Relief Relief Relief! Is what I feel after last night's Walking Dead. Everyone that I care about have now been confirmed alive, yay! I always knew that they'd be alive, but apparently I'm the only one. Every member of the prison group (just about) has no faith in anyone's ability to survive outside of the prison. As if they weren't doing that for over a year before they found the prison. I can understand thinking the people they rescued from the governor's town not surviving, because they weren't strong fighters to begin with, they just sat behind the gates and let the governor handle everything for them. But Tyreese, Rick, Maggie, Darryl, and the others? They've all proved themselves to be good survivors in a world full of walkers, so why is everyone thinking that they're likely dead just because this displacement happened? People have really turned hopeless.
Rick woke from a coma in a zombie filled hospital not even knowing that the world went to hell, yet he somehow made it to find his family in another state! We already know that Darryl is a badass crossbow shooting hunter. Tyreese survived being completely engulfed in a sea of walkers, using just an ice pick. Everyone's had to survive one way or another before they found each other and before they found the prison, so I don't get why it makes sense to assume that everyone simply laid down and let the zombies eat them simply because they've been separated. These people need to get a grip, use their brains, and stop being so pessimistic! It is offending me personally when certain survivors are basically calling the rest weaklings who can't survive without the prison's protection. Yes I'm talking to you Sasha. Ain't nobody commiting suicide via zombie, they will fight to survive!
Carol is back by the way. I thought she would have stayed at one of the houses where Rick left her, but I guess I was wrong. Apparently she's been lurking in the woods spying on the prison this whole time (creeper alert) and stalked Tyreese and the kids to offer her services as babysitter. Thank goodness, because Tyreese dealing with all them kids by himself is very risky. Especially the crying baby (calling all walkers, come and get your dinner). It is the cutest site though, gigantic black man with 2 kids and a baby on board. I wonder what's gonna happen when he finds out what Carol did though?
I'm also wondering about the woman's scream that Tyreese went for though. Did I miss that the screaming lady had already been eaten by the time Tyreese got to the scene? I highly doubt that it was Carol's scream, she knows better than to be making all that noise (attracting more walkers).
But yeah, those were the highlights for me. Now we know that Maggie (and crew) is on a mini rampage to find Glenn. Glenn (and Tara) is robo-copping his way to find Maggie. Darryl is tracking whoever he can find thanks to Beth's persuasion. And Carol, Tyreese and the children are following the yellow brick road to find the wizard (aka safe zone). So it'll be interesting to see where they'll all meet and what Rick, Carl and Michonne decide to do.
Oh yeah! A new group of men that look like countryside wrestlers have appeared (out of nowhere with the quietest large vehicle ever)! Hopefully they'll be useful and not evil/psychotic.
And what was with the bus full of prison crew turned walkers? Did they all just decide to kill themselves on a bus? It doesn't seem very realistic that they'd ALL die like that (or did I miss something). At least one person should have made it out of the bus alive had a zombie outbreak occurred. They probably would have left the door/window open, so that the other walkers could have gotten out instead of being locked in there like that. Because the bus didn't seem to be crashed, therefore it was still a usable means of transportation.
Ugh, so much drama and so many questions. I still can't believe that there was no preplanned just-in-case meetup spot. That's just too ridiculous to believe that their plan was, "when the governor shows up, and we know he will, everyone just scatter!" I can't believe they wouldn't have had a better plan. I also can't believe that more people didn't go back to check on the prison. It seemed pretty salvageable to me, and now there's no governor trying to take over. But no, that's too logical I guess.
What were your thoughts on this week's The Walking Dead episode?
Stores that don't take credit cards should all be fined! Fined for not getting with the times!
I went to Aldi's (discount grocery store with mostly private brand items), mainly for yogurt but I ended up roaming around the whole store and getting a bunch of stuff that looked good. I get to the checkout line and my debit card has expired! I don't like carrying cash, so I definitely didn't have $30 on me to pay for my groceries. After standing there looking through my wallet like a fool, I had to leave without buying the stuff.
Basically I went to Aldi's just to take a brisk walk around the store, wait in line, and then leave. FML! Such a waste of time! It really seems counter productive, I held up the line for nothing (because they only had 1 cashier open) and now someone will have to put all my stuff back pronto because it was mostly refrigerated items. On top of that, you think I'm really rushing back to Aldi's to finish my purchase? Hellz no! I didn't need that stuff anyway, as I said, I went there just for yogurt (which isn't a life necessity either) and it already took me 3 weeks to even do that because I never feel like making the stop. Now, after finally making that stop and getting nothing accomplished will I wanna waste more time to go again? Hellz no! Aldi's you just lost a sale just to what? Save a few dollars on credit card fees? I'm sure that fee was less than my $30 and however many other sales you lose daily by refusing to take credit cards. Get with the times!
I think we should all ban together in order to change this policy. How about we all go to Aldi's, get a bunch of stuff, check out, say we don't have cash, and leave everything there to be put back. Surely they would recognize how many sales they're losing, in addition to the employee hours being wasted putting items back that should have left the store as sold merchandise. Let's start this movement!
So again, this isn't really a recap it's just my highlights from the episode. Entertainment Weekly's recap is here. The walking dead is back so let the awesomeness begin!
Awwww, zombie Hershel head :'-( Too sad, but I knew he couldn't keep on hobbling on forever. Michonne's zombie pet trick is genius! They should try that in instances when they are surrounded by hundreds of zombies! Maybe they could actually get past them.
Is it just me being an overly cautious ocd planner or is it the stupidest move ever that the prison crew didn't have a safe house or some type of evacuation plan? They live in a zombie world, they knew zombies were trying and getting dangerously close to breaking the prison gates open, AND they knew that the governor was on the lose and wanted to harm them. Why with all these facts known had they not planned where to go in case they had to all separate and run for their lives? "Head for the hills" seems to be a saying made for this type of circumstance! It is very disappointing to see that while everyone was lounging around reading books, farming, and watching the zombies push in the fence, they didn't even have an adequate escape plan.
I know they were on their way somewhere in that bus though right? They had to have been going somewhere. Or maybe they only thought as far as get everyone on the bus and drive until somewhere safe looking pops up. They should have had multiple meeting points where they should go in case they get separated, that way at least they could leave messages to each other if they didn't stay there. I guess we'll find out later, but hopefully they were heading somewhere so that they all know to go there. Otherwise they're just all going to be wander aimlessly until they hopefully find a friend.
Speaking of wondering aimlessly. Michonne may I ask where it is that you are going? I was so on board with her following the zombie hoard, because I still think that they be plotting and planning, so she could find out what the plan is thanks to her pet zombies who camaflouge her. It made me sad that she saw footprints yet chose not to follow them, but I just KNEW she had a plan that would be of even greater good, so she'll find Rick and Carl later. But when I realized that she was just walking and walking with the zombies just because. Like she decided to join the zombie parade, wtf?! I guess Michonne finally decided to give up on life!
Then there's Carl. I really wanted to pop Carl in the mouth a few good times. He musta done lost his mind talking to his father like that! His father is the reason why he's still alive! Why is it Rick's fault and responsibility to keep everyone alive? That type of responsibility (along with the death of his wife) is probably what drove Rick to Farmer Joe insanity in the first place!
Carl still cracks me up though. Notice how he waited until his dad is half blind, half cripple, half dead before he starts trying to cuss him out. He knew better than to try that with his dad at full strength. Smart boy! Not smart enough to recognize that being good at shooting zombies doesn't make you the all time zombie destroyer. Carl, you are old enough to know as much as an adult, but you're only half the size of an adult, so simmer down. You try to push a zombie and can barely move it an inch! Zombies are stronger than you! An old window is stronger than you! You're so cocky after shooting a few zombies that you can survive without your dad, yet you don't even know how to properly watch your surroundings when trying to be cool and walk around backwards, and you don't even know to pay attention to how many bullets are in your beloved pistol. Go sit in the corner somewhere and go think about how you failed this episode! You may have lived, and found yourself some pudding, but you FAILED!
Back to my girl Michonne. Her life story is sad, I don't even wanna know how her baby ended up dying. But I'm sorry to say that I'm glad those men (he "lover" and brother, I guess) are gone. They seemed kind of jealous of the fact that she was so good with her samurai sword. And her lover talking about why are we even trying to live, or whatever, no one needs that when you are fighting to survive. You're weak! If you wanna be weak and give up, go do that, don't try to bring her with you.
Then when she snapped out of it, that was awesome! How she took out all of her zombie posse with that sword, you go girl! Best scene of the night, check it out again on youtube called The Walking Dead 4x09 Michonne Slaughters Walker Heard by ProvidenceAgent.
I know the zombies felt betrayed, like I thought we were cool? She's so good, she easily went back and found the footprints and tracked Carl and Rick down. She was so happy and I was too! I feel complete! Every time one of them finds another I will feel more complete until all my main people (the family) are together again.
Potential deaths:
I'm a bit of a worse case scenario thinker, so there were many times when I was thinking that someone might die in this episode.
Carl checking the houses- he don't look around enough for me, I'm always waiting for something to jump out of a closet or something and get him.
Carl walking backwards- he's lucky didn't get chomped when he dumbly walked right into that zombie's arms
Carl in a zombie pile- ultimate fail, he is just too small, had there been other zombies around (how lucky for him that there weren't) that attacked him while he was down, he'd have simply been dead. He couldn't move those zombies at all! Carl imma need you to gain at least 2 feet and 30-50 pounds of muscle before you try to act cocky again, ok?
Carl sleeping on his corpselike dad- had his dad really died Carl would have been eatten in his sleep. What type of nonsense?! Why would you sleep next to a potentially dead/dying person knowing that dead people turn into zombies? Had he not learned anything from the zombie flu prison fiasco?
Rick- he seems to have all types of injuries, including internal ones and no doctor to help him out. I thought he'd die at any moment of this episode.
Rick waking from being past out- omg if Carl would have shot his dad dead that would have been the worse thing to ever ever happen!
Michonne in a parade of zombies- all I could think was, what if a nearby zombie decided to take a taste of her flesh?
Michonne finding Rick and Carl- I tend to always be scared of people with guns shooting first and asking questions later. I'd have been devastated if Carl got spooked seeing Michonne at the window or hearing her knock and decided to shoot first and see who it was afterwards. Thank goodness Rick utilized the peep hole.
What were your standout points in this episode of The Walking Dead?
I borrowed this movie from the library. I remember seeing previews of it on tv while I was in Ethiopia, but I fell asleep before it came on. So I finally got a chance to watch it.
White Noise 2: The Light staring Nathan Fillion (from Castle and Slither [I loved Slither!]) and Katee Sackoff.
I never seen White Noise although I did attempt a long time ago but got bored with it and stopped watching. From what I remember about the 1st White Noise is that it was about seeing ghosts and hearing them speak within white noises of electronic signals (or something). Please correct me if I am wrong. I am also told that a man finds out that a ghost is living within electronic signals and is trying to kill people for some reason. This movie does not have that exact premise but it seems to have a similar type of plotline.
I won't give any spoilers away but here is what I can say about this movie. White Noise 2 is similar to part 1 in that there are ghosts, but it has a Final Destination type of story line. Final Destinations are some of my favorite movies (the 1st and last are my top favs). I wouldn't call this a scary movie, it's more like a thriller. A man goes through a near death experience, and when he comes back to life he can see a type of aura, or white light, around certain people. He then starts using his power to save people's lives but soon finds out that maybe that is not such a good idea.
White Noise 2 wasn't a horrible movie and I was interested to see where it would go. It was slow at times in the middle though, but I would give it 5.5 out of 10 imdb stars. That is good given that this is a made for DVD movie. It makes me want to go back and watch the 1st White Noise movie, in order to see how they compare.
If you are looking for something to do and see this movie on demand or netflix etc., it is not a complete waste of time, so check it out.
Remember my story about the bee attack on the bus? Well another attack on the bus occurred. Luckily it wasn't on me, but it was near me. I'm minding my business, changing the song on my phone, I look up and gasp at what I see before my eyes. A girl sitting in front of me had a quarter sized white spider crawling around on her black knitted hat!!! With bugs I don't play, so my first instinct is to find something and kill it. But then I realize I can't because its on a random girl's head and a sudden whack would likely be offensive. On top of that, her hat was knit with chunky yarn, so the spider probably wouldn't of died because it's against a soft surface, and it could fall through a hole in the hat and end up in her hair!
So then I thought, I should let her know that there is a spider on her hat. I played out the scenario in my head: Me from behind her will tap her shoulder, "Excuse me, not to alarm you, but there's a rather large white spider crawling on your hat." She would immediatly scream, start whacking at her hat, pull the hat off and fling it somewhere. Meanwhile, me sitting right behind her would end up having the spider get flung on me. Then all hell would break loose as I scream bloody murder and climb over the people around me who are blocking me in against the window (again) while slapping myself trying to get the spider off of me. Which would then cause a small bus stampede as the other people on the bus tried to avoid me while I ran around a crowded bus until I felt that there was no more spider on me. Successfully causing the nuttiest scene that there ever was, on the bus.
Nope, telling her about the spider on her hat would not be a good idea.
The safest option was to keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself, and hopefully once she got off the bus, someone would help her out. So I sat there, with that spider too close to my face for comfort, trying not to gasp every time the girl moved her head (and the spider) closer to me. Then I started getting paranoid about spiders possibly crawling on the chunky knit hat that I was also wearing, and had to resist the urge to snatch my hat off and start shaking it out, to make sure. While sandwiched between the window and a guy next to me, with my book bag in my lap, I tried to casually reach my arm up brush off my hat. If there were any spiders I'm sure there would have been a reaction from the people behind me scared I was gonna brush the spider onto them. So I tried to stay calm. Paranoia grew. Just when I was about to ask the guy next to me to let me out so I could move away from the spider, spider girl got up and off the bus. I was saved! But I don't know if she was :-/
This brings me to my dilemma. What should one do in that kind of situation? I felt bad for not helping the girl be free of spiders. But I didn't wanna cause a spider induced stampede on a crowded bus. For all I know she could be someone, unlike myself, who likes bugs. That spider could have been her spider pet! She could have got mad at me for having killed the spider for her and cried at the lost of her spider friend.
What would you have done in this kind of situation? Get the spider off the person or avoid a bigger fit of chaos?
All I know is that if anyone sees any type of creature on me, I give you permission to whack it off of me. I'd much rather take a whack than be caused to run around like a madwoman because of my scary bug instinct.
OMG, just learned that Fox programming president Frank Riley said that Glee was moving to NYC, thanks E news! This is the best news ever! Actually this is perfect timing because a post about Glee has been long overdue. If you know me then you know that Glee is my happiness, and that I am OBSESSED with New York City. So the bits of Glee that are in NYC are my favorite (ever since people started graduating).
I finally caught up on this season of Glee yesterday and thought it looked highly likely that they would finally do what I've been waiting for since the NYC side story started, and today it is confirmed. Yay!!! I can not wait! Oh please let Trouty mouth get into the Bichette modelling agency in NYC, I can already see the hilarity (and the Tyra).
I am seriously overjoyed because I really can't see much more happening at McKinley High, and I didn't want Glee to end up ruining itself by trying to stay running as long as possible no matter how boring and repetitive the story lines got. But I could totally see how focusing on the NYC characters could bring interesting stories. Even the show has been making fun of itself and the characters on the show (even moreso than usual) so they obviously recognize their need to move on.
I am super excited and super hopeful to see what will come in the future for Glee. Ryan Murphy, keep up the good work!
Glee comes back February 25, I REALLY can't wait now! Here are some of my favorite Glee performances.
Almost died, What does the fox say?
Still love Glee's version of we are young better than the original.
Ugh, and my girl Cherice just tried to kill herself. Don't do that Cherice! Just keep singing!
It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! Who doesn't want party and party and fun!?
Obsessed with Glee's Poker Face with Idina Menzel.
Glee's original song, loser like me, is the story of my life. LOL (but it really is).
And with this version of Neyo's Let me love you (until you learn to love yourself), I was instantly in love with Jake. So I'm hoping he goes to NYC as well. He's a dancer, so Nyata please?
I'll stop there because this list could easily turn into 50 videos. Basically, I love Glee and it just about makes my life that it will move to my favorite city.
Today's news has some interesting (and by interesting I mean ridiculous) stories, I thought I'd share.
Texting argument in Tampa-area movie theater leaves 1 dead, 1 wounded is the title of a news article. It seems that someone got extra mad about someone else texting and being loud in the theater. *Sighs* I guess this is why you never want to be "that person" at the movies. Really though? What movie was this guy watching that was sooo great that someone needed to shut up or get shut?! Straight to the insane asylum for that one.
Rodman's North Korea Trips Signal Basketball Push by Leader Kim according to this Bloomberg News article. I can't say I'm surprised, that's what I was thinking ever since I heard that Rodman was going over there. We all know how important basketball is in a country where most people are starving, being made into slaves, and murdered. Sports are clearly what is needed in North Korea right now...
@KianLawley
I'm still holding out hope that this is all part of Dennis Rodman's plan to raise awareness of the new holocaust -like situation in North Korea, in order to stop it. Yup, it's all his master plan (fingers crossed).
'Octomom' charged with welfare fraud Fox News reports. I thought we already knew this bit of info, but OK is she going to jail yet? She apparently failed to report over $30,000 that she earned. Again, seek help! You ain't mentally right to begin with when you pay in order to have more babies when you don't have a partner or enough money for the ones you got. I still don't know how that was even a thing that popped into her head. Maybe her career goal was to have as many kids as possible in order to live off of welfare. Then it makes "sense" (I use that term loosely).
You will all be happy to learn that Forbes says a scientific study explains Why A Little Caffeine Can Help Your Brain Remember. Really?! OK, yay! (I'm not even going to question it, thank you.)
Let me tell you about my night a few nights ago: I left work all bundled up except for my gloves because I am using my phone. In about 45 seconds of walking outside, the tips of my fingers are prickly burning like the beginnings of frostbite! Apparently a negative 5 degree temperature will do that. It wasn't this cold earlier in the day, it was a whole 10 degrees, much more tolerable. So I finish up on my phone and fumble to put my gloves on, which is super hard to do when your fingers are half numb half burning in pain. I wait for the bus, couldn't have took more than 10 minutes to arrive, but my toes are frozen in my combat boots by the time I get on! Apparently I should have watched the news warnings...
I get home and have to prepare to go back out and run to Michael's for some stuff. Recognizing how cold it is I get on an extra hat, scarf, and gloves, and go back outside to wait for a bus to Michael's. The bus is late and I end up waiting about 17 minutes. Finally I see a bus way down the street, I will it to hurry up and get to me, it gets to me, it's the wrong bus. Not only are my toes freezing but I'm feeling a little cold everywhere else as well. I'm ready to say forget it and go back home to warmth, but then my bus shows up!
On the bus when I'm almost at my destination I decide to check the bus schedule so that I know what time to wait for the bus back. I decide to catch the soonest bus rather than wait an hour and a half for the following bus, it's just way too cold for that! So I figure I'll only have maybe 30 minutes to be in and out of Michael's, therefore I prepare my 50% off coupon (yup I always use a coupon at Michael's) on my phone, so I won't have to mess with it in the store knowing my phone is stupid and slow. I'm almost at my stop when my phone starts acting stupid and slow (I knew it, that's why I started early).
Unfortunately messing with my phone made me miss my stop, and the next stop is far far in the opposite direction of Michael's. WTF! This is all my stupid idiot phone's fault! I get off the bus with 30 minutes before my bus home comes, but now I have to walk/run 15 minutes to even get to Michael's. And here we go, my phone is on crack and decides it won't turn back on until I restart it. The whole walk/run I'm muttering all types of cuss-words, mad at the time being wasted and how dumb my phone is and how I'm going to miss my bus home and how I'm freezing. Yes, I'm freezing! My fingers are prickling again and I literally have to pull my fingers out of their slots and ball my fists within the gloves for the pain to go away. Why is it this cold in addition to the other crap things that are ruining my plans?
When I finally get to Michael's there is only 15 minutes left for shopping. No time for browsing, gotta grab stuff and go! To bad the main yarn I came for (because it's on sale) is no longer in it's normal spot and the sale yarn isn't even marked as being on sale. So now I gotta waste time thoroughly searching for this yarn and guessing from memory which yarn is on sale since they didn't think that labeling was a good idea. I finally find it (except 1 shade I need isn't in stock) and make a mad dash to the cash register. I swear it's like I'm on super market sweeps (my mom used to LOVE that show). Luckily there's no one in line, and I picked the correct sale yarn, but now my coupon won't scan. Ugh, you do all the preparation possible and still end up getting held up. The nice cashier who doesn't know I only got 8 minutes before my bus comes and a 5 minute walk to the bus stop, kindly goes to look for a different coupon to use.
Nice cashier probably thinks me insane as I grab my 3 large bags of craft supplies and run out of the store and towards my bus stop. As I'm running I hear a loud bang on the opposite of the parking lot, but I ignore it and keep running. It's 8:30 pm, dark, and -5 degrees outside, I don't want to miss my bus and wait an hour for the next one. Soon after the noise, I hear police sirens, then I see a police car followed by 2 more police cars all with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. Suddenly it dawns on me, oh snap! That noise was a car crash by someone being chased by the police!
Just as I put 2 and 2 together I hear police screaming GET ON THE GROUND! GET ON THE GROUND! I want to keep running to the bus and ignore the crime scene but the social networker in me forced me to stop and take a few crappy pictures of the scene.
You can see lights across the parking lot, that's them capturing the guy saying GET DOWN NOW!!!
Out the front window is an ambulance and a bunch of cop cars.
Out the window on the right you can see a cop standing there. Very riveting stuff.
I then continue my sprint to the bus stop carrying my huge bags.
Luckily, I did not miss the bus. We passed the crime scene and although I couldn't see, by other passengers comments, the criminal got messed up either in the crash or by the cops or both. He apparently was in a store (most likely stealing) ran out and into his car to try to drive away but got chased, crashed, and caught.
In summary, my night was a -5 degree frostbitten mess! But the mission got accomplished in the end, I got a completely unwanted workout, and half saw a police chase.
I was just reminded of how much I love Jennifer Hudson after reading this article on NY Daily News, and thought I'd share.
She bought her assistant and longtime friend a house! Now, people are super selfish, no matter how much they got, many people don't want to share (money, time, etc.) unless it benefits them in some way. So I'm happy to see when someone does share. No matter how many people have stories like this, it never gets old. Here is the video, from ABC News, of her assistant's hilarious reaction when he saw his gift, as well as great gifts some other celebrities gave this past Christmas.
I love it! I hope the sharing is caring attitude continues to spread. Here are my other reasons for loving Jennifer Hudson...
It was the greatest news ever when I heard she would be on my fav show SMASH, and she definitely didn't disappoint!
Some of her songs that I love, especially Spotlight.
My favorite songs from her award winning Dreamgirls role.
And yes, I loved her ever since American Idol season 6, and was mad at Simon for being mean to her although it sure don't matter now (in your face Simon Cowell!)!
Even when some of her family members were murdered occurred in 2008, Jennifer managed to keep it together very well, and even forgave the murderer (as seen on Oprah). She's turned the tragedy into charity.
That was my ode to Jennifer Hudson. I loved her for years and will continue to love her amazing voice and awesome personality. You go girl!!!
I'm sitting here in bed being boring (knitting and watching TV) and happened to check the clock (11:39 pm) and remembered, it's about to be the New Year! What should I do for this holiday? Oh, well you're supposed to make a new year's resolution right?
I've never really made one before but I thought of a good one for this year. I need to stop shopping! Or at least minimize my shopping dramatically because I'm crazy! Not only do I not really have money for my addiction, I'm really starting to feel bad for the stuff that I already got and don't wear, as I buy new stuff to not wear. I am sorry current wardrobe, I'll do better I promise. I'm going on a budget and staying on the budget (rollover is allowed though).
My 2014 new year's resolution is sticking to a budget in order to shop less.
We should all make realistic, life improving new year's resolutions. According to Statistic Brain, only 8% of the people who make resolutions keep them, and 24% consistently fail their resolutions every year! Luckily I'm not very good at failing, so I have high hopes for myself and for you too. Plus the added obligation that comes with making this resolution public.
What are your new year's resolutions? Comment below and subscribe to the comments. Let's encourage one another and help each other stick to our goals this year! We can do it! Bruno Mars - Count on Me, encouraging musical interlude.
Happy New Years everyone!!! Who's going to party it up on New Year's Eve? Not me, I'll be in the house. I'm enjoying my stay-cation. This is the first time in I don't know how long that I've had multiple days off. No school, no work, no Korean class, I don't have to leave the house for nothing. And I'm loving it! Some people like having full schedules, I personally am ecstatic when I get the chance to stay home, lounge, and do whatever I want!
I try to keep up with emails though, so while looking through them I saw one about my upcoming class for next semester. Already I'm hesitant to even look at it. School don't start (for me) til the second week in January, I don't want to even think about it until the day of class. I read the email and it is telling me to do pre class work. REALLY?! This email arrived on December 28th, why you gotta funk up my little bit of holiday break early with this nonsense?
Pre class work should be banned! Why must I have school ruin my mood BEFORE class is even back in session? As if I'm not tormented enough all throughout the semester. This is crap! Now I'm extra dreading going back to school.
Thanks school, for ruining the few days I got left at home, and the 2 weeks I got left before class. I hope you choke on you're pre assigned class work!
Who else got some whack pre class assignments? Or who's just dreading going back to school after this holiday break in general? Please comment and share.
So I just watched a Korean drama in a day! That's 16 + hours of kdrama watching in a day! Now that the show is over, I am reflecting. How did I get so engrossed in this drama that I watched it so fast and did nothing else (besides knit)? More so, how do I KEEP getting so into kdramas that I end up not wanting to do anything until I finish the show? The answer: I am addicted to good stories. Kdramas consistently create a good story.
The kdrama that I just finished is called Flower Boy Next Door. It was very good, hence why I watched it so fast (I'm told that Nine is also good, so I'm about to watch that next). Surprisingly, although I can barely stomach "chick flicks" or romance novels, as they bore me to death, there are many romantic kdramaties (Korean romantic comedy dramas) that I love. I think the elongated story line forces there to be more to the plot other than "gotta get a man/woman" so that there is far more depth in the details than in a typical romcom movie. I even tried watching Korean "chick flicks" and don't find them any more interesting than American ones (horror/action/thriller is my favorite).
But yes, I devour me some kdramas! The most important factor is that they are like long movies, in that they have endings. Unlike most American TV shows that tend to go on as long as possible until cancelled, Korean dramas are made with a predetermined amount of episodes. They are expected to conclude at a certain point (although episodes can be added if the show is popular). Therefore, like movies, kdramas are a story that is easy to watch knowing that there will be a conclusion. This is how they get you addicted, because not only do you want to know what happens next, you want to know how the story will end.
In American shows, we are lucky to get an ending at all. So many are simply taken off the air if they aren't popular enough. I often wonder why (if a show is cancelled) can't production/writers and whatnot just give the show a few more episodes to wrap up? At least if it is in a place within the story that can be easily wrapped up (writers are creative, they can figure it out). But nope, it's like sudden death! Don't even get me started on Emily Owens M.D. I will always be bitter about how that "ended", it was such a great show!
I love the way that American Horror Story is made so that each season is a new story though. That is the closest show that I know of that is similar to how Korean dramas are. Except Korean dramas rarely have multiple seasons, just a bunch a different dramas (but you will find a bunch of the same actors in multiple different kdramas).
In case you didn't know, although kdramas are called Korean Dramas, they come in every genre (history, action, horror, thriller, crime, mystery, romance, comedy, melodrama, etc.) so there is a kdrama for everybody. They are sub titled, not dubbed, so you will be forced to learn how to speed read and watch (and if you're me, knit) all at the same time. Totally worth it though.
Anyways, like I said, I DEVOUR Korean Dramas. Since I started watching them over this past summer, I have already completed 26. 26 kdramas in less than 6 months! Wow, I really have no life :-) So I thought I'd share the list of kdramas that I've watched. This is what I have been doing with my life, in my spare time, and what I often forgo sleep for.
Note that these are in the order that I watched them, not in order of love, and does not include dramas that I haven't yet finished, except for Reply 94. Reply is still airing, but this week will be the final episodes, therefore, it is basically complete so I will include it. I already know hat it will end up being one of my favorites (Team Trash Oppa!).
Doris' Current List of Completed Kdramas
Cheongdamdong Alice
Innocent man
City hunter
Boys over flowers
Playful kiss
Secret garden
Coffee prince
You're beautiful
My lovely Sam soon
Dream high
Moon embraces the sun
Dream high 2
Cyrano Dating Service
Full house 2
100 years inheritance
You're the best lee Soon shin
The Master’s Sun
I hear your voice
Secret
Two Weeks
Reply 1997
Gu family book
Shut up flower boy band
Protect The Boss
Suspicious Housemaid
Flower Boy Next Door
Reply 1994
My number 1 favorite drama is Secret. It is crime/suspense/drama/romance that is just so good I can't wait to watch it again. Secret is about a girl who lives her life helping her boyfriend become a successful lawyer. He then betrays her and has her take the fall for his hit and run that killed a girl. Meanwhile the man who is mad that the girl died (his girlfriend) wants to make the killer pay, and so much drama ensues. I can't really think of an American show similar to this one, but it is slightly similar to Revenge, but i much MUCH better.
My second favorite is Master's Sun, it is comedic horror I think. About a girl that can see ghosts after an accident. She finds a man that when she is touching him, enables her to not see the ghosts, so she sticks by him (against his will). It's kind of like Ghost Whisperer, but funny also.
Third favorite is Dream High. If you like Glee or Fame, you'll like Dream High. It's a dramatic musical comedy about kids at a musical arts high school trying to succeed. This is where my love for IU's beautiful unique voice and my complete obsession with Kim Soo Hyun (such a great actor) began. For kpop fans, this is a JYP show, so if you love him and his company's artists, they are all throughout the cast of this show. I personally didn't know who any of these musicians were before this show, but I now love them all. Suzy from Miss A, Taecyeon and Wooyoung from 2pm, my IU, JYP himself, etc.
Some other standout kdramas are; Innocent Man (oh the injustice, but it's so good), Coffee Prince (unique undiscriminating love story), Secret Garden (magical twist), Full House Take 2 (just a great dramcom), I Hear Your Voice (literally, he can hear people's thoughts and his dad's killer is on the loose), 2 Weeks (really thrilling, action, try not to get murdered), Shut Up Flower Boy Band (awesome soundtrack), Protect the Boss (hilarious, has a karate lady), Gu Family Book (learn what a gumiho is and the history of Lee Soon Shin), Suspicious Housemaid (is she a maid or a robot?).
Boys Over Flowers/Boys Before Flowers is being made into an American show. If you're interested , maybe you want to watch the Korean version first. There's also a Japanese version and possibly others. It is kind of like Gossip Girl in that there are snobby rich people going to school. The "flowers" are the hot guys (flower boys is what Koreans call pretty boys), there are 4, in case you need incentive.
100 Years Inheritance and You're the Best Lee Soon Shin are extremely long dramas with over 50 episodes, but they're both very good. 100 Years is horrible, in that what this girl is put through from her in laws is atrocious and disgusting. But at the same time her evil ex husband is seriously super funny and is the biggest mama's boy you've ever seen! The main girl's family is also hilarious, so it's not a depressing show at all imo.
You're the Best Lee Soon Shin is my favorite of the two, I love IU and the ending was good. Had I watched Gu Family Book before this show, I'd have understood why her name was so weird. But oh well, I like IU better than Suzy (lead of gfb) which is why I watched IU's show first. My favorite scene, and what I had been waiting for the entire show, was of course IU singing Forgotten Season (originally sung by Lee Yong). It's the most beautiful rendition of the song that I've heard.
The worse drama on my list in my opinion is Dream High 2. The story line is non existent, I still don't know what the point of the drama was. Every time it seemed like there was a plot, they would stop and change to another plot, and then just gave up on a plot altogether. But it's worth the watch if you like musical things and talented singers. I for one am super glad to have watched it if for no other reason than being introduced to kpop stars Ailee and Hyolin. They are so amazing, like Korean versions of Christina Aguilara and Beyonce. There are a bunch of other JYP kpop stars in the show as well, just like with the original Dream High. JYP cracks me up still thanks to this show. Jinwoon from 2am, the girl from T-ARA and the boys from the JJ Project are in this one. If you like music, comedy, and want to complete the Dream High series (not that they are really related except by their names) watch Dream High 2. If you want an good story that makes sense, watch a different kdrama.
This video isn't from the show, but a perfect example of why JYP is hilarious (even though he's being serious). He's so corny, lol, love him.
Actually, whether it's a musical kdrama or not, you'll often discover plenty of good songs in the soundtrack (ost) of a kdrama. That is how I find a lot of my favorite Korean songs, from kdramas. I watch most of my kdramas on Viki because I like the timed comments, someone usually always identifies the songs for you. A Korean song is also the reason why I started watching kdramas. While searching for kpop songs on Youtube I came across Baek ah Yeon - Daddy Long Legs, I loved the song a lot and the title said that it is from the Cheongdamdong Alice Ost. I figured, if a kdrama included such a great song, the drama itself had to be just as good. So I watched my first kdrama, was amazed, and became hooked. Gomowo (thank you) Daddy Long Legs for getting me into kdramas, I really saranghe (love) them!
Anyone else got a kdrama addiction? Wondering about them? What are your favs? Start your addiction, watch kdramas via online streaming at these (most common) sites: -Viki -Dramafever -Hulu
Happy freaking holidays! I'm free!!! How about you? My greatest joy in the holiday season is getting a break from school. Sad but true. Now that I just gained about 10 lbs eating at holiday parties, it seems real. Now I can do what I want in my free time without feeling like I'm neglecting schoolwork. First on the list, SLEEP! Oh sleep how I've missed you! I'll be able to nap on weekends guilt free (for a couple of weeks)!
Let's talk about pop culture! I just saw that the second Hobbit movie is out. I still haven't had the chance to see the 1st movie yet, but now I can catch up on both if I want! Hooray! Who likes these hobbit movies? How do they compare with the Lord of the Rings series? I think it's going to be weird watching this without Elijah Wood being in it, but there's still good old Gandalf the Grey and the elvish people. Either way, the movies look cool so I want to see them. Here's a cool preview
Sike! Idk how cool it is because I didn't watch it since I haven't even seen the first movie. But it seems cool, says sneak peak, someone let me know if this is a porn disguised as a Hobbit sneak peak ok?
Khloe Kardashian is getting divorced from Lamar Odom, for real now I guess. No more trying to work it out. That's what this E! news article said. Khloe is my favorite of the Kardashians so this is unfortunate. But for real, she definitely needs to divorce this Lamar Odom, because seriously, ain't nobody got time for druggies! There was enough risk of him causing trouble (via cheating and whatnot) being that he's a sports player. Not saying that he did cheat, but there's definitely a high chance with his travelling and being surrounded by groupies, which even without him cheating is enough stress on a relationship. And now he's a drug addict on top of that?! That's too much! Especially since Khloe wants kids, like now. No kid needs a drug addicted parent. That's not fun and not safe. Find a new dude Khloe. Good luck, and good luck for Lamar getting clean, I hope he does because I loved the bromance between him and Rob.
On another note, what is with Lamar's dopey smile? Look, he does it in this picture too.
Who told him to smile like that? Did he practice in the mirror like, "how should I smile for cameras from now on, I must become a pro (raises right side of mouth into a smile) that's it, nailed it!" I'm going to need someone to tell him that no, that is not the money shot, stop half smiling, it's just not a good look. We know he's a druggie and he comes out with these half smirk smiles, you're making yourself look guilty Lamar! Anyone half smiling like that gotta be on something, looking like "I gotta secret, you'll never guess, heeheehee, don't I look cool with my secret". No! You don't look cool, you look ridiculous! Stop that half smile! Everyone picture this tall beanpole, all 6 foot 10 inches of him walking towards you with that half smile on his face, you'd run the other way right?
So Beyonce. Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce. Originally I was simply gonna mention that it's cool that she has a new album out. But that was before I knew the whole story. Beyonce announced and released an itunes only album, all in one day, and you can only buy the whole album, and it didn't even get leaked in advance. This right here is a business mastermind, I actually am bowing down to Beyonce and whoever on her team had this idea. You go girl!!! No marketing necessary, simply clears throat and says, "I just put out an album, buy it now, B*tches." You better WERK Beyonce, she does what she wants! And had itunes shut down even, because of the traffic. I'm not that great of a Beyonce fan, although I do like her music, but shoot, she just might become my idol doing some Boss type stuff like this.
Apparently this whole Beyonce album thing is such a big deal, there are stories on it EVERYWHERE, even Billboard and CNN. Many people are mad that there was no warning about the album, but I'm glad. I don't like waiting in anticipation. If I hear about something that I'm interested in, I wanna just go get it now, not wait 3 months for the thing.
Although I'm not the biggest fan of Beyonce, I have some friends that are. Youtube friends! Scott Hoying from Superfruit (and one of my favorite groups, Pentatonix) loves her, as does little baby bear Julianna (who's mom is Judy) from It's Judy Time and It's Judy's Life. No they're aren't people that I actualy know, but I feel like I know them because I love their Youtube videos. So I am happy for them about Beyonce from afar!
Here's Scott wearing the same shirt as Beyonce painting in his painting of her
This one includes a hilarious video sent to them by Beyonce
And then there's baby Julianna, who could only be consoled by Beyonce (to the point of it getting her on the news)
What are your thoughts about these topics? Excited about something that's coming over holiday break?
