Mrs Boo - 30 Lifer Crisis

Gong Yoo

I love him in “Coffee Prince Number 1 Shop”. He looks smashing and wears absolutely divine clothes. I am currently trying to transform hubby’s wardrobe to look like his in the “Coffee Prince”. Charming dimples and great chemistry with Yoon Eun Hye!

Ryu Si Won

I know he has been in the circuit for a long time and is apparently an “auntie killer” along the likes of BYJ. Nevertheless the show I had seen him in, which was “Beautiful Days” did not leave a strong impression of him. Recently I completed a series “Wedding” that had him acting opposite Jang Nara, and I fell hook, line and sinker! He is really really cute as a die hard nerdy and virginal (prior to marriage) romantic with a good dress sense! I like very much! haha. Also he has droopy eyes like hubby - so cute!

*SPOILERS*

Sigh. The end. Finito. Since I first picked up my first Harry Potter in 2000 (or was it 2001??), I have been faithfully following the series, both books and films, and am very much part of the mass hysteria each time the new books come out. And now, the Harry Potter phenonmenon finally comes to a close. I feel so close to tears!

It was a great read - the Deathly Hallows. Complicated, but JK Rowling tied up all the loose ends brilliantly. Although I must confess that I actually started re-reading the previous books to actually appreciate what Rowling had achieved over the course of the 7 books. How innocuous things, like Harry’s wand, the Invisble Cloak, Harry’s previous encounters with Voldomort, etc. all came together in the final Good vs Evil showdown.

Although there were plenty of discussions and speculations about the plot even before Rowling put down her pen, and some of those speculations turned out to be correct, epecially on the major plotlines e.g. Snape was good, and Harry was a Horcrux - it did not spoil my fun of actually reading the book. I felt very much part of the story, and it was especially touching how Rowling wrote about Harry’s fears of sacrificing himself for the greater good, it was moving, and it felt real. How Rowling chose to reveal Snape’s story was also almost matter-of-fact, but no less poignant as we read between the lines of his undying love for Lily Potter. Do we need flowery romance in this instance to be moved? Heck, no!

Many people have commented about the epilogue of the book. I guess this being ultimately a children’s book, it should have a nice round happy ending. Personally I did not like the thought of Harry ending up with Ginny - ewww - but it did offer us some sort of closure. I would have prefered Rowling ended with Harry, Hermoine and Ron at age 17, looking forward to a Voldomort-less future. Another small point of disatisfaction was how Albus Dumbledore was popping up all over the book to assist Harry even though he was dead!!! This takes away the sadness and grief one feels when a person died, since they can always come back to life!

Nevertheless it was an excellent book. I will definitely miss Harry. Bye Potter!

Rating: 4.5 boos out of 5

It has been a while since I have reviewed any k-drama, although I have watched quite a number of them. Something always came up and I just couldn’t find the time to write, and by the time I had time, I had forgotten half the story, moved on to another drama, or lost that initial fervour to give a 2-cents worth review.

Palace “Goong” or Princess Hours has been spared the above fate because both Mr Boo and I are crazy over the show’s soundtrack which is playing on a daily basis in our brand new car (Is “Perhaps Love” a great song or what??). It was also while watching this drama that I cemented my determination to learn and master the Korean language, so I have now more or less memorised the Korean alphabet and also started learning some basic words and Korean curses and insults - haha.

There is this Goong craze going on around the region. It is infectious, and I am one of the infected ones. Already our local tv is broadcasting the drama in prime time slot (just one month after I completed the series on VCD), and whenever I can, I try to catch it (again). It is currently one of the highest rated shows in my country, and currently my biz partner is also hooked on the VCDs that I have lent her. Internet boards are filled with pages and pages of endless discussions, youtube videos of anything related to the series abound. And guilty as charged, I know because I have been surfing!!

Goong’s producers hit a goldmine in translating a cult Manhwa (”comics”) series onto TV. The premise is scintillating. If you love “Jewel in the Palace”and “Full House“, you would LOOOVE Goong because it combines the elements of a traditional, historical setting with modern contractual love. For history buffs like Mr Boo and moi, it is an interesting supposition of “what ifs”, ie what if Japan did not conquer Korea and the Choseon monarchy survived till this day? How would the monarchy have evolved? How different would it be from the Japanese monarchy, or the British?

This modern monarchical setting thus allowed Goong’s producers to let their imagination (and expenses) go wild, and I would give them full marks for their glorious set designs, props and costumes. It made the viewing so much more colourful and intense. Money well-spent I would say.

Nevertheless, once you strip the story down to its very basics, well then, what we have is a VERY TYPICAL Korean drama, with a done-to-death love story, ie two young - VERY YOUNG persons (Crown Prince, Lee Shin and Commoner Princess, Shin Chae Gyung - CG in short henceforth) forced to marry even as they have their own dreams and loved ones, and after much fighting and making up, they realise that they have fallen for each other despite all obstacles, and ta-da, they live happily ever after. Of course, since the series is 24 episodes long, there is also a sub-plot involving some imperial politics of the evil ex-empress trying to regain the throne for her son, Lee Yul, who is also yearning for the love of CG, but really, at the end of the day, who cares! Give me more cute and romantic scenes of Shin and CG anyday!

Perhaps for a change, let me start with my grouses regarding this series:

1. Because our main characters are all still in high school, suffice to say, watching the show, especially their schooling antics, made me feel VERY OLD. Of course, much younger viewers will beg to differ and ask me to retire to my rocking chair instead of writing asinine reviews like this.

2. Imperial politics are lame - nothing like the detailed and conniving plotting in “Jewel”. They are more of a distraction from the main storyline rather than anything else. By the middle of the series, I am getting impatient with the “dragginess” of the show, and I have to suffer until Episode 23 before the BIG Declaration and Kissing scene (Ooo la la!). Cut the damn thing to 16 or 20 episodes, make it snappy, because I don’t want to hear the Emperor or Empress or Empress Dowager moaning incessantly about basically nothing - Is the Emperor really dying? He looks fine to me.

3. Illogical characters - Look, I am not trying to nitpick, but the swiftness in which Min Hyo Rin (Shin’s first love) morph from ambitious ballerina (”I can’t be Crown Princess, I cannot give up my lifelong dreams!”) to scheming Korean version of Camilla Parker boggles the mind. (”I cannot accept her ie CG as your wife” - duh, too late sucker.) And of course, Lee Yul suddenly decides to destroy his entire reputation by taking on the blame for his mother’s plots defy logic. But I suppose we are not suppose to care right? Right?! No logic = good show.

Now, having vented my frustrations (which is really not a lot), what I LOOOVE about Goong:

1. The two leads Shin, played by yummy newbie Joo Ji Hoon, and CG, played by cutie pie Yoon Eun Hye. Like all other successful dramas, a combustible chemistry between the key lovers is essential. Likewise here, you CANNOT help but root these two young urns in their meandering quest to true love and marriage. Ji Hoon as the cold, princely Shin is a perfect foil for the oh so cute and bubbly Eun Hye (like Rain and Song Hye Gyo in “Full House”). They are so good together in all their scenes, particularly the kissing ones!! that you cannot imagine them partnering anyone else.

Sigh, doesn’t Shin and CG make a gorgeous and cute couple? But damn, we would not see this pairing anytime soon, as they would not be appearing in Goong 2 (sob, sob, sniff, sniff). Why???? I see so much more potential material for exploration - the maturing of young love, parenthood perhaps, yada yada - tsk, tsk. Legions of Goong fans are vastly disappointed to say the least. Fame came way too fast for the 4 leads, hence they probably did not feel the need to follow up with another season to cement their status.

2. The second leads, Lee Yul, played by Kim Jeong Hoon and Hyo Rin, played by Song Ji Hyo, despite their not so great acting, are good eye candy that fit into the overall setting of the show. If you can’t really act, you better look good right? Don’t ask me why, Kim Jeong Hoon consistently remind me of a young Leslie Cheung (yep the dead, gay HK star), and he’s really quite cute, though not as cool as Ji Hoon.

3. The other minor characters, like CG’s family and high school friends are quite a funny bunch as well, providing much comedic relief even as the leads become more and more depressed as time passed.

4. Did I mention how much I love the sets? Also it tickles my funny bones to see the imperial servants decked out in modern finery but spouting classical language, and comparing that to what I see and know from other historical Korean dramas.

5. “Fish out of water” scenes - How CG tried so hard to adapt to palace life in the first few episodes was a complete hoot.

6. And did I mention I love the soundtrack?! The title track “Perhaps Love” fits the love theme to a “T”. I swoon everytime it comes on, like when Shin puts on the shoe for CG at the palace party. It puts you in the mood for love, baby!

7. Costumes - it is almost like playing Barbie Doll. CG’s “princess” clothes and shoes are to die for.

8. All the Shin and CG scenes - when they slept together in her old bedroom, frolicking at the beach, their “consummation night”, their hot and passionate kisses - right on!

For all the girls, no matter how old we eventually become, I believe, even as we become grandmothers, in our heart, we will always harbour the fantasy of being swept away by a REAL prince (of course a handsome, make that drop dead gorgeous and charming one), becoming a true princess, and live happily ever after. Goong taps into those dreams, and allows us to live vicariously through CG for 24 episodes, so that we can sigh and be happy for her and WITH her, even as reality is so very far from the fantasy.

Rating: 4.5 boos out of 5 (Alas, no matter how much I love the show, it does not speak to me as much as My Lovely Sam Soon does - generational gap! ) BUT 5 boos out of 5 for compulsive, addictive TV!

I don’t know what is it about Korea. Do they eat something that we don’t? Do they have miracle water that produces good looking men in bulk? Is it the air and they breathe a different kind of oxygen? Is it the kim chi?! Why oh why but my own countrymen (and I am talking about the finer species only - ie actors/models) don’t set my heart racing the way the Koreans do?

And the best part is, they (the Koreans of course) are all sooooo young and act so mature! (with the exception of Rain). My darling Mr Boo is coming to 33 and acts 13 sometimes - arghh (gash teeth). The Korean men, they absolutely ooze masculinity and maturity, you just want to throw yourself into their arms and be protected by them. And it helps that Korea continues to churn out sappy romance dramas that highlight all these features of their male species to make my head turn to mush and write such drivel on my blog.

In any case, Mr Jo Hyuen Jae, take a bow. Another gorgeous specimen, age 26. Leading man in drama “Only You”. Played the devoted lover/father to a hilt. The writers hit gold in creating this perfect man - steadfast, trustworthy, faithful, and blindly and passionately in love with a oft mule-headed female lead. Let’s hope we will see him more often in the future. And I would have to adjust my top 10 chart soon…..

I loved the Korean movie “Il Mare” - who cared whether it was illogical or not? Come on people, it was a fantasy romance! I thought the entire story was well told with a few loopholes, but really who was counting? It was romantic and whimsical, with a number of touching moments that had me reach for my hanky, and voila! It satisfied the die-hard romantic floozy in me.

Imagine my exhilaration when it was announced that my beloved Keanu would be starring in the Hollywood remake of “Il Mare”. How perfect could it get? Ok, and Sandra Bullock would be starring opposite him, which I don’t really care. I haven’t seen him since his last vehicle, “Constantine” (drool), and I was sooooooo excited to watch him again. Never mind that the reviews lambasted the movie, and even it they rate the show zero, I would still go to watch him. Wild horses could not drag me away.

So Mr Boo drooled through half the movie, unfortunately (or fortunately!), not over Keanu, but he fell asleep. To give him credit, we watched a late show and he had been up very early. Keanu still looked very yummy considering he has already hit the big 4-0. Admittedly he looked older than he did in Speed or Matrix, like, oh, previously he looked 25 and now he looked 30. But well, I digress. Honestly, I never understood those critics who always slammed Keanu for his wooden acting. I mean, hallo?! not that he was given a lot of opportunity to emote in more than half of his movies, which required him to look cool and devastatingly handsome (and I am soooo not complaining). But in the Lake House, I think Keanu did really well. The scene where he realised that his father loved him and broke down after his father’s death was moving. The parts when he was with Sandra Bullock and he couldn’t tell her who he was - you could see and feel his frustration and pain. Give that man an Oscar!

Oh I almost forgot - the plot: A couple who lived two years apart in the same Lake House gets somewhat connected by a time-machine mailbox and started corresponding across time and fell in love as a result. The themes are all about human connection and waiting, waiting for the right person, and waiting for the right time. The Lake House is quite faithful to its original, except for the ending, which was actually more logical and better than “Il Mare”. However, “Il Mare” has a whimisical air which the Lake House could not quite re-create. In addition, Sandra Bullock, while she is good in the show, is not Jung Ji-Hyun. Still Keanu and Sandra work up quite a good chemistry, and all in all, I like the adaptation! So go see it!

Rating: 3.5 boos out of 5! (and 10 for Keanu!)

This is starting to turn into some Korean blog isn’t it? This obsession with all, well, MOST, things Korean. I have been wanting to do this hunk rating for quite a while, but due to lack of time, and a huge dose of inertia, I have not done anything till now. My business partner, who is equally into Kimchi men, has been egging me to get on with this blog, and so here I am, giving my 1 cent worth on who are MY top 10 Korean hunks from Hally-yu.(Feel free to agree or disagree - I don’t give a crap.). And my criteria? Well, suffice to say, Top 10 Korean Hunks can also be translated to: The Men I would Most like to Sleep With or Have a Long Term Relationship/Affair with, in the fantasy world where I am: 1) Not married to Mr Boo, 2) Not faithfully committed to the concept of monogamy, 3) they are NOT married either, 4) or secretly gay, 5) and finds me an irresistable hot chick.

Let’s start from bottom up so that it is more exciting, no?

Number 10: Kwon Sang Woo (Stairway to Heaven)

Mr Kwon has a good body (and producers make him strip often - a plus point) and he acts well too - his crying scenes at the end of “Stairway to Heaven” had me bawling like a baby. He is also the “IT” man of the moment, with a lucrative contract with The Face Shop but he is at the bottom of my list. Why? Besides a pair of small eyes (indeed, the majority of them have puny eyes here, including my main man, Mr Boo), his lips are also too thin for my comfort - not at all kissable you see. His look also comes across as too arrogant and cold (more so than the other candidates here), and hence, I don’t get THAT hot under the collar for him.

Number 9: Daniel Henney (My Lovely Sam-Soon)

I don’t know if this constitutes as cheating or not, since Mr Henney is only HALF Korean. Like most blessed Eurasians, Mr Henney has the best of both worlds and looks yummy and exotic. Unfortunately I am a long way from my Pinkerton salad days. Now, mostly blueblooded Asian men turn me on, and Daniel, you are good looking but you also look WHITE. If this ranking is based on looks alone, I suppose you will move further up the table, but alas. Also, you played such a wall-flower in My Lovely Sam-Soon, so hopefully we will get to know you better in the coming days……Yes that picture below is quite artistic isn’t it??

Number 8: Park Shin Yang (Lovers in Paris)

Mr Park is one of the newer “auntie killers” (for those who do not understand the term, it means, these men send middle-aged women drooling like infantile teenagers) to emerge from Korean television recently. I was quite reluctant to watch “Lovers in Paris” for quite awhile, because he looked so NORMAL, and NERDY, and I thought, definitely not leading man material. But Mr Park grows on you. And he looks real spiffy in those suits they made him wear on the show, not too bad a body too though just a little short. He’s got dimples too!! And my Goodness, when he seranaded the lead in Lovers, I almost died swooning! By the last episode, I was a fan. Interestingly enough, my Korean girlfriend is getting married to someone who looks like Mr Park this April (you go, girl!). Unfortunately, I haven’t seen him in any other show since. And he IS MARRIED! Drat!

Number 7: Ji Jin Hee (Jewel in the Palace)

Bear with me, you younger people out there - I am fast approaching “auntie” status, and therefore there will a number of “auntie killers” in my top 10 list. Ji Jin Hee makes ancient Korean men look good enough to eat - in the 70 episode of Jewel in the Palace, Mr Ji oozes manliness at every turn. His undying love for the leading lady, his tenderness and sacrifices, makes me wish for a time machine to transport me right into his very muscular arms. The fact that he doesn’t even strip to reveal any awesome body during the course of the long running series, but sends me running for numerous cold showers, attests to his ancient attractiveness. The downside? Because he looks so good and convincing in olden days, Mr Ji does not cut it as a modern man. No moustache, no honey baby.

Unfortunately I cannot get a larger photo of him in ancient garb - if you guys find it let me know….

Number 6: Won Bin (Autumn in My Heart)

I guess this entry should perk some younger readers up after my last two “auntie killers”. He first stole my heart as the supporting lead actor in Autumn, and made me wonder why (together with millions of others), the leading lady did not fall for him instead. Since then, Won Bin has moved on to movies and I have watched some of them. He is a credible actor but the thing is, it is difficult to “bond” with the actor if he only appears in 2-hour long movies instead of 20 epsisode series, hence the relatively low ranking. But he IS cute, no two ways about it.

Number 5: So Ji-Sub (I’m Sorry, I Love You, Memories of Bali)

I just finished watching Memories of Bali (will review in time to come) last night, and hence Mr So’s face is deeply etched in my mind. Mr So is a man’s man, and he plays intense characters oh so well. You can virtually see through his internal turmoil, and you want to be the first to comfort him, and share his pain. His bedroom slitty eyes add so much sexiness and mystery to his whole look. He is tall, lean, also a consummate strip-tease artiste like Mr Kwon above. He has beautiful long fingers which you hope could tenderly caress your face, and er-hem, elsewhere….Mr So, I look forward to seeing more of you (in all ways!) soon.

Number 4: Rain (Full House, Sang-Doo Let’s Go to School!)

The epitome of the boy-man. Rain is just a plain little boy all clothed up, but rip off his clothes, and the drool starts to flow collectively. Hubba, hubba. He looks like your little brother, and then he looks like someone you want to romp - its a mess. He can act, he can sing, and he may not be the best looking of them all, but there is just that something about him - that charisma and X factor, that just makes me want to….Mother him.

Number 3: Lee Dong Gun (Little Bride, Lovers in Paris, Sang-Doo Let’s Go to School)

Big eyes are a rarity here. And Mr Lee is blessed with them - two shiny orbs. Mr Lee has proven that he can act in a lot of things, the good guy and the bad guy, and he has good comic timing too. He’s the perfect gentleman, the man you can bring home to your mother, and it helps he looks drop dead gorgeous in suits. He’s the almost perfect combination of everything you would want in a man - someone I would marry at the drop of a hat. He’s someone who would be your rock and your shelter - maybe kinda boring on occasions but hey, who’s complaining??

Number 2: Hyun Bin (My Lovely Sam-Soon)

He is soooooo hot! HOT! His dimples are to die for! With just one show he has propelled himself through the ranks to be my Number 2. And he is still so young, and yet so manly!! - and I can see there is room for growth. The attraction is pure animal, and I can’t even begin to say why I love him so much. (The practical side of me has seen some of his younger icky photos on the NET- but hey the duckling has blossomed into a swan, no?) We can roll in the hay anytime, baby, ANYTIME!

Number 1: Drumroll please….Bae Yong Jun (Winter Sonata)

Yon-sama is the man to be credited for starting me on this Korean craze. Since I fell deeply in love with him 2 or 3 years ago watching Winter Sonata, he has always been my Number 1 and has held his grip on the title despite crap movies like April Snow. The “auntie killer” of all “auntie killers”, Yon-sama’s first plus point is that he is actually older than me (so I don’t sound like a cradle snatcher all the time). He IS the PERFECT LOVER, PERFECT GENTLEMAN, PERFECT BOYFRIEND and PERFECT HUSBAND, and his universal appeal is attested by women as far flung and culturally different as in the Middle East. Bae Yong Jun reigns!

P.S If BYJ smiles at me like that as in the pic below, carrying that bunch of flowers and asking me to marry him, I’ll drop Mr Boo in a sec! This is my favourite photo of all time and encapsulates everything that he is about!

I will review this list from time to time - afterall there are always fresher meat on the market. Till then, adios!

I read a review before I watched the series. The reviewer gave it 3 stars, and I was reluctant to give it a shot, after watching so many great shows in recent weeks. Two reasons that made me gave this a shot: 1) I have about run of series to watch (those I Want to watch anyway); 2) This show featured prominently two of my favourite Korean actors - Rain and Lee Dong Gun. Some nice pics for us to salivate over our heros before I dive into the review…..

Alright people, enough, let’s wipe your drool and get on.

Synopsis: Cha Sang-Doo, played by Rain, is a single father caring for his terminally ill 7 year old daughter, Bori with his good for nothing uncle. In order to pay for Bori’s medical expenses, Sang-Doo works as a full-time gigalo, conning rich old women of their money. One day, Sang-Doo met his high school sweetheart, Chae Eun Hwan, played by an insipid Gong Hyo Jin, who is now a high school teacher and engaged to a pediatrician, Kang Min Suk, played by Lee Dong Gun. Min Suk, coincidentally, happens to Bori’s doctor in charge (well I guess he has to be, otherwise there will be no drama to tell, right?). Added to the quadruple relationship is Bori’s mother, Han Se-Ra (Hong Soo Hyun), who allegedly had a one night stand with Sang-Doo, gave birth to Bori and dumped Bori to Sang-Doo to raise, but always harboured notions of marrying Sang-Doo despite the fact that he only loves Eun Hwan.

Told in flashbacks, we came to know how close Eun Hwan and Sang-Doo were in school, and how, Sang-Doo, a popular dude from a rich family, accidentally killed a man trying to retrieve Eun-Hwan’s deceased father’s mementos and set off a chain of events which led him to be sent to a deliquent centre, kicked out of school, separated from Eun-Hwan, and his foster parents left him alone to fend for himself after his release. And therefore his current pathetic state was all thanks to Eun-Hwan!

Suffice to say, the lovebirds, after seeing each other again, realised that they still loved each other, but of course they encountered numerous obstacles in the form of fiancee, mother of his child, Bori, his criminal/gigalo life, etc. And since the problems seemed so insurmountable, what do the producers do? They conveniently killed the lovers off so that they could be together in death!

I have a problem, no, two Huge problems with this show.

First off all, the very uneven tone of the series. What started out as a comedy (from the flippant title and the VCD cover shots) when Sang-Doo and his uncle plyed their trade, and Sang-Doo making a fool out of himself trying to ingratiate himself back into Eun Hwan’s good books by enrolling into the high school she was teaching etc - the producers/writers have a sudden change of heart and suddenly everything descended into a gloomy love tragedy in the last few episodes, with a stereotypical “death is the answer” ending.

The lead actress, Gong Hyo Jin, is neither pretty nor has any semblance of spirit nor fire in her. She is over skinny, looks totally plain and has zero charisma. Her character in the show is weak and whiny. She is constantly bullied by her students and comes across as a well-meaning but totally ineffective teacher. It boggles my mind how she can have two hunks fighting over her - like harlow!?!? Is she the only woman left in South Korea?! Are you blind or what? And the fact that Sang-doo (aka Rain) has basically dumped his whole life down the drain, because she is the true love of his life, makes this series so hard to swallow down. Get Choi Ji Woo, Song Hae Gyo, someone else for goodness sake that is more worth the sacrifice!

Honestly the saving grace here is Rain’s acting. This being his debut, he is totally impressive in conveying all the moods and emotions of Sang-doo as the troubled young father, and the besotted lover. When he has to shave his daughter’s hair when she has to undergo chemotherapy, his grief is overwhelmingly real. Compared to his acting in “Full House” where he did much less, his role as Sang-doo is meaty and he carried it off well. Unfortunately, no matter how good he is, he had zero chemistry with the female lead. In fact, he has the greatest chemistry with my darling Lee Dong Gun - their fight scenes are hilarious. They should consider doing a “Brokeback Mountain”! Hehe.

Rating: 3 boos out of 5 (all credit to Rain and Lee Dong Gun! If ONLY they found a better female lead!!)

Ghostly readers who have been following my blog will know that I have an unusually large proportion of close gay mates to straight friends. After all the media hoo-ha about how wonderful Brokeback Mountain is, what a ground-breaking movie and how it reflects gay love in the most accurate light, blah, blah - well, I have got to watch it don’t I?

Strangely, despite being surrounded by smoochy icky lovey dovey gay couples, and having tried to imagine them having sex (I do have a fertile imagination, and it is quite fascinating after hearing but not seeing it) - I must confess that I felt trepidation prior to watching the movie because I was not too sure how I would react to it. Hearing and imagining two men doing “it” is one thing - but watching it happening on the big screen?! A bit cringing. Am I as liberal as I thought? Am I being disloyal to my gay friends for feeling disgusted at gay sex?!

I dragged Mr Boo to watch the movie of course, who appeared less edgy than I did (perhaps..?). So there we have it, two extremely cute men, Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar and Jake G (can’t spell his name) as Jack Twist - seemingly heterosexual with none of the limp wristed gestures associated with the pink community, humping together in the scenic mountains. The first sex scene was rather graphic, but thankfully not ponographic - I was uncomfortable but not as cringey as I thought I would have felt. Unfortunately, I could not say so for the rest of the audience - you could hear nervous male laughter (probably from the straight Asian men - Mr Boo was respectfully quiet) and titters everytime the cowboys do a cow poke or kiss passionately. Asian audience are still not as exposed to homosexuality as the West I guess, and therefore do not know how to react to this seemingly “natural” (depending on the perspective) love story.

Having gotten past the “two men having sex” hurdle, I was concentrating on the story and acting to see if it merited all the accolades that it has won since it came out. It was a bit slow-moving for me, but then again I was watching at the end of a long day at work so tiredness was a factor in marring my enjoyment of the movie. Both the male leads were excellent though - Heath Ledger in particular as the taciturn Ennis, and you could feel his physical pain of bottling up his true emotions. Credit to both men for making the love story as “natural” as it could be. The supporting female leads also gave as good as they got, despite the minimal screen-time they have.

It was a good story about pain and loss and regret, but nothing that we haven’t seen before in straight love setting. And probably because I am not gay, I felt emotionally detached from the movie. There were apparently reviewers who came out crying, but I was still dry-eyed in the end, which was quite amazing in view that I shed an abundance of tears over even crap Korean dramas.

Rating: 3.5 boos out of 5

I never thought I would find another show to match, or God forbid, Overtake, Full House’s brilliance.

I never thought I would find a Korean drama that speaks so much to the woman on the street (ie women like me), and depict a romance that is at once so grounded in realism, yet with doses of the whimisical and the ridiculous, both combining to create a story so sweet and deeply heart-breaking. In terms of storyline and stereotypes, it is so atypical of all the dramas I have seen (and boy have I seen A LOT), and yet, the show could not be more entertaining, more gripping, and totally unforgettable. I rushed through all 16 episodes in a week, and have panda eyes to show for it. Barely a day after completing the series, here I am writing a review (and I have three other dramas to review before this!).

First, a quick Synopsis:

Kim Sam-soon (played by a superb Kim Sun Ah), a plump spinster hovering at the edge of 30, and desperately wanting to get married, gets dumped by her bastard two-timing boyfriend on Christmas eve. She wails her heart out in the Gents (an unfortunate mistake), mascara running all over her face, and meets for the first time Hyun Jin Heon (played the hunky dory yummy Hyun Bin - more on him later), who is a rich (what else?), slightly immature but with a whopper of emotional baggage - owner of a French restaurant, Bon Appetit. By chance (or fate), Jin Heon has just lost his pastry chef, and Sam-soon is a talented baker having honed her skills in pastry capital, Paris. Soon, Sam-soon is working under Jin Heon, and the two cross swords on a regular basis.

Jin Heon, who hasn’t gotten over being “dumped” by his girlfriend Hee Jin (or so he thought) after a car crash 3 years ago, is on the perennial escape from match-making sessions forced onto him my his domineering mother, President (what else?) of a hotel chain. In desperation, he coerced Sam-soon to become his “girlfriend” in exchange for lending her some money and the two of them become inextricably closer, physically and emotionally. Just as their “pretend relationship” is turning real, Hee Jin (played by Jung Ryu Won) returns from the States with dishy doctor Henry Kim (played by a gorgeous Korean American Daniel Henney) following behind (the perfect and undemanding suitor). The story was that Hee Jin left for the States to seek treatment for her advanced intestinal cancer so Jin Heon and Hee Jin briefly reconciled. But Jin Heon soon realises both he and Hee Jin have changed over the last three years and that he has unwittingly fallen in love with Sam-soon, much as he would like to deny ever falling for an “old fat spinster”. After several twists and turns (including the return of the scumbag boyfriend and objections from both mothers), they finally got together - in love, dating, but not married (as Jin Heon’s mother still objects to their relationship right till the end). Hee Jin returns to the States with Henry, and although not expressedly stated, looks as though she might reciprocate his feelings for her after all.

There is a minor subplot involving Sam-soon’s liberated and divorced sister’s affair with Jin Heon’s Master Chef, which provided an interesting and realistic commentary on the mindset of the modern 21st century Korean (and possibly Asian) woman.

Ultimately, the drama is mainly about Sam-soon’s coming of age story - as she braces herself for life at 30 (very much the same reason why I started this blog in the first place!). Sam-soon finds true love, but not the marriage that she has been craving for, she starts out her own bakery business with her sister and is still struggling towards the close of the story (sounds so familiar right?!!?), she learns to accept herself - her “plumpness”, her horrid name, and continues to live her life independently and according to her own beliefs.

All in all, a very simple, straightforward story, but told to stunning effect.

Where do I start with this review? Let’s begin with what the show DOESN’T have:

1. No pretty, skinny, tragic, martyred heroine
2. No failed engagement party and/or suicidal fiancee
3. No terminal diseases (actually one, but the character was already recovered right at the start)
4. No quadruple/multiple relationships (only small triangles…)
5. No impossibly chaste and “pure” but utterly passion-less romances (be realistic - if two people are deeply, passionately in love with each other, can they only be satisfied with only a chaste kiss or two re: Winter Sonata?!)
6. No convoluted plotlines (you are my half brother or my father betrayed your father and all that nonsense)
7. No grand “happily ever after” or tragic “separated forever” crap.

So, what Does the show have?

1. A well, no superbly-sketched realistic heroine - plump (in comparison to all other anorexic female characters), old (she’s 30!), coarse and straight speaking from an ordinary (but not tragic) background, with a country bumpkin name which she absolutely hates - all in all - a common girl/spinster with a bundle of insecurities but with her own strengths as well - like many of us really!! Takes no crap and stands up well for herself!

2. The “other woman” aka Hee Jin whom we can admire. Hee Jin’s sunny disposition, her inner strength in conquering her illness, her quiet acceptance that Jin Heon is no longer in love without going into multiple hysterics, suicide threats and meaningless plotting to snatch her man back, earn many, many brownie points from me. At last, a realistic and dignified portrayal of the other woman.

3. A plot focusing on the relationship development between Sam-soon and Jin Heon. Thanks to the lack of nonsenical plot developments, the director could showcase the on-going dynamics between the two lead characters - how they met, clashed, why and how they fell in love ultimately, if grudgingly, and how they progressed after they got together, which gave us an indication how they may fare in the future after the end of the show. The audience gets totally involved and invested in their developing relationship, and it makes for addictive entertainment.

4. A slice of real life and no holds barred take on modern relationships - everyone is having pre-marital sex, not that I am condoning that, but it is great to know that both Sam-soon and Jin Heon (and Hee Jin and likely Henry for that matter) are not chaste virgins. After all that pent up emotions and frustrations, they better get on to finding an outlet for them! Maybe because TV always needs to be “family-friendly” but making a deeply in love couple exchange a chaste peck or two, or worse just “passionate embraces” just smack of falseness. In this show, Sam-soon and Jin Heon have sex - with hilarious scenes of Jin Heon trying to buy a condom (well, at least they practice safe-sex), Sam-soon’s sister having one-night stands with the chef, Hee Jin and Jin Heon also apparently getting it on before she left him 3 years ago (some vague mention of her trying pregnancy tests). The kissing scenes are utterly yummy, and totally satisfactory and to-die-for romatic to this couch potato here.

5. Accurate reflections on the mindset of single woman, be they divorced, widowed, broken up, etc. Some viewers have compared the show to Bridget Jones’ Diaries, which is also about the ups and downs faced by single women. In fact, the drama can be considered a chick-flick, since women dominated the story here, and mainly strong women to that effect - Sam-soon, her mother and sister, Hee Jin, Jin Heon’s mother and her weird secretary, Jin Heon’s restaurant manager and even his cute little niece. Even the bunch of waitresses working at Jin Heon’s restaurant, Bon Appetit, are forever chasing after the elusive perfect love and marriage, and there was a classic scene where they were discussing 10 key reasons why they cannot find the perfect and single male.

There are so many laugh-out-loud, and heart breaking moments that I will be hard pressed to identify my favourite scenes. But some of them are:

1. The opening episode when Sam-soon and Jin Heon first met each other - Sam Soon looked absolutely hideous! Even I, as part of the female fraternity, was completely put off by her! That the actress pulled it off so easily was genius.

2. When Sam-soon and Jin Heon found themselves in toilets next to each other at the restaurant, and Jin Heon ran out of toilet paper, and was at the mercy of Sam-soon’s torture. Simply hysterical! Top rate toilet humour.

3. When Sam-soon, trying to forget Jin Heon, went on a hike to one of the mountains in Cheju. Having over-estimated herself, she was swearing and cursing as she laboured her way to the top, and Jin Heon’s subsequent appearance at the peak. Funny and touching at the same time!

4. Jin Heon, in a bid to get rid of Sam-soon from his mind, tried to unsuccessfully throw away her stuffed toy pig (see pic above) that was left at his house. In a fit of complete frustration, he kicked, slapped and strangled the poor pig - Hyun Bin never looked cuter!!!!

5. Jin Heon’s love declaration for Sam-soon in the toilet where they first met (toilets played a big part in this drama!) - funny, romantic, yet very real at the same time. Don’t we all have grand visions when and where our first love declaration will take place, and it never turns out the way we wanted it to be?

6. Sam-soon and Jin Heon’s dating scenes - Sam-soon had 7 grand plans of what she wanted to do when she started dating, e.g. making out at the movies, getting Jin Heon to declare his love for her in a bus full of people, buying couple rings etc - these are absolutely priceless!

7. Jin Heon meeting Sam-soon’s mother for the first time - how Jin Heon tried to win his future “mother-in-law”’s heart which descended in a mad-cap karaoke routine. Hilarious.

8. Sam-soon’s “talks” with her dead father - the first time when she was trying to get over Jin Heon after Hee Jin’s return was heart-rending. The second time, towards the end of the show when she was happily settled with Jin Heon (actually, after they DID IT), yet tearfully confessed to her dad her fear that her current happiness will be short-lived, was touching.

9. All the kissing scenes! In particular, the first kiss in the restaurant after they spilled their guts out to each other, and the atmosphere was absolutely electric! Hubba, hubba!

The actors:

All of them did excellent in this series, in particular kudos to Kim Suh Ah. As the titular character, Kim really brought out the heart and soul of Sam-soon, and the fact that she was really the same age as Sam-soon made the character all the more believable and sympathetic. Much has been made about the fact that Kim put on 8 kg to play the role, and her willingness to “uglify” herself is admirable. Nonetheless, the comestic changes shouldn’t take anything away from Kim’s consummate acting skills. In fact, if you observe closely, Sam-soon in the show is not really “fat” - in fact in many scenes her legs are really slim, except that she is just slightly rounder around the face and arms, and the producers fit her in baggier clothes. Neither is Sam-soon ugly, except for the hideous permed hair, she is actually quite pretty. So why do we get the assumption that Sam-soon is such a loser? Besides other characters harping on it, it is Kim’s body language that conveyed the Sam-soon’s insecurities. And that simply, is excellent acting.

Hyun Bin has shot up through the ranks to one of my all time favourite Korean heartthrobs. At a tender age of 23 (why are they all so bloody young?), he portrayed a 27- year old Jin Heon very well indeed. The first impression that all Hyun Bin needed to do was to smirk, show his dimples (my gosh, those dimples!), and generally look good is false. Because of his age and privileged background, Jin Heon was still in many ways immature, and this played off well against a more mature and experienced Sam-soon. Yet Jin Heon was also tortured by the fact he had caused the death of his elder brother and sister in law in the aforementioned car crash. The way Hyun Bin portrayed how Sam-soon got under his skin and melted his cold exterior was very believable, and also his conflicted feelings towards both Hee Jin and Sam-soon. And his sweetness and devotion after he and Sam-soon got together was just ….. to die for. His wardrobe in the show was also awesome. The man is a walking fashion show. Whoever thought a man in white suit, pink shirt and white shoes would look anything but GAY? Drool, drool….Mr Boo, can you wipe off that puddle on the floor?! (By the way, my mother, who has started watching the drama, thinks that Hyun Bin is not very good-looking. Tsk, tsk!)

This is both Jung Ryu Won’s and Daniel Henney’s first drama, and both of them did well too, in particular Ryu Won who pulled off the “other woman” role very well indeed, as discussed earlier. Daniel Henney was like a male “vase” in the show, like a greek god put on display for people to drool over and admire, but have little else to do. Not much emoting required on his part - all he needed was to look “blur” (when people are conversing to him in anything but English), and tender (towards Hee Jin). He’s very cute indeed, but as Hee Jin said in the drama, he does not make my heart race like Hyun Bin.

Interesting observations:

Is it too far-fetched that stud muffin, well-to-do and younger Jin Heon would ever fall in love with a woman like Sam-soon?? Some netizens commented that the entire scenario is too fairytale-like, and such things do not happen in real life. My take on this? If My Lovely Sam-soon is fantasy, than Full House is myth!! Honestly, if these circumstances do happen (as in the story) to throw such a couple together - things CAN happen. Men, whether they are good-looking or not, when young and immature, are shallow and like only pretty young things. Some men, both the good-looking and the not, do eventually grow up and realise that looks are NOT everything (like Mr Boo - but that is another story). These men, when their feelings/emotions are engaged on all levels, can fall in love with someone society deems to be “inferior” to them, as in the case of Sam-soon and Jin Heon. I have seen handsome men with plain wives, slim men with fat wives or girlfriends, and I have also sometimes wondered why (like all shallow people). Why do they choose their current partners when they can obviously do so much better? Is he after the girl’s money or has some other ulterior motive? But THAT is the wonder of love, and this gives hope to all of us out here, who would like a prince to rescue an ugly duckling. Sam-soon broke through Jin Heon’s cold exterior and made him laugh, Jin Heon discovered Sam-soon’s strengths and found her “motherliness” comforting - all in all, a good recipe for LURRRVE, baby.

Rating: 5 out of 5 boos (I would give it 6 out of 5 boos if I could!! Standing Ovation! Encore!)

I always wanted to read a John Connolly book, ever since I read a back blurb of his latest book Black Angel, at a local bookstore.

So eons later, I managed to get my hands on one of his Charlie Parker series, Dark Hollow. Which is about a series of seemingly unconnected deaths and murders that slowly tie together to form a dark coherent picture.

Interesting characters here - Charlie Parker is the typical tortured hero, tormented by the deaths of his wife and daughter - so nothing new here, but his two sidekicks, Angel and Louis, a white retired burgular and a black assasin who are by the way a gay couple, are very interesting characters and against stereotype.

Unfortunately, the pace of the book is a little bit too slow for my liking. Connolly goes through long descriptive paragraphs about the landscape and mindset of characters, and I, being an impatient bitch, have therefore little patience for it. This is not a love story, why bother with the agony?? Ain’t I shallow? Should have some sympathy for the guy who has lost his whole family.

Nevertheless, the book is not too bad, and I will be picking up more Connolly books from now on. Maybe Charlie Parker can become my new American “John Rebus”.

Rating: 3.5 boos out of 5