~ I Found A Long-Lost Part Of Myself While Watching 'Meteor Garden' ~

~ We give so much of our time to things that do not benefit us. I realize this as I struggle with staying off my phone. But becoming aware each time we’re giving away our time to what isn’t good for us, and pausing to reflect and change is a practice. 

🌸 I hope we keep practicing making better choices, to feel and live better. 🌸 ~

- a note from today

~My Thoughts on ‘Gohoubi Gohan’~

In a line or two: This one will make you want to live better and fall in love with food again.🥟

The Story: 

Ikeda Sakiko, a 22-yr-old young-adult, has moved to Tokyo for her first job in a stationery company. Sakiko’s first love? Food. The show is about Sakiko’s journey as she navigates the ups, the downs, and the learnings of her work life. For her hard work, Sakiko rewards herself every week with ‘Gohoubi Gohan’ a.k.a. ‘Rewarding Meals’.

Thoughts:

1. Nobody does food dramas like the Japanese. No offense to the ‘Let’s Eat’ series fans (I am one too). They have this stupendous knack of combining life lessons, positivity, and love for food in a show. It’s almost reverential.

2. I think Sakiko’s character is so amicable. She’s a newbie at work but she’s also sure of who she is. Her colleagues tease her playfully for her incessant thoughts around ‘what should I eat next’, and Sakiko unabashedly acknowledges her passion. She’s kind but not meek. She’s polite but that doesn’t stop her from being assertive or sharing her thoughts. 

3. Sakiko has 6 colleagues and I absolutely love how every episode is crafted around her getting to know one of them over a meal. From awkward moments to relishing chilled beer after a long work week, friendship springs from sharing grilled skewers, cheese-oozing burgers and piping hot ramen. 

4. I especially loved Sakiko’s solitary food-date. She decides to head to a Taiwanese restaurant by herself in the spirit of exploring new food. Her enthusiasm at the amount of soup in the ‘soup dumpling’ is adorable. 

Watching her eat with thorough love, the owner steps in and recommends local suggestions which Sakiko devours. The gusto with which she opens her mind to an entirely different palette is to me, as a foodie, so inspiring.

5. I love female friendships. The one between Kominato-san and Sakiko is endearing, fun and comforting. 

The former is a lover of all things bread and on their first meal together, where they randomly meet at a hamburger restaurant after work, we see the two bond over deliciousness. Kominato then offers to take Sakiko to eat her hometown food specialty, and over a grill teaming with hot food, the two have heart-to-hearts. 

6. When she’s not exploring food outdoors, Sakiko cooks her Gohoubi Gohan at home. These are equally excellent to watch. From her first French toast experience, to enjoying sushi like her family back home would, Sakiko takes utmost care to prep and enjoy her meals. 

When she cooks, there is an overpowering tenderness in the way she treats the ingredients. Her monologues are joyful, intimate and wholesome. They make you smile and make it hard to stop doing so.

7. A favorite moment of mine was to watch Sakiko spend her bonus on getting premium ingredients to cook herself a lavish ‘Hot Pot’ as her Gohoubi Gohan. I love how she even brought an ‘ingredients manual’ to pick her choices from. 

8. I’m not against ‘hard shelled’ male characters, but I think Isogai’s was a bit too anal for my liking. He’s Sakiko’s senior and one of the most sought-after employees in the product development team. He may not have the intent to communicate harshly, but his words are often demeaning, sexist, and condemning. He does make up for his behavior, but I can’t say I’m his fan. 

9. I watched this drama as my break time between work, and I think it taught me so much about how to approach situations at a workplace, how to choose the right time to say what you feel, and how, there are so many kinds of people out there, all trying to live life in the best way they can. 

10. I am the biggest fan of food commentaries and Sakiko provides an ample amount of them. I love how descriptive, detailed and warm her thoughts on food are. She takes her time to savor various flavor combinations, cherishes the classics, deeply respects the ways of cooking and eating that she’s brought up with, is constantly looking for ways to step out of her culinary comfort zone and expand her taste buds.

11. Another favorite episode of mine was the one where Sakiko steps into this fancy bar. The bartender, a cool, helpful man in his late 60′s, introduces her to the charming world of cocktails. From fresh seasonal fruits to drinks with floral notes, Sakiko learns to treat herself without guilt. The two share a comradery where Sakiko confesses her newness to the world of liquor flavors and the bartender careful guides her to unique, enjoyable ones. 

The show is filled with heart-warming moments and makes you want to hug every character for having the ability to enjoy food so well. I couldn’t have asked for a better ‘Gohan’ drama to the start of my J-drama explorations for the year.

Favorite Learnings:

1. You have your own place in this world. You don’t have to fit it. 

2. Life can get hard sometimes. During such moments, going back to what you love will reconnect you with joy. 

3. Never stop trying new things, even when they feel scary and challenging.

Last Words: If you love food and you love watching people enjoy what they eat while learning kind, lovely things about life, you can’t miss this one.🥞🍛🍜

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Image Credits (www.aitado.blogspot.com) : 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24 ,25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 39, 

~ a little too late, she realized, not all things deserved her heart. ~ 🌼

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Picture | @littlealienproducts​

“The Universe is watching you in absolute awe. . Each time you step forward and share your magic, A breath of relief can be heard . For you are being who you were destined to be.” 

- girlandhermoon

~ My First Period Drama, 'The Tale Of Nokdu' Was Everything I Could've Hoped For And More ~

'The Tale Of Nokdu' was the fourth K-drama I picked up. Prior to it, I hadn't come across any period dramas and hence, this became an introduction to a whole new genre. I can't think of a more perfect one, to be honest.

My curiosity spiked up when I read the tiny Netflix summary of the show: "While on the run for his life, a young man discovers that the best place to lie low is in a village of widows -- disguised as a woman."

I was in.

The Story:

As the summary suggests, the story revolves around a young man, Jeon Nok-du, whose home is attacked by a bunch of assassins. Burning to know who wanted him & his family dead, he heads out to track the group of killers. His trail leads him to a widows village where he disguises himself as a woman to seek refuge and investigate further.

It is here he encounters Dong Dong-Joo, a trainee Gisaeng (with a secret agenda of her own), Lord Cha Yool Mu (a royal chef) and the Muwoldan, a sect of widows-turned-assassins.

Amidst political unrest in Joseon, we see Nok-du come to terms with his real identity, snoop around to find a political uprising against king Gwange-He underway and unearth secrets of those around him, both enemies and friends.

While all of this may sound extremely serious (and to a large extent, it is), there are regular pockets of delight, humor and a deep, powerful & healing love story.

What I particularly loved in the show was:

🥦  Nok-du's (Jang Dong Yoon's) gorgeous female avatar  🥦  Dong-Joo and Nok-du's infallible, solid love for each other     🥦 Tiny, sassy and fun Aeng-Du  🥦 Vice Curator Yeon Geun whose humor makes him absolutely huggable 🥦 The widow-assassins of Muwol who break a lot of Korean drama stereotypes very satisfyingly &  🥦 Lord Cha Yool Mu who plays a spectacular villain. 

The entire drama and its telling is woven with sincerity, depth and beautiful detailing. The story intensifies as the show progresses but it is totally worth the watch. In fact, the show holds a sweet spot on my 're-watch' list as well.

🥦 And here are my 3 favorite learnings from the show:🥦

1. You get to decide the kind of life you deserve to live. It is beautiful to watch the belief Nok-du places and nurtures in his life-values. It is his confidence in them that provides him the courage to craft a life that aligns with his heart.

2. Above all, love is the greatest healer. Dong-Joo's tale is brave, unique and filled with a lot of ups and downs. But it is her choice to allow love to free her heart of hate and revenge that speaks of immense courage and healing.

3. Even when the days are dark, your friends can be your anchors of light. No drama is complete without its side-cast and I personally believe that in this particular one, it is Nok-du's friends and family who bring in sunshine, laughter, warmth and presence on the dull, heavy days.

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Images | Netflix & Doodle App

~ My Thoughts on Yumi's Cells: Season 1 ~

I usually avoid ongoing dramas because I am more of a 'will watch once all episodes are out' person. But I couldn't wait to watch the show and so, I decided to go for it despite its bi-weekly episode releases. I am glad I did; I felt connected to the story for a longer period of time and it also gave me the room to let it ruminate and settle in my mind.

1. More than Yumi, I love her cells. I thought they were absolutely cool, amazing and it also made me realize how much work they put in to make a human function efficiently. I loved, loved the animations--- they were so funny and yet so human at the same time. I could totally relate to them, every single time and I laughed SO much.

2. My favorite cell hands down is 'Hunger'. I love the little ttetkeboki sign on its head, and I love how Yumi's palette and taste-buds are so in sync with her definition of happiness. 

3. Yumi is such a cool character. She is sure of who she is, is so no-nonsense when she deals with people and I love how she's still hopeful about love, despite her devastating heartbreak. It was so nice to see Kim Go Eun in this story setting because as much as I love her in 'Sea of Hope', I was waiting for her persona to translate into an onscreen one. I fell in love with the Yumi I watched.

4. My heart also goes out to her because the way she deals with her romantic relationships is very similar to how I dealt with mine. However, I love how she arrives at the conclusion that she should be her own priority and not a secondary character in her own tale.

5. I loved the pace of the show. There was no hurry to any aspect of the story. The progression was so natural, so comfortable and so detailed, yet smooth.

6. This also happened to be the first drama that I've watched which is so honest about the strength, the insecurities, and the beauty of human relationships.

GIF Credit: Tumgir

7. I could also related hard to the 'Emotion' cell because I know how it dictates my own life, lol.

GIF Credit: Ahgasewatchtv.com

8. Despite the fact that he is super unfair to Yumi as a partner, I like Woong. He's crystal clear about what he likes and what he doesn't. He's hardworking, a good friend. and also has a vision for where he wants to be professionally. I personally loved how non-floofy he is. I like his simple and straightforward way of being in the world.

9. I also love Goo Woong's natural and easy connect with Yumi. This is why it bothered me to see him not share what was on his mind with her, or to run away from difficult conversations. This is also why I understood why it was better that weren't together, as much as I'd wanted them to be otherwise.

10. With Bobby, initially I found him to be pitiable. He was struggling to keep his relationship alive, one-handedly. He was also fascinated with Yumi but maybe couldn't approach her because his heart was elsewhere. I loved how he was a cheerleader that brought back Yumi's writing cell from the graveyard, and how Yumi and him become friends more than colleagues.

11. There is a sensitivity to Bobby that was very tender to see. From noticing Yumi's talent through her social posts, to spotting the missing 'couple' photo on her desk, to telling her how he'd noticed her at the café the night his girlfriend broke up with him, there was no sense of judgment that I could find in him. He was open, vulnerable and invited Yumi to be the same.

GIF Credit: Ahgasewatchtv

12. Yumi's 'Writer' cell also has my heart, haha! I can totally relate because I write for a living and the creative ups and downs were represented so nicely. I also loved her heart-filled captions that she shared via her social posts.

13. Chae Woo Gi was another favorite of mine. I would have liked to see more of him.

14. As much as Woong and Yumi's breakup sucked, I loved how Yumi learnt to choose herself because of it. I loved how she decided to see a breakup as an option to step out of a dead relationship, an unhappy one, where she had to fear losing out on someone each time she voiced what she wanted. I loved how she appreciated her time with Woong, still loved him but loved herself more to let go.

15. It was one of my favorite drama watches of this year. There is one moment that stands out in my brain--- Yumi's fake reaction to the 'battery' birthday present by Woong. Hahaha, sure she discovered a lovely necklace in it, but her initial reaction was priceless.

“Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once.” ~ @thehoneydesignco

"When the world failed me, I could always lose myself in my work. I withdrew into this sanctuary, where all my other concerns faded beside the demanding compulsion of my Craft."

- Margaret Roberson, An Enchantment Of Ravens

~ Growth is a silent, invisible thing ~ . Growth is a quiet affair;  a day-to-day phenomenon. . Growth happens behind the scenes, you and your heart, the only witnesses. . Growth creeps up on you, subtly, ordinarily. One day you're a seed and then steadily, you see yourself become the majestic tree you envisioned yourself to be. . Growth speaks of humility and surrender. . Growth is the messy, chaotic, tumultuous in-between.  . And if you aren't paying attention, those delicate moments of growth pass you by without being cherished. . So, keep your heart and mind in tune with your present self as you bloom bravely, day after day, night after night.

~ notes from everyday ~ 

“How your life feels is more important than how it looks.” - homebody club.

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| Passport Journal |