Love Returns with Questions: The Liebster Award [Updated 3/28]

Thanks to Soori, BetsyHp, Belle, Janey, Dewaanifordrama, Gabby, misscupcakees, Yeonheeminoz, and Rarapop for nominating me for the Liebster Award this year! (Holy moly, that’s a lot of people.) This is one of the best memes/chain-letter-thingy-of-lurv of the blogging world because it helps you get to know some blogs you may have never found otherwise, and could even give your blog a jumpstart, like the way my very first Liebster Award from muchadoaboutlove did. However, the best part of the whole system is answering all those questions that are presented to you. That is, until you realize that you’re over your head in questions and have a post that’s 5000 words long. Good luck reading it folks!

To ease your reading experience, a playlist:

Now on to the many, many questions of this post!

What was your first drama (Korean or other Asian drama) and what made you watch it?

To be honest, I’m not actually sure. I usually say Goong, because that was the first drama that let me feel attached to the drama world. In the world of technicalities, that’s probably a lie, as my very first drama may actually be Oh! My Lady during the late “Sorry Sorry” Era Super Junior (my introduction to K-entertainment).

When you start a new drama, what are your requirements? (Eg. the plot, poster, trailer, writer, or PD and so on….)

This is going to be a terrible answer, because again, I kinda work on a whim. Maybe the answer is to look at what stops me from watching a drama rather than what compels me to.

If I were to try to plot out a trend for how I choose to watch dramas/TV shows of any kind, I think the commonality is the “question” the drama poses. I tend to fare badly if there isn’t a strong central conflict set up by episode 1–a goal of sorts for the drama. I need a mystery; be it how did he die, how did they get married, what is she going to do in the palace? A lot of dramas fail me because they don’t set up that mystery, or they divert their attention to things that don’t interest me. There is really only one drama that I pick up randomly and re-watch all the time, and that’s Liar Game. If you provide me a strong element of mystery, problem solving, and game theory, I’m in, hook, line, and sinker, provided you don’t accidentally latch onto one of my pet peeves.

What story (drama story) had an impact on your life, or if there are any?

Dramas haven’t impacted my life in anyway…except show me that it’s possible to have a smartphone when you’re dirt poor. I can now engineer stuff to work with phones. Thank you K-drama.

What is your favorite OST and why?

I love Empire of Gold‘s and The King 2 Hearts‘s OSTs in terms of K-dramas. Otherwise, I’m a huge fan of Spirited Away‘s OST, Pixar OSTs, and Harry Potter‘s OSTs. I love Cinematic Orchestra stuff too.

What are your thoughts in regards of the weak female leads?

I think the 2013 Women in Drama Awards says all, as does this post. (i.e. I have no patience for them, and frankly, nobody else should either.)

What character you find similar to yourself and why?

I don’t really see characters who I’d stop and say, “Yeah, she’s totally like me,” while watching. There are characters who kind of think the way I do, or embody a persona that I sort of “aspire” to become or admire. Empire of Gold‘s Choi Seo-yoon the 100% that kind of character. I feel like she could be the ultimate version of myself; introspective, hardworking, family oriented, driven, calm, collected, and ambitious. (Let’s just ignore her obvious flaws for now…)

Do you have any actresses/actors you used to dislike but ended up changing your opinion about her/him/them after watching a (certain) drama?

Lee Yeon-hee definitely. She has so much fire and depth in Miss Korea that I could have never imagined she could have. I think the same goes to Kim Tae-hee in Jang Ok-Jung.

Which variety show is your guilty pleasure?

The Genius Game. It’s the variety show version of Liar Game minus all the stakes. While I’m not always reaching for the next ep, I think it’s fun to watch whenever I happen to find subs.

Which singer/s made you cry?

I don’t think I’ve cried because of a singer’s voice or song, but there are plenty of people who have moved me with their singing in one form or another. Younha and Yoon-Ah (Jaurim) always find the right melodies that resonate with me, DB5K puts so much passion into their a cappella and performance that its easy to look past flaws, and there are several Carnatic music artists that floor me every time they open their mouth.

What would be your ideal drama story?

This I’ll save for its own post. Although, I don’t think I really have an ideal drama that’s not a broad genre.

If you had one k-drama to use to convert some young innocent into a fellow k-drama fan, what drama would that be? (Or TW-drama or J-drama, if you’d prefer…)

It depends on the audience, because there are (very loosely) three kinds of drama watchers, and they can, at any point in time, switch between these needs. First are those who search for the crack drama that tugs the heart strings, has relatable characters, and appreciate a good story that simply whisks you away. Second are those who love a fluffy story that has a lovable couple and everything revolves around them. The third group, rather rare group, is one that wants a gripping story that’s smartly written, acted, and understands itself as a piece of literature designed to say something about people. Dramas can certainly have their foot in multiple categories, or fit only half way, but I think assessing about what people may want out of K-drama is an important thing to ponder when giving suggestions. Essentially, there’s no catch-all drama that will be the magic key to K-Drama obsessions. And if anyone’s like me, then you’re as much attracted by curiosity as you are truly “loving” the product you’re consuming.

Nonetheless I’ll contradict myself and say that out of the dramas I’ve personally watched (I’ve actually recommended dramas I haven’t watched before), I would pick The King 2 Hearts, assuming I only had one drama at my disposal for all of these groups. I think it would have the widest appeal? Maybe?

What drama trope would you most like to experience?

The genius trope. Who wouldn’t want to be a genius barista? Or tailor? Or doctor? Or card castle builder?… (Right, the last one doesn’t exist. Yet.)

If you could hang out for a whole day with a drama character, what drama character would you choose?

Gosh, this is so hard because it’s not so much meeting the drama character you love, but meeting the one with the coolest day to day life, or maybe someone who you desperately want to ask questions to. With that thought process in mind, I think I’d meet Jang Tae-joo were he still alive at this point. I have a lot of questions to ask him; many, many questions.

What advice would you give to a brand new blogger?

The key to being an objectively successful blogger is to consistently put out high quality product, make connections with other bloggers, and focus on creating content that people will seek at the moment you write it (which cannot be found elsewhere).

And honestly, I do none of this besides trying to always create a high quality product. Enjoy yourself, and love to write; those are the most important things in blogging. I’ve been struggling with that recently, because as of right now, I hate writing, and the pressure to put out product hurts a lot. Sometimes I think that I’m taking a long time because I’m producing something of higher quality, but the more I think about it, It’s not the case. Don’t end up like me, where you loathe putting your fingers to the keyboard because you have to. Do it because you want to and find peace doing it.

Your blog is your mind palace–use accordingly.

Ocean, lake, or river?

Ocean. No brainer. They are vast and mysterious, and hold some of the most interesting biological life.

1. If you could travel back in time, what would you like to change?

I think there are many things I would like to change about myself and my past, and it would probably take an eternity to write down them all. As to whether should actually change those things, I probably wouldn’t. I’m not going to go and say that “things happen for a reason, and fate drives you,” but I am going to say that whatever happens to you, you’ll have a chance to reassess and improve yourself. I don’t think I want to remove those learning moments from my life.

2. Do you have any plans to learn the Korean language? If you have already done so, do you have any tips on how to improve your Korean language ability?

Not at the moment, no. Despite spending many hours with the Korean language, my skills are embarrassingly bad. Indians are supposed to have an ability to “pick up languages” on the fly, but for some reason, I didn’t inherit that ability.

3. Which actor/actress/singer would you like to meet in this lifetime?

Actor: Lee Bum-soo. Why? Because I need to find out how he’s able to magically improve people’s acting skills.

Actress: Kim Tae-hee. It’s not so much that I like her, it’s that I can’t tell who she is at all. She has a clear “celebrity persona” that I’d like to see beyond.

Singer: Younha. Just because I love her.

How did you get into blogging about drama?

Started writing for SB, had an empty blog sitting around for two years, and voila! this site was born as a place to practice blogging and rant about all my Asian Ent interests. And there are a lot, though I am struggling to keep up. Now that I’ve left a most of K-pop behind, including SB, this is my little home I can come back to whenever I please and follows whatever interests me in the moment.

What is your all-time favourite drama troupe that you can watch over and over again?

Wait for it…

The chaebol lead trope, if you can consider it a trope. A good chaebol story either gets you a free pass to every drama trope ever (all set in gorgeous locales), or you end up with a really fascinating story. It’s a win-win however you think about it.

Who is your favourite OTP and why? (I asked this during my previous Liebster Award post but it doesn’t hurt to ask it again).

Do you want the sunken ship or an actual drama OTP? Whatever it is, I’ll give the best answer I can.

Actual OTPs:
I don’t usually feel very strongly towards OTPs while watching a drama, though there are couples that have stood out to me because of their relationship dynamics more so than “chemistry.”

My favorite fluff OTP is I Need Romance‘s Hyun-joo and Duk-soo, because they’re not only the most adorable duo ever, they have a fascinating dynamic and power structure rarely seen in dramas; he’s her housekeeper-esque person. She holds the socio-economic power, and that gets played out pretty well despite being just “side” characters. (Which is also why I loved the original INR)

My favorite classic OTP is Tae-sub and Kyung-soo from Life is Beautiful, because there is so much understanding in their relationship that you rarely see in dramas. You follow them through the most mundane, the most heartwrenching, and the most touching moments of their societally damned relationship, and it’s beautiful to watch.

Finally, History of the Salaryman (I’m currently on episode 5) has already given me the pleasure of meeting two very unique ships; Totally-wrong-but-I-Still-Ship OTP and Most Satisfying OTP. Guess which one is which.

Sunken Ship:
My beloved Seo-yoon and Tae-joo, the two that got married for 9 freaking years and still managed to sink, quite literally. What is this madness, show? I thought all contract marriages work out perfectly!

Jokes aside, reason I love them is that they are very thoughtful people and I really wanted a quiet, introspective, closed off woman to win the guy for once. More than that, it would be nice to see a couple that is in every way equally matched. Drama tends to gravitate towards building artificial barriers in relationships, and for Tae-joo and Seo-yoon, the only barrier was themselves, their goals, and their revenge/ambition. It would have been neat (but delusional) to see TJ fall for a girl that could match his wit, gain humility, and reach out to her so she’ll too look positively upon the world. It didn’t happen for obvious reasons, though I’m going to firmly sit in delulu land and assert that I don’t think either totally hated the other. I’d even say they had a touch of admiration for each other.

Thank you, Park Gyeong-soo for leaving me with a pile of tears. I totally appreciate it. You clearly don’t know how to write romance, but I forgive you. Because Seo-yoon exists.

Who do you have the most severe SLS (second lead syndrome) towards?

Have I has SLS yet? Don’t think so, not yet, anyway.

What is your favourite MV? Link me please!

Is no idea an answer? No? Fine then, I’ll put an MV that no one would expect:

This is THE first K-(C?)-pop MV I saw. My friends were laughing at how bad the Chinese was while simultaneously swooning over Kyuhyun. Yup, it was quite an interesting sight.

What is one drama that you regret ever having started regardless of whether you finished it or not?

I don’t ever regret dramas. They are good, or they’re bad, but I never really regret them. Mirae’s Choice was egregiously bad in the latter half, so I guess that’s the one I regret most, even if I don’t actually regret it.

Poor girl, rich guy. Write up a drama plot revolving around them.

Girl meets rich guy who is disguised as a poor person to “escape the world of the rich.” She starts to like him as a poor guy (his naïveté was evidently attractive) until she finds out that he’s rich and ends up resenting him for lacking any sense of responsibility, not to mention that he starts treating her like a pampered princess. He drags her along as though she were his girlfriend, being possessive and protective of her. As a very studious person, she wants to go to college to study, but her not-bf doesn’t want her to leave him, especially since he’s at risk of being disinherited by his parents. Guy’s father obviously doesn’t approve of his free spirit and hates middle class women.

Girl could care less, and “breaks up” with him after meeting Guy’s older brother, who is the antithesis of Guy (intelligent, dashing, and kind). She gets caught up in a romance with him, who she really does like, but they have their tensions (along with annoying father and brother) and break up despite their affections. But she doesn’t leave empty handed as by that time, Bro has helped her get through medical school. They remain very close friends and confidantes.

In the meantime, Guy is upset that Girl left him for his brother; however, he loves his brother more than anyone else in the world and lets them be, understanding that Girl loves Bro. Guy continues to be immature until he finds himself forcibly betrothed to another rich girl. Rich girl becomes BFFs with Guy, and he starts to gain some maturity. Eventually he ends up liking her. Rich girl however, is asexual, so she breaks their engagement so he wouldn’t have to be stuck with her. He says that he’a thankful for her changing his life, and that he respects her wishes. He never gets married, but adopts a son with rich girl, by “living together,” since both wanted to still raise a child despite not wanting marriage.

Girl begins working at a hospital, as an Ophthalmologist. She ends up falling in love with and marrying a cardiac surgeon with a passion for biking and shounen manga, and a kind, simple, personality. They lead a very normal life together, and have one daughter and one son. Oddly enough, said son happens to end up with Guy’s son.

Wow, that was a god awful story, but at least it’s unique?

Who are some guys that you can just stare at for days and nights without having them to even do anything?

You mean people do things like this?

Okay, so you’re asking me for K-celebs that I find have handsome features–I guess Go Soo, and 2008 DBSK are the most memorable for me. Outside of K-ent, Matt Bomer has very symmetric features…as does Tom Hiddleston. Yeah, I’m not very good at this swooning thing.

What are you currently studying/have studied etc. or what is your current job (if you are currently working)?

I’m a currently studying Biomedical Engineering. It’s kinda my quirk, or at least I thought, until half the drama/K-pop fandom turned out to be engineers too.

What are some places you want to visit (it can be fictional or not) and where in the world do you currently reside? (I know, I cheated with asking 11 questions in all but hey, rules are meant to be broken!)

1. Hogwarts
2. Veelox
3. Japan
4. Tuscany

I live in the Western Hemisphere. 😛

List your top 10 Korean dramas from 2013-Now? (Order them randomly, and it would be great if you add why for some of them.

1. Empire of Gold

2. Can We Get Married?

27. Cyrano Dating Agency

30. The Master’s Sun

2034. Mirae’s Choice

And that’s pretty much all I finished this year. It’s kinda dreadful. Why I don’t finish more (good!) dramas is a huge mystery to me. I started things like Cruel Palace, yet I haven’t finished them. If I finished End of the World, it would probably be at least #2, if not #1. It just depends on how I emotionally latch onto the drama.

If you were to live the life of any KDrama character, which character would you choose and why?

I’d really like to be the Yoo Seung-ho’s “God” character from Arang and the Magistrate. I want that goat, mess with people’s lives, and play board games all day. But that last one’s a given.

What’s the most annoying thing that you probably see or hear in every KDrama?

Ballad OSTs. They are so irritating half the time, because they make moments way too sentimental. I hate overtly sappy moments.

As a corollary to this, I don’t mind having to listen to “Almost Paaaradissse” 5 million times, just because it isn’t a ballad.

(You’re welcome.)

An adorable phrase or word a character said very frequently?

Like Ballad OSTs, this is my second pet-peeve. But if I had to choose, it would be YoonA‘s “Sorry” in The Prime Minster and I, even though she only said it once. The English accent was perfect, and it wasn’t grating and awkward like Jeon Ji-hyun‘s Song-yi’s famous “Sawwry”s.

You’re the director of Man from Another Star and Kim Soo Hyun is already taken by another drama. Which actor would you choose and why?

I’m not actually watching Man from Another Star, so I have no idea how to truly answer this. However, I’m curious as to how someone like Kim Myung-min would play the character, since he’s known to be an intense method actor. How would he prepare for an alien role??

Insert 5 funny KDrama gifs! (Copy or upload them from Tumblr.)

https://www.tumblr.com/randomkoreandramaquotes/75660867041

http://fuckyeah-kdramas.tumblr.com/post/64989773008

http://killingsmiley.tumblr.com/post/75404785101

https://www.tumblr.com/randomkoreandramaquotes/67070885895

(via Orion’s Ramblings)

What are your top 5 scenes from currently airing dramas?

No clue? (I’m sorry my answers are so terrible…)

What’s your recently favorite OST song?

What’s your idea of an ideal drama?
Tell us the story and you may do the casting.

I’m too tired for this one right now…it’s probably better off being another post. (Or not ever shown in public.)

Lee Min Ho in Faith, Lee Jong Suk in I Hear Your Voice, Kim Soo Hyun in Man from Another Star… There are a lot of super powered characters in dramaland. If you were to have only one of those super powers, which one would it be and why?

Min-Joon’s powers, definitely. Come on, he has every super power ever in one package. Who wouldn’t want his? Soo-ha has the worst power ever (ask Edward Cullen, and he’ll probably give the same answer,) and Lee Min-ho‘s character’s power is basically the power to beat people up. I’ll go with the Alien powers, kthnxbai.

1. Name and elaborate on one of the most influential figures in your life.

I don’t think I have a single prominent influential figure; I’ve met so many people who have been great role models, and they’ve all influenced me in different ways, and obviously the most influential people would be my parents, but I don’t think that’s the answer you’re looking for. Along the drama vein, there are some influential fictional characters that I think have played some role in how I perceive the world, good or bad. As for who they are, I can’t actually pinpoint specifics at the moment.

2.What are the countries that you would love to visit to if you get the chance to explore the world? Why?

I think I’ve answered this in spirit five times already, but each one is ever so slightly different that I’ll keep answering it! Besides Japan (where I’ll be buying everything cute available…haha.) I’d like to visit Cairo, because I want to visit all of their museums. As a kid, I loved learning about Egyptology (I was convinced that I’d be an Egyptologist for a while–it was around the same time I wanted to be an astronomer), so it would be amazing to see all of those things I read about in person.

3. What is your favourite book? Why?

I have a horrid time answering the “what’s your favorite book” question, obviously that’s due to the fact that there are so many books to love in the world. However, there is one book that revolutionized the reading experience for me: Harry Potter. That is the one book series that became so much more than just books; it’s movies, amusement parks, podcasts, websites, conventions, fanclubs, fanart, tumblrs, music, fanfictions, the list could really go on. Harry Potter has been the most immersive book experience I ever had, all the way to being in London the night the last book came out (Btw, I wasn’t able to go to a book release event, don’t ask…I’m still sad about it). It’s one of the biggest highlights of my youth and continues to be such a great presence in my life.

4. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Living life. Doing things worthwhile.

5. Name your favourite genre of music (it can be more than one) and elaborate a little on your favourite artists.

Rock, Alternative, and Classical music I guess. I don’t really have “favorite artists” outside of the K-music sphere, and even that is a bit wishy-washy. But you know me Belle, so I guess I didn’t even have to answer.

6. What are the traits found in your siblings that you wish you could have too?

My sister’s confidence. Absolutely. She’s wonderful.

7. What prompted you to create your blog? Briefly elaborate on it.

Started writing for SB, had an empty blog sitting around for two years, and voila! this site was born as a place to practice blogging and rant about all my Asian Ent interests. And there are a lot, though I am struggling to keep up. Now that I’ve left a most of K-pop behind, including SB, this is my little home I can come back to whenever I please and follows whatever interests me at the moment.

8. Why did you nominate the blogs that you nominate?

They’re great people, and publish interesting stuff. Why else would I nominate them? (This is when you bribe me, folks.)

9. What are the lessons that you’ve taken away from year 2013?

1.Don’t take anything for granted.

2. Family is the most important people in your life.

10. Tell us about your favourite things about blogging.

Meeting people is my favorite part. Getting to know bloggers who love writing and talking about the things that we mutually enjoy is one of the greatest experiences anyone could have. You’re all so ridiculously talented. Thank you for being so amazing!

1. What are three things you want to happen in 2014?

1. Study more
2. Get an internship
3. Blog more
Most if these can be done. I just need to put my mind to it!

2. Why do you like to blog?

I’m fulfilling my inner desire to be a writer. I also want to make my pop culture excursions worthwhile.

3. What ending of a drama would you change and how so?

PMAI‘s ending is so dumb and counterproductive. I have no idea what went into the writer’s heads. Then again, there’s a lot of things I would like to change about that drama. It’s an incredibly disappointing watch because it had the potential to be the best rom-com out there. The higher you start, the farther you crash, I suppose.

4. What do you think is the most under-rated drama that you’ve watched?

That I’ve watched? Hmm. Oddly enough, I’d say something like Oh! My Lady. The father/daughter stuff was really well done, and I don’t know of anyone else who watched it.

5. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do there?

I think I’ve answered this in spirit five times already, but each one is ever so slightly different that I’ll keep answering it! Besides Japan (where I’ll be buying everything cute available…haha.) I’d like to visit Cairo, because I want to visit all of their museums. As a kid, I loved learning about Egyptology (I was convinced that I’d be an Egyptologist for a while–it was around the same time I wanted to be an astronomer), so it would be amazing to see all of those things I read about in person.

6. What is the most listened song on your computer?

7. How often do you try and post on your blog?

In the very beginning, 3-4 times a week, then it became twice a week, then once a week, and now it’s currently at once a month. If I had my way, probably once or twice a week. College doesn’t like to let you have your way.

8. If you could pick one concert to attend, what would it be and why?

I’ve never been to a concert before (if you exclude classical music), so probably something low key like a Nell concert or just some alternative band. I like metal too, but my eardrums will blow entirely if I go to a concert.

9. What got you interested in East Asian entertainment?

Having East Asian friends, basically. They were reading Manga in Orchestra class and that’s how my interest in Japanese pop culture started! I jumped to following K-ent a year or two later, and now I’m sort of working back to where I started. If you’re asking me how I got interested in Asian entertainment as a whole, then I think I’ve been exposed to it my entire life.

10. What is your favorite drama couple?

Do you want the sunken ship or an actual drama OTP? Ok, I’ll give the best answer I can.

Actual OTPs:
I don’t usually feel very strongly towards OTPs after watching a drama, if at all. My favorite fluff OTP is INR‘s Hyun-joo and Duk-soo, because they’re not only the most adorable duo ever, they have a fascinating dynamic and power structure rarely seen in dramas; he’s her housekeeper-esque person. My favorite classic OTP is Tae-sub and Kyung-soo from Life is Beautiful, because there is so much understanding in their relationship. Finally, History of the Salaryman (I’m currently on episode 5) has already given me the pleasure of meeting two very unique ships; Totally-wrong-but-I-Still-Ship OTP and Most Satisfying OTP. Guess which one is which…

If your life will be turned into a drama/movie, who do you want to play you?

My life is totally not meant to be turned into a movie. I’d fall asleep watching myself–but if Im required to pick a K-actress to portray my bright and shining future, I’d pick Kim Hee-ae.

What’s the one movie you can watch a hundred times and never get tired of?

Finding Nemo. I’ve seen it at least twenty times, if not more. The music is absolutely incredible.

If you’re given the chance to record a duet, what song would you sing and who’d be the one singing with you?

Not a fan of duets for the most part, but I think I would pick BoA just so she can teach me how to dance.

Create a mixtape with your life as the theme. (Just list them down hehe. Also, not a question haha.)

Does that playlist at the top count?

In your opinion, which movie/drama has the best OST?

I love Empire of Gold‘s and The King 2 Hearts‘s OSTs in terms of K-dramas. Otherwise, I’m a huge fan of Spirited Away‘s OST, Pixar OSTs, and Harry Potter‘s OSTs. I love Cinematic Orchestra stuff too.

If your life is a Korean drama (or Jdrama!), why not? (Ahahaha.)

This is how I would run my non-kdrama, kdrama life.

What are your pet peeves when watching dramas?

Boring leads that fall in love yadda, yadda, problems happen, everything is fixed, the end.

The single most important thing in a drama is to make a character rounded and in doing so, give his actions consequence. Don’t let them just backtrack out of issues, be it through an obvious deus ex machina or something else.

What book/manga/comics/etc would you want to be adapted into a drama/movie?

Pendragon. I’d like to see how someone would handle the very broad universe of the story. Movies have a hard time with complicated plot lines, so I’m curious how this one could convert. Maybe a drama would be better for it?

WAIT. Can 999 and Virtue’s Last reward be a movie???? Please???

“Are monsters born or made?” – White Christmas XD

Monsters are made. Always. No one is born a monster, nor do they die as one. It’s simply a state of being.

1. How did you come up with the name for your blog?

Believe it or not, this was the name of a project that my good friend and I wanted to start involving water filtration systems (long story). We were planning for a website, and to tide us over, I made this one. The project never happened, but I kept the name and turned it into what you see today!

2. If I were to visit you in your city/country, what activity/touristy thing would you want to do? (If you want to, please include where that might be)

I technically hail from a rather boring city, so I guess we can go to someplace like Chicago, one of my favorite cities, where we can check out the Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile!

3. What is your favourite K-drama (or K-pop) trope?

Since I did the K-drama one, I’ll do K-pop. Hmm…favorite “trope”…. How about guy liner and suits?

4. What is your favourite Korean food? (Or if you haven’t eaten Korean food, just your favourite food)

I haven’t had Korean food, so I’ll say Sambar Rice, both “Sambar Rice” and “Sambar + Rice.”

Yes, there’s a difference. Ask me in the comments if you want an explanation!

5. (And I did ask this question last time) Please recommend a K-drama (or Korean film) for me to watch. You can see which dramas and films I have already watched on our ratings page (I’m the one who writes in blue).

I’m curious as to whether you’d take to something like “Sunny Happiness” even though it’s not Korean. I think you might. It gets a bit melo, but for reasons I can’t remember right now, I liked it. It’s different.

[UPDATE FEB 18, 2014]

• What came first, writing, or dramas?

• I’d hope writing, considering I need to be literate. XD

Do you have a raison d’etre behind your blog, or are you just doing it for fun?

Can “doing it for fun” be a raison d’etre? I started this blog to put my thoughts on paper as they come, so I think the spontaneity and enjoying myself go hand in hand when it comes to this place.

Favorite blog post that you’ve written?That one of your fav blogs has posted?

I don’t think I have a “favorite blog post” that I’ve personally written, (besides this one post I wrote elsewhere), but I really enjoyed the two open discussions I had on this site. They were really eye opening, and getting to talk intensively with someone about a drama and its impact is an incredible experience.

If you could have a kdrama remake of a show from any country, what would that show be? What kdrama, if any, would you like to see remade in another country?

Rather than a remake, I would love to see K-drama tackle more Sci-fi/Fantasy. The most we’ve seen of that genre is in “fusion sageuks,” but I think the K-drama format presents an amazing opportunity to make a sort of “extended movie” for a fantasy series. I would love to see it happen, albeit it’s rather unlikely.

As for the inverse, I once thought that after the atrocity of Boys Before Friends that I would stay away from the idea, but I think I’ve changed my mind. K-drama’s fundamental components don’t really suit American television culture, so I would look to showing a K-drama in India. Korean dailies are quite similar to general Indian serials, so I think they’re compatible. I’m not going to lie though, my hidden agenda is to get better writing into Indian serials. If you think K-drama can get bad, some Tamil serials can be WAY worse. Like no plot and mediocre visuals worse.

What are some of your favorite older dramas?

I admit to have watched a grand total of zero older dramas. I did start Sandglass recently, and then stopped about 30 minutes in due to crappy video quality. I also started Soulmate and then stopped since I got bored by episode three.

This stopping thing is getting out of hand.

Do you ever feel like you have the exact same thing to say about different dramas? What do you do to keep your writing fresh and engaging, if anything?

YES. All the time. I feel like I’m repeating myself constantly, a constant of myself repeating, repeating myself, myself repeating…

(LOL. I’m sorry, but I’m totally loony right now.)

As for keeping my writing fresh and engaging, all I really do is practice and get feedback every once in a while via the K-pop Workshop. Besides that, I just write? (Is this a trick question like the first one?)

Update: March 28th, 2014

I’m really sorry for taking so long to respond, but here they are!

When you’re not listening to Korean music, which genres from which countries do you like?

I usually listen to English Pop-rock and Alternative music, plus some Japanese music.

If you could create any boy-/girl/coed-group  you like , who would you choose for it and what kind of music would they produce? You can choose ANYONE.

I would make an ambient-pop (a la Younha) a cappella girl group that’s a touch gothic. It would be awesome, but it unfortunately may not work for K-pop. Eh, worth the shot.

You have to choose one K-Drama to introduce one of your friends who has never seen one to Kdrama-Land. Which one would you choose?

I’ve answered this question above verbosely above somewhere, but I think in the last month I’ve kind of changed my mind. If you asked me right now, it’d be Goong or maybe even God’s Gift: 14 Days, because they are very representative of the K-drama environment. Goong is the typical fantasy rom-com with a touch of melo, and if you like that one, you’ll probably like a lot of other traditional rom-coms. GG14D I’d recommend to people who want something that represents the evolution of K-drama (it’s not really different, but appears different). Finally, if I’m talking to someone who’s on the skeptical side who hates the K-drama rom-com culture, I’d point them to something like The Chaser, or End of the World, both of which have very tight writing.

What is your favorite OST?

Deja vú again? I think so 😉

Imagine having to listen to the same three songs for the rest of your life…which ones would you choose?

I could never really do that, because listening to three songs would lock me into those three moods forever, which would suck. I guess if I have to, Younha’s “Hope,” Nell’s “환생의 밤” and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings,” but come next year, I bet these choices will change.

What is the best non-Asian series you have ever seen?

Avatar the Last Airbender. Love that show to bits, flaws and all. I don’t know if it’s necessarily the best, but I think it made an impact on my life.

If you had to stop writing for whatever reason- how would you continue to express your thoughts: Using audio podcasts or videos?

Podcasts. I’d never put my face on the internet.

When did you start writing a blog and why?

Where are the in-post hyperlinks WordPress? *goes to search for html* (You can just scroll up. ^^)

What was the most shocking scandal in 2013 in your opinion?

Ailee‘s, because I was thrown for a loop when I realized that English K-pop media is not actually totally independent of Korean media.

What is your funniest memory of Asian/Korean Entertainment?

I don’t really know? Sorry for the non-answer.

1. What kpop group would you most like to be classmates with in real life?

Classmates??? I guess any idol who’d like Biomedical Engineering. Do you know of any?

2. Which kdrama character would you most like to be?

It might be fun being Cha Jung-woo? Being CEO of a tech company sounds like a blast; creative and nerdy at the same time.

3. Who is your absolute ultimate bias?

Younha. No doubt.

4. If you could ask any person in k-entertainment one question, who and what would you ask?

I’d ask DB5K what actually led to the split. I want all the sugar-coating to go away and the cold, hard, truth to come out. My curiosity and heart would be appeased just knowing the full story.

5. Which kpop star/korean actor that is usually regarded as super attractive do you not find attractive?

Lee Jong-suk…or basically all the popular actors these days (KWB, LMH, KSH, etc.). It’s not that they’re ugly or anything, but I can’t seem to understand the hype? I usually hate their plastic characters, so I can’t seem to warm up to them as people either.

6. Which kpop star/korean actor that’s normally not regarded as attractive do you find attractive?

Most of the ahjusshi actors? Kim Myung-min, Lee Bum-soo, etc? I wouldn’t call it “attraction,” but they are definitely good looking.

7. Which is your favorite out of these three dramas and why?: ‘Rooftop Prince’, ‘Dream High’ and ‘Secret Garden’.

I’ve only seen Secret Garden out of the three and I didn’t even watch the whole thing…. *shifts eyes awkwardly*

8. What is the country you’d most like to visit, excluding Korea?

See above…somewhere. XD

9. Who is the one person, celebrity or not, that you look up to the most?

I look up to so many people in my life that I really can’t pick just one. My peers, my friends, my mentors, my parents, my professors…I’m thankful that I’ve been able to meet so many incredible people in my life.

10. If you could take one characteristic from each member of your favorite kpop group, what would you take?

Changmin: His wit and snark.

Yunho: His patience.

Jaejoong: His ability to reach people emotionally.

Junsu: His dedication to his craft.

Yoochun: His self-contentment.

My first inclination is to just say that all of you are “nominated,” except I realized that doing that would defeat the whole purpose of having the award in the first place, which is, of course, to introduce people to new sites. So de facto, all of you are nominated, including my nominators (which is against the rules, but whatever). Apart from that, here are a couple of sites that I’d like to highlight. Some you’ll probably know of, others you might not.

• A Revolving Wheel
• Sulovesdrama
• Idle Revelry
• Breathless Survival (Btw, you were my lifesaver this summer with EoG…even though you don’t probably know that.)
• Obsessions of Line
• Musical Dialect
• Random Soju
• Orion’s Ramblings
• Aspiring Kpop Reviewer
• And I definitely left a bunch out, so here’s the infinitely long spot for all of you.

Now for my questions to you! If you don’t want to clutter your blog with un-necessary posts like this one, you can always write your responses in the comments. If that too is too much…I’m sorry….

Non K-drama Specific Questions:

1. Have you ever wanted to quit writing for your blog? What helped you revive your interest?
2. Do you have a blogger that you look up to? A blog that you wished you were the one running?
3. What’s a song (or two) that you enjoy listening to on a rainy day?
4. What is a city you dream of living in? Do you even want to live in a city?
5. Plan a five day dream vacation. You will be provided with a wormhole to take you instantly from one location to another.

K-drama Related Questions:

1. What’s the quirkiest drama you’ve watched?
2. Who is your favorite actress? actor?
3. You’re holding Im Sung-han‘s Death Note. Which character do you desperately want write off of a show?
4. You have the chance to gender-bend a character! Who would you gender-bend, and if you had the chance to be the gender-bended character, would you?
   [So there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding; this is not so much having a character who “gender-bends” a la Coffee Prince, but to hypothetically change the gender of the character (this is based on a popular meme to help female representation in comics). Would you want to see a female version of Do Min-joon, for example? Also note the character would end up in a “new” drama if need be–a sort of alternate universe]
5. Bonus Question: Cast a blogger friend in a drama you’ve watched.

Feel free to answer either or both sets!

(Images belong to respective owners.)