30 April 2020

Things That Make You Go Oooooo (April 2020)

Feliz día del libro ♥

April has been mostly an uneventful month, another moth of self-isolation but we're ending the month with a little glimmer of hope here in Thailand as the numbers of infected are going down and restrictions are slowly being lifted, so hopefully life will return to better times soon. I shared some of my favourite Asian dramas this month and have started some new ones which I will write about soon. I'm really missing going out and going to concerts and events so I thought I would share some videos I had from the JUS2 concert I went to last year, it was so fun and I can't wait for the next concert, whenever that will be, this year or next year I will wait for better times to come, stay strong everyone 

♥ How to Tame a Worrying Mind During Difficult Times

♥ Rituals And Routines That Get Me Through My Day

♥ 9 Things it’s Not Too Late to Start Doing for Yourself

♥ Skillet Strawberry Bourbon Cobbler with Layered Cream Cheese Biscuits




♥ The Best Indoor Garden Ideas For All Kinds Of Plant People

♥ How I Made My Own Daisy Table

♥ 75+ Little Dinner Ideas for When You Don’t Want to Cook Whatsoever

♥ Disconnected and Strong in the Face of COVID-19


What are you most excited for in May?
Love & Hugs
Cate
xoxo

13 April 2020

JUS2 Showcase in Bangkok (GOT7 JB & Yugyeom)


It's been almost a year since I saw JUS2 in Bangkok and I'm still not over it! JUS2 are a sub-unit of GOT7 with leader JB and youngest member Yugyeom and the result one of the best albums of 2019! Honestly their debut album Focus is one of my favourite albums ever, it's just perfection, one of the best albums to chill out and work to, in fact I'm listening to it as I'm writing this.


JUS2 had their own little mini tour of Asia last year and one of the stops was Bangkok so I just had to go and for the first time ever I managed to not just get the ticket I wanted but won the chance to hi-touch them to, my first ever hi-touch with them! If you want to see my very excited post-concert reaction to hi-touch and what happened then you can check out my Instagram stories, it was one of the best yet most embarrassing moments ever !!


The showcase was amazing and one of my favourite concerts I've ever attended, they performed every song on the album, and the title track Focus on Me at least 3 times, as well solo stages and a GOT7 melody for encore which our special MC BamBam joined them for. Between performances they also played games and did a mini interview which was really fun, I always love seeing GOT7 interviews they have so much fun joking around with each other and it really is infectious I had such an amazing time that night and it really helped me forget all my stress.


I'm not sure if JUS2 will ever make a return but I really hope they do one day as this collab was really special. I really do feel honoured I got to see them perform live (and also hi-touch!) it was honestly one of the best concerts I've been to and a very treasured memory so even though I'm writing this almost a year later I thought during a time when we're all unable to go out and need some cheering up I would share one of my happiest memories with you so you can feel like you were there cheering along with me to 

What's your dream concert?
Love & Coffee
Cate
xoxo

08 April 2020

Asian Dramas I'm Watching & Loving!

autumn pasture

So, I actually wrote this blog post last summer whilst I was in the UK but it's been hidden in my drafts for the longest time so now as a lot of us are spending more time at home with a lot more time on our hands to watch TV I thought it was the perfect time to share. I stopped watching dramas for a while and have been listening to more podcasts at night to give my eyes a break from staring at screens but as I have a bit more time to kill at home I've started watching them again so be sure to leave me your recommendations and I may share a few more of my drama faves soon ....

เด็กใหม่ The Series
A mysterious girl named Nanno transfers to different schools and exposes the lies and misdeeds of the students and faculty at every turn.
If you like dark, graphic, psychological horror in a similar vein to Black Mirror then this is one for you, I normally prefer more light-hearted dramas but there was just something about the main character Nanno I found interesting, she reminded me a bit of Hell Girl with the way she oh so subtly brought out the darkest side of each of the characters she encountered and the way she was so nonchalant about everything that happened to her yet caused so much chaos to the lives around her it was almost humorous, she's kinda like a twisted hero punishing those tempted into wronging her. I really loved the soundtrack to as it really added to Nanno's creepy vibe as we never quite find out who or what she really is and why she does what she does. Each episode is self-contained and follows a different characters story each with different struggles so it's easy to get sucked into the series and I binged my way through the whole series without even noticing the time, so if you're looking for something a bit darker to watch I really recommend it!


오 마이 비너스
Kim Young-ho, a.k.a. John Kim, is a personal trainer to Hollywood stars and believes living a healthy lifestyle and exercise is the only way to survive. A Hollywood scandal with an actress has him on the run back to Korea while on the plane he has an unfortunate encounter with Kang Joo-eun a 33-year-old lawyer who recently ended her 15 year relationship and in her youth was considered the beauty of Korea but now has gained a lot of weight. Kang Joo-eun  decides that she's had enough and wants to get out of this rut so gets Kim Young-ho to get her into shape and help turn her life around.
I'm a big fan of 'I Live Alone' and have been watching it for the past 3 years but realised that I hadn't actually watched any of Sung Hoon's dramas so was told this one was a must watch and to my surprise it also had Henry Lau in it to who is also a member of the 'Rainbow Club' that I'm a big fan of and also had an unfortunate encounter with at an airport.... I don't usually like these cliche love dramas (although I seem to watch a lot) but I really liked the characters they were just so sweet and fun and they all had great chemistry together, I kinda like that in a similar way to My ID is Gangnam Beauty it didn't go down the "thin is beautiful" route so much and made the main focus about health rather than appearances. This is such a classic drama I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally watch it and I really enjoyed it, also Henry was just adorable!!


화유기
In 2017, Son Oh-Gong and Ma-Wang are in conflict with each other as they look for a true light in a dark world where evil thrives. From there, Son Oh-Gong is bound to his protective role towards Seon-mi, the little girl he had met years ago. Having made a contract with Seon-mi 25 years ago, entitling her to seek help from Son Oh-Gong whenever she calls him in exchange for letting him free, the two meet again in a fateful encounter.
This drama is based on the characters from Journey to the West one of my absolute favourite Chinese legends. I grew up watching the Monkey TV series, watching the cartoons and reading the books so when I found out there was a Korean drama doing a modern take on the characters I had to watch! I really enjoy dramas that have an other worldly or supernatural element and this was exactly to my taste they really did the characters justice and I enjoyed watching their chemistry and dynamics so much and it got even better after the addition of the zombie character. This drama is definitely in my top 10 Korean dramas I really enjoyed watching it and each character from the legends was so well portrayed I'd really like to see them reunite for another season and for other demons and deities to join them. It was a really fun drama to watch and I really liked how the drama unfolded even though the romance was a bit cheesy but that's something I've kinda grown to accept with K-Dramas and it definitely wasn't as cringe as I've seen in other series.


ลิขิตรัก
After numerous assassination attempts Crown Princess Alice is forced to leave her home of Hrysos and flees to Thailand where she is put under the protection of Dawin a Thai Lieutenant Commander of the Thai Navy. As Dawin and his team investigate who is behind the assassination attempts on Princess Alice the two become closer and Alice learns about what life is like as a commoner. Honestly I find a lot of these Thai dramas quite cliche but I do like Yaya and Nadech and have been a fan of their dramas for a while and there was so much hype around this drama I eventually decided to watch it and I actually really enjoyed it. Of course I figured out right away who the culprit was after seeing so many dramas follow similar plot lines but despite that I did really like all the characters in this drama and thought they acted well and all had great chemistry together. I also found the locations they chose to shoot the drama really beautiful and the costumes to. I watched this one with my Mama to and she loved it , she kept praising it saying it wasn't as dramatic or over the top as some Thai dramas can be and really wants there to be a season 2! So if anyone is looking for a Thai drama to watch then maybe check this one out and see what you think.


호텔 델루나
The Hotel del Luna is not like any other hotel as its clients are all ghosts. Jang Man-wol, is the owner of the hotel and has been stuck in the hotel for the past millennium when meets Ku Chan-Seong a regular human who she decides to hires as the new manager to take care of her spirit guests so they can cross into the afterlife with no regrets.
I honestly LOVED this drama, I had heard a lot about it and started watching it just after it finished airing. The plot sounded like something I would enjoy and similar to one of my fave anime Death Parade. From the start of this drama I was really captivated and it really didn't disappoint at all and exceeded expectations. IU is amazing as Man-wol and I adored her character so much, she was just so interesting and endearing, and her relationship with the other characters was so heartwarming, in fact all the characters were amazing and had such interesting histories I really loved every single person in the cast. The series had a perfect ending to, I was honestly sobbing at the end and not to spoil too much but I'm so happy everyone got the ending they deserved, I was definitely satisfied and happy that the story had a conclusion so much so I wouldn't want to see anymore from it although I will admit the final tease of the new owner looks intriguing and it would be interesting to see a new owner and their story so I'm sure we'll find out if they'll be another season happening or not soon...


What have you been watching lately?
Love & Apple Tea
Cate
xoxo