Korean Drama : Feast of the Gods

This is a 2012 drama to be remembered!! I thought it was a light hearted drama. The name and the poster drew me to it as i like to watch cooking shows. The poster looked so upbeat and colourful giving the impression of a lighthearted, heart warming comedy with a light touch of romance.

I was so wrong. This drama is full on melo and quite dramatic. All about mixed up childhood and harboured ill feelings and guilt. Romance was also full on but nothing light. However, one thing is for sure, the cooking scenes are so beautifully featured and very very colourful. Lovely!

The storyline wasn't too bad and the star of the show?? hehe, none other then............... read on .................with spoilers!



Starring:
1. Sung Yu Ri as Go Joon Young

This pretty thing just got prettier!! Her last drama in "romance town" was a  bummer, it was disappointing. But this one is really good. I think she performed very well and she was able to embody the fullness of her character.
Joon Young harbours no ill feelings toward anyone despite her traumatic childhood experiences. Being separated from her parents and growing up the hard way, she trudges through life with a very positive easy going heart. This pretty thing charms her ways into others' hearts so easily without her being conscious of her charms.
And guess whose hearts she manages to capture along the way???

two amazingly good looking hunks!! Can you believe it? two hunks!


2. Joo Sang Wook as Choe Jae Ha

Owww, aren't they cute in the pic?
Joo Sang Wook belongs to a well-to-do family from the prestigious authentic traditional Korean restaurant, named Arirang. Jae Ha and Joon Young were supposed to be childhood friends, but through twisted events, Joon Young was lost as a child and she grew up in a remote island away from the city.By fate, they meet while Jae Ha was on an errand in the island. Without knowing Joon Young's real identity, he was charmed by her lively ways and soon when Joon Young moves into the city to work in Arirang, he begin to be wholly captivated by her despite him having a girlfriend.


3. Lee Sang Woo as Kim Do Yoon

Aaaahhh!!
This is it! This is it! He's the highlight of the entire drama!! seriously, his smiles are just too captivating!~~~

This hunk of hunks never looked to hunky! I watched plenty of his older work and was never captivated by him despite his good looks. But in this drama, somehow , it must be the character of Kim Do Yoon so well written and portrayed, it made Lee Sang Woo stand out a lot! Like a screaming bright morning star!

Do Yoon harbours anger and resentment toward his only family member, his mother. And grew up with only one goal, to avenge the death of his twin brother whom his mother indirectly killed. He is very reserved and is a man of few words. His trademark? a slight raising of eyebrows and a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders speaks all.  Haha, i've never seen shrugging of shoulders as cute, but my-oh-my, Do Yoon's trademark shrug is soooo cool. He does not need to smile, he just shrugs his shoulders and walks away from any conversation leaving the challenger dumbfounded and best of all, irritated to the max.

With such aloofness and skewed purpose in life, he has no friends, and never lets anyone break into his personal perimeter..................well, that was until he meets Go Joon Young. This charming girl, like a witchcraft spell, enters into this personal space and more, touching and piercing his heart. He falls for her hard, very hard. And his purpose in life now encompasses loving only Go Joon Young. He cares not whether she returns his love, his only purpose is to love her. And man! does he do it so sweetly. The things he does for her are totally to-die-for even risking his life over deathly mushrooms that can cause him serious effects, and he never expects anything in return.

And he only only only smiles at Go Joon Young. When he parts his lips and reveals two perfect rows of white pearly teeth, any girl would definitely swoon! And his physique, hah, need i say more? Of course, korean dramas are infamous for their male stars going topless in the shower, so...................


4. Seo Hyun Jin as Ha in Joo

Owwww, she did a really good job.
It's the first time i laid my eyes on her and i think she did a really really great  job. She takes on the villain role in the drama and man, you just can't restrain from wanting to slap her left and right.
She's gorgeous as well! She does not have the typical Korean actress-cum life doll look with humongous large luminous eyes, too sharp and tall a nose bridge, and sharply shaved jaw lines.
Seo Hyun Jin looks amazingly gorgeous and natural with the smallish eyes and her very pale skin. The only Korean actress that i know who looks so beautiful with small eyes. Her skin is amazing! not a blemish to be found, not a wrinkle, not a line!  She's born in 1985 whereas Sung Yu Ri is born in 1981. Well, no wonder her skin is so much tighter and refined. I think she has unique looks and characterise Korean/asian small slanted eyes beautifully.


My opinion:
Great drama! so far, 2012 has been a boring year and there's nothing much i can update with. But with this drama, Korean drama seems to have made its comeback again for me.
It's a joy to watch and i mostly like to watch Kim Do Yoon with Go Joon Young. I root for them all the way! they make the cutest couple!

There are some fast-forwarding moments where the drama seems to tarry on some teary scenes and older adult challenges. But all in all, worthy of my time.

Rating: 7/10 (lowered rating due to many fast-forwarding scenes)

korean drama: what i've been watching

Lately, none of the Korean dramas kept me on my toes nor kept me burning late night oil.

So far been watching plenty.....



Dream High 2 

pretty alright but nothing striking. I prefer Dream High 1 which was more energetic, more spell binding, more fun. I couldn't even finish the drama, still have 3 last episodes to watch which i shall if i have time.
Kang So Ra was less than adorable. Didn't like her at all. Jin Woon was eye candy enough and did a job well done for his first time acting.
JB was irritating and Park Ji Yeon was even more irritating.

I would give this one a 5/10.




High Kick 3

 at first it was great and i looked forward to it every week, not until the last 4-5 weeks or so, nothing to look forward to. Storyline kept going on and on and on with no particular climax or interest development. And the ending was lousy. It was soooooooo bland and tasteless.
The development of the characters was immature. Kim Ji Won is number 1 on the list. Her character development was flawful (opposite of flawless??). How could they make her her vision so blinded? Aargh, i'm glad she did not have any successful romantic lines at all, it would be terrible.

Best character goes to Lee Jong Seok. From a nobody who think he has no future with poor grades to an aspiring hard working student who enters top school successfully. Nice.

Other than that, everything else seems irritating. Baek Jin Hee for example, very poor character who thinks more for herself. I always fast forward those episodes with Baek Jin hee.

Sweet couple award goes to Park Ha Sun and Soh Ji Seok. These two are really cute to watch and the development from friends, to one sided love, to successful couple is fun to watch. Also, their sweet antics with each other melts even ice cream.

I give more credit to High Kick 1 and High Kick 2, the best being High Kick 2 although it had the worst sitcom ending. High Kick 3 is the most mellow of all the seasons.

I would give this a 7/10.



Operation Proposal

I had high high hopes for this since its genre is under Fantasy and Romance. I love Korean fantasy dramas such as 49 days and Secret Garden. So i had great expectations for this. Moreover, the star Yoo Seung Ho is pretty cute.

Blech! this was a real disappointment. I hated it. The first few episodes were quite entertaining and i thought, yes, this one should be a winner for this month.
The repetitive nature of going back and forth in time space dulled it out. And although the story line and plot is unique and good, i guess the directorship's to be blamed. It bored me to tears. They couldn't carry out the unique storyline.

Nope, this one's a failure for me, i'd give it only 4/10.

the Moon that embraces the Sun rambling

i've been watching some korean dramas lately, but so far nothing impresses me.


The Moon that Embraces the Sun

Starring (main cast):
Kim soo hyun as Lee Hwon- the King

Kim Soo Hyun did a good job here. He looks a lot better here than in Dream High. In fact, back in Dream High, i thought he looked a little too ordinary to be up as main cast. But in this drama, wow! He manages to punch an impressive marking as the King. His crying scenes are really good too. Good job soo hyun.

~~side note: i think his face and head is reaaaaaaaaallllllllly small. But surprisingly, it does not look out of proportion on his body! With that small head and face, Han Ga In looks surprisingly round like a little steamed bun next to him! haha.



Han Ga In as Heo Yeon Woo

Hmmmm, she's a pretty thing alright. But somehow i can't pinpoint on what is missing. Her acting seems a bit out as if she can't blend into the character. Nope, i think they should've cast someone else.



Jung Il Woo as Yang Myung

Jung Il Woo did a pretty good job. However, Soo Hyun was so much more impressive! Il Woo looked so much larger and even his face, looked a little like a steam bun next to Soo Hyun's small head!



I must say, the story and plot was captivating at first and had my eyes swollen from all that crying. The first 1-7 episodes were the stars of the show! Well, that's where the young cast came in and left. Once the adults played in, i am not sure why, but the appeal did not follow and i had a hesitant time trying to get through to the end.

 I love the younger cast where in they played the main cast's younger days. I could watch a whole drama with just the young cast as they played and portrayed the roles soooo well, so very well. Here are the absolute stars i'm talking about:

as young Lee Hwon, Yeo Jin Ku:

He played the young Lee Hwon so well , so well. His crying scenes were absolutely perfect!!! they'll get your bawling your soul out in no time. On the other hand, he makes you laugh and teases with much humour. And the romance he has with the young Yeon Woo is amazing, it gets your heart melting.


as young Yeon Woo, Kim Yoo Jung;

Kim Yoo Jung plays the smart, highly learned bookworm very well. And gosh, she has such good chemistry with Yeo Jin Ku, it's simply amazing!


as young Heo Yeom, ZeA's  Im Si Wan

This young actor is an absolute sight to behold! Really, another Go Mi Nam, a cute flower boy. He shines so much brighter than the adult Heo Yeom and overpowers him. Once the adult Heo Yeom appeared, the character Heo Yeom diminishes into the shadows. No more stand outs. Heo Yeom becomes a forgotten character.
Si Wan is really cute. Seems that its his first debut in acting, so his performance was somewhat stiff. Yet it delivers and amuses at the same time.


I'd give the moon that embraces the sun credit for directorship. Although the storyline and plot is not out of this world, but the directorship was pretty good. It can get a little boring at times, but still, i'm sure many out there has enjoyed given the high high ratings achieved. Seemed like this drama has been a great success drawing much attention.

I didn't enjoy it very much, only the beginning with the younger cast impressed upon me. This is one where i would not keep nor re-watch.

My personal opinion: 6/10

Stuff from iHerb 2

Got more stuff for iHerb............... i just love iHerb, all natural products at the lowest possible prices and the best shipping prices and the most efficient services!! the website is fantastic too, full of wonderful reviews and testimonies.......... love love love iHerb.


And what's more FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING till 31st march 2012~~ more reason to haul! haha
iHerb shopping: FIRST TIME SHOPPERS WILL GET INSTANT $5 OFF. use this code: GEH463 


Two boxes arrived in a row! yahoo.
First box

Neocell liposome Collagen+C serum -
 great stuff! texture is neither greasy nor dry. From the reviews, this stuff is potent and excellent enough to feel the effects of tightened/ skin firming and radiance in a short period of time! let's see if this stuff works...... here's the description

DGL, Now Foods, for soothing stomach irritation...................
these are lozenges and immediately upon opening, i regret big time. I thought these were pure herbs with no sugary taste etc, i wanted capsules and i got these highly sweetening lozenges. Eeew, the sweetness is unbearable and instead of soothing the stomach, i got more irritation from the sweetness of it.

Mastic gum, by Jarrow Formulas...........
for the stomach again. Stomach ulcers/ H.pylori are supposed to benefit from these...........

Marshmallow root, soothes the stomach lining.........

EO clarifying conditioner for oily hair:
Stocked up 1 bottle of non-silicone conditioner............. no cones in this one , only all goodness and natural ingredients.
There are no no-silicone conditioners in my country, if there were, they would be expensive too.

Wormwood combination:
For parasite cleansing. This is imperative for everyone and is good for detox, especially if you keep pets at home, parasite cleansing is a must!

Bought and extra bottle of Stone Free for the just-in-case days.

Freebie: 5-htp, supports good sleep and anxiety/mood disorder.

Box no. 2:

Loving brown rice milk powder....vanilla flavour. I have this everyday and no irritation/allergies from it. This is my second pack and it finishes off fast....................

Ginger organic candies. I could get it here, but it's always out of stock, so i decided to get some directly from USA. Kind of like the ginger taste minus the "hotness".

Zinc L-carnosine to soothe and protect/heal stomach lining.

Hyaluronic Acid,
 tried it today right after i tore open the box. I could feel my skin plump up in a few minutes!! or is it just my imagination??
This is great for skin! it's supposed to plump up your skin from within providing moisture, suppleness and elasticity! Good for overall joint health as well especially if you have joint pain or creaky joints.

Freebie: 1 sachet ginger tea.

Nicely wrapped in bubble wrap for more fragile items, iHerb gets all your stuff delivered in the most safest manner,!

Marine phytoplankton,
one of the most highly raved product for all time nutrition! very very high in nutritional value and supports all diseases by promoting the immune system and promoting healing.
Plus, reviews were given on how it cleared up hyperpigmentation on skin!

Skin eternal Hyaluronic Acid serum:
accidentally clicked 2 on the quantity and didn't know this until i opened the box. I was wondering why they sent me two of these.

This has the strongest most pungent scent! can cause a headache with those who have sensitive noses! but my oh my,  i used on the first night  and ,hehe, skin plumps up nicely. Kinda like these now and don't regret getting two bottles of this stuff. It works beautifully for hands too. I have dry dry dry hands and they seem to give my grandma hands and instant makeover. Feels more plumped with less dry lines. Wonder if i use it for long term, will my hands turn back to how it used to be when i was 15?

however, they do give a greasy look so i suppose i'll only use this at night. Quite happy for my first impression with the serum. I have a feeling that these might clog pores so deep pore cleansing would be necessary.

Freebie: glasses wipe cloth in white. It's so nice and white , i am hesitant to get it dusty and stained by wiping my dusty glasses with it!

Stuff from iHerb 1

Got some stuff from iHerb. I've had several hauls from iHerb already but have not been around to put those up. Will put up what i got today............. a whole load of supplements.


The boxes from iherb are sturdy as can be..........

Opened box 1:

Got myself some brown rice milk, Vanilla flavour:
Whole grain and heart healthy, Dairy and lactose-free, Good source of protein, Low glycemic load, Soy and corn-free.
Ingredients:

Organic oryzalife (organic whole grain brown rice, organic sprouted whole grain brown rice protein), organic oryza (organic whole grain brown rice syrup solids), calcium carbonate, organic natural flavors, organic guar gum, organic gum arabic, organic stevia, sea salt, natural flavor, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin).

Organic and natural flavors not derived from corn or gluten.

Ox Bile to help digestion, especially if you eat a fatty meal  and have gallbladder problems:

Herbs for gallbladder support:

Planetary Herbals Stone Free is a unique combination designed to support the kidneys, liver and gallbladder. Dandelion root and turmeric root are bitter substances that can support the body's normal bile flow. Parsley root and marshmallow root have been used historically for supporting normal fluid elimination.

Created for Planetary Herbals by licensed acupuncturist and clinical herbalist Michael Tierra. A clinician since 1972, Michael is an authority on the world's herbal traditions, and has authored several respected herb books.

Herbs for thyroid support:
NOW Thyroid Energy is a complete nutritional supplement for the support of healthy thyroid function. NOW has combined Iodine (from Kelp) and Tyrosine, the two integral constituents of thyroid hormone, with the minerals Selenium, Zinc and Copper, to assist in its production. In addition, NOW Thyroid Energy contains Guggul Extract, an Ayurvedic herb known for its ability to support a healthy metabolism.

Orthophosphoric acid for gallbladder support, came nicely wrapped in bubble paper and another plastic wrapper as protector:

Beet Juice powder:
Organic beet juice and whole beet greens, Instantly soluble, yet rich in fiber.
Excellent dietary source of nitric oxide, betalain pigments, vitamins and minerals.
Freeze-drying is the best method for preserving the complex chemistry, active enzymes and entire matrix of a plant in it's fresh form.

Beets are good for anaemia, weak blood circulation and to increase RBCs.

It came nicely packed in a carton cardboard box, very thoughtful and careful of iHerb:

Freebies from iHerb: digestive enzymes, acai berry powder, green tea sachet......

Opened box no. 2:

Molybdenum for flushing out toxins from the body, Pepzin GI for gastrointestinal support, digestive health:

Slippery Elm for overall GI health, inflammatory GI conditions:

Carlson Cod Liver oil,

• 100% Norwegian Quality Cad Liver Oil
• Dietary Supplement
• Purity Potency Freshness Guaranteed
• Rich in Omega-3's EPA & DHA
• 300% More Cod Liver Oil

Xylitol for sugar substitute, will not cause candida, in fact, it is highly recommended if you have candida/ yeast infections:

Aura Cacia mineral bath, for detoxing the body through the skin.

I'm now into natural soaps for hair, body , face. Will try this natural witch hazel soap free of synthetics:

Been also using JR Liggett's shampoo bars, but did not really fancy it.




Freebie: biotin 5000mg, good for leaky gut syndrome and skin, hair , nails.

Multi vitamin B came nicely packed in bubble wrap:

A multi B with all the Bs in the family at a good size of 50mg each. Bs calm nerves and provide energy! It's also good for PMS.



iHerb shopping: FIRST TIME SHOPPERS WILL GET INSTANT $5 OFF. use this code: GEH463