Beanie level: Rooftop room dweller

I was delighted twice by this YouTube post. First, it gave me Gerry Mulligan’s 1963 album Night Lights. Then it gifted me a delicious comment from a South Korean ASMR artist, ASMR THOMWHAT:

When I played this music to the drinking water, the water turned into wine.

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This essay really resonated with me. My mom started watching Asian dramas after visiting her family in Malaysia after an absence of many decades. I did the same after my own return to home home. It’s funny how me, the American, now recommends Chinese dramas to my Cantonese-speaking uncle in Malaysia. I ain’t waiting for Hollywood to eventually figure out that Asian perspectives can be central to tv and film.
 
NYTimes | March 16, 2021
How Chinese Dramas Helped Me Build a Relationship With My Sister
By Victoria Chang

After our mom died, I turned to her beloved pastime for comfort. It opened up a new way to communicate with my family.

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    I actually found very important life lessons about communication/miscommunication/insufficient communication aspects of the show My Unfamiliar Family very insightful and I later adapted the lessons I learnt there with rl situations. It turned out great tbh. We used to tip-toe around one another, but we all learnt later on that it was more comforting that though we couldn’t be perfect all the time, everyone in the family still had our back.

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      Brilliant. Pop culture’s important—it’s one of the main ways we learn to be people!

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Minari’s Screen Actor’s Guild Award nominations yesterday bode well for potential Oscar nominations. Nominations include:
* Outstanding Cast
* Steven Yeun–Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
* Youn Yuh-jung–Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (No surprise here. She’s a goddess of veteran Korean film and television. She plays the Grandma, though I’m not sure whose mother she plays)

SAG Award ceremony is Sun. April 4, 2021.
See more info on Minari’s virtual screening starting Fri. Feb. 12.

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    So happy for Youn Yuh Jung!!! And the whole cast. Allow me to fantasize for a moment, how great would it be if Korean films won the Best Picture Oscars two years in a row? Wooooooo 🙋🏼‍♀️

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    I’m over the moon about their SAG nominations but I have mixed feelings about their Oscars nomination(s):
    It’s definitely a step forward in Asian American representation in the industry, but “Minari” definitely should not have been nominated in the Foreign Film category…

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      Agreed.

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      Oscar 2021 nominations won’t come out until March 15. Minari wouldn’t even qualify as a “International Feature” film because it’s an American production.

      Current nomination rules limit films to non-American productions that are predominantly non-English. There’s much to quibble about regarding the nomination process. Vox.com published an excellent explainer on the problems in Feb. 2020: The Oscar’s international film category is broken. Issues include:

      (1) Countries select their own movies to submit and the process isn’t always transparent. (Selection committee members might be unknown, for example.)
      (2) For some countries—where filmmakers are punished, censured and censored for their work—the politicized self-selection process ignores worthy films.
      (3) The non-English language rules effectively bar English-speaking “foreign” countries like Nigeria from submitting their films for the international category. (The Vox article gets deep into this.)
      (4) The rules are applied arbitrarily (good examples in the Vox article).

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    Comment was deleted

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    @bbstl, @bebeswtz, @ndlessjoie — I ran into an interesting problem last year when I tried to submit Minari as a film at MyDramaList. They rejected it because they didn’t consider it an Asian film. I knew it was an American production but had assumed the database had space for diaspora filmmakers who made a films in an Asian language. Nope.

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      From my perspective the Golden Globe’s category for Minari is ridiculous, regrettable and that other “r” word.

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        Ah, I hadn’t realized that. Yuck. Another reason to continue not paying attention to the Globes.😛

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        Update Sat. Feb. 6: MyDramaList rules seem arbitrary. They just posted a trailer for the upcoming PBS Frontline doc A Thousand Cuts about Duterte’s war against the Philippine free press. I’m thrilled to see this included but it makes Minari’s exclusion even weirder.

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The Many Lives of Steven Yeun
The New York Times Magazine | Feb. 3, 2021
By Jay Caspian Kang

What’s a typical immigrant story? In his new film, “Minari,” the “Walking Dead” star has his own to tell.

Tsutsuloo’s note: Excellent interview with Steven Yeun, a very thoughtful actor. Topics include his immigrant identity, being American, how he doesn’t quite fit in in Korea, the film Minari, seeing things through our immigrant parents’ eyes.

The author begins with his own challenges with telling his story as a writer. Actual interview begins below the photo of Steven Yeun’s dressed-in-white photo.

Check out info about the virtual screening of Minari starting Feb. 12.

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    I was going to post this interview as well! A very great deal to unpack here.
    It feels like we’ve been waiting for Minari forever!

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Uncanny Counter | Ep. 4: I have to keep reminding myself that this charming show is on OCN. So, a bad guy inserting earbuds is never a good sign.

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    In all my years of watching mystery dramas, omg, this is one of the creepiest murder scenes ever!

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      Yeah. Here’s my experience so far:

      Me: I love everybody! The curly hair. The best friends! The grandparents! The Noodle Gang! The tracksu—
      Show: Earplug + scissors scene
      Me: Oh, sh*t. It’s OCN.😭

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Uncanny Counter | Ep. 2 I can’t even express how badly I want that tracksuit. It’s my perfect Blursday work pajamas.

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NPR (National Public Radio)
COVID-19 Hampered South Korea\’s Chuseok Holiday — But Daughters-In-Law Got A Break
Oct. 6, 2020

Interesting look at how COVID-19 altered this year’s Chuseok traditions—to the relief of many women. Some families dropped travel all together or greatly simplified the celebration.

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    See? BTLIOF had the right idea.

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    The women in the kitchen cleaning and cooking while the men watch TV sounds a lot like some western holidays. Along with it also seeming like the women, especially mothers, doing a lot of emotional work to make sure everyone has a good holiday.

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      I remember Christmas at my grandma’s was like that for the longest time growing up, just 10-15 years ago. When I became a teenager and realized I started badgering my brothers and cousins to at least clean up afterwards if they weren’t gonna help with the cooking.

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      We lived with my in-laws few years ago, I remember getting a carpal tunnel because of food preparations and cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Holidays were not enjoyable for me back then 🤦🏻‍♀️

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        That sounds horrible. That must of been a feast. Hopefully they are a lot more enjoyable now.

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          Yes, we don’t live with my in-laws anymore so I get to enjoy holidays now 😊

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      I won’t be surprised if this is the norm worldwide. In my region, I don’t expect things to get better in a few years either.

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    lol

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Hoping Minari will be available online. It stars Steven Yeun(Burning, The Walking Dead), Han Ye-ri (My Unfamiliar Family, and Youn Yuh-jung (everything.)

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Inspired by Japanese theme parks, Wall Street Journal reporter Alejandro Lazo has captured the horror of #2020 (or post Nov. 4, 2016) in a captivating motto. Check out the Twitter thread for responses.

“Please scream inside your heart” just might be my first cross-stitch project.

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He’s 83, She’s 84, and They Model Other People’s Forgotten Laundry
The owners of a laundry shop in central Taiwan have become Instagram stars for posing in garments left behind.

This lovely couple is styled by their 31-year-old grandson who wanted to do something to brighten his grandparents’ lives after the laundromat business slowed down.

Source: New York Times

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The NYTimes had a nice piece on the whole “it’s cake” meme. Article included this 2016 video from the Japanese gameshow Candy or Not Candy. My favorite is the man cautiously biting the door knob (0:40).

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Dinner Mate | Ep. 16 This Instagram montage is possibly my favorite kdrama time-skip of ALL time. My face hurts a little from smiling so widely.

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The final episode of Dinner Mate was nearly flawless. Thankfully, uri OTP has a LOT of screen time to be their dorky, lovable selves. Show wasn’t perfect but this couple became one of my faves.

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    Loved loved loved when they both asked the dinner question. Agree, this OTP is one for the books for me.

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      Somewhere on Twitter I saw BTS showing it was Seo Ji-hye’s idea to have them both say the same line together.😍

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    i hv yet to watch 15 n 16 episode.. but i am so glad this OTP is going to be memorable one for me. rarest of time when we have 2 equals as OTP no one is submissive or dominating…

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      Excellent point about their equality (although at one point, HK does sheepishly admit to Do-hee’s mother that DH is “the one who has more power.” (Ep. 16 40:48). Fundamentally, they are mutually respectful and equal in their emotional investment. Quite refreshing.

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    The last two episodes saved this show for me. As the sun set on that last adorable scene, I was sad to say goodbye to them (despite banging my head against the comments wall for a good chunk of this show). I loved the OTP, I am so thrilled to have seen SJH in a role that showcases her goofiness, warmth, charm and good humor (and her laugh – I really love her laugh), A-young was a great sidekick, and there were truly many elements that were intriguing and fun to watch (No-eul most def not one of them). I don’t know if I’ll ever re-watch this in its entirety, but I may find myself reliving the first – and last – few episodes someday!

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Dinner Mate | Ep. 15: Okay. This is the kind of cliffhanger I can support. Say yes to breakfast!!!

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What am I going to do after this week without my weekly dose of BTS Dinner Mate shenanigans from Song Seung Heon and Seo Ji Hye?

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    This after that headlock in the kitchen BTS? Is he looking for reasons for skinships? ><

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Thanks to @dinner_couple’s translations, it turns out Song Seung Heon improvised the touch to Seo Ji Hye’s face. They are too cute. #dinnermate #shippingthemsohard #ihavetogetbacktowork

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    I love whenever actors do adlibs and I appreciate the fact that they actually drank their drinks. Characters always meet up at coffee shops or restaurants but never drink their drinks.

    ….also HOW ARE HIS EYELASHES EVEN REAL! I haven’t had such a crush on an actor in a long time. I can’t stop staring at him. help

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    🤣😂 i love their interaction here. SSH’s ad lib is spot on and more effective in getting DH’s attention.

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What the hell am I doing? I’m supposed to be working and yet I can’t stop looking at BTS stuff related to Dinner Mate. Song Seung Heon and Seo Ji Hye are killing me.

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    Thank you for sharing bts stuffs. 😄 its good to take a break from work for a few minutes.

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    i love their cuteness together… they are so comfortable and sweet… thanks for sharing

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Dinner Mates/Will You Have Dinner With Me | Ep. 14 Do-hee and Hae-kyung had a couple simmering interludes that just about had me biting my hand off.

Regrettably, DH’s mother rates very high on the #corkblorking* meter–even over the phone.

Aigoo, these two have me inches away from writing a French Lieutenant’s style fan fiction with a drama within a drama set up.

**cork blork—A genius-level minced oath from The Good Place.

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    This scene in the hallway brought to mind the
    still marvelous telephone scene     from It’s A Wonderful Life. Flummoxed by Mary’s impertinent, “He’s making violent love to me, Mother!” George Bailey flees the house only to have his heart immediately pull him back into Mary’s arms.

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    Whew! Imagine being that close to The Song Seung Heon’s face… How come there’s not a single wrinkle on it!!! My gosh.

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    That darn phone call. Couldn’t she wait for her daughter to get home. 😂🤣

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    I don’t think I’ve been as annoyed as I was here about an interrupting phone call! Lol!

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    Omg, there’s a vid cut, oh noes, now I have to watch and replay… and replay… and replay…
    Just about died at that “Do you want to stay?”…

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Nah. For me, the brain, kindness, a shared sense of humor and EQ seal the deal but … *cough* biceps and whatnot don’t hurt.

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My God, I’m such a dork. At first glance of this fashion shot of Seo Ji-hye, my brain asked, “Huh? Is that a pistol?!” Of course not, you silly American. *sigh*

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