For now, I’m watching the sunsets and sunrises since I’m at a beach. My Asian 2023 trip continues but when my hubby and I return to the good ole US, I’ll be watching these dramas.
1. Uncanny Counter 2
Cast: Kim SeJeong (“A Business Proposal”), Jo Byung Kyoo (“Sky Castle”), Yoo Jun Sang (“Alchemy of Souls” Seasons 1 & 2), Yeom Hye Ran (“When the Camellia Blooms”)
Episodes: 12
Start Date: July 29
Airs on Saturday and Sunday
Where to Watch it: Netflix? I’m assuming it’s on Netflix like Season 1
Network: tvN
2. My Lovely Liar
Cast: Kim So Hyun (“River Where the Moon Rises,” “Tales of Nokdu” and “Love Alarm”) and Hwang Min Hyun (“Alchemy of Souls” Seasons 1 & 2, he’s one of Jang Uk’s besties)
Episodes: 16
Start Date: July 31
Airs on Mondays and Tuesdays
Where to Watch it: Viki?
Network: tvN
I’ve downloaded “See You in my 19th Life” and “King the Land” so I’m watching them when I can. I plan to catch up with you by next week.
What are you all watching? I see you’re watching “Hidden Love.” I’ll open a thread for you shortly.
Thank you, @packmule3. Enjoy your beachy walks, markets and new adventures.
@packmule3, where did June go! I’m now watching King, The Land and See You in My 19th Life. I like the pairing of Lee Jun-ho and Yoona in this Yoona is no fool here and her facial reactions can be very funny. Jun-ho has been given a very nice collection of three piece suits that he absolutely rocks. I like the comic elements of this drama but I also know, full well, that we’ll have serious elements too. As for 19th Life, I like the premise of remembering all of one’s reincarnated lives. Shin Hye-sun can handle this.They gave her a different look in this drama. I am watching it because I am a fan of this actress and want to see what she does with this role. I also am a sucker for reincarnation stories.i also like that our FL is no fool. I hope the writer keeps it interesting and d9es not descend jnto the usual tropes. So far, so good and thee Lee Bo Young cameo is an added treat.
@Packmule3 – thank you.
Along with the shows I am enjoying at the moment – I dipped my toes into ‘Celebrity’ on Netflix.
I’m on Episode 2 and enjoying it. It’s an entertaining, fast-paced, glossy show. It combines Gossip Girl-esque social one ‘upwomanship’ in the influencer world with a mystery about the central character’s fate.
The versatile and cool Park Gyu Young (Devil Judge; Dali and the Cocky Prince) stars.
If you fancy something like this, give it a whirl.
Thank you! I can’t believe it’s July already. I’m at a beach place too for a week but it’s not good weather so I’m just bumming with my boys. LOL!
I will be watching these 2 shows that you suggested mainly because I watched Season 1 of Uncanny Encounter and I like SJ.
With My Lovely Liar, it’s because of the pairing. I want to see if they’ll click together. 🙂
Kalimera and Have a nice July everyone!
@Packmule3 I do hope you are enjoying your time over there!
I am currently watching :
– King the Land
– See you in my 19th Life
– Revenant
I have to finish: “BloodHounds” and “Here We Meet Again”. I have heard that “Numbers” and “Hearbeat” are very interesting, but I don’t have time for those. I want to enjoy summertime as well…
As for July’s shows. I want to see the Counters! I am waiting for them! <3
Hello all,
Have watched a few more episodes of ‘Celebrity’ – it remains glitzy but the darkness behind the glitz becomes the main focus of the plot. It functions as an exposé and a mystery drama. Enjoyable. The central character said something very ominous in ep 8 … so I think it will get darker still.
@pm3, Enjoy the beach walks!! Beach and sunsets / sunrise is always different and beautiful.
I’m consistently watching
1. See you in my 19th life
2. Hidden Love
3. Destined
4. King the Land
Trying to watch
– One day off
– Heartbeat
– Celebrity
– When I Fly Toward You (cdrama)
– Dream (July 25, film starring Park SeoJun and IU)
– Nineteen to Twenty (coming July 11, Korean reality show)
Am I being too ambitious? At least the first 4 will be watched. The rest I hope to but time is limited and I am not likely to carve much out to watch them.
For July, dramas I want to check out:
My Lovely Liar
Trick Or Love Taiwan rom com starring Marcus Chang, coming to Viki.
Continue watching:
King the Land
See You In My 19th Life
My Lucky Star Thai version
On the Fence- will see how reviews/viewer feedback go:
When A Snail Falls In Love – Thailand remake available at WeTV I really like the China original with Wang Kai.
Heartbeat
Durian’s Affair- I heard the comedy is good,(people loving the “toilet bowl scene” with the time-travellers) but it is total makjang, so I proceed with caution.
Dear @PM3, hope you are having a blast!!!.
I have been watching “See You in my 19th Life” and have been following @GB’s recommendation of “Silent (2022-Japan)”. Like “King The Land” just because Ms. Im Yoon-Ah is eyecandy, regrettably the writing is not as engaging so I am still stuck in Episode 2.
I have been testing other shows and I have been asking myself if it is time to rewatch “The King: Eternal Monarch (2022)” or commit to “Okaeri Mone (2021)”. The last one is one of the most beautiful and thought-provoking stories I have watched in a long while with characters and ideas that lingers with you, but being an Asadora it is made of 120 episodes 15 minutes each. So “commit” is the proper word.
See you all! 😀
BTW, Happy 4th of July for our American Friends!!! 😀
Just for interest watched ‘Marcus Here’ and his top 10 charts on Sunday…
‘Hidden Love’ is the top web drama in China at the moment. This is the first week it has been top of the charts. ‘Destined’ (starring Bai Jingting) is number two.
‘The Youth Romance’ is number one TV drama for the 4th week running.
Hi Everyone!!!
Long time no read. Hope everyone is doing well and healthy. I came back to watching after a break in kdrama. I was only watching or rewatching jdramas to learn the language. Anyways, here’s what I’m watching this month. I hope to read more of everyone here as I look to watch other things.
1. Doom at your Service. It came to Netflix and thought I would rewatch one of my fav dramas and one of the first ones that I watched back when I started watching kdramas. That was such a great summer – for dramas.
2. King of the Land. It was a slow start cause I’m not crazy about the story line but it’s on my queue when I’m not watching DAYS.
Hi @pm3!! If u see movement on old posts it’s me going back to read DAYS. I love reading everyone’s insight. Helps as I see each episode 😁
Happy 4th of July 🇺🇸
❤️❤️❤️
Howdy! I have to bring this here because YangYang is my cdrama first love. 😂 He’s looking more handsome. 🥰
He’s got a new drama out today with his rumoured girlfriend. ☺️ I might just binge watch since I don’t know how long I’ll rewatch Hidden Love and the 2 kdramas I said I was going to check out. 😊
CTO!
https://youtu.be/MopXobbaPAY
Kalimera @agdr03!
I just watched the trailer! It seems interesting! I cannot start it yet though, I have to finished “Here we meet again”.
Hi @Cleopatra 😘 How are you? ☺️
Yes, it looks interesting. I hope it will be good. Me too, I don’t think I’ll get into it straight away. 😊
@agdr03,
I am okay. 🎈 It is hot around here! How are you? 😘
Well, Yang Yang’s sultry voice is doing its thing on the trailer…LMAO!
I’m good @Cleopatra! 😊
It’s winter here so it’s cold now. I prefer summer. ☺️
Yes, YY has a sultry voice. 😉
@agdr03,
It is good to know that. Yes, I know that you are in the other hemisphere…
I prefer summer too but the too much heat is unbearable at times…🙄
Yes, he has. YY knows it damn well, when he uses it! LOL
True too, if it’s too hot it’s just uncomfortable.
But we want YY to use it all the time. It’s for us. 😂
So very true. I am drinking lots of water and frozen tea.
Of course… it’s a gift! 😅🤣
I should drink more water too but I drink a lot of hot tea, even in summer. ☺️
Wow! YY’s drama is 40 episodes. 😱 He better use his gift! 🤣
Well, If you don’t drink something, it is like your body dysfuctions. That’s how I feel anyway.
Really? Yes, he needs to use this gift of his to make it bearable! LOL
It’s true @Cleopatra, your body tells you what it needs. ☺️
Yeah, 40 is a lot. Let’s see how it’s going to go once it airs.
@agdr03 If only we listened to it…
I agree with you. I will be waiting for your thoughts!
Will do! ☺️ I’ll come here once I start it. As it is I’m watching King The Land too but it’s not as captivating to me.
You take care! 🥰
Take care you too @agdr03! 😘 I will be waiting!
Just saw Yan Yang’s new drama “Fireworks In My Heart” is available at Viki. Also coming to VIU and IQIYI, depending on your country.
Oh great – looks like a good watch @Table and I think this is the drama that @agdr03 and @Cleo were discussing too.
Thank you for the clip, @agdr03. It looks like a thrilling one. The GF is pretty, isn’t she? Not sure, but I may wait until Hidden Love is done or my brain will explode from handsome overload.
Did someone say Yang Yang? I’m in!
I just watched the first few minutes of Fireworks in My Heart on Viki and it looks to be a familiar, but satisfying (I hope!) pattern: buff men doing heroic things interspersed with fun bro time; smart surgeon handling life and death situations with aplomb. We’ll see if this lives up to the caliber of You Are My Hero.
I’m watching several dramas in current release, so have to wait weekly for new episodes to drop. King the Land and See You in My 19th Life keep me busy on the weekends. Hidden Love is nearing its end. Fireworks in My Heart may be a good replacement for it.
Tonight I finally finished The Good Bad Mother. That drama and its veteran actors tore my heart out. I sobbed along with them through the final episodes, and it was a good kind of sad. I’m glad I stuck with it to the end.
With Fireworks of my Heart – there is a two for the price of one situation in the early episodes at least!
Along with Yang Yang, Vin Zhang (to me more gorgeous) is playing a cameo role!
Unusual to have two Titans of Attractiveness sharing the screen in this way early in the drama.
@Kate,
Kalo mesimer! I just read the magic words… Vin Zhang is doing a cameo? 😂
@Cleo – he is! It looks like it is just the first couple of episodes…! haha
@Kate
That was *Kalo mesimeri*, from my excitement one -i disappeared! LMAO!
I have to finish first “Here we are again”, I didn’t have time to finish that show!
@Cleo,
There are so many shows at the moment that it’s difficult to finish them!
When you get there, let me know what you thought. Thank you for recommending it to me.
I was just thinking that VZ reminds me a little of Hollywood golden oldie Gregory Peck … there’s something similar about VZ’s quizzical restraint! I am thinking of GP in Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn:
https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/roman-holiday-audrey-hepburn-gregory-peck.jpeg
What a tragic loss of a great talent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322wQTwVYwM
I was really sad to hear the news about Coco Lee.
The link is to a Chinese cover of the song in the Disney Mulan of a few years back.
Annyeong 💛
Oooh July is here!!
I am currently watching “dr romantic 3” – i’m caught up but waiting on 4 more episodes to come. i am amused at Kim SAbu and his plan b’s. i hope all will work out for the Doldam Trauma Center – and Yes, Kang DongJoo is back!!! Daebak!
for oldies- i am watching and enjoying “So I married an anti-fan” -for the lighthearted, rom-com feels – i just finished “love with flaws” too
i’m interested in the Yang2 “fireworks in my heart” – since it was mentioned here 💗
Kalimera @Kate!
That is so very true, although I am watching steadily three shows for now.
I have to finish watching the ones that I had paused…
Gregory Peck was amazing. He was charming and mysterious at the same time.
What a beautiful picture from that movie!
Hi @CLeo!
I have around 3 paused shows at the moment. I am not great at picking up shows after a gap and tend to have to go back to earlier episodes of a show to get myself back into the swing. So I have to be quite keen to go back to a series once I have parked it.
I’m glad you are a Gregory Peck fan too…! I do think VZ has something of GP about him.
Hiya! Yang Yang’s new drama is out. So is Xiao Zhan’s, Allen Ren, Zhao Lusi… Too many to choose from!!! I think it will take a while to watch all the shows I want!
I haven’t been able to watch much these days but the choices!!!
Yes Kate, it’s too sad to hear about Coco Lee.
This is for @Kate and @Cleopatra! 🥰
CTO!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuXEoOJLXlv/?igshid=Y2I2MzMwZWM3ZA==
@agdr03… Fab – thank you for thinking of us!!
YY and VZ facing off…
Watched a little more of ‘Fireworks of my Heart’ and it’s not drawing me in as much as I would like at this stage. Time will tell, of course.
It takes itself a little too seriously in places when compared with ‘You are my Hero’. It doesn’t have the same lightness of touch.
In Episode 2, YY delivers an exhortation to his fellow firemen – reminding them of their high calling which is a little reminiscent of the famous speech in Shakespeare’s Henry Vth. It doesn’t quite work.
Part of the problem, of course, is that ‘Hidden Love’ was a super series and hard to leave behind.
@Kate, I’m glad Yang Yang is being allowed to inhabit a different character, expanding his acting experience, but I don’t necessarily like seeing him as a grudge-bearing jilted lover. The FL is played by a beautiful actress, but she’s coming across as stalkerish and wimpy, putting herself in front of the one she hurt, then just wringing her hands. Is she supposed to have a steely backbone or not? The whiney ex and the emotionally whipped daughter don’t jibe with the doctor who regularly throws herself into danger.
A new friend asked me what Asian drama I’d recommend for her first watch, and I thought of suggesting my all-time favorite Kdramas, but thought I’d better review the first episode to decide if it’d be a good fit for her. But I can’t just skim Goblin! The opening music, the title sequence…and I was pulled in deep.
@Welmaris – good points all.
The FL is stunning – like a younger Liu Yifei. The camera loves her. Except for when she is wearing a rather improbable short wig.
But we miss the attractive personality of Sandra Ma’s trainee surgeon.
Perhaps she will gain a backbone or discover one… she’s horribly dominated by her patrician Mum. I’ve noted again the sister and brother as indications of wealth.
Perhaps there will be a journey…
@Welmaris – we should do a Goblin re-watch! Strangely, I was listening to the main theme yesterday. It popped up on YouTube.
Ps Would it spoil the mood or be helpful to watch some classic Goblin BTS sequences…?
https://youtu.be/5lwpxuu6PfE
@Welmaris, My vote for a first watch is Crash Landing On You. It is an easy watch, has all the bells and whistles, great side characters with an overlay of the Korean conflict. It is very accessible and our leads are A lusters who actually married in real life. It wasn’t an international hit for nothing. And to be honest nobody comes close to Gong Yoo for me but holistically CLOY is my chief recommendation for new viewers.
@OAL, when I asked my friend about genre preference, she said she likes fantasy. Goblin has such a good mix of genres including fantasy, historical, romance, mystery, found family, contract marriage…it’s a great all-rounder. Other classic Kdramas with fantasy are Legend of the Blue Sea, My Love from the Star, Hotel del Luna, The King: Eternal Monarch, all of which I love, but Goblin holds top spot in my heart.
@Kate, we did do a Goblin rewatch a couple of years ago.
@Welmaris – aha.. will check that out if I do my own. Have only seen once.
Fireworks of my heart is very similar with Date with the Future – which was terrible but highly watchable. Each character was hospitalized once or twice (maybe more) I lost count. Fireworks of My Heart is really not great but I’ll keep watching regardless. Plot- wise it is kind of similar to Road Home (young love, break up, in adulthood FL pursues reconciliation with gruff bitter ML. ) These dramas show that it is not that easy to recreate the easy charm of You Are My Hero. Finished Hidden Love except for Episode 25 with its inscrutable subs. And slowly watching Dr. Romantic 3.
I’ll be curious what you think. I’m glad I stuck with it because there were scenes and themes that stayed with me even when found the eccentric characters too too much. I liked how the characters learned to resolve conflict and I like the ML and the actor who played him – he was completely convincing in that role.
Xiao Zhan’s The longest promise is on Netflix! Is anyone watching this?
@Viva – will watch an episode this weekend. Thanks for the tip.
Seems to be creating a stir – presumably because of its ML.
https://dramapanda.com/2023/07/the-longest-promise-trends-1-after-its-surprise-premiere.html
I Googled it and was irritated by some headlines which appeared to be giving away too much about the story and its ending. I will be avoiding further Google research!
@Kate, yeah it seems very popular in China.I watched a few episodes. Not bad. Nice scenery, clothes and CGI. Story line moves fast enough. The main leads act well. So fast an easy watch Xian Xia drama.
I know right. Especially in the headlines! It’s not like you can skim read it.
I read the novel so will see if it will end differently.
Hi @Viva, I’d like to watch The Longest Promise, but I have to find the time. May start it soon!
I am reflecting further on why ‘Fireworks of my Heart’ isn’t setting off fireworks in my heart…
The FL is formally trained but suffers a little for lack of experience and not bringing much variation of expression to her role other than in moments when she is required to shout or get emotional. It’s a really hard role to play when a lot of what is going on is inside her mind and emotions. Tricky. The role needs more experience.
The camera loves her and the directors seem to be happy to enjoy her visually.
Anyway, all of this leads to some of the scenes feeling less compelling than they might.
@Kate, I smiled at your first sentence. 😊
I won’t commit to FOMH yet as i want to finish rewatching HL in Netflix.
I believe this is Wang Churan’s first lead role. Im not familiar with her so I don’t know her dramas before.
@agdr03 – aha! That means she’s cutting her teeth on this leading role.
Thank you.
@agdr03 and @Kate:
Wang Chu Ran was FL of “Have a Crush On You”/”Love Heals” which aired in February 2023. Fireworks On My Heart is not her first leading role. That said, she is still new on the scene.
She played a surgeon in “Have A Crush On You” as well. That drama was also a second chance romance, except her character was the one who was treated badly by the male lead, resulting in a breakup. Then the 2 leads meet again 7 years later.
Thanks for the correction @Table12000! ☺️
She’s the second FL in The Longest Promise too right?
@GB, yay!!! Join when you are ready. I’m on ep 5. Still watchable.
@agdr03 yes she is the second lead there. Haven’t started Fireworks yet but agree she is very beautiful.
I agree @Viva! Wang Churan is beautiful. 😊
Kalimera @agdr03!
Thank you for the teaser ! *grins*
@Viva,
Just watched Episode 1 of ‘The Longest Promise’. Enjoyed it. Really good establishing episode. Promising.
Good female lead.
Good younger actors too.
Recognised ‘Military Mom’ again – this time as the Empress.
The production is lush visually.
Noticed opening credits – beautifully done in the same style (presumably same team) as Love of Fairy and Devil.
ps I’ve just checked reviews noticed lots of comments on-line about the visual beauty of the show and the special effects.
@Kate, speaking of opening credits: most shows I’ll watch opening and closing credits the first episode, then skip them thereafter. If I’m feeling sentimental at the show’s last episode, I’ll watch them again. Not so with my Goblin rewatch. That show’s opening credits I love to watch each time, even if 2-3 times in one binge sitting.
@Welmaris – just I love the main theme song and – just watched now – there is something mesmerising about the opening credits.
I am so pleased you have gone full on Goblin re-watch! Do share if anything strikes you afresh!
I am similar on opening credits – I did love the sequence for Love of Fairy and Devil though and I will often use opening and closing credits – if the songs are good ones- to do mini-house work tasks during a binge-watch!
Thinking of opening credits – I used to re-watch them for Princess Agents too…wonderfully ‘rocky’ (electric guitars etc) sequence that very effectively set up the story:
Here they are recording it: https://youtu.be/2xydd8OOI8Q
Here, if you can get it is the opening sequence:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2913093092059228
Hi @Viva @Kate, your comments make me want to start The Longest Promise even earlier!!! … I’m also tempted by the serious crime detection cdrama The Lost 11th Floor. The latter show is just airing and not fully subbed yet. I guess I’ll wait a while before I go further into that show.
Wish me luck as I try to carve out a viewing time for another show!!! 🤪😅😆
@GB, hope you find time! I do like the drama.
*light spoilers
@Kate, I felt the story moves fast enough and I am curious to see how they develop the love story and the conflicts.
I do like Xiao Zhan here. I felt his eyes are colder compared to the doctor he played in the Oath of Love. To show Shi Yin is a cold person who can’t afford to love.
Wang Churan’s charcter is annoying but the good thing is she is open about her bad intentions. Not trying to pretend to be nice.
Ren Min’s character seems to emphasise on her empathetic personality, not the appearance. It’s a good change from the usual xian xia!
@Viva – thank for these comments.
I’ll watch a few more episodes tonight and reflect back here.
Agree that Ren Min is a welcome relief.
@Kate if I end up watching all 58 episodes of Princess Agents I will be blaming you. Have you ever seen the Portlandia episode where they sit down for just 15 minutes to watch Battlestar Galactica? ( Here is the link: https://youtu.be/TfkyUNbusA4 ). This feels like a vortex 😂😂😂
@Viva @Kate, I have to admit that I slept much less last night in order to have some time to watch a cdrama… but I confess to watching the other one LOL. I tried one episode of The Longest Promise and then I tried one episode of “Fireworks” but wouldn’t you know it… it was Fireworks that sucked me in.
I think I’m in the mood for angsty, long-suffering, angry to softening looks from Yang Yang towards Wang Chu Ran. I find myself perversely enjoying the fact that he’s so full of denial and self-control that I know one day he’s going to burst LOL. It’s obvious that he’s thinking about her most of the time and it’s just a matter of time til he caves.
I like the pairing of the OTP. I find both leads acting even better here than I’ve seen them before. I get all the feels… the longing, the regret, the summoning up of courage and taking the risk. I like that there’s give and take…. what happened in the past with who did the giving and now in the present balances things out.
Nothing new, but this fairly serious romance hits the right notes for me. It goes without saying that this couple also is very beautiful to watch 😍 I can stare at them staring at each other with both meaningful and inscrutable expressions for many minutes.
I’ll still go back to The Longest Promise, to the great CG and interesting Xian Xia, and to Xiao Zhan and Ren Min, but I kind of like the other pairing better. 😝
Test: Re-subscribing to this thread.
@GB lol! Make sure you have some catch up sleep tonight. I haven’t started on Fireworks but will watch it because of Yang Yang and your comments. Currently sucked in with The Longest Promise so once I am up to date with it I will switch to the Fireworks team.
I am partial to The Longest Promise especially I felt the drama is better than the novel. It is supposed to be a forbidden bitter love story between master/student so I am waiting to see how bitter it will turn into. I am a sucker for “valid”(not forced) sad romance haha!
* light spoilers start*
In my view, the drama builds up the reasons why Shi Yan loves Zhu Yan a lot better than the novel. When I read the novel I don’t know why she deserves him. In the drama, we see Zhu Yan reaches out and touches the lonely heart of Shi Yan.
* spoilers end*
I am watching King the Land on and off, and want to try out Hidden Love too! I think there are so many good dramas in the Northern Hemisphere summer holiday and will take a while to watch them all!
@Viva, great to know your thoughts on the romance in The Longest Promise. Actually, the title gave me pause because I didn’t want the promise to be so long and the pay off to be too little too late or none at all. If as you say it’s a bitter sort of a bitter love story, I’m a bit chary of it.
The reason I like the ‘Fireworks’ show that the bitterness is at the beginning and it is supposed to get better and sweeter from there LOL. I expect the usual ups and downs with 3rd party interference, but on the whole the couple should be able to grow steadily closer from the start.
How strange! I was re-watching early episodes of ‘Princess Agents’ earlier this evening and wondering where one of the actors, Ian Wang, (who plays a leading baddy) ended up after his role in this mega-hit of a show. He looks a little like Kurt Russel.
Lo’ and behold, a little later, I move on to Episode 11 of ‘Fireworks of my Heart’ tonight and he shows up as a new character at the Fire Station!
Hi all – you may be interested to know that ‘The Longest Promise’ shot straight to the top of the Chinese web show top 10 (cf Marcus Here!). This despite wide-spread criticisms of the FL for not being the typical beautiful costume drama lead. In the novel, apparently, she is no great beauty. @Viva is this the case?
Second on the leader board is ‘Hidden Love’.
@Good Twin – just saw your comment re ‘Princess Agents’ hahaha!
If you do get tempted and start – let me know.
It is bold, brash, colourful and fast-paced. I loved it when I watched it first time through.
The first episode is striking.
ps An entire epic fiction, with fantasy elements, it is set in the violent and ‘chaotic times’ of Northern Wei.
‘Northern Wei dynasty, or Toba dynasty, (AD 386–534/35) Longest-lived and most powerful of the northern Chinese dynasties that ruled after the Han dynasty fell and before the Sui and Tang dynasties reunified China.’ https://www.britannica.com/summary/Wei-dynasty
Soompi article on ‘Princess Agents’:
https://www.soompi.com/article/1078395wpp/tale-kick-ass-woman-look-princess-agents#:~:text=Yu%20Wen%20Yue%20jealously%20chucks,slave%20who%20refuses%20to%20die.
@Kate yes that’s what I read.
*Spoilers
My view is the story isn’t emphasis on the female lead’s beauty. I felt that it is Ren Min’s caring, compassionate and spontaneous character (Zhu Yan) that touches Xiao Zhan’s character (Shi Yin).
Shi Yan was misunderstood by the public when he was young, Zhu Yan was the only one still thought of him and stood by him, even though they don’t know each other for long. Zhu Yan is either naive or just have a good sense of judging character. She has this unwavering faith in him. That’s the seed of his love for her. Her naive spontaneous character justify her behaviour to break the discipline/master boundaries and gets through the cold barrier of Shin Yin.
Shi Yin’s character wouldn’t fall for beauty anyway, who seems wise, balanced and mature. He is not supposed to fall in love in his cultivation. If he falls for beauty, that would be inconsistent to his character IQ level.
Judging by other characters reactions and descriptions, the beauty of the story is Wang Churan (Bai Xue Lu). However her background motivates her to plot and scheme.
So it doesn’t bother me how Zhu Yan looks as the love story doesn’t seem to build on that. To me, would the acting make her spontaneous be annoying and wilful? Would the acting make her naivety be silly?
I guess Xian Xia has a set formula these days, and beauty seems to be part of equation hence those comments?
Ahh @Kate, reading your comment again, you were referring to novel. They adapted the novel and explained the love story better. My comment was based on the drama.
From memory Zhu Yan is annoying in the novel and made many unwise decisions in the first part. I can’t remember any descriptions on beauty. More on her being passionate and has an unfiltered honesty.
@Kate – thank you for the soompi link. After seeing the first episode it is very Squid Game and disturbing. I watched about 5 episodes and fast forwarded through some others. I don’t think I have the patience for 58 episodes but I can see why it was so popular and I like the lead very much (so different from the naive character she played in My Boss and Me)
Speaking of dramas that try my patience- is it me or have we seen the same episode of Fireworks over and over again? I like you stay away from me. I like you come closer. Oops we stared at each other too long – time for incestous brother or evil mommy to show up! Over and over again. That said I am entertained so I keep tuning in. I do enjoy seeing her excel at work. I know her acting has been criticized but I actually think she is doing a better job than Yang Yang although he seems to be warming up.
@Good Twin, I’m still enjoying “Fireworks”. I wait with bated breath for the next two episodes to drop. Although it’s the usual romance in the workplace cdrama, I like that the rescues look ‘real’. I do feel that it’s crazy the number of times the OTP are together saving people, but it gives us loads of couple interactions in which they get to know the strengths of each other, so I’m happy. I also appreciate that Show bothers to throw in metaphors for the state of relationships, or state of mind/family that FL and her foster brother suffer. After all the stoic sadness, I’m rooting for them to break free.
I don’t really understand the original relationship between Xu Qin’s parents and her adoptive parents… was her mum the sister of the current adoptive dad? I was wondering how far it was incestuous if there’s no blood relationship at all, just the registration of family relationship. But socially, it would not be acceptable.
@GB I missed the reveal about her parents (I’ve been forwarding through parts of the drama). I did see that ML’s dad death is indirectly tied to FL’s evil mother. I don’t think this connection is clear to anyone yet? The mother’s manipulation and threats to withdraw affection and support are disturbing to watch. She constantly retraumatizes her daughter. I agree I don’t think there is a blood relationship between FL and brother – just a familial one by being raised as siblings. I suppose he will get redeemed at some point by the hardworking waitress but right now he is just creepy in his infatuation with his sister.
The part I like is the older doctor who think FL is there only because of connections discovering her talents as a doctor and slowly coming to appreciate her. Same with the relationship with her rival doctor. I like how they remain professional with each other and so far it doesn’t look like either is playing unfair (unless I missed it when fast forwarding) which you so often see between women in cdramas.
@Good Twin, I also had to FFD here and there. I did not see any scene about the connection between ML’s father and FL’s mother. So there’s another possible obstacle to prevent their ‘union’?
Yes, I like how the other relationships play out. FL is gaining respect all around. no one is the tropey jealous character who is sabotaging Xu Qin. All she needs now, is to be able to breakout of the psychological control the mother keeps exercising over her. She was a timid child to begin with and so much in need of care, that mother’s ruthless, constant brain-washing could put her under control and still affect her in adulthood.
I appreciate her predicament. She does not want to be ungrateful but she needs to break free. At least Song Yan also appreciates that now and looks to be sort of waiting for her. I hope it does not take too long. I want more episodes where they are dating happily. 😁
@Viva – that’s really helpful. Great background on the story and motivation of the characters.
Yes it seems that this genre has created a set of expectations in its viewing public.
It still at the top of the charts so no problem with its popularity.
@Good Twin – thank you for giving ‘Princess Agents’ a go. It’s a very dark setting for the drama and loads of abuse of the powerless etc I found it compelling because of the extremes of behaviour but if I weren’t in the right mood I wouldn’t watch it!
I so agree re ZZ’s FL. Her performance drives the show forward. Then you have two MLs – both appealing in their way. You have a spy sub-plot with a James Bondesque headquarters etc etc Loads to enjoy if it is your thing.
Because I’m all caught up on Cdrama Fireworks of My Heart and Kdramas See You in My 19th Life and King the Land (until tomorrow’s new episodes), and since I finished my rewatch of Goblin (so rewarding!), I decided to look for a Jdorama. After starting and rejecting Let’s Get Divorced, I settled on On a Starry Night (Hoshi Furu Yoru Ni). I almost didn’t stay through Episode 1 because I didn’t like one progression of events, but overall I’m glad to be watching this show. It’s filled with colorful characters, and we learn the backstories for many of them. There are moments of comedy mixed with slice of life and drama. It reminds me a little of Move to Heaven, and a bit of Silent, but it’s not a wrenching watch.
@Welmaris – I really enjoyed On A Starry Night. The characters were too eccentric for my tastes but I really enjoyed the found family and there were some very touching moments. I like the authentic conversations of the ML. He was completely guileless. The actor did such a good job. He was completely convincing in the role. I’ll be curious what you think when you finish.
@Good Twin, I finished On a Starry Night a moment ago. Everything got nicely wrapped up at the end; I did cry while getting there. Some scenes really tugged at my heart. Lots of sentiment is worked into this short show, but I didn’t feel it was going for cheap tears.
Yes, characters were eccentric. The feel of this show was of a manga come to life. In my opinion, that added to its charm.
There seemed a bit of realism here and there, such as on some occasions when the ML would sign, and after a pause the FL would respond that she didn’t understand any of it. I also liked how we’d see the OTP having a normal couple’s tiff, even if we, the viewers, needed translation because it was all in sign.
I am on episode 3 of ‘Ancient Love Song’ – a fantasy, time travel romance. I am enjoying the mysterious and wistful quality of the story + there are lighter moments too.
https://www.viki.com/tv/40006c-an-ancient-love-song
https://mydramalist.com/695611-gu-si-xiang-qu
Call me shallow but Episode 2 of Not Others had me laughing. Any one else watching?
@Good Twin, I just finished Episodes 1 & 2 of Not Others and am delighted. It is fresh, with a kickass OST. Some of the subject matter had me in stitches.
@Packmule3, I think Not Others will be a show that could lead to some lively discussions.
Where is this showing, @Welmaris? Viki? I searched and didn’t find it on Netflix.
Yes, @Packmule3, Not Others is on Viki.
Here’s the MDL link with info on Not Others
https://mydramalist.com/731681-namnam
Episodes: 12
Airing: Jul 17, 2023 – Aug 22, 2023
Airing Days: Monday, Tuesday
Original Network: ENA, Hulu
Duration: 60 min.
Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity)
Also Known As: Namnam, Strangers
Director: Lee Min Woo
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Life, Drama
Everything about the panties in Episode 2 cracked me up including her dealing with a thong while in uniform.
@Good Twin, she was appalled to find thongs in her mother’s panty drawer, and dug until she found something more substantial, except the panties she selected had big floppy lace around the leg openings. Not only would that lace bunch under her uniform slacks, but it looks like she suffered from the underwear riding up and giving her a wedgie.
This wasn’t the first time her mother hid her panties in spite. Knowing her mother’s personality, after the first time all her panties disappeared, she should have hidden an emergency pair somewhere else in her room.
The mother-daughter shopping trips in these first two episodes were hilarious. I suppose one in particular helped the show earn its 18+ rating. And yet the daughter was yawning! As for grocery shopping, seeing the daughter put back items the mom put in the cart was funny because it was done routinely, and the mom didn’t notice until the fourth or fifth item was rejected. That the daughter knew those items were already at home and the mom was clueless was even funnier.
LOL while we’re speaking so improbably about panties here… 🤣🫣🤭🫢🤫😬
I’d like to throw out a word of Notice for a new Rewatch Party. We’ve completed the Liar Game Season 1 and 2 Rewatch, and are now looking to rewatch Queen In hyun’s Man (2012! A show that’s more than 10 years old!!!). It’s a time jumping show where the guy from 300 years in the past jumps back and forth to the future, and of course, falls in love.
This is another well written, interesting tale by Song Jae Jung, in 16 episodes of 45 minutes each. The OTP are Yoo In Na and Ji Hyun Woo.
🥳🎊🍬🍇🤩🥳😆OPEN INVITATION!!!🥳🥂🍨🍪🤩🥳😆
@WE who loves SJJ, @FeiFei and I would love for more Bitches to join our party, possibly starting on Saturday 26 August 2023.
Please let us know on either the What We Are Watching in July/in August threads if you’d like to join us. We’ll post more confirmation on the date and time later.
🥳🍾🥂🎊🎉🍰🍨🍬🍫🍩🍪🍇🍒🍏🤩🥳😆
@Cleopatra, I don’t know where to put this, so I’m sending it here. We have read and seen reports of v the heat wave in Europe and the wild fires in Greece. I am sending hope and prayers for cooling rains and lowering remperatures for al, who are suffering. I will say the anebrew prayer for rain, Geshem, and I hope it helps.sending cooling thoughts to our ctrl bOders who are experiencing the effects of climate change. May good weather come to you soon.
@Cleo, @OAL I join my prayers to yours. Thank you for the alert to the fires in Greece. 🙏🙏🙏
@Cleo – yes I have been hoping you are ok. Sending you prayers for safety and a change in the weather soon.
My Dear @OAL thank you for looking out for me!
@GB Unnie and @Kate,
I am okay. Although it is super hot, I am staying indoors, now that I don’t have to go to work.
The thing is that with the wild fires, we have problems in several parts of Greece. It is windy and not many things can be done, when pristine forests are burning. For that part I am really really sad…
Thank you for your prayers! <3
@Cleo, I’m glad that you’re personally okay. We will pray for rain to help the poor firefighters. Now that I’m watching ‘Fireworks of My Heart’ I appreciate even more the hardship and the risks that firefighters take to keep others safe.
@CLeo,
Glad you are safe and can be indoors. Joining in prayers for this serious situation.
x
Unnie,
I am not watching the show yet, but I was watching “The First Responders” last year, so I am familiar.
Unnie and @Kate Thank you for the prayers! <3
Bless you @Cleo! Thinking of you.
Do you have air conditioning at home, @Cleopatra? When I checked the weather forecast for Athens, it looks like Wednesday will be your hottest day this week.
@Welmaris,
Yes I have. I couldn’t be able to sleep without it.
Wednesday? Good to know that. At least I will be prepared..
Wow I didn’t see this post and am now posting so late I probably should have waited for WAWWI August.
As of July 23rd:
• I have just finished SYIMNL;
• I have put KTL on hold (or I may watch it zipping through it–surprisingly the romance is the least compelling part of this for me. I am more interested in the life of service economy workers, how a hotel is run, and of the scenery whenever they are out of Seoul).
• I am watching Durian’s Affair, which is campy and a little silly, but which nevertheless I am enjoying (it also doesn’t take a lot of brain power to watch).
• I am thinking of going back to Numbers and trying Celebrity, but I’m also dipping into a few American shows I never got around to watching during Covid
• I can’t wait to see what new shows pop up in August!
@Packmule3, I’m not sure on which thread to put this, but today–July 27, 2023–is the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which was to “ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved.” South Korea didn’t sign the Armistice Agreement, the S.K. President at that time refusing to accept the failure to unify Korea. The signatories of the Armistice Agreement were from the United Nations Command, the Korean People’s Army (North Korea), and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army. China withdrew from the Military Armistice Commission in 1994, having in 1992 normalized relations with South Korea and signed a peace treaty. That leaves only North Korea and the United Nations Command as participants in the Armistice Agreement; according to South Korea, North Korea has violated the armistice 221 times. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Armistice_Agreement)
When I first started watching Kdramas, I knew little about Korea beyond a superficial knowledge of the Korean War, the Armistice, and the DMZ. I had an uncle who served in the Korean War. A friend’s father was one of the U.S. servicemen who was presumably killed during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, and whose body has never been recovered. When I was growing up, stories of World War II were frequent movie and TV fare, and coverage of the Vietnam War flooded the news. For many in the USA, the Korean War is the Forgotten War.
My immersion into Korean culture via Kdramas has shown me that in South Korea, the “625 War” (because it started on June 25th) is anything but forgotten. The sorrow, fear, regret, anger, hope, etc. wrought by the war permeate the culture as han. Political tensions between North and South are high, even as Koreans think of themselves as one people divided by two governments. Mandatory military service weighs heavily on the consciousness of not only South Korean men, who must perform their duty, but also their families, friends, and fans.
I just thought we should take a moment on this landmark day to think about what the events of 70 years ago have meant for the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world.
@Welmaris, well said! It is strange that I found myself returning to Crash Landing Over You today. I was a child during what was also called the Korean Conflict. Having come shortly after World War II, there was a lot of paranoia and the underlying thought that it would usher in the use of another atomic bomb. In sch9ol we little kids did duck and c I very shel5er drills where we hid under our desks, as if that would protect us from an a bomb strike. We also later learned that a well known North Korean tac5ic was brainwashing prisoners of war, a method that would be highlighted later in a movie of the early sixties, The Manchurian Candidate that had a chilling performance by Angela Lansbury, pre-her well-loved Jessica Fletcher. The zeitgeist was cold War paranoia at that time and the fear of the bomb was everywhere. I also remember that many servicemen brought home Korean War Brides, it is also funny that this war later brought forth an episode of Seinfeld that had a prominent plot point where George Costanza’s father(played hilariously by Jerry Stiller) spoke fluent Korean and had romantic connections to the own
er of a Korean nail salon as a result of the war. So in a matter of decades we went from paranoia to the absurd.
Of course, we are never far from the DMZ-think of this week’s news of wa seeming defection of a U S s9ldier who was on a tour of the DMZ. And there was Saber rattling by Kim of North Korea this week when he fired off a missile. It is very telling that the North is call e d the hermit kingdom, with a starving population, common electrical outages and smartly dressed women traffic cops who direct very few automobiles. Tha contrast between the two Koreas is stark. South Korea is an economic powerhouse with internet speeds unheard of in large swaths of the world and an ever increasing presence on the world’s cullu4al scene with our beloved K Dramas and K Pop and Academy Award winning movies and stars. There is a sentiment in the South for reunification although it seems a long way off(although who would have thunk it would happen to Germany at the end of the cold war and where pieces of the Berlin Wall could be found in various world cities like New Yo4k.
So as I watch Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin come together in a bitter sweet romance where they must meet in neutral Switzerland to see each other, I can hope for a time in the not too distant future where they can live together in one Korea. For their characters to paraphrase a line from Casablanca, they will always have Switzerland.
Thank you @Welmaris and @OAL! Very worthwhile, informative and poignant to read.
@Old American Lady, I remember that Seinfeld episode. It was so funny. Do you remember when Stiller and Meara were a comedy duo?
My dad who was older was in WW2, but my father-in-law was stationed in Korea, I think as part of the troops who stayed after the division. He was in the British army at the time. He has a difficult time now picturing the economic powerhouse you describe above because he only saw the hard conditions near the base.
@Fern, I remember Stiller and Meara well. Ann Meara was wonderful and beautiful. She was taller than her husband. They were a wonderful team playing off their religious differences, Their son, Ben Stiller has done very well for himself. I often think about the few male/female comedy teams. You don’t see that much anymore. During my childhood we had Burns and Allen. Burns was the straight man and Gracie Allen was the funny person. They played off her naivete. Stiller and Meara were more edgy but funny in a different way. We don’t seem to have these teams now. The new generation could learn a lot from this style of comedy.
@Cleo, hope you are well. I don’t see a lot of news. Please stay in cool places and remember to hydrate 😀 .
I’m recovering from a strained muscle in my torso (it only hurts when I sit, stand, lay down, bend over, straighten up, yawn, sneeze, etc.), so what better excuse to binge dramas? I’ve finished my rewatch of Hidden Love (subtitles on Netflix make sense!), completed Fireworks of My Heart (much as I like Yang Yang, I rate this show eh! whatever…), tried a few episodes of Here We Meet Again (couldn’t convince myself to carry on despite the handsome Vin Zhang), and discovered the so-far delightful An Ancient Love Song. I like time slip stories, and this might be a good one. I’m also getting a kick out of the female lead being the kick-ass martial arts defender of the male lead in scene after scene.
I hope you recover completely and very soon, @Welmaris.
I am half-way through Fireworks and although the OTP has come together, I still am facing nearly 20 more episodes of ‘whatever’ fills it in stress. I’ve stalled. 😕
Recover well @Welmaris!
I’ve been limping on and off for months. A wonky knee. Even lying down is uncomfortable, therefore I feel you … your torso muscle must be causing you much discomfort.
Yes, enjoy all the dramas out there… still not enough time even while recuperating!! 😶😯😬 Hugs 🤗
@Fern, mayhem seems to stick close to our FoMH OTP. The script tries to keep viewers’ attention by imperiling character after character so our OTP can try to save them.
Kalimera my dear @FGB!
I am okay. We are fine. The heat waves have stopped for now, but summer is here, so the temperatures are not tha low.
The wild fires ended, although the toll was big. Many people were affected, pristine forest disappeared along with wild and domestic animals. We lost also two pilots and an elderly couple.
If I am not online that much, it means I take some time off. No worries though, I am reading my emails and I will always come to answer, when I can.
I do hope you are okay as well! How are things in Caracas?
@Welmaris,
I wish for a speedy recovery! I am glad to see you writing over here.
I watched “Doom At Your Service” on Netflix and the new subtitles, gave us a slight different meaning at some points. Still, I was happy to rewatch this show because I love it too much.
I also saw “Man x Man / Man to Man” with Park Hae Jin, Park Sung Woong and Kim Min Jung and I really enjoyed it.
Park Hae Jin is an actor who can express himself even when he is not talking and I loved that his facial ministrations gave a comical relief at some points. His syngergy with the SW and MJ was awesome.
If you haven’t watched this one, give it a try. It is a spy show, that has a bromance and romance – sorry @Packmule3 for using a forbidden word. The camaraderie between Woon Gwang and K is brilliant. I also liked how our OTP handles their situation.
Link: https://mydramalist.com/16977-man-to-man
P.S. Don’t listen to all those that said that Kim Min Jung was not fitted for the role. They are wrong. She is great.
Dear @Cleo, happy to read that you are well!!! 😀
Things in Caracas are as anomalous as ever. A big chunk of the water pipe that gives water to a big part of Caracas got damaged on the 13th of July in a landslide, but since we only have running water once (maybe twice when lucky) a week we did not start feeling the effects until Monday when rationing became more strict. Since it has become more acute we are only having water every two days and we were forced to ask for a tanker truck. Water is muddy since it comes from the mountain and is not treated so I boiled the cleaner water I had in reserve to make it drinkable.
As you can imagine we don’t have time to get bored over here XD XD XD XD XD XD.
One of the funniest parts is my dear friend and door-to-door neighbor that came back last year from Argentina escaping from hyperinflation there that is a “sifrina” (snobbish lady), to the point to ask in the improvised market near us if the eggs they sell come from free range chickens. I had to explain her that the old, still treated water in the water tank of her WC was an asset and that she should take the ceramic lid off, use a cup to put it in cooking pots then boil it for 20 minutes to make it drinkable.
I could feel her soul being crushed by reality on the other side of the line… this is her first serious Rodeo with HidroCapital, Caracas water company. I pitied her but solid advice had to be passed 😉 .
This is gallows humour at its best.
By the way, we have a custom called “chalequeo” which is very similar to trolling, but with the intention of bringing the newcomer to the energy of the group and be included so we are high on sarcasm and dark humour.
On the other hand avocados are dirt cheap right now so I have a lot of them in line to eat with tomato and cucumbers 😀
@Welmaris, how are you?, hope that you recover quickly and completely 😀
@Welmaris, happy to know it is only a strained muscle even if it is a literal pain, and happier to know that you are transforming this pesky intermission into an opportunity to do things that fill you with joy. That is the spirit and with that you can survive almost anything 😀
@Welmaris sending you healing wishes. I hope that when you recover you can milk this a little more so that you can enjoy additional binge watching. There is a feast to be had out there. Bi have several streaming services and my watch lists are so long that I think I_lo never get to all of the dramas, given the fact that I also watch current content and dramas recommended by trusted BOD contributors and our fantastic founder @packmule3. This should be all of our problems. 🤩
@FGB4877, may your avocado supply stay stable and may your water pipe be fixed. 🙏 Are people collecting rain water as well? I can’t get my head around that the pipe isn’t getting fixed after 2 weeks. I pray that the situation gets better soon.
,@GB and @Welmaris, I, too, am omg the walking wounded with hip arthritis and wonky knees. I”m in PT and now walk with my teystee came. Am improving. Sending you healing thoughts. The good part is that we have Asian dramas to distract and amuse us. Sending healing thoughts. 🌄🌻❤️🌼🎉 And🍕
Thank you so much for your healing thoughts @OAL. I send mine to you as well. Yay for our dramas which are almost all Asian where I’m concerned! 🙂
Well @Fern, a couple days ago I got dressed to go to our building’s parking lot with a big aluminum cooking pot but rain was scarce so I desisted. If I consider myself a highly educated low middle class person… my guess is that a lot of folks had the same idea, or they went to the Ávila mountain range to collect water from the rivers which we have done in previous crises.
I laugh it off but when you think this is the Capital City of a Nation then our collective hairs stands on end (we get the willies, goosebumps) 😀 .
This is what happens when a government does its level best to control its population, gets less economical activity in return and loses its middle and upper classes to emigration. No skilled labour whatsoever. As we say here, “Venezuela es el país de las comiquitas” [Venezuela is the country in comic books – meaning Common Sense doesn´t apply here].
@OAL, hope you get some relief from your arthritis. It is not in my direct experience but usual treatment is to try to recover the cartilage with medicine, palliative treatment, have rest and go to physiotherapy as you are doing now. Will have you in my thoughts.
Thanks, all, for your wishes for my recovery. I am feeling better. I injured my side a couple weeks ago while working out in the gym. Holding my breath while doing leg presses with more weight than I could safely manage wasn’t a good combination. It was too much tension for the area where my abdominal muscles (inner obliques, to be particular) connect to my ribcage. Instead of resting, I spent a week going back to the gym and trying to work through it. All that did was further irritate the muscle strain. This week I’ve stayed away from the gym and avoided strenuous activity. That’s what I should’ve done from my first moment of feeling something had gone wrong.
I waited a week before going to get it checked by a medical professional. Having watched too many medical dramas, I’d almost convinced myself the pain stemmed from something more dire than a muscle.strain. You know the trope, right? Character tries to ignore abdominal pain until it overwhelms them. Rushed to hospital. ER doc prods sore tummy. Patient winces. Doc proclaims diagnosis from that tummy poke and patient is whisked into surgery.
The reality was that when I was seen by a physician’s assistant at immediate care, she gently pressed several spots around my abdomen and back; visually checked for bruising; listened for proper lung and intestine function; and had me do a variety of movements laying down, sitting, and standing. No magical diagnostic finger jab!
@FGB4877 and @Welmaris, Sending mire healing thoughts your way. I thank goodness these are nuisance pains and nothing worse although pain is pain and interferes with everyday activity. I hope the pain abated and that you can enjoy life.
As to dramas, right now I have Jun-ho/Yoona fever. I won’t ship them but just love their on screen chemusyry. Whoever did the casting did well. I also happened upon their dance video of Senorita on YouTube. If you want sexy, that’s it. No wonder why soany people ship them. There are also YouTube videos for their rehearsals and you can see how professional they are. For those of you that desire some quick diversion I recommend these videos. These two are great colleagues and probably old friends considering their music backgrounds. If for some reason they ever do get together I&d welcome it the way I got excited for Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin But for now, I’ll take them as is. And I’ll think of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.
@FGB4877, I am imagining you descending (having dressed) into the parking lot to collect water in a large pot. My heart hurts. it’s bad enough when there are natural disasters, but this one sounds like it’s compounded by humans.
You probably have searched the internet on how to collect rain water. It can be done if you can collect the run-off from the roof, but it can’t be easy if you don’t have access to a private balcony or rooftop. Now I’m trying to think of what I would do or how my family would cope. I know that sailors can use the sails to gather water, even dew, because the sail has a large area.
It’s very rare, but when our reservoirs are close to running dry, the affected local councils will cut off all of the tap water and will put ‘stand-pipes’ in various locations. This is a pipe coming up a 1/2 metre (about) from ground level from the water supply. It will have a tap at the end for people to fill buckets or water containers.
I suppose with global warming, we shall have to consider these things. I really hope the water supply near you is sorted out very soon. This makes me realise that I know so little about your country. I hope that the balance is restored before long.
@Welmaris, you made me remember a person we knew that one day, out of the blue, decided to start jogging with no experience nor stretching exercises whatsoever. After a time he had something similar to you but in his legs and had to be injected with B12 vitamin plus lidocaine if memory serves well.
Poor dude was so intimidated by the large vitamin needle it was hard to stick it through his buttock!.
There is virtue in moderation and in knowing when to stop. At this moment I am doing high repetition exercises with my water bottle as a dumbbell when I go out for a walk. I like to push myself harder than should be safe but given the low weight it is unlikely that I abuse myself *fingers crossed* 😀 .
Thankfully it was nothing really threatening 😉
Please take care!!! 😀
Dear @Fern, on our last Rodeo with our water company guidelines were created using water from the mountain. Of course we had to bring it home after hiking to get it, then we were to filter it using a cloth filter, a T-shirt could work. A little quantity of bleach could be added but generally boiling it for over 15 minutes should suffice. If you have the time then you could wait for water to decant solids to the bottom of your storage vessel and recover it carefully to avoid disturbing such sediments.
If I ever get out of here I think I would miss the disaster and most probably would take camping as a hobby just to remember good ol’ times XD XD XD XD XD XD .
@welmaris and @FGB4877. Given my hip and knee issues I do not recommend do it yourself remedies. You never know if your choice of exercises work for what ails you and could be doing damage. I recommend physical therapy if you can get it and if it’s covered or not expensive. I’m improving daily. I sometimes am sore the day after a therapy session but it goes away within a day. Recently I have awakened without pain(it reminds me how I felt after my son slept through the night). I hope you can both find professional help because it works. Here we have an over the counter medication that is topical, diclofenac which works quite well. I use it once a day when I know I’ll be active and I get through what I need to do. Cold and hot compresses and ice packs work too I do what is recommended for sprains. YouTube is also a good source for exercises. You just don’t want to overdo it. A lot of the stuff on YouTube is like what I have been doing in PT. The websites for the Mayo Clinic and Healthgrades are useful too.
I hope that you two heal up soon.
Regarding water collection, do you have a spot for a rain barrel- that, of course presupposes that you get rain. I will say the Hebrew rain prayer, Geshem, for you. 🙏🌧️🌦️🌈
@FGB4877, are living conditions as challenging outside Caracas? Do urban areas get hit harder by water scarcity because more people are competing for resources? I assume you stay because you’re confident you can make do through bouts of deprivation, whether it be water, electricity, internet, various foodstuffs, etc.
In these final days of July 2023, I’ve decided to try watching a movie or two. This afternoon I watched Dream on Netflix, based on (but a fictionalized account of) the national team South Korea sent to the 2010 Homeless World Cup, the country’s first year of participation in the event. These were great roles for Park Seo Joon and IU, and I also enjoyed seeing many other actors I’ve previously seen in supporting roles. The onscreen dynamics appear fun, and all the actors seem to have connected. The roles for the men on the soccer team were physically demanding, but the actors threw themselves into it…not just metaphorically. Park Seo Joon demonstrates impressive footwork on the pitch.
There’s a lot of humor in Dream, and the actors deliver it flawlessly. One quick scene had me guffawing: look for how the ML’s agent chews his cup noodles. Along with the humor is the excitement of a sports underdog movie, but this one tempers heroism with realism. And we get to dig under the surface of some characters and see how they wrestle emotionally with the challenges in their lives.
Because Dream is a movie, not a multi-episode drama, and time for exposition is limited, characters and situations are sometimes introduced with a line or two of dialogue. However I think the script manages this in an organic way instead of the plot being put on pause while characters speechify. A quip here, a retort there, and we know that the FL played by IU is struggling with her dreams versus harsh reality in the face of economic necessity.
I give the movie Dream a 👍. Watching it is a rewarding way to spend 125 minutes.
@FGB4877 and @OAL, I appreciate your concern that I be careful and not overdo. I joined the gym because I get free membership through my Medicare supplemental insurance. I take Silver Sneakers classes, which are designed for the needs of seniors and allow for movement modification based on physical condition. I also do aqua exercise classes in the pool. But I signed up for a package of sessions with a personal trainer. He tailors my workouts to accommodate my abilities. I think because I’ve been focused and committed during our sessions, he overestimated my capacity in this one instance. When I was struggling to operate the leg press one leg at a time, he encouraged me to prevail. I did manage to complete all the reps, and rather than an immediate sharp pain as I did the exercise, as I walked away from the machine I felt mild discomfort. That discomfort turned to pain later, as inflammation set in. I should have iced as soon as I got home, but at that time I didn’t think it was a muscle strain, I thought I had a gas bubble trapped in a bend in my large intestine (the left colic flexure). I took a couple of Gas-X, with no relief gained. Icing strained muscles helps within 48 hours of the injury: after that window, there’s not much benefit from icing. But for the first 48 hours after I hurt myself, I wasn’t thinking the source of the pain was musculoskeletal.
Dear @OAL, I have back issues so sometimes I have a tablet every 8 hours of Potassic Diclofenac. Sometimes with just a tablet of Nimesulide and a little bit of rest I am back.
@Welmaris, I am staying because I can´t get out for now. As for the rest of the country it is even worse. Even outside of some key cities like Caracas, Maracaibo and Puerto La Cruz there are people cooking with wood because they can’t rely on electric nor gas stoves (gas cylinder logistics are lacking). Maracaibo that is our second largest city suffers from chronical electricity cuts.
It is what it is.
It is not because competition for resources, in fact our Diaspora is over 8 million people, but because the people that knew how to do stuff emigrated. It has become a country of old people as the young and prepared went away.
Speaking of movies, I watched “Shin Kamen Rider (2023)” which was not what I expected and did not enjoy as much, and “Neverending Story (2012)” with Jung Ryeo Won (the second female lead in Kim San Soon) and Uhm Tae Woong.
It is a comedy about two terminal cancer patients with diametrally different views on life that starts to see each other and end up falling in love despite each other quirks.
It was a cute movie, so even if I am cautious about love I can get the idea of dying while in love. I have thought that when lovers proclaim they will love each other forever, what they mean is that being in love is so potent that it fills with its scent that moment so completely that it engulf their whole existence.
@FGB4877, your last sentence in your post is so poetic!
Being in love is one of the most magical experiences a normal person can have 😀 . But Love is very different to being in love 😉 .
The first one is the decision to make things better for the Beloved and to make him/her growth, the second one is a feeling of incomparable unity.
I’ve just watched this J-drama: Hold My Hand at Twilight. It’s on Viki for free (in UK) I liked the look of it. The story and soundtrack were fresh.
@Cleo – heartily agree with you on all your points re Man to Man! Am re-watching it at the moment – in bursts!
@Fern. I watched it. I liked the regional accents and how it was translated into English. The show required some suspension of disbelief (when she started cutting into the clothes of the man in the wheelchair) but was a quick and engaging watch. I really enjoyed it.
@Good Twin,
I edited your username so your private name (?) would remain private.
pm3
Thank you!!!! I was going too many things at once!!! 😅
Kalimera and have a nice month Kate!
I am loving this show so very much! I am glad to learn you are enjoying it!
@Cleo – it has great reviews and was one of the first shows I watched when I discovered K-dramas.
So much fun. Great central relationships and development of them. Don’t want to mention favourite scenes for fear of spoilers. The comedy is spot on in places.
I wasn’t wild about the FL to start with – probably didn’t like the character … or her hairstyle (!!). I have that short sharp bob hairstyle myself from time to time but I didn’t like the fringe/bangs on her – I really felt it obscured her beauty . But her character develops and they do different things with her styling… so that’s ok!
@Kate,
It was on my Netflix show for some days now, so I gave it a try. I have watched Park Hae Jin on “From now on, Showtime” and I really like him as an actor. He is so good expressing emotions with his face. He uses his eyes, eyebrows and pouts so cute! – LOL
I agree with you.
As for the FL, well, they started her like a caricature and little by little especially after – you know what – she became more down to earth. I didn’t mind her hairstyle or her attitute. Unfortunately, when they are writing a female character, she is either too bold or too pabo.
I am glad that Kim Min Jung made DoHa special. Her expressive eyes said a lot. I loved all their scenes together where their eyes spoke volumes. It was so beautiful portrayed by both of them.
Correction: Netflix Shows feed
Happy August everyone. Summer school holidays just began last week here and when the August thread ends they will be over. May the weather calm down to something more like normal and may it be enjoyable for all of you.
@Cleo – agreed on Park Hae Jin – I haven’t seen ‘From Now on Showtime’. He is perfect for the role in ‘Man to Man’. His appeal grows on you.
Agreed with your observation re the writing of the FL’s character and the way it improves as the show develops.
Yes, so true! KMJ has wonderfully expressive eyes and she emotes really well. She’s a great counter-balance to PHJ’s character.
@Kate,
You should give it a try! I really enjoyed the show last year. We have commented about it on B.o.D with @GB Unnie!
I have heard that KMJ has done a stellar job on Mr. Sunshine – that I postpone to watch…
When I start a show, I don’t read what other people say. I prefer to have my own opinion and see If I like it or not. So, I enjoy most of the shows I am watching to.
P.S. Hey @Fern! <3