TV Drama Review #350 - The King 2 Hearts

No. of Eps: 20
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/MBC
Cast:
Lee Seung Ki ~ Lee Jae Ha
Ha Ji Won ~ Kim Hang Ah
Jo Jung Suk ~ Eun Shi Kyung
Yoon Je Moon ~ Kim Bong Goo / John Mayer
Lee Yoon Ji ~ Lee Jae Shin
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
The King 2 Hearts is set in a parallel universe where modern day South Korea is governed by a constitutional monarchy descended from the Joseon Dynasty. Lee Jae Ha is a handsome yet materialistic crown prince, who does not care about politics and bares total reluctance for being the second successor to the throne. The current king tricked him into joining a joint military collaboration with North Korea as a means to help "make him grow up". Meanwhile, Kim Hang Ah is a North Korean Special Forces Officer, who is also the daughter of a North Korean military high command official. Both Jae Ha and Hang Ah meet at the joint military training, a crucial part in establishing friendly relations between the two separate countries. Although the two met each other with a fiery disposition, Jae Ha unwittingly sparks a friendship with Hang Ah and soon, he subsequently falls in love with her. An arranged marriage is set up between the two and they eventually become engaged. While they attempt to set their differences aside and kindle a growing relationship, things suddenly take a turn for the worse when the King  and his wife were coldly assassinated by the devious Club M, who are led by John Mayer, a mysterious magician who wishes to remove the Royal Family and rule in their stead. Now crowned the new King of South Korea, Jae Ha must learn to be resposiable and protect the country before it is too late.
Review:
The hype for this drama was much more than "Rooftop Prince", partly due to Lee Seung Gi + Ha Ji Won combi. Expectations automatically risen as well, but personally, I found the plot boring. Hence, injustice was done to the drama as I browsed through most of the episodes instead of watching it.
Imagining South Korea under a monarch rule is nothing new, as a unified Korea is something different. The thought of North Koreans in a drama means the plot would be rather political, which also means it would be boring to ppl like me. Ha!
I thought Lee Yoon Ji + Jo Jung Suk couple saved the show somehow. Their romance scenes might not be alot, and they did not have a happy ending, but the storyline was touching. On the other hand, my interest in the main couple dropped because of the immature Lee Jae Ha.
I still don't understand why the ajummas loved LSG so much, but I thought he's not so bad in "Brilliant Legacy". Sadly, he did not impress me here, though the scriptwriter is kinder to him by giving him more scenes and developments.
I pitied Ha Ji Won as she's underused in the drama. She could give the viewers alot more besides crying. I liked her action scenes, and her image now is more towards being a tough girl. Too bad, Hang An looked more like a flower vase to me, being "thrown" between the 2 Koreas.
Jo Jung Suk is a musical actor, so even if he's new in dramaland, acting is sort of guaranteed here. He did not disappoint us, and I found his acting better than LSG. Ha! Chemistry with Lee Yoon Ji was great. Look forward to see his new works.
Haven't watch Lee Yoon Ji's dramas for quite sometime. Her princess role is challenging as Jae Shin transformed from a carefree princess to a princess who can shoulder responsibility.
Last but not least, the mad man Yoon Je Moon gave a great performance as Club M. Haha! He is really psycho!

Vacation is coming!

My long deserved break is coming in 14 days time!
I thought I would not be too excited about it, as I've been to Shanghai before.
However, many things happened recently, and I am mentally tired.
So, I need a break from work~!!! 

"Disappointment" is the word which popped out of my mind quite oftenly thesedays.
I know everyone is not perfect, but when they fall short of my minimum expectations, I can't help feeling this way.

I have a long way to go, learning how to deal with people-related issues at work. All these come with experiences, so I don't blame myself for not doing more at this moment.

Well, I hope all these negative issues would have a nice closure. If it does not happen, I could only conclude it's a pity.

Putting that aside, I think my "bo-chapism" technique is working well on me. Haha!

TV Drama Review #349 - Rooftop Prince 屋塔房王世子

No.of Eps: 20
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/SBS
Cast:
Micky Yoochun ~ Yong Tae Yong / Lee Gak
Han Ji Min ~ Park Ha / Bu Yong
Lee Tae Sung ~ Yong Tae Mu
Jung Yoo Mi ~ Hong Se Na / Hwa Yong
Lee Min Ho ~ Song Man Bo
Choi Woo Shik ~ Do Chi San
Jung Suk Won ~ Woo Yong Sul
Synopsis: (edited from Wikipedia)
Lee Gak, the crown prince of Joseon dynasty is investigating the death of the crown princess Hwa Yong when he and his entourage Song Man Bo, Woo Yong Sul, and Do Chi-san are mysteriously teleported 300 years into the future. They appear on the rooftop home of Park Ha, a hard working young woman living in modern day Seoul. Unknown to Lee Gak, Park Ha resembles his sister-in law Bu Yong from the Joseon era. The four undergo a hilarious transformation, adapting to the modern culture under the strict mentoring of Park Ha. Lee Gak decides to co-operate with Park Ha so that he can solve the mystery behind the murder of the crown princess.
The reincarnation of Lee Gak, Tae Yong, who is a rich heir to a multimillion dollar company, is accidentally thrown overboard from his private cruise in New York and is left for dead by his cousin Tae Mu. Tae Mu returns to Seoul and schemes with his father to inherit all of Tae Yong's riches. He has a secret affair with the company's secretary Se Na, who happens to be the stepsister of Park Ha. Se Na dislikes Park Ha and always gets her in trouble. Lee Gak encounters Se Na, who is the spitting image of his dead wife and tries to get her attention...
Review:
Time travelling themed dramas is now the IN thing in Asia. They might be overflooding our TV screens now, but each of them brought out their differences. My 1st time travelling Kdrama is "Rooftop", and I enjoyed it, despite some flaws in the plot.
Plot wise, the big theme is to solve the mystery in Chosun era. Who killed the crown princess? But from the start, viewers wld start guessing is the crown pricness really dead. Haha! Nice twist! There are numerous side plots happening in the modern era. The funniest part is how the "Chosun 4" adapt their lives in modern era. Other than that, the rest of the plot focused on the scheming duo, Tae Mu+Se Na, which also constitute the boring side of the drama.
Nonetheless, the scriptwriter gave us lots of kisses between the leads, and nice twists to the plot.
Micky has made a name for himself as an actor, but before "Rooftop", I have not watched his other dramas. (I still prefer him singing though) I am glad that Micky proved me wrong with his acting here. He's expressive and acted with conviction. Chemistry with Han Ji Min and Chosun 3 were great!
I liked Han Ji Min, and her acting hardly fails. Her character, both Park Ha and Bu Yong, were pitiful.
Glad to see Lee Tae Sung with a meaty role, but Tae Mu is just horrible. Lolz! This guy is damn evil.
Lee Tae Sung's acting is rather stiff, perhaps it's because Tae Mu is always doing something bad. I prefer watching him in more carefree roles, like "Playful Kiss". :p
Jung Yoo Mi is actually great here, but both her characters were total opposite of Han Ji Min's.
The Chosun 3 (Lee Min Ho/Choi Woo Shik/Jung Suk Won) did well as the supporting cast. Without them, our prince Lee Gak would be too boring to watch.

Shopping for bags

Went to orchard with E.W., and both of us got a bag each.
I bought a Herschel's Acre backpack at Cine. Actually I've never heard of this brand before, but thanks to the newspaper report, I finally got to know this brand.
E..W. went to Rockstar and wanna buy a pair of TOMS classics, but don't have her size. What a pity!
Luckily, E.W. still managed to buy a Kipling bag for herself. Haha!

Yeah! We have new bags for the upcoming trip!

Dinner

Had a great dinner with my colleagues at Sofra Turkish restaurant. The ambience was nice, and the food was awesome!  Just that it's abit too meaty for me.

 The starters. Hummus, and Turkish bread.

 My colleague and his wife's Jumbo Kebab meal.

My super filling Chef's Plate, which is definitely worth the penny!

TV Drama Review #348 - Feast of the Gods 神的晚餐

No.of Eps: 32
Yr/TV Stn: 2012/MBC
Cast:
Sung Yu Ri ~ Go Joon Young
Joo Sang Wook ~ Choi Jae Ha
Lee Sang Woo ~ Kim Do Yoon
Seo Hyun Jin ~ Ha In Joo / Song Yeon Woo
Synopsis:
15 yrs ago, Sung Do Hee and Baek Sul competed to become Arirang's master chef. Baek Sul was injured and lost the competition. She rushed home and saw young Do Yoon playing by himself, while his twin brother Ji Woon laid stiff on the floor. Do Hee, her husband, and daugher In Joo, celebrated her victory on a cruise ship. At the same time, young Yeon Woo was on board with her mum. Tragic happens as both In Joo and Yeon Woo's mum fell into the ocean.
Do Hee mistook Yeon Woo as In Joo, and Yeon Woo's fate changed forever. Now, she bears the name of Ha In Joo, and is the future successor of Arirang. Her long-time boyfriend is Choi Jae Ha, who's the grandson of the ex-master chef of Arirang.
On the other hand, the real In Joo is now Go Joon Young, and leads a tough life with a gambler father. Joon Young meets Jae Ha one day, and eventually finds herself at Arirang. She earns herself a place in Arirang, and starts to fall for Jae Ha....
The low-profiled Kim Do Yoon joins Arirang as a junior staff. He's nonchalent about people around him. He lives by himself, but seems to know alot about cooking. He likes to disturb Joon Young, but he's concerned about her as well.
Just then, internationally well-known chef, Haemil is in Seoul...
Review:
I've no plans to watch FOTG, but Lee Sang Woo made me finished it. Hahaha! The 2nd lead syndrome was deadly...lolz! I guessed the real male lead is never well defined here. Joo Sang Wook is technically more famous than Lee Sang Woo. Hence, it's not wrong to think he's the male lead. However, Jae Ha is one of the most boring character I've ever seen. He's really not the male lead calibre. On the other hand, LSW's Do Yoon has so much development - complicated background, mysterious identities, and his romance with Joon Young was so much better than Jae Ha with Joon Young. LSW and SYR shared a kiss early in the drama, while JSW and SYR did not have a proper one. Thus, I am not really convinced that JSW is the male lead.
The plot was cliched- the standard swop identities family drama plot. Cooking is actually not the main focus here. The focus was how 2 women's competition affected their kids. Hahaha! Joon Young's real identity plot was rather boring, and Do Yoon's plot actually stole the attention. He really had too many secrets. Haha! Actually the drama cld be perfect if there are less episodes. Towards the end, the plot really dragged and they left too little time for Do Yoon and Joon Young! (Angry!)
Ending was unstatisfying and with loopholes. I bet alot of ppl is cursing the scriptwriter for not giving us a happy ending. I cld only be glad that Do Yoon is the one that Joon Young likes.
Every character got its own flaws. Joon Young was too naive, In Joo is too cunning, Jae Ha is selfish, while Do Yoon is too selfless.
I really hoped that was more focus on cooking or on the romance lines. Even though they decided to let Joon Young pair up with Do Yoon, the scriptwriter was really stingy to give the couple more scenes!
If you're a fan of Lee Sang Woo, do watch this drama coz' he's awesome. On the other hand, I pitied Joo Sang Wook, as his performance cld have been much better. However, the character was really under developed. I hardly watch Sung Yuri's drama, but I think she's not too bad here. Joon Young is probably not the best character she acted in. Seo Hyun Jin's performance was not bad either, and the fake In Joo character was actually more complicated that the pure good girl Joon Young. Though SHJ is still kinda stiff at times, I think she will improve with more experience.

Shoe Hunting

Went to hunt for shoes with E.W.
Before we spotted any shoes, E.W. bought her legging pants from Uniqlo and I bought a top from G2000.
Went to Aldo, but found nothing. 
Walked to Wisma, but cld not find anything from Charles & Keith, PrettyFit, Heatwave & Pazzion. (I am really fussy~)
Went to Domani, and I was upset that they removed my Sambal Seafood Marinara from their menu!!!! (Pls bring it back!!!!!)
In the end, we had lunch at Cedele. E.W's vegetarian spagh portion was pathetic.
We continued our shoe hunting and I realised I left my phone at Cedele!
So we walked all the way back to NAC to get my phone back...faints~~~
We checked out Centrepoint and OG and could not find anything.
Last place is to check out Plaza Sing....and I finally found 2 pairs of shoes from DMK. Hahaha!
So, DMK shoes now also come with cushioning. They actually put pads at the front part of the shoe, and that's something uncommon.