End of Weekly Segments

NOTICE

Just so you know, the whole weekly segments thing was just something I had wanted to try out. 

Unfortunately, I won't be able to keep up the weekly blog posts for the segments, as school will be starting soon and I will have a lot of things to adjust and work on, so I won't be posting as much in general. However, that will not stop me from continuing my blog. 

So yeah, that's just kind of what I wanted to say. I guess I'll leave the tag on the sidebar, but I will not be doing the whole structured posts thing anymore, and instead just post whatever and whenever I feel like it. 

Thank you for understanding~

Favorite Fridays: Kim Soohyun

This is linked to the last Thursday Melody, where I talked about my all-time favorite drama ever. this is actually the reason why I watched the drama in the first place. If you red my previous post, you probably know who this is~

This week's favorite is~

Kim Soohyun

Let's take a moment to admire how gorgeous he is. 

So this week's favorite is obviously a person. A very, very, very fine person. He has recently shot up my bias lists in the past few days while I was rewatching The Moon Embracing the Sun, and I am simply obsessed with both him and the story. Although Taeyang is still my ultimate bias, he is definitely my no. 1 actor bias. 

Soohyun has starred in many of my absolute favorite dramas: Dream High, The Moon Embracing the Sun, and most recently, My Love From The Stars. He is the best actor I've seen in the television business in my opinion; not just because he is good looking. I really admire his ability to put so much emotion into his acting and the way he makes the character he's playing come to life. I loved him the most as Lee Hwon. 

Kim Soohyun as Lee Hwon

Guys who play good historical characters have ability. Usually, when people make historical dramas, the King tends to be an older man. However, as King, I found Soohyun's skills highlighted through his acting. His voice, deep and rich, is so admirable and charismatic. Hwon is one of my most-loved leads in all the dramas I have watched, and I have watched countless dramas. 

Whilst watching and rewatching The Moon Embracing the Sun, I reached out countless times to his character. I felt so sorry for him and the tragedy he lives in. Even as King, he is lonely and happiness is hard to come by. He wants to stick to his principles, but is confused and running out of time. I cried for him and what happened to him so many times. Soohyun conveyed the emotions so well, it was like I was in the Joseon Era and everything was real. You could see Hwon in him, in his eyes, in his speech, in his aura. What especially touched me was his tears. Hwon was not afraid to cry, and the tears followed by the strong soundtracks hit hard and makes you cry all the more harder. I felt at a loss for him, I felt all the emotions, and I completely sympathized. The world was not easy to the King, and I admired the strength of the character to be able to hold up all these hardships and to have the ability to make somewhat clear-headed decisions. It hurt so much to watch him cry in vain; it was so heartbreaking and I feel like I spent the entirety of the drama watching through piles of tissues. 

Aside from acting ability, Soohyun is also incredibly beautiful for a man. Must I even need to explain? To all the people who are stereotypical over K-Pop and Koreans, no he did not have plastic surgery. He is one hundred percent natural and one hundred percent gorgeous. God, I've never seen a hanbok look so good on a guy before. And did I mention his equally amazing body? 

Kim Soohyun (Courtesy of Vogue Girl Korea) 

There's more...

Kim Soohyun (Courtesy of SBS's My Love From the Star) 

How am I supposed to live after seeing such an amazing human being, honestly. I cannot even begin. So in order to do some more Internet stalking and fangirling over this dude, I will end this Favorite Friday now~! Please feel free to Google "Kim Soohyun shirtless" and lok on to your heart's desire.

Seriously, Han Ga In is so lucky. TO KISS THIS GUY...ASHSFFGDKJHLGJL

Later ^^

Thursday Melodies: Lyn's "시간을 거슬러 (Back in Time)"

Recently, I have spending all of my free time rewatching my all-time favorite drama in the entire television universe. And as I was crying uncontrollably, there is this song that plays in the background that makes the crying even uglier. 

This week's song is~

Lyn's "시간을 거슬러 (Back in Time)"

This is the Original Sound Track, or OST, of the Korean drama The Moon Embracing the Sun. The drama ripped me to shreds emotionally. I was a crying mess. The actors are talented and hot (female and male. Especially the males), the storyline is gripping and emotional, and the drama has meaning to it. Morals on life, love, family, and the meaning of power. I can't express my love for this story enough; and to think this drama was based off a book! I am buying that book, regardless of my inability to read difficult Korean texts! 

Now here comes the lyrics+MV thing for the song. Listen to it, and after reading it everything GO WATCH THE DRAMA ;-; 

Lyn presents "Back in Time"

The entirety of the drama was unbelievable. I cannot watch any other dramas anymore; I'M SPOILED FOR LIFE. So this is a historical drama (which are the best) set in the Joseon Era. The storyline is quite complicated, but I will try to explain as well as I can. Basically, Lee Hwon (male lead) meets Heo Yeon Woo (female lead) as kids. Hwon is the crown prince and Yeon Woo is the daughter of a noble. When it is time to select a crown princess, Yeon Woo is selected. Happy happy right? But before they can marry, the Dowager Queen secretly orders her death in order to place Yoon Bo Gyeong (daughter of a family clan) as Crown Princess. She orders for the chief shaman, Shaman Jang to cast a death spell on her. However, before Yeon Woo had been born, her mother saved a lady named Ahri who turned out to be a shaman. In exchange for the kindness, Ahri promised to protect Yeon Woo. Before she died, Ahri had asked shaman Jang to fulfill the promise. So shaman Jang gives Yeon Woo's father a potion that will help Yeon Woo die in peace. After she dies and is hastily buried, Yeon Woo is resurrected from her grave but loses her memories. Everyone thinks she is dead, including Prince Hwon, who although gets married to Bo Gyeong, refuses to love any other woman. (Talk about dedicated, huh?) Yeon Woo then lives with shaman Jang, who becomes her spiritual mother, and becomes a shaman. 

Eight years later, Yeon Woo unexpectedly returns to the palace as a shaman named Wol (which means moon) to take care of the sick Hwon, who is now the King of Joseon. She is made into a human talisman, a bad luck absorbing shaman for the King. He still loves Yeon Woo and neglects his present Queen, and is confused by the similarities between Wol and Yeon Woo. The fates of Yeon Woo and Hwon are still intertwined, but they face many challenges in order to fully be able to accept each other's love and to be together. Hwon's half-brother, Yang-Myung, who also had fallen in love with Yeon Woo in their childhood, begins chasing after Wol despite the fact that she has no feelings but friendship for him. After seeing Wol, Hwon reopens investigation on the death of Yeon Woo. However, many people are out to overthrow him, and the case of Yeon Woo's death is much more than it seems. 

Yeah. Just a short summary c: 

There was basically one reason at first that I watched this drama. I think it's pretty obvious. I mean, I think this was the reason why many people watched this drama. Here is my one reason:

Kim Soohyun as Lee Hwon

Must I need another reason to watch this drama?? HE IS GORGEOUS and simply amazing as an actor and plays roles with emotion and did I mention that he is gorgeous? I mean... woof. Look at him in that robe. I was watching the entire drama crying half the time and the rest like "When is she going to unwrap that present from the heavens???" But literally, Viki, the site I was watching the drama on,... the commentors. God. There are scenes in the drama where there is sexual tension(ish) and so many people were going crazy and commenting "she want the d," "She's horny," "Turn that table into a bed," "God can't they make babies already," etc. etc. I was sitting there just reading comments and yelling at the screen like "C'MON. UNBUCKLE THAT BELT ALREADY YOU PEOPLE."

But Kim Soohyun. He is literally a gift from the stars. If there was one actor I could marry in the entire world, it would be him. Screw the age gap he is mad hot and I want that. Who doesn't want that?? (If you don't, there's more for me so mehrong~) And he's not the only hot guy in the drama. There's Jung Il Woo (Oh my GOD) and Song Jae Rim (PLEZZZ I SHIPPED WOONXHWON AT ONE POINT OMF) and oh my god that cast ;-; SO BEAUTIFUL. 

So back to the song. I got kind of carried away (.   .)" The people who edited this drama, I bow to you. The soundtracks were simply breathtaking, fit the drama perfectly, and were played at all the right times. I was so impressed with the songs and the instrumentals and emotion and the build-up the music had, and the effect of it on the scene was incredibly satisfying. The song made me cry harder than I was already crying and I don't even know if that is possible because I basically watched every episode with blurry eyes full of tears. Lyn is a incredible singer, and she also made the OST from My Love From the Star (another Kim Soohyun drama that I love). Her voice is really good with ballads and makes you emotional. I swear, Korean ballads are the best. Drama OSTs are mostly always super amazing, and I really appreciate the effort they put into making amazing music for television productions. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song and cannot stop listening to it. 

Last note on the drama:

Kim Soohyun and Han Ga In are gorgeous people who are gorgeous together but I still ship Hwon and Woon because they are the OTP okay they are so beautiful bromance for lyfe xD

So this is it for this week's Thursday Melody~! 

Watch The Moon Embracing the Sun on Viki here~! WATCH IT.

Tag Tuesdays: The Back To School Tag

1. What grade are you going into?

Ninth. 

2. What are you excited and/or nervous for this year?

Meeting new people is always fun. I'm also pretty excited to just be part of the school and for the curriculum; I'm most nervous about trying new things, because I promised myself that I would step out of my comfort zone and try things. 

3. What's your favorite part of getting ready for back to school?

Buying new school supplies, new clothes, and just getting into the mindset c: 

4. What grade were you in when you first started wearing makeup to school?

Um, I wore a bit of eyeliner back in seventh grade, but I don't do make-up. It didn't really make a difference on my Asian face anyway. 

5. Where or from whom do you like getting inspiration for back to school trends & styles?

I just wear what's comfortable for me to wear. I don't try to be "cute" but I definitely try to be modest and stick to classic clothes. I don't do crop tops, sorry. 

6. What are your favorite upcoming "back to school"/fall trends for this year?

I don't even know; I guess I'm excited for all the thick sweaters that come out in fall clothing lines because those are my favorite things to wear. Chunky, slightly oversized sweaters are so comfy.

7. Where do you like to go shopping for back to school supplies?

Staples~

8. What are your favorite stores to go back to school shopping?

I go to Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as Gap or J Crew, even Aritzia for my back to school clothes. I'm really into the whole classic, preppy style. Clean cuts and classic fit all the way~ I'm also a major fan of Lucky Brand <3

9. Will you be carrying a backpack or a purse to school this year? Which do you prefer?

Backpack of course! My much-loved lime green Herschel backpack is my life. I feel like purses you need to carry on one shoulder and it'll end up hurting your shoulder and spine. 

10. What are 3 non-beauty essentials you HAVE to carry in your backpack/purse?

Money, water, and phone. Obviously~

11. What are 3 beauty essentials that you HAVE to carry in you backpack/purse?

Um, a lip balm, deodorant, and a concealer stick (maybe). 

12. What are your go-to hair products for this year, and what is your go to hair style?

Um, I am a big fan of Philosophy hair care products, but recently I've been using the Bumble & Bumble Sea Salt spray and loving it~ I pretty much like my hair down. 

13. What are your go-to makeup products for this year and what is your go-to makeup look for school?

I don't wear make-up, but I would say Burt's Bees lip products and Butter London's Lippy products. I don't wear eye make-up, but for concealer I would say the Cle de Peau concealer because I've been using it solely and it's a great one on pimples. I go for the make-up less face most of the time. 

14. What are your go-to clothing items for back to school, and what accessories to you plan to rock this year?

I wear basically all t-shirts, jeans, and sweaters the entire year. Accessories? Um, I have this wish bone necklace that is a symbol of friendship among me and two of my friends, and I'm probably going to wear it the most. 

15. Who do you tag?

You c;

Sorry about not posting the rant post yesterday~ It will be posted tomorrow instead. I was busy and couldn't reach a computer. Sorry :c

Summer Holiday, K-Con Frustrations, and Picnics

This past month of July has been quite boring. However, August is going to be quite busy c: I have been having a lot of stress trying to organize August. As you can see from the title, there is one thing that I am really frustrated over.

K-Con. 

I can't goooo~ WHICH DOESN'T MAKE SENSE ;-; I will actually be in California around that time, and I had originally planned on going (I bought the most expensive tickets come on), but I found out a few weeks ago that I actually can't go. For the stupidest reasons ever. 

My brother, being the slightly-lacking student he is, has a summer tutoring program that ends on the fifth. My parents, deciding that we can't just go to Cali right after he finishes school, decides to wait a few days so that all he has learn does not become instantly washed away from the excitement of California. By a "few days" they mean nine days .-. K-Con, which is the largest annual K-Pop Convention in America (Comic Con but instead of anime and manga and video games and comics there are super hot Korean guys and girls), takes place on the ninth and tenth ;-; WHICH MEANS I WILL BE IN CALI FOUR DAYS AFTER. I WILL BE MISSING MY GD HUBBY AND BTS BABIES :c The unfairness of it allllllll. I was originally like "Oh, maybe they will stay in LA for a week before heading back to Korea!" But it turns out that G-Dragon, the artist I anticipated the most, will be in Korea for the Seoul leg of the YG Family Power Concerts. FML ;~; 

K-Con never comes to New York City, which pretty much angers me to no end. There are so many K-Pop fans on the East coast of the States, but they rarely ever come. I cri. I know it's expensive to rent out convention centers and arenas in the area, not to mention travelling, but still. The revenue would outweigh the cost .__. What did I do with my tickets to K-Con? 

I gave them away ;~; I BROKE MY OWN HEART, OKAY. WHY. 

So more about my holiday. Aside from missing K-Con, my August seems to be pretty exciting. I'll be headed for San Diego on the fourteenth, which is a just a few hours drive to Los Angeles so I might visit Hollywood while I'm there. I'll be staying for seven days before flying back to New York on the twentieth. During that period, I might not be able to write on my blog that week, which is a disappointment. But I promise that I will update once I'm back. 

August is also the month before September, which means that I have to start my preparations for hitting the books again in the following school year. I'm excited, and kind of nervous about the new school year to come, because it will also be my first year of high school. Yes, I am a freshman. Surprised that I am this young? I don't think I've ever mentioned my age, but yes I am fourteen this year and I will be starting high school. Anyways, I have to prepare for the next four years. I'm going to attend one of the most competitive schools in New York City, and I don't know how I am going to fare in the school. Sure I was valedictorian, but I don't know if I'll do well in the school; my previous school was always a comfort zone as I was there for nine years (yeah, kindergarten all the way to the end of junior high).

There's going to be a Orientation day before school officially starts, and I'm really looking forward to meeting some of my classmates and teachers before the year officially starts. It's a huge school, and I'm quite excited for my next academic venture. I don't know what the workload is like, but upperclassmen have said that it is quite the amount, so I'm actually really looking forward to taking it on; I prefer living a busy life. What's it called? Ah, workaholic xD

I have also created another blog on Wordpress that is more about my personal life. I really like the layout of it (it's so beautiful O_O) so I'm contemplating whether or not to move my blog there; I have had so much progress on this blog, and I really love The English Rambler, but the layout is just so beautiful ;-; If you want to check it out, click the link below.

Check out my new blog here~

I think I'll just try to do two blogs at once, but I don't know if I'll be able to handle it when September comes. But who knows, so I'm just going to go for it. So this is my news update! I'll see you guys on Monday ^^

Rant Mondays: G-Dragon and the "Ching Chong"

I heard about this not too long ago, and I actually saw the video of it on Facebook, and I just want to address all this. I am not okay with this behavior, and I am also very much against racism, and this just fired me up on this cursing, angry rampage which I usually am not a person to do.

Let me tell you what happened. 

It actually happened a few moths earlier, this incident. During Paris Fashion Week, G-Dragon, the leader of Big Bang, attended the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) fashion show. While he was walking in and out of the show, there was a guy slurring "Ching Chong" and "ni hao" at him.

Well. Here is where I begin ranting.

Let me just say that I do not tolerate racism whatsoever. Doesn't matter for who or for what or whatever, I just really despise it. It does not mean that I'm not racist sometimes, but I try not to. Racism just brings more labels into society and we already have enough labels going around. I hate how it's even possible for people to judge others based off skin color; just because you are one skin color doesn't mean you are inferior or superior to someone of another. And I especially hate it when people act on their racism to insult and hurt others. I mean, everybody has been racist at some point, but that does not mean you have to openly express racist thoughts onto others.

I come from a Chinese family. And being the traditional, old Chinese people that my parents and grandparents are, they are racist. They don't like blacks or Hispanics because they have strong belief in the stereotypes of those people being bad. That's very common, and I understand why they feel that way, but at the same time it is very wrong. I hate how they immediately say no when I ask them if I can go hang out with my friends and there's Hispanics or blacks in the group. But I can't do anything to change their minds, and instead I decide to be a more open person myself to not believe in those stereotypes. I know lots of great, intelligent people who are all different races! Just because they are a different race doesn't mean they are not amazing people with eye-opening ideas!

One main point about the G-Dragon incident that really pisses me off is the fact that he's not freaking CHINESE. Not all Asians are CHINESE okay?! Sure the majority of Asians are Chinese, but just immediately assuming he's Chinese and calling him "Ching Chong" is mad whack. The "ni hao" was also freaking unnecessary. Is going "Ching chong! Ni hao!" to an Asian the first thing that comes to your mind when you see an Asian person? Don't you think that maybe if they are in PARIS and attending a famous event that maybe they know how to say "Hi"? .-. Some people are just so stupid and never think before speaking.

I got really mad over the fact that people thought it was okay to just throw out racist comments towards somebody. It's completely disrespectful and shows how uneducated you are. And to add on, G-Dragon is an amazing person, and I'm pretty sure if they had actually known who he was they wouldn't have said that. It just really pissed me off. I would be cursing right now, but I do not like having cuss words staining my posts. Those people are just stupid little *insert colorful words here* who don't know how to treat others because obviously they don't understand the whole "treat others the way you want to be treated." 

So that was my small rant. Ugh. I can't even think of how to end and what to say right now; those people have really disgusted me. 

Until tomorrow. 

Favorite Fridays: "The Rickshaw Run" by JacksGap

So, I have been watching quite a lot of YouTube videos in the past week, and I have stumbled across a series of videos on YouTube that caught my attention. 

This week's favorite is~

"The Rickshaw Run" by JacksGap

JacksGap presents "The Rickshaw Run-Trailer"

If you aren't familiar with the YouTube channel, JacksGap: I will explain who and what it is. If you are familiar: *fangirl giggles* JacksGap is a channel created by Jack Harries, a British YouTuber and filmmaker(?) of sorts, where he documents parts of his life and the adventures he experiences as well as some films that he makes. His twin brother, Finn Harries, is on the channel at times, and together they've been to places like Ibiza, India, Thailand, etc. 

The Rickshaw Run was a project that the Harries brothers did with five other guys. Together, they planned to drive the width of India in small vehicles known as rickshaws to raise money for teenage cancer trust. They would spend three weeks travelling through India together, and it would be a completely new and exciting adventure for them. 

The Rickshaw Run Team consisted of 

Ben Brown

Louis Cole

**Max Cantellow

**Harry Crowder

**Will Darbyshire

Jack and Finn Harries

(The starred links are links to the members' Twitters, because they do not have YouTube channels)

Down below, I will be posting the four episodes of The Rickshaw Run. I don't feel the need to explain what happens because everything is narrated and explained by the members. It's a very wild and eye-opening documentation, and I feel like it is a great series of well made film. 

JacksGap presents "The Rickshaw Run- The Beginning"

JacksGap presents "The Rickshaw Run- Part 1"

JacksGap presents "The Rickshaw Run- Part 2" 

JacksGap presents "The Rickshaw Run- Part 3" 

JacksGap presents "The Rickshaw Run- Part 4"

I hope you enjoyed this project, I know I had a great time watching the parts, and I feel like the entire project was for a very good cause and was a invaluable experience for the members. If you want to check out more videos with the Harries twins, please click here, where you will be transported to the glorious world of two absolutely gorgeous British boys. Yeah, they are pretty gorgeous, aren't they? 

One of my favorites from their videos is one called "A Film for Ella." It is a film Jack Harries made for his girlfriend (yes, he's taken. Let's all cry together and be happy for them ^^), where he surprised her by travelling all the way to Sydney, Australia from the UK to see her on her birthday. It is extremely touching and I really wish that I had a boyfriend like that (don't we all). 

Please watch and like "A Film for Ella" here~

So I guess this is it for this week's Favorite Friday. Anticipate some news this weekend~! 

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