I caved in *hangs head in shame*

Yes, I caved in and watched, not ONE but TWO korean dramas in a week (weekend to weekend). It has been so long since I watched one, I think it was Grand Chef that I watched last. So I was itching to watch one and yeah, that meant watching till wee hours in the morning and going to work a little tired. But usually a can of coke did the trick to wake me up so that was my daily perk up. Not good for the health but things are back to normal. At least until I stumble upon the next korean drama *grins*

Let me just share the two dramas that I saw. I prefer the romantic comedies where the storyline is ALWAYS the same. Yes, ALWAYS. There will be one lead gal, with two guys usually going after her. And there will also be another supporting female character in there. Somehow, the lead gal and guy will start by hating each other and of course along the way, you need to through in some obstacles (how else to sustain to at least 16 episodes yah?) like an accident, family objection, you name it, there's usually a drama that will cover it. But the ending is such that the lead gal and guy will end up happily ever after. And I have no idea why these dramas still manage to hook me in when stories are so predictable. So if you're asking me if you should watch either one of these dramas? I'll say go for both and enjoy!!

First one I saw was The Vineyard Man and here's the synopsis from DramaWiki:

'In this romantic-comedy, (an adaptation of the book The Vineyard Man by Kim Rang), Yoon Eun Hye (same girl in Coffee Prince Shop) plays Lee Ji Hyun, a clothing designer in Seoul, who reluctantly leaves home for one year to work at her grand uncle’s vineyard in a small village. However when arriving in the country, she reunites with a Jang Taek Gi Oh Man Suk, a local resident who had been wrongfully arrested in Seoul by police after Ji Hyun reported having a dress-which she had designed-had been stolen. The two clash frequently as Ji Hyun has a difficult time adjusting to life in the country and working with Taek Gi. However, after many twists and turns Ji Hyun adapts to rustic life while falling in love with Taek Gi.' 

On a personal note, what I like about this drama, other than the gorgeous vineyards and sunflower field, is that it's a reminder to not be too quick to judge people based on what you see. Often there's more to the 'story' that what you see on the surface and it often takes time and patience to find our the true person or story. I guess this holds true for me at work or even outside work, where I may meet with a range of people, from adults to kids and often, I'm in a hurry that I may not even realised that I need to stop, put everything down and just devote that time (which may not even be that long) to listen, and I mean really listen to that person. I realised that it has become a bad habit for me to multi-task, like answering a call while checking my emails. I don't like it when that happens because I remember I never used to do that before. But for the last few years, pressed for time, I had to learn to multi-task and it meant cutting things down to the dare essentials and deleting what's 'extra'. But I guess it's from these 'extra' information that one gets the true sense of the situation and maybe even a better understanding of what the other person is REALLY trying to say. Hmm ...

Second one I watched has the same guy from 'Grand Chef', Kim Rae Won (mugshot below), and he looks as cute in this 2006 drama, 'What Star Did You Come From?' (mind you, there are several variations to the translated English title for this drama).

Here's the synopsis from DramaWiki for 'What Star Did You Come From?':

'Seung Hee, after losing his girlfriend in a tragic accident, left for 3 years. When he came back, he sought to make a film in a rural area. Someone caught his eye – Bok Shil, who looks exactly like his deceased girlfriend, Hye Soo. Seung Hee followed Bok Shil in order to get some answers, and ended up falling for her. Still the questions remain, is he attracted to Bok Shil because of the memories of his ex-girlfriend, or does he like Bok Shil for who she is? What happens when competitors come into the picture and families opposing their love?'

Hmm, for this drama, it's about being true to yourself. You're probably screaming right now, 'Liz, it's just a bloody korean drama!!!' *laughs* Hey, I have to justify the time watching these dramas lah! At times, when we take on new roles, we are expected to conform to the new norms or expectations. Which is fine yah. But when you are in a situation where the 'new' you and the 'true' you are in conflict, then you need to decide which is important. And I have a feeling that most of us will pick the easiest path of conforming (especially when, for example, the other path requires giving up the kind of lifestyle one is use to) but ultimately, we need to be okay with that choice. It's about choices. Some may see it as 'selling' out. I don't. I see it as a choice one makes as an adult, and then living with the consequences as a result of that choice. with no regrets. Forgive me my friends, I am rambling some ... guess this is an issue that I have been thinking about, and still thinking about *frowns* and have not reached a point where I am 'okay' with my choices. Hey, I didn't say it was going to be easy so bear with me ... *grins*