Asian Dramas I'm Watching & Loving!

I always try to watch a variety of different Asian dramas from different countries but Korean Dramas always seem to appeal to me the most and there are so many great dramas being aired in Korea at the moment I'm finding it difficult to keep up with them all so in the meantime while I'm catching up I thought I would share a few Asian dramas I watched a little while ago which you might like.

Miss Sherlock

ミス・シャーロック

I'm sure everyone already knows the stories of Sherlock Holmes but this series gives the traditional Sherlock stories a modern day, Japanese twist casting females as their lead stars. I've seen a lot of interpretations of Sherlock over the years and while I will admit this wasn't my favourite it was still very enjoyable, the casting of Wato-San and Sherlock was really great and the twists of each case they investigated very interesting. While I'll admit the cinematography isn't as spectacular as other Sherlock series (you know the one I'm talking about) for a Japanese series I found it to be quite modern and they used some interesting transitions which I hadn't seen before in other Japaneses series I've watched, I've mentioned this in the past but I find something very dated about Japanese series but Miss Sherlock had a very modern feel to it. I really liked the very Japanese feel I got from this series, when you think Sherlock you automatically think British but from the Japanese cast to the setting of Tokyo it just seemed to match so perfectly and nothing seemed out of place or forced at all so definitely check it out if you're a Sherlock fan.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty

내 아이디는 강남미인

Kang Mi Rae has been ridiculed for her looks her entire life and believes her looks are the cause of all her suffering in life, she gets plastic surgery in the hopes that she can have a fresh new start (and face) in university and gain the confidence, self-esteem and friendships she's always dreamed of and learn what true beauty really means. Admittedly I was a bit apprehensive going into this drama, not knowing anything about the manga despite it's popularity as I'm not a big fan of this whole being pretty will solve all your problem trope but thankfully this drama shows exactly the opposite, that being pretty is not the solution to your problems and whether your considered a stereotypical beauty or not we all still have the same struggles and it's your heart and your actions that really make you beautiful which is what really matters.

Fabulous 30 The Series

30 กำลังแจ๋ว The Series

Ja, seems to have it all, a successful career, a great social life, and a handsome sweetheart but on her 30th birthday, Ja finds her perfect life changed when her boyfriend who she thought would propose instead breaks up with her, leaving her single until she meets a new guy who's 7 years younger than her. This series is actually based on a popular Thai movie of the same name which I watched a few years ago and really enjoyed so I was excited to see what the series would be like and where the story would go. I initially thought the series would maybe expand on the ending of the movie but instead it followed the same time line and focused a lot on the relationship of the side characters. It's hard not to compare the movie and the series but I will say I preferred the couple in the movie compared to the TV series as I think the TV series focuses too much on comedy so at times it was hard to take them seriously. Overall I would recommend you skip the series and just watch the movie as it's a lot more heartwarming however if you prefer comedy over drama them maybe you would enjoy the series more.

Chicago Typewriter

시카고 타자기

This drama follows the lives of 3 individuals who lived during the 1930's Japanese occupation of Korea, and are reincarnated into the present as they try to regain their memories of their past life in order not to re-live their past mistakes. The way this story unfolded was so heartbreaking but I loved how gradually through the series the story of their past lives became clear and how the people in their past lives were also a part of the present but in different ways, the story is all about making amends for your past mistakes and moving on and the relationship and chemistry between the main characters is just so heart-warming and heart-breaking. The visuals especially for the past lives were very beautifully done and you really felt immersed in that world, I also loved the added 'supernatural' element which I won't spoil but it really added a unique flavor to the drama as well as some much needed humour. I'd definitely recommend you give this one a watch, while the romance is an element I don't think it's the the main driving force of the plot as the friendships of the main 3 shine the most, if you're a fan of mysteries then you may like this one and the ending is a nice conclusion to the story which will leave you feeling satisfied.

Meteor Garden

流星花园

Shan Cai is an ordinary girl of no wealth who through hard work and determination is admitted to the most prestigious school in the country where on her first day she has an unlucky encounter with the F4 who are an elite group of the most popular, smart and wealthiest boys of the school. This drama is a Chinese remake of the Taiwanese series of the same name, which is originally based on the Boys Over Flower drama series from Korea and originally the manga from Japan called Hana Yori Dango. This is a very popular series so I'm sure at some point you will have seen some sort of rendition of it or even seen the original manga or anime, I normally try skip these sorts of dramas as I find them too predictable and dated but Meteor Garden gives us a great modern take on an old trope and I really enjoyed watching this series even though it was 50 episodes long and did seem to drag towards the end. Shan Cai was a really likeable character and I enjoyed watching her development throughout the series and I liked seeing their trips abroad. Dao Ming Su's sister was one of my fave characters to and I loved how fierce she was and how she fought for not just her brother's happiness but Shan Ca to. I will admit the last two episodes were a little strange and disappointing but not unexpected, it was a good watch though and I'm sure they'll be many more Hana Yori Dango interpretations from even more countries in the future.

What have you been watching lately?

Love & Cookies

Cate

xoxo

♫ Playlist: Favourite Kpop in 2018 ♫

I'm often asked if I listen to any other Kpop apart from GOT7 and the answer is of course! Many years ago I used to share playlists of my favourite Kpop songs so I thought as a lot of you have been asking I'd share some new songs. Last year I decided to keep a playlist of all the new releases I liked as I thought it would be a good way to keep up with everyone and remember the year and it's something I'm continuing to do this year. I also added quite few "Non-Korean" releases from Kpop artists on here as the Kpop market is becoming more international with some artists collaborating internationally and starting to spread their wings further afield.

There's over 100 songs to listen to from all sorts of different artists and genres so hopefully you'll find something you'll like or someone new you've never heard of before. There's also many more great songs and artists that came out last year that I'm probably missing quite a few as the Kpop industry is so huge and moves so quickly now it's hard to keep up so be sure to share some of your faves in the comments below.

What was your fave song from 2018?

Love & Music

Cate

xoxo

Asian Dramas I'm Watching & Loving

I've recently started getting back into Asian dramas after a long break so I'm finally sharing the dramas I've been watching and have a bit of a diverse list for you. I'm they type of person who sticks with a drama until the end even if I'm not enjoying it as much, normally it takes me a bit longer to watch these dramas as ones I really like I tend to finish within a week so I thought I'd share the ones I haven't been enjoying as much to because everyone has different tastes so maybe you'll find something you'll really like, even though I might not have been the biggest fan.

Kiss Me

รักล้นใจนายแกล้งจุ๊บ

Taliw, a cute but dim girl, develops a crush on the smart and handsome Tenten who has just joined her class, in secret he's warm and kindly but in front of others he acts cold and uncaring towards her, the story follows their home and school lives as they become intertwined and they come to terms with their true feelings for one another. I was recommended this drama after watching Full House as it has the same lead actors although admittedly I didn't enjoy this one as much as Full House but I really liked the character of Taliw and their families, I found them all to be very sweet and supportive of her. The storyline is very typical and to be honest I'm done with any storyline that involves a boy being mean to a girl because he likes her... can we end these plots already? I know this drama is an old one but I really disliked Tenten especially after seeing him play a nicer character in Full House, but aside from Tenten all the other characters were really nice, her friends, the teacher, the parents and the love rivals I really liked them and I enjoyed the humour quite a bit, my mum also enjoyed to and said it was fun so if you're looking for something a little light-hearted and fun to watch maybe check it out.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

힘쎈여자 도봉순

Bong-Soon comes from a line of women in her family who were blessed with super strength, however if they use their powers for their own selfish gains and to hurt innocent people their powers will be lost. Min-Hyuk is a CEO of video gaming that Bong-Soon dreams of working at to create her own video game with her as the main characters, he witnesses her defending a bus driver from a group of gangsters and hires her as his personal bodyguard and they work together to find out the identity of the person who has been threatening him. This is only a short description of the series as I think most people have already watched this because for the past year it's all people have been telling me to watch and THANK YOU!!! I think this is one of my favourite series ever I absolutely adored all the characters in this show especially Bong-Soon and although it was kinda a strange mixture of serious and humour at times I really enjoyed it and the ending just made me so happy. I devoured this one in less than a week and even my family decided to join me on watching it and they really enjoyed it to so it really is a great watch for everyone, I can definitely see myself re-watching this one again and again whenever I need a pick me up.

The Love Knot: His Excellency’s First Love

结爱·千岁大人的初恋

Pi Pi is a sweet kind but naive, amateur reporter who often finds herself alone in the world, what Pi Pi doesn't realise is that she has an ancient curse which is the cause of all of the misfortune in her life. He Lan Jing Ting, is a being from another world who has been searching for his lost love who he believes to be Pi Pi and is convinced he can save her and help her believe in love again. I was drawn to this drama because of the cast and the interesting storyline of other beings and ancient curses and while I did enjoy seeing the past lives of these characters and how their relationship in the present day developed it just didn't grip me as hard as other dramas and there were some inconsistencies that were hard to ignore. Overall I felt like if this was a period drama about the first time these characters met or if the story had started where it ended it would have been a bit more interesting for me as those scenes really stood out compared to the present day setting where the action just seemed to stagnate after a while. It's not as long as other Chinese dramas being only 25 episodes but it did start to feel like it dragged on although the ending almost seemed too rushed with all the action happening towards the end. That being said Pi Pi's character did grow on me after a while and her interactions with "The Fox" were really cute and I liked seeing how his aura affected her the closer they became. I do wish the series had focused on the two main characters a bit more as the side stories seemed to take over towards the end of the series and the main couple seemed to get the least air time compared to others even though the main story was about them. I did find the folklore of this drama really interesting though and I'd like to know more about these legendary fox gods.

YG Future Strategy Office

YG전략자료본부

Bigbang's youngest member Seungri is sent to YG's new department AKA Future Strategy Office where he leads a team of bumbling misfits in various projects to help YG's struggling reputation. This show is part sitcom, part mockumentary and very similar in style to The Office or Parks and Rec. It's honestly one of the funniest things I've watched in a while and seriously if you're a KPop fan or even if you're not you need to watch this right now! I still can't quite believe this show exists knowing how strict these companies are with their idols and keeping a clean reputation but this show is a complete play on that, even acknowledging and joking about the scandals that the company has been involved in in the past. Seungri is amazing and said recently he didn't read the any of the shows scripts before filming so he could give more genuine reactions towards the situations he was put it. I think if you know a little about YG and the Kpop world you'll probably understand and get more out of this than someone who doesn't know anything but it's still a really funny show and I hope Netflix gives it a second season.

Tofu Personified

두부의 의인화

Baek Min Kyung's adorable dog Tofu unfortunately dies while she is at a work meeting with the handsome yet arrogant celebrity Kim Joo Heon who mistakes her for a superfan, upon hearing the news of he dogs passing she rushes to the vet but it's too late and she returns home wishing she had just one last chance to see him, her wish is granted but Tofu doesn't return in his original form but that of a human boy but he only has 49 days with her until he returns to the afterlife. I enjoy watching web-dramas and was drawn to this not just because VIXX's Ken stars as Kim Joo Heon but the plot sounded absolutely adorable and it's something I think would work well as a full drama. Unfortunately as with most web-dramas it's just too short so it's hard to develop any sort of meaningful relationships with the characters and the plot is often rushed, this web drama was just 8, 10 minute episodes. I did enjoy all the actors in this though and found them quite genuine with a great touch of humour although the ending was quite predictable but very sweet, it's just a shame such a great concept had such a short run as it would have been great to go more in depth with Tofu and how these dogs came to be humans and how they recognise each other and live in this world.

What series have you been watching lately?

Love & Ice Coffee

Cate

xoxo

Vivienne Westwood Cafe - Hong Kong

Vivienne Westwood is one of my all time favourite designers, I just love her style and everything she stands for so when I found out there was a Vivienne Westwood cafe in Hong Kong I had to go and check it out for myself. Fashion and food are my two most favourite things so this was the perfect marriage of the things I love most.

The Vivienne Westwood Cafe is situated in Harbour City, Tsim Tsa Tsui next to the Vivienne Westwood store, it's only a small place but full of charm with the walls, cutlery and dinnerware all decorated in her signature prints. The menu offers a wide selection of teas and other drinks and some desserts, you can also enjoy a traditinal afternoon tea there, very British and very Westwood style!

If you've been following me for a while you might have seen my Vivienne Westwood bag which I actually received as a gift for my 20th birthday so it's very precious to me, the day we visited also happened to be my birthday and thus the birthday of my bag to so you could say it was a special visit for the both of us.

With it being my birthday I of course had to order myself a cake and I loved that this cake came adored in her signature orb made of white chocolate, the cake was really nice to strawberry and passionfruit flavoured on a bed of chocolate cripsies totally to my taste and I ate every crumb. I also ordered myself a rose, lychee soy milk tea as I wanted to try something different and it was really good to, maybe a little sweet for my liking but still delicious.

I'd love to come back and try the Afternoon Tea one day, but this was just a quick visit before going to watch the nightly light show and my trips to Hong Kong are always over so quickly but I know I'll come back one day as it's a great city! All in all it was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and yes while it was a little pricey, birthdays only come once a year so it was totally worth it.

Who is your favourite fashion designer?

Love & Oolong

Cate

xoxo

Psssst if you want to see more awesome cafes from around the world you can click the button below, buy me a coffee, get treats & a shoutout on my next post

Asian Dramas I'm Watching & Loving!

Honestly, I haven't had a lot of time for TV lately and it's one of the reasons I skipped posting last month as I tend to want to finish watching a bunch of dramas instead of just posting one or two that I've seen or that I'm in the middle of unless it's really good and I just can't contain my excitement! Also I'm kinda cheating this month as I'm including a couple movies but honestly they needed to be included because they're the best things I've seen in a long time and I just can't stop thinking about them and life and how touched they made me feel! But... hopefully sometime soon I'll be able to give myself enough downtime so I can chill out and catch up on dramas because I'm really missing having them in my life...

The Package

더 패키지

Yoon So-So, a travel guide, leads a group of Korean tourists on a package tour in France. Each of them have their own back stories but after a time find themselves developing close relationships with each other. I became aware of this drama because JB and Jackson of GOT7 were part of the OST and it was such a beautiful song I had to see what the drama was all about. This was honestly such a beautiful drama, the backdrop of France worked to well to tell the stories of these people on this package holiday and I actually learned quite a bit about France in the process, even though I've been there many times after watching this I really want to go back! This series is essentially about love and all the different aspects of relationships, falling in and out love, marriage, death, career, family and it's both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It wasn't cheesy or overly dramatic it was very real and relatable. I really enjoyed all the characters, their diverse stories and how their lives all connected in some way, and of course all the humour that was thrown in on the way as they find themselves in some quite amusing situations during their trip. I'd definitely recommend this drama if you're looking for something to relax to in the evenings as it was a nice easy watch, all the stories are very easy to follow without being too overwhelming and the romance was very sweet, you'll definitely be wanting to visit France after watching this series.

Blade Man

아이언맨

Joo Hong-bin a rich CEO, with a heightened sense of smell and an angry attitude develops a supernatural ability where by his anger and mental anguish manifest itself as knives sprouting from his body. He meets Son Se-dong, a kindhearted girl who smells just like his lost love and as she becomes more involved in his life he learns how to deal with his anguish and new found power. It's been over a year since Lee Dong Wook has been in a drama and after m Goblin adventures I just really missed seeing him so I thought I would give this drama a try as the story sounded interesting. I really wanted to love this drama but I just felt like something was lacking, I did love Lee Dong Wook and his assistant but the female lead and the kid I found slightly annoying because they spent half the series doing nothing by cry and it was that really annoying, fake loud cry which just reminded me of all those times when I was a kid my brother would do it to get what he wanted, but I digress and by the end of the series they did kinda grow on me. I probably wouldn't watch this again though but I'm happy I got to see Lee Dong Wook in another drama because he always does such a great job.

Legend of Nine Tails Fox

青丘狐传说

The story revolves around the good foxes of Qing Qiu and follows several main characters and their individual stories which link together to form the plot which was adapted from six tales from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio: "Feng San Niang", "A Xiu", "Ying Ning", "Hu Si Xiang Gong", "Chang Ting" and "Heng Niang". This drama is just visually stunning and whilst I did enjoy it I didn't really get into it as much as the last Chinese drama I watched, Ice Fantasy which was excellent! I found each of the stories quite similar and predictable, the whole forbidden love thing is a genre I find quite tiresome and cliched now as it just appears in so many dramas, but it wasn't completely cliched the fact that they were fox spirits and had their own unique history and customs did make it a little bit more interesting to watch and the characters were really cute however none of them really shone out to me but visually this series was just amazing and a real treat for the eyes, the sets, the costumes, the movement was just beautiful! So if you're into Asian fantasy and period dramas then maybe check this one out.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds

신과함께-죄와 벌

A firefighter dies saving the life of a young girl and is guided into the afterlife to take on 7 different trails which judge how he has lived his life, with 3 guardians to defend him he has 49 days to prove he lead an honest lawful life and is worthy to be to reincarnated. Have you ever watched a movie that really changed you? Really made you question the way you live your life? Really made you want to become a better person? To live your life to the fullest? THIS is that movie!! Firstly I just want to say the visuals in this movie are beautiful and I loved how they presented the different realms of the afterlife and the guardians of those realms. I've seen a lot of these types of movies and they can either be overtly cheesy or overtly preachy and this was neither of those things and although the protagonist is presented as some sort of saint you see in reality he isn't, he's just like the rest of us, he has his reason for living his life and making the choices he did. The guardians were amazing to and so passionate and emotional, I loved the head reaper the most his journey was so interesting which I won't say too much about so just go watch it! This movie really made me think and really made me question the consequences of some of my actions and if they really were justified and on the other hand if I should really blame myself for things that I couldn't really change or control but wow I can't wait to see the second part of this movie which is going to be released very soon!!

Miracle in Cell No. 7

7번방의 선물

Yong-Goo a mentally disabled man lives a simple but happy life with his young daughter Ye-Seung but one day he's falsely accused of murder and sent to jail where he shares a cell with five other inmates who work together with his daughter to prove his innocence. I'm throwing in another movie this month because this one really needs to be mentioned to and while I'm sure many people have seen or at least heard about this movie, I only found it recently when it popped up in my recommends list as a comedy.... While yes it is really funny and has some really heartwarming moments it's also possibly one of the saddest movies I've ever seen! The ending had me in tears, I cried hard and I cried ugly and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Normally it's only dog movies that affect me like that (Marley, Hachi etc.) but wow this movie really touched me deep. I loved all the characters, the little girl was so cute and the father I had so much love for. Seriously, I kinda feel bad mentioning this movie to you all because you are guaranteed to cry but wow it's such a beautiful movie and it moved me so much I couldn't not mention it, so please do go check it out if you haven't already!

What series have you been enjoying recently?

Love & Dandelions

Cate

xoxo

The Summer Palace - Beijing - China

On our last day in Beijing we decided to visit The Summer Palace, it was the height of the summer season so it seemed only right to pay it a visit and make the most of the bright, warm weather. Although I'm living in Thailand where it's always summer my parents are still living in the UK where even the summers are full of rain and gloom so I thought it would be a nice place to take them to enjoy our last day together.

I barely remember The Summer Palace from seven years ago although what I do remember is being stood at the entrance for a long time while lots of Chinese people lined up to take photos with us which was a very strange experience for me at the time but now China is more open to international tourism we're not such a rare sight to see!

The Palace is surrounded by a large lake which you can rent boats to ride around in but we decided to just sit and enjoy the cool breeze from the waters and reflect on the great times we had together as a family. As I was due to leave Beijing later that day we didn't really have much time to explore the actual palaces but just walking around the lake and seeing the palace from afar was beautiful enough.

The Summer Palace is such a beautiful place and although it was very busy that day I still felt relaxed and happy. My trip back to Beijing was so much fun and I would love to explore more of China and even go back to Xi'an one day and see how much my Panda babies have grown up. I was humbled at the kindness that everyone showed us there and it really made me feel so thankful for my life, this trip was exactly what I needed to feel re-invigorated and more myself again. Don't worry China I'll be back... one day.

Have you ever been to China? What places would you love to visit?

Love & Sunshine

Cate

xoxo

Finding Peace at Yunju Temple - Beijing - China

Yunju Temple was a whole new place for me to see in Beijing and the first destination we visited when we arrived. Our guide for the day was my Dad's friend who studies Buddhism and says it's his favourite place to visit when he's feeling stressed as it's a nice quiet place to relax and contemplate. I had been going through a stressful time prior to my trip to Beijing so it seemed like a great place for me to visit to find some inner peace and put me in a happier mindset for the rest of my trip.

The temple is about an hour outside of Beijing and set amongst some peaceful mountains. I already felt much calmer upon our arrival there just being surrounded by the beautiful nature a stark contrast to the busy city of Beijing. It was the perfect setting for a temple and we were only a handful of people visiting that day so pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.

The temple has six main halls of worship which are set on different levels that you reach by stone steps and each hall represents a different stage of Buddha's life from birth, to enlightenment, to death. I found the layout of this temple very interesting as the journey you made up each stairway to each different hall of worship seemed to reflect Buddha's ascension to Nirvana and the highest hall in the temple contained Buddha relics which resembled small pearls.

In each hall of worship my Dad's friend would share stories of Buddha's life and it made me realise just how little I actually know about Buddha. I've had experiences of Buddhism my whole life with my family in Thailand being Buddhists but most of what I know is practice and very little about Buddha himself so hearing these stories made me want to learn more about him and gain a better understanding about the religion as a whole.

I wouldn't call myself a religious person, I'm pretty open minded when it comes to beliefs and although I may not follow a specific one I do respect them and I enjoy visiting places of worship as they're often peaceful and give a good insight into people and different cultures. Buddhism I find particularity interesting though not only because of my family but because it's about personal growth, finding inner peace and enlightenment which I think is a good life goal for anyone to want to achieve.

It was nice to walk around the temple and see so many practising monks there, each were busy reading scriptures, using prayer beads or just helping clean up the temple grounds. The quiet setting of this temple makes a nice peaceful place for the monks to just sit and meditate. It would be a great place for a temple-stay to but unfortunately I don't think that's something Yunju currently offers.

One of the things I was most astonished and humbled at was seeing was all these stone tablets with Buddhist scriptures carved into them. There are a total of 14,278 of these stone tablets and the first was carved by a monk named Jinwan in the seventh century as he wanted a more permanent way to preserve the scriptures due to the fact Buddhists were facing persecution, he hid these tablets in caves surrounding the temple and work on carving these stone tablets continued for more than 1000 years. Now the excavated tablets are housed in a special "Sutra Palace" under the temple built less that 20 years ago and it's amazing to see just how well preserved they are considering their ancient age.

My mind was in an unhealthy place before my journey to Beijing but this visit to Yunju helped ease some of those worries and I really enjoyed the calming atmosphere and the new things I had learned that day. Yunju is definitely one of the most interesting temples I've visited in a while and well worth a trip out of Beijing to see if only to enjoy some peace and quiet away from city life.

What places do you visit when you need to find some peace?

Love & Peace

Cate

xoxo

Asian Dramas I'm Watching & Loving!

Welcome to a brand new year of Asian dramas! I'm kicking off the new year sharing a few of my favourite dramas from the past few months and as much as I tried to expand out of my Korean drama bubble it sucked me right back in (there's just so many good ones!) but I did find an absolute gem of a drama from China so I will definitely be looking into watching more Chinese stuff in the future. Be sure to leave me your recommendations for the next edition in the comments and if you've watched any of these be let me know what your thoughts are below.

Wednesday 3:30pm

수요일 오후3시30분

Sun Eun-woo is dumped by her boyfriend on Wednesday 3:30pm a time that is said women are at there ugliest, she meets up with her childhood friend Yoon Jae-won who agrees to help her get her ex-boyfriend back by taking her on dates every Wednesday at 3:30pm and creating a fake "lovestagram". This is such a sweet mini-drama that I came across because of Hong-bin who's a member of one of my fave KPop groups VIXX, I've watched him in a drama before but this one I enjoyed a lot more because he was just the sweetest little bean, I would love a friend like him! Ok so the storyline isn't anything special and you know exactly what's going to happen but it was such a sweet enjoyable watch and I think I'm an even bigger fan of Hong-bin after this, seriously where can I get me a Hong-bin?

U-Prince Series: The Extroverted Humanist 

The Crazy Artist

The U-Prince series has now finished airing in Thailand and I'm a little sad because I really enjoyed it, there's a total of 12 mini-series and I've already talked about some of my previous favourites but here's a couple more. The Extroverted Humanist: Pinyin is an introvert who prefers to spend time alone, she's anxious and doesn't have a lot of friends (she's me basically!) when Kiryu who's outgoing, talkative, and basically the complete opposite to her decides to befriend her she finds him overwhelming at first but then they begin to fall for each other. There's some pretty harsh moments in this (as with all Thai dramas) but I guess I liked this one because I related to it, being an anxious, shy, introvert I gravitate towards those type of characters as I can empathise and understand them more. The Crazy Artist: Mel B (yes I know lol!) is a science geek who is dumped by her boyfriend who says they're too similar, Hippie, a musician, witnesses the break up and tries to comfort Mel B then asks her if he can have the Beatles T-shirt she is wearing, Mel B agrees on the basis that he dates her for 5 days as an experiment so she can see what it's like to date someone the complete opposite to her and see if her ex was right. This drama started off pretty damn cheesy at first but then it hit me right in the feels, in fact I think it's my second favourite U-Prince after T-Rex so if you don't want to watch all 12 mini series (even though they're only 4 episodes each) definitely go for The Crazy Artist and The Lovely Geologist.

Scum's Wish

クズの本懐

I mentioned this anime in my previous post and found out they made a live version of it which aired at the same time as the anime so I thought I would see how it compares. Surprisingly it's almost shot for shot identical to the anime I mean they even recreated the opening! The sexual content has possibly been tamed but I was quite surprised to see how far they took it as it's unusual to see so much kissing in a JDrama let alone sex. Although it's very faithful to the anime I would recommend the anime over the live version as some of the beauty was lost making it feel almost as if it was "fan made" rather than TV produced. I mentioned in my post about Japanese Dramas that the overall cinematography seems low quality compared to other Asian dramas and I think this is why it didn't seem as aesthetically pleasing which led to some of the mood being lost but the acting was pretty good aside from a certain "princess" who I kinda wish they'd left out. It was interesting to watch though and I wonder if in the future they will simulcast more anime series along side live versions?

Ice Fantasy

幻城

This series follows the war between the Ice Tribe and the Fire Tribe as they fight for power, peace and revenge over the loved ones they've lost in battle. It's very epic fantasy Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings with all the magic, mythical beings, tribes and journeying between realms to form alliances to fight in the war and restore the Ice Wall, yes there's a giant mythical wall of ice in this to! Firstly this series is 62 episodes long so that's a big commitment and it took me a couple of months to actually get through the whole series but I really enjoyed it! It's the first time I've watched a Chinese drama like this and the costumes, weapons and settings are so beautiful and well done although I will admit the special effects can be a bit low budget at times I mean there was a moment where I could clearly see someone running with a sheep plushie but I things like the Ice Lion I will forgive because it's an Ice Lion and that's so cool! The fight scenes of course are done very well being a Chinese drama, I always was a fan of martial arts movies so it was great to see some of these techniques used in this drama amongst the traditional sword fights. The cast are beautiful and it's well acted, I loved how each different tribe had a distinct look to them and I after watching this I definitely had the urge to do some cosplay! And yes fellow Kpop fans that is indeed Victoria from F(x) you see up there, she has quite a major role and was one of my favourite characters so it's worth checking out if you're curious to see her acting skills. After watching this I will definitely be checking out some more Chinese dramas, if fact I think they made a follow up to this series based in the modern human world so I may have to check that out as even after 62 episodes I still wanted more!

Bride of the Water God (Habaek)

하백의 신부

So Ah, a psychiatrist who owns her own practice but on the verge of losing it because of debt. Her family is cursed to serve the gods, however So Ah is a realist who doesn't believe in the supernatural, So when she meets Habaek, a man who claims to be the legendary water god that has come to Earth to find a magical stone which will grant him immense power and expects her to be his servant, she believes him only to be delusional. I think the supernatural romance genre is my favourite of all Korean dramas, I love learning about different culture's stories and also seeing the juxtapositions between the old worldly legends and how relevant they are in the modern world. I also enjoy the humour these series always have with the gods adjusting to life on Earth and dealing humanity. I loved Nam Joo-Hyuk in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo but he was so different in the role of Habaek that I hardly recognised him, that being said he played the part of the narcissistic commanding god quite well. I wouldn't rate this one as high as Goblin or Legend of the Blue Sea as it almost seems a little rushed in comparison and I wished they had shown a little more background in the other world but overall I did enjoy it and I can't wait to see what legendary gods we see in the next drama.

What dramas have you been watching?

Love & Cookies

Cate

xoxo

The Lama Temple (Yonghe) - Beijing - China

When I travel abroad I'm always interested to see different places of worship as they can be quite peaceful and beautiful. I remember briefly visiting Yonghe seven years ago but not having much time to explore as we arrived near to closing time, so as my mum is a Buddhist I thought it would be an interesting place to take her so she could see what a temple in China is like compared to the ones we visit in Thailand.

The temple was extremely busy on the day we visited, there were cars lining up down the road waiting to get in and the halls of worship were so full of people it was a struggle to get through. I like to visit temples as an escape so I can meditate and enjoy a little peace but it was pretty much impossible to find any sort of peace at The Lama Temple that day, the smell of incense smoke, which I normally find calming, was so strong that day it was choking.

One of the things you must see is the 26 meter tall Maitreya Buddha which is not only impressive because of its huge size but because of the fact it was carved from a single piece of Tibetan white sandalwood, and because of its vast size it took over three years to ship to Beijing. It's one of the temples most prize possessions and once you see it you'll know exactly why, it's an absolutely beautiful sight and it's amazing to think of all the hard work and love that was put into creating it.

Despite the crowds it was a really beautiful day and definitely a place I would recommend you visit if you're in Beijing, the area surrounding the temple is great to visit to as there are many souvenir shops and restaurants as well as a Confucius Temple which I would love to visit if I ever go back to Beijing.

What places do you like to visit when you travel abroad?

Love & Incense

Cate

xoxo

Getting Lost at The Forbidden City - Beijing - China

The Forbidden City is probably one of the most famous sights in China and a place you must see if you travel to Beijing. Several years ago when I visited I was shocked at the amount of tourist at this site but I think on my second visit there were even more! It was a hot summers day when we visited The Forbidden City or Palace Museum as it's also know by and it's called a city for a reason, it's absolutely humongous! I'm not quite sure how we walked through it all so quickly last time but I recommend at least half a day to experience it and to bring lots of water if it's sunny!

As I was there with my parents who are a little less energetic than me we decided not to walk through the whole city as it was far too hot that day however we got lost trying to find an exit as you can't exit the way you came in. None of the signs weren't really helpful in out quest to find an exit and none of us could speak Chinese but eventually after a lot of walking and a shuttle bus trip we finally made our way out.

I was glad to get the chance to re-visit The Forbidden City again in the summer as they colours of all the buildings were so vibrant, one of the things I love most about Asian architecture is just how bold and colourful it can be, of course a lot of the buildings have been renovated as you could see just how faded some of the older buildings are, there was also a lot of construction happening inside and with the size of this place I can imagine the upkeep on all the buildings is pretty much constant.

Looking back on the photos taken on my last trip it's strange to think how much I've changed in both appearance and personally. China was the first trip I had taken abroad on my own and it helped me learn so much about myself and my capabilities and I also learned so much about other cultures and how to be more understanding and less ignorant.

Visiting here a second time I felt more relaxed and prepared as I had a better understanding of how things worked like queuing for example, people in China sometimes just barge in and push you aside so you just have to go with the flow, don't let it get to you and be a bit more pushy yourself or you'll never get in anywhere! What you may view as rude may be common place in another culture so it's important to travel with an open mind, be observant and be kind.

What's the biggest lesson that you've learnt from travelling?

Love & Luck

Cate

xoxo