Twelve K-Dramas of 2012

Another year has gone by. Another year spent in the beautiful world of Korean dramas. This is an addiction that I'm not asking for a rehab or therapy soon. The King of Dramas said that Hallyu is all about the money, I say it's all about the fan girl heaven that I feel each time I watch an episode. Edward Cullen said that Bella is his own brand of heroine, I say this is my heroine. I'll ride the Hallyu wave for as long as I can!

I wrote a post like this last year and I decided to write another one for 2012.

Thank you and goodbye, The Twilight Saga!

Before I say goodbye to 2012, I'd like to write something about the saga that had a global grip on the hearts of teenagers, young adults and just about everyone with a hopeless-romantic bone in their body.

This is my final tribute to the movie franchise that romanticized vampirism and painted the cold-blooded creatures in a new way, a sparkly kind of way.

[K-Drama Review] Full House Take 2

No matter how much I force my brain to recall all the good stuff that Full House Take 2 had surprisingly pulled out in its whole run, I always came out with one thing only. That one thing is this drama's magnetic force. I'm talking about the bromance between Tae Ik and Kang Hee a.k.a. The TAKE ONE Duo.

A Fan Account on the Full House Series

Eight in the morning. A girl is tending to a bed of roses and daisies assigned to her by the TLE teacher. Suddenly she heard a girlish shriek from a distance,

"Borzzz! Nindot kaayo ang episode sa Full House gabii! Kyaaaaah!"

(Borzzz! Last night's episode of Full House is so awesome! Kyaaaaah!")

The world faded in the background while the two girls and four of their close friends succumbed to the call of fangirling that day.

[K-Drama Review] Arang and The Magistrate

I followed this drama faithfully while it was airing in Korea but it took me almost two months to write a review. You know that thing called laziness? It can strike any time. My love for Arang prevailed and it's better late than never!

Arang and The Magistrate is that drama that has a solid plot based on a Korean myth, a fascinating tale that was written carefully for maximum audience satisfaction, a great cast and lots of pretty but still came out underrated. It may be underrated but for me, Arang is a gem in this year's drama offering.

Go Go Go STELENA!

"You and her... EPIC!"

- Caroline Forbes on Stefan and Elena

You and me both, sister! STELENA all the way!

Last week when I watched Episode 7 of Season 4, for the first time in my three years of being a TVD fan I cried for having too much feels. Stefan and Elena's break-up and the events after that are just too heart-breaking. It took me one week to digest everything and after one week I still have the  urge to write a blog post about it. So I'm writing this no matter what. I badly need to get this out of my system.

First day of Christmas

It's the first day of December 2012 and Christmas is just around the corner.

JYJ is Free and what I feel about it.

I came across the name TVXQ in 2009. I watched the MV of Mirotic and joined Cassiopeia right there and then. I fangirl like crazy in a matter of weeks after that with the help of my best friend. Bibor gave me TVXQ videos and shit that I couldn't possibly get a hold of on my own. Little did I know that my happiness within the fandom would be short-lived. Shit got real literally. Junsu, Yoochun and Jaejoong left SME while Changmin and Yunho stayed behind. TVXQ was split into two groups, JaeChunSu and Homin, and all hell broke loose.

Officially joined the TMI Movie fandom

Let it be known to all Shadowhunters, Vampires, Warlocks, Lycanthropes and Mundanes alike that I officially joined the fandom of The Mortal Instruments film franchise.

I'm super excited for the City of Bones!

HPC's Monthly Caption Contest

Another package arrived at my doorstep just a few days ago, this time it's from Harry Potter Clan Philippines Official Facebook Page!

On Hanguk Aegyo and Friendship

I am no stranger to meeting friends online. Being a fan girl, I am bound to cross paths with fellow fan girls and fan boys over the countless hours on the internet. In a way, I am an old soul when it comes to blurting out, "Hey! You're a fan of ____? Me too!".

Artwork by my friend, Vee.

[K-Drama Review] Ma Boy

I hope every drama out there would be as short but as compact as Ma Boy. Well, I want that for myself so I could avoid sleepless nights and have some spare time to watch other dramas out there. Ma Boy proved that a drama doesn't need to be long to tell a compelling story. If the plot is solid enough and the struggle is played out nicely, a drama can be done in half the episodes spent for a regular K-drama. Heck, it can even be done in three episodes.

Everyone's getting married!

*updated with photos* -_-

#childhoodisover

I remember that trending topic on Twitter last year. I guess it all started when Hillary Duff got pregnant, thus, Lizzy McGuire is no longer a kid. A sure sign that childhood is over for all of us who followed that series. Just recently the universe reminded me again that I am not getting any younger and so does my idols. My childhood was over a long time ago and now young adulthood is over too.

The Music of Answer Me 1997

I'm taking a break from the long posts I wrote for my drama obsessions this month and just enjoy the music that came with it. The music is, as much as the story, the key part of every drama. It is what heightens the emotions and the general atmosphere of every scene.

[K-Drama Review] To The Beautiful You

Now it’s time for me to write what I have to say about To The Beautiful You a.k.a. Hana Kimi Korea!

I finished the 16-episode drama just last week. Well, actually, I marathon-watched the last eight episodes because my sister didn't stop pestering me about it and my inner ShaWol accused me of betrayal to the fan girl oath of loyalty. Also, I am tying up some loose knots so I can move on to a new drama obsession in the form of I Miss You.

[K-Drama Review] Answer Me 1997

a.k.a. Reply 1997

The thing about K-Drama and I is that the more excited I become for it to premiere, I’d end up disappointed on how it turned out. And the more I am oblivious that such a drama exists before it premiered, I’d end up satisfied and it’ll turn out to be one of my favorites  With K-Dramas everything is a game of chance. It’s either an epic waste of time or an epic win like the gem that is Answer Me 1997.

Embrace the drama of Melodramas

Moon Geun Young In Cinderella's Sister

That drama is full of angst and it made me realize that I really don't like watching melodramas. It takes a lot of energy watching a drama where you get so frustrated because of the plot and you end up hating everyone in it for being a bitch, an a-hole, a do-gooder and all that.

But I take exemption...

[Book Review] The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena is the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. The main characters in The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune are brought together in The Mark of Athena to fulfill (at last!) the Prophecy of Seven that foretold the doomsday of mankind if the seven half-bloods from the Roman and Greek Camps failed to make peace with their differences and work together for the greater good. It follows the journey of seven demigods from San Francisco to the ancient city of Rome in their quest to defeat the giants and their mother Gaea.

Narrated by Annabeth, Leo, Piper and Percy, the stakes are higher and sacrifices are bound to be made. This is the latest book on my favorite book series as of the moment!

[KPOP Review] Catch Me MV by TVXQ

I don’t have much to say about TVXQ's Catch Me music video because:

• It’s not a mini-movie kind of MV. I want my video to have a story so I can decipher it at every angle and bash the girl who gets to romance Yunho and Changmin. Bummer!
• It’s more of a dance routine MV. What am I supposed to say about it?  I am no dancer!

But I'm going to improvise and write my own story for this video because I can. Consider it as a fan fiction written by a hallucinating fan.

Let the crazy begin!

TVXQ is back!

I remember a couple of weeks ago, Yeoshin (a Cassie friend) and I had a little chat. We talked about our fandom and I told her that I could really use a new Korean album from TVXQ right now. For the first half of 2012 the boys are active in Japan and there's hardly a new KPOP song from them. It was January last year when they released Why (Keep Your Head Down) and that's, like, 20 months ago.

I need a new Korean song from TVXQ! I need a new Korean music video to write about!

Is it okay to fangirl this much? Answer Me 1997!

I LOVE THIS DRAMA TO THE BONES!!!

It’s just too good for words and I don’t even know where to begin but I will try to write something coherent for the love of Reply 1997 (a.k.a. Answer Me 1997)!

Sherlock is here!

Last month I won a CD of SHINee's Sherlock from Dramabeans. I was so happy that I spazzed about it for the whole world to know. Finally the package containing the CD Album arrived on my doorstep last September 7 and I did another round of spazzing.

SHINee's "Sherlock" Album!

[K-Drama Review] Love Rain

"I love rain, I love you."

Sweet!

I love Rain, the Korean Superstar but he is not what I'll talk about on this post. I'm blogging about Love Rain, the Korean Drama.  This post is made up of two parts. The first part is my initial reaction and the second part is my final thought. There are dates to separate the two.

RIP Neil Armstrong

Astronaut Neil Armstrong dies at 82

I remember as a child I used to curl up on a couch in my grandparents library to read about him and Apollo 11. He was my hero in grade school. At a young age, Neil Armstrong made me realize that anything is possible.

RIP Sir Neil Armstrong. You will be remembered for as long as mankind exists.

[KPOP Review] Uncommitted MV by Xia Junsu

Actually, this is not a KPOP MV but the artist is, first and foremost, a KPOP artist who happens to be singing an English song.

Prior to the release of the full music video I didn't watch any of the teasers. I want to experience (for once) the pleasure of watching a video and listening to a song without a clue on what's in it or what’s it about. The memory of that Tarantallegra teaser that nearly ruined my excitement for a new Junsu song is still fresh and I don't want to experience that again. Tarantallegra was, after all, a beautiful song with a highly-praised devil-may-care MV. It was just the teasers that ruined it for me.

I was online the minute the full MV of Uncommitted was released and I went to YouTube faster than I can say Tarantallegra. I had the intention of focusing on the music video and understanding it before I blurt out nasty comments but when I was watching it I was distracted with the English or rather Junsu’s English-language speaking skills.

All for the love of K-Drama

Watching Korean dramas can take up a lot of energy. Not just the subtitle reading but also the giggling and crying that comes with it. And if you’re in the business of watching Korean dramas from DVDs (Yes! the jack-sparrow-kind of DVD! haha) for quite a while now, you’re likely a pro in deciphering the correct translation of the dialogues once you hit the final four episodes. It takes messy to a whole new level. I know! It’s headache-inducing, hair-pulling, I-wish-those-suckers-do-their-pirating-right kind of messy. I used to scream murder when I hit that bump in the road. Aigoo. The things you do for your addiction.

I won a CD of SHINee's Sherlock from Dramabeans!

OMG! I won!

I won a CD of SHINee's "Sherlock" from Dramabeans!

*spazzed*

*died*

All is well... or so I thought.

What I know about moving on is that it is hard, awkward and takes a lot of getting used to. There is that feeling of wanting to rewind everything and start again at the beginning but you also know that you really can’t bring back time. If only time machines and that remote control in Adam Sandler’s film were real!!!

Before I start bawling and unleash my inner emo self, that intro was something that I came up with while thinking of other Harry Potter related posts for July. Lo and Behold… I’ve decided to write about Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe appearing in music videos. I’ve been itching to write it for months and here comes the opportunity.

For the love of Christian Bautista!

I saw an ad for Christian Bautista's 10th year anniversary special on ABS-CBN last week and that's where I got the idea for my next post. My high school friends and college dorm mates knew that he is one of the artists who splattered different colour on my fangirl life.

Here's the full story...

[Review] The Vampire Diaries Season 3

I owe my love for TV dramas to American series. Ten years ago I was so hooked to Alias. I didn’t care that it had a very late night airing here in the Philippines and I have to beg my Mom to let me watch it even though my TV curfew was 9PM. Also, I have to constantly remind myself not to miss an episode because if I miss one, there is no hitting the rewind button. Yikes! Those were the days when DVD, live streaming and download were not yet in my vocabulary. You see, before I even knew my first love Vic Zhou I already had a huge crush on a drama actor, someone unreachable and way older than me. Yup! It’s Michael Vartan. If you know him I’m sure you are one of those peeps who wanted to become a spy when you were younger. HAHA. So this is the first time I’m going to write about an American TV series not because I don’t watch those but because I am too wired to Asian dramas these past few years and I don’t care whether my blog doesn't have anything Hollywood in it! But things change and all that.

So much for an introduction... 

The TV series that I’m going to write about is The Vampire Diaries! Surprise, surprise!

[K-Drama Review] Rooftop Prince

Rooftop Prince may not be the best among the dramas lately, story-wise or ratings-wise, but if given the chance to choose again (and I'd tell you it was no easy feat to choose between Park Yoochun, Lee Seung Gi and Lee Joon Hyuk. Hmp!), I'd gladly waste my 20 hours with Park Ha and The Power Rangers all over again. Good story and good acting be damned. I can always get back to The King 2 Hearts and Equator Man any time I want. Hello dramacrazy and DVD! But the time I spent following Lee Gak and the Joseon gang was precious for me as a Cassie and as a sageuk-crazed fan.

Now that I got that out, let's get to the good stuff...

[KPOP Review] Tarantallegra by Xia Junsu

On May 15 2012, Xiah Junsu of JYJ released a full length album entitled Tarantallegra.

Wait, what??!

That's a spell in Harry Potter!

Yeah! I'm a Potterfreak. A connection between my two parallel worlds is something that gives me whiplash everytime. Like Shim Changmin being a Potter-fan is DAEBAK!

[Movie Review] The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games Movie is EPIC!

I'm not just saying that because I'm a fan of the book or I want to add to the flock of bloggers giving it high praises just to say it was a huge hit. I'm saying it because that's what it is. The Hunger Games Movie is plainly and simply EPIC.

As a proof of how much I enjoyed the film I watched it on the big screen twice. Yes! Twice! First on the premiere date (March 22) and the second time on March 26 with my bestfriend.

What made The Hunger Games movie epic? Here's my take…

Ready for The Hunger Games??!

Hell yeah! The world will be watching... and that includes me!

[K-Drama Review] The Moon that Embraces The Sun

The Moon That Embraces the Sun aired its final episode last March 15 and along with it I'll write my thoughts about this one heck of a Korean national drama.

I jumped into the Moon/Sun fandom because of three reasons:

1. The casts. Kim Soo Hyun and Jung Il Woo are the male leads... uhmm, should I explain further? Lol
2. The story. I'm a sucker for stories that involves the deadly combination of royalty and tragedy. Not necessarily a tragic ending but tragedy along the length of the story.
3. And lastly but definitely the strongest reason of all, the type of drama --- It's SAGEUK. I have this sudden interest in Korean history because of the 2011 drama The Princess' Man. That drama was epic in both romance and politics. Although Moon/Sun is not based on real history, I still watched it so I'll have my dose of sageuk and hanboks to satisfy my cravings. If it's sageuk, fusion or 100%, I'm IN!

With that three reasons in mind, I went into full fangirl mode for The Moon That Embraces The Sun.

One year with Running Man

This month I celebrate my one year of being a Running Man fan. Cheers for fangirl milestone like this. I couldn't be more proud of being a Running Man follower!

[Movie Review] Breaking Dawn Part 1

This blog chronicled my Twilight Saga journey and I'm writing this one for the heck of it. This will be short... 

First Drama of 2012

The holidays are long over and it's time to go back to the real world. Uhmm... real world where fantasies come to life by urging you into full-time fangirl mode, hurting and/or damaging your already malfunctioning eyes, and ruining your chance for a good night sleep. Oh! But I'm not complaining... it's time to go back to Kdramaland!