Random Thoughts: The Old Times

Last weekend, I went over my old, dusty card box. Opened and re-read each one. I'm a teenager all over again! 

For old times' sake, I took a moment to ponder the things I missed from the past:

I miss the times when the best way to write a letter is through handwriting especially when it is a confession of love. It may be the simplest but is the most endearing way to let one know what your heart truly desire. 

There's no delete, backspace, google help, spell-check and grammar-correction which makes it more challenging especially when you have a bad handwriting and jumbled thought. No instant help so you apparently need to have a whole lot of scratch papers beside you while deeply thinking about what you want to write. 

But as a result, we compose letters with words that comes only from the bottom of our hearts. No highfalutin words just sincere, honest ones.

I also miss the times when the most thoughtful way to greet someone from afar is to send a card. We set aside pennies from our allowances to save enough for a Hallmark greeting card. We find ourselves thrilled when we go to the post office sealing it literally with a kiss after we paste the stamps. But since there's an e-mail or IM or Social Network, "sealed with a kiss" now only becomes an idiomatic expression and post stamps just becomes a collector's item.

The technology is constantly changing and it primarily changes how we communicate. It makes us all connected anytime no matter where we are yet there seems to be something missing in that connection. Hmm... sincerity? thoughtfulness? Maybe.

How about you, what do you miss from yesteryears?

200th Post: Thank you!

I may had a couple of mistakes and quite a number of wrong decisions made, had painful and heartbreaking experiences, and encountered misfortunes in the past but never did I regret knowing the people, who in a way, became part of it. They helped me become who I am today. They somehow led me  to a path where my shattered soul becomes whole again, a new environment where I met new sets  of friends, experiences, etc.

I extend my gratitude to these people for they made me stronger and tougher. I've  grown up and have matured enough to face the new challenges that comes my way.

Thank you my dear parents for the unconditional love, care, and patience. For raising us well, for the support in everything we do, and for the sacrifices just to provide what we need. My siblings and I will forever treasure everything that you have taught us, from humility, honesty and generosity.

To my friends and colleagues who continuously appreciate me as being me. For acknowledging the simple things I do for you. It is always a pleasure to make you smile. Keep in mind the special bond that I have shared with you because I will forever cherish it and will be valued in the long run.

And to God Almighty, for He had given me

…the vision to see the deeper meaning of each event in my life in a positive way

…the capability to do something good out of pain and sorrow

…the opportunity to help someone in my own little but special way and;

…the ability to realize that everything has indeed a purpose.

What I learn today: What If...

Love is timeless. True love can wait!

Have you seen the movie, Letters to Juliet? If you're into romantic flicks, this is a must see.

Anyway, I just want to share this captivating letter of Sophie in reply to Claire's letter to Juliet.

"'What' and ‘if’ two words as nonthreatening
as words come. But put
them together side-by-side and they
have the power to haunt you for the
rest of your life: ‘What if?'..."

"I don't know how your story ended.
But I know that if what you felt
then was love - true love - then
it's never too late. If it was true
then why wouldn't it be true
now? You need only the courage to
follow your heart..."

"I don't know what a love like that
feels like... a love to leave loved
ones for, a love to cross oceans
for... but I'd like to believe if I
ever felt it. I'd have the courage
to seize it. I hope you had the
courage to seize it, Claire. And if
you didn't, I hope one day that you
will."

Hope everybody finds their happy endings! Love, love, love! =)

Asian Dramas/Movies

I've been a follower of Asian Dramas/Movies, particularly Korean. On the list below are those I've already seen. I rated them base on how much I want to watch it over and over again. 1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest.

Dramas:

49 Days/Pure Love (2011) - Korean

     Genre: Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast:  Lee Yo-Won / Jo Hyeon-Jae    

     My Rate: 5. Shed a bucket of tears. How I wish it is somehow real to give everybody a chance.

A Love to Kill (2005) - Korean

     Genre: Heavy Drama; Episodes: 16; Cast: Shin Min Ah / Bi

     My Rate: 2. I think the story is too long and I hate the ending.

Angel Eyes (2014) - Korean

     Genre: Drama; Episodes: 16; Cast: Gu Hye Sun / Lee Sang-Yoon

     My Rate: 5. One of my favorite dramas. The leads make a lovely couple and I like its story line.

Big (2011) - Korean

     Genre: Fantasy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Lee Min Jung / Gong Yoo    

     My Rate: 4. I like Gong Yoo's character here. It made me think how will it really end.

Boys Over Flowers (2009) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 25; Cast:  Koo Hye Sun / Lee Min Ho

     My Rate: 5. Compared to its Taiwanese counterpart Meteor Garden, BOF's cast and scenes are better.

Cinderella's Sister (2010) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast:  Moon Geun Young / Seo Woo    

     My Rate: 5. I'm always intrigued with Moon's acting but when I saw this drama, I easily become a fan.

City Hunter (2011) - Korean

     Genre: Action/Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast:  Park Min Young / Lee Min Ho    

     My Rate: 5. Oh my! Lee Min Ho is close to perfection. The best city hunter!

Coffee Prince (2007) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 17; Cast: Yoon Eun Hye / Choi Han Kyul

     My Rate: 4. Not a fan of this couple, Gong Yoo is a bit tall for Eun Chan. But Eun Hye is handsome!

Dream High (2011) - Korean

     Genre: School/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Bae Suzy / Kim Soo-hyun    

     My Rate: 5. A story about finding your true identity, following your dreams and friendship. Genius!

Endless Love/Autumn in my Heart (2000) - Korean

     Genre: Drama/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast: Song Hye Gyo / Song Seung Heon

     My Rate: 3. Just too sad and tragic.

Flower Boy Next Door (2013) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast: Park Shin Hye / Yoon Si-Yoon

      My Rate: 3. Yoon's acting is a little exaggerated I think and only my curiousity to Go Dok-Mi's      dark past made me finish the series but I still love Shin-Hye :)

Full House (2004) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast: Song Hye Gyo / Bi

     My Rate: 4. Fun to watch and the glass house is interesting.

Great Teacher Onizuka/GTO (1998) - Japanese

     Genre: School/Drama; Episodes: 12; Cast: Sorimachi Takashi 

     My Rate: 4.  The Cool Teacher who truly cares is inspirational, he's a bit violent though.

Gokusen (2002) - Japanese

     Genre: School/Comedy; Episodes: 12; Cast: Yamaguchi Kumiko

     My Rate: 4.  The female counterpart of Onizuka. I think they could make a cool butt-kicking couple.

Hana Kimi (2007) - Japanese

     Genre: School/Romance; Episodes: 12; Cast: Horikita Maki / Oguri Shun

     My Rate: 4. She really looks like a guy. Doing everything just to be with her love!

Hello! Miss (2007) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Lee Da Hae / Lee Ji Hoon

     My Rate: 2. Watched because of Da Hae but I got bored.

It Started with a Kiss (2005) - Taiwanese

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast: Yuan Xiang Qin / Jiang Zhi Shu

     My Rate: 4.  Not bad, its just that the female lead annoys me.

Lover's in Paris (2004) - Korean

     Genre: Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast: Kim Jung Eun / Park Shin Yang

     My Rate: 5. This is the first Korean Drama I watched and was totally hooked up with their love story.

Marry Me, Mary!/Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Moon Geun Young / Jang Geun Suk    

     My Rate: 3. I find the story too simple and characters aren't interesting.

Meteor Garden (2001) - Taiwanese

     Genre: Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast: Barbie Hsu / Jerry Yan

     My Rate: 4. My first taste of Asian drama. My Drama Addiction has begun!!!

My Fair Lady/Take Care of the young Lady (2009) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Yoon Eun Hye / Yun Sang Hyeon    

     My Rate: 3. I like the silly and adorable Eun Hye, not as a bratty one!

My Girl (2005) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast: Lee Da Hae / Lee Dong Wook

     My Rate: 5. Watched the series 4 times and shared a youtube playlist to friends. That's how I loved it.

 My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast: Shin Min Ah / Lee Seung Ki
     My Rate: 4. I'm going to miss the innocent, bubbly Mi Ho!
Personal Taste (2010) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Son Ye Jin / Lee Min Ho

     My Rate: 4. The gay Min Ho is cute but I still prefer him being straight :D

Princess Hours/Goong (2006) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 24; Cast: Yoon Eun Hye / Joo Ji Hun

     My Rate: 4. There are some boring scenes but mostly charming and cute.

Secret Garden (2010) - Korean

     Genre: Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast:  Ha Ji Won / Hyun Bin    

     My Rate: 5. Found my new favorite couple. Love the magic!
The Heirs (2013) - Korean
     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 20; Cast: Park Shin Hye / Lee Min Ho
     My Rate: 5. I love it simply because these two were my favorite Korean stars! Putting them together in one adorable drama is awesome!
To the Beautiful You (2012) - Korean
     Genre: Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast: Choi Seol Ri / Choi Min Ho
     My Rate: 4. "Miracle is another name for Hardwork" - Kang Tae Joon =) 
You who came from the Stars (2013) - Korean
     Genre: Melodrama; Episodes: 21; Cast: Jeon Ji Hyun / Kim Soo Hyun
     My Rate: 5. Superman!

You're Beautiful (2009) - Korean

     Genre: Comedy/Romance; Episodes: 16; Cast:  Park Shin Hye / Jang Geun Suk

     My Rate: 5. I love disguises and Shin Hye gave justice to her Male/Female character.

You can watch or download your favorite Dramas here: http://www.dramaload.com/

Movies:

Tidal Wave. Ha Ji Won. My Rate: 3. It's about an earthquake-triggered (meters-high) tsunami. I just watched it because of Ha Ji Won and it's really not a good one but atleast it's better than Sector 7 and Sex is Zero.

A Hard Day. Lee Sun Gyun. My Rate: 3. Crime Film. A detective tries to cover up his crime, eventually learning that it's not really his. His lies f*cked him up, big time!

Blind. Kim Ha-Neul. My Rate: 4. A Crime thriller. The blind woman's dog is the real hero in this movie. She would have been long dead if her dog didn't attack the killer.

Our Town. Oh Man Suk. My Rate: 5. Crime-Mystery. Crazy plot. Crazy twist. Madness all over!
A Million. Shin Min Ah. My Rate: 4. It is a story of hate and revenge. 

Sector 7. Ha Ji Won. My Rate: 3. I hate the sea monster! 
My Sassy Girl. Jeon Ji-Hyeon. My Rate: 5. Fell in-love with the characters and their lovely story.
Windstruck. Jeon Ji-Hyeon. My Rate: 4. Sassy is much better. Male lead is annoying.
10 Promises to my Dog. My Rate: 5. Tears! sniff.. sniff.. =(
4th Period Mystery. My Rate: 3. Unbelievable...
Itaewon Murder Case. My Rate: 4. Jang Geun Suk. Based on a true story.
Baby and Me. Jang Geun Suk. My Rate: 3. Story is too shallow.
My Little Bride. Moon Geun Young. My Rate: 3. There's no chemistry.
Cyrano Agency. Park Shin Hye. My Rate: 3. I find it boring.
Romantic Island. Eugene. My Rate: 3. Just because it features Boracay Island.
Il Mare. Jeon Ji-Hyeon. My Rate: 4. Some of the scenes are better than the american remake.
He was Cool. Song Seung Heon. My Rate: 3. Mean but Cool.
Heartbreak Library. Lee Dong Wook. My Rate: 3. Sad story.
My Mighty Princess. Shin Min Ah. My Rate: 3. Fantasy and Min-Ah is adorable.
Daddy Long Legs. Ha Ji Won. My Rate: 4. Beginning is boring but loved the rest!
Sex is Zero. Ha Ji Won. My Rate: 3. I hate that Ji Won made this movie. I really hate the guy.
200 Pound Beauty. Kim Ah-Joong. My Rate: 3. Not impressed with the female lead's acting.
This Crazy Thing called Love. Mario Maurer. My Rate: 5. Sweet and adorable!
A Millionaire's First Love. Hyun Bin. My Rate: 5. A sad but moving film =(
100 Days with Mr Arrogant. Ha Ji Won. My Rate: 3. Not too striking.
A Moment to Remember. Son Ye Jin. My Rate: 3. Too tragic. Poor guy.

You can watch more at http://www.viki.com/

Random Thoughts: Sound of my Day

Sounds. I would surely go insane without it. I'd rather die than live the rest of my life hearing nothing.

My alarm goes off at 6 o'clock in the morning just to wake my sleepy self. I lazily slip my feet into my slippers and drag myself into the bathroom. Eyes half-open, I slowly turn the shower on and the cold water drips all over my body which makes me squeak like a pig and jump like a kid!

I open the door and the hammering noise from a nearby construction welcomes my morning. Soon enough the bustling sound of streets and voices of strangers--a man cracking his knuckles, a lady talking on the phone, friends giggling behind the driver-- accompanies me on the way to office. 

My day at work is the same as usual. I hear some ladies gossip just about anything while in restroom; the keyboard and mouse clicking fills the room; busy feet rushing along the hallway and some people just bossing around yelling, pointing and getting everybody's attention. The guard routinely switching off and on the air-condition and lights,  a pile of workloads and constant rings of phone calls makes everyone's day not-so-bright.

 

To cap my day off, I sit back and watch an action movie from HBO or listen to several KPop songs from my iPod.

Sounds. It is endless!

I wash my face, brush my teeth. I put on my pyjamas and throw myself to bed. I turn off the lights and tuck myself under the blanket. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

My eardrums found peace...sigh.

But then I could hear familiar sounds and voices surrounding the quiet night, it seems like a lovely music that calms a panting heart. I could hear myself, my memories, my dreams. I feel my lips twitch into a smile. The sound of excitement, laughter, fun and adventure. I hear it all! Ahhh, sounds! I hear it even in silence!