~ A Small Look-book Of Jang Man Wol’s Killer Wardrobe And A Big Talent-appreciation Post. ~ 

Don’t Let Your Past Dictate Your Present Is What  I Learnt From ‘Chocolate’

For every drama I've loved so far, there's an inner Anvi screaming "O, my god! What a show! Go watch it!". It's screaming very loudly for this one as well.

My third drama to be precise and my first Korean one, ‘Chocolate’ (2019) had my heart in a knot and made me weep like a baby. It took every broken piece inside me and took its time in gluing it back with a little bit more magic and love.

Man, this show. Oh man, this show.

A tale of two childhood sweethearts, Dr. Kang and chef Moon Cha Young, the two reunite after nearly two decades with only Cha Young recognizing her first love. Dr. Lee Kang, an illegitimate heir of a big medical institution, lives with his step-family who wants nothing more than his inheritance. A boy who once dreamed of becoming a chef, Kang now seeks revenge for his mother's death.

Moon Cha Young has had it rough in life. A survivor of a terrifying building crash, she finds solace in food and cooking. Suffering from post-traumatic disorder, Cha Young keeps to herself, until Kang's best friend falls for her.

(I won't spill the beans further because that would just unravel the plot making it pointless to watch. Which is precisely what I don't want --- I want you to watch the drama and fall head over heels for it and cry buckets just like I did.)

Kang and Cha Young cross paths once again in a hospice for terminally ill patients and it is here, amidst stories of love, death, family and friendship that they begin to know each other.

The drama is tear-jerker, NGL. But I didn't mind that one bit. It isn't a light watch, it is mature and heavy and worth every minute of your precious time.

As is typical of drama male leads, Kang's initial treatment of Cha Young pissed the shit out of me even though I could understand where his attitude stemmed from -- Cha Young after all, broke the heart of his only and best friend. Still, I wanted to punch the man in his face a lot of times. And I also wanted to shake the hell out of Cha Young for returning to him time and again like a wounded puppy. Thank god she stopped after a while, thank god for some self-respect.

I also love, love the side-cast in this show. What freaking cool actors and boomers. I particularly love head nurse Ha Young Shi who's totally cool, gives zero shits about gender stereotypes and goes all in with her heart. Then there is Lee Joon who's narrative I particularly enjoyed, especially the way he chose to let his own heart guide him rather than his family's expectations of him. I loved Director Kwon Hyun Sik, a father figure to Kang and an absolutely beautiful man.

My learnings:

1. Some people are worth those second chances. 

Some people are worth placing your trust back into and trying once more. Some people are worth the fight. 

2. Don’t let your past dictate your present. 

Let your present dictate your choices, your heart. The past is long gone and if something from it comes revisiting, it is worth looking at in a brand new way.

3. It’s never too late to open your heart again.

For me, 'Chocolate' still remains one of my favorite dramas till date. I love the slow-paced nature of the show, I love how it wrings out all kinds of emotions from you and how it heals you in ways you don't even realize.

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GIF Credits: | GIF 2  - Soompi | GIF 7: Tumgir | GIF 11: Netflix 

Image Credits: Hancinema.net

~ Quote from: More Than Friends (2020) ~

I may not have the wisest words to say but I do want to spread love. That’s the guttural calling I cannot ignore, despite the days when a safe, known life feels easy. 

I do not know what adventure awaits but I can already feel the stirrings of something beginning. Something warm, something exciting, something to make me smile from the inside.

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Sometimes, the easiest way out is to cave in to what your heart already knows but what your mind is too afraid to take a leap for. 

Today, more than ever, may we take that leap. 🌸

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~ Unknown, beautiful flower-friends I met on a cool morning, in a small nursery in Panchagani. ~ 🌼

~ On Seong Wu’s photography skills are 💯💯💯. Here are a few of the photos he snapped from their first day in Buenos Aires. Kang Ha Neul was a complete fairy when he offered to take Seong Wu’s photos so that the latter would have enough memories of himself from the trip. What cuties.❤ ~

From: Traveler (S2), Episode 1

~ I love making little paper pockets in my journal pages and I love using bills as paper layers. ~ 🌼

Got out my Mini Journal after over a year. Couldn't figure out my own style to create in this one for the longest time.

But today, my heart is very happy about not giving up on this baby. 🐥🥺

I love the little shiny quotes that bring in good energy.🥰

if tumblr was person I’d hug the shit out of them. ❤

In a recent drama that I watched, I learned something beautiful --- you must share what you are passionate about otherwise your passion for that thing will begin to slowly fade away. 

I am unsure if my love for stationery will die out but I do feel some part of me stifle when I don’t share my passion for it. 

I feel grateful for that learning. It has brought me back to share my sticker and paper love with more hearts. 

Here’s to beginning once again, as many times as I require to.🌺

Sometime last year, a post of @galadarling said, "You are not stuck. You are choosing not to choose." . This hit home. . I was in a rut, in regards to a lot of aspects of my life. I kept telling myself "I don't know what to do" and I kept chanting that "I was stuck". . Slowly, on reflecting upon Gala's words, I realised, I wasn't stuck, I was choosing not to make a choice because I was afraid I would make the wrong ones. . But, I learnt that if you don't choose, you don't move forward and as hence, you stop yourself from growing. . So this year, I started to choose to choose. I am learning to become "unstuck" one choice at a time. . For anyone who needs to hear this today: make a choice. Even if it turns out to be a terrible one. Because despite the bad result, you are at least moving, you are at least learning and you are at least willing to choose a direction. Sometimes, that's all it takes to come unstuck.🌼