~ Iburagurashi ~ Ep.1 Favorite Moments, (Part 2) ~

~ ‘Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast’ Reaffirmed My Love For A Simple Life ~

A lot of folks on my IG feed kept posting stories of them watching reruns of ‘Hyori's Bed & Breakfast’. After a point, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to add it to 'My List' on Netflix. It took a while before I actually got down to watching the first season, but man, when I did, I had to stop myself from falling head over heels for it.

A bit about the story:

The show revolves around K-Pop sensation Lee Hyori and her house on Jeju Island where she lives with her husband Lee Sang-Soon and their pets. The couple decide to open their home for a 'bed and breakfast' experience to selected guests.

Introverts by nature and unaccustomed to company, Hyori and Sang-Soon are initially quite apprehensive about the idea. But as the days go on, we watch them turn into beautiful caretakers to every single guest they host. 

Their pets are whole different level of cute. There's Mi-Mi the cat who's stoically disdainful of human beings, there's Sam-Sik who's so fat that she gets mistaken as a pillow most times, and then there are 5 dogs, among which Mocha is my personal favorite.

As the B&B opens, we watch people from all walks of life come in and make a home here. From college friends, to old couples, to high-school siblings and even scientists and explorers, the guests have a wonderful charm of their own.

If you've watched this show already, you know how IMPOSSIBLE it is not fall in love with IU a.k.a. Ji-Eun. 🐼💕

Even though I don't listen to K-pop music, knowing IU for the first time onscreen through the show felt like finding a kindred spirit. She's warm, kind, cool, extremely talented and humble. I love how she took over Sang-Soon's coffee duty at the B&B.

I've learned a gazillion things from this show but here's listing down my 4 favorites:

1. As we watch Hyori make peace with her super successful past as a K-Pop superstar, we also watch her in love with her present. Choosing to lead a life that feels right to her is what brings her immense peace and satisfaction, even if it isn't a life everybody (her fans, more specifically) would have her choose. Living in her own authentic way, I took pride in the way Hyori stayed true to herself.

2. Sometimes, discomfort is a pathway to new adventures. This is beautifully proven when we see Sang-Soon and Hyori open themselves up to other people, other ways of thinking and being, through the show. Initially awkward, we see them grow more confident and then even excited, to welcome new folks home.

3. When you watch Hyori and Sang Soon with each other, it just reaffirms the fact that the right kind of love will always find you if you allow yourself to be found. I felt my heart soar as I watched the ease, comfort, honesty, care and affection the two showered on each other without the need for words or loud actions.

4. Last but not the least, this show's taught me that we should laugh, as much as possible and be kind, as often as we can. Be it absolutely terrible jokes between Hyori and Sang-Soon or the camaraderie between IU and the guests or just our pet babies faffing around the bonfire for a piece of meat, the house was always filled with sounds of laughter and quiet, steady, care.

Picture Credits | Korea Boo, Netflix, (Art) The Doodle App

~ May I live today as it comes.~ . May I surrender my expectations of how it "should be", with all my "what ifs" and "buts".✨ . May I be present to this day, with an open mind and a loving heart.✨

“serious transformations begin with two commitments:

the courage to try new things and act in new ways

the honesty needed to no longer hide from or  lie to ourselves.” 

~ @yungpueblo

~ If it isn’t obvious, I am shipping Lim Ju Kyung and Han Seo Jun all the way. ~ 💕💕💕

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GIF Credits: GIF 4: Pinterest | GIF 5 & 6: Tumbex | GIF 7: Amino Apps | GIF 8: Hey Bae | GIF 9: Soompi | GIF 10: You Are A Wonder | 

‘Flavour: It’s Yours’ Taught Me That Talent & Ego Cannot Go Hand In Hand

Of all the romance C-dramas I've watched over the past year, the story troupes have always been very similar : childhood friends meet as adults, fall in love and help each other become their best selves.

But with 'Flavour: It's Yours' (also known as ‘Instead Of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk), it was a very welcome change.

First up, I love the idea of a wine critic losing his taste buds after he accidentally kisses a girl who's lost her own since she was 10. What?! Who comes up with concepts like these?! Can I please meet them?

The Story & Its Characters:

Lu Wei Xen is China's top wine critic and he's established himself as one of the pioneer voices in the wine-making industry. Various wineries seek his counsel to determine their latest flavors and marketing strategies. Going against his father's wishes to inherit his family business, Lu Wei Xen is formidable, arrogant and talented.

He Bu Zui is a woman who's lost her taste buds due to a traumatic experience in her childhood. Her father, who was once the owner of a winery decided to shut it down in order to heal Bu Zui's condition. Our heroine is now threatened by a cheap gangster-landlord to repay her  father's debt. Using her loss of taste buds as a weapon, she participates in drinking contests and earns money to get her family by.

Unknown to her, her childhood love's (Yi Nan Ke) brother Yi Be Dao is back in town and he has some serious evilry up his sleeve. Sparked by the desire to avenge his father's death, Yi Be Dao will go to any limit to resolve the mystery behind it and find the murderer. 

What Yi Be Dao doesn't expect is crossing paths with the ambitious, headstrong yet soft Mi Ya. Working as an editor at a reputed wine magazine, Mi Ya is extremely independent. She's smart, sassy and isn't afraid to go after what she desires.

After Lu Wei Xen and He Bu Zui accidentally exchange their taste buds through a kiss, we embark on a journey of how the two try to reverse this ordeal for Wei Xen. How can a wine critic still retain his no.1 spot when he cannot even taste wine anymore?

They decide that they only way to break the curse and help get Lu Wei Xen’s taste buds back is to “exchange saliva” through a lot of kissing (since that’s what triggered the weird condition in the first place). So our hero hires our heroine on a contractual basis to help do just this.🤷🏽‍♀️

Mu Chun Feng poses as Wei Xen's competitor and he does a damn fine job at it. I loved watching the wine battles the two of them hold.

I also have a soft spot for Xia Fan who plays Lu Wei Xun's biggest fan. He's a popular vlogger with a huge fan-following and is known for his live sessions. He's a complete fan-girl when it comes to Wei Xun's talent and addresses him as 'idol' in the cutest way. He's also super loyal and stands by his hero when the latter is going through hard times.

What I liked:

What I loved about this show was that while romance was still a big part of it, there was also a murder mystery woven in, in such a seamless, interesting and exciting way. Both the male and female leads were their own persons and were chasing their own individual dreams. The villains' were villain-y enough to make the chase worth it and the side-character narratives were as interesting as those of the leads.

What I didn't like:

~ I'm all in for good kissing but it can't be a forced affair. I thought the show took 'dominant male lead make-out' a bit too far.

~ I also found Yi Be Dao's character too regressive and his vengeance for his twin's death lacking complete knowledge of the situation that caused it.

~ Mi Ya is exceptionally amazing as a woman and I found her too accommodating for a toxic man like Yi Be Dao, even though eventually he does change his ways.

My top 3 learnings:

1. Talent and ego should never go hand in hand.🍜 2. Choose to be seen and loved as you are. 🍜 3. Let that shit go. (It really is too heavy to keep carrying) 🍜

My last thoughts:

In short, I was totally blown away by how unique this drama was and how mature it is compared to its typical, commercial C-Drama cousins. So if you're reading this, I know you're wise enough not to pass this one by.

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GIF Credits: GIF 1: @movielosophy​ | GIF 2: An Asian Drama Vortex | GIF 3: Pi Yanuo | GIF 4: Tumgir | GIF 5 & 9: Foolish Asian Drama Life | GIF 6: The Ofy | GIF 7 & 8: Tumbex 

~ A decorated page from my Reflections Journal. ~ 🌸

I thought about sharing a filled page (with my journal entry) since handwriting forms a key element of the overall vibe & look, but I am not comfortable sharing my private thoughts on social media. (>'-'<)

So why not celebrate the stickers (especially the lovely LDV girl one), soft yarn, a baby blue bird stamp, and textured memo nonetheless? (❁´◡`❁)

~ Favorite stills from Ep.4, Izakaya Bottakuri: One evening, Aki-chan shows up feeling demotivated and unsure of her contribution as a colleague. The other guests along with Mine & Kaoru help her to see her true worth. On today’s menu: pickled cucumbers, deep fried tofu with minced meat, a wannabe quiche and a ‘bottakuri’ take on margaritas. ~ 

~ Kodoku no Gurume (Solitary Gourmet) Favorite Moments ~ Episode 4, Season 7 ~

Goro finds a Gyoza and Tanmen shop while exploring the lanes of Shimonita. 

Always smitten by the sizzle a dumpling-bum makes when placed on a hot pan and the slightly burnt, golden corn flour cage that is the pride of gyoza-lovers.

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

~ I will take it slow today and reset my heart and mind. On the days when time feels too hard to catch hold off, a mindful breath, a few hours at my desk, writing my thoughts, making things with paper, all of these are like little gifts to myself 🌸 ~