January-February 2014 Hit Listers: Hallyu

Hi guys! It's been a long long while. I'm sorry for not being able to update this blog as often as I used to. I can't believe I missed two hit listers already! Anyway, to try and make up for my, well, inability to post on-time hit listers, I'll try to piece everything in with a few separate entries.

And of course I'll start with my dramas. :P

These past three months have really been interesting to me, drama-wise. The dramas I follow are usually up to my neck that I don't know how to squeeze everything in with the little free time I have. Thank God and genius people for TV-ish phones. 

I sort of strayed from my usual K-drama channels like MBC and SBS and actually started watching something from Chosun TV, which is actually a pretty good drama. It's a less known channel (apparently) but the drama I'm following is daebak.

Anyhoo, since I missed two months (and I'm hoping it won't be three) here's the two awesome dramas that really made me happy.

hallyuuk.com

 The Suspicious Housekeeper - I last watched Choi Ji Woo in Stairway to Heaven and I remember that the show was so damn dramatic that all that got stuck in my head is the crying. I didn't quite give her a chance in Can't Lose since I wasn't quite sure how'd she'd fare in the "comedy" department but seeing how she transformed in The Suspicious Housekeeper, I might just give her other shows a whirl.

The Suspicious Housekeeper is a remake of the hit Japanese show, I am Mita, Your Housekeeper. Choi Ji Woo plays the stoic Housekeeper, Bok Nyeo who does everything she's told, without much questions. I mean she does ask things, just not your usual questions. For example, and this is a spoiler so don't read anymore if you can't take it. Soo Gyul, the eldest son, asked her to blow up their neighbor's house. Her question: Where do you keep the dynamite. Pretty whacky and witty. She actually reminded me a little of Nanny McPhee. I mean that film was a little weird, but this show is a little weirder.

She has quite a backstory that would keep you glued to your seats and want to watch more episodes. The growth of acceptance and love throughout the show was just so heartwarming that I actually cried as I watched the last episode. Choi Ji Woo just does a great job of being an  expressionless yet very warm character.

Definitely not your usual drama, not that predictable, and incredibly funny. At times when Bok Nyeo's not being creepy.

ask4kimch.wordpress.com

 Bride of the Century - When it was announced that idol group FT Island's Lee Hong Ki is the male lead for a K-drama, all hell broke loose. Fangirls screamed. Including me. Kidding. But seriously though. One of the most awaited moments of fans is to see their idol as the lead of a show. I'll always remember Lee Hong Ki as Jeremy, but I think I'll remember him more now as Choi Kang Ju.

Bride of the Century is basically about a family curse that kills the first bride of the heir. What's so interesting about this show is that it feels like a smorgasbord of every cliche known to dramas -- like accidents and kidnapping and the evil parents and the makeovers and believe me, a whole lot more. The show still have 4 episodes to go and the story is progressing quite nicely. Still full of drama cliches but they're nicely woven and incorporated to the whole curse arc that they don't destroy the story.

As for the acting, I commend Lee Hong Ki. He's actually good. And I've seen bad acting, like really bad acting, so I'd know. Yang JIn-sung, who plays both Yi Kyung (the bad one) and Doo Rim (the good one), is also worth mentioning. I think I've watched her somewhere but I can't quite remember. Anyway, she is really a great actress, at least seeing her role, well roles, in BoTC. It's not easy to play a role much more two completely different roles in one show. And she does such a great job that fans are both hating her and loving her (that is, hating Yi Kyung and cheering on Doo Rim).

So that's it. Do check this dramas out if you find the time or if you find any of these two interesting. Cheerio!

Tony Moly Double Needs Mascara in Brown

Hi. This is just going to be a quick entry since I'm barely awake. ^^ One of the items in the make up loot bag my friend (Thanks Nickkybels :P) gave me is this Double Needs Mascara from Tony Moly. I was actually pretty stoked because I love brown mascaras just as much as black ones. They work perfectly with soft smokey eyes.

Pros:
1. Multi-purpose! I actually have no clue as to its "double needs" capability but I'm taking a guess that it means it can be used for like, two things? :P You can use this as a brow mascara, a typical mascara, and even an eyeliner.

2. Although it has quite some metallic sheen to it, it actually works well for the brows. My mom has pretty non-existent, light-colored brows and this looks natural on her.

3. Long lasting. I wear this as an eyeliner (just grab that eyeliner brush and go for it) and it stays on the whole day.

4. The mascara wand separates the eyelashes well.

Cons (Well, con?):
It lasts long but it's not waterproof.

I can't vouch for the affordability of this mascara but I think Tony Moly's mascaras range from 350 to about 400+, so I'm guessing this mascara is also along that price range.

This is a pretty neat mascara to try if you would want to soften your look. The pigmentation is not that strong and the color is not that dark so it works well.

Have you tried any of Tony Moly's mascaras? Lemme know. Cheerio!
 

Certified Movie Buff: The Cat

Hey guys! It's been a while since I posted a movie review.It's been really busy that I usually just plop right onto my bed the minute I get home. :p But I have squeezed in taking a few new pictures of some of the products that I haven't reviewed yet over the weekend so, I hope, fingers crossed and everything, that I'd get a day off and do a review.

Anyhoo. You remember that time when I really got into watching all those subtitled films? Well, this was also one of those films that I gave a whirl. I actually just picked it up because I saw Park Min-young on the CD cover *fangirling*. :P

en.wikipedia.org

The Cat tells the story of the reclusive So Yeon, a pet groomer who became entangled with the twisted story of the creepy creepy creepy cat, Bidanyi, whose owner suddenly ended up dead inside an elevator. (See? This is why I hate elevators with those creepy blinking freaky lights, which we have by the way...you know, where I work). When she ended up having to "cat-sit" Bidanyi, the claustrophobic So Yeon starts seeing weird ghostly stuff and the little girl with the cat-like eyes. Together with a rookie cop, So Yeon starts to dig around about the story of the girl and the scary dead-ish cats (aside from Bidanyi) following her around--before, of course, everyone around her turns up dead.

Okaaay. That was way creepier than I expected and I hope I didn't spoil the flick for you. Do check out The Cat when you come across a copy. It's not the strongest and scariest Asian horror film that I've watched (given that I had a good night sleep after watching this) but it does give you a little fright that might make you, you know, take a step back and rewire your brain before touching kitties.

Cheerio!