Just taking a break...

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I last updated this blog. I am so sorry for not returning sooner like I planned. As I mentioned in my previous post last month, I am undergoing a training/development program in my work and I needed some time off from everything to focus. I actually feel so tired when I get home since I wake up at around 5am and get home around 8pm. I can't even watch any TV show or do some reading because all I wanted to do is eat dinner and sleep. I just want to share this with you guys so that you won't think that I'm leaving you. I promise that as soon as I get some free time, I'll get back to trying out products and making reviews. 

Thank you all for waiting for me! mwahugs*

Notice for my readers

Hello guys! I just want to inform all of you that I won't be able to post as regularly as before for the whole month of March. I have a month of training (in my work) and I usually just go home to sleep and take a bath then go to work again the following morning. I feel so exhausted that I don't even have time to do anything else. So sorry for breaking my promise of posting 3x a week this early. I hope you will all understand my situation and will be patiently waiting for my comeback on April :)

Love, 

Drama Review: Flower Boy Next Door

Happy Friday! ~

Flower Boy Next Door has just aired its last episode this week and here's what I think about the drama :)

TITLE: Flower Boy Next Door
EPISODES: 16
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
BROADCASTING NETWORK: tvN
AIRING TIME: Monday - Tuesday
BROADCAST PERIOD: January 7 - February 26
SYNOPSIS:
A romantic comedy about a girl named Go Dok Mi who locks her self in her ′tower′ from the world, is caught spying on the man living next door by Enrique Geum.
Enrique Geum is a genius creative director, who is good-looking, stylish and bohemian and can′t get enough of soccer. He will form a love line with Go Dok Mi.
Go Dok Mi is a ′city Rapunzel′ who never ventures outdoors, yet has her own set of charms that makes men go weak.

*Source: dramawiki

CAST:
Park Shin Hye as Go Dok Mi
Yoon Shi Yoon as Enrique Geum
Kim Ji Hoon - Oh Jin Rak/Oh Jae Won
Park Soo Jin as Cha Do Hwi

*for complete cast click here 


MY REVIEW:
I'll make this review short and sweet because I have already posted a "drama highlight" for it last month so go ahead and read it here. 

Anyway, my final verdict for the Flower Boy Next Door is...it's super entertaining! It definitely has a feeling of a fairytale (something like a princess that doesn't go out her castle and just looks out her window every now and then) but in a modern setting because it is at present. The storyline is kinda cliche and predictable but it is entertaining to watch so I didn't actually mind hehe. I'm a sucker for romantic comedy and I prefer watching dramas that have these kinds of flow rather than the heavy crying so I know that I'll get hooked to this one since episode 1.

Park Shin Hye is one of my favorite Korean actress and aside from her, I don't know any one in this drama hehe BUT I did get to like Yoon Shi Yoon because he really played his part very well and he matched Shin Hye perfectly with regards to acting skills. Sadly, I don't actually ship them and I didn't get a romantic vibe for them even though they have a love line in this drama but that's just because I still believe she is best paired with either Jang Geun Suk or Yonghwa. Maybe it's also because their relationship started more as a noona and a dongsaeng compared to lovers so I was unable to switch gear and see them as a couple. But regardless, I still enjoyed it and I liked how it ended with both of them living happily :)

If you want a light story and have lots of fun while watching, definitely check out this drama. 

OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5

I love everything! I just hope I was able to get a more romantic feel from the main characters. I know they can't be real couples in reality but I was hoping for something like the feeling with Lee Min Ho and Kim Hee Sun in Faith wherein you can feel their chemistry and "love" on-screen even though Hee Sun already have a husband in real life. I guess Yoon Shi Yoon still needs to develop those techniques in acting since he's still young.


Thanks for dropping by!

A quick purple FOTD =)

I just wanted to share my makeup look yesterday during the Go Association event :)

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE

- Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream #1 + Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream #2 (50-50)

- Ellana Sheer Velvet in White Chocolate

- The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in 02 Rose

EYES

- LA Girl HD Concealer in Creamy Beige

- MakeUp Forever Star Powder in 927 (all over lid)

- The Body Shop Eyebrow Powder (both for eyebrows and light brown for crease)

- Tony Moly Backstage gel liner in Black 01

- Yves Rocher Mascara in Black

LIPS 

- Watsons tinted lipbalm in Cherry

- Lancome lipstick in 284 

*If you're interested to read my review on the individual products I've used in this FOTD, I included some links on those that I have reviewed already so just click away :)

Disclaimer: As you might have noticed, even though I am now going for cruelty free products, I am still using my previously bought makeup from brands that do test on animals (like Lancome and Etude House). It would be a waste of money if I throw them away or don't use them so I am trying my best to use them all up lately so I can clear my makeup collection sooner. However, I did stop purchasing from these brands last year and will continue to stay away from brands that do animal testing.

Gale Reads: The Indigo Spell [Bloodlines 3] by Richelle Mead

Happy Monday everyone! It's EDSA Day today so I hope no one will get stuck in traffic due to the different events that's gonna happen the whole day :)

I just finished reading the 3rd installment of Richelle Mead's Bloodline Series: The Indigo Spell. I really really love Mead's YA books and I am looking forward to trying her romance books yet because they will probably have darker stories. Anyway, back to Bloodlines, I have been waiting for the release of this book since last year and I am happy to learn that book 4 will be out on November 2013! Yay! No more waiting for a year for the next one hehe :)

COVER TALK:
I am not that fond of the cover. No offense meant but I hope they just made the cover a lot more mysterious like the Shadow Falls Series or just use a logo like the Hunger Games instead of putting models coz in my imagination, Sydney and Adrian looks different than these models :(

I love the colors and tone though :)

NOTE: First off, I can't believe I haven't reviewed the first 2 books yet in this series. I'm sorry for the lapse, I will rectify that soon. I am planning on re-reading the 3 books continuously once I have time so I can give a more in-depth review. It's been a long time since I've read the first 2 books so I actually forgot the details so, yeah. Please wait for a followup :)


MY REVIEW:


I am so glad I am not disappointed with this installment. Adrian is back as him with all his quirky wits and his all-out-for-love character. And it is very nice to know that he is trying his best to improve his status and personality. I also enjoyed the change in Sydney because she is becoming more and more intriguing and you get this urge to read more so you can see her progression from being a cold and perfectionist Alchemist to a more normal girl that thinks about feelings first before following the rules blindly. The twist and turns in the story is also well done and I enjoyed being surprised by these events when the time came that they were revealed.
I can't say much about this book since this is a series and the story flows from one book until the next one so I can only judge the way it was written and I am satisfied with it. Although there are some parts that Richelle Mead mixed up the character's name but I didn't mind since it only happened around twice? Oh and I sometimes can get lost in my own thought while reading coz there are some scenes that are dragging and repetitive in my opinion. I'm just glad the author were able to rectify it in the latter part of the book and everything went back to being a page turner.


OVER-ALL RATING: 4/5

 This installment opened so many possibilities for the future and I can't wait to read more. Mead made sure that you are left with a clean cliff hanger that closed the current issue but opened it for the next one. I'm guessing this series will be 6 books as well like with Vampire Academy so I still have 3 more (hopefully).

Have you read this series yet? How do you find it so far? Do share your thoughts below coz I would love to hear from you :)

Thanks for dropping by!

PETA: A Killing Machine

I can't believe I will be writing something like this about a group that I am actually following because they are advocating animal rights and going cruelty-free. PETA is a very famous organization supported by a lot of celebrities and politicians who love animals. They do fund raising and rescues and lots of promotions about animal rights so I can't get it why they would not care about their rescued animals?

Seriously, it is really so hypocritical of them to promote animal rights when they themselves kill so many healthy rescued dogs and cats that can be groomed for adoption and given new chances. They only keep all the donations that animal lovers give to the organization for their own pockets. I wonder why the US government can't do nothing about this when there are so many proofs about their cruelty. The US does have laws against animal cruelty right? I pray they can stop all these unnecessary killings soon :(


Here is an article by Nathan Wonograd wherein he highlighted the cruelty of PETA to all those rescues these past years -- http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=11862

PETA: “We do not advocate ‘right to life’ for animals”

February 6, 2013 by Nathan J. Winograd 

"In the last 11 years, PETA has killed 29,426 companion animals."

You should all go and check the full article as Mr. Winograd shared a lot of links that supported his claims against PETA.
 

Kpop Update: Nichkhun for Bench

Happy Friday everyone! 

Ben Chan Tweeted yesterday morning confirming that Nichkhun of 2PM is the newest addition in Bench's Global Trendsetter Endorsers together with Super Junior Siwon & Donghae, Lee Min Ho, Jessica Sanchez and Maroon 5 Adam Levine. I really admire Ben Chan because he knows which international endorsers to choose and when to use them. He knows that these celebrities have die-hard fans and he can earn big during contests periods hehe :)

Seriously, I can't believe it when I saw the tweet! Out of 2PM, Nichkhun is definitely my bias and I am just so happy he is the one they choose. I am already so excited to see him on their concert next week and now with this new endorsement, I know he will be having a fan meet too in the near future. I can't wait to see what kind of fan meet they will have for Nichkhun...if it's gonna be like with Siwon and Donghae or like with Lee Min Ho.  Either way, I will definitely join even if Bench products are crappy in quality. I'll probably end up buying undies this time because even if those fades after several washes, I can still wear them hehe :)

Here are the videos that Bench uploaded:

Thanks for dropping by!

Drama Review: Love Rain

Happy Thursday! 

I have watched Love Rain in 3 days and I'm so happy I did! It's really hard to stop watching the next episode even if you're so sleepy already haha :)

TITLE: Love Rain
EPISODES: 20
GENRE: Love Story, MeloDrama
BROADCAST NETWORK: KBS2
BROADCAST PERIOD: March 26 - May 29, 2012
AIRING TIME: Monday - Tuesday
SYNOPSIS:
"Love Rain" depicts a 1970's pure love and a love from the present day at the same time. It shows how the children of a previous ill-fated couple, who met in the 1970s, managed to meet and fall in love. Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee, an art student and a shy beauty, met and fell in love with each other during college in the 1970s but unfortunately their love was fated to never be. Now in the present 21st century Korea, Seo In Ha's son, Seo Joon (a liberal photographer) meets and falls in with the daughter of Kim Yoon Hee, Jung Ha Na, a cheerful and energetic girl who's personality is different from her mother's. Will their love for each other keep them together or will they have to face the same fate as their parents?

*source: drama wiki*
 
CAST:
Jang Geun Suk as Seo Joon (present) / Seo In Ha (1970s)
Im Yoona of SNSD as Jung Ha Na (present) / Kim Yoon Hee (1970s)
Jung Jin Young as Seo In Ha (present)
Lee Mi Sook as Kim Yoon Hee (present)
Yoo Hye Ri as Baek Hye Jung (present)

*For the rest of the cast, click here.

ENGLISH SUBBED VIDEOS here

MY REVIEW:

This drama actually started quite slow. It was kinda dragging in the first 4 episodes wherein they showed the love story of Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee during their college years (1970s). This part is kind of cliche in my opinion and a little boring but it kept me going still because you can really understand the intensity of their love and the why's why there are a lot of conflicts at the present.

I love how they recreated the 1970s because it was really believable. From the lighting and colors of the film, the costumes and the background. I also enjoyed the contrast of the characters as if they really lived at that era. The take on friendship and love is really something I want to commend the writer for.

Going forward, if you wanted to watch the present only, skip to Episode 5 where their children have met. I love how the director separated the past and present characters even though they were acted by the same person. The color and tone of their personality really showed the difference.

Seo In Ha's son Seo Joon is a famous photographer who is a eclectic and temperamental while Kim Yoon Hee's daughter Jung Ha Na is a gardener who is always cheerful and always smiling.They have different personalities and interests so they really clashed when they first met. Their relationship developed quite normally and I am glad that it never was a love at first sight. This is really believable because it can happen in real life.

Jang Geun Suk is really a great actor. I am a fan since You're Beautiful and I have always watched his drama ever since. Love Rain is a nice break for him because he is not a musician in this drama. He have done 3 consecutive dramas wherein he is a singer so I am quite happy to see him portray a different role. I can't wait for his next work and I hope it's with a great actress who can can kiss him with the same intensity like Park Shin Hye in their Etude House commercial years ago :)

This is the first time I have seen Yoona acting so I was quite impressed how good she was. I think she did a good job with her role and it really fit her personality. I also liked the fact that she is not a wooden statue during their kissing scenes. Jang Geun Suk kisses well and I'm happy Yoona had done a great job. She were able to show the difference on how an innocent girl reacts when kissed for the time and when they are already dating for a long time. Great job Yoona and I will definitely watch your next drama.

I really love the ending! Seriously, I hope all melodrama ends this way hehe ~

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

Although the story line is a bit cliche and it started a little slow, I really enjoyed this drama. It had a balance of fun scenes and melodramatic ones. The crying scenes are great because I understand why it is sad and the actors really did a great job of portraying the hurt they are feeling. This drama also showed the different faces of love: family, friends and romantic (both good and bad). Good job to the casts! I don't have any complaints on the acting. I love everything :)


[SPOILER ALERT]

Please stop reading if you haven't seen the drama yet and don't want to know what happened in the story and just come back once you have watched it :)

My TOP 3 scenes from the dramas are:

*In no particular order*

1.) I really love the back hug during their escapade when they learned their parents gave way so they can be together. It was very impromptu and the scene was just so romantic. You can feel the love oozing from these two hehe I guess being friends in real life made them really comfortable in acting lovey-dovey.

2.) Their first kiss in front of the fountain. That was so romantic! I guess, I just love how Jang Geun Suk exudes manliness when he did it. And that scene have no awkwardness whatsover that you usually see in K-dramas.

The yank is what did it to me, to be honest LOL :)

3.) And lastly, I really love their last scene - The kiss under the canopy of flowers before they got married. They look so good together and I love how sweet and romantic it is. I just hope they showed the actual wedding too :)

 I'll definitely have Yoona's look on my wedding. It's so gorgeous :)

Thanks for dropping by!!
 

WGM Update: KangYoon Couple

Just a quick update about my favorite couple of the show: Julien Kang and Yoon Se Ah.

I have refrained from posting about this earlier because I wanted to be really sure if the rumor is true. Allkpop.com have a high tendency of putting up articles without any basis and then retracting them another day saying they got another report. So, with that being said, I don't trust any of their articles anymore like I used to.

KangYoon Couple have just had their "wedding" last week and I am happy that instead of waiting for a year before having a "wedding celebration", they did it on their 7th month. I also liked the fact that it was a traditional Korean wedding instead of just a wedding photo shoot because it made it so unique from the other couples since Season 1. I love love the wedding ceremony and the look the couple have on their faces. 

*photo courtesy of Unity Team Sub

The reason why I love these two the moment they entered WGM is that they act naturally and just let everything flow on their own. I also knew they interact with each other (publicly) even outside of filming which is not that common. I will often see them tweet each other every now and then and it shows they really did became friends. I love them on the show because they are so natural and comfortable together that you may really believe they are newly weds. I can even see them really dating in the future.

So I am quite sad when MBC producers confirmed that these two will be leaving the show soon. They don't have any exact dates yet and the couple haven't shot their last filming day but they are leaving. UPDATE: the couple just filmed their last episode this February 20th. Yoon SeAh even posted a farewell selca of them as a thank you to their fans.

I mean, why would they leave? Everything is running smoothly and I can't imagine WGM 4 without them. I can't take Kwanghee and Sunhwa's playing any longer so the only couple that will attract me will be Jinwoon and Junhee because they are just starting and I love Jinwoon. I am guessing either SeAh or Julien will be busy in the near future so they won't have enough time to shoot WGM.

Since Season3, having a "wedding photoshoot/ceremony" signifies that  the couple is gonna leave the show soon. I hate to give that connotation but it happened in a lot of previous couple just like with KhunToria and Goguma Couples. After they had their wedding photoshoot they announced they were leaving the show because of their busy schedules.

I think it is better to have the wedding photoshoot a lot earlier like in Season 1. At least fans of WGM won't get worried anymore :(

Drama Spotlight: Flower Boy Next Door

Happy Monday everyone! 
The rush is probably making a lot of people crazy but I hope everyone of you will stay happy and safe :)

I am currently watching only 1 drama since January. A lot of the Korean dramas that came out this year are mostly mellow and I'm not a fan of tear-jerker TV Shows so I just stick with variety shows to make me laugh haha. I even skipped Yoochun and Eun Hye's drama "I Miss You" even though I'm a huge fan of both because I know it is really a heavy drama and I don't want to cry every episode.

Luckily, tvN is currently airing FLOWER BOY NEXT DOOR, a fun and light modern day Rapunzel-esque type of drama which I have been enjoying since its first episode last month.

TITLE: Flower Boy Next Door
EPISODES: 16
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
BROADCASTING NETWORK: tvN
AIRING TIME: Monday - Tuesday
BROADCAST PERIOD: January 7 - February 26
SYNOPSIS:
A romantic comedy about a girl named Go Dok Mi who locks her self in her ′tower′ from the world, is caught spying on the man living next door by Enrique Geum.

Enrique Geum is a genius creative director, who is good-looking, stylish and bohemian and can′t get enough of soccer. He will form a love line with Go Dok Mi.

Go Dok Mi is a ′city Rapunzel′ who never ventures outdoors, yet has her own set of charms that makes men go weak.

*Source: dramawiki

CAST:
Park Shin Hye as Go Dok Mi
Yoon Shi Yoon as Enrique Geum
Kim Ji Hoon - Oh Jin Rak/Oh Jae Won
Park Soo Jin as Cha Do Hwi

*for complete cast click here
 

It had already aired 12 episodes so far and I only have 4 more until this ends next week. I really am gonna miss watching this every week. So far, this is definitely a great drama. The casts are really doing a great job acting and I think they are portraying their role perfectly. Storyline is good too. I can't wait to see what will happen to Go Dok Mi, Enrique and the gang next. If you are looking for something to watch, do check this out :)

For the ENGLISH SUBBED videos, visit Drama Crazy. They sub really fast and you can watch this after only a day or two after it aired in Korea :)

Oh by the way, please suggest a good romantic comedy drama for me to watch. I am planning to see Love Rain, Secret Garden and Protect The Boss (maybe) :)


Thanks for dropping by!