PrettyCarEye

Propofol is a dangerous anaesthetic even in the correct hands. This is the drug that contributed to Michael Jackson's death. It is not a street drug. It has to be prescribed and administered by a trained medical professional. It's scary to me when doctors act with such callous disregard for the oath they took to preserve human life. Whoever this bastards are their sentences should have been longer and they should be banned from practicing medicine forever.

I have no comment on the prison vs rehab argument except to say it is what it is. Lots a people don't like that the US has the death penalty. We deal with it. What's likely is that they'll probably get some sort of rehabilitative support in prison.

Another thing I'd like to say is that sentence discrimination is real & women are probably the biggest beneficiaries, esp here in the west. I think this is wrong. Maybe this is very cold-blooded of me, but I don’t see the birth of her child as mitigating the circumstances. If she didn’t want to be separated from the kid she shouldn’t have been caught using propofol. It’s not an ideal situation for the baby, but she’ll live as long as her basic needs are being met. Moreover, in an intensely family orientated country like Korea I’m sure she’s in good hands with her father and his family or her maternal grandparents/some other relative. She’ll be fine. Hopefully her mother will get the help she needs in prison and come back feeling stronger to face life’s challenges in a healthier manner. Let's hope no one commits suicide.

Wow, she's only 23. She looks a lot older (in Ugly Alert at least). Usually Asian actors looks at least 3-5 yrs younger than they actually are.

Phew!!!

Chinguya, I saw that you'd written me & it took me a while to read your post because I was sure you were writing to cuss me out! haha

Sooooooooo sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Even though I'm on mdl everyday, I only have time for short comments, but I promise you that I will answer all your messages soon! I've just been dealing with some stuff. BUT you will hear from me. I STILL THINK ABOUT Golden Empire EVERY DAMN DAY and it's been almost a month now since I watched it! I think it's fair to say that damn show (& Tæ-joo's spirit) is haunting me!!!

And OMFGAAAAAAADDDDD ... my baby's in a new drama?! Yes! Yes! Yes! Halleluja! I want to see him again so bad I could just bawl. OMG, am I a crazy a$$ fangirl or what!

Speak soon, my dearest chingu! I've missed my early morning (for me) chats with you too! We'll start up again soon! Yakso! ;)

::hugs::

Re the drama behind Dæmul, this is quite normal actually. Crew changes are inevitable and a regular occurrence on most productions, esp TV. I once worked on a movie where the director was changed 3 times DURING the course of filming and a new scriptwriter was brought in to rewrite huge chunks of the script. Not surprisingly the film totally bombed. TV is a bit easier to navigate when it comes to changes behind the scenes.

Just getting around to reading your article, chingu. As a horror fan these look great! I love getting the bejesus scared out of me from time to time so these might end up on my list once I get the chance to investigate them further. Well ... maybe not Masters Sun ... jury's still out on that one. Anyway, you've worked hard, ahjumma! ;)

Kang Jæ is a badass. Not a perfect guy, but I love him! And Mi-joo will grow on you. There's just not enough heroines like her in dramaland. Either they're too shrill and shrewish or they're so stupidly naive you just want to smack them. I notice that you're watching Can You Hear My Heart. For the most part I didn't care for that drama & the female lead was a big part of the reason why. How are you finding it?

Melodrama is not my go-to genre, no, because I experience enough melodrama in my everyday life! LOL But I'm not opposed to watching one if it has a good ending. Padam Padam was my first kdrama and it's pretty melo. I still loved it, even though I wanted a different outcome for the hero.

I love watching shows that are realistic and true to life, but not so much that you can't escape into that world and forget about all the trials in your own life (Lovers is the perfect eg). Don't get me wrong, my life is not that bad, but my job is very stressful and with the right drama I'm able to switch off my mind in a way that I'm not able to do if I'm busy bawling my eyes out & reflecting on what a bitch life really is.

So I mostly watch romantic drama (like Pride, Lovers, MARS etc) and crime.

Yeah, let me know how you like Lovers. I'm curious to know what you think. And as for OD and MARS. Of course you should watch BOTH. Seriously, you won't regret it, but if I were to recommend which to watch first I'd say Orange Days simply because it's shorter & it packs a slightly bigger emotional punch than MARS. But if you're in the mood for something really passionate & quite melodramatic in parts go for MARS first.

What has been your all time fav drama so far and why?

Hi there. Came across your profile on the forums. I feel the same as you about romance as a genre. I notice that you have some really great romantic gems on your ptw list! If you really love romance you should prioritize them asap.

Aishiteru to Ikkekure - eps 1- 8 absolutely DIVINE, eps 9 - 12 somewhat of a let down, but nevertheless every romance fan should watch this show.

Lovers - aigoo, this is one of my all time favs! This one features a bad boy gangster hero (but a decent man) and the type of strong, compassionate, funny female lead that I love! I wish more female leads were like her. She's not shrewish & annoying nor is she naive and cutesy. She's just the right combination of sweet, womanly strength. I LOVE her. And as for Kang-jæ. Aigoo. Well, if you take a look at my profile it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I fell for him like meteor from space! haha

MARS - GREAT! The only Taiwanese drama I've ever seen that I loved. Romance was really heartwarming and perfect, and perhaps the closest I've seen an Asian drama come to an American romance in terms of the physical contact between the characters. There was absolutely no awkwardness and I could really believe these were 2 young people in love. I loved, LOVED that aspect of the show.

Orange Days - Just absolutely wonderful from start to finish! Watch it! I love Kai, the male lead. He's not the typical badass alpha hero who gives the heroine a cold shoulder b4 finally coming around. No, he's quite loving from the onset, and is a wonderful support for our somewhat tortured heroine. Kai is just an amazing combination of manliness & sweetness. And Sæ is this lovely, sassy girl that's going through a hard time, but very easy to love. I think you as a guy will fall in love with her.

Still watching. I'm on ep 32. It's getting better. I'm really liking the romantic development between Jun Su & Do Hee (and Hyun Suk & Ju Yeong), although I wish Jun Su would drop his inferiority complex. Up until now he's coming across as a doormat and I can't stand characters like that. He's a good guy. He has nothing in this world to be ashamed of. Why can't he realize that??? Maybe Do Hee will help him to.

LOL. What in the world is a 'yankee' drama? Do you mean American dramas or is 'yankee drama' in reference to a certain type of Asian drama?

All the women in this drama are annoying shrews ... aigoooo.

Hey I started watching Ugly Alert. I'm on ep 6. Aigoo ... I thought those kids in the first 5 eps were soooo annoying! I really wanted to smack their butts! Are people in Korea really this stuck-up and bratty towards others who are of a different station, I wonder? Anyway, I had hoped they'd be better when they matured a little. Not really. And then they add that other annoying noona (the one he works with at the Karaoke bar) into the mix. Will she be his love interest throughout the show? I can tell she and I won't agree! haha I think that's the male lead in the pics on your profile, but the woman he's with doesn't look Noona. Or am I mixing him up with his little brother?

Aigoo ... I hate dramas with snobbish, bratty kids! Can't wait for them to grow up! This bunch really need some good ass whooping.

Well, you know what they say. Emotional affairs are worse than physical ones ...

Hahaha, your comment about Secret Garden made me LOL. Please elaborate. I promise you no butcher knives will make an appearance! :)

I've heard some cultural comparisons between Japan & Norway - hence one of the reasons why I hesitate to move there to teach because honestly I don't really care for Norwegian culture. I don't think it has helped me to become a better person. It certainly hasn't made me worse off, mind you, just not better. There's a huge loneliness endemic here as well. In fact there's usually a spike in suicides during high seasons like Christmas & Easter - both very family orientated holidays in this country. Often times you hear of elderly people dying in their flats and no one discovering them for weeks, sometimes even months. Before bf came over, Christmas was a very depressing time for me as well because I'm used to Christmas like you described. Lots of food, liquor, family & friends. But here ... you rustle up an omelette and that's christmas dinner.

Norwegians aren't the friendliest people in the world either so you can't bank on being invited over for Christmas dinner unless you know them really really really well. And it's not easy getting to know Norwegians! You can live in this country for years and not have one genuine Norwegian friend. I know people who have lived here since the '60s and their core group of friends are usually other foreigners or people from their native countries. Somehow I don't remember this being the case in the Caribbean or even Stateside. Would you say it's the same in Japan?

Ok, I'll stop here for now! This is an interesting topic, learning about a new culture! :) Looking forward to reading from you! :)

And even though I know dramas aren't necessarily a reliable source of cultural dynamics I did start to believe that they seem to be very pessimistic about human connection beyond the necessity of procreation. For both men and women it seems as if once they marry their lives are over, the romance is over and everyone's focus shifts to fulfilling a duty. The men work themselves to the bone, while the women push out the babies. No wonder they feel lonely, isolated & disconnected from each other. Based on living there the last 2 yrs would you say this assessment is true? I mean, do you see a lot of loving couples out in the open, esp after they get married?

I actually don't mind traditional gender roles as long as it isn't some sort of strait jacket on me. I really like cooking for my bf. But if I didn't have the choice to say 'you know what today I don't feel like cooking you a 3 course meal or I don't feel like cooking at all' I think I would hate it. Thankfully bf doesn't take it for granted that I cook for him. He's always very grateful & appreciative of my efforts ... even when they're not so stellar! lol And that just makes me want to cook for him even more! :)

Wow, that's really something (re men looking old in their 30s). Maybe they're stressed out by all the responsibilities they have to provide for their families? After all I hear that Japan's intense 'salaryman working 16hrs a day' culture is still very much alive and well, even in these modern times. Furthermore, now that Japan's economy has been stagnant for years and more people are losing their livelihoods I guess it does take a toll. But this is very sad to hear. I find Japanese men quite handsome (the few that I've seen on TV). I'd hate to think that they just let themselves go after they hit 30.

Anyway, you're very brave to attempt a long distance relationship with your bf for almost 2 yrs. I can't imagine it being easy. How do you cope? Do you travel back to St. Lucia when you have a break or does he visit you? Hmm ... I don't know if I could do it. I tried it with my ahjussi for a spell and I told him either we break up or he moves here because the long distance thing just wasn't working for me. He chose to move here.

As for stringent gender roles in Japan. Interesting. I do get the impression that Japan is quite traditional. Then I read articles like these: www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/young-people-japan-stopped-having-sex and I'm not so sure. From the article what does seem apparent is that the Japanese aren't a very romantic lot, but I don't know if this is just big city cynicism or if these sentiments are expressed throughout the country?

Actually I got the same impression from watching their dramas. I really like romance as a genre and I like Japanese romance, but was disappointed to find that good romances, esp those with happy endings, are few and far between in Japanese cinema & TV.

Ok thx for the info re Jun to Ai. I understand your feelings of bitterness! I felt the same way after seeing the messed up ending of Aishiteru to Ikketure (as you know, an otherwise perfect drama! Sigh ...) and a few other dramas. Maybe I'll just take it off my list altogether.

I see that you've completed Sweet 18. I saw it about a month or so ago. It's not really my kind of drama, but it was alright I guess. How was it for you?

I saw part of the first ep of Heirs. I wasn't sold. I can just tell that Park Shin-hye's character and I will not agree. She has 'annoying female lead' written all over her face. I'm going to continue watching it slowly because I want to give the writer the benefit of the doubt. After all she wrote one of my all time favourite dramas, Lovers, and she's known to write the kind of mature romances that I like to watch. Guess we have to wait & see how it all turns out. Are you planning to watch Heirs?

The festival was really good this year! Great audience turn out, the highest in the history of the festival in fact. Lots of sold out screenings and events. I did not screen a film (my films do not qualify anyway since this festival focuses on so-called 'south' regions: Asia, Latin America and Africa), but there was a lot of work to do. I still managed to see some good films, though, and make a few good connections so all in all I'm pretty happy with it.

I watched part of the first ep of Heirs. I was not sold. I can tell that I'm going to really hate Park Shin-hye's character. She just has 'annoying female lead' written all over her face. lol But I won't completely write it off yet since I know Kim Eun Sook dramas take time to develop before they start getting good.

As for why I don't like Ha Ji Won. Short answer is that I think she's a horrible actress. She exaggerates every emotion and her mannerisms are just so obnoxious imo. I'd go into more detail but I think that says enough. I know a lot of people love her (maybe you too, and in that case I apologize for insulting one of your favs), but I can not understand why.

Thx for the recs. I'll check them out! :)

The festival was really good this year! Great audience turn out, the highest in the history of the festival in fact. Lots of sold out screenings and events. I did not screen a film (my films do not qualify anyway since this festival focuses on so-called 'south' regions: Asia, Latin America and Africa), but there was a lot of work to do. I still managed to see some good films, though, and make a few good connections so all in all I'm pretty happy with it.

I watched part of the first ep of Heirs. I was not sold. I can tell that I'm going to really hate Park Shin-hye's character. She just has 'annoying female lead' written all over her face. lol But I won't completely write it off yet since I know Kim Eun Sook dramas take time to develop before they start getting good.

As for why I don't like Ha Ji Won. Short answer is that I think she's a horrible actress. She exaggerates every emotion and her mannerisms are just so obnoxious imo. I'd go into more detail but I think that says enough. I know a lot of people love her (maybe you too, and in that case I apologize for insulting one of your favs), but I can not understand why.

Thx for the recs. I'll check them out! :)