Drama review: Reply 1988

 

I.LOVE.THIS.DRAMA.SO.MUCH. I should say this is the best drama of the year (2015-2016), more than Oh My Ghostess and Healer. I have zero expectation when I started watching this series. This is the third one, preceeded by Reply 1997 and Reply 1994. R1997 was an awesome piece. Eunji and Seo In Guk were so good in portraying the characters; the drama did bring them to another level of stardom. I skipped R1994; the casts were not my favorite and people said it's the weakest one compared to R1997 and R1988. R1998 focus more in family story, mix with romance and comedy. The story is about five families living in Ssangmundong. The first is Sung family with the children Sung Bora, Sung Deoksun, and Sung Noeul. The second is Kim family and the children are Kim Jungbong and Kim Junghwan. The third is Sunwoo and Jinjoo's family. The fourth is Choi family with the only child Choi Taek. The last is Ryu family with the child Ryu Dongryong. Deoksun (Girls Day Hyeri), Junghwan (Ryu Junyeol), Sunwoo (Go Kyungpyo), Taek (Park Bogum), and Dongryong (Lee Donghwi) are childhood friends and they are really, really close. The only girl in the gang, Deoksun, is the second daughter; she is a bubbly personality and always makes people around her happy. Junghwan is also called as Jungpal; he stays cool most of the time but actually he's very warm inside. He and Sunwoo are the smartest students in the class. Sunwoo is an FM (Field Manual), the one who always stick to the principle and studies all the time. His father died two years ago so he's the only guy of the family. Very obedient to his mother, he is a loving family guy and never complains anything to her. Taek is a 18yo genius baduk player; he quits school and his world is only about baduk. Has a puppy like personality, Taek is very happy whenever his gang gathers in his house after he comes back from the international competition. The last, Dongryong, is the moodmaker of the group; he never study even though his father is the school's principal and dances all the time. This time the story involves not only the main leads and the friends but also everyone in Ssangmundong. There are the father group and mother group and each has his/her own story. I cried a lot this time like almost every episode; Im a sucker for a touching story. Watching R1988 makes me realise how people have changed over time; in the past everyone is close to each other including their neighbours and they can survive without any internet or electronic. People talk and communicate when they meet, not like now where people meet and then focus on their cellphones rather than talking to each other. I also envy Deoksun for having such a great childhood friends like the gang; they are probably the squad goals of life. 

For the romance, it will be about Deoksun-Taek-Jungpal. Jungpal is so frustating. He likes her but why doesnt he have the courage to confess and always miss the timing? If you are not confessing even though you like the girl and she likes you back, she may end up with another guy. Poor him :( There are two group of shippers, #TeamTaek and #TeamJunghwan. Im in #TeamTaek! Taek is an innocent and lovely guy; he may be clueless about life but when he has a goal, he will go for it. That's why I love Taek. I dont know what spell Park Bogum has put on me, but now Im totally fangirling over him. Everytime he smiles, Im done (he smiles A LOT in the drama). At first people also hesitated when Hyeri was announced as the main lead; I read in some news that she wasnt a really good actress. But in Reply series you cant predict anything. Now everyone is praising Hyeri for doing such a great job portraying Sung Deoksun. Park Bogum and Ryu Junyeol are definitely the biggest stars of the series; they are extremely famous right now. If I have to choose which Reply series is the best, it will be R1997 and R1988. Dont tell me to choose between two of them because I cant. It's true they say original is the best but R1988 has all the best things a drama could ever had. Not forget to mention how awesome the ending is. The drama also had the highest rating ever for cable drama viewership, achieving 18.8% for the finale. They also have the husband hunting mystery as usual! Who do you think the husband will be? Im happy that I make the right choice to watch R1988 after it ended and I finished it in 3 days *proud* The only thing I regret is that I watch the ending first when I havent decided if Im going to watch the drama. That doesnt decrease my love for this drama anyway; I already rewatched my favorite scenes like for the nth times. I just love this drama to the bits.

Note: If you are bored that I always say recommended to most of the dramas I reviewed, it's because when I watch a drama and lose interest in the middle of it I will stop watching right away. Dont even bother to make a review about it.

Rate: 9.5/10

 

 

 

I will miss all of you a lot ㅠㅠ

 Official trailer:

Below is my most favorite OST in R1988. I cried twice listening to this because I remembered the scenes. Yes it's shameful I know. Whatever lol

Movie review: 杜拉拉追婚记 (Go Lala Go 2)

 

This is the second installment of Go Lala Go and I didnt even watch the first one, simply because I wasnt interested with the story and the casts. When the news came out that Ariel Lin, Vic Zhou, and Chen Bolin would collaborate in this movie, my inner fangirl soul screamed happily! I had put this movie in my list after Our Times since the main leads were all my favorite actors. I like Ariel Lin a lot from They Kiss Again days and shipped her even harder with Chen Bolin after watching them in In Time With You. Vic was and is still my most favorite one of F4. A few years ago he ever worked with Ariel where she starred in his MV Make A Wish. So basically this is a reunion for everyone either for Ariel and Vic or Ariel and Chen Bolin. Having three of them in one frame means total eyecandy throughout the movie. Ariel is Du Lala, a 33yo career woman with a stable job and is highly competitive. She's the opposite of her photographer boyfriend, Vic as David Wei, who views the world differently. He thinks that one should enjoy his/her life with the money they earned. Lala doesnt think that way; she works hard to earn money so she could have a better life. She started to doubt her boyfriend's seriousness when he still doesnt propose to her even after 5 years being together. There comes Chen Bolin as Stanley Chen, a manager (Im not sure about his job) from another company that everyone's has been dying for to work with. The same goes to Lala's company; they tell her to pose as a vice manager to attract him so that he want to collaborate with them. Another character is Nana from After School as Sha Dangdang, Lala's assistant manager as well as a freelance model. She ever worked with David and is interested with him. Lala feels insecure with everything; her biological clock starts ticking but her boyfriend hasnt proposed to her, a younger girl wants to woo her boyfriend, and a financially stable guy wants to woo her. I really like the story because it portrays exactly the bitter reality in our life. For 30s unmarried woman like Lala, people keeps asking when she will get married. David feels inferior to her because she has a promising career and earns more money than him; he is a newbie photographer who has just had his own studio and wants to get married when he is ready. As for Stanley, I think he is just the right man in the wrong time. He appeared in her life when she is doubting her boyfriend and with his great qualification, no wonder she wavers easily. Im quite annoyed at Lala because she keeps on giving pressure to David, yelling here and there saying he isnt serious with her. How can she waver that easy when they have been together for 5 years? Anyway their acting are so good that I can stay to finish the movie. Nana leaves only slight impression to me; her acting is still too weak compared to theirs'. The plot itself is interesting for me since this kind of story may happen in real life. Im also satisfied because finally I can see my most favorite actors all in a movie and I hope they can work together again in the future. 

Rate: 8/10

AAAAA MY FAVORITE

Official trailer:

First.

Hello it's me~ lol The first two weeks of January have been a hectic one for me. We have practical exams (OSCE) to decide when we will do the clinical rotation. I finished mine on last Wednesday and felt like I didnt do well. Whatever it is, for now I will just enjoy my holiday. Im still here till next week since we will have an inauguration night for my batch this Sunday. So happy that everything has over; having an exam when everyone has gone back home for their holiday was never a good idea. I spent my New Year's Eve with my friends and we had a little celebration or else I would just stuck in my room watching another drama. I've experienced this kind of thing twice; the first one was on my second year when we had the final exam a few days after New Year. Anyway Chinese New Year is coming really soon in less than a month. How can Im not excited?!?! Chinese New Year has always been my favorite one because we can gather with family and relatives. I miss my family so much; four years staying here doesnt mean my homesick will get any better. Luckily I can meet my brother first before he leaves but too bad he wont celebrate Chinese New Year with us this time T^T

Highlight of my 2015

It's the last day of the year. I still cant believe how time flies so fast. I have experienced many things this year; I can say this is one of the best year in my life. Tomorrow will be 2016 and of course I need to make a new resolution and try to achieve the things I have not done this year.

Highlight of the year:

1. I managed to spend Chinese New Year with my family and had vacation with my relatives since it's a long weekend (if Im not mistaken)

2. My mom came to the town again for my birthday; I cant be thankful enough for always having mom here during my birthday for 3 years straight.

3. I watched T1ST0RY in Bangkok! Im a hardcore TVXQ fan and I was sooooo happy finally one of my dreams came true. Last year I also got to watch JYJ's concert in Hongkong.

4. My first time going to Europe and travelling alone! I was afraid at first but then everything changed since I went to Prague. I travelled alone without any knowledge about the city and internet connection, only based on the map I got from the hotel I stayed.

5. A month exchange in Budapest. This should be my best month of the year! To be honest, when they announced I would be doing an exchange in Budapest, I was scared at first. I didnt even know where Budapest was since it was really far from Indonesia and whether I would be able to survive there in my own. Turned out everything was fantastic; I met friends from all around the world and learnt a lot about the habit and culture. Budapest is definitely the most beautiful city I've ever visited. God always knows what's the best for us right?

6. Song Triplets is my pill of happiness for this year. In the past few years whenever I had problems, I watched TVXQ concerts and videos or listening to their songs. This year I have moved on to Song Triplets; they are really cute that I always forget my problems when I watched their videos. I even bought their calendar after trying so hard to find it. They will be leaving the show next February; everyone is sad about it but that's the best for them. They are so mature for their age and their brotherhood is just awesome. Please grow up healthily and happily ok Daehan Minguk Manse^^

And this will be my resolution for next year:

- A slimmer and healthier me (always)

- Graduated in May 2016

- Study hard play hard

- Travelling again (my checklist would be Iceland, Japan, or America)

- Good health and happiness for my family

Thank you for everything that happened in 2015 and Im excited to see what 2016 will give me. See ya 2016!

Merry Christmas!

Hello guys it's 25 December, Merry Christmas! Im happy and sad at the same time though. Im supposed to spend the end of the year with my family in my hometown but because I have an exam in January so now Im stuck in this city where everyone is enjoying their holiday. However, Im sooooo happy because I dreamt about Song Triplets yesterday! This sounds ridiculous; I dont even know how I can dream about them. Perhaps because the latest episode of Superman had them interacting with people through volunteering and I wish I lived in Korea so that I will be able to see them. In that dream, I met them accidentally with Song appa and asked if I can take photos with the triplets and he said yes. Surprisingly he can speak fluent English and we communicate well lol I took selfies with the triplets! Yes, it was just a dream but it makes me happy! Anyway, Christmas has always been my favorite since I was a child; I love the hype! Too bad in Indonesia we dont have winter and Christmas market. That's why I really want to go abroad to celebrate Christmas. 

Merry Christmas from Song Triplets!

Movie review: 我的少女時代 (Our Times)

THIS MOVIE IS SOOOOO GOOD. I just finished watching it an hour ago and decided to make the review directly. The movie, literally translated as "My Teenage Years", is the biggest hit movie this summer. I had put this in my must-watch list when I saw the preview for the first time. Both main leads, Vivian Sung and Darren Wang, are newcomers and made their breaktrough roles through this movie. Our Times starts with adult version of Lin Zhengxin (Vivian Sung) telling the story of her life now and then reminiscing about her teenage years. She was an ordinary highschool girl having a crush on the school's most popular guy, Ou-yang Fei Fan. One day she got a letter containing a chain message saying that she would get bad luck if she didnt pass the message to 5 people. When she was confused about who she should pass the message to, she saw her crush was being cornered by school's gang leader, Xu Taiyu and decided to secretly put the letter in his bag. That day Taiyu was hit by a car and searched for the person who put the letter. Zhengxin was found to be the culprit and that was the beginning of her nightmare. Taiyu made her as his "friend" which meant his slave lol Accidentally she found out Ouyang and the school's prettiest girl, Tao Minmin, were dating secretly. She and Taiyu, who liked Minmin, decided to work together to separate both of them. As the time goes by, they started to like each other whithout realising it. Taiyu has stopped fighting and started to study again because of Zhengxin. Then one accident happened and Taiyu disappeared but this is not the end of the story. I had high expectation before I watched the movie and it's even beyond my expectation. The storyline, characters, main leads, and OSTs are just perfect. I smile, I laugh, I cry when I watched the movie. I really like the main leads' characters. Lin Zhengxin was ugly and no self confidence at first; after she befriends with Taiyu, she gains her confidence and also helps him to forget his pain and be a better person. Taiyu himself is a school's gang leader but then the story tells he wasn't like that before; a scar deep inside his heart has changed his personality. Not to mention his retro hairstyle that I like so much since not everyone suits that kind of hairstyle. Vivian and Darren are so great in portraying the characters; you know they aren't the pretty boy and girl type but rather the charismatic actors. Many people compare this movie to You Are The Apple Of My Eye because of the similar storyline. As for me who watched both of them, I would say this one is better. First, I like this storyline more. Both people are friends by accident and they helped each other to get their dream guy/girl but something happened. YATAOME has a more depressing story; he likes her and she likes him but because of misunderstanding each other, they separated. Second, the leads here are better; their chemistry is sooo good. Third, the confession part really touches me and the ending is a clean finish. As a bonus, there are also cameos of Qiao En as adult Lin Zhengxin, Jerry Yan as adult Xu Taiyu, and Andy Lau. They try to find actors with the similar features to portray the adult version. This movie is definitely worth watching! You can watch it HERE
NB: If you are curious why Lin Zhengxin is called as Truly Lin, it's because her name in Chinese is 林真心 where 真心 means "truly".

Rate: 9.5/10

 我們說沒事, 就是有事。

When we say nothing's wrong, it means something's wrong.

沒關係, 就是有關係。

When we say it's ok, it means it's not ok.

 

 

Official trailer:

The last block exam.

Happy Mother's Day to every mom in the world! Im not the type who stay close to my mom all the time but I try to say I love my mom (and my dad of course) whenever I can. People say you live everyday and die once so express your true feeling to your most loved one. Today marks the end of my academic year. I had my very last block exam this morning and the only thing left is my practical exam before I enter the clinical rotation. It's been a bittersweet journey for me in these 3.5 years studying about medicine; I have a love-hate relationship with it. Flashback to the first time I arrived in this city, feeling amazed and confused at the same time because the culture was so different with the one I had in my hometown. I cried a lot in my first semester; homesick was getting worse and worse. Slowly I started to adapt to this society, even though till now Im still not 100% comfortable living here. I dont know why; there's just something missing compare to my hometown. Im still trying to adapt till now so that I can get my truly comfort zone. It's 3 weeks more to the practical exam and Im supposed to study but the feeling is not here yet. You know the energy you have when the exam is right around the corner is always the best; you can study and exercise effectively and sufficiently lol I hope I can get a good result for my exam and proceed to the clinical rotation smoothly. Let's pray for the best. Aza aza fighting!!

Herbal Medicine (my last module) and motivation quotes.
I stick them in front of me so I can see them everytime and they motivates me more~

Juice Cleanse Day 2

So in the second day I also got 6 bottles consisted of 5 bottles of juices and 1 bottle raw almond mylk but because they made a little mistake yesterday, I got a free almond mylk so it's 7 bottles for today! Started a bit late this morning, I drank my first bottle at almost 11am and continued the second bottle at 12pm. The rest was consumed with 2 hours interval for each bottle. What I had today:

1. Detox Hero (Booster): kale, cilantro, parsley, lime, white dragon (11am)
2. Workout Buddy (Energize): carrot, honeydew, cinnamon (12pm)
3. Flat Belly (Fuel): kale, banana, strawberry, lemon (2pm)
4. Green tea raw almond mylk (Cleans) (4pm)
5. Detox Hero (Restore): kale, cilantro, parsley, lime, white dragon (6pm)
6. Red Roar (Rejuve): red and white dragon, beet, banana, lime (8pm)

Today was not as hard as yesterday; I felt fresh and energized when I woke up. I had my morning walk for around an hour and drank a lot of water. Since they delivered the juice later than yesterday and I didnt eat anything, I had presyncope this morning around 2-3x. It scared me; I thought I would faint if the juices didnt come at the right time. It was my fault that I didnt consult first with them that I had hypotension and I didnt think the side effect could be very severe. I felt good after my first bottle and continued drinking the rest without any problem. I didnt even think about food as much as I did yesterday. The Detox Hero wasnt really bad; there's no difference in the ingredients but it just tasted better than the one I had yesterday. Of course my favorite was green tea raw almond mylk. I love everything about green tea! The second day was much better and I didnt regret for joining this program. Now I know I cant really handle consuming only liquids throughout the day. I dont think I'll do the juice detox again in the future since the number of presyncope I had in these 2 days scared me. It's better to drink juice everyday to get maximum result. It's been a great experience for me and finally Im done~