Excuse me for fangirling, but fangirl I must!

So I finally started watching a drama again after being deprived for...two weeks. (But it's been two weeks!) I finished You're Beautiful, which was amazing! I didn't expect to like it (despite all the hype) and the drama was indeed ridiculous at times, but it was the good kind of ridiculous and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is the only drama that has ever made me cry twice. I've added it to my mental list of favorites. ^^


Right now, I am watching SungKyunKwan Scandal, which I've been wanting to see for the longest time but was too busy for. It is a historical drama, but it is a historical drama that features YooChun, which makes it a different story. I am glad that he is in the drama because I never would have given it the chance otherwise!

This is the first time I'm watching a historical drama. It's a good thing too because I've been in the mood for it ever since I started taking my Gateway to East Asia class. I justify the time I spend watching this drama by telling myself that I am studying. And really, it's relevant! The drama takes place during the Choson period, which is a chapter that I just finished reading about in class. The drama is also all about scholars (yangban) taking the civil service examinations, which is also what we read about in class. The characters are also learning the Analects of Confucius, which hey, we went over in class too! Ho, ho! The drama even quoted Mencius at one point, which is one of the philosophers at the time. See how great this is? ^^ Now I just need to convince my professor to let us watch the drama during class...

Before starting the drama, I looked forward to seeing Song JoongKi's cute face and completely overlooked this guy:



Yoo Ah In. DUUUUUUUUUUDE. So I thought he was just the hottest thing ever. And I looked him up. Ad I realized that he was the pottymouth boxer in Antique Bakery. I could not believe it. I could not believe it was the same person (especially when I pride myself in recognizing faces!) Watching that movie, I thought he was the dorkiest person alive. But here he is...such a man! XD Is it funny that I actually prefer the way he looks in the drama than in a normal setting?


He's still cute, but. In the drama? *DIES*

Then there is Jun Tae Soo.


One thing I really enjoy about this drama is the close up of (gorgeous) faces. It puts more pressure on the actors to do a good job because this means I am constantly staring at their faces. Jun Tae Soo does a beautiful job of this because I can't tear my eyes away from his eyes. They are mean eyes. And sometimes, for a split second, you see kind eyes when he pretends to be nice to Yoon Hee. But it's only for a moment before he changes back to being mean. Watching his eyes alone blow me away. I feel that as an actor, that is where he has the most power. Props to Ha Ji Won's baby brother! ^^

And those are my thoughts for now. My sister gave away some spoilers (darn you!) but they were not spoilers that I didn't already see coming. I just need to mentally prepare myself for the hurt because there will be that quintessential love triangle coming up. Ah!

Not really an update...

It's true when people say it's a small world...or, that Hawaii is a small place. I end up seeing people I know almost everyday. ^_^ (Or finding out that you had connections with people you just met!)

I can't believe a month passed since I returned from Oregon. Many don't understand why I'm taking classes during the summer, but school actually saved me. You might imagine that spending a summer in Hawaii entails me playing at the beach with friends...but the truth is, I don't see my friends that often.

We have schedule conflicts and everyone has other priorities - work, school, boyfriends. I didn't expect much because it was the same when I came back for winter vacation. And I'm not complaining either because I'm perfectly content right now. School is so much fun and although the teacher sometimes spoils us a little too much, I'm glad that I don't have the same stress I had during the normal school year. But I also get a little lazy...:P I really want to take the second session in July, but one session is already very expensive. I can't afford to continue. It makes me sad.

I can't wait to start work and start making some $$$!!! I am receiving much less financial aid this year. >_< I tried to sell things on eBay, but I only sold two items and made $1.42 total. Lame.

I feel guilty for having materialistic desires...

On a side note, I finally got to try out the Korean dramas I've been wanting to see but never had the time for:



Cinderella's Sister
The reason: Chun Jung Myun and Ok Taecyon. But the drama nearly killed me. I started watching it with Kayla during our sleepover - we saw four episodes that night and one more the next morning...it was too much angst, screaming, tears, and silent stares. Frankly, the plot isn't that interesting. I couldn't stand the two main girls. (I swear I like the guys better because their characters were not irritating - not because they're pretty. XP) But for some reason, the mini marathon made me a little crazy. I ended up finishing the drama by reading recaps of the drama from Dramabeans. The recaps are very interesting and provide some pretty deep insights (it makes me wonder if the writer or actors even thought that far...) I was glad I did this because this drama just drags onnnnn... and I was only interested in scenes when something exciting happens.



A Man Called God
The reason: Hawaii! It's funny to see the drama take place at home. But this drama is too much. Just watch the first episode and you'll understand. D:

Mom left for China. I am worried about her because 1) She did not say good-bye and 2) She was crying hysterically the night before she left. I was a little shocked when I woke up and discovered that she was gone. I want to scold her a little. :(

It's sad to say that the house is actually very peaceful without her. I've started cooking dinner! Yesterday, I made a classic Cantonese dish: Chicken with cream of corn. I also added potatoes~ very healthy. (My brother and dad didn't eat much of it.) Tonight, I made oyako donburi and miso vegetable soup. I was glad to cook because it gave me an excuse to get off my fat butt. I've been sitting in front of my laptop for four hours straight. It feels lousy.

Tonight, I should study...:)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

I am a avid reader of Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series so I was very excited to finally watch the HBO drama version of the series.

I was afraid that it would be boring at first.
It would be so easy for it to be bad.

But it was very well done!
The portrayal of the characters and the acting was great!
It follows the book very well and I couldn't ask for anything more! ^^

I borrowed the DVD set of the entire first season from the library and just finished watching the first disc (containing episodes 1 & 2) tonight. I can't to watch more!

102 Post! :O

It's the end of the semester! As of right now, I'm just chilling...maybe a little too much? It makes me feel nervous when I feel like I have free time. But I have dedicated much of my time to planning various events...everything's finished now. Finals are coming up, but I'm not thinking about them right now. Maybe I should. Maybe I should start worrying and studying NOW so that I don't pay for it later by cramming.

I've been drama and manga deprived for the past four months (no wonder I was so unhappy! XD)



I've started watching Sunao ni Narenakute, which is a new drama currently airing in Japan. I felt like this drama was made for me because it stars all of my favorite people - Ueno Juri, eita, Tamayama Tetsuji, and even Jaejoong from DBSK! <333 It's fabulous!

I'm also reading Honey & Clover volume 7 after not touching a manga for five months. It's nice. *^^* People read scanslations, but I like to have the actual book in my hand. I don't know. It's more difficult to get into a manga through the computer. There are so many good quotes in the book~ <3 It reminds me that I should get started on Chantilly again...which I've completely abandoned. D:

I also got a tumblr because of peer pressure. It's fun. Now that I finally have one myself, I am afraid I might ditch this one. After all, who needs two blogs? ^^;

P.S. I found out that I don't like sculpture, which is surprising because I've always thought I would enjoy it. But I don't. I prefer to draw.

P.P.S. I should make a new layout. This drawing was something I did back in high school! @_@ (Which seems so far away when it was just last year...)

P.P.P.S. This is actually the 102nd post...wow, I didn't realize the point I reached past a hundred!

Again, random.

A week has passed since I came back to Hawaii! I know I blog very infrequently and spontaneously, so I apologize for those who do read my blog. ^^; I did plan to blog more about my life at Willamette, but I was far too busy to actually sit in front of the computer and type up everything that has happened to me. I planned to write many entries, including one about my Thanksgiving weekend, but that was so long ago that it is not longer relevant. I admire those who can continue to blog consistently!

Everyone keeps asking me how I am enjoying my break so far. The nice answer would be, "Great!"

And of course. I am back home in Hawaii, where my family and friends are. I should be happy, right? But to be honest, my real answer for last week would be, "Not really..."

I am glad I got to see my friends again and I did many incredibly fun things with them! I ate pho, drink bubble tea, took purikura, exchanged Christmas presents, watched movies, sang karaoke, did some mochi pounding, and chilled at the mall. I was also ready to tell everyone many stories! But I was never in the mood to really talk. I was always feeling down. Maybe it is because of PMS. Or maybe it is because I am living with my family again, where everyone is angry and irritated all the time. Or maybe it is the environment I live in, with homeless peoples and drug addicts lurking around left and right. Thankfully, the weird mood I was in is gone now.

I have been unproductive these past few days. It is terrible, really. The heat is getting a bit unbearable (I think I really do need to wear just a bikini around the house!) and it puts me in such a lazy mood. It feels too hot to do anything! XD I ran by the ocean three times since summer winter break started and it feels great! I would do it everyday, but it is difficult for me to wake up early enough in the mornings. XD

Today was fun! I spent the day working on a drawing that I kept redoing (that wasn't fun, but I am a perfectionist so I couldn't help myself...) and then I met up with Chunnie. We were planning to do a photo shoot at the beach as the sun sets, but clouds covered the sky and it started to rain. It was okay, though, because we spent some time chatting over yogurt at Tutti Frutti. We had a lot of catching up to do so we talked a lot! ^^

At night, I spend time watching dramas with my big sister. <3 I am currently watching three dramas, all of which I highly recommend!!!



OHITORISAMA: I started watching this with Kayla and Micah at Willamette, and then I watched all six episodes again with my sister. This is my first time watching a drama starring Mizuki Arisa and I really like her! I can relate to her character and she always provides many laughs! This is a fun romantic comedy!


MR. BRAIN: I've been wanting to watch this before I left for Willamette, but there was no time! I waited until I came home again because I really wanted to see it with my big sis, haha. Since it stars Kimura Takuya, I knew it had to be good (he never fails!) And it doesn't disappoint! If you enjoyed Galileo or Kiina, you will be sure to love this one! They all feature a main character who is a genius, but has his or her own eccentricities! Every case has been extremely interesting so far...! Every episode provides an educational psychology lesson. I find myself saying, "Hey! I learned that in class!" XP



WHEN IT'S AT NIGHT: I took a break from Korean dramas for a while because they were a bit too much. To get me to watch a Korean drama, the plot has to be interesting (and not too predictable), the acting excellent, and the main character NOT annoying. It is difficult to find a drama that fits this criteria, but I thought I would give this one a try because I love Kim Sun Ah and the plot is different from anything else I have seen. I hate the typical Korean drama.

I still cannot believe 2009 is ending! It was a very eventful year...a good one. ^^ I grew alot, experienced many firsts, met many new people, and made many new friends! II hope 2010 will be just as good, if not better! My resolution for the new year is always the same...always strive for the best!

Now I am off to watch some drama...

Merry Christmas!

Haha, it's kind of late right now (okay, realllyy late). But still. :D I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas today. Truthfully, Christmas day has never been special for me - in fact, it can be quite boring since all the shops are closed. But I was smart because I went grocery shopping on Christmas Eve so that I could make my brother and sister lasagna. Making lasagna is fun and I like how you can virtually add any ingredient you want. I prefer my lasagna with plenty of mushrooms and spinach~ yum!


Different angle, with some cheese sprinkled on top.

I meant to finish Orange Days by watching the final episode today, but there were some complications so I watched Security Police episode 1 instead. It stars Junichi Okada. <3 He's beautiful. The drama is pretty good so far. Lots of (literally) ugly bad guys. Okada plays Inoue Kaoru, an officer who is a part of the security police. He is cool when he takes down bad guys, but his character is extremely eccentric (I've been meeting alot of strange characters in Japanese dramas lately). Many people have good intuitions, but his sixth sense seems to be sharper than others. He also has moments when he "spaces out" but he can always spot a bad guy in the area from their movements. Inoue can also sense when a person has ill intentions or malice.


Here he is, spacing out. xD

I'm also watching Galileo, another Japanese drama that involves mystery. I can only catch up on watching dramas during long breaks. :D I have so many things I want to do over the break that I'm not sure if I can accomplish them all. Here are some of the goals I hope to reach by the 14th of January:

1) Complete all homework assignments.
2) Work on school projects.
3) Study for the SAT.
4) Revamp the entire Love-Train network.
5) Bake yogurt cake.
6) Learn how to use the sewing machine.
7) Draw.
8) Brush up on my Japanese! じつは日本語あんまり知りません...-_-;

A few days ago, my sister taught me how to crochet! I can do it (sort of) but I need alot more practice if I want to make amigurumi...*o*

Again, I wish everyone a safe and happy winter break!

i talk too much

Last week
...was a great week because we had HSA testing. I didn't expect to like it but I will miss it. XD; Before you hit me for being weird (who likes testing?!), hear me out. The tests are super easy and you get to miss class. And with a valid excuse reason! With half the class gone due to testing, teachers can't really do much because they can't have the people miss the work. Therefore, no homework! Or less, anyway. ^____^

Last Saturday
...I had another doctor's appointment. Nobody knows how much I had to go through to gain weight except for my sister, who I complain to all the time (sorryiloveyoujenny!) I love food, but being forced to eat is something different. It's definitely hard. After eating two breakfasts, two lunches, and three to four bowls of rice for dinner each day for about five months, I managed to finally gain some weight (three pounds)! Of course, I can reveal this now since I finally gained some success from all that eating. I was so nervous when I stepped on the scale. On the previous visits to the doctor, I had stuffed myself so much that I must have gained at least ten pounds. But I didn't gain a single pound at all. >__> Just today, I was talking to a friend and I found out she eats only one meal a day! And she's heavier than me! How did that make me feel? I wanted to fall over and die. Anyway, I'll have to continue eating like a madman (when no one's looking, of course). Wish me luck. I am giving my poor stomach no mercy.

What else have I been up to? Why, crafts of course! X) Anyone who really knows me will know that I am weak with crafts. I don't know why, but people naturally assume that I am good with crafts because I like art. I myself didn't realize I sucked until my sister tried to teach me knitting. I couldn't go further than three lines before I'd get the yarn all tangled up. She asks me, "How hard can it be? I don't understand." I don't understand, either, but I'm really bad. When I saw that Aranzi & Arono published a craft book in English, I decided to defy my destiny. I dream of the day when I can sew, knit, cut, and glue properly! The book was a lovely opportunity to touch up and make myself more skillful. As long as you work hard, you can get good results...right? Well, I'm going to try. XD I think I've already taught myself how to use the scissors better from all that cutting I had to do for NHD (I redid the display board seven times!!!)

Last Sunday
...was Chunnie's birthday and I decided to make her something from the book. I guess I can be pretty simple minded at times because no matter how I look at it, everything looks easy (and of course it's not). I read the instructions and studied the drawings. How hard could it be? I ended up spending half the day on it (from afternoon until I had to go to sleep). I made her a mini black cat and it was really ugly. I should be embarassed to give it to her, but I really have no shame. ^^; I even bumped into her on her birthday because I had our whole family go out to eat for my lunch #2 (it was four o'clock - between lunch #1 and dinner). I was in Shirokiya, standing in line with my sister for some okonomiyaki. It was the last day of the Hiroshima Fair in Shirokiya and I really wanted to try their okonomiyaki before they left. I've always raved about okonomiyaki but I've never tried it before. In the end, I didn't like it too much because it was so spicy (I was born with an extra-sensitive tongue!)

Today
...was my last day of testing and I had to go early in the morning, missing my first period, which was Japanese. I haven't taken Japanese class for more than a week already. When I visited the student teacher, I found out he had marked me absent because he thought I cut class! >_< I explained that I was in testing, and he was like, "Oohh, okay. So if you get a call from the school, just tell your parents I made a mistake." Argh. What an idiot.

Our history class also finally started rehearsing the play in the auditorium today. I was very happy in the previous class because the teacher complimented the script I wrote. She said it was very good. =) However, the play I wrote was very heavy so I think that made it harder for the actors. >_< Sorry! They have to work very hard! I am the narrator and that is already difficult to speak loudly on stage in the auditorium. It is harder than I thought. Although you're yelling, it doesn't sound like that to the audience. Everyone seriously needs to work on projecting their voices...that's one of the major problems. I tried to speak louder by yelling, but it still sounded soft from where the audience was going to be sitting. My voice couldn't speak very loud because it started cracking and I knew I was straining my throat. On top of having to put emotion into acting, we have to literally yell when saying our lines as well. Hopefully we improve through more practice since today is the first day.

Oh, and I've started to watch Korean dramas again! They're still predictable as ever, but it makes a good break from all the work I have to do. =) The drama is called Witch's Amusement/Witch Yoo Hee and it currently airing in Korea. I wanted to see it because I am a big fan of the beautiful actress, Ha Ga In. So far, I have seen two episodes. It is similar to My Girl and I later found that both dramas were directed by the same guy. No wonder.


I took this screenshot from the first episode. Isn't it enough to make you want to go see it? =)

I should go study for that big math test I have tomorrow. Until next time~!