My ID Is Gangnam Beauty: A Repost

I posted a new blogpost as my personal take on My ID is Gangnam Beauty. I hope you'll take the time to check it out: My ID Is Gangnam Beauty: My Take

I love this drama. I highly recommend it. It made me love Cha Eun Woo, and brought me to Astro.

Something New, Something Fun!

It's been a while since I last posted on this site, and I missed writting. This site holds a special place in my heart. I started this with my sole reason of documenting my thoughts and saving it digitally. But it turned out something else. It turned out something big.

Big for me is garnering a reader or two. But garnering thousands of hits is HUGE for someone like me. It's so moving to know that there are others like you who vested on the same line of thoughts as me, and I would like to thank you for dropping by on my site.

I will try to update this site as much as I can, but I also made a new blog that is more organized, more relatable to moms and girls, and ladies or gentle-people.

Hope you will takw time to check it out, too!
To Live Each Day


Let's keep on reading, lets keep on blogging. Thank you one and all for the suport!

Jung Il-Woo

Jung Il-Woo/Jeong Il-Woo = K-Obsession

I've never been this entranced unto someone as I am to him. I watched him smile, and I am baited, hooked, line and sinker. It is but as if that magnetic pull drawn me like a wizard's spell... and I became forever at his merciful gaze.

I was watching Moon Embracing the Sun, and I am suppose to be totally all over the lead. Then he came unto my screen, as the prince. And just like that, my heart stolen, my will is at his command.

I followed that initial madness with Flower Boy Ramen Shop, and his kissing scene just floored me. I've never been so psychologically screwed up as much as  that time I am watching him kissing someone else. If Sigmund Freud would be whispering on my ears, he'll be telling me  Jung Il-Woo is that karma-tic stimulus that is awakening my repressed-teen-aged rebellious love life.

And because I am still not on that realization that this beautifully-crafted enigma of a guy is torturing my ahjumma heart, I started watching 49 days. Again, for even being just a second lead, he moved me into tears during his so-perfect sad scenes. It's but as if anything he does on drama could just melt my freakin'-frigid-frozen-drama-heart.

So when I am finally on acceptance that I do not have a heart to spare to anyone but him, I surrendered to Return of Iljimae. He is pure perfection, sexily kicked-ass, and simply just beautiful to watch.

And because I can not just have enough of him, I torture myself to his week-end drama on air right now, Golden Rainbow. If in any case my husband, my daughter, my family will disown me, I am leaving this specific blogpost as a testament that my psychological imbalance is well-documented.

To end this sad testimony, I promise myself, that I will forever love you. If in any case my hubby will not divorce me, citing my psychological issues as a cause, then you will always have my daughter's heart, whom at four years old, calls you "WooWoo".

As proof of my obsession, I took out my daughter's photo and used yours as my desktop bg.

Mother

No words could describe how amazing our parents are. But for someone like me, words could be too late to express it to my late Father. So I write this to my Mother, even if it means I may possibly run out of words.

I came from a poor family, whose parents never had the chance to finish elementary. My Mother married my Father young, at age of 16. Despite the lack of comfort, our parents raised us, 8 kids, with steel determination to send us to school and finish with a certificate, a degree or a license. And they did, all 8 of us finished school. Through hard labour, encompassing all health scares, and skirting that thin line of financial constraints, they supported us and guided us in the best way any parents could support their kids.

For years, while studying, I watched my parents push themselves through hard work to make sure we do not take our studies for granted. They took their responsibility, to guide us to a better future, VERY seriously. So, even if we are a family of small-village fisher-folks and wet-market vendor, all the sweat of our parent's hard work was attested by the inked-seals of our college or university diplomas. And we are as lucky and as proud of them every time momentous event like graduation happens.

Then in a swift of fate, a change happened. I watched my Mother worked doubly-hard to make sure I finish up university, for 3 more years, after Father died. I saw her took that burden of making sure I got that degree, just us my last sibling before me did.. I witnessed her struggle, I saw her tears. And I knew then.. in whichever path I will take, I will never ever be someone else but my Mother's daughter.

So, I took the hard road, the easy road, the bumpy road to life's adventure thinking that I figured out how the world works already. Smug of independence as that may sound, at the back of my mind, I always know any route I take, my heart will lead me back to my Mother's arms one day. And that deep link to my Mother never failed me. Even until I became a mother myself.

I am my Mother's daughter after all. And I am so proud to watch my daughter adore my Mother as much as I do. And today, in a spur of a moment, out of nowhere, my four year old daughter, proudly proclaimed that she will take care of me, her dad and my Mother... when we are old.

To hear that from my daughter, even if she is too young to be believable, I know in my heart that I raised her as how my Mother raised me. As I see my daughter's eyes twinkle with glee as she bond with my Mother, I know that she will grow up to be my daughter and my Mother's granddaughter.

To wish for more in this sacred life is beyond my worth. All I wish is for this Legacy of Mother's Bond be forever get instilled into every daughter's heart, unto whatever generation it could be passed.

A Mother's Love is Forever. A Mother is Eternal Love.

I love you, Mother!!!

Beautiful Man/Pretty Man/Bel Ami: A Pretty Interesting Story

Prettily surprising considering this drama was a manga adaptation. 

With the hustle and the bustle of k-netizens with regards to Jang Keun Suk, I waited for  this drama with trepidation. His last melo-drama, Love Rain, was how it is suppose to be - a melo. Just one of his own, but did not really shattered my drama-experience. HJI is still my top favoruite as far as his acting is concerned. To think he was really young then. Waiting for his next drama-project is dreadful for a fan like me. Although I have no qualms when it comes to his acting, I am more afraid that the next project would give the anti-ktzens more reason to judge him. So I did not really expect that much, that way I won't be disappointed.

Beautiful Man or Pretty Man or Bel Ami is a drama of depth. And I did not expect it. Although the ending was rushed, and I could have hope for more detailed episodes to wrap and tie ends up, yet the Finale gave me my favourite scene which, for me, defined what this drama is all about -- that scene between Dokgo Mate and Na Hong Ran. To avoid spoiler, for those who have not watched it yet, I will refrain from describing the relationship of the characters. Reason being, that the relationship itself between the characters kind of made this drama different from other drama. The love story, which most of those who criticized this drama, did not work for a lot of viewers, because of Second Lead Syndrome  - again for me is no big deal. To start with, the premise of the drama as plugged, seems to expect for a lead to be of gigolo type. A pretty man to conquer 10 women, the top 1% of Korea's female populace - is really kind  of  far-fetched. So, I just kind of take every episode one step at a time, so as to avoid disappointment.

Characters:

Dokgo Mate - The pretty man who was given this beauty of "beyondness" for his own perusal. Bad or good, he is Dokgo Mate, the most beautiful man. I love the character growth. I know some viewers were inkling for those moments for him to hook up with the female lead, and got disappointed, but for whatever reason, I understood why the writer wrote him as Dokgo Mate. I love his growth. I love to look deep within that beautiful facade and dig in the thought, the heart, and the soul beyond that pretty face. I remember writing in my "You're Beautiful" post that TaeKyung was made for JKS and JKS perfected TaeKyung, but in this drama, I could say, JKS gave justice to Dokgo Mate's character and gave the heart and soul of this character a different meaning. I don't know about the manga, but I am so entranced with solving the puzzled piece of his character every episode. I did not even care about the 10 women. Although the change of hairstyle is kind of distracting, especially on the first few episodes, yet this character growth of DGM is surprisingly compelling. JKS' acting is impeccable as always. I am glad he took this drama because I would rather people hating him for not being "the most beautiful man - look per se", than them hating him for acting below the expectation of what the character was written. Those moments when he will make you cry in this drama are the moments that will stay in your heart forever. Those scenes are to die for, and I recommend a box of tissue within reach.

BoTong - literally means as "average", and before this drama started, I was expecting a stalker-ly kind of character. She's that average girl who had a crush on MaTe since middle school. Botong's character did not really grow that much in this drama. It did not affect my interest at all, because maybe, the drama was advertised as a weak story of conquering 10 women. Maybe I don't want to invest my heart into her love story arc with Mate. Maybe at the back of my mind, I know there's this 10-woman thing. Somebody gonna get hurt, somebody gonna get dumped. Amazingly, the ending of each woman-story is not that heartbreaking. I just wished they kind of bring them all back at the end. But, back to Botong, I kind of respected her character. Although MaTe is her weakness, and for a lot of times you wanna scream at her to buy some bones, and grow up from that adulation of MaTe, yet I respect her for holding on with her love for him. And this is despite the fact that you have a 2nd lead guy who is a character-mirror of yourself - in male specie. BoTong's role in MaTe's life is very consistent, although no growth, yet it doesn't made me squirm because she never doubted her feelings and her decision to hold on to such love (yes, I am talking about Heir's Eun Sang's No&Yes, GoAway-iNeedYouBack moments with KimTan). Her character also kind of cemented that last line of grip for MaTe when his world collapsed. The lack of their scenes together did not bother me. I like the drama more because of MaTe's quest for the truth than focusing it being another love-story/rom-com kind of drama. I could say BoTong served her purpose in this drama. She could have connected more on that scene when MaTe told her how much the world is crumbling on him -- but it's okay. My first time to watch IU act before knowing she was Pil Suk in Dream High. I did not expect from IU, because I am not really into idols. But she carried her character's quirkiness to high regard, I will never forget her from now on. 

David Choi - the second lead guy, who is the mirror-character of BoTong. One thing I like about David Choi is how he stood up against his family and stuck with MaTe until the end. If given a hand on a story arc, I would go the bromance path between him and MaTe. Their moments were crazily serious and hilarious. There's so much in this drama that you could work on, a second season is worth it. What I do not like much is his never giving up trying to tell BoTong she could pick him. I do not like it because I do not like rejection. I hate seeing the pain of rejection because nobody deserves to be rejected, especially with such a character as David Choi.  I know the ending was rushed, but if extended, i hoped for a bromance growth between him and MaTe.

Hong Yoo Ra - that woman who gave MaTe a mission to conquer 10 women to supposedly place his name on the family registry. I love and hate Yoo Ra on this drama. She is a complex character that will make you agree with me when you finish watching the series. Everybody has a story - that I reaffirm with this drama.

Characters to watch for:

MG - The chaebol company.

Na Hong Ran - MG's Vice President. Evil? Stoned-heart? Manipulative? Murderer? The most hated villain in this drama.

Park Ki Suk - MG's Chairman. Husband of Hong Ran. Sick husband.

Park Moon Soo - MG's heir, son of Park Ki Suk, husband of Yoo Ra.

This drama has a lot of loopholes. It is a bit weak in some aspect, or maybe the lack of some aspect, but the story is stronger than expected. I did not expect it to keep my interest, but it did. It's like a jigsaw puzzle, you just want to solve it until the last episode. If you are looking for a romantic-comedy kind, this is not that drama for. The suspense is way better than Secret. Although I love Secret, but it did not keep me on my toes as far as solving the puzzle is concerned. I kind of predicted what's next on Secret. This drama surprised me in so many ways. This drama will make you wanna write down o draw a family tree and will end you up asking yourself, who did you miss or how did that name got in and out of that registry. 

It's a drama about being a PARENT. How our choices affect our lives and the lives of people around us, forever. 

A Surpise 16th: A Mix of Culture & Genre

As a party schemer, I am not in favour of 'spur of the moment, instant' party planning. However, for my niece's 16th birthday, I can not say no to my dear sister!

There are a lot of things to consider and there are a lot of reason to make this party VERY limited:

• it's a Surprise
• a month to make it happen
• I have to incorporate Filipino's 18th debut into a sweet 16th celebration
• VERY limited grown-ups, this party is for a bunch of 16 year olds
• room for lots of dancing
• no extravagant, expensive decor but simple & themed-wise (very rocket-science)
• nothing expensive, but classy
• Phantom of the Opera Theme
• again, for a teen-ager! (enough said)

Planning for a teen-ager's party is no joke. I am very serious about this, and I would not commit to another surprise one, unless my heart is at stake. On the last two-weeks of preparation, me and my sister debated, argued, misunderstood each other on a lot of issues, especially about the flow of the program. Between me and her, the generation gap is so overwhelming to bridge, which is worst between her and her daughter. So I tried to make it as painless as I can to the celebrant, and boy, I am not mistaken. But because my sister is the brain of this party, I can only concede and try to  skip as much awkward as I can. Of course, as I expected, nothing missed my niece's attention despite her overwhelmed, emotional & surprised reaction. 

Teens, in this part of the world, have a whole lot of meaning to being 16. For Filipino parents, it would be very normal to celebrate a big 18th for a daughter. A Filipina debutante won't have any qualms because she knows it is a Filipino tradition. For a niece who is both a Filipina and a European by descent, but born Canadian, celebrating a 16th is the new 18th. She would like to celebrate her 16th because it means she celebrates it with her high school friends. She warned her mom: No big party with mom and dad's friends! Only party with her friends! But as a Filipina mom, my sister would want to make this year memorable if it means no eighteenth. 

So started the Surprise Party planning. My sister can only dangle the emotional torture in my busy-mom life, and for me to say NO is a crime. And this, she did a month before my niece' birthday. Again, I hate instant planning. But I pushed myself to whirl this one out. 

Theme: We started with the theme: Phantom of the Opera. My niece likes the movie so much, my sister suggested it right away. And I really like it if there is a theme at hand. My schemer brain could work around it 24/7. 

Invitation: 

Guestlist: 

Her group of friends from school (like 25 of them), family, Mom's and Dad's closest friends.

A combination of teen-agers, Filipinos and Europeans. Maximum of 20 grown-ups.

Venue:

Club Lasalle. Not too big, not too small of a hall. There is the dance floor that the kids could party their hearts out. Costly but worth it. 

Food:

A mix of Filipino & Western.

Sound:

Dad's radio. Kids can hook up their playlist & pick their songs. (Teen-agers who know their thing. Never try to make them do your thing. They have their own song.. so grown ups have to chill away)

Decor:

Black and white, with a single red rose for centerpiece:

Cake:

Program:

She got hauled in by her parents, and got her into wearing white!

Came in... thinking it's a candle light party for someone who passed away.

Surprise! It's her birthday!

Led her to her cake in the middle of the dance floor.

Candles came in.. making a path for the coming roses (Song: Young & Beautiful)

16 Roses came in (Song: Young & Beautiful), no dancing 

Last rose is her dad....

A father-daughter dance (Song: Dance with my Father)

To bring down the emotional moment: Khloe, my 4 y.o., danced her heart out with the Phantom of the Opera song with Ethan, nephew, coming out in the end wearing the phantom mask.

(awkward for both Ethan & Cass, but at least Khloe had a ball dancing.. LOL)

Chelsea, my other niece, did the prayer.

I welcomed everyone in like 10 seconds.

Dinner was served.

Then, the dance began.

It was quick, it was a surprise... it was as little awkward as I can pull off.

(With teen-agers, it's like a minefield -- everything is bound to be awkward!)

It was all good... it was memorable.

Pictures paint a million words:

Our sister flew in from North Carolina

Birthday is always a family reunion....

:)

A TinkerbeLL 4th Birthday Party

This year's 4th Birthday Party was a test for my party organizing capabilities. I haven't really organized a party for twenty kids for quite some time. But preparation is just one agenda, the party itself is another. 

The Tinkerbell idea came up because it is Khloe's desire to play with her friends in this indoor playland favourite of hers, Cheeky Monkey. At first I was thinking of a Safari Theme. Then I can't seem to come up with a good birthday dress for her. So Tinkerbell because I could let her become the Tinky, with the girls being the fairies & and boys the pirates. After the theme finalized in my brain, I started the planning.

Venue & Guestlist:

I rounded up the guestlist. It was around April, five months before the birthday, when I thought of inviting the girls from her Ballet Class. But because their Recital is around May, I have to give them out the invite before the busy recital day. So I booked the venue, then had the invites ready for their last rehearsal. When the summer started and I registered her for Soccer, I tried to add up the list of her teammates before their last game. Just like her Ballet, Khloe loves playing soccer. In her mind, all the girls are her friends. But because the party was set up on a long week-end before school starts, most of the girls are away. Then I mailed the rest of the invites for friends from Hamilton, Missassauga & Toronto. And handed out the ones from St Catharines. 

Give-aways:

For boys: I ordered pirate hats and a sword and eye patch set from Halo Heaven. To have it cheaper, I waited for their 60% and 40% sale online.For girls: I ordered flower halo for their hair from Halo Heaven as well, and tutu & wings for their dolls. I took advantage of the 35% off and Deal of the Day from the sites Facebook page. Some of the light items I had it shipped directly here in Canada for a fee, while the rest, I had shipped to California at no extra charge for order over $40. The loot bags I used were provided by salesgirl  from Chapters-Indigo/Kids for free.I lined it with green gift tissue from the Dollar Store.

The Cake:

The Cake is one of my proudest find for this event. It is an experiment of some sort as a preparation for her 7th brithday three years down the road. Devoid of Filipino bakeshops here in Canada, where I can just order the most adorable cake I trust, searching for that satisfactory baker is not an easy task. I googled, facebooked, searched and searched some more. Baker's list is not a problem. I am more concerned about the cake design and the taste. Usually, you could find a lovely fondant cake. Then, it would taste like it was not worth any fondant price. I ordered a cake once for my niece 7th, with a princess castle for design. When I opted 'yes' to the castle being edible, I didn't realized it will matter on the outcome. I ended up with a cake and a tiny-winny castle on the top. So I learned from that. I relied most on the reviews of the baker's websites. The clicker is  the "yummy" word. Surely, you can find websites with reviews raving about the design. But seldom will you find reviews that the general content was how beautifully it was done and how yummy and 'to die for' is the cake. Cake By Cheryl is my only choice. It was pricey, but it was all WORTH it. Everybody was asking me where I got the cake. And I am most proud to say, Cheryl made it.

The Dress:

Thanks to my dear friend, Cher, the Tinkerbell dress was an easy task. I begged her to drag my husband to the Disney Store in San Jose, California. I was hoping that their Tinky dress is the one I fell in love before they changed the design from the one online. Unfortunately, it was the same as online. And because I am running out of time before hubby fly to join us here in Canada, I let Cher picked the one from the store. So the Tinkerbell dress happened. 

The Food & Venue:

Cheeky Monkey has a packaged for twenty kids, with pizza or hotdog and unlimited drinks for the kids. This of course, includes a 2-hour play and party time. Added to the package is icecream or sundae. 

The Party:

Her friends came, and my friends came. It was a blast. I was crazy tired, but her joy is all worth it.

Next year will be a different story. Hopefully I will not run out of ideas untiL she'll turn 7.

Note:

We would like to thank all the friends for their wishes, their time and their presents. Love the love.

We would like to thank the Sadowski's for the bike, the Zamora's for the bike accessories and the Lazona's for the Cake. Above all, thank you Cher, for the lovely dress.

If you need help with your party ideas, just message me away. I would love to share my thoughts :)