perspectives. And I'm really enjoying living in Russia... I would say that the culture and people are very different from the US, and overall, I'm finding it a very positive experience so far.

I'm trying to avoid all things Korean... too many Korean words are still stuck in my head, when I need to have Russian words there instead. But a few days ago on the Metro, a woman in front of me on the escalator was watching a kdrama on her phone (it was a sageuk, on SBS, and it featured this one particular actress who I feel like I've seen as, like, the court lady in every single sageuk I've ever watched), and it made me very nostalgic... I guess that's why I'm here now :) Maybe I could find a way to watch a kdrama here and there without becoming immersed in them...

Since you gave me your email address, I'll give you mine in return. It's aot531 at gmail.com. All the best :)

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Anyone here saw the WGM latest ep with Nam Goong Min?

Haven't made up my mind yet about the pairing but I'm liking that they're both straight forward and can speak comfortably(??) and honestly (???) to each other..

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Yes! I loved it. I hope they aren't too cautious/conscientious around each other and just let it fly. I LOVE all 3 current couples on WGM, I am such a sucker for this!

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So...what other drama does Emergency Couple "resemble"?

The Good Doctor!

How and why, beyond the obvious hospital setting?

1) The"four lead" structure - first and second lead males and females closely involved together in the work environment
2) The Strange Outsider - while Oh Jin-hee does not have the challenges of Park Shi-On, at the beginning of EC, she is still a strange and untrusted outsider who many don't think is fit to be a doctor. Acceptance comes slowly for both of them.
3) Love triangle of higher-rank male doctor (second lead), rookie male doctor (male lead), and female lead.
4) Maverick second male lead, in both cases facing challenges from hospital authority structure.
5) Less typical, more supportive female second lead (not sharpening her claws or acting underhandedly like in Cunning Single Lady).
6) Male lead befriends second female lead, who serves as a social mentor of sorts to him.
7) The older, eccentric mentor (Doctor Choi in The Good Doctor; Chang Min's father Oh Tae-seok in Emergency Couple).

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Loving FULL SUN, already talked about all the reasons why above. Watching some of HIGH KICK 3 because of YKS, but not addicted to it yet.

Enjoying THREE DAYS. Yoochun is cute and I love that type of character- very similar to Eun Shi-Kyung in K2H (does it mean anything that their names are similar? probably not.) It's actually pretty exciting and twisty. Often these kind of thrillers are light on the actual intrigue and politics (e.g. Two Weeks, City Hunter, both of which I loved btw) but I think this show has some nice complexity going on. I love that the president is so ambiguous and the whole struggling for redemption while living with past guilt thing is really compelling. The villians, as always, are ridiculously over the top evil, especially creepy hot poker guy. It's not super sticky but the episodes sure go by fast, so I guess that means I'm engaged.

Watched my first Korean movies- THE BEAST AND THE BEAUTY (aDORable! Cried rivers.) and MY SASSY GIRL (Young Cha Tae-hyun and Jeon Ji-hyun! Difficult to understand and kindof heartbreaking, but good ending so worth it).

Yeah that's pretty much it. Just holding out for a lot of dramas on the horizon, Flower Grandpa Investigation, Joseon Gunman, You're All Surrounded (SUPER excited!!!!) and Vampire Prosecutor 3! (C'mon don't crush my dreams).

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Do you guys know that TWOP will cease operation on 4th April?

Watching American tv series with no TWOP? It's like no Dramabeans after watching Korean dramas. Could not imagine life without twop. Really hope they're playing April's fools' prank on us.

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I used to go there years and years ago, and some of their recaps are legendary for various reasons (good and bad), but their forums are a horribly run mess with inconsistent and power-tripping mods and frankly, it serves them right that they're closing.

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Haven't been there much in recent years, but their writers provided me with a lot of laughs. Why is it being shut down?

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TWOP is okay if your opinions mesh with the hive mind's if not that place is hell. If you dare to be nice about a character TWOP hates they will swarm and come after you.

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Yeah, I pretty much stayed away from the forums. Fandom can be insane.

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I'm pretty much heart broken. How can I watch True Blood without Jacob? And The whole site is going away too so we'll not even get to reread things or go pick up with an old show. T_T

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Hey everyone! Not been catching much this week (Three Days is a decent thrill ride though it has none of the urgency of Two Weeks, and Cunning Single Lady+Secret Love Affair is being saved for the weekend).

I'm more excited about the upcoming dramas, to be honest - I'm practically dancing on my toes waiting for Gap-dong, and the recent casting announcements/rumours of Lee Jun-ki for Joseon Gunman (Oppa take ittttttt!!!!!!!!!!! I want sageuk action Jun-ki again, and get him a great leading lady too) and Jung Kyung-ho for that weekend drama of his.

Weekend dramas are often high on the makjang, but I'm pretty sure he and Hwang Jung-eum will be far more worth sitting through the makjang for, than some other recent weekend drama couples.

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Oooooo, forgot about Gap-dong! Super excited for this too <)

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I cant sleep people!!! Its past 2 am and i want to sleep but all the SLA talk and analysing scenes and characters is keeping me buzzed. I have resorted to drugs coz there is stuff to do tomorrow and i must sleep sooooooon.

So, i am here till midaz kicks in. Hopefully in about another 10 mins max.

Have a good weekend all. I cannot wait for epi 5. Pali wa!!!

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The first step is shut off the computer.
Next turn off the lights.
Brush your teeth.
Lie down in your bed.
Close your eyes.
Imagine the man you wish was beside you.
Kiss him good niight.
Imagine he spoons with you, and shushes in your ear, "Relax darling, let your busy mind slow down, just lie here beside me and fall off to sleep with me."

zzzzzzzz

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Oh dear, we can go to OT to be lulled to sleep now, Julia. The antidote. Hello Beanies. Hope is well with your world. Been busy brushing up CV. c'est la vie. A good week end ahead!

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The only problem with that is spooning leads to forking. But then again, that could be a sleep aid too. ;)

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Ahahahahahahahaha!!!! I tried to not show that to my 79 year old mom, but I was laughing so hard she came and read over my shoulder!

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(and laughed like crazy too) :D

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Hey all, first time commenter here. It's nice to jump into the pool and say hi. *waves*

As I wrestle with an unrelenting cold, I've been treating myself to the candy that is Goong and a very soft duvet. Not entirely sure how I feel about the show (the duvet, I love). Very mid-2000s over-the-top, but fun, and interesting to see Yoon Yun Hye before Coffee Prince.

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I liked Vineyard Man, though I know some people said things like, "But he's so ugly so I couldn't watch." I think that drama is worth watching. (Despite the awkward kisses...)

The story in that was good.

I do wonder if Yoon Eun Hye will ever get over her romantic comedy curse and end up on Running Man...

I keep asking for Bong Seon and Lee Minki on Running Man with her... Maybe her and him in a drama together?? on SBS, and then they would have to do it!!

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Wait. Oh Man Seok? Manzzang? Ugly?!? What the.... *sputtering*

YOU PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER MY FRIENDS. [stomps off fuming]

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Happy OT and happy friday, everyone!

God, I'm so tired, I could just fall asleep like this and it's only 8 pm here... And of course I can't sleep yet, because I need to watch the first episode of (german) Dancing with the Stars xD

I'm still marathoning Hello Counselor, but I'm afraid there are only a couple of episodes left... :(
The earlier episodes, about 1 - 90 or so, aren't subbed anywhere, or are they...?

I also finally picked up another drama: Last Scandal of my Life - so far I'm really loving it <3
It just makes me really sad to think that the main actress committed suicide... :(
And Lee Yeongja as an actress just doesn't work for me after seeing her as an MC all the time xD

Since I'm reading so much praise for BOTC here, and I've already been interested in it anyway, I'm also considering starting that one. After all, there are enough episodes out now, that I probably won't have to desperately wait a week until I can finally watch the rest xD

On another note: My budgies are stupid. Why won't they come out of their cage to fly? *sighs*
I really need to build them a tree thingy :/
But, I think I'm on a good way to teach them a song - after all, they're already "singing along" with me *lol*
(Okay, they're also totally "singing along" to the typing sounds, but whatever -_-)

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Shadow-chan,

Speaking of Hello Counselor and budgies, did you see last week's Hello Counselor with the messy budgies? Check it out, they are just the opposite of yours :).

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Yeah, I did.
As usual, I'm feeling really sorry for the animals - I mean, it's great that the girl knows at least a bit and doesn't keep them alone and also lets them fly, but seriously, you can do something against reproducing uncontrollably -.-"

I always wonder if noone ever heard about animal protection in Korea when I watch those concerns... Those father with the hamsters... argh! >.<

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Well Beanies, tomorrow I am off to Korea for 19 days!!! Just taking a break from packing, but I am feeling a teensy weensy bit excited now.

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19 days in Korea...How nice :)

Enjoy yourself and live it up for the rest of us beanies!

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19 Days in Korea - what a great name for an entertainment show or kdrama! I'm thinking it would make a good reality show. You will have to record your stops along the way, any sites from kdramas famous kpop buildings, the eatyourkimchi crew, fashion selcas in the airport, the foods you eat and the restaurants, stalls, markets. Oh, you by the Han River! And record who you are with, if it's a travel buddy or group, and who you meet up with!

Or not. In any case, have a great visit, Anna, and fill us in on the details. So jealous, but excited for you! I'm so curious, yay!

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Have fun in 한국. I'm jealous!

19 days ... hmm, some time while you are there, the 2 postcards and 2 packages I mailed will also be arriving in Korea.

I'm going to Korea some day, I swear!

I want to hear all about it.

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Greetings from Seoul!!! I arrived this morning and have spent the day with a friend and his new girlfriend. Had a really wonderful day, went to Bukchon earlier and really can't believe I have returned. However, I have been up now for 33 hours and am really starting to feel it now. Need to go to bed soon!

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I finished Golden Time this week =(
Such a great show that took me on a roller coaster of emotions, but gave an ending that resonated with me.

Also loving Sly & Single Again, but have my if's and buts.

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Wild Chives & Soybean Soup...

Another one of those 50 episode weekend dramas. I watched ep1, and it is already shaping up to be the usual multiple storyline about mostly boring people. Just in the first episode there are so many characters that I have already lost track of them. I may watch ep2 to see if it improves, but after seeing so many really bad weekenders, it is on my "barely able to watch" list.

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Phew! Finally got a few minutes to breathe and run away to dramabeans!

Is anyone watching Rock N Road (tdrama)? I think this is the first time I've ever seen Chris Wu....and the drama isn't bad so far although only 2 episodes are out.

Also watching Cubic (thai drama)....don't ask me how I got involved in this. I kind of like the story line but I'm not so taken in with the acting. Gotta confess tho...I keep watching every episode of that thing despite how awful it can be at times....

Other than Bride of the Century that's all the dramas I've been watching! So crazy! I can't seem to get into anything else!

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One of my Korean pen pals HATES Korean dramas. He is a man, predictably, and the unrealistic way love is portrayed and the expectations it puts on Korean men really bugs him. This is somewhat of a problem, because pretty much all I know about Korea I learned in Korean dramas and I can't help letting a few references to the 150+ dramas I've watched slip out from time to time. haha

I have just added "Korean Drama" to the list of forbidden subjects when talking to him, like "religion, race, politics, who is the most handsome actor". LOL

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@okiejune sshi
Kamsahamnida~ :D

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I just want to do a Good Deed and list the 5 blogs that are recapping Secret Love Affair, for those who are interested (the art post this week reassures me that the readership here is, indeed, watch too!):

http://outsideseoul.blogspot.com/2014/03/still-more-swooning-for-secret-love.html#more

http://creatingvolumes.com/tag/secret-love-affair/

http://noonasoverforks.wordpress.com/tag/secret-love-affair/

http://noisesfromthecloset.wordpress.com/tag/secret-love-affair/

http://koalasplayground.com/tag/secret-love-affair/

I am enjoying the drama tremendously...even if my internet signal is überfrustrating this week (it started raining again, among other things) but the blogs help keep me sane.

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God's Quiz Season 4! Hope detective Kang is back. I like Ahn Nae Sang but no offense, the original couple is the best. The short guy with the tall girl and I like he's genius and she's kind of tough/badass but humane. And hope there will be more stories about detective Kang's background.

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