kdrama overload 3: coffee prince

cast: other princes:

gong yoo - choi han kyul kim chang wan - mr hong

yoon eun hye - go eun chan kim jae wook - no sun ki

lee sun gyun - choi han sung kim dong wook - jin ha rim

chae jung ahn - han yoo joo lee un - hwang min yeop

1st shop of coffee prince, to be exact, revolves around the life of go eun chan (yoon run hye). she works many jobs to pay off debts and even gave up her feminine image. choi han kyul (gong yoo) is the heir of a big food company, but his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many dates for him. after eun chan bumped into han kyul and was mistaken for a boy, han kyul decided to hire eun chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. desperately in need of money, eun chan had no choice but to accept. han kyul's grandmother also made han kyul in charge of a filthy coffee shop in danger of being bankrupt. eun chan begged to work at the coffee shop, and not long after, feelings start to spark, except, how would han kyul accept his "homosexuality"?

yoon eun hye can really pass as a guy. pretty boy, even. her ways are manly, able to lift heavy things and eat like a man. hahaha eun-chan and han-kyul's interaction in many scenes are adorable. they're like brothers teasing each other. who would think that this will lead to their attraction to each other? enough to make han-kyul doubt his sexuality - even consulting a psychiatrist? hahaha reminds me of a similar premise in hana kimi (jdrama). however, it just shows that when love strikes, you just can't stop it. regardless of gender, it will just leave you vulnerable. and when you think the world is against you, you fight coz for what it's worth, you know you took the risk, not wondering what might have been. next to boys over flowers, i enjoyed this series. it shows love in a 'complicated' form... yes, still with its emo moments but still light and funny sequences. the individual stories of the princes also united the story, making it not too self-absorbed.

kdrama overload 2: autumn in my heart

cast:

song seung hun - yun joon-suh

song hye kyo - yun/choi eun-suh

won bin - han tae-suhk

ha na na - shin yu mi

han chae young - choi/yun shin ae

choi woo hyuk - teen joon-suh

moon geun young - teen eun-suh

lee ae jung - teen shin-ae

Yoon Joon-suh (Song Seung Heon) and Yoon Eun-suh (Song Hye Gyo) are siblings. Eun-suh is in fact from a different family as she was accidentally exchanged with another baby, but no one knows about this fact until one day, when Eun-suh has an accident, her blood is tested only to discover that her blood type is completely different from her brother's. After this discovery, their parents move to the US, and leave Eun-suh behind with her biological mother. Ten years later, Joon-suh returns to Korea and he begins to search for Eun-suh. Their reunion after being apart for ten years raise their childhood memories and soon they fall in love. However, their pure love will not be so easy because Joon-suh already has a fiancee who loves him very much. And Eun-suh has a partner, Han Tae-suk (Won Bin) who has loved her for his whole life.

this is a melodrama who touched the hearts of many. what left a big impact on me is that of the unconditional, unfailing love of a mother to a daughter she thought was her own, that of a man's unrequited love and letting go of someone who taught him how to love, that of a love so great(ly insane) enough to 'welcome' death.. sounds familiar?? romeo and juliet, the korean way. hehe i loved the first 3 episodes where the story of the young characters were shown. the acting was really good, very effective that it reaches out to you. special mention to moon geun young (young eun-suh) man, those tears can just flow out naturally! her portrayal of a loving daughter and sister is passionate yet not overboard; humble yet strong. overall, the plot shies away from the typical rom-com but i just can't stand that song hye-kyo's character had to cry or shed a tear, at least, in most of the scenes. still, a pretty face, nonetheless.

recurring scene

the mom doesn't want to cry or when she does, she quickly wipes them away, saying that she can't see clearly when there are tears in her eyes. tama nga naman.

kdrama overload 1: full house

cast:
song hye-kyo - han ji-eun

rain - lee yeong-jae

han eun-jong - kim hye-won
kim sung-soo - yoo min-hyeok

full house tells the story of a married couple (ji-eun and yeong-jae) who were forced to marry each other due to certain circumstances. theirs is a contract marriage. they each have their own affairs but somehow, they found their way to be their own affair. their like-hate bickerings lead them to realize how much they cared for one another, enough to set each other free.

i looove the girl, song hye-kyo. really pretty, especially with bangs. her character sometimes just annoy me for being too emo, leaving the house when she thinks she's had enough. then going back home again after she's simmered down. with rain, uhm, just ok. i didnt like his outfits the first few episodes. yeah, he's got THE body. but wearing a green, v-neck hanging sweater?!?! NOT. i can't erase the thought of him singing "three bears". a korean nursery rhyme, i think. i quiver just imagining it. NOT cute, for me. i like the outfits han eun-jong wore on the series. cool. she's supposedly the biatch here, but not enough to hate her wits. it's still realistic. i looove kim sung-soo. he's cute. just too bad the girl here has her eyes set on another.. sana akin ka na lang. haha

ost, in my ipod

i think i love you

geu deh ji geum

the korean chopsticks

one dinner time at a friend's house, i noticed that instead of the usual wooden chopsticks, he used a steel, flat, tapered pair with ornate design at the top. it was my first time to see this kind so i commented on it... it turned out.. it was korean chopsticks!

now, what do you know?!?! i tried using it, and found it a bit harder to use. the flat surface somewhat restrains the fingers (especially, if you don't know how to use at all, i think). but they say the purpose is to easily handle food, even by just sticking through it or even deboning a fish effortlessly. whatever reason it is, i told myself that i should buy one. as i read, this is the primary reason for the flat, tapered end compared with the rounded, ivory ones of the chinese chopsticks.

as part of food etiquette, rice and soup are normally eaten with the spoon while the rest are eaten with the chopsticks. each utensil is also used one at a time unlike a normal spoon and fork where one is held on the left and right. i havent bought my own chinese chopsticks maybe it's because they abound everywhere hahaha but with this korean ones, i guess i'll have to scour some specialty shops to get my hands on them.

photo courtesy of komart.com

lea salonga.. your songs

lea salonga will be having a concert in PICC this december 11,12. it will be something different coz all the songs from her repertoire are all requests. they've set up a site to get the requests. you can even send in video requests! haha or just post your pictures with lea so she can keep in her album. looking back, i regret not taking any when they showed Cinderella here. i would have loved to see her on stage again. this time, singing all requested songs. i just wonder what kind of songs she'll give in to. imagine.. lea singing lady gaga's poker face or nobody by wondergirls! that's something different. hehe i will send in my request soon (via www.leayoursongs.com) --> some Kpop, Jpop too.. and land of the loving. i just love her version of this song. latest i've heard, she'll include "bayan ko" which she sang after cory's requiem mass

birthday greets

happy birthday mamuy! aka rosario (RIP)

happy birthday aya! (aka rio rossa)

that's where aya got her name, rio rossa... from rosario. even though mamuy is not here with us anymore, her memories will always live in our hearts.. at times when i really miss her, i talk to her before going to bed. im the eldest grandchild and so i have the most moments with her.

i recall there are mornings in obrero where mamuy would prepare coffee for me coz i wouldnt drink hot choco. the coffee is too hot though so she had to cool it down by pouring it in a large bowl, stir it and blowing on it, and finally transfer it again to the cup. it was just perfect. smooth, creamy, rich taste of coffee with milk. hehehe when our family moved out, we would regularly visit obrero and have lunch/dinner there. on some nights, i would persuade mamuy to cook sinigang sa santol. i didnt know anyone else who cooks sinigang this way. it still has the sour taste and a bit of sweetness to balance the soup. just plain comfort food. =) everytime i would go back to hongkong, she would have this pabaon for me. i had to refuse though to maintain some pride. hahaha but now, mamuy, if you can hear me.. i won't be shy, embarassed anymore.. anything left for me? hahaha

if mamuy was here, i would've gone home and celebrated her birthday with her, with or without a party. every year, coz of mama's nagging, i see to it that im home. now, im thankful she got me to do that. i guess the only regret was not being able to talk to her in her final days. i thought then, that she would come out of whatever she's feeling, like she always does.

~~~ REST IN PEACE, TITA CORY ~~~