Who am I? I am a screwed-up blogger and an active blog reader since 2007. A soulful dreamer who believes that passion is life and a person who is looking for meaning, just like any other human being in this world. A super girl wannabe who is currently taking chances and chasing pavements, while keeping up with time and living life in general. This is me, and this blog is the outlet of my random thoughts. (^___^)
Most of the posts in this blog revolve around Asian dramas, movies and pop culture, so please proceed at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you. Haha! Have a wonderful and blessed day! :)
Search
Disclaimer
Most of the images and the videos in this blog are not mine unless otherwise stated. No copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. The rules of this blog are simple: no spamming and stealing. x
I
didn’t know anything about Yi Seul 12 years ago.
Because she was always around, I took her for granted. I would bother
her with petty jokes and pranks, only to disappoint and upset her. If only I had been more thoughtful and more honest. I wish I had made her
smile more often. I want to change all of Yi Seul’s frowns and sadness into
smiles. If only I can do that. —–Kang Baek Ho, Operation Proposal
Regrets have long been one of the most dreaded aftereffects in every human action. Some turn out to be acceptable in the long run, others can just be forgotten easily, but the worst kind of it all can haunt you for as long as you live. Humans are complicated, indecisive beings. A lot of people yearn for ultimate happiness, so we look for it in every corner and street along our journey. Some people chase for it relentlessly, while others give up easily. Many people spend the rest of their lives searching for happiness in the wrong places, thereby making wrong decisions. Truth is, we all have our own share of regrets. "It might have beens" have long been a part of human existence because of all the wrong choices we make, and this is the hardest part because one wrong move can spoil everything and pretty much determine the future. Because of that, we lose control and fall into the pitfall that we created ourselves. We end up in despair and in "if onlys" that we couldh've avoided if we weren't too oblivious of the things around us.
It feels good to be able to rant about something once in a while. Haha! Because this is my first long post for 2012 that is not about myself, I really tried my best to squeeze this into my to-do list for today, despite all the preparations that I had to do for my younger and only bro's birthday celebration tomorrow. Ever since I had more free time, I have started to camp back again in dramaland and to watch a few dramas that many people have been talking about in various forums. I was outdated with the recent updates in dramalandia for a while, so going back to the my daily routine while munching on popcorn or frozen yogurt was something that I really missed. If I did not put an end to my previous unhappy and stressful routine, I may have missed this one because of limited time.
Thankfully, I was just in time to welcome all the new releases for the upcoming summer season, and the drama that I am about to introduce just started to air last week. It's currently in it's second week, and I have seen four episodes so far. Four very sad, bittersweet and melancholic episodes, that is. Haha! Many of you may have seen the original version of this drama before or are at least familiar with how the story goes. It is, by far, one of the most heartbreaking dramas that I have seen since I started to watch the very first Asian drama which got me hooked, and that dates back to some 11 years ago. Yes, I was 13 then. And in a few months, as much as I hate to say it, I will be turning 24. In those 11 years where some of the best dramas in history were produced, whether melancholic, full of angst, or just overly emotional, this story still remains in the "Top 5 Most Heartbreaking Asian Drama of All Time" category for making me cry from episode one until the end. I generally hate "what couldh've been" and "what mighth've been" stories from the get go because they are emotionally draining to watch. I don't like the sight of tissues and nasal inhalers near me, so I tried to detest everything sad from that point on. I must admit that although I like a little angst here and there, I cannot tolerate too much drama and crying for an entire ten-episode drama to say the least.
To be honest, the number of
Jdoramas that I have seen ever since cannot equal the number of Chinese
and Korean dramas that I have seen, let alonethose that I have grown to
love and really considered as my all-time favorites, but Prop Dai's case
was different. It's one of the very few Jdoramas that I like and one
of my favorite Asian dramas ever! The story of the drama is
close to my heart, not because it happened to me, but because it's
similar to the story of two people that I know. It's sad and depressing, but it always happens in real life—–just not the fantasy part. In this drama, we are introduced to two people, a boy and a girl, who have been and have remained the best of friends from their childhood until their early twenties. Everything seemed to be fine until one day, the boy wakes up from a deep (and blinding) sleep and realizes that he loves, that he has always loved and that he will always love the best friend who stood by him for the last twenty years or so, on the day of her wedding; that is, to somebody else and not him. *Ouch! What a wake-up call!*
Operation Proposal is the Korean drama remake of the popular 2007 Fuji TV Jdorama Proposal Daisakusen (Operation Love) starring Yamashita Tomohisa, or simply Yamapi, from the popular Jpop boy groups NEWS and Kanjani Eight and the beautiful actress Nagasawa Masami. Proposal Daisakusen originally had ten episodes plus one special episode that was broadcasted after a year. The drama was a big hit in Japan and was well received by many Asian drama fans. I never thought it would be remade by any production company anywhere in Asia, but much to my surprise, it was announced late 2011 that the drama will be remade in Korea for an early 2012 broadcast. So here I am right now, sharing my initial impression on the remake which stars a reputable cast of lead actors with an impressive list of accomplished productions under their respective belts. Playing the lead roles are Yoo Seung Ho and Park Eun Bin who both started out as child actors in the industry. Yoo Seung Ho reprises the role of Yamapi's Iwase Ken as Kang Baek Ho, a happy go lucky and naive high school student who knows nothing but playing baseball. Meanwhile, Park Eun Bin portrays Masami's Yoshida Rei as Ham Yi Seul, a sincere, kindhearted and loyal friend who is always ready to sacrifice in the name of friendship. She stood by him through thick and thin; she was the ever trustworthy best friend (together with their other three friends) who never left him when the entire world did. For 20 years or so, her entire world was all about having him near. Yes, she loved him with all her heart, and it was not a secret to anyone except him. Yes, anyone but him.
It's not that he didn't know or didn't notice. In those twenty years, she tried her best to show him how important he was. She did everything to make him happy behind the scenes and gave him the most obvious hints in the world that even an elementary student can comprehend. The way she acted when he was around was all the more obvious. He was stupid! Yes, you can say that. *I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who thinks this way.* So when the time for the ultimate prince charming in a white horse came, he was pushed aside in a corner, dumbfounded. Playing Fujiki Naohito's Tada Tetsuya is Lee Hyun Jin. Finally, I know his name. LOL! I first noticed him in Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye's Heartstrings last year. He really shined the most to me back then. I was like, "Oh the cute guy from Heartstrings!" LOL! I honestly don't know that much about him, but he is a good actor from what I have seen. He plays the role of the new baseball coach in Baek Ho and Eun Bin's school who will later on fall in love and get married with the heroine of the story. A character like his in every story is always charming, and it's such a pity because those who are really nice have 99.9% chance of not getting the girl in the end. He is playing the part as Baek Ho's opponent quite well, and now that I have seen the preview of episode five, I am starting to wonder why I found him cute in the first place. *Sorry, male lead loyalist right here. HAHA!* Needless to day, that prince in a white horse, who is Lee Hyun Jin, was everything that Baek Ho was not. He made her happy every single day, and he loved her wholeheartedly even if he knew from the very start that it was, it has always been and it will always be HIM (capital H-I-M) in her heart. In just a short span of time, he was able to prove for all time's sake that he was the better and more worthy mam. He was intelligent, successful and capable. He had a bright future ahead of him, and he was the kind of person every girl would like to wake up to every morning. You can say sugar, spice and every nice! However, the story doesn't end there.
What happens next, you ask? Well, that's how the crazy adventure begins. Our hero will be given the opportunity to undo his past, with the help of a fairy (in the Japanese version) or a time conductor (in the Korean remake) who will allow him to travel back in time. For the most anticipated ending of the year, that we'll have to see. :)
Watching Prop Dai all over again has been worthwhile, I must say. Both versions have the same story but have different strengths and weaknesses. Both are sad and bittersweet, but the Korean version is doing a great job in letting out the emotions that I have always wanted to see. To be honest, I am not a fan of Yoo Seung Ho. I don't follow his dramas, and although he is really popular in Korea, I have barely seen any of his previous projects. Through this drama, I can finally see why he is considered as one of Korea's most promising young actors. He started out as an actor at an early age, just like the crowd favorite Jang Geun Suk. He is definitely doing a great job in reprising Yamapi's role, and he is clearly the better actor among them. No offense to Pi and to his fans, because I am a fan of both him and Nishikido Ryo in NEWS and Kanjani Eight, but even as early as episode one, Yoo Seung Ho's acting already got me sold. Anybody here who saw that crying scene while he was seating on a swing in that park where he met the time conductor? That was just amazing! If it was just anybody or any other actor in there, I will most probably fast forward that scene just to get over with it. Park Eun Bin is also doing a great job. Compared to the model-like and gorgeous Masami, she is more of the cute and "girl next door" type. Aside from these two, the drama also boasts a solid supporting cast.
This may sound really crazy and downright stupid, and whoever will read this, who doesn't have a slight idea of what Asian dramas are, will most probably think that I am crazy, but I honestly cried buckets and buckets of tears while watching the original Japanese version from beginning to end. I've tried my best to delay watching the remake on summer, so I'll have more time to prepare myself for another emotional ride. But when I saw how inviting the trailer was, I did not hesitate to search for the torrent of the first episode at that very moment. Both are good versions, and whether it's the Japanese or the Korean version, the story still breaks my heart. I still feel sad for both the boy who realized what he's been missing when it was too late and the girl who loved with all her heart but was left broken, hanging and hoping until the very end. x
With that, I'll leave you with Baek Ho's wedding speech during Yi Seul's wedding. #Emotional LOL!
She cared more about the scores of the team she was
cheering for than her own grades. If there was an abandoned puppy in
the rain, she’d cover him with her own umbrella, while she’d get herself
drenched. She always puts others before herself; she takes care of
others first. Even when she were feeling lonely or sad, she’d always
put on a smile, as if she was candy to others. To the
friend I’m very happy for, I sincerely congratulate you on your
wedding. —–Baek Ho to Yi Seul
Miracles...extraordinary events that occur without
explanation. We call these miracles. A miracle could also be our
urgent desire ringing like a bell. All of us have the chance to ring
that bell at some point of out lives, but whether the bell rings or not, it depends on our choices and effort. —–The Time Conductor, Operation Proposal
Source:b4nl8er@youtube.com and lolla0ksw@youtube.com (videos)
Not a lot of people know (or would even understand), but I am also a victim of drama obsession. I've been camping in dramalandia since I was 13 years old, and that's where you will most likely find me when I have nothing to do.
One of the symptoms of this disease is daydreaming about dramas everywhere whether you are at work, walking down the stairs, sleeping, even as you are walking...creepy isn't it? Hahaha!
I am also a big Asian music fan and I think Asian music rocks! I go back and forth from Cpop to Kpop and Jpop, so I may be different (and strange) compared to other people that you can find around. I am an elder sister , a dreamer , a believer , a gamer , wanderer , blogger , an optimist , an ultimate foodie and a, hands down, fangirl . I love reading books , writing , music , photography and traveling.
I am a nurse by profession who is also a copy editor and a freelance writer . I enjoy learning how to play musical instruments and learning various languages . I am crazy, loud, spontaneous, free-spirited and most of the time, a klutz.
Eren Asentista a.k.a. Eray, 23, female, from Dumaguete City, Philippines. My personality...it's complicated. :D Believe me, you wouldn't want to know who I am. Hahaha! XD
I am currently watching...
In the coming days, I plan to watch...
In Asian Entertainment, I fancy...
(This is still lacking, but this is more or less it. LOL! I will most likely be updating this in the future to accommodate my growing list of biases but check em out!)
The things that I want to do before I die are the following:
An Asian cruise. Templestay in Korea. An African safari adventure. Backpacking to Europe. Traveling through the European railways.
I
didn’t know anything about Yi Seul 12 years ago.
Because she was always around, I took her for granted. I would bother
her with petty jokes and pranks, only to disappoint and upset her. If only I had been more thoughtful and more honest. I wish I had made her
smile more often. I want to change all of Yi Seul’s frowns and sadness into
smiles. If only I can do that. —–Kang Baek Ho, Operation Proposal
Regrets have long been one of the most dreaded aftereffects in every human action. Some turn out to be acceptable in the long run, others can just be forgotten easily, but the worst kind of it all can haunt you for as long as you live. Humans are complicated, indecisive beings. A lot of people yearn for ultimate happiness, so we look for it in every corner and street along our journey. Some people chase for it relentlessly, while others give up easily. Many people spend the rest of their lives searching for happiness in the wrong places, thereby making wrong decisions. Truth is, we all have our own share of regrets. "It might have beens" have long been a part of human existence because of all the wrong choices we make, and this is the hardest part because one wrong move can spoil everything and pretty much determine the future. Because of that, we lose control and fall into the pitfall that we created ourselves. We end up in despair and in "if onlys" that we couldh've avoided if we weren't too oblivious of the things around us.
It feels good to be able to rant about something once in a while. Haha! Because this is my first long post for 2012 that is not about myself, I really tried my best to squeeze this into my to-do list for today, despite all the preparations that I had to do for my younger and only bro's birthday celebration tomorrow. Ever since I had more free time, I have started to camp back again in dramaland and to watch a few dramas that many people have been talking about in various forums. I was outdated with the recent updates in dramalandia for a while, so going back to the my daily routine while munching on popcorn or frozen yogurt was something that I really missed. If I did not put an end to my previous unhappy and stressful routine, I may have missed this one because of limited time.
Thankfully, I was just in time to welcome all the new releases for the upcoming summer season, and the drama that I am about to introduce just started to air last week. It's currently in it's second week, and I have seen four episodes so far. Four very sad, bittersweet and melancholic episodes, that is. Haha! Many of you may have seen the original version of this drama before or are at least familiar with how the story goes. It is, by far, one of the most heartbreaking dramas that I have seen since I started to watch the very first Asian drama which got me hooked, and that dates back to some 11 years ago. Yes, I was 13 then. And in a few months, as much as I hate to say it, I will be turning 24. In those 11 years where some of the best dramas in history were produced, whether melancholic, full of angst, or just overly emotional, this story still remains in the "Top 5 Most Heartbreaking Asian Drama of All Time" category for making me cry from episode one until the end. I generally hate "what couldh've been" and "what mighth've been" stories from the get go because they are emotionally draining to watch. I don't like the sight of tissues and nasal inhalers near me, so I tried to detest everything sad from that point on. I must admit that although I like a little angst here and there, I cannot tolerate too much drama and crying for an entire ten-episode drama to say the least.
To be honest, the number of
Jdoramas that I have seen ever since cannot equal the number of Chinese
and Korean dramas that I have seen, let alonethose that I have grown to
love and really considered as my all-time favorites, but Prop Dai's case
was different. It's one of the very few Jdoramas that I like and one
of my favorite Asian dramas ever! The story of the drama is
close to my heart, not because it happened to me, but because it's
similar to the story of two people that I know. It's sad and depressing, but it always happens in real life—–just not the fantasy part. In this drama, we are introduced to two people, a boy and a girl, who have been and have remained the best of friends from their childhood until their early twenties. Everything seemed to be fine until one day, the boy wakes up from a deep (and blinding) sleep and realizes that he loves, that he has always loved and that he will always love the best friend who stood by him for the last twenty years or so, on the day of her wedding; that is, to somebody else and not him. *Ouch! What a wake-up call!*
Operation Proposal is the Korean drama remake of the popular 2007 Fuji TV Jdorama Proposal Daisakusen (Operation Love) starring Yamashita Tomohisa, or simply Yamapi, from the popular Jpop boy groups NEWS and Kanjani Eight and the beautiful actress Nagasawa Masami. Proposal Daisakusen originally had ten episodes plus one special episode that was broadcasted after a year. The drama was a big hit in Japan and was well received by many Asian drama fans. I never thought it would be remade by any production company anywhere in Asia, but much to my surprise, it was announced late 2011 that the drama will be remade in Korea for an early 2012 broadcast. So here I am right now, sharing my initial impression on the remake which stars a reputable cast of lead actors with an impressive list of accomplished productions under their respective belts. Playing the lead roles are Yoo Seung Ho and Park Eun Bin who both started out as child actors in the industry. Yoo Seung Ho reprises the role of Yamapi's Iwase Ken as Kang Baek Ho, a happy go lucky and naive high school student who knows nothing but playing baseball. Meanwhile, Park Eun Bin portrays Masami's Yoshida Rei as Ham Yi Seul, a sincere, kindhearted and loyal friend who is always ready to sacrifice in the name of friendship. She stood by him through thick and thin; she was the ever trustworthy best friend (together with their other three friends) who never left him when the entire world did. For 20 years or so, her entire world was all about having him near. Yes, she loved him with all her heart, and it was not a secret to anyone except him. Yes, anyone but him.
It's not that he didn't know or didn't notice. In those twenty years, she tried her best to show him how important he was. She did everything to make him happy behind the scenes and gave him the most obvious hints in the world that even an elementary student can comprehend. The way she acted when he was around was all the more obvious. He was stupid! Yes, you can say that. *I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who thinks this way.* So when the time for the ultimate prince charming in a white horse came, he was pushed aside in a corner, dumbfounded. Playing Fujiki Naohito's Tada Tetsuya is Lee Hyun Jin. Finally, I know his name. LOL! I first noticed him in Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye's Heartstrings last year. He really shined the most to me back then. I was like, "Oh the cute guy from Heartstrings!" LOL! I honestly don't know that much about him, but he is a good actor from what I have seen. He plays the role of the new baseball coach in Baek Ho and Eun Bin's school who will later on fall in love and get married with the heroine of the story. A character like his in every story is always charming, and it's such a pity because those who are really nice have 99.9% chance of not getting the girl in the end. He is playing the part as Baek Ho's opponent quite well, and now that I have seen the preview of episode five, I am starting to wonder why I found him cute in the first place. *Sorry, male lead loyalist right here. HAHA!* Needless to day, that prince in a white horse, who is Lee Hyun Jin, was everything that Baek Ho was not. He made her happy every single day, and he loved her wholeheartedly even if he knew from the very start that it was, it has always been and it will always be HIM (capital H-I-M) in her heart. In just a short span of time, he was able to prove for all time's sake that he was the better and more worthy mam. He was intelligent, successful and capable. He had a bright future ahead of him, and he was the kind of person every girl would like to wake up to every morning. You can say sugar, spice and every nice! However, the story doesn't end there.
What happens next, you ask? Well, that's how the crazy adventure begins. Our hero will be given the opportunity to undo his past, with the help of a fairy (in the Japanese version) or a time conductor (in the Korean remake) who will allow him to travel back in time. For the most anticipated ending of the year, that we'll have to see. :)
Watching Prop Dai all over again has been worthwhile, I must say. Both versions have the same story but have different strengths and weaknesses. Both are sad and bittersweet, but the Korean version is doing a great job in letting out the emotions that I have always wanted to see. To be honest, I am not a fan of Yoo Seung Ho. I don't follow his dramas, and although he is really popular in Korea, I have barely seen any of his previous projects. Through this drama, I can finally see why he is considered as one of Korea's most promising young actors. He started out as an actor at an early age, just like the crowd favorite Jang Geun Suk. He is definitely doing a great job in reprising Yamapi's role, and he is clearly the better actor among them. No offense to Pi and to his fans, because I am a fan of both him and Nishikido Ryo in NEWS and Kanjani Eight, but even as early as episode one, Yoo Seung Ho's acting already got me sold. Anybody here who saw that crying scene while he was seating on a swing in that park where he met the time conductor? That was just amazing! If it was just anybody or any other actor in there, I will most probably fast forward that scene just to get over with it. Park Eun Bin is also doing a great job. Compared to the model-like and gorgeous Masami, she is more of the cute and "girl next door" type. Aside from these two, the drama also boasts a solid supporting cast.
This may sound really crazy and downright stupid, and whoever will read this, who doesn't have a slight idea of what Asian dramas are, will most probably think that I am crazy, but I honestly cried buckets and buckets of tears while watching the original Japanese version from beginning to end. I've tried my best to delay watching the remake on summer, so I'll have more time to prepare myself for another emotional ride. But when I saw how inviting the trailer was, I did not hesitate to search for the torrent of the first episode at that very moment. Both are good versions, and whether it's the Japanese or the Korean version, the story still breaks my heart. I still feel sad for both the boy who realized what he's been missing when it was too late and the girl who loved with all her heart but was left broken, hanging and hoping until the very end. x
With that, I'll leave you with Baek Ho's wedding speech during Yi Seul's wedding. #Emotional LOL!
She cared more about the scores of the team she was
cheering for than her own grades. If there was an abandoned puppy in
the rain, she’d cover him with her own umbrella, while she’d get herself
drenched. She always puts others before herself; she takes care of
others first. Even when she were feeling lonely or sad, she’d always
put on a smile, as if she was candy to others. To the
friend I’m very happy for, I sincerely congratulate you on your
wedding. —–Baek Ho to Yi Seul
Miracles...extraordinary events that occur without
explanation. We call these miracles. A miracle could also be our
urgent desire ringing like a bell. All of us have the chance to ring
that bell at some point of out lives, but whether the bell rings or not, it depends on our choices and effort. —–The Time Conductor, Operation Proposal
Source:b4nl8er@youtube.com and lolla0ksw@youtube.com (videos)
Who am I? I am a screwed-up blogger and an active blog reader since 2007. A soulful dreamer who believes that passion is life and a person who is looking for meaning, just like any other human being in this world. A super girl wannabe who is currently taking chances and chasing pavements, while keeping up with time and living life in general. This is me, and this blog is the outlet of my random thoughts. (^___^)
Tumblr
Twitter
Facebook
me2day
Formspring
Weibo
Flickr
Recent Posts:
Layout: Nicole, Dirah.
I've been camping in dramalandia since I was 13 years old, and that's where you will most likely find me when I have nothing to do.
I am an elder sister 
, a dreamer 
, a believer 
, a gamer 
, wanderer 
, blogger 
, an optimist 
, an ultimate foodie 
and a, hands down, fangirl 
. I love reading books 
, writing 
, music 
, photography and traveling.
who is also a copy editor 
and a freelance writer 
. I enjoy learning how to play musical instruments 
and learning various languages 
. I am crazy, loud, spontaneous, free-spirited and most of the time, a klutz.
An Asian cruise.
