A sad truth. I spoke with some exchange students before my in-person classes were cancelled and everything moved online. They told me they wanted to go back to Hong Kong because they felt it was safer there than here. This was two weeks ago.
I am late to the party but i just started watching \’The Last Empress\’ and I have to say, Shin Sung Rok is one attractive man. I love his voice. When others were in love with Kim Soo Hyun in \’My love from the stars\’, SSR, his jaw line and Jun Ji-Hyun\’s antics kept me through the series.
I\’m on the 2nd episode but so far, there\’s nothing much about Jang Na ra\’s character. I am disappointed because I started the drama mainly for her but the drama is more than 20 episodes long, so I\’m hopeful.
On the other hand, Lee Elijah\’s character is so manipulative that I love her.
Guys, my uni is a joke. 😂😂😂
I understand that we weren’t ready for the pandemic and the transition to online classes is just as tough on the lecturers and the department – probably even tougher – but their response is bare minimum.
For context, my uni makes in mandatory for us to take P.E. I don’t know about other departments but in mine, since ours is a 6-year program, we have to take P.E at least 3 times in order to graduate. It could be anything approved by the uni – basketball, swimming, gym, running, yoga. Anything as long as it’s been approved by the Uni. So people registered for P.E this semester get this email. 💀💀💀
What do they mean by ‘yet’? I want a refund of my tuition. Also, our timetable is a fucking joke. Granted, some of our courses were strictly clinical but it’s been two weeks since they made the decision to go online. I’m registered for 13 courses this semester- I have only 2 classes that belong to one course. 💀💀
For students in the 4th and 5th year, there are 10 weeks of classes and then, 4 weeks of clinicals. Usually, there’s a switch and a new timetable from the 6th week. So we have courses that begin in the 6th week. The uni shutdown in the 5th week. In their new timetable, there’s no slot or time for the courses that are supposed to begin this week. 🙃
No, I’m not busy. Neither is the department. It’s Stomatology department – it’s run by dentistry. They’re not at the forefront of the pandemic. They’ve not reached out to us to explain. We’ve not had a single class! Anesthesiology is a department that is at the frontline and they’ve reached out to us.
I reiterate: my uni is a fucking joke!
Show that want me to stick around need to put something fun or exciting into the first half hour or so. This show didn’t come close. Even Chae Soo-bin wasn’t enough to make me finish day 1.
I don’t mind the slow pace or the tone – I’m enjoying ‘I’ll come to you when the weather is nice.’ – but it’s very confusing. I can’t make out the sequence of events or the characters.
Only seen ep.1 so far. The premier wasn’t terrible, but it was confusing. I can’t say I was hooked, but I’ll stay one more week to get a good sense of it, bc 1 wasn’t enough to make a proper judgment.
Maybe this make you understand more 🙂
Drama chief producer have responded about the premier for the drama. seems like even Korean viewer where a little confused with the first episode! Sound like they want to do something fresh.
“There were certain scenes where there was no explanation to aid understanding, but in planning the drama, we wanted to relay a feeling of unfamiliarity rather than familiarity and comfort.”
“From episodes two, three, and on, the unexpected elements from episode one will be resolved. From what it is that Ha Won does at work, to how Seo Woo feels when she meets him, all will be revealed.” https://www.soompi.com/article/1390268wpp/a-piece-of-your-mind-producer-responds-to-premiere-reviews-and-talks-about-whats-to-come
Ah, it was on purpose? I’m of the opinion their ‘something fresh’ didn’t work out well. Thankfully, the actors are compelling enough and while I spent a large chunk of both episodes wondering to myself, ‘what am I watching?’, there were elements to the drama that made me curious enough to want to check it out next week. Hopefully, they clear up the confusion.
I’ve just watched ep.2 and I… don’t know.
I didn’t expect the thing that happened. Why?
And many other things seem odd…
Tell me if you have watched ep.2, I don’t want to spoiler.
I’ve seen it. Not only did I find the episodes confusing, it ended with me wondering if they had to go down that route. Really? 😐😒
I’ll be honest, I like Chae Soo Bin enough to check out the next week’s episodes. I did somewhat enjoy it when I wasn’t confused. That’s why I said I didn’t know what to make of it.
I’ll watch for JHI (I have never watched a drama with CSB before), instead, and the cinematography, that is beautiful.
About Ji-soo… it was unexpected and sad, I had the impression that she hadn’t called for help before calling the FL (I don’t remember her name), so she did nothing to avoid her own death.
Then, I found odd that the FL didn’t understand more quickly that Before Dawn and Ha Woon were the same person. She had seen “both”, and not only from behind…
Music March
The month is almost over but I wanted to at least post the songs that have been helping me get through this year with a terrible beginning. Hopefully, things get better 😁
Looking for recommendations 🥺
Hello Beanies! It’s been a while since I posted something on the wall. I hope all beanies are staying safe. Schools have been temporarily closed because of the Covid-19 and because I’m immunosuppressed (well, I was the last time I took a blood test), I have to be extra careful and be confined to my apartment.
This has freed up my month from the continuous clinic visits that were stressing me out and taking a toll on school. I’ve been keeping up with ‘Hi, Bye Mama’ and ‘I will go to you when the weather is nice’ and though I’ve been enjoying them, I’m in this personal rut so I need a ‘pick me up’ in form of a drama.
I enjoyed ‘Hospital Playlist’ but ruts have a knack for making one’s life extra dreary. I broke down today and gorged on snacks even though I’ve been staying away for almost 2 months because of my health.
Anyway, what I’m craving is a good J-drama. I kinda want to watch something romantic for some reason. But most romantic J-dramas I’ve seen either have a very depressing, unsatisfying and anticlimactic ending or they’re romcoms with love-triangles, candy characters and the most irritating of all, there’s a ‘Master-slave’ type dynamic between the main leads with the ML just being an emotionally abusive twat and the FL is non the wiser.
So, this is a difficult ask but can J-drama watching beanies recommend a good drama with romance elements that do not have any of the above tropes, or at least, doesn’t focus on them for long? 🥺🥺
Thank you and stay safe Beanies!
Have you tried Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu? It’s so cute and fun. I also really enjoyed Boku, Unmei no Hito desu, which is a rom-com of sorts, but is really unique in its setup and execution, and is a fluffy, normal romance with nothing that really makes you roll your eyes at the stupid.
I liked Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto for all its got a bit of a Candy-Tsundre setup, just because the characters are sweet and the overall tone isn’t drowning in angst and over-the-top emotions, and it feels very slice-of-life.
I enjoyed Tatta Hitotsu no Koi for all it drowned in angst; I liked the reversal with the rich girl-poor boy setup and how it constantly sort of turned tropes sideways. But I also have a soft spot for both the lead actors, especially the female lead, Ayase Haruka who was lovely in the movie Tonight, at Romance Theater.
I’ve seen ‘Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu’. In fact, I read the manga first before going to search for the live adaptation. I really enjoyed it. I’ve also seen and enjoyed ‘ Boku, Unmei no Hito desu’.
I haven’t seen ‘Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto’ but because the title more or less implied some sort of love-triangle, I was put off every time I came across it. Does it a have any form of love-triangle and if it does, is that the main focus? I think ‘love-triangles’ tops my most-hated tropes list and ties with ‘emotionally abusive twat’ trope.
I have seen parts of ‘Hitotsu no Koi’. I just never get to finishing it. I don’t know why. I tried it because of the ML after I saw ‘Boku, Unmei no Hito desu’. I appreciated how very different he was in both dramas. On the other hand, I haven’t tried ‘Tonight, at Romance Theatre.’ I’m off to try it. Thank you for the recommendation 🖤
The three sweethearts in the title refer to the three brothers she works with in the show. The premise is that the oldest, who she had/has a crush on invites her to work at their family restaurant, but the real love story is between her and the middle brother. There is technically a triangle but it never felt frustrating or stupid to me because the characters themselves were well done, and the relationships between the brothers were lovely. Also, the FL relationships with each of them is fun to watch too, since the four of them all live together. There are some typical tropes, but overall I never found them frustrating or annoying because the overall storytelling was strong enough to overcome it.
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi has been on my to be watched list for so long. Everytime I’m reminded of it I think “I need to watch that” and then promptly go watch something else.
Second A Girl and Three Sweethearts. While it does have that set up the heroine is not chasing after the Tsundere.
The other two I will have to look up and check out.
It is a movie but I found Kimi ni Todoke to be super sweet. It has a romance but I also liked watching the friendships develop too.
I also really liked Pride. Maybe not the most fluffy and there is a bit of a triangle, but I loved the main actor in it.
I think Tatta Hitotsu no Koi feels very old school just because it is old and is kind of a reverse Cinderalla story, but I found it to be very satisfying by the end. But I also I think I was also very much in the mood for an angsty, youthful romance when I watched it.
Today is the most eventful Valentine’s Day ever and I hope it never is again.
I haven’t been religiously following beanies’ love, February posts but I’ve been aware of them. Today is valentines’ day – which I was very grateful for so I can stop seeing posts shaming single people.
Last year, I remember posting on dramabeans how insignificant the celebration has always been in my life but discovering a used condom in the middle of a library condom made it a little eventful.
I spent most of my day waiting in the hospital for what I thought was just a minor check-up. Some blood cell count was low but it was borderline and I didn’t have any symptoms – it was an accidental finding.
But staying in hospital for almost 3 hours before someone finally directed me to go get another blood test pissed me off even more. Why did I need to get blood drawn again? Then I finally got to see the doctor after 5 hours. I was furious because I knew I’d just wasted a day only to hear the doctor say what I’d been thinking – it’s nothing serious.
But she delivers news I didn’t expect – tells me my new test result is worse than the one I got last week, that I need to come back to get more tests done. Then she goes on to ask about symptoms I’ve been having. And I’m a medical student – I was aware of these symptoms but I never thought they were related cause I’d been struggling with them for almost 3 years. Now, what I thought was just a routine check-up has turned into something much more serious.
I’ve had enough breakdown in medical school that I don’t need an incurable illness. I’m used to being the one on the other side asking questions and taking medical history. I don’t know how to process it. I just hope further tests come negative. I’ve just decided to get my life in order. This had by far been one of the most terrible days of my life.
I’m praying you come through this. I hope you know how strong you are. I know you’ve been struggling, but even if the tests are positive, you will be a much better physician because of it. I hope we hear some good news from you soon!
This is an important question beanies: What does having an ‘Oppa’ constitute? Let me rephrase. What requirements need to be met before you can successfully claim someone as your ‘oppa’?
I’ve come to realize that I love, love so many celebrities – I just can’t be satisfied by one – but then again, when it comes to sticking through a shitty drama for them, I can’t. 😭
Is it that my love isn’t strong enough?
Well, I’d say different people have different definition of it. I like many actors and actresses, but the one I claim as my Oppa and Unni are those whose projects I watched without skipping. The one whom I can watch in anything, even when their dramas or movies are a hot mess I’d otherwise dropping within the first few minutes. The one that make me searching for BTS and interview videos, watching it raw despite only understanding half of it.
But then again, I’m pretty sure that’s not the only definition. 😉
That is the reason I don’t have an oppa. I get over the actors I have a crush on when another comes with a good drama. I also won’t keep watching a show for any actor if that show isn’t good. I think oppa can be many but there should be a commitment to them, I wonder if this makes sense 😂. Otoh i would just never call any actor oppa, i find the word itself very cringy (cue Be Melodramatic reference).
I only ever use Oppa for my Oppa as you all might know by now, I’m 100% committed to him (I’ll get to watching Forest, I promise).. I do love other actors, of course, .. but I only feel this strongly for Park Hae-jin (yes, I said his name!), I’m in it for thick and thin..and it will break my heart so much if he ever commits a crime or goes MIA on us!
Honestly, I started using “Oppa” as a way to poke fun at the word but it kind of stuck!
Anyone who is good at acting, is super charismatic and makes me want to write a fanfic about him? I honestly don’t know, but I generally watch first two episodes of any drama they star in. My love can’t go longer than that.
While we are on that topic. Hyun Bin-ah get a better agent. You shouldn’t abuse the love I have for you.
#Itaewon Class
I guess I’ll have to see more of it. The actors are amazing but so far, there’s nothing new to the story. I got over revenge-against-chaebol-angst dramas ago so I was slightly bored when I wasn’t chuckling at PSJ and the others as high school kids. Even the extras looked old.
Clips from the current day seem promising so hopefully when they’re done with this origin story, I’ll enjoy it.
Probable unpopular opinion: I quite like PSJ’s buzzcut and I’m not even a fan of the actor. (Don’t dislike him or have anything against him – I’m just not a fan)
I don’t like his hair, but I can now look at it without cringing.
I’m waiting for Ep.4 before investing time in watching. I’ll wait to read about other Beanies (like you)’s opinion. Plus I have way too many shows to catch up with! *tears* #SlowWatcher #RealLifeGetsInTheWayofMyKDramaBinging
I’m finally watching ‘The Irishman’ and I need to take a break because it’s too long – 3hrs!!! It’s a great watch especially since it’s a true-crime story but I have google every name cause I am not very familiar with most of the figures.
Quick question for the American Beanies – why do your rich people like to give their kids their own names or similar sounding names? It’s so confusing. Do you know the struggle I had with figuring out which Kennedy was which? The names are also mouthful. Oh my gosh, I have a headache.
Then again, on my side of the world, while it’s not unheard of to name your kid after yourself, it seems like it’s quite common amongst the ‘elite’ in the USA. 🤔
I was going to say it’s not just the rich that name their children after themselves. Everyone does it. It all comes down to vanity. Narcissism at its finest.
I feel the same about Koreans naming their kids similar names and when American’s kids all start with the same letter. It is hard to keep them all straight. Lol
I’m somewhat confused at some EXO fans’ reaction to Chen’s marriage news. I thought most EXO fans were at least older now. I’m not a fan but maybe that’s why I was happy for him (which is weird for me because my first reaction to young people getting married is 😊) . I guess I was just glad that amidst the tragedies in K-pop, at least an idol is living the life he wants. At least, I hope that’s the life he wants.
The entitlement and extremely unhealthy degree of attachment to these celebrities, though. I understand some people feel slighted because the amount of dedication they’ve put towards their idols but reality is they have their own lives. You feeling sad is one thing, but like an emotionally and mentally healthy person, you’d understand it’s their life to live and you get over it. Not start a manhunt to have him kicked out of the group.
You should say this again, but this time to so called SUJU fans who petitioned to have Sungmin kicked out of the group for his marriage a few years back… Yes, it’s been a few years—6 to be exact— and Sungmin is STILL on hiatus from SUJU, and all the other SUJU members still feel like they’re on pins and needles every time someone mentions having Sungmin rejoin
It’s insanely ridiculous to be honest. I wasn’t into SUJU during that time period so I didn’t know what was going on. I still can’t believe they more or less kicked him out for having a family.
It’s the reason Kim Hee Chul, a 36 year old man – A GROWN ASS MAN – has to keep apologizing for being in a relationship even though the general fandom seems cool with it.
I think the fact that the fandom can decide to be ‘cool’ or not on a such a personal and private matter is fucking ridiculous tbh.
I also keep reading translated comments like ‘Chen should be sorry for tarnishing EXO’s image’ because of the keywords now associated with EXO is ‘father’
🙃🙃🙃
Don’t they realize the problem in that statement? Like, how is being a parent tarnishing to one’s image? The fact that it is in fact ‘tarnishing’ is a problem!
Yea… a click bait comments section of a Kpop news article came up on my Google Feed today and it was basically all just means comments about EXO-M and EXO… One of the larger comment threads was one that had a picture of EXO with only a select few members and the comment attached to it was something along the lines of “EXO should have just been these 6 members to begin with, and EXO-M should not have even been created/existing in the first place… I don’t understand why SM even bothered going thru all that trouble creating EXO-M”
#Black Dog
So, who’s taking care of the kids that aren’t leading the class? Who’s taking care of the average students and the struggling ones? The ones that aren’t academically inclined?
I understand how elitist their education system is. The reality of things is that not one school or two can change it. In such an insanely competitive system, it’s better to try your best to have an edge. The school trying to help the ‘1%’ kids is (because they are putting in a lot of effort) the way it can be but there’s just too much focus on them. Not everyone’s brain is wired to ‘cram’ and ‘memorize’. So, who has got the back of the kids in 99%?
I’m only following the recaps but the drama doesn’t seem interested in answering your question so far. I was hoping to read about the effects of all this on that 99%. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the drama seems very focused on power politics and admin wars, not really on the students who are on the receiving end of all this.
The rest 99% will be way better than the top 1% from such a system, because in the university most of the 1% just fail… because higher education is not about clearing exams by rote learning… I hate that there is actually no focus on them understanding the subject actually. In the end it is us University teachers who have to deal with them and make them unlearn. We have to teach them how to think and reason, i just wished they are taught this from school…
I can attest to this. My country’s education system, too, is built on memorizing rather than applying your knowledge. It’s just not as competitive. I struggled when I got into uni because I had to unlearn how to memorize and learn to understand and apply.
You know, you’re absolutely right. In my first years of college, there was a girl who studied with me, who at first was an excellent student, because from school she was used to just memorizing everything, and I was lagging behind in this regard. But then, when narrower engineering assignments began, it began to stall, since there was no longer enough simple memory, it was necessary to understand the process. She used https://essays.edubirdie.com/engineering-assignment-help until she switched to the new education system. This was an unexpected lesson for her since the school did not prepare her for this. The school should develop not only memory but also logic and critical thinking.
Diary of a Prosecutor ep #6
The actress that plays Jung Ryeo Won’s mother is absolutely phenomenal! My heart broke for her and Ryeo Won’s characters. She’s such an amazing actress!
Eum Moon-Sun, the bob-haired guy from Fiery Priest gave an amazing performance at SBS Awards show. He’s so talented!! Honestly, the audience did not deserve him!!
It’s this ‘Swing Baby’ song. I don’t know the original song or if it’s originally Korean but if you watch Running Man, it’s the song Ji-Hyo, Se-Chan, Kwang Soo and Haha danced to – it was a swing dance performance. Some episodes leading to the Nevis Swing episodes.
Every now and then, I rewatch scenes from BTIOFL and I’m again reminded of how much I really love Se-Hee and Ji-Ho’s relationship. I especially love how Ji-Ho does somethings that are completely natural to her and Se-Hee is in the background having a moment of enlightenment followed by quiet contentment and awe of how compatible they are. It’s so beautiful to watch over and over again!
Sadly, like Viki, they changed several of the songs (CEO Ma’s musical moment, Se-hee’s kimchi-making), but I’m just glad it’s somewhere I can make my friends watch it. Lol!
Me side-eyeing the cliched Starving African kids quip they pulled in Diary of a Prosecutor. They almost got the right pictures/video – it was missing THE crucial FLY. That golden globe winning fly that finds a way to star with almost every starving African child. Almost perfect! It’s the details!!! I guess IT was too busy staring in another photo shoot. In their defense, It’s a pretty famous fly! I heard IT got bodyguards after the numerous attempts made against ITS life.
What we desperately need in Africa is pest control. We can’t seem to get rid of that fly no matter how hard we try. The fly is like male Korean celebrity trash! When you think you’ve done your best to get rid of their ‘scuminess’ by unearthing their latest evil, they come crawling out after a while with a comeback like Michael Bublé crawling out his cave during Christmas.
I don’t blame them though. Nothing proves altruism more than someone weeping over the state of us starving African kids – especially if you have photos to prove it (we don’t see cameras much). We bring pity out pretty easily – and also seem to invoke or afflict people with selective blindness. No matter how hard a lot of people try, when they look at the African map, it’s a moderately vast desert populated by animals, us starving kids and our beloved pet lions. No countries whatsoever!
It’s one thing I miss so much being so far away from home especially during Christmas. Us kids have sports competitions between our pets (cause we’re starving and we can’t run) and the winner gets to star in their own special photo-shoot/video shoot along side the infamous fly. If you manage to kill said fly, our village chief will give to you half a chicken wing and 20 grains of rice to last the year. It’s something we look forward to every year. I’m so sad I can’t partake in it 😕
Ugh, THE Fly falls in the same category as “Oh, but your English is so good!”, “Did you swim here?” and “Your name is hard to pronounce. Can I call you — instead?”
‘Did you swim here?’ What the hell? Don’t they know Africans can’t swim? We live in a desert! We don’t have water to drink. Are they making fun of our sufferings?
💀💀💀
And my personal favourite, when someone hears you’re from an African country and they immediately follow with “I knew a person from [completely different country on the other side of the continent]” like you’re somehow supposed to know them.
my all time favourite is the scenario (and its similarly offensive variations) below.
them (usually white): where are you from?
me: (names town I currently live/work in)
them: ah, no, but where are you REALLY from??
me: *resigned* Cameroon
them: *very excited* ah! I went to Ghana in 1942…
me: *tries hard to not roll eyes to the very back of my skull*
Oh, mosquito is family in my side of the big plot of desert that is Africa. We managed to strike a deal with the mosquito chieftaincy. We’re mostly on good terms now. I’m sorry to hear about the the mosquito still being a problem on your side. Maybe with enough exposure like this on Kdramas, people will pity us enough for the mosquito to stop. Trust me, it worked for us.
Ugh. As an African-born woman, I feel your pain. One of my producer colleagues was based in Kenya for 10 years as he produced videos and short films for Save the Children all over the African continent. While he strived to tell people’s stories with dignity, he loathed the reality that the maudlin, tragic narratives —paired with a A-list celebrity—brought in the most money.
What pisses me off the most about those videos is how its intention has been twisted. There are people suffering in parts of Africa (like the rest of the world) and also people who genuinely donate or want to try help make the world a better place. But I just hate how Africa has become the yardstick for suffering. We’re the poster card for poverty and destitution. That’s not all there is to being African!
And those videos continue to propagate that notion that we all need WellCare packages to survive. I hate how petty I become because I know that there are people who are actually suffering.
But I hate so much how Africa has been turned to the poverty tourism destination.
I hate how so many non-Africans, especially celebrities, go to some impoverished African cities/villages and takes pictures with the kids there (without their permission) just to show they went to ‘Africa’ and how altruistic they are. So they can get as many compliments on how nice they are to go to poor, destitute Africa and help those kids swat the flies.
And throw comments like this when they meet you.
‘I did some volunteering work in Africa!’ Okay? I didn’t ask you that! Where in the continent though? It’s a HUGE continent- I hope you know. Did the airplane just drop you in the middle of no fucking where? And while you’re at it, show me the pictures of how you infiltrated people’s homes and livelihood to take a picture you can post online to brag about. ‘Those poor African kids!’ 😊☺️😑🙃🤬
It has come to my attention that I tend to watch more dramas when I’m very busy. I’ve had 3 exams in a week and I have seen a movie, I’m caught up with Chocolate, Crash Landing on you, Stove league, Black Dog and Diary of a Prosecutor. This is more dramas than I watched throughout the semester.
I think it’s because I know I’m too busy to be watching so it comes off as a proper escape but when I’m more free, having all that time paralyzes my interest. I do have the most fun in hobbies when I‘m busy. Summers are a drag!!
Or, the content that airs during my exam period is the kind of content that speaks to me? Or it’s everything? 🤔
So i manage to stay away from dramas but I tend to visit dramabeans and watch YouTube videos a lot during exams! Like today I have my last exam but here I am replying to you 🤷♀️
Every now and then, I rewatch scenes from BTIOFL and I’m again reminded of how much I really love Se-Hee and Ji-Ho’s relationship. I especially love how Ji-Ho does somethings that are completely natural to her and Se-Hee is in the background having a moment of enlightenment followed by quiet contentment and awe of how compatible they are. It’s so beautiful to watch over and over again!
I am high key pissed at Chocolate #7.
It’s a hospice. All the patients have terminal illnesses. It’s not shocking they suffer from depression.
It should be expected and they should have psychologist/psychiatrists employed. The doctors there should also have some form of sensitivity training. So when a patient attempts suicide, you don’t have irresponsible doctors saying things like ‘I didn’t peg you someone who could do such a selfish thing.’
That kind of irresponsible statement makes sense coming from a family/loved one – their emotions are on a high from shock, fear and anger. But not from a professional.
And one should never, ever tell a suicidal person they regret ever liking them and they don’t deserve to be born again as anything if they commit suicide.
This part was shocking. I wondered why they were handling it this way. I wish they would explore on this topic more in the next episodes. This is actually a good drama to explore topics like this. And have the doctors act like professionals onscreen. I do hope the writer has something more to show than just this one episode.
I’d guess that one of the reasons the suicide rate in Korea is so high is because of the lack of knowledge about depression, even among professionals, and society’s view on it.
I’m 40 and live in the states and as a child and into my 20s I definitely remember talk of it being selfish act. Or that depression is something someone should be able to snap out of with the right attitude or fill in blank. Though that was not the medical profession. I’m not sure how it was treated in the 80s and 90s.
And my fear is that this drama will just reinforce society’s view on it instead of providing an alternate action. The hospice would’ve made a good platform for them to expound on how to deal with it – dealing with death, desperation, their struggle and suicidal tendencies. By the looks of it, it wasn’t just the patient who needed help. Joon’s character is now taking the blame for it too. And he doesn’t know how to deal with it either.
I have dealt with depression, twice in five years. The second time around was the worse. I had even threatened suicide especially the first time but it’s not something I would actually go through. But people (esp my family and considering they are the reason it even happen) telling me to just snap out of it that the depression will just go away, as if it were that simple makes angry. That’s not how depression works. That said it is actually kdramas that helped me through a lot of it. And I wished I could make them understand and I can even feel the after effects even now. Even my sister doesn’t seem to get it despite trying to make her understand multiple times. I agree with Mei Gue-Rae I hope this drama deals with this topic sensitively. I haven’t watched this episode, I guess I will watch both of this week’s episodes later instead.
@amy1009
I’m so glad you have the strength and determination to not succumb to it! And to have an outlet like K dramas to help you through it. Most of the time, dramas are cathartic for me too.
Thing is my depression was why I stopped watching American shows much. I had become sensitive to the voilence and the dark and gritty during my depression, even though the worst I had seen was Criminal Minds and Supernatural. Infact when I returned to them for a bit I actually went for lighter fare. That why I had turned to Kdramas in the first place. At least with them I can relate to things and I care about the characters and not feel Oh just another dead person like I used to cause before I had got desensitized to it. Here I can never have the same problem. Even the sad dramas that make me cry feel cathartic. Mostly Kdramas are an absolute delight. I don’t regret dropping other fiction for kdramas.
You might want to skip Jun’s portions toward the end of the episode then (better yet, everything with the patient after she comes back to the hospital).
I dont know if this is good or bad (probably bad, actually) but my best friend was a therapist at a hospice for years. Her job was to help end of life patients come to terms with their lives coming to an end, and help their families. That job? KILLS any and all form of sympathy/empathy that they may have. I was so happy when she stopped working there because I had to literally limit how much time I spent talking to her. She would tell me about her job and her patients and my eyebrows would be in my hairline they were raised in shock and horror and outrage at the stuff that SHE was saying about the patients–including the ones who tried to kill themselves. After working there so long and witnessing so much death—people and human suffering—stopped being a thing to her.
You know, I didnt think it did. But it wasn’t just her. It was EVERYONE who worked in that hospice. Since they are so surrounded by death (and this is just my armchair therapist speaking, I dont know anything) they distance themselves from it in self defense. She wasnt aware how dark she had become until she left that job for a different one, still dealing with death and helping people prepare but in a different setting than a hospice.
I get the numbness that comes with job and the experience. As a medical student, we get loads of ‘sensitivity’ and ‘communication skills’ courses. They teach of the most basic interaction skills that you think it’s too obvious but then I go to the hospital and I realize that a lot Doctors lack these basic skills. It’s as a result of being numbed or burnt out. I get it. We make a lot of morbid jokes but only amongst ourselves. These doctors should still maintain a level of professionalism when interacting with the patient. They don’t have to be emotionally attached but they should know what not to say.
Medical personnel need TLC too.
After watching episode 8, I’m starting to think there might be more behind this. It just feels like the insensitivity of the Doctors is in contrast to the kind and thoughtful portrayal surrounding the scenes in other characters. I hope I’m right.
IamPilgrim
March 28, 2020 at 7:48 AM
Very informative. Just thought to share it here
Beverly
March 28, 2020 at 9:42 AM
Thanks for sharing. Now if only we can get the doctor to talk some of our world leaders through this.
blnmom
March 28, 2020 at 9:53 AM
“You have to be humble. The moment we become arrogant, we’ll lose.”
We’re so screwed in the US.
Thanks for sharing the video, extremely informative.
Carolina
March 28, 2020 at 11:16 AM
A few weeks ago people were telling me not to go to Korea. It’s safer than the US.
Maq
March 28, 2020 at 12:21 PM
A sad truth. I spoke with some exchange students before my in-person classes were cancelled and everything moved online. They told me they wanted to go back to Hong Kong because they felt it was safer there than here. This was two weeks ago.
CharmingKey
March 28, 2020 at 12:21 PM
Thanks for sharing! This is one of the most direct and informational videos I have seen on the virus.
IamPilgrim
March 27, 2020 at 12:22 PM
I am late to the party but i just started watching \’The Last Empress\’ and I have to say, Shin Sung Rok is one attractive man. I love his voice. When others were in love with Kim Soo Hyun in \’My love from the stars\’, SSR, his jaw line and Jun Ji-Hyun\’s antics kept me through the series.
I\’m on the 2nd episode but so far, there\’s nothing much about Jang Na ra\’s character. I am disappointed because I started the drama mainly for her but the drama is more than 20 episodes long, so I\’m hopeful.
On the other hand, Lee Elijah\’s character is so manipulative that I love her.
larelle79
March 27, 2020 at 1:31 PM
Enjoying this series will only work in your favor if you lean in and accept the ridiculousness that is The Last Empress.
Sun-ni get better though and also more outrageously stupid.
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 2:55 AM
Guys, my uni is a joke. 😂😂😂
I understand that we weren’t ready for the pandemic and the transition to online classes is just as tough on the lecturers and the department – probably even tougher – but their response is bare minimum.
For context, my uni makes in mandatory for us to take P.E. I don’t know about other departments but in mine, since ours is a 6-year program, we have to take P.E at least 3 times in order to graduate. It could be anything approved by the uni – basketball, swimming, gym, running, yoga. Anything as long as it’s been approved by the Uni. So people registered for P.E this semester get this email. 💀💀💀
What do they mean by ‘yet’? I want a refund of my tuition. Also, our timetable is a fucking joke. Granted, some of our courses were strictly clinical but it’s been two weeks since they made the decision to go online. I’m registered for 13 courses this semester- I have only 2 classes that belong to one course. 💀💀
For students in the 4th and 5th year, there are 10 weeks of classes and then, 4 weeks of clinicals. Usually, there’s a switch and a new timetable from the 6th week. So we have courses that begin in the 6th week. The uni shutdown in the 5th week. In their new timetable, there’s no slot or time for the courses that are supposed to begin this week. 🙃
No, I’m not busy. Neither is the department. It’s Stomatology department – it’s run by dentistry. They’re not at the forefront of the pandemic. They’ve not reached out to us to explain. We’ve not had a single class! Anesthesiology is a department that is at the frontline and they’ve reached out to us.
I reiterate: my uni is a fucking joke!
MeloMe
March 25, 2020 at 4:03 AM
Comment was deleted
MeloMe
March 25, 2020 at 4:05 AM
Comment was deleted
IamPilgrim
March 24, 2020 at 1:43 PM
Who’s watching ‘A piece of your mind’? What do you make of it? I honestly don’t know
Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
March 24, 2020 at 1:54 PM
Show that want me to stick around need to put something fun or exciting into the first half hour or so. This show didn’t come close. Even Chae Soo-bin wasn’t enough to make me finish day 1.
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 1:59 AM
I don’t mind the slow pace or the tone – I’m enjoying ‘I’ll come to you when the weather is nice.’ – but it’s very confusing. I can’t make out the sequence of events or the characters.
Yuyuu, The Drama Queen
March 24, 2020 at 3:07 PM
Only seen ep.1 so far. The premier wasn’t terrible, but it was confusing. I can’t say I was hooked, but I’ll stay one more week to get a good sense of it, bc 1 wasn’t enough to make a proper judgment.
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 2:01 AM
It was very confusing. Ep #2 isn’t better. It gets even hella confusing. I’ll wait till next week for the verdict.
sal
March 24, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Maybe this make you understand more 🙂
Drama chief producer have responded about the premier for the drama. seems like even Korean viewer where a little confused with the first episode! Sound like they want to do something fresh.
“There were certain scenes where there was no explanation to aid understanding, but in planning the drama, we wanted to relay a feeling of unfamiliarity rather than familiarity and comfort.”
“From episodes two, three, and on, the unexpected elements from episode one will be resolved. From what it is that Ha Won does at work, to how Seo Woo feels when she meets him, all will be revealed.”
https://www.soompi.com/article/1390268wpp/a-piece-of-your-mind-producer-responds-to-premiere-reviews-and-talks-about-whats-to-come
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 2:05 AM
Ah, it was on purpose? I’m of the opinion their ‘something fresh’ didn’t work out well. Thankfully, the actors are compelling enough and while I spent a large chunk of both episodes wondering to myself, ‘what am I watching?’, there were elements to the drama that made me curious enough to want to check it out next week. Hopefully, they clear up the confusion.
Karmen ~ 🍜🏢🎭 ~ 📚☔🦋 ~ 🪂🌱💘 ~ ✨🍊💫 ~
March 24, 2020 at 4:23 PM
I’ve just watched ep.2 and I… don’t know.
I didn’t expect the thing that happened. Why?
And many other things seem odd…
Tell me if you have watched ep.2, I don’t want to spoiler.
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 2:08 AM
I’ve seen it. Not only did I find the episodes confusing, it ended with me wondering if they had to go down that route. Really? 😐😒
I’ll be honest, I like Chae Soo Bin enough to check out the next week’s episodes. I did somewhat enjoy it when I wasn’t confused. That’s why I said I didn’t know what to make of it.
Karmen ~ 🍜🏢🎭 ~ 📚☔🦋 ~ 🪂🌱💘 ~ ✨🍊💫 ~
March 25, 2020 at 12:16 PM
I’ll watch for JHI (I have never watched a drama with CSB before), instead, and the cinematography, that is beautiful.
About Ji-soo… it was unexpected and sad, I had the impression that she hadn’t called for help before calling the FL (I don’t remember her name), so she did nothing to avoid her own death.
Then, I found odd that the FL didn’t understand more quickly that Before Dawn and Ha Woon were the same person. She had seen “both”, and not only from behind…
IamPilgrim
March 24, 2020 at 5:44 AM
Music March
The month is almost over but I wanted to at least post the songs that have been helping me get through this year with a terrible beginning. Hopefully, things get better 😁
Edgar Pordwed
March 28, 2020 at 5:57 AM
Thanks for sharing this song!
IamPilgrim
March 28, 2020 at 7:48 AM
☺️☺️
IamPilgrim
March 14, 2020 at 8:24 AM
Looking for recommendations 🥺
Hello Beanies! It’s been a while since I posted something on the wall. I hope all beanies are staying safe. Schools have been temporarily closed because of the Covid-19 and because I’m immunosuppressed (well, I was the last time I took a blood test), I have to be extra careful and be confined to my apartment.
This has freed up my month from the continuous clinic visits that were stressing me out and taking a toll on school. I’ve been keeping up with ‘Hi, Bye Mama’ and ‘I will go to you when the weather is nice’ and though I’ve been enjoying them, I’m in this personal rut so I need a ‘pick me up’ in form of a drama.
I enjoyed ‘Hospital Playlist’ but ruts have a knack for making one’s life extra dreary. I broke down today and gorged on snacks even though I’ve been staying away for almost 2 months because of my health.
Anyway, what I’m craving is a good J-drama. I kinda want to watch something romantic for some reason. But most romantic J-dramas I’ve seen either have a very depressing, unsatisfying and anticlimactic ending or they’re romcoms with love-triangles, candy characters and the most irritating of all, there’s a ‘Master-slave’ type dynamic between the main leads with the ML just being an emotionally abusive twat and the FL is non the wiser.
So, this is a difficult ask but can J-drama watching beanies recommend a good drama with romance elements that do not have any of the above tropes, or at least, doesn’t focus on them for long? 🥺🥺
Thank you and stay safe Beanies!
SnarkyJellyfish
March 14, 2020 at 9:16 AM
Have you tried Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu? It’s so cute and fun. I also really enjoyed Boku, Unmei no Hito desu, which is a rom-com of sorts, but is really unique in its setup and execution, and is a fluffy, normal romance with nothing that really makes you roll your eyes at the stupid.
I liked Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto for all its got a bit of a Candy-Tsundre setup, just because the characters are sweet and the overall tone isn’t drowning in angst and over-the-top emotions, and it feels very slice-of-life.
I enjoyed Tatta Hitotsu no Koi for all it drowned in angst; I liked the reversal with the rich girl-poor boy setup and how it constantly sort of turned tropes sideways. But I also have a soft spot for both the lead actors, especially the female lead, Ayase Haruka who was lovely in the movie Tonight, at Romance Theater.
IamPilgrim
March 14, 2020 at 9:49 AM
I’ve seen ‘Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu’. In fact, I read the manga first before going to search for the live adaptation. I really enjoyed it. I’ve also seen and enjoyed ‘ Boku, Unmei no Hito desu’.
I haven’t seen ‘Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto’ but because the title more or less implied some sort of love-triangle, I was put off every time I came across it. Does it a have any form of love-triangle and if it does, is that the main focus? I think ‘love-triangles’ tops my most-hated tropes list and ties with ‘emotionally abusive twat’ trope.
I have seen parts of ‘Hitotsu no Koi’. I just never get to finishing it. I don’t know why. I tried it because of the ML after I saw ‘Boku, Unmei no Hito desu’. I appreciated how very different he was in both dramas. On the other hand, I haven’t tried ‘Tonight, at Romance Theatre.’ I’m off to try it. Thank you for the recommendation 🖤
SnarkyJellyfish
March 14, 2020 at 10:08 AM
The three sweethearts in the title refer to the three brothers she works with in the show. The premise is that the oldest, who she had/has a crush on invites her to work at their family restaurant, but the real love story is between her and the middle brother. There is technically a triangle but it never felt frustrating or stupid to me because the characters themselves were well done, and the relationships between the brothers were lovely. Also, the FL relationships with each of them is fun to watch too, since the four of them all live together. There are some typical tropes, but overall I never found them frustrating or annoying because the overall storytelling was strong enough to overcome it.
Beverly
March 14, 2020 at 10:10 AM
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi has been on my to be watched list for so long. Everytime I’m reminded of it I think “I need to watch that” and then promptly go watch something else.
Second A Girl and Three Sweethearts. While it does have that set up the heroine is not chasing after the Tsundere.
The other two I will have to look up and check out.
It is a movie but I found Kimi ni Todoke to be super sweet. It has a romance but I also liked watching the friendships develop too.
I also really liked Pride. Maybe not the most fluffy and there is a bit of a triangle, but I loved the main actor in it.
SnarkyJellyfish
March 14, 2020 at 10:15 AM
I think Tatta Hitotsu no Koi feels very old school just because it is old and is kind of a reverse Cinderalla story, but I found it to be very satisfying by the end. But I also I think I was also very much in the mood for an angsty, youthful romance when I watched it.
sirena
March 14, 2020 at 9:28 AM
Please stay safe and be well
Ally
March 14, 2020 at 9:57 AM
Stay well! Yes, you would have been at great risk. I hope you find your drama and that this is over soon.
IamPilgrim
February 14, 2020 at 11:18 AM
Today is the most eventful Valentine’s Day ever and I hope it never is again.
I haven’t been religiously following beanies’ love, February posts but I’ve been aware of them. Today is valentines’ day – which I was very grateful for so I can stop seeing posts shaming single people.
Last year, I remember posting on dramabeans how insignificant the celebration has always been in my life but discovering a used condom in the middle of a library condom made it a little eventful.
I spent most of my day waiting in the hospital for what I thought was just a minor check-up. Some blood cell count was low but it was borderline and I didn’t have any symptoms – it was an accidental finding.
But staying in hospital for almost 3 hours before someone finally directed me to go get another blood test pissed me off even more. Why did I need to get blood drawn again? Then I finally got to see the doctor after 5 hours. I was furious because I knew I’d just wasted a day only to hear the doctor say what I’d been thinking – it’s nothing serious.
But she delivers news I didn’t expect – tells me my new test result is worse than the one I got last week, that I need to come back to get more tests done. Then she goes on to ask about symptoms I’ve been having. And I’m a medical student – I was aware of these symptoms but I never thought they were related cause I’d been struggling with them for almost 3 years. Now, what I thought was just a routine check-up has turned into something much more serious.
I’ve had enough breakdown in medical school that I don’t need an incurable illness. I’m used to being the one on the other side asking questions and taking medical history. I don’t know how to process it. I just hope further tests come negative. I’ve just decided to get my life in order. This had by far been one of the most terrible days of my life.
Giegie
February 14, 2020 at 11:28 AM
I’m sorry to heart that. I really pray and hope it’s nothing serious and that your test results will be negative. 🙏🏻
mugyuljoie is preciousss
February 14, 2020 at 11:58 AM
Hoping for resoundingly negative test results in your future.
halfmoon
February 14, 2020 at 12:54 PM
Hoping and wishing for negative test results for you…
KdramaAhjumma
February 14, 2020 at 4:08 PM
That was one terrible day, @esther. I’m sorry you had to go through that and I hope that further tests do come negative.
Beverly
February 14, 2020 at 4:28 PM
I hope that the test results come back fast and negative.
Ally
February 14, 2020 at 8:38 PM
I’m praying you come through this. I hope you know how strong you are. I know you’ve been struggling, but even if the tests are positive, you will be a much better physician because of it. I hope we hear some good news from you soon!
egads aka Dame Maggie
February 14, 2020 at 9:08 PM
I’m sorry this is happening to you, and I hope that in the end it all just turns out to be false alarm.
taekkielove
February 14, 2020 at 9:35 PM
Don’t lose heart..fighting!! It”ll be alright.
korfan
February 15, 2020 at 1:36 AM
I’m sorry to know you’re going through this. Hoping for the best for you.
Ayan
February 15, 2020 at 2:06 AM
I really hope these tests come back negative.
IamPilgrim
February 4, 2020 at 5:12 AM
This is an important question beanies: What does having an ‘Oppa’ constitute? Let me rephrase. What requirements need to be met before you can successfully claim someone as your ‘oppa’?
I’ve come to realize that I love, love so many celebrities – I just can’t be satisfied by one – but then again, when it comes to sticking through a shitty drama for them, I can’t. 😭
Is it that my love isn’t strong enough?
gadis
February 4, 2020 at 5:19 AM
Well, I’d say different people have different definition of it. I like many actors and actresses, but the one I claim as my Oppa and Unni are those whose projects I watched without skipping. The one whom I can watch in anything, even when their dramas or movies are a hot mess I’d otherwise dropping within the first few minutes. The one that make me searching for BTS and interview videos, watching it raw despite only understanding half of it.
But then again, I’m pretty sure that’s not the only definition. 😉
wapz
February 4, 2020 at 5:20 AM
That is the reason I don’t have an oppa. I get over the actors I have a crush on when another comes with a good drama. I also won’t keep watching a show for any actor if that show isn’t good. I think oppa can be many but there should be a commitment to them, I wonder if this makes sense 😂. Otoh i would just never call any actor oppa, i find the word itself very cringy (cue Be Melodramatic reference).
azzo
February 4, 2020 at 5:58 AM
I only ever use Oppa for my Oppa as you all might know by now, I’m 100% committed to him (I’ll get to watching Forest, I promise).. I do love other actors, of course, .. but I only feel this strongly for Park Hae-jin (yes, I said his name!), I’m in it for thick and thin..and it will break my heart so much if he ever commits a crime or goes MIA on us!
Honestly, I started using “Oppa” as a way to poke fun at the word but it kind of stuck!
nerdy
February 4, 2020 at 7:37 AM
Anyone who is good at acting, is super charismatic and makes me want to write a fanfic about him? I honestly don’t know, but I generally watch first two episodes of any drama they star in. My love can’t go longer than that.
While we are on that topic. Hyun Bin-ah get a better agent. You shouldn’t abuse the love I have for you.
Ms. Rabbit 🐇
February 4, 2020 at 10:43 AM
Oppa is whoever has your heart.
KSKalways
February 6, 2020 at 9:42 AM
it’s also ok to not have an Oppa… I mean…
*shrugs*
#NotLoyal
IamPilgrim
February 1, 2020 at 12:49 AM
#Itaewon Class
I guess I’ll have to see more of it. The actors are amazing but so far, there’s nothing new to the story. I got over revenge-against-chaebol-angst dramas ago so I was slightly bored when I wasn’t chuckling at PSJ and the others as high school kids. Even the extras looked old.
Clips from the current day seem promising so hopefully when they’re done with this origin story, I’ll enjoy it.
Probable unpopular opinion: I quite like PSJ’s buzzcut and I’m not even a fan of the actor. (Don’t dislike him or have anything against him – I’m just not a fan)
Midnight
February 1, 2020 at 2:13 AM
I like his buzzcut too.
KSKalways
February 6, 2020 at 9:45 AM
I don’t like his hair, but I can now look at it without cringing.
I’m waiting for Ep.4 before investing time in watching. I’ll wait to read about other Beanies (like you)’s opinion. Plus I have way too many shows to catch up with! *tears* #SlowWatcher #RealLifeGetsInTheWayofMyKDramaBinging
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 2:24 AM
IamPilgrim
January 16, 2020 at 6:27 AM
I’m finally watching ‘The Irishman’ and I need to take a break because it’s too long – 3hrs!!! It’s a great watch especially since it’s a true-crime story but I have google every name cause I am not very familiar with most of the figures.
Quick question for the American Beanies – why do your rich people like to give their kids their own names or similar sounding names? It’s so confusing. Do you know the struggle I had with figuring out which Kennedy was which? The names are also mouthful. Oh my gosh, I have a headache.
Then again, on my side of the world, while it’s not unheard of to name your kid after yourself, it seems like it’s quite common amongst the ‘elite’ in the USA. 🤔
mindy
January 16, 2020 at 7:29 AM
I think it’s about legacy and all that. I think it’s a bit silly and strangely harkens back to monarchy but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Beverly
January 16, 2020 at 8:27 AM
Not neccesarily just along economic lines. It is just a pretty common practice.
thatstp
January 16, 2020 at 9:04 AM
I was going to say it’s not just the rich that name their children after themselves. Everyone does it. It all comes down to vanity. Narcissism at its finest.
I feel the same about Koreans naming their kids similar names and when American’s kids all start with the same letter. It is hard to keep them all straight. Lol
IamPilgrim
January 15, 2020 at 12:55 PM
I’m somewhat confused at some EXO fans’ reaction to Chen’s marriage news. I thought most EXO fans were at least older now. I’m not a fan but maybe that’s why I was happy for him (which is weird for me because my first reaction to young people getting married is 😊) . I guess I was just glad that amidst the tragedies in K-pop, at least an idol is living the life he wants. At least, I hope that’s the life he wants.
The entitlement and extremely unhealthy degree of attachment to these celebrities, though. I understand some people feel slighted because the amount of dedication they’ve put towards their idols but reality is they have their own lives. You feeling sad is one thing, but like an emotionally and mentally healthy person, you’d understand it’s their life to live and you get over it. Not start a manhunt to have him kicked out of the group.
IamPilgrim
January 15, 2020 at 12:56 PM
http://www.asianjunkie.com/2020/01/15/rant-by-fan-of-exos-chen-provides-an-honest-peek-into-the-delusion-behind-the-fandom-of-many/
KSKalways
January 16, 2020 at 6:52 AM
I just read parts of the letter and…
these crazy entitled abusive unhinged fans need help… quick…
🙁
Bebe | Nessa❣️
January 15, 2020 at 2:44 PM
You should say this again, but this time to so called SUJU fans who petitioned to have Sungmin kicked out of the group for his marriage a few years back… Yes, it’s been a few years—6 to be exact— and Sungmin is STILL on hiatus from SUJU, and all the other SUJU members still feel like they’re on pins and needles every time someone mentions having Sungmin rejoin
IamPilgrim
January 15, 2020 at 3:48 PM
It’s insanely ridiculous to be honest. I wasn’t into SUJU during that time period so I didn’t know what was going on. I still can’t believe they more or less kicked him out for having a family.
It’s the reason Kim Hee Chul, a 36 year old man – A GROWN ASS MAN – has to keep apologizing for being in a relationship even though the general fandom seems cool with it.
I think the fact that the fandom can decide to be ‘cool’ or not on a such a personal and private matter is fucking ridiculous tbh.
I also keep reading translated comments like ‘Chen should be sorry for tarnishing EXO’s image’ because of the keywords now associated with EXO is ‘father’
🙃🙃🙃
Don’t they realize the problem in that statement? Like, how is being a parent tarnishing to one’s image? The fact that it is in fact ‘tarnishing’ is a problem!
Bebe | Nessa❣️
January 15, 2020 at 4:32 PM
Yea… a click bait comments section of a Kpop news article came up on my Google Feed today and it was basically all just means comments about EXO-M and EXO… One of the larger comment threads was one that had a picture of EXO with only a select few members and the comment attached to it was something along the lines of “EXO should have just been these 6 members to begin with, and EXO-M should not have even been created/existing in the first place… I don’t understand why SM even bothered going thru all that trouble creating EXO-M”
😕😕
IamPilgrim
January 14, 2020 at 5:18 PM
#Black Dog
So, who’s taking care of the kids that aren’t leading the class? Who’s taking care of the average students and the struggling ones? The ones that aren’t academically inclined?
I understand how elitist their education system is. The reality of things is that not one school or two can change it. In such an insanely competitive system, it’s better to try your best to have an edge. The school trying to help the ‘1%’ kids is (because they are putting in a lot of effort) the way it can be but there’s just too much focus on them. Not everyone’s brain is wired to ‘cram’ and ‘memorize’. So, who has got the back of the kids in 99%?
WishfulToki
January 15, 2020 at 1:29 AM
I’m only following the recaps but the drama doesn’t seem interested in answering your question so far. I was hoping to read about the effects of all this on that 99%. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the drama seems very focused on power politics and admin wars, not really on the students who are on the receiving end of all this.
IamPilgrim
January 16, 2020 at 1:04 AM
I’m hoping next week’s episodes will touch these 99% because in the latest episode, there was some opposition against the clear favoritism of the 1%.
oppafangirl
January 15, 2020 at 6:51 AM
The rest 99% will be way better than the top 1% from such a system, because in the university most of the 1% just fail… because higher education is not about clearing exams by rote learning… I hate that there is actually no focus on them understanding the subject actually. In the end it is us University teachers who have to deal with them and make them unlearn. We have to teach them how to think and reason, i just wished they are taught this from school…
IamPilgrim
January 16, 2020 at 1:02 AM
I can attest to this. My country’s education system, too, is built on memorizing rather than applying your knowledge. It’s just not as competitive. I struggled when I got into uni because I had to unlearn how to memorize and learn to understand and apply.
MyraParle
February 6, 2024 at 3:45 AM
You know, you’re absolutely right. In my first years of college, there was a girl who studied with me, who at first was an excellent student, because from school she was used to just memorizing everything, and I was lagging behind in this regard. But then, when narrower engineering assignments began, it began to stall, since there was no longer enough simple memory, it was necessary to understand the process. She used https://essays.edubirdie.com/engineering-assignment-help until she switched to the new education system. This was an unexpected lesson for her since the school did not prepare her for this. The school should develop not only memory but also logic and critical thinking.
IamPilgrim
January 8, 2020 at 2:53 PM
I’m loving the Do family on Return of Superman. They’re just a bundle of joy. And this news also got me excited 😆 Kang Gary!!!! The long awaited comeback!!
https://www.soompi.com/article/1375643wpp/the-return-of-superman-cp-tells-story-behind-casting-gary-and-son-as-new-family
Ms. Rabbit 🐇
January 8, 2020 at 4:35 PM
Do boy is just so adorable. Love his confidence in singing despite being off-tune.
IamPilgrim
January 8, 2020 at 2:12 PM
Diary of a Prosecutor ep #6
The actress that plays Jung Ryeo Won’s mother is absolutely phenomenal! My heart broke for her and Ryeo Won’s characters. She’s such an amazing actress!
IamPilgrim
January 8, 2020 at 11:56 AM
Caught up on Diary of a prosecutor ep 5! This show is so brilliantly hilarious!!
mugyuljoie is preciousss
January 8, 2020 at 12:12 PM
I just started and was hooked after 10 minutes.
Cloggie
January 8, 2020 at 2:42 PM
I’ve also just started it. Watched 4 eps in 2 days. Even if the humour is a bit hit-and-miss for me, I love the characters.
IamPilgrim
January 6, 2020 at 9:24 AM
Eum Moon-Sun, the bob-haired guy from Fiery Priest gave an amazing performance at SBS Awards show. He’s so talented!! Honestly, the audience did not deserve him!!
Madkdr
January 6, 2020 at 4:27 PM
Awww video unavailable!! Any idea what song he performed to?
IamPilgrim
January 6, 2020 at 5:47 PM
It’s this ‘Swing Baby’ song. I don’t know the original song or if it’s originally Korean but if you watch Running Man, it’s the song Ji-Hyo, Se-Chan, Kwang Soo and Haha danced to – it was a swing dance performance. Some episodes leading to the Nevis Swing episodes.
Madkdr
January 8, 2020 at 7:18 AM
Thank you. I’ll go look for it.
IamPilgrim
March 25, 2020 at 2:25 AM
IamPilgrim
January 3, 2020 at 7:36 AM
Every now and then, I rewatch scenes from BTIOFL and I’m again reminded of how much I really love Se-Hee and Ji-Ho’s relationship. I especially love how Ji-Ho does somethings that are completely natural to her and Se-Hee is in the background having a moment of enlightenment followed by quiet contentment and awe of how compatible they are. It’s so beautiful to watch over and over again!
HAPPY NEW YEAR BEANIES!
Beverly
January 3, 2020 at 7:47 AM
His head nod is everything.
mindy
January 3, 2020 at 10:20 AM
It’s on Netflix now! Which just means another excuse to rewatch! Hoorayyyy!!
IamPilgrim
January 3, 2020 at 11:40 AM
That’s where I’m rewatching it.
mindy
January 3, 2020 at 11:46 AM
Sadly, like Viki, they changed several of the songs (CEO Ma’s musical moment, Se-hee’s kimchi-making), but I’m just glad it’s somewhere I can make my friends watch it. Lol!
IamPilgrim
December 24, 2019 at 6:21 PM
Me side-eyeing the cliched Starving African kids quip they pulled in Diary of a Prosecutor. They almost got the right pictures/video – it was missing THE crucial FLY. That golden globe winning fly that finds a way to star with almost every starving African child. Almost perfect! It’s the details!!! I guess IT was too busy staring in another photo shoot. In their defense, It’s a pretty famous fly! I heard IT got bodyguards after the numerous attempts made against ITS life.
What we desperately need in Africa is pest control. We can’t seem to get rid of that fly no matter how hard we try. The fly is like male Korean celebrity trash! When you think you’ve done your best to get rid of their ‘scuminess’ by unearthing their latest evil, they come crawling out after a while with a comeback like Michael Bublé crawling out his cave during Christmas.
I don’t blame them though. Nothing proves altruism more than someone weeping over the state of us starving African kids – especially if you have photos to prove it (we don’t see cameras much). We bring pity out pretty easily – and also seem to invoke or afflict people with selective blindness. No matter how hard a lot of people try, when they look at the African map, it’s a moderately vast desert populated by animals, us starving kids and our beloved pet lions. No countries whatsoever!
It’s one thing I miss so much being so far away from home especially during Christmas. Us kids have sports competitions between our pets (cause we’re starving and we can’t run) and the winner gets to star in their own special photo-shoot/video shoot along side the infamous fly. If you manage to kill said fly, our village chief will give to you half a chicken wing and 20 grains of rice to last the year. It’s something we look forward to every year. I’m so sad I can’t partake in it 😕
rue
December 24, 2019 at 6:31 PM
Ugh, THE Fly falls in the same category as “Oh, but your English is so good!”, “Did you swim here?” and “Your name is hard to pronounce. Can I call you — instead?”
IamPilgrim
December 25, 2019 at 2:48 AM
‘Did you swim here?’ What the hell? Don’t they know Africans can’t swim? We live in a desert! We don’t have water to drink. Are they making fun of our sufferings?
💀💀💀
rue
December 25, 2019 at 3:00 AM
😂😂 How dare they make a mockery of our pain
moana
December 25, 2019 at 11:54 PM
And my personal favourite, when someone hears you’re from an African country and they immediately follow with “I knew a person from [completely different country on the other side of the continent]” like you’re somehow supposed to know them.
moana
December 25, 2019 at 11:56 PM
I mean we DO all share a single mud hut in the middle of the savannah but that’s beside the point.
IamPilgrim
December 26, 2019 at 1:27 AM
💀💀💀
KSKalways
February 6, 2020 at 9:51 AM
YES!!!!!
*feeling the pain of maintaining one’s composure when this happens*
Staying polite in those moments is hard…
KSKalways
February 6, 2020 at 9:50 AM
my all time favourite is the scenario (and its similarly offensive variations) below.
them (usually white): where are you from?
me: (names town I currently live/work in)
them: ah, no, but where are you REALLY from??
me: *resigned* Cameroon
them: *very excited* ah! I went to Ghana in 1942…
me: *tries hard to not roll eyes to the very back of my skull*
urgh…
halfmoon
December 24, 2019 at 8:37 PM
Couldn’t agree more about the pest control.
Although I was hesitant between the fly and the mosquitoe (at least in my home country).
IamPilgrim
December 25, 2019 at 2:46 AM
Oh, mosquito is family in my side of the big plot of desert that is Africa. We managed to strike a deal with the mosquito chieftaincy. We’re mostly on good terms now. I’m sorry to hear about the the mosquito still being a problem on your side. Maybe with enough exposure like this on Kdramas, people will pity us enough for the mosquito to stop. Trust me, it worked for us.
tsutsuloo
December 24, 2019 at 8:39 PM
Ugh. As an African-born woman, I feel your pain. One of my producer colleagues was based in Kenya for 10 years as he produced videos and short films for Save the Children all over the African continent. While he strived to tell people’s stories with dignity, he loathed the reality that the maudlin, tragic narratives —paired with a A-list celebrity—brought in the most money.
IamPilgrim
December 25, 2019 at 3:03 AM
What pisses me off the most about those videos is how its intention has been twisted. There are people suffering in parts of Africa (like the rest of the world) and also people who genuinely donate or want to try help make the world a better place. But I just hate how Africa has become the yardstick for suffering. We’re the poster card for poverty and destitution. That’s not all there is to being African!
And those videos continue to propagate that notion that we all need WellCare packages to survive. I hate how petty I become because I know that there are people who are actually suffering.
But I hate so much how Africa has been turned to the poverty tourism destination.
I hate how so many non-Africans, especially celebrities, go to some impoverished African cities/villages and takes pictures with the kids there (without their permission) just to show they went to ‘Africa’ and how altruistic they are. So they can get as many compliments on how nice they are to go to poor, destitute Africa and help those kids swat the flies.
And throw comments like this when they meet you.
‘I did some volunteering work in Africa!’ Okay? I didn’t ask you that! Where in the continent though? It’s a HUGE continent- I hope you know. Did the airplane just drop you in the middle of no fucking where? And while you’re at it, show me the pictures of how you infiltrated people’s homes and livelihood to take a picture you can post online to brag about. ‘Those poor African kids!’ 😊☺️😑🙃🤬
tsutsuloo
December 25, 2019 at 9:40 AM
F***. I’m clutching my abdomen, laughing and crying at the same time.
IamPilgrim
December 20, 2019 at 3:42 PM
It has come to my attention that I tend to watch more dramas when I’m very busy. I’ve had 3 exams in a week and I have seen a movie, I’m caught up with Chocolate, Crash Landing on you, Stove league, Black Dog and Diary of a Prosecutor. This is more dramas than I watched throughout the semester.
I think it’s because I know I’m too busy to be watching so it comes off as a proper escape but when I’m more free, having all that time paralyzes my interest. I do have the most fun in hobbies when I‘m busy. Summers are a drag!!
Or, the content that airs during my exam period is the kind of content that speaks to me? Or it’s everything? 🤔
Jig
December 20, 2019 at 5:16 PM
Oh wow you’re a brave soul! I dared not watch during a semester or I was scrambling to get schoolwork done DX I read a lot of recaps though lol
MeloMe
December 20, 2019 at 9:27 PM
So i manage to stay away from dramas but I tend to visit dramabeans and watch YouTube videos a lot during exams! Like today I have my last exam but here I am replying to you 🤷♀️
IamPilgrim
December 24, 2019 at 6:11 PM
Comment was deleted
IamPilgrim
January 3, 2020 at 7:20 AM
Every now and then, I rewatch scenes from BTIOFL and I’m again reminded of how much I really love Se-Hee and Ji-Ho’s relationship. I especially love how Ji-Ho does somethings that are completely natural to her and Se-Hee is in the background having a moment of enlightenment followed by quiet contentment and awe of how compatible they are. It’s so beautiful to watch over and over again!
IamPilgrim
January 3, 2020 at 7:30 AM
https://media.giphy.com/media/mCgBcgmfhcYJAsN5rO/giphy.gif
IamPilgrim
December 20, 2019 at 11:17 AM
I am high key pissed at Chocolate #7.
It’s a hospice. All the patients have terminal illnesses. It’s not shocking they suffer from depression.
It should be expected and they should have psychologist/psychiatrists employed. The doctors there should also have some form of sensitivity training. So when a patient attempts suicide, you don’t have irresponsible doctors saying things like ‘I didn’t peg you someone who could do such a selfish thing.’
That kind of irresponsible statement makes sense coming from a family/loved one – their emotions are on a high from shock, fear and anger. But not from a professional.
And one should never, ever tell a suicidal person they regret ever liking them and they don’t deserve to be born again as anything if they commit suicide.
MeiDramaDreams
December 20, 2019 at 3:03 PM
This part was shocking. I wondered why they were handling it this way. I wish they would explore on this topic more in the next episodes. This is actually a good drama to explore topics like this. And have the doctors act like professionals onscreen. I do hope the writer has something more to show than just this one episode.
Beverly
December 20, 2019 at 3:43 PM
I’d guess that one of the reasons the suicide rate in Korea is so high is because of the lack of knowledge about depression, even among professionals, and society’s view on it.
I’m 40 and live in the states and as a child and into my 20s I definitely remember talk of it being selfish act. Or that depression is something someone should be able to snap out of with the right attitude or fill in blank. Though that was not the medical profession. I’m not sure how it was treated in the 80s and 90s.
MeiDramaDreams
December 20, 2019 at 4:58 PM
And my fear is that this drama will just reinforce society’s view on it instead of providing an alternate action. The hospice would’ve made a good platform for them to expound on how to deal with it – dealing with death, desperation, their struggle and suicidal tendencies. By the looks of it, it wasn’t just the patient who needed help. Joon’s character is now taking the blame for it too. And he doesn’t know how to deal with it either.
Lixie
December 20, 2019 at 3:47 PM
Did they say that? That’s disgusting, I know this show is nonsense but it should just be harmless makjang not offensive.
amruta1009
December 20, 2019 at 5:30 PM
I have dealt with depression, twice in five years. The second time around was the worse. I had even threatened suicide especially the first time but it’s not something I would actually go through. But people (esp my family and considering they are the reason it even happen) telling me to just snap out of it that the depression will just go away, as if it were that simple makes angry. That’s not how depression works. That said it is actually kdramas that helped me through a lot of it. And I wished I could make them understand and I can even feel the after effects even now. Even my sister doesn’t seem to get it despite trying to make her understand multiple times. I agree with Mei Gue-Rae I hope this drama deals with this topic sensitively. I haven’t watched this episode, I guess I will watch both of this week’s episodes later instead.
amruta1009
December 20, 2019 at 5:35 PM
*makes me angry
MeiDramaDreams
December 20, 2019 at 6:08 PM
@amy1009
I’m so glad you have the strength and determination to not succumb to it! And to have an outlet like K dramas to help you through it. Most of the time, dramas are cathartic for me too.
amruta1009
December 20, 2019 at 6:24 PM
Thing is my depression was why I stopped watching American shows much. I had become sensitive to the voilence and the dark and gritty during my depression, even though the worst I had seen was Criminal Minds and Supernatural. Infact when I returned to them for a bit I actually went for lighter fare. That why I had turned to Kdramas in the first place. At least with them I can relate to things and I care about the characters and not feel Oh just another dead person like I used to cause before I had got desensitized to it. Here I can never have the same problem. Even the sad dramas that make me cry feel cathartic. Mostly Kdramas are an absolute delight. I don’t regret dropping other fiction for kdramas.
amruta1009
December 20, 2019 at 6:25 PM
Also thank you for saying that. 🙂
mugyuljoie is preciousss
December 21, 2019 at 1:13 AM
You might want to skip Jun’s portions toward the end of the episode then (better yet, everything with the patient after she comes back to the hospital).
amruta1009
December 21, 2019 at 2:34 AM
oh ok
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
December 20, 2019 at 5:51 PM
I dont know if this is good or bad (probably bad, actually) but my best friend was a therapist at a hospice for years. Her job was to help end of life patients come to terms with their lives coming to an end, and help their families. That job? KILLS any and all form of sympathy/empathy that they may have. I was so happy when she stopped working there because I had to literally limit how much time I spent talking to her. She would tell me about her job and her patients and my eyebrows would be in my hairline they were raised in shock and horror and outrage at the stuff that SHE was saying about the patients–including the ones who tried to kill themselves. After working there so long and witnessing so much death—people and human suffering—stopped being a thing to her.
amruta1009
December 20, 2019 at 5:57 PM
That doesn’t sound good.
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
December 20, 2019 at 6:07 PM
You know, I didnt think it did. But it wasn’t just her. It was EVERYONE who worked in that hospice. Since they are so surrounded by death (and this is just my armchair therapist speaking, I dont know anything) they distance themselves from it in self defense. She wasnt aware how dark she had become until she left that job for a different one, still dealing with death and helping people prepare but in a different setting than a hospice.
amruta1009
December 20, 2019 at 6:30 PM
I kind of understand that though it still disturbs me a little. It’s a good thing your friend got out of it then.
IamPilgrim
December 21, 2019 at 6:37 AM
I get the numbness that comes with job and the experience. As a medical student, we get loads of ‘sensitivity’ and ‘communication skills’ courses. They teach of the most basic interaction skills that you think it’s too obvious but then I go to the hospital and I realize that a lot Doctors lack these basic skills. It’s as a result of being numbed or burnt out. I get it. We make a lot of morbid jokes but only amongst ourselves. These doctors should still maintain a level of professionalism when interacting with the patient. They don’t have to be emotionally attached but they should know what not to say.
amruta1009
December 21, 2019 at 7:22 AM
Exactly
MeiDramaDreams
December 21, 2019 at 3:52 PM
Medical personnel need TLC too.
After watching episode 8, I’m starting to think there might be more behind this. It just feels like the insensitivity of the Doctors is in contrast to the kind and thoughtful portrayal surrounding the scenes in other characters. I hope I’m right.
mugyuljoie is preciousss
December 21, 2019 at 1:16 AM
It was terribly insensitive (both doctors).