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K-Drama Review: Boys Over Flowers, episodes 1-2

2012-01-29T15:31:00.000-06:00

Contains Spoilers for episodes 1-2

Jandi is a poor high school girl who works part-time at her parents' dry cleaning business and part-time at a porridge shop. She's a cheerful person with a can-do attitude, but her temper explodes when she is delivering dry cleaning to the exclusive Shinhwa High School and has to save a boy from jumping to his death to escape the bullying at school. It turns out that the bullying was instigated by F4, the Flower Four (really? seriously? that's what these teenage guys are allowing themselves to be called?), who are the handsomest, wealthiest, and most snobby of all the handsome wealthy snobs at Shinhwa.

Jandi is all but ready to murder JunPyo, the cold-hearted leader of F4, but she has to dial down her rage when she is accepted into Shinhwa as a publicity stunt to cover up for the almost-suicide on campus. Jandi hates JunPyo and loves his best friend JiHoo, but soon it becomes evident that super-meanie JunPyo might actually harbor warm fuzzy feelings for Jandi. A few kidnappings, makeovers, and returned long-lost loves later, and the plot really gets underway. Only 22 episodes left to go...

While watching this show, it's important to remember that Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers/Boys Before Flowers isn't just a TV show; it was a manga series that ran for ten years in Japan, then an anime film, a live-action film, a J-drama (Japanese), a C-drama (Chinese) then a K-drama, and there are other spinoffs as well. It's seriously like the Twilight of Asia, so when discussing BOF we're really discussing a phenomenon more than a story.

I didn't personally click with this show and I didn't want to watch the whole thing, but I did read recaps of all 24 episodes, just so I would know how the series ended. It seemed important to have some knowledge of this story that so many fans have fallen for. You can read a superbly detailed recap of Episode 1 over here at Dramabeans.

Things I Loved:

1. Jandi. I like her hardworking nature and the way she sticks up for the underprivileged and never actually sees herself as underprivileged. She is often a voice of reason in this really loopy world of rich people, and she stands up to JunPyo like a tough girl should. I'm also a big fan of the actress Goo Hye Sun, though I prefer her acting in other dramas to this one. Still, it's pretty impressive that she was 25 at the time of filming and easily passed for a 17-year-old without straining credulity in the slightest.

Our Heroine, Pedaling Her Laundry Bike.

2. JiHoo. I came to this drama ready to adore him, because I heard he was the good guy in the love triangle, in contrast to JunPyo's total jerk of a character. However, whether it was a result of the acting, directing, or script, JiHoo wasn't as awesome as I'd anticipated. Yes, he does wear a white suit and play a violin in the forest (so artsy-cool!), but I don't really get much emotion from the character. He falls flat, but even then I'm glad he's around, just so we have a quiet personality to balance out the explosive tempers of the rest of the cast.

Bland, but Sweet.

3. Jandi's nutty family. Her parents and kid brother are ecstatic to have her go to Shinhwa. While the average mom and dad might understand their daughter's reluctance to go to a place where the students are wealthy psychopaths, but Jandi's folks know that Jandi's status and theirs will be improved if she takes one for the team and attends the Academy of Evil.

An Intensely Practical Family.

Complaints: 1. JunPyo's hair. The actor Lee Minho is an attractive enough person, but the sideswept wave-curls don't make sense to me. But I suppose it's a testament to the bigger issues I have with the show if something as simple as an offbeat haircut can make me want to turn away from the screen.

Not His Best Look.

Although, considering the hairstyles in the original manga, I should probably be thankful for the lucky break:

2. The cartoony elements. The original manga story began in 1992, so that explains some of the overwhelming dramatic elements. Early-90's love stories, whether in America or overseas, tended to be a little more angsty and melodramatic than they are now, twenty years later. But even knowing that this show was an over-the-top story made in the style of the comics, I still felt stunned by the lack of realism. Jandi saves a falling guy who is twice her size (and who has already jumped off a building) just by grabbing his sweater? That's not an exaggerated moment made to suit the drama--that's more like cartoon physics.

Miraculously Rescued by the Strength of Jandi's Fingers.

3. F4's evilness/non-evilness. The guys never actually beat up another student, but when they decide to "red card" somebody, the rest of the school chips in to hit and humiliate that person until they leave Shinhwa. One targeted kid gets covered in blood from these fights and ends up trying to kill himself. And our heroes drove him to do this? But then they never truly seem like fully bad guys afterward, which is confusing. I don't mind anti-heroes in K-dramas, but this takes it to an all new level of cruelty, while still somehow keeping our main characters free of all guilt.

Themes:

The obscenity of wealth: I don't know if all viewers feel like this, but every time I see F4 spending their money in extravagant ways, I shudder. Jandi sees the overkill and protests it, but the show still wants to provide us with lavish costumes, exciting locations, and cool leisure activities, so the abundance keeps rolling in.

Standing up for the oppressed: Jandi is inclined to do this, and though she's only sorta kinda sometimes rewarded for her efforts, I think the audience is still supposed to see the value of her actions. It's how we know she's a true heroine.
Cultural Observances:
Hardcore college entrance exams: Normal citizens are angry that Shinhwa students automatically get into Shinhwa college without having to take the big, scary national exam along with everyone else.

New words: "Shinhwa" means "myth or "legend", which is appropriate because the high school is legendary.

Episode Evaluations: I didn't like it. I absolutely understand why BOF is popular and why other people love it, but unlike another ultra-hyped series, Secret Garden, I never caught the fire with this one. It's just not my style, what with all the kidnappings and past traumas, etc. I need something either more comedic or more realistic.

Scripture Sunday: The Book of Philippians

2012-01-29T15:01:00.001-06:00

Philippians is always an uplifting book to read because, unlike other churches Paul wrote to, the church at Philippi does not need a lot of chiding or correcting. Despite having a few small issues related to church unity, they are a well-adjusted church who love God and love other people.

Paul's introduction shows just how much he cares for these people: "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" (1:3) he says, and just a short while later, "I have you in my heart" (1:7). My own heart is touched when I read things like this. It really does seem like Paul views himself as their brother/father/friend, and he prays for the people at Philippi and longs to see them again. And he goes on to list his prayers for them, in a highly specific way which shows that he really does have their best interests at heart--he wants them to grow closer to Jesus and to "approve things that are excellent" and to "be sincere and without offence".

This particular letter is written while Paul is in jail, but he tells the Philippians that his imprisonment has actually worked out to help further the cause of the gospel because some people have now grown more bold about sharing their faith. Being in prison does not bother Paul very much. He isn't even afraid of losing his own life as a martyr for Jesus--in fact, he describes himself as being caught between actively wanting to leave this world and be with the Lord and wanting to stay and help care for the churches.

In chapter 2, Paul reminds the Philippians to remain united and to stand together in Christ. "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" (2:3-4). To me, this verse describes the very core of the Christian attitude towards others; I am not better than you, and I am going to think of your needs before my own. Humility and selflessness are traits to be prized and aspired to.

The closing part of chapter 4 is my favorite part of this book, and I've tried to memorize the helpful list of things on which godly people should focus their thoughts: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (4:8).

Announcing the Ultimate Reviewers Challenge!

2012-01-28T14:14:00.000-06:00

It's time for the 4th Ultimate Reviewers Challenge! I co-host this event twice every year with by blogging buddies Lena from Addicted 2 Novels, Karen from For What It's Worth Reviews. Through the whole month of February, book bloggers are invited to review as many books as possible, then enter links to their reviews for a chance to win prize packs of great books and ARCs!

Karen's intro to the URC:

"How it works: For the month of February you can link your reviews on each of our blogs (our Ultimate Reviewer's Challenge posts will be up with a linky on February 1st) For every review you link you will be entered to win one of two prize packs. Each blog will have two different prize packs. At the end of the event, we'll each pick two winners.

Addicted 2 Novels & All-Consuming Media - US only
For What It's Worth - US and International"

"Better Know a Blogger" info: If Email me at leighofthestone(at)yahoo(dot)com if you'd like to do a short interview about your blog, to be featured here on All-Consuming Media in the month of February. Remember, you can only be featured at one blog, so if you want to be interviewed at All-Consuming Media, it means you won't be submitting the same interview to Addicted 2 Novels or For What It's Worth

And here are the awesome prize packs offered!

1st prize (provided for me courtesy of Karen):

Pandemonium

A Touch of Mortal

Kiss Crush Collide

The Story of Us

Masque of the Red Death

2nd prize (provided for me courtesy of Lena):

Curveball

Rock On

Infinity

Rules:

*You must have a book review blog or Goodreads
*These must be real reviews, meaning more than just a couple of sentences describing the book. We'll be checking to make sure you're posting legitimate reviews!
*All reviews must have been posted for the first time during the month of February 2012. You can't just enter all your old reviews.
*No one review can be entered twice on the same blog. That doesn't mean you can't post the same review on each one of our blogs (for a total of 3 entries per review), just not the same review twice on one blog.
*This contest will be US only for All Consuming Media & Addicted 2 Novels, US and international on For What It's Worth

*The challenge ends on February 29th, midnight, CST.

*Rules and regulations are subject to change depending on current situations. Don't worry, you'll be informed

*There will be 2 winners per blog for a total of 6 winners.

And a big thank you to Sandy Scribing Shadows for designing our URC banner--it's the 4th banner she's made for us, and I think it's the cutest one yet!

Song Review: Warrior by B.A.P.

2012-01-28T11:57:00.001-06:00

I rarely review individual songs, but K-pop rookie group B.A.P. had such a fun debut song, I just couldn't wait until their official EP release to review it. It took me awhile to get used to their name because in my mind, B.A.P. stands for Black American Princesses, due to the the 1990's comedy movie of the same name (starring Halle Berry!), but in the case of this band, it's supposed to mean "Best, Absolute, Perfect". I don't know if they're perfect, but they're certainly the best debut band I've seen in K-pop.

I was slightly familiar with a couple of members of B.A.P. before their debut. Bang Yong Guk has had a solo release and been featured on a song with Yosoeb of BEAST, and I grew to appreciate his serious rapping style. Then Bang did a duo song called "Never Give Up" with Zelo, the youngest member of his own band, and I thought that song was pretty cute and uplifting even if it contained some clashing music styles (namely pop, rap, and gospel choir singing). I'm guessing that "Bang & Zelo" is an official subunit of B.A.P. and that they'll be releasing more duo music in the future, which ought to be something to look forward to.

Anyhow, with Bang and Zelo, B.A.P. has two very good rappers with distinct styles--Bang has a low rumble-roar of a voice, and since he's the first person you really hear on "Warrior", he catches your attention. Next are some nice, fierce stretches of singing in the verses, followed by an epic chorus. I feel like you could do just about anything difficult while listening to the chorus of "Warrior"--chop down a tree, climb a mountain, bake a souffle. Anything that's hard to do, this chorus will give you the adrenaline to face it. Waaarrrior! Digidigidom digidigidom. Waarrrrrrrrrrior!!!! I'm just plain partial to warrior-themed songs.

Zelo's rap section is faster, has more finesse, and practically begs to be memorized. Even across the language barrier, it sounds great. I also like Zelo's repetition of "get down", because when most people say that in a song, they mean "let's party and have fun!" In this song it feels more like a quiet, literal warning to duck out of the way of something dangerous.

Lyrics: The lyrics are definitely a social commentary of some sort, but after reading a few different English translations, I'm still not positive which issue is at stake. I think it may be about gang warfare? There's definitely some discussion of standing up for others, avoiding hypocrisy, telling the truth and being a "warrior". Though frankly, I'm just thrilled to see lyrics that aren't either about love or about bragging. It's a step in a more diverse direction.

English: There's a bit of English here and there. I would say that Zelo's pronunciation is better than Bang's, because when Zelo says an English word I always know that he's switching languages, but when Bang switches to English, I have to check the lyrics to make sure that it's not still Korean.

In summary: Now this is how you debut. I don't know much about B.A.P., but I do know that they have two good rappers and at least two good singers (though I don't know which two they are). "Warrior" is a bold song with a strong brass section, warning whistle noises, and infectious raps. No part of the song is repeated too often, so you're left wanting more rather than wondering why the song is going on for so long.

My grade: 4.5 stars for the song.

Watchable bonus: Here's the music video for "Warrior". I giggled a bit when I first saw it because it is so stylized and faux-ghetto, but it has since grown on me. Giant evil rabbits! Skulls, condemned cars, sledgehammers, wind, and fire! The most difficult thing about the MV is the inability to distinguish the members of the band. I had to keep doing recounts to figure if there were 5 or 6 members of the band because they blended together a little too well. But their puppet-dance is pretty great, as is the mimed representation of guns.

And here is a helpful lyrics video, complete with romanized Korean lyrics and English translations.

Guest Post: "Going Forth with Resolution" by Marie Lamba, author of Drawn

2012-01-27T07:59:00.001-06:00

Tiger: Good morning, everyone! I'm glad to be a part of author Marie Lamba's blog tour for her latest YA book, Drawn. Here's her awesome guest post on the subject of New Year’s resolutions. :-)

_______________________________________

Going Forth with Resolution
Guest post by Marie Lamba, author of Drawn

For a lot of us, January means more than just changing the way we date checks. It’s about change, pure and simple. New year, new goals. People quit smoking, hit the gym, start writing that novel they always vowed they’d write. They promise to change the way they view the world, or to take the world by storm in some way.

For me, for many years, my New Year’s resolution was: This year, I’m going to get a book accepted for publication. It was a silly resolution for many reasons. First of all, it was in too many ways out of my control. Sure, I could write the best book possible, and submit it to as many agents or editors as possible, but after that? Completely out of my hands. Second of all, it was a silly resolution because it could be seriously discouraging. How could I set a deadline for something that could take a month or 10 years to accomplish? Yet I made this resolution for myself year after year after year…after year. Until I just stopped making this, or any resolution at all.

Happily, I didn’t stop working on my craft or submitting my work. (Note to the nearly discouraged writers out there…my first novel took 10 years to write and never sold, but my second novel DID sell, and pretty fast…so please take heart and stick to your dreams no matter how long they take.)

Nowadays, I still don’t make resolutions. It’s not because I don’t have goals or things I want changed. I think it has more to do with the fact that I have TOO many goals, and I’m already just too busy trying to make all of them happen. A big goal this year is getting the word out about my newest novel Drawn, which is a paranormal YA about a teen artist who draws and then falls for a medieval ghost with a sketchy past. My other huge goals include teaching others the craft of writing through workshops and classes and conferences, and working extra hard at my newest career: that of an Associate Literary Agent for The Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in NYC.

Plus I’m also trying to be a decent mom to my two daughters, to not neglect my rather nutty poodle Ella, and I’m trying to make SOME decent meals for my family so they won’t fade away while I’m lost hovering over my keyboard. Then there’s the war against the dust bunnies in my house. The bunnies are armed and dangerous, and are currently on the attack…hear that gacking sound in the background? That’s Ella the poodle choking a bit, alas.

Also, there’s that dreaded Y membership. The one my husband uses so much his membership tag has worn thin. The one I use so rarely, that when I do, people there say to me, “Oh, are you coming back to the gym now? Good for you!” The other day my dear husband informed me about a new study which proves that people who sit all day are much more likely to grow fat cells in their butt. When he told me this, I sat in front of my laptop blinking at him, trying not to ponder what, exactly, he was trying to communicate to me…

But ah well, right? No resolutions here. What will be, will be and all that!

EXCEPT, I would like to promise myself that this year I will come up with a brand new novel idea, and that I’ll actually start and finish said brand new novel. I’m tossing around an idea right now…sort of a Bridget Jones-ish type of character but set in Philly. I might call it The Temp…or not. IF I made resolutions, then this would be a good one. That I would squeeze between the dust-bunnies and the growing fat cells (so sorry for the unfortunate visual!) a new novel , and give it the time needed for it to develop and shape (stop thinking about those fat cells), and I’d clean the draft up (begone dreaded dust bunnies), and I’d send it out into the world, come what may.

Also, I would like to promise myself that I’ll actually get up from my laptop more often to step outside into the fresh air as a way of getting inspiration for even more writing.

But I don’t make resolutions. I DO NOT.

So, what sort of resolutions are you NOT making this year?

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Tiger: Thanks for sharing, Marie! I'm currently navigating my way around resolutions/non-resolutions, myself. Readers, you can look below for more info about this wonderful author and her newest book, Drawn!

Marie Lamba(marielamba.com) is author of acclaimed young adult novels including What I Meant… (Random House), Over My Head, and the new paranormal YA novel Drawn. When she isn’t writing or exercising like a maniac at the gym, she’s working as an Associate Literary Agent at The Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in NYC.

About Drawn:

Teen artist Michelle De Freccio moves to England in search of a normal life...instead she finds a hot medieval ghost with a sketchy past.

It all begins when a strange guy appears in Michelle's drawings. When she actually meets him at the town’s castle, she's unmistakably drawn to him. But something is definitely not right. For starters, he wears medieval garb, talks of ancient murders and tends to disappear each time they kiss.

Could he possibly be a ghost? Could Michelle be losing her mind? Or has she simply uncovered a love so timeless it’s spanned the centuries…

Buy the book at Amazon.com

Praise for Drawn:

“A lushly romantic ghost story…captivating and haunting. I didn’t want it to end.” –Cyn Balog, author of paranormal YA novels Fairy Tale, Sleepless, and Starstruck

"...a wonderfully spooky tale of romance and discovery. It’s a magical exploration of the unconquerable power of love. Highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot& Ruin and Dust & Decay

“In DRAWN, Marie Lamba deftly entwines romance and mystery, past and present, into a page-turning adventure. Buy it today and I promise you’ll be finished reading far too quickly!” —Joy Nash USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author of The Immortals series, The Grail King and The Unforgiven

Follow Friday and TGIF

2012-01-26T20:19:00.001-06:00

Parajunkee's question this week was: Q: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

I usually try to read everything I can get my hands on, and I actively try to step outside my genre comfort zone now and again (used to read zero nonfiction, but now I try plenty of how-to books and biographies), but there are 2 genres I never go near: Horror and Erotica.

My one exception regarding horror is zombies--I love them. And if vampires, werewolves and such can be counted as horror-creatures, then I like those as well. But I don't enjoy experiencing terror or witnessing murder, torture, or pure evil emerging victorious. I am utterly uninterested in books where the main draw is the terror factor.

As for erotica, again it's a category that has nothing to interest me. Romance I love, whether it's YA, paranormal, historical or contemporary, but erotica isn't something I want to be filling my mind with.

So there are really only two genres I stay away from, but I'm pretty serious about my personal convictions regarding these two.

Ginger's question this week was: Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

I used to be a buy-buy-buyer in regard to books. I've never been much of a money spender in any respect except when it comes to books--if you added them all up, I've probably bought an average of two books per week since my first year of highschool (so 1000+ books, not counting comics). But I would read even more than that because I'd get big stacks of books from the library in addition to my official purchases.

I've never minded having a book on loan from a friend or a library, but if it was a truly stunning book I was likely to get my own copy anyway, to support the author.

Now, I haven't bought a book in two full months because I'm saving up for something big. :-) I currently get all my books from Netgalley and ebook library loans, and few from publishers. And I'm really cool with that! Books are more of a joy now that I've gotten less OCD about obtaining them.

Book Review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

2012-01-24T14:19:00.000-06:00

Young Jim Hawkins works with his father at the Admiral Benbow Inn, and his life is normal until "the old seadog" Billy Bones comes to stay at the inn. Jim is told to look out for a man with one leg, and soon the one-legged man begins to haunt his dreams, which is a good indication of the troubles to come. The next thing Jim knows, he's off on an adventure with a poorly-chosen crew of sailors, a few decent Englishmen, a map that is supposed to lead to a hidden treasure, and Long John Silver--a quirky and charming ship's cook who wins Jim's admiration, but who is hiding quite a few secrets.

I'm reading this book again as an adult, but what I remember most about reading Treasure Island in my childhood is how uninterested I was in it. I think by the time I read the book at age 11 or so, I had already seen so many adaptations, skits, and knockoffs of Treasure Island that reading the source material was a letdown. Plain old betrayals and treasure discoveries somehow felt anticlimactic. As a kid, I also resented the fact that there were no girls in the story (except for Jim's easily flustered mom). You can't really fault a story about sailors and pirates for not having any prominent female characters, but I still find that very few dudes-only stories manage to hold my attention. To really get into a fictional world, I almost always have to have somebody as my stand-in, some significant female presence affecting the story. But despite my initial apathy, I do think there are some nice points to Treasure Island.

Upsides:

-- Realism. Everyone's very dirty, with ratty hair, black fingernails, jagged scars, etc. This doesn't seem to be a romanticized rendering of pirates.

--Action. Though Treasure Island is descriptive enough, it's definitely not flowery and the author doesn't spend as much time as other writers of the same period on establishing the scenery, which I appreciated.

--Jim. He doesn't seem like an especially vivid character because he's mainly the lens through which we see the fictional world, but he is notably brave and he is very action-oriented for a boy who comes from a quiet country lifestyle.

--Little details. 1. I like how "Long John" is already a nickname, but the man gets a further nickname from his crew--Barbecue, because he's the cook. 2. Long John's parrot is named "Cap'n Flint" after his old ship's captain, which seems kind of irreverent and therefore perfect for a pirate's pet. 3. The fact that Jim thinks it's totally normal to jump into an apple barrel to find an apple to eat. Doesn't really sound like a clean practice, getting your clothes and shoes mixed up with your food. But hey, whatever it takes to get to the food that wards off the scurvy...

--Memorable side characters. Dr. Livesy is pretty tough--he doesn't suffer fools gladly and doesn't think much of loud ruffians. It's also great how obsessed Ben Gunn is with cheese. The abandoned man has been fantasizing about cheese-eating for three years.

To me, Treasure Island isn't really an entertaining read, nor is it high on the list of great literary works, but it's certainly worth looking at. Most of us have experienced a culture laden with references to the book and parodies of it, so it's a nice revelation to actually read the original and find out what parts have been exaggerated or altered in adaptation. Grade: B

Quotes:

--"Sometimes he would call for glasses round and force all the trembling company to listen to his stories or bear a chorus to his singing. Often I have heard the house shaking with "Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum," all the neighbours joining in for dear life, with the fear of death upon them, and each singing louder than the other to avoid remark." (pg 5)

The pirates use some great slang and onomatopoeia in this story...

-"I'm not afraid on 'em. I'll shake out another reef, matey, and daddle 'em again." (pg 15)

-"Budge, you skulk!" cried Pew. (pg 24)

Watchable bonus: Yes, it's the least accurate adaptation of the classic, but Muppet Treasure Island remains my favorite, especially because of the songs. One more time now!

K-Drama Review: Secret Garden, Episodes 3-4

2012-01-23T15:42:00.002-06:00

Read Episodes reviwes for:

Secret Garden, episodes 1-2

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 3-4

JooWon has given up on trying to forget Raim, and now he's doing a very posh version of stalking. He managed to get some scenes for the film she's working on switched to his department store, just so Raim would have to run into him. And even after he reveals to her that he's an important CEO and not just some weird bum she keeps running into, he keeps coming to her stuntperson academy as if he's a genuine trainee. The guy's got it bad, but we're still a long, long way from achieving a happily ever after.

We finally get to meet JooWon's family in these episodes. He is praised as being a devoted son for going to his grandpa's house for their monthly dinner, to which he replies: "I'm not a devoted son. My mother's father always changes his will once a month--right after family reunions." Love it. Just when this show seemed sad and emotional, it suddenly becomes Arrested Development with competing relatives, all of whom have serious personality issues. It shows us why JooWon is such a jerk sometimes; he's a product of his raising. He and Raim have plenty of fights in this episode and he talks down to her like the snotty rich boy he is, but when she calls him on the phone, his face lights up and violins start to play. He's kind of in conflict with himself, here.

The big plot development in episode 4 is that Raim's action school of fighting extras are going to be part of Oska's new music video. And Oska and Raim are becoming friends, which doesn't sit well with JooWon.

Things I Loved: 1. JooWon. He's perhaps the most lovable yet unlikable character I've run across in a long time. He's not a good guy and we know this, but we're pretty sure he might be a good guy one day. Almost all of his virtue stems from the fact that the audience knows he must be falling in love with Raim, but he's kind of strange and inhuman even about that. But it's so cute. He even literally plays "She loves me, she loves me not" with a flower. And loses!

Stupid Flower.

2. The commentary on rich people. Almost every rich person in this show is wacky and dysfunctional to an extreme degree. For example, Seul's dad gives JooWon a present of about a dozen deer. Yes, deer. This prompts JooWon to wonder if he's supposed to kill and eat the deer. The show tells us that this is how rich people live: lounging in oversized pristine houses, giving each other presents of deer herds, and eating full-course fancy teas all alone. When Raim goes to see JooWon, she even has to ask the servants which building in a long row of fancy dwellings is his house. Answer: They are ALL his house.

3. English/Engrish humor. Raim's boss JongSoo narrows his eyes when Seul starts using really bad English to impress him. He responds with some totally brilliant English which is perfect in every respect because the actor himself is from America. Seul claps for him, then immediately switches the conversation back to Korean. To clarify, I think it's awesome when any character tries to use English regardless of how well they do, but Seul is a villainess who is intentionally flaunting her foreign language knowledge in order to sound important--but she looks bad because she doesn't know as much as she thinks she does.

Complaints: No actual story flaws. The things that frustrate me are just the natural products of the tensions among the characters. JooWon is infuriating because he spends most of the time being a total jerk, and trying to convince himself that Raim is not worth the time he spends going after her.

Themes:

Money fixes nothing: JooWon thinks that by waving around money and ordering candlelight dinners for Raim, he'll win her over. Dude couldn't be more wrong. Raim is impoverished, so his lavish displays of wealth just looks disgusting to her, and she thinks he's living in a fairytale world, which is correct. She extinguishes his fancy candles with a dinner spoon and walks away.

What Goes Around Comes Around: It's amazing how JooWon can say all these snotty, dreadful things and yet he doesn't seem hateful--it's more like you hate what he's doing to himself. He's hurting Raim's feelings, but she'll be all right eventually because she's a soldier. He, on the other hand, is just a mess of a human being, and being nasty to Raim seems to incite his panic attacks and claustrophobia. He's bringing the pain on himself. Nastiness reaps nastiness, my friend!

Complex schemes: I don't know for sure, but I think Seul is trying to court and marry JooWon just to get back at Oska, her first love. It doesn't make sense on any level because JooWon wholeheartedly rejects Seul and she doesn't even seem to like him in the first place, but hey, this is a K-drama. Somebody has to scheme elaborately and for no discernible reason, or else we won't have a hopelessly knotty conflict.

I Thought of Twelve Revenge Plots, All Before Breakfast.

Running gags: Just when I thought that they couldn't make anymore jokes about JooWon's ugly blue jacket from the first two episodes, the gags pile up even higher. And you know what? It never gets old. When JooWon reveals his rich identity to Raim, he also makes a point of emphasizing the legitimacy of his pricey tracksuit. Then he shows up at Raim's action school in another even more unsightly shiny tracksuit, this time a leopard print, as if he's trying to imitate his cousin Oska.

First Among the Things Money Can't Buy: Fashion Sense.

Cultural Observances:

Pop star protegees: Oska wants to groom a pop star to be his successor, but he's not remotely serious about his music, so it's really just a way to keep himself in the news. Hilariously, the musical prodigy he picks to be his pet is not remotely interested because he's a serious musician/singer, unlike Oska. The only real K-pop protegees I can immediately think of are MBLAQ, who were kind of trained and sponsored by Rain, the godfather of K-pop.

The value of KRW: I have trouble remembering the conversion rates for dollars to won, but currently they seem to float at around 1000 KRW=1 USD. When JooWon tries to keep in touch with Raim, he uses the fact that she owes him money as a reason to meet with her. She owes him 40,000 won for a hospital visit, which is about $35. He's filthy rich, so it's clear that this debt is just an excuse to hang out.

Employment is a big deal: Raim's best friend Ah-Young gets a special dinner from her boss and co-workers (complete with sparklers and hand-drawn signs) celebrating her five years of work at the department store. It's hard to explain the difference between the Korean version of celebrating steady employment and the American version of an office party, but there does seem to be a lot more weight and significance attached to longterm employment with an organization in K-dramas.

Happy Five Years of Employment To You!

New words: "Omo" is like Oh dear! or Oh my! Secretary Kim freaks out and says this when JooWon suggests eating the present of deer.

Episode Evaluations: When will the body-swapping happen? I don't know and I don't care. This is awesome and thoroughly engrossing. Boyish cousin Oska is in a position to grow, what with the protege, Raim, and Seul all interacting with him. JooWon's neuroses and snobbery are revealed to come from his whacked out family, and Raim is put-upon but still great.

Scripture Sunday: The Book of Ephesians

2012-01-22T14:15:00.000-06:00

Ephesians is a generally positive letter, since it doesn't have any specific church-related problems to address. More than anything, it seems like Paul just wants to remind the Ephesians of all the good things that they as Christians have going for them.

One of the extended metaphors Paul uses is the idea that before accepting Christ, we human beings (and Gentiles in particular) are like strangers/aliens/foreigners, but when we are redeemed by Jesus, we become the adopted children of God. As a member of an adoptive family, I have always been touched by this adoption metaphor. What better way is there to understand how a person can be a complete stranger and then suddenly be a fully accepted and 100% "real" member of the family? And we aren't just adopted--we get a family inheritance (heaven), too. The sentences in Ephesians can be a little difficult to decipher at times just because there are so many clauses strung together in the King James Version, but triumphant tone here is clear.

The power of Christ is also emphasized in this book. Chapter one mentions how God "raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come" (1:20-21). To me, this is emphasizing that "Lion of Judah" aspect of Jesus' identity. I usually think of Jesus' sacrificial aspect first, of the way he gave himself for the world, but beyond his status as the "Lamb of God", he is also ordained to rule over everything one day.

The stranger/adoptee metaphor switches to a death/life metaphor in chapter two, where Paul says that we are all like dead people until God changes us: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ" (2:4-5). Chapter 2 moves on to describe the peace and unity available through Jesus.

Ephesians has a lot of good, practical advice as well. In 4:1-2, Paul says "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love". That's a beautiful yet heavy request. How often do we think of our faith in Christ as our calling or our vocation? And yet, the importance of whatever we do in life pales in comparison to the importance of loving God and loving others through him. That's a pretty lofty vocation, but it's also one where there's no room for self-importance or pride--it's only through God's mercy that we are able to live out this high calling.

K-Drama Review: Secret Garden, episodes 1-2

2012-01-21T13:05:00.001-06:00

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 1-2

JooWon is a young CEO of the LOEL chain of department stores, and he's well known for being a cold, imperious boss. Little do his employees know that his austere demeanor is a cover-up for his host of anxieties and psychological issues. His fear of small spaces is so great, he can't step inside an elevator and has to climb dozens of stair flights if he wants to reach the higher floors of a building. JooWon is busy combating his neuroses, running his company, and going on arranged-match dates in hopes of finding a lady to be Mrs. Super-Special CEO, when he meets Raim, a brusque stuntwoman who turns his world upside down.

Raim is barely getting by in life. She's a skilled stuntwoman (or "action actress", as she prefers to be called), but all her hard work scarcely pays the bills and she secretly yearns to be considered girly and pretty, not just tough and cool. Raim meets JooWon when he mistakes for the actress she's doubling for--an actress who is dating JooWon's pampered cousin Oska. Pretty soon after meeting her, JooWon is smitten, but he can't bring himself to admit that he cares for a girl with no family background and no education. Raim doesn't know how to deal with this guy who acts sweet and vulnerable half the time and prideful the other half.

When I first heard the synopsis for Secret Garden, I could not have been less interested. I heard it was sort of a paranormal romcom with mystical body-swapping between the hero and heroine. It sounded awful. Every American movie or TV show I've seen involving this premise did an awkward and unfunny job with it (okay, except for Star Trek Voyager). But after two episodes, the body-swapping hasn't happened yet and I'm so invested in the hero and heroine, I don't mind what zany places this story might take them. Now I know why this show was one of the most popular of 2010.

Things I Loved: 1. Gil Raim. She passes the Buddy Test--for me to truly care for a heroine, I have to believe that I'd want to hang out with her in real life. With Raim, I know I'd be first in line to be her gal pal. It's impossible not to love someone this cool and savvy, yet humble.

Gil Ra-Im Ain't Nothin' to Mess With!

2. JooWon. The actor (Hyun Bin) does an amazing job with this character. Just when you think he's another cold businessman character, JooWon shows off his eccentricities. And then when he's been a little off-balance for awhile, he flips back into serious mode. Interestingly, while most K-dramas seem to focus on the girl's POV or at least split time equally between the protagonists, I feel like Secret Garden spends about 2/3rds of its time with JooWon because his emotional journey is going to be a bigger one than Raim's. All she needs out of life is confidence and maybe a little more money, but he's the person who truly needs to undergo some changes.

Polished, Suave, and Slightly Crazy.

3. The JooWon/Oska rivalry. JooWon always has to outdo his popstar cousin Oska, but it isn't really that hard to do. Despite JooWon's occasional childishness, he still knows how to run a business and he's much more of a grown-up than his playboy of a cousin. These two guys are always grumping at each other and playing power games, but there's a twinge of underlying affection there, as evidenced by how JooWon is constantly asking Oska for advice, despite Oska's complete cluelessness. I don't know why he bothers.

It's Hard to Respect a Man in a Leopard-Print Scarf.

Complaints: None. The first two episodes are perfect in terms of plot, character development, pacing and humor.

Themes:

Power of Words vs. Power of Actions: Seul is a powerful woman, so she gets Raim kicked out of a department store and gets Raim's friend fired from her job with just a few pointed words. Yet, when Seul's friend's purse is stolen, Seul is powerless to stop the thief while the action-oriented Raim runs down the criminal and retrieves the purse. Words and actions are both powerful, but I prefer Raim's way of getting things done.

Smart, But Uses Her Brains for the Forces of Evil.

The Divide Between Rich and Poor: JooWon is so shocked by Raim's poverty, it's like he has never even thought that any lifestyles might exist outside his own posh, ritzy one. Raim's choice of food (fried pig intestines) and clothes (baggy, worn out, dark colors) is incomprehensible to him.

Running gags: JooWon's sparkly tracksuit. I thought his blue crocodile-looking jacket was kind of strange, but I was shocked to hear so many characters in the story making fun of the jacket. And when people make cracks about his attire, JooWon always has to reply by telling them that it's a very expensive tracksuit and the sequins were hand-stitched by a craftsman in Italy! It's even funnier because he's not a runner or an athlete by any stretch of the imagination.

The Hideous Tracksuit of Sparkliness.

Cultural Observances:

Arranged matches: Joo-Woon goes on mat-seon dates, special matches arranged with women who would make good potential wives--wealthy, educated women from important families. I think mat-seon literally means "marriage meeting". It's not like a betrothal because you can back out of it easily, but it's not like recreational dating either.

Hallyu wave: After many years of being on top of the music industry, Oska's popularity is waning in Korea, but he's still big in Japan. K-pop stars like to expand their audience to other countries, particularly Japan and China, so this is an accurate representation of how K-pop extends itself to other parts of the world.

K-pop socks: They may be tacky, but it's very popular to wear socks with pictures of K-pop stars drawn on them. Raim is an Oska fan, so she wears Oska socks, and JooWon rolls his eyes at this.

Episode Evaluations: So funny and so likable. Like I said, if I have to put of with zany antics and wacky hijinks to stay with these characters, I will. When you build an incredible cast, your audience will stick with you for the rest of the ride. Bring on episode 3!

Book Review: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

2012-01-20T16:40:00.000-06:00

The Secret Garden
Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911

Mary Lennox is a dreadful child. She's a sickly and frail orphan, but it's still not easy to feel sympathy for her because she has a strong streak of cruelty in her young personality. When a cholera plague strikes her part of India and kills both her parents, she is sent to England to live with her uncle Archibald (!) Craven (!??!) who I'm pretty sure spends his free time as a villain in the Marvel comic universe. She arrives at Misselthwaite Manor and meets the housekeeper Mrs. Medlock, but she is far from coming "home" because she's an unattended guest in a giant gloomy house full of dozens of locked rooms.

But there are bright points. The housemaid Martha is a sunshiny older girl who speaks kindly to Mary. (Martha's lovely and nearly incomprehensible Yorkshire accent is wonderful.) She's a maidservant with the heart of a poet, and she'd make a great protagonist in another book. As it is, she's mainly a catalyst to get Mary to meet her younger brother Dickon, a 12-year-old who knows how to charm animals. Through spending time outdoors and spending time with Dickon, Mary's attitudes toward the world change and she finds herself able to help her uber-unpleasant cousin Colin by befriending him and showing him the secret garden she has discovered.

This is my fourth time reading this book, but my first time since childhood. Here are a few themes and subjects I noticed in this story this time around:

A Sense of Belonging: Mary wonders why she never "belonged" to anyone, because she sees children who seem to belong to their parents. However, she has never officially missed the sense of family camaraderie because she didn't know what she was missing. Martha and Dickon's family, the Sowerby's, are like the ultimate place of belonging--they reach out to others and make them equal to family. Martha's mom even uses money her family needs to buy Mary a jump rope because she feels sorry for the poor neglected girl.

Gothic trimmings: Somehow, moving to a 600-year-old gloomy mansion on the edge of a moor sounds awesome. Manor home full of locked rooms? Secretive uncle with a slight deformity and a broken heart? House with extensive gardens and a tragic history? Bring it on. Mary is rather excited about moving to such a mysterious and curious place, and I would be, too.

Unreasonable period of mourning: What is it with Englishmen and their unending grief in these old stories? In contemporary American stories (at least more romantic ones), a spouse dies and the remaining partner is conflicted about whether remarrying within the year is too soon. In 100-year-old British stories, a man loses his wife and spends the next twenty years ignoring his children, shunning his relatives, and generally making life miserable for everyone. Mr. Archibald Craven is a prime example of this phenomenon. His lovely wife passes away and he refuses to even see his ill son or his orphaned niece! Oy.

Growing up and growing healthy: Mary begins to physically grow at Misselthwaite, just as she is growing emotionally and psychologically. It's incredibly gratifying to see Mary becoming a stronger, faster and all-around healthier child even as she's becoming a more decent human being and developing her own personality. It's a wonder that she doesn't explode from all the positive changes she experiences on so many fronts.

Love of Nature: Mary's love for gardening is actually foreshadowed at the very beginning of the novel. When she is left alone to play in India, she sticks broken hibiscus flowers into the ground as if she's planting them. Mary has no idea of what to do with self-directed play and free time, but it's interesting that the first thing she tries is mock-gardening.

This book is just plain charming. You get a thoroughly unlikable protagonist who gradually transforms into a true young heroine. The garden scenes are breathtaking and every character, however minor, feels 100% real. This book is rightly regarded as a classic and it makes good reading for children and adults alike. None of us can ever get enough of fresh growth and personal discoveries. Grade: A

Some quotes:

Ben: "Everybody knows him. Dickon's wanderin' about everywhere. Th' very blackberries an' heather-bells knows him. I warrant th' foxes shows him where their cubs lies an' th' skylarks doesn't hide their nests from him." (pg 41)

"Four good things had happened to her, in fact, since she came to Misselthwaite Manor. She had felt as if she had understood a robin and that he had understood her; she had run in the wind until her blood had grown warm; she had been healthily hungry for the first time in her life; and she had found out what it was to be sorry for some one." (pg 49)

Mary: "Dickon," she said, "you are as nice as Martha said you were. I like you, and you make the fifth person. I never thought I should like five people." (pg)

Follow Friday and TGIF

2012-01-19T20:56:00.002-06:00

Parajunkee's question this week was: Q: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get your hands on any particular book?

Well, living in the US means that books are in plentiful supply, plus ordering off the internet works even if you live in a rural area where the nearest bookstore is a fair drive away. I'm not even an ARC-requester, so I don't seek out hot upcoming releases from any sources. In the past two years I really haven't had to do anything exciting or strenuous in order to get books. It's frighteningly easy to get what you want. :-)

When I was in college, though, I didn't order anything online and I didn't have an e-reader, so I had to get a little creative. It was a one-hour drive from my small college town to the state capital where the good bookstores were, and I would make the drive every week just so that I could read/buy French poetry and Japanese comics and fresh YA. It felt very significant, making those weekly voyages to get to where the books were. Sometimes, I'd bring a whole car full of book lovers and we'd lose ourselves in the shelves and coffee shops for a few hours.

Ginger's question this week was: Recommend It: Which book from the last 10 you've read would you recommend to a friend?

I looked back through my Goodreads records and found 3 that I've been recommending pretty steadily in the past days and weeks. :

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith was a really great contemporary YA. It was witty without trying too hard, poignant without being depressing, and romantic without seeming sappy. Really a very fine read, just as I was needing one!

2. Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews. *jawdrop* Well, I'm a devoted Ilona fan and I love their Magic Bites series, but this novella was just super wonderful in a way that's hard to express. In less than 100 pages, I got everything I loved about this whole series. Urban fantasy fans--you've got to try Ilona Andrews' work!

3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Yes, it's juvenile. Yes, the joke goes on for too long. But man, it's pretty cool, even so. And it's also the book that sparked the literary mashup genre!

Guest Post on Story Writing by John Michael Cummings

2012-01-19T08:37:00.000-06:00

Tiger: Morning, everyone! Today I'm happy to be hosting a guest post on writing from John Michael Cummings, author of the new book "Ugly to Start With". I hope you like it--it reminded me of the magic of story-writing, apart from just the mechanics of plot and conflict. Here you go...

____________________________________

I sometimes teach writing workshops to children, and I have to laugh. Who am I to do this?

Yes, I’ve published a lot of short stories, but I think I could live to be 150 and publish 1000 stories and, when asked to run these workshops, still feel like a common parishioner asked to be a biblical scholar.

I mean, doesn’t everyone instinctively know the basics of a story? Haven’t we all seen 1000 movies if not having read one story? Character and conflict equal plot and story, right? Develop it and resolve it. The end. How can one mess that up? If you want to know more, ask Steven Spielberg or Ray Bradbury, not me.

In front of these small groups, I talk about creating scenes that illuminate characters and their conflicts. I state tenet number one: create a sympathetic character, someone we can relate to, and want to follow through the story. Put forth: what’s the character’s problem? How does he or she solve it. Above all, make us care.

I have them take out paper and start writing on the spot.

"Get your story going with an event," I say. "Hit the ground running."

Start the adventure from sentence one. Remember, work on cause and effect. Each decision and action by your hero leads to the next. Each is a link in a chain, and the chain is your plot.

A few minutes in, I have them stop and read their passages aloud. Invariably I ask: Who are the villains trying to stop your hero? Who’s the Darth Vader in the story? Does your hero have an ally, as Batman has Robin? Is there a mentor, like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars?

They continue scribbling.

"Keep your hero in the driver’s seat. But don’t be nice to him."

Stack obstacles in your hero’s face. Stakes are higher, rewards greater.

My advice is endless. Show, don’t tell. Make dialogue advance the story. Don’t forget, my twinkle-eyed youngsters, revise, revise, and revise.

Then I come to stop inside. I say to myself—wait a minute, are we building a radio or writing a story? Is this a popsicle and paper mache project or writing? Prose? Composition? Information?

I look around the room at the boys and girls. Her skin is brown. His white. She could be of Korean descent. He is black. She looks "Jewish." He is a little Arab boy.

"The best stories," I say, surprising them, "bring cultures together. Inform us of people we don’t know about."

They look at me.

"Stories are another world to enter. A way to share and let others step out of their lives."

Now I have their quizzical stares.

"Remember, your stories help us understand the ‘other,’ the one who seems different from us, but we find out really isn’t. He or she really has the same issues—wanting to fit in, wanting to be happy. Those things."

They go on scribbling. I go on from there.
________________________________________

Tiger: Thanks for the great thoughts on writing! I think I'm going to co-opt a few of these discussion points to share with own middle-grade writing students. :-)

Readers, here's some information about the author, as well as a rundown of his latest book, "Ugly to Start With"!

About the Author

John Michael Cummings' short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary journals, including North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice he has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. His short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007. He is also the author of the nationally acclaimed coming-of-age novel "The Night I Freed John Brown" (Philomel Books, Penguin Group, 2009), winner of The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY.

For more information, please visit:

http://wvupressonline.com/cummings_ugly_to_start_with_9781935978084

http://www.johnmichaelcummings.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Michael_Cummings

Ugly to Start With

Jason Stevens is growing up in picturesque, historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in the 1970s. Back when the roads are smaller, the cars slower, the people more colorful, and Washington, D.C. is way across the mountains—a winding sixty-five miles away.

Jason dreams of going to art school in the city, but he must first survive his teenage years. He witnesses a street artist from Italy charm his mother from the backseat of the family car. He stands up to an abusive husband—and then feels sorry for the jerk. He puts up with his father’s hard-skulled backwoods ways, his grandfather’s showy younger wife, and the fist-throwing schoolmates and eccentric mountain characters that make up Harpers

Ugly to Start With punctuates the exuberant highs, bewildering midpoints, and painful lows of growing up, and affirms that adolescent dreams and desires are often fulfilled in surprising ways.

John Michael Cummings is a short story writer and novelist from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. He is the award-winning author of The Night I Freed John Brown.

K-Drama Review: Brain, Episodes 1-2

2012-01-16T21:01:00.003-06:00

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 1-2

At the fancy Chunha University Hospital, brain surgeon Dr. Lee Kang Hun is hated by all. Well, maybe not hated, but the dude is seriously unpleasant and he's the bane of the interns' existence because he assigns extra work to already overworked young doctors. Dr. Lee never praises anyone, never tries to soothe his patients' feelings, and he always has to be right. He comes into conflict with Professor Kim, the best doctor at the hospital, who is a man who truly cares about educating others and about caring for his patients. The Professor thinks Dr. Lee is too arrogant, and he predicts that this arrogance will lead to trouble for the patients.

Dr. Lee is actually in a slow-boiling conflict with almost every character in this show. He resents Junseok, a happy doctor who never seems to have any problems, and he's mean to Ji-Hye, the only female intern at the hospital. Dr. Lee is even in conflict with his own mother, who always tries to bring him food and fresh clothes at the hospital, but he rejects her overtures of motherliness. When you add in a lot of hospital politics and people scheming for better positions, plus plenty of cranial traumas and operation scenes, you've got a very compelling medical drama.

I have a fondness for the medical drama genre, though the only medical show I ever truly followed was House (and Scrubs, which I don't think counts--it's more of a medical surrealist comedy). So since I didn't watch ER or Grey's Anatomy or any of the other popular long-runners, I'm not aware of all the standard plot points in a medical show, and as such I get to fully enjoy Brain and all of its intensity.

Things I Loved:

1. The high-stakes atmosphere. It isn't too long before the nail-biting sets in. "Oh no, the food-delivery kid was in a wreck!" "Oh no, Dr. Lee is operating when the Professor banned him from the operating theater for a week!" Most of the conflicts are actually on the realistic side, and the tensions and problems arise from the sort of things that would naturally happen in a hospital full of overachievers. And strangely enough, the tension in the show is not focused on the patients, and I'm actually more worried about how certain catastrophes are going to affect the doctors. It's a strange displacement because I feel like I ought to be sympathizing with the patients more, but Brain rarely takes time to establish the character and personality of the patients, like some other shows do. There is really no time or opportunity to invest in the lives of the patients because we are so in tune with the lives of the doctors. To me this isn't a flaw in the writing, it's just a choice about where to put the focus of the story.

This Show Is Not About Patients. It Is About Me.

2. Layered interaction. Nothing is perfectly simple. There's so much rivalry going on, but no one is really rivals in the exact sense because the Professor is more important than Dr. Lee, and therefore they aren't in a competition. And Dr. Lee is apparently more senior than Junseok and is out of his league as well, so these two aren't in direct competition, though Dr. Lee acts like they are. There isn't a romantic subplot yet (though there will be--I'm predicting Dr Lee--Ji Hye--Junseok), but when we get it, I'm expecting that it will be layered and complex because the people involved are complex.

3. Ji Hye. This show needed a girl in it, and she does pretty well. Even though she's attractive, she's clearly not an eye-candy doctor (you know, like when they cast a supermodel as a neurosurgeon?), and she seems to be successful without being crazily driven and type-A. When Dr. Lee is being a bad boss and grumping at everyone, Ji Hye calls him out for being a jerk. In return, Dr. Lee calls her out for her sloppy work, and says she relies on others to help her out. So she's skilled but has shortcomings, which keeps her from being too perfect. Good stuff!

Is Most Definitely Not a Mary-Sue.

4. Junseok. He's so sweet! He has a good relationship with his parents, he's unfailingly kind to servants and to patients, and he's helpful to Ji Hye. He's even understanding of Dr. Lee, so I'm waiting to see just exactly what Junseok's flaws are.

You Can Keep Waiting--I Have No Flaws.

Complaints: 1. Overacting. For the most part, everyone acts like they would in an American drama--emotions cranked up very subtly into a higher register. But a few character really overact with their eyes, especially Ji Hye and the other young interns. It looks more silly than emotionally gripping.

Themes:

Family Relationships reveal character. Dr. Lee's family relationships are out of balance, just like his life is out of balance. Junseok has a loving and respectful relationship with his mom and dad who clearly enjoy his company, and this balance carries over into his everyday life.

Power vs. Compassion: The Professor is more concerned with the well-being of his patients, while Dr. Lee only seems to care about patient survival as it reflects his own skill.

Cultural Observances:

The Oppa Whine: In Korea, girls call their older brothers "oppa" instead of calling them by their names. But "oppa" his gradually come to mean more than big brother--it can mean, Close Guy Friend, Older Guy I Just Met, or Boyfriend, just depending. In most K-Dramas, one of the female characters will croon "oppppaaaa..." when she wants something, and her male friend or boyfriend will inevitably cave to her request. Dr. Lee has a teenage baby sister, so this show marks the first time I've heard the oppa-whine used from a girl to her actual brother. And in this case, it's a justifiable whine--"Oppaaaa, why won't you come home for dinner? Mom misses you."

Nicknames: Nicknames are pretty significant in any K-Drama. Dr. Lee asks an intern why he calls Junseok "Hyung" (big brother) when the intern only calls Dr. Lee "Doctor". The guy replies, "Erm, because I respect you the most!" No, Dr. Lee, it's actually because he likes you the least.

Bowing: Bowing is a standard greeting, so when the Professor snubs Dr. Lee by refusing to return his bows, it's a very harsh gesture. And it keeps happening. How many times is Prof going to snub Dr. Lee? Until he truly changes his bad attitude, I'm guessing. Bowing seem to happen in every other scene in this show or maybe I just notice it more when everyone's in white coats. When the gaggle of interns shows respect, it's like a fiesta of bows!

It's Also Great When They Walk Down the Hall in Formation.

Episode Evaluations: This is a good show. I like how it's focused on the doctors themselves, and seems to be delivering consistent storylines.

Watchable bonus: Here's a trailer for Brain.

Book Blogger Confessions: #2

2012-01-15T20:56:00.000-06:00

Hi y'all! Welcome to the new blogger meme I'm co-hosting with my friend Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews. It's time to open up and share (and vent) about our blogging experiences!

Blogging about books is one of the best hobbies ever and it's incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with its own particular challenges and issues, so we want to open up the conversation and talk about the stuff we normally keep to ourselves.

Guidelines: Do not criticize other bloggers or authors in your post or in the comments! We're here to support each other.

All right, then. Let's start confessing! :-) Our current question is:

For January 16th: Have you ever had reading/blogging slumps? How do you work through them or work around them?

_______________________________

Tiger's answer:

Blogging slumps? Nevah. Reading slumps? Oh, yes.

Let me explain. I blog ~~regularly~~ religiously. I don't have hypergraphia, but I do have a consistent and relentless urge to write. I always want to write my opinions down and have them out on the internets, just for the sake of having a voice and sharing my thoughts, even if very few people read them. Sometimes I think that I'm dedicated to blog writing because I'm avoiding writing a book--it's my way of writing in a detailed, consistent manner without commiting to that book. So no true blogging slumps for me, ever. I always have something I want to say.

Reading slumps happen for me, but I scoot around them by switching genres. When I get tired of YA love triangles involving fallen angels, I stop reading paranormal YA for a while. When I'm worn out from delightful urban fantasy series that jump the shark somewhere around book 5 (and there are a projected 14 books...), I go elsewhere for a few weeks or months.

IMO, one of the troubles with reading slumps in book-blogging is that we're encouraged to find our "niche" and stick to it, and this niche can lead to reading fatigue. So you become the Contemporary YA Girl. The Urban Fantasy Lady. The Literary Fiction Guy. The Historical Romance Blogger. Most blogging advice posts I've seen advocate finding a very specific corner of the book world and consistently blogging about it. In most cases, this is a great idea. You have a clear area of expertise, so publishers know exactly what type of books to send you! Readers know how to find someone who's writing about the precise thing they want to hear about! You develop your own online "brand" and people get to know you better because of it.

And yet...what do you do when you get burned out on your own self-assigned genre? It does happen. And when you get a little weary of the tropes, plots, and themes of your genre, you can hit a long, hard slump. My solution to reading slumps is to blog about many genres. And I recently changed my blog name from "All-Consuming Books" to "All-Consuming Media" to reflect the fact that I review movies, music, and TV shows as well. Farewell, slumps! There's always something new to try. :-)

__________________________________

To participate in the meme:

"If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Tiger's All Consuming Media or For What It's Worth.

Join in the meme and link your post up below or leave a comment!

Feel free to suggest future topics you want to see discussed.

Have fun confessing! :-)

This meme will be hosted twice monthly, on 1st and 3rd Mondays. Here are February's two questions if you want to get a head start:

Feb. 6th: Deadlines for reviewing and blogging. Do you set them? How do you keep them? What do you do if you can't meet a deadline?

Feb20th: Social networking with authors: Do you interact on Twitter/Facebook/etc with authors? Does it affect how you review their work or do you look at their books differently because you're on friendly terms with them?

Scripture Sunday: The Book of Galatians

2012-01-15T13:37:00.001-06:00

This letter from the apostle Paul to the church at Galatia is an attempt to set them straight on a few important facts about faith vs. obedience to rigid religious laws. Paul has just barely dispensed with his greeting paragraph when he says to the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel". These people were happy to accept salvation through repentance and belief in Jesus Christ, but now they're following another philosophy entirely by trusting in their own good works to save them. Specifically, they're clinging to the old ways of Judaism and following all the intricacies of Moses' laws (ones that extend far, far, far beyond the basic guidelines of the Ten Commandments).

Paul isn't known for mincing words, and he certainly doesn't hold back when he's telling the Galatians that no one should add on to Jesus' gospel of salvation--"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (1:8). Paul is even making provision for his own human failings, here; Paul might one day fall away from the faith, but Jesus' words will still be true and should still be followed no matter what a human leader or a potential divine messenger might say.

One of the big issues in the church at this time in history seems to be the division between Jewish Christians and Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians. The Jews are trying to make the Gentiles follow all the laws of Moses, when these laws having nothing to do with the new abundant life that Christians are supposed to have. Paul points out that continuing to hold to the religious laws is not the way to be justified (put into a right relationship) with God. ^"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ" (2:16). Even if a person were to perfectly adhere to the hundreds of detailed instructions in the Mosaic law, they would still be justified only through faith.

I think this Faith vs. Works debate is still a big deal in modern Christianity. Non-believers often see Christians as "People Who Don't Do Certain Stuff", and before you know it, we can start to see ourselves that way. We have a long list of bad things that we don't do, and that--combined with the long list of right things we try to accomplish--makes us feel very special. But we are not put into a right relationship with God by sticking close to an admirable list of stuff to do and not do. Justification comes through turning from your sins and trusting in Jesus' sacrifice. All the special religious rules matter very little if you don't have this part settled.

EP Review: 100% Ver. by MBLAQ

2012-01-13T21:49:00.002-06:00

100% Ver.
MBLAQ
J. Tune Camp, January 2012

Track List:

1.	"Run"	3:12
2.	"This Is War" (전쟁이야; Jeonjaeng-iya)	3:51
3.	"Scribble" (낙서; Nakseo)	3:35
4.	"She's Breathtaking" (아찔한 그녀; Anjjilhan Geunyeo)	3:15
5.	"Hello My EX"	3:46

On MBLAQ's 4th mini-album, they bring some really fresh sounds and seem to live up to their full performing potential, so this record is a great way for K-poop fans to kick off the new year.

I'll start by praising the intro track. "Run" has a distinct horror-y beginning, which is an immediate attention-getter. The lyrics are the usual sort of "we're-so-cool" bragging about how this band is the best and you'd better get out of their way, but what's great about the lyrics is that they're simple and they're about 50% English, so it wouldn't be hard for an English speaker to learn the song for themselves. Their pronunciation is very good, and it's actually kind of ghetto in places, which works since this is a fast song with swagger to it. The rapping works nicely (Mir is always reliable for good lines), and overall they seem more like an actual rap crew on this song, which is a compliment--it means they don't sound like just another boy band.

And my goodness, who handled their awesome production on this song? "Run" has all kinds of sound effects, like an actual movie is playing in the background. We've got screams, barking, and what sounds like branches shaking, windows breaking, and metal scraping. There's an entire action film going on in the background! The evil laughter also reminds me a little of Michael Jackson's "Thriller". To give you an idea of how much I like this song; for reviews, I normally write down a few of my initial thoughts about a song as I am listening to it for the first time. After the first 30 seconds of "Run", I gave up on writing and just listened because the song was too engrossing for me to listen and type at the same time.

"It's War" is another intense song, that has a pretty intricate story to the lyrics. It's one guy swearing to make another guy's life miserable because Guy #2 stole his girl, but the English translation sounds pretty complicated, like a movie script shrunk down to fit a three-minute song. It starts with a swelling orchestra, the singing is solid, and the tune is memorable. I truly like songs with "big" sounds like intense strings or a serious brass section, and "It's War" really delivers on that massive sound. I kept waiting for a key change and even more intensity, and when they got to it, it just made the song even better.

"Scribble" is a good R&B ballad with some of those Spanish influences seen on MBLAQ's last album. "She's Breathtaking" is translated as "Jittery Girl" in many places, but whatever you want to call it, it's the fourth track. It has several lines of dialogue between a guy and a girl, which are basically bickering. This almost sounds like a Christmas song to me--listen to it without looking up the lyrics, and you'll know what I mean. There's something about the beat and bright sound that makes me think they're singing about Santa and snowflakes and presents under a tree. They aren't--they're singing about obsessive love verging on stalking, but anyhow it sounds Christmasy. "Hello My Ex" is nicely produced and is about hoping for reunification. I like the first part of the album best, but the later tracks still don't feel like filler.

I hadn't listened to MBLAQ before their Mona Lisa EP, which was intriguing but not perfect. At the time, I mentally filed them as a band of interest, though they still didn't make my list of favorites. But in my opinion, with this new release MBLAQ has changed from "A band that will probably do cool things in the future" to "A band that is doing super-cool things right now". With the great vocals and rapping, plus the amazing production on this record, MBLAQ's clearly at the top of the K-pop food chain.

My grade: 4 of 5 stars, just for the first two tracks.

Must-listens: "Run", "It's War"

Watchable bonus: Here's the music video for "It's War". It features a love triangle, boomerang bullets, and the guys dancing in what appears to be Klingon armor. I think Joon's an assassin and Thunder is a regular guy who's his friend, and some poor sweet girl is caught between them. But other than that, I have no idea what's going on in this MV. Why did Joon save the girl instead of killing her? Why is Thunder digging through a junkyard, and where did he learn how to treat bullet wounds? What is going on with Joon's ricocheting gunfire?

K-Drama Review: Take Care of Us, Captain, Episodes 1-2

2012-01-12T18:51:00.000-06:00

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 1-2

Dajin is a young Korean woman with dreams of being a top pilot, but unfortunately she graduates from flight school just in time to be confronted with her mother's death (which, ironically, happens aboard a plane). Yoon-Seong is a pilot who fails in his important responsibilities by briefly losing control of a plane. His carelessness contributes to the death of Dajin's mother, and Dajin's father also dies, leaving her to raise her infant baby sister. Timeskip ahead to seven years in the future, when Dajin and Yoon-Seong again cross paths as pilots, only he's antagonistic toward her, not knowing their unfortunate past connection. What will happen when the truth is revealed? *cue dramatic music*

You'd better prepare yourself for some soap opera-level plot points, minus the sleaziness, because this show is all about the tears and pain and twists of fate. Near crashes! Emergency flights! Malfunctioning planes! Passengers in critical condition! There's some great drama, but also some coincidences that are hard to believe and some real problems connecting with Yoon-Seong and Dajin.

Things I Loved:

1. Goo Hye-Sun. The actress, not the character she plays, because I don't connect with the character as she's written. I watched this show just because I love this actress and wanted to see her in whatever project she had going. Goo Hye-Sun is most famous for her lead role in the popular show Boys Over Flowers, which I still haven't seen, but I actually adored her performance in a much less publicized show called The Musical. There's just something about her freshness and positivity that comes through in every scene she does--she might always be playing a tiny variation on the same character, but it's a character I like. Yay for pluck and courage!

And Oh My Goodness, She's So Adorable!

2. Ji Jin Hee. Again, the actor, not the character. His character, Yoon-Seong, is an odd mix of deep wounds and implacable coldness, so it was hard to root for him. However, the actor seems like he could be great in a different drama. When he tries to convey pain, I don't buy it because the plot and motivations don't make sense to me, but the actor himself sells the emotions very well.

Plus, He Looks Nice in a Uniform.

3. The presence of foreigners! Many of the scenes were filmed on location in Australia, so you get to see lots of Australians in the plane scenes and in airports, and hear their lovely accents in the few scenes which include English.

Complaints: 1. Melodrama. Take Care Of Us, Captain jumps between good solid drama (intense emotions and meaningful problems) and melodrama (over-emoting and too many wild problems at once). It's edge-of-your-seat viewing when Dajin's mother is dying, but then after the audience has made a huge emotional investment in this one particular loss, Dajin's dad dies in a quick car accident, counteracting the serious emotional climate of the show. Two big losses so close together wind up canceling each other out. And on top of that, Dajin has to raise her sickly baby sister. And on top of THAT, Dajin's aunt saddles her with a major debt and some loan sharks kick Dajin and the sick baby sister out of their house! Oy vey at the problems. I have no doubt that some real human beings have lived through similar bouts of unending trials, but it's a little much to jam pack into the first two episodes of a TV show. And I'm not even discussing Yoon-Seong's housefire-scars, abandonment issues, and his estranged former foster family!

Themes: Personal responsibility. There's a big emphasis on how the 4 "captain bars" of an aviator's suit represent the weight of responsibility and tough choices. Dajin's dad was a pilot who made a decision to protect all 300 passengers on his plane instead of trying a risky landing immediately to save his wife, who was in critical condition.Yoon-Seong tries to accept personal responsibility for his own mistakes, but he also ladles out a healthy dose of guilt to everyone around him. I've never thought about a pilot's responsibility to passengers before, but it really is the equivalent of a doctor going into surgery with a patient, at least in this show. The title of the show is very apt, considering the angle they're taking--we really do entrust our lives to these people and Take Care of Us, Captain is focused on the life-and-death decisions made by pilots.

Piloting is Serious Business, Y'all.

Cultural Observances:

Funeral hanbok: At her mom's funeral, Dajin wears a formal traditional dress.

Cremation: We have this in America of course, but a burial scene in an American TV show is almost 100% guaranteed to have a full casket burial instead of a memorial to cremated remains, as we see here.

English bonus: Dajin finds a sort-of fortune telling note that says "climb your life" in English. Then she goes on a big, exciting climb over a massive bridge in Australia. I see how the message is intended to be empowering and symbolic, but "climb your life" is grammatically incorrect. Also, the Korean pilots and air traffic controllers speak English to each other over their radios, but I would not have understood them if not for the subtitles.

Episode Evaluations: It's an interesting setup/concept, and I like the leading actors. However, the melodrama will keep me from watching any more episodes.

Book Review: The Statistical Probablity of Love at First Sight

2012-01-10T12:06:00.000-06:00

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Jennifer E. Smith
Poppy, 2012
Source: Netgalley.com

Hadley Sullivan has missed her flight to London, but this wasn't just any trip over the pond--she was supposed to be going to her father's second wedding. Hadley actually hoped she'd get to miss the wedding, but faced with the actual loss of the trip, she's surprisingly saddened by it. Hadley gets on a later flight and is seated next to a charming English guy named Oliver, who keeps her company and distracts her from her worries. Plenty of great conversations and one long plane ride later, Hadley has to face her dad's remarriage and also face the possibility that maybe light-hearted Oliver's situation is even more difficult than her own.

Hadley's life is stunted by her resentment toward her dad. The emotional issues are bad enough, but Hadley's feelings of abandonment have led to panic attacks and bouts of extreme claustrophobia. It's the little things that make the divorce unbearable--the fact that her dad has grown a beard and wears different clothes, making himself look like a whole new person. The way Hadley and her dad have to have specially arranged meetings instead of just being together naturally during the course of the day. The troubling idea that she'll always have to abandon her mom if she wants to be with her dad in his new world that really has no place for her, no matter how much he tries to convince her otherwise. Whoo, this is heavy stuff, and it's the kind of thing that about 50% of teenagers have to live with, so it's a very important subject.

Hadley and Oliver's scenes together are some of the best parts of an already good book. They have some really nice conversations and good verbal chemistry, though I like Hadley more than I like Oliver just because I'm more inclined to love characters who get a POV, since it's that much easier to understand their thoughts and feelings. I do like how Oliver tries to distract Hadley from her claustrophobia; it means a lot that he cares enough to help a stranger out like that. He and Hadley are a good match because they see each other at their almost-worst, worn out from lack of sleep and from emotional turmoil, but they are still considerate of each other and able to keep their good humor. Beyond that, I like how there isn't actually any love at first sight in this book--the title kind of scared me, since insta-love is so rarely convincingly written. But what we get here is genuine attraction/affection developed in just the right way, though the book is less about romance and more about Hadley's personal journey.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is an excellent read, The narrative voice is quite engaging: Smart, sharp, and contemporary without ever sounding like it's trying too hard to be artsy or witty. I like the magnifying glass that the author is holding up to this very common but very serious problem of kids being affected by their parents' split-ups, and it's also great to see the hopeful idea that people can live through the pain and find some love and healing on the other side. Grade: A-

Literary bonus: Oliver talks about Alice in Wonderland, the book version by Lewis Carroll, not any of the numerous film versions. Hadley is taking an unread copy of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens back to her father in London because she doesn't want to invest her time in any present he has given her. Ironically, seeing her with the book is one of the things that draws Oliver to Hadley because he thinks she's a reader.

EP Review: Funky Town by T-ara

2012-01-09T20:11:00.000-06:00

Funky Town
T-ara
Core Contents Media, January 2012

Track List:

1.	"Lovey-Dovey"	03:35
2.	"우리 사랑했잖아" (Uri Saranghaejjanha, "We Were in Love") (duet with Davichi)	03:35
3.	"Lovey-Dovey" (Club Remix)	03:47
4.	"Cry Cry"	03:18
5.	"Goodbye, OK"	03:05
6.	"O My God"	04:06
7.	"I'm So Bad"	03:12
8.	"Cry Cry" (Ballad Ver.)	03:19

T-ara's fifth mini-album is actually a repackage of their fourth mini-album, Black Eyes. It's the Black Eyes EP, but with the addition of two versions of "Lovey Dovey" and a collaboration song with Davichi. I don't mind repackaged full-length albums because sometimes they have a difference of 5-6 songs, but in this case, I'm not sure why two EPs that are so close in their composition were released just two months apart (November to January). Anyhow! On to the music.

"Lovey Dovey" has that electro-clubby feel and to me, "Lovey Dovey" sounds a lot like their hit song "Roly Poly" part 2. Not everything's the same, but hearing the repeated English phrase "lovey-dovey-dovey, lovey-dovey-dovey" reminded me of "lolly-polly, lolly-lolly-polly". But the "woooooooh" part actually rocks and is a bit of an earworn, and the production on the song is very pleasing. I get totally caught up in the intriguing mix of electronic loops. The lyrics are about a girl seeing happy couples and wanting to find a special person with whom to be lovey-dovey, also, so the lyrics match the title.

"We Were In Love" is sung with a female duo called Davichi, so with the seven members of T-ara, that's a pretty full track. It starts with a nice wistful sound and a good melody which is very moving if you're in the right mood, but I rarely connect with slow songs. The rapping section is either the best or worst part of the song--again, depending on your mood. I actually like the mix of rap and serious classical sounds, because I think the girls make it work.

"Cry Cry" sounds like it has a Latin choir singing at the beginning, then it gets some Spanish beats. And some Broadway piano? With all the genre-mixing, it only takes about 30 seconds to know that this song is a really good one. To me, the chorus is a bit less catchy than the verses, but that's the only problem I have with the song. The lyrics seem to be nicely done, judging by the coolness of the English translations I've found.

"Goodbye, OK" has an old-fashioned disco sound that just doesn't fit in with what I enjoy, though at its better points, it's somewhat similar to IU's music in "Last Fantasy". Next up, the music in "I'm So Bad" makes me think of G-Dragon's "Heartbreaker", which is a compliment--you can almost sing one song while the other plays. It's a fun tune with a nice amount of variety. The "Cry Cry" ballad doesn't work for me, again because I'm not big on ballads and because the slow treatment takes away the bite of the song.

Before listening to this EP, I had generally positive feelings about T-ara; while I disliked their previous release "Bo Peep", I really enjoyed "Roly Poly" and "Yayaya". Now I think the girls are getting better production and better songs, and since they're not always singing at a high pitch anymore, they might just be taking the next step to truly being a top K-pop band. They're a fun group to listen to.

My grade: 3.5 of 5 stars

Must-listens: "Lovey Dovey", "Cry Cry"

Watchable bonus: Here's the audio for "Lovey Dovey". "Wooo-ooooh, wooo-oooh!"

And here's the MV for "We Were In Love". It's just the girls looking very sad and very pretty, but their other MV's are all extra long mini-movies, so this sort of balances them out.

Scripture Sunday: 2nd Corinthians

2012-01-08T12:57:00.001-06:00

Paul's first letter to the Christians at Corinth was pretty harsh, and rightly so--the Corinthian church was plagued by division, lawsuits, and open sinfulness and they needed to be called out for some of their major issues. But now in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul is offering some comfort. Paul also addresses some rumors and accusations against himself from people who say that he is lacking as an apostle and is unqualified to preach.

After the initial greetings in chapter one, Paul presents a contrast between consolation and suffering, mentioning that God "comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ" (1:4-5). There's no denying that there's an element of suffering involved in being a follower of Christ. Jesus himself endured the ultimate suffering, so people who love him can't expect to avoid hardship entirely. However, Paul is discussing the immense spiritual comfort that God provides whenever we are experiencing trouble. Paul goes on to discuss his own tribulations and to thank the Corinthian church for praying for him and for his fellow ministers.

Paul also explains the reasons for the severity of his last letter: ^"For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." In other words, he wasn't trying to berate them or emotionally destroy them, but he was speaking in a stern manner because of how much he loved them and was worried about their behavior. One particular case of sinfulness that Paul pointed out in 1st Corinthians is addressed again, and Paul says that now that the man has repented of his wrongdoings, the Corinthians should comfort him and express their love for him.

Chapter 4 shows some more of the suffering/consolation paradox, when Paul speaks of himself and of other ministers of the gospel: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" (4:8-9). They never give up because they are working toward an eternal goal, and the rewards are far greater than the price they pay: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"(4:17).

2nd Corinthians also has some very personal discussions from Paul, where he talks about things in his own life that he doesn't mention (or rarely mentions) elsewhere in the letters he writes. For one thing, chapter 12 mentions some kind of physical malady that Paul has, which the Lord has decided not to heal. Some people guess that Paul had a problem with his eyes, but the exact nature of his "thorn in the flesh" is never described. Paul ends his letter by saying that he's about to come and visit the Corinthians for a third time, and I like how this shows that he had an ongoing relationship with their church. He concludes with some encouraging words: "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you" (13:11).

K-Drama Review: The Musical, Episodes 3-4

2012-01-05T15:24:00.000-06:00

Read episode reviews for: The Musical, Episodes 1-2

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 3-4

Back to the world of musicals, singers, and composers! It's an intriguing place to be. Eun-Bi and Jae-Yi are a little awkward with each other because he kissed her cheek in the last episode and it kind of freaked her out (I know, I know...it's so cute). They're working together for a competition to win a big prize and have their musical "Chungdamdong Gumiho" made public. Jae-Yi tries to hide his involvement with the show because he has made a bad impression on Yujin, the main investor of an important theater company. Yujin finds out anyway that Jae-Yi has written the songs for this new show, but it's not Jae-Yi that Yujin has a problem with--it's sweet little unknown Eun-Bi.

If Yujin's company picks up the show, Eun-Bi won't be able to sing the lead. Instead, the famous actress Kang-hee will take over the part. But Jae-Yi isn't about to let his favorite singer/mentoree/best girl Eun-Bi lose out on the part he wrote for her. Yujin says that Eun-Bi and Kang-hee can share the role, but Eun-Bi herself finds a true compromise--what if she attends an open audition for the part, and then the best person is selected? Then no one will be able to say that the songwriter showed favoritism to Eun-Bi.

By episode four, the plot is coming along nicely, with no wasted space. In the beginning, I wasn't interested in the subplot with Yujin and his business stuff, but now I'm very invested in his storyline. It may be hard to love Yujin, but he does stand for order. He's all about the money, but he isn't going to cheat to make it, and I'm guessing his moral alignment would be "Lawful Neutral". Right now, due to some nasty, underhanded embezzling of funds by his own family, Yujin has to find a musical that will bring in a profit margin of 300%, and he thinks Gumiho is that musical. He moves back and forth between moments of genuine goodness and some very cold-hearted attitudes. Keep up the character development, Yujin. You just might be one of the more compelling characters in the cast.

The suspense is terrible. I hope it'll last.

Things I Loved: 1. Eun-Bi. I want to hug her and give her milk and cookies because her scenes are so emotionally gripping. My girl Eun-Bi melts cold hearts with her sweetness, and when Yujin witnesses her sorrow, this very guy who once kicked her out of an audition is now concerned for her. Sometimes she's meek and timid, like with Kang-hee, but at other times she rises to the occasion and fights for what she needs.

Looks Like a 12-Year-Old, Fights like a Pro.

2. Eun-Bi and Jae-Yi together. It's like a cuteness overload, but in no way annoying. They even have this whole discussion about their cheek-kiss and what it meant to each of them because he doesn't want her to feel awkward. When Eun-Bi suggests that another actress might be better for the Gumiho role because she can't sing the main tunes in a high register, Jae-Yi goes "No, I wrote the song for YOU, and I'm not changing it to suit other voices". Aww.

And on the weird side, as a dropout med student, Eun-Bi has a side job washing cadavers, and when she walks out of the building, Jae-Yi's waiting for her with coffee. He's very squeamish about her corpse-washing job and she scares him with her germy death hand. It's a great moment for them.

You Don't Want to Know Where This Has Been.

2. Plot surprises. Sometimes a new decision crops up out of nowhere and does great things to the storyline. Like Yujin's idea of double-casting the main role in Gumiho with Kang-hee and Eun-Bi splitting the part. I did not see that coming, and it made everything afterward so much more rich.

Complaints: 1. Evil ex-girlfriend Kang-hee. She's a great nuanced villain, so the writing is excellent and I'm glad she's in the story, but ohhhh she makes me mad. She just won't let Jae-Yi go even though she has found money, fame, and a new relationship to keep her secure. It's like she enjoys the power of having another person emotionally dependent on her, and it burns her up that Jae-Yi is increasingly less affected by her and more affected by Eun-Bi. She's petty and cruel to my favorite character Eun-Bi, and she's hitting on Jae-Yi even though she's married, now! Yuck.

Wants to Have Her Cake and Eat it, Too.

2. Repeated scenes from another show. Eun-Bi punching a strong-man machine and hitting baseballs to burn off steam would have been awesomer if I hadn't seen another main character (also named Eun-Bi!) doing exactly that in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop.

Themes:

Responsibility: Yujin is being held responsible for fixing his cousin's horrible financial decisions. Cleaning up someone else's mess is never fun, and Yujin is handling other people's responsibilities on a few different levels. These episodes explain Yujin's tense relationship with art, because his own dad left him in a tough spot when Dad picked an artistic life over his business responsibilities. Dad's abandonment left super-smart Yujin at the mercy of a jealous uncle who wants to see him fail.

Smartest Guy in the Family, Ironically the Black Sheep.

Heartfelt Singing vs. Vocal Perfection: With Kang-hee and Eun-Bi, I think this show is setting up a vocal contrast something like Carlotta and Christine in The Phantom of the Opera--one woman is a diva with a perfect voice and plenty of experience, but the other has clarity and sweetness and heart. Guess who the audience is going to root for?

Love vs. Career Dreams: I really think we're going to get both things with this show. Eun-Bi says she wants to focus on the upcoming musical auditions alone, hinting that Jae-Yi shouldn't make any moves. But I like how Jae-Yi puts together what Eun-Bi really means. He doesn't press the issue, but he still notes to himself that she's essentially saying that she finds him more distracting than even musicals, which are her favorite thing in the world. In another drama, the main guy might take offense at her rebuff, but Jae-Yi just smiles to himself, knowing what it signifies. And really, this show is more focused around "Will Eun-Bi succeed?" than "Will Eun-Bi and Jae-Yi get together?" Because we know they will. They are two wonderful people who deserve each other, but Eun-Bi's career dreams will be the harder thing to achieve.

Look at Him--He's Sold. The Fight is Over.

Mirrored scenes: Yujin watches Eun-Bi's audition tape again and again, moved by her effort and by the way Kang-hee verbally destroys her in public. Maybe he sees a parallel between Eun-Bi's situation and his own--receiving a thorough public shaming for no good reason, then being expected to succeed and excel under impossibly difficult terms.

After Kang-hee's awful behavior, precious little Eun-Bi still wants her autograph because Kang-hee's autobiography inspired her to sing. It all comes around full circle--Eun-Bi got interested in musicals because of Kang-hee's book, and now it's Kang-hee who is trying to crush her dream.

No Conscience+Loads of Talent=Spoiled Brat.

Cultural Observances:

Gumiho: The title of the main play is "Changdamdong Gumiho". This mythical creature is a bit like the Japanese kitsune, only a gumiho is always female and usually vicious, while kitsune are more mischievous.

Songs in (or inspired by) English: "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago plays while Eun-Bi and Jae-Yi have breakfast. "Open Door" by Swedish singer Lisa Ekdahl plays as Kang-hee warms up. Eun-Bi sings the Korean version of "Roxy" from Chicago.

New words: "Ya!" is hey, or hey you, and I think it's super-informal speech, something you can only use with someone of equal or lesser status.

Episode Evaluations: So sweet, with so much emotional payoff. Very good developments, here.

K-Drama Review: The Musical, Episodes 1-2

2012-01-03T21:39:00.000-06:00

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 1-2

Eun-Bi is a medical student, but her heart is in musicals. She daydreams about the Phantom of the Opera and watches musicals on her iPhone when she should be paying attention in class. She hasn't tried out for any shows yet, but she entertains herself by singing at all hours.

Jae-Yi is a composer who has worked on hit musicals, but now he's burned out and he wants to write pop hits. He's a little frayed around edges, a little world-weary, and he says that money and fame are his major goals. (Uh-huh. We'll see how long that lasts.) Some of his hesitancy to compose has to do with his ex-girlfriend Kang-hee, whom he knows he'll run into if he rejoins the world of musicals. Six years after the breakup, Jae-Yi has not moved on. One night, Jae-Yi hears Eun-Bi singing one of his songs on the street and he tells she has no talent for musicals. But his insult gives her the strength to pursue her dreams.

Fast-forward to one year later, when Eun-Bi has cut her hair into a boyish bob and is working in the snack bar at a movie theater as a way to support her dream. She is faced with opposition not only from musical producers (she has auditioned 80 times with no results), but also from her dad who is tired of her taking leaves of absence from med school. Fortunately, Eun-Bi meets Jae-Yi again and he is actually impressed by her energy and her ability to memorize music. He takes her on as an apprentice because he wants to do something that will bring back the joy of music for him. Jae-Yi gives her a big opportunity--if she wants to be in a brand new musical, he'll sign on for the project as well and write the music. If she isn't ready to follow her dreams, he'll back out of the project, too. Guess what she picks?

Things I Loved: 1. Eun-Bi. She wins me over right away. How could you not love a girl who's smart enough for her third year of med school but wacky enough to daydream about musicals? I sing so much myself, I feel like she's a kindred soul. As an actress, she wins me over 100%, and makes me want to see her happy and see her achieving her goals.

Completely Devoted to Music, and Soooo Cute.

2. Eun-Bi and Jae-Yi together. When they meet again a year later, not remembering each other, it's an adorably sweet moment when he asks her to sing part of the new song he's written. You mean he's going to play pretty music while she sings it? Whee! Even in the first two episodes, these people are good for each other. When Eun-Bi's with Jae-Yi, her confidence is better, and when Eun-Bi says that music electrifies her, her attitude challenges Jae-Yi to examine why he makes music. And he's so nice. Could we possibly have a male lead who is actually an upstanding guy? Normally, the K-drama leading men are jerks at least to some degree, but this guy recommends Eun-Bi for a role in a big musical, becomes her tutor, and is generally helpful.

Nice Man. Successful Composer. Your Mother Would Love Him.

3. The stressful auditioning process. While this is not by any means a dark, gritty show, it does portray the sadness and embarrassment of failing an audition. All over the world, it's the same--you have to work, claw, and scrape to get an audition and even if you are cast, your chances of success are extremely slim. This show doesn't really try to sugarcoat the difficulties of being a struggling actor or singer, and I appreciate the lack of overt glamour.

Get Used to Disappointment.

4. Funny moments. I particularly appreciated Eun-Bi comparing her own face to Nickhun of the K-pop band 2PM, when deciding whether she could pass as a boy to win a male role in an audition.

No, Eun-Bi, You Look Nothing Like This.

Complaints: 1. Christine. She's bossy, braggy, clingy, and terribly annoying. Christine moves in with Eun-Bi for free room and board and offers singing lessons in return, only her lessons have a negative affect. I really dislike the freeloading Christine, but I hope she may have some positive impact in the future plot rather than just being a monkeywrench in the proceedings.

Your Cutesy Act Isn't Fooling Anyone, Missy.

Themes: Love of Art vs. Love of Fame/Money. Eun-Bi loves musicals just for the sheer joy they bring her. Jae-Yi loves his art, but in order to protect himself, he has decided to focus on money. Yujin on the other hand likes his profits and only supports art as long as it's lucrative...

Yujin is an interesting character. He's the grandson of an important businessman, and he invests money in musicals. Yujin's very intelligent and knows where to put his money, and he also has a lot to prove to his own relatives, who have some major inter-family tensions. But is he a hero or a villain in this story? It could go either way.

Cold, Calculating...and Sinister?

Cultural Observances:

Korean stuff vs. American stuff: Gu Jak jokes about giving Jae-Yi a "New York style" welcome, before hugging him. Christine also says "New York style" in regard to a certain kind of singing, which I've also heard called "the Broadway belt". Jae-Yi himself went to Juliard in New York.

Soju: Jae-Yi threatens to stop buying soju for his friend Gu Jak, and the little green bottles can be seen in a few different scenes. Korea is basically the Ireland of Asia, so drinking culture is huge over there, and it's absolutely normal.

K-pop: The hit song "Roly Poly" by T-ara plays in Eun-Bi's apartment.

New Words: "Halmoni" is "grandmother", and Eun-Bi has a lot of phone calls with her grandma.

Episode evaluations: Surprisingly endearing. The show might not be very funny, but it has a couple of lead characters who I care very much about. I think I'll keep watching!

Watchable bonus: Here's the first part of the first episode, subtitled in English. Taken from Youtube.

Book Blogger Confessions: Week 1

2012-01-02T08:43:00.002-06:00

Good morning! I'm kicking off the new blogger meme I'm co-hosting with my friend Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews. It's time to open up and share (and vent) about our blogging experiences!

Our first question is:

January 2nd: How has the "job" of book blogging changed your reading habits? Both pro and con.

_______________________________

Tiger's answer:

Pro: For me, book blogging made me try so many new authors and new books I wouldn't otherwise have read. Blogger friends would loan me books or recommend books I'd never heard of, and it broadened my taste in ways that wouldn't have been possible if I'd just been browsing bookstores on my own, like in times past. Blogging gives your reading variety!

Con: Blogging has made me read a lot of not-so-awesome books. Due to blogging commitments like reviews I've agreed to do, I've often found myself struggling through a book that I did not like at all. The times when book-blogging has been the hardest for me were when I was reading my third or fourth "bad" book (meaning one that did not appeal to me) in a row, because I had commited to do a review. Sometimes, blogging mkes you spend a lot of time focusing on things you don't enjoy. Until you alter your review policy...

Pro: In a more noticeable way than 6 years of college education, blogging has given me critical thinking skills. Instead of reading a book and promptly forgetting about it, I have to assess it as I'm reading--"What are the main themes? What is the author trying to do, and are they successful in their attempt? What is the intended audience for this book, and how can I help the audience find the book?" Blogging makes you smarter!

__________________________________

To participate in the meme:

"If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Tiger's All Consuming Books or For What It's Worth. Once your post is up feel free add a link to our post.

Alternately, you can comment on our posts once they're up."

Have fun confessing! :-)

This meme will be hosted twice monthly, on 1st and 3rd Mondays. Here is our next question, coming up in two weeks if you want to get a head start:

January 16th: Have you ever had reading/blogging slumps? How do you work through them or work around them?

Book Review: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

2012-01-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Roald Dahl, 1972

Written a decade after the original book, this sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is very inventive and is a pretty big departure from the original. It's still wacky and fanciful, but more like a science fiction book than the sort of magical world shown in book one.

Charlie is flying in the Great Glass Elevator with Willy Wonka, his parents, Grandpa Joe, and three other grandparents who are sitting in a rickety bed they refuse to leave. But the grandfolks soon revolt against Wonka's weirdness, and a mishap causes the Glass Elevator to fly up into orbit. While in space, they see the flying Space Hotel luxury resort, have a battle with some Vermicious Knids, then finally come back for more adventures at the chocolate factory.

Hmm. I don't always enjoy seeing the rest of the Wonka-verse portrayed in this book, especially the subplot with the Space Hotel. So much of the book seems like an excuse to toss in clever puns and knock-knock jokes, mostly spoken by characters other than the main cast. Even Wonka's angry gobbledygook speech in "Martian" is one long word gag. And there's another downside--I know I shouldn't take it too seriously, but the treatment of the Chinese side characters seems very racist. Then again, almost every side character in the book looks like a total buffoon, including the president of the United States, so maybe it's equal-opportunity childrens' book satire.

But it is neat that the three grandparents besides Grandpa Joe form the new cast of Misbehaving Young'uns. They aren't as ill-mannered as Veruca Salt and the other kids from book one, but they do fill similar roles. Unlike Charlie and Grandpa Joe, they don't believe in Willy Wonka's crazy methods and they frequently label him as a loony. Which, yanno, is kind of an accurate assessment. But in the Wonka-verse, non-believers in the Wonka craziness are usually left out in the cold. The grandparents also complain loudly when Wonka puts a stop to their fun, which is also reminiscent of the chocolate factory brats from the previous book.

I do still love how Wonka refuses to explain anything. He says that the elevator is powered by "skyhooks", but when asked to explain more about skyhooks, he just replies that he's getting deafer every day and ignores the question. And I also like when the cast finally gets back to the chocolate factory, and we get to see some more cool inventions like Wonka-Vite, a pill that makes you younger.

Things that Happen in the Great Glass Elevator that People Think Happened in the Chocolate Factory: 1. The mention of vermicious knids. They are mentioned in the 1971 film Willy Wonka, but not in the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In this book, vermicious knids are actually a main villain.

Villains that Look Like Guitar Picks, With Eyes.

2. The phrase "We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Strike that! Reverse it! Thank you!" Again, the line is in the 1971 movie, but not in the original book.

There are some high points to this sequel, but unless you're a dedicated Roald Dahl fan, this might be one book to skip. Grade: B-

Best lines:

-"Charlie," said Grandma Josephine. "I don't think I trust this gentleman very much."

"Nor do I," said Grandma Georgina. "He footles around."

-"Oh my dears!" cried Grandma Georgina. "We'll be lixivated, every one of us!"

"More than likely," said Mr. Wonka.

[To my surprise, lixivated is actually a word: "Lixivate, to wash or percolate the soluble matter from."]

Scripture Sunday: 1st Corinthians

2012-01-01T13:05:00.002-06:00

1st Corinthians is the first of two letters Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth. Corinth had a lot of problems, and sometimes the believers in Christ got very far away from the truth of the gospel.

To start with, the Corinthians were dividing themselves into factions based on which spiritual leader they preferred, Paul, Peter, or Apollos. Paul points out the foolishness of this distinction in chapter 1, verse 13, "Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" He's saying that Jesus Christ is the one we follow; Christians are not supposed to be divided into groups that follow after an idolized preacher or spiritual leader. Divisions in the church are not a good thing.

Chapter 5 deals with an even more serious situation in the church. Fornication (that's sex outside of marriage) is a problem for the Corinthians, and one person in their congregation is especially noteworthy because he's sleeping with his father's wife. And the Christians at Corinth are conducting business as usual instead of confronting this guy for his sins. Paul makes an important distinction between the way Christians are supposed to treat other Christians who are living in open sin and the way we're supposed to treat non-Christians. We are to love non-Christians and spend time with them, but when someone says they belong to Jesus and yet they live their lives in open sin, Paul says we are not to fellowship (keep company) with these people. 5:11--"But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."

But after addressing these very difficult moral matters, Paul says some beautiful things about Christian love in Chapter 13, "The Love Chapter", which is one of the most well-known passages in the New Testament. Paul is in the midst of discussing spiritual gifts like prophesying and speaking in tongues when he says in 13:1--"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." The word "charity" in this case means "love" instead of the modern sense of "giving to the poor". Paul is saying that even if he has the flashiest and most impressive spiritual gifts, his words will be like the sound of a clanging instrument if he speaks without being motivated by love. God does not place a lot of value on people showing off their spiritual side--he cares about our hearts and whether we love him and love others. Here's the rest of chapter 13, for reference:

^"2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

1st Corinthians addresses many painful issues in the early church, but it also shows believers the importance of truly allowing God's love to work in our hearts.

K-Drama Review: 49 Days, Episodes 1-2

2012-01-01T10:34:00.000-06:00

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 1-2

Jihyun is a happy bride-to-be, fluttering about in a pretty world where her parents dote on her, her two best gal pals help her out of every jam, and her fiance Minho is basically the perfect man. Jihyun is insulated from harm on every side, like a fairy princess. Then a car accident lands her in a coma, but a well-dressed grim reaper who calls himself the Scheduler gives her a second chance at life. Jihyun has 49 days to collect the true tears of three non-family members who will truly mourn her if she's gone. As an added complication, Jihyun has to witness these tears while borrowing the body of YiKyung, a chronically depressed woman.

Because Jihyun is everybody's favorite girl, this assignment should be a piece of cake, right? Only it turns out that finding true tears is rather difficult, and not everyone who said they loved Jihyun really did. There are problems with her dad's business, there are tensions with her inner circle of buddies, and her fiance's best friend might just be in love with her. How does YiKyung's life connect to Jihyun's? And who is this mysterious Scheduler, anyway? Faster than you can say "Supernatural body-switching romantic Korean drama", everything's gotten insanely complicated.

Things I Loved: 1. YiKyung-as-Jihyun. Oh my. YiKyung's actress has amazing abilities, but you don't really see her range until "Jihyun" takes over. YiKyung's overwhelming depression drags down her scenes, but I like YiKyung-as-Jihyun very much, because the actress perfectly mimics Jiyhun's mannerisms and bubbliness, but she makes it even more endearing, somehow. It's like the audience is getting to see immediate evidence of how Jihyun makes YiKyung's life better and how the two of them might be affecting each other in ways other than a parasite/host relationship. And when Kang starts getting scenes with the baffling YiKyung-as-Jihyun, we see a lot of humor and learn lot about Kang in the process.

Seriously, This Girl Can ACT.

2. Kang. He's a grumpy man, but he's got a good heart. His backstory seems rather convoluted because he's a genius architect who owns/manages a restaurant, he spent a lot of time in America and has a best buds relationship with Minho who was his college pal, but he still went to highschool with Jihyun...it looks like the writers went a little overboard with trying to give Kang a finger in every pie. But who cares if he's miraculously connected to everyone in Korea? No one can resist a kind-hearted grump.

He Resents Everything. Except Jihyun.

3. Jung Il-Woo's marvelous turn as Scheduler. He's fussy and fastidious, griping about how mortals keep messing up his neat, perfect death lists. He treats Jihyun kindly, but she also exasperates him because she insists on treating him like a buddy and calling his special reaper-phone at all hours. It's very funny when he gets upset at Jihyun, because she's such a sweetie, not even a grim reaper can stay mad at her. Scheduler's very cool, and it doesn't hurt that he brings in the younger demographic, either.

Pictured: The Only Reason That Teenage Girls Watch This Show.

Complaints: 1. The acting for Jihyun wasn't the best. The actress is shockingly pretty, but her acting isn't very nuanced so far--the happy face, sad face, and horrified face are all we get. Now, this does reflect Jihyun's own lack of depth and nuance, but I still wish the acting had delivered a tad more oomph.

Her Hair is Beautiful, Though.

2. The pacing. It's rather slow and it takes a long time for the basic concept to be set up. The music and the visual quality in the show are very classy, but it was hard for me to stay invested in episode 1 long enough for the "good stuff" (which is actually the bad stuff) to start happening.

Themes:

Life and Death: With a show about comas and souls and second chances at life, of course they're going to play up the life and death themes. Jihyun's life is, well...brimming with life. She's always giggling, joking, and all but skipping around. This contrasts sharply with YiKyung who is like an animated corpse and who can no longer interact with people. YiKyung attempts suicide by walking into traffic because she can't get over the death of her boyfriend who passed away in a car accident, so it seems like everyone of importance in this drama is closely acquainted with loss.

Ignorance: This is just what I'm noticing when I watch the show, but Jihyun seems somewhat ignorant. She definitely isn't dumb, but there just seem to be so many things about the real world that she has no knowledge of. When a small travelling emergency crops up, Jihyun doesn't know how to react, so it's up to her friend In-Jung to troubleshoot the issue. YiKyung on the other hand isn't ignorant, but she does try to ignore the world around her, to the extent that she can't recognize a customer who has been frequenting her workplace for six months. Both women have blind spots--Jihyun can't see the harsh side of life and YiKyung can't see the beauty of life.

Both Have Some Big Lessons to Learn.

Cultural Observances:

Hanbok: Women wear traditional old-fashioned dresses as Jihyun's engagement party.

Episode Evaluations: I love the complicated supernatural setup with the genuine tears and a limited number of days to collect them. The acting from YiKyung and Scheduler was also spot-on, but the show moves a little too slowly for me to want to watch the whole thing. However, I was curious enough to read a recap for the final episode, so I'd know how it ends!

Watchable bonus: Here's the first part of the first episode of "49 Days" with English subtitles. Taken from Youtube.

K-Drama Review: The Greatest Love, Ep 1-2

2011-12-31T10:07:00.000-06:00

Contains spoilers for episodes 1-2

Aejung is a D-list celebrity in Korea. She was once the most popular member of a famous girl group called Treasure Girls, but few people remember her name ten years after the group disbanded. Aejung's beloved family mis-managed her money, so now she has to do small guest appearances on radio programs and variety shows to support them. On the other side of the fame spectrum is the action-adventure star Jin who is known by everyone and is actually in the running for some parts in Hollywood. When Aejung keeps crossing paths with Jin, she finds out that he's a very selfish person, but their accidental interactions keep spurring her popularity and getting her more variety show appearances, so she can't help but appreciate that.

For Jin's part, he hates how Aejung keeps unintentionally sabotaging his pubic image, but he's still a bit drawn to her--not that he'd let anyone know that. A massive pile-up of misunderstandings, horrible timing, and face-saving leads to comic gold for our stuck-up hero and kind, plucky heroine. And Aejung is about to be cast in a dating show like The Bachelor, so this could definitely get interesting.

Things I Loved: 1. Aejung. What a great heroine! In an American movie, she'd be played by Sandra Bullock or somebody equally likable. Aejung is such a realistic in-between character that I have to love her. She's a girl next door, but she's not dull. She has a certain purity about her, but she's isn't all doe-eyed and cutesy. She's got a backbone and plenty of sass, but she only reveals them when necessary. She's brave, courteous, and yet flawed...why can't more heroines be like this?

Great Heroine? Or Greatest Heroine EVER?

2. The Meta-Reality and making fun of the entertainment industry. To me, it's always enjoyable to watch a show that pokes fun at or exposes the foibles of the entertainment industry, but this particular treatment of famous people is all the more funny for being set in Korea. Instead of performing songs at state fairs, like a D-list celebrity in America might, Aejung has to go on variety shows and perform crazy challenges like eating an entire bowl of noodles while riding a roller coaster. The things we do for money.

Note That the Bowl is Velcroed to Her Hand.

3. The supporting cast. They're all good at their parts and no one seems miscast.

Pil-Joo, Handsome Yet Socially Awkward Doctor.

Se-Ri: Beautiful Villainess and Former Bandmate of Aejung's.

Complaints: 1. Sometimes Jin pushes the man-boy act too far. Mostly, he's hilarious when he moves from deadly serious to childlike glee, but at times the over-acting is just grating.

2. Aejung's wardrobe. She gets put in the most drab and unflattering outfits in the world, but this is to highlight how undesirable and tossed-away she has become. Even so...

Were Beige & Rhinestone Shoulder Pads Really Necessary?

Themes:

Heartbeats: The Treasure Girls' hit song "Thump Thump" plays in the past when Jin is getting heart surgery. In the present, he has a special heart monitor that he checks often, but his heartbeat often races around Aejung. Due to anger, of course! Also, whenever he hears the song "Thump, Thump", his feelings toward her soften, and he doesn't know why. I don't know where the metaphor starts and ends, here. His literal heart and his emotional are somehow connected by his buried memories of Aejung's band singing about heartbeats.

Sympathy: Jin is one cold dude, but Aejung does manage to appeal to his better nature by comparing her embarrassing situations with his own current embarrassments.

Cultural Observances:

Crying at awards shows: If you're a K-pop star and you win an award at one of the many, many, many awards shows, you are required by law to weep in public. The writers make fun of this by having Aejung cry in the past when the Treasure Girls win a competition.

Respecting your elders: In Korean society, this is way more important than in America. In this show, we see how awful it is when younger people do not show kindness to their elders, such as when a young girl group looks down their noses at poor Aejung when she greets them. They are her hoobaes (her juniors in the entertainment industry) and she is their seonbae (senior), and it's really disgusting when they refuse to acknowledge her.

Rain: Not the weather phenomena, but the K-pop R&B singer.

This Guy.

They never outright mention Rain, but Jin is kind of an indirect parody of him because Jin wants to be in an American movie called Ninja Assault, while Rain was in an American movie called Ninja Assassin. Jin watches the American comedian Stephen Colbert on TV, while Rain has appeared as a guest on the Colbert Report.

New Words: "Uljima" is "don't cry", and "eotokke" is "how", but more like "what should I do/what do I do, now"?

Episode Evaluations: Hilarious and smartly written, but I won't be reviewing any more episodes of this show.

Top Ten Best K-Pop Songs of 2011

2011-12-30T11:21:00.000-06:00

It's time to count down my personal K-pop favorites from 2011! I only discovered Korean pop in the second half of this year, so my tastes aren't really varied yet. Plenty of the best songs I discovered this year were released in previous years, but I've kept myself from cheating and putting older songs on the list. Just barely.

The Breakdown: I've picked 6 songs by guy groups, 4 songs by girl groups, one song that's a Japanese remake by a K-pop band, and there's one band who gets mentioned twice on the list. None of the bands are rookies. I did like some of the groups who debuted this year, but I decided to pay attention to the more established acts for this end-of-the-year list.

#10--- "Goodbye Baby" by Miss A

These girls are always bringing the attitude. Jia in particular owns this song because she gets the lion's share of the verses and really nails the rap segment at the end. How fun would it be to sing this at karaoke/noraebang? "Goodbye Baby" is laden with assertiveness but it still has a really pretty melody, so you don't necessarily have to sing it in an angry way. Suzy's parts sound downright precious, though Min isn't taking any nonsense with her half of the chorus. Here's a radio performance from Miss A, and though they all seem a little tired, they're still very cool and I love Jia's coppery hair!

#9---"Replay" (Japanese Version) by SHINee

SHINee hasn't made any new Korean music this year, but I had to include them on this list. I even considered cheating and listing one of their songs from 2010, but instead I went with the Japanese re-release of their song "Replay". I really like the original song in Korean, but it does sound decent in Japanese, unlike many other re-releases. In the old Korean MV, their wardrobe was black, red, and denim and mostly looked like what teenage boys would wear, but in the new one they're sporting scary pastel pants and rainbow hightops. Then there's the fact that in the Japanese version, some of Jonghyun (the best singer)'s lines are given to Taemin (the best dancer). What's the purpose of this? So anyhow, I skipped the MV--here's the audio.

#8---- "A-CHA" by Super Junior

I really like Super Junior. By which I mean, I like about three songs off of every album they release (a high ratio for me, because I'm picky). "A-CHA" is a great angry song, because it's like the guys are trying to play it cool and still be kind of aloof as they tell someone she'll regret saying goodbye. Even the overdone electro-synths and the shouty chorus are super fun because this is an over the top song deserving of loud vocals and even louder instrumentation. As for the video, people have complained about its lack of cohesion, but I think most folks secretly love it. How can you not like a video with capes, gloves, card tricks and fire? And I still say that Eunhyuk's raccoon hat is one of the best things to exist, ever.

#7---- "Heart to Heart" by 4Minute

It scares me how much I like this song. It's such a girl anthem! Yes, it's supposed to be addressed to a boy, but it's just as easy to picture a bunch of female friends singing along to this one as they drive around town. When 4Minute does the big key change right after Hyuna's rap, it's impossible to avoid belting out the chorus in increasingly louder segments...Let's Have a Heart TO HEART TO HEART *resumes normal volume* Also, I love how Gayoon and Jiyoon have strong voices that shine out during the emotional parts. Here's a video of them performing the song for a radio show. I love this video because it shows the girls laughing and joking around, just being teenagers and having fun. And then there's Hyuna's shirt with its unusual slogan...

#6---"Ugly" by 2NE1

When first heard this song, I thought it was a sad ode to low self-esteem, but that's far from the truth. Now I think that the song is more of a send-up of the culture---any culture---that puts extreme pressure on women to look perfect. This song makes us remember that everyone feels inadequate at some point, and we don't have to give in to our feelings of inferiority. I love how the song shifts from a contemplative ballad style verse to a rock anthem chorus that's all in English, no less. The video is great because 2NE1 are dressed in the wildest, most audacious and messy outfits and they really don't seem to care. Rock on, ladies.

#5---"0330" by U-KISS

I have no idea how you pronounce the name of this song, I just know it's great. Every single part of it is singable, from the recurring verse-chorus to the different rap parts, and the melody sticks in your head. It's a ballad that doesn't slow you down, and a sad song that doesn't actually depress you--for a song about separation, it's surprisingly energizing. The MV shows one of the guys pretending his deceased girlfriend is still alive. SAD. But then everyone sings and all is right with the world again.

#4---"Be My Baby" by the Wonder Girls

When I got into K-pop, I didn't know who the Wonder Girls were, ironically because they had spent several years promoting and touring in the States. (Sad reality: K-pop acts seem to be more popular with American listeners when they stay in Korea.) The song has a happy, bouncy, retro feel to it and I love the smattering of English at the beginnings of the lines. I like Sohee's verses very much, and even Yubin's out-of-nowhere rap bridge has grown on me. Here's the music video, which definitely has some similarities with Beyonce's "Single Ladies" MV; they even had the same choreographer. What impresses me if how the girls manage to dance up and down those stairs in heels. And the floor itself is moving at one point?

#3---"Fiction" by BEAST

This song is gorgeous. I think I can forgive producer Shinsadong Tiger for his work on that "Bo Peep" song by T-ara now that he has made this gem. "Fiction" is such a stand-out song, it sounds good in almost any medium. The original is golden, the orchestral version is arguably better, and it sounds surprisingly good at live shows, which is a rare feat. Plus it has this lovely sad video with its downcast, shuffly hands-in-pockets step that has been dubbed "the penguin dance". Aw, don't be sad, BEAST. Everyone loves you.

#2---"Knockout" by GD & TOP

The GD/TOP duo is simply one of the best things ever to happen to K-pop. I love their band Big Bang, but these guys come up with some even more creative stuff when they're on their own. "Knockout" just doesn't sound like anything else on the radio waves, despite it being a really catchy rap song. GD & TOP's voices are very unique--you know it's them when you hear one of their songs, and they never ever blend in. I've heard a lot of younger rappers who sound like TOP, and a few precocious lads who are trying to imitate G-Dragon, but no one I've heard yet has flows to match them.

#1--- "Neverland" by U-KISS

This might just be my first real K-pop song. "Ring Ding Dong" by SHINee was the first K-pop song I ever heard, but though I really liked it, I wondered if it was a fluke. Surely Korean pop couldn't be that much fun all the time. But then the next song I heard was "Neverland", and I knew that this genre of music really was awesome. In the original MV of "Neverland", I like the arctic theme that U-KISS has going on (they're dancing in an arctic snowscape, then dancing in a basement, then in a...walk-in freezer?), but I went with the audio instead.

The end! So what were your personal favorite K-pop offerings from 2011? Who are you most looking forward to listening to in 2012? Which band should I check out next?

Leave me your blog address, or your Twitter name or a link to your fansite, and I'll link to you and give you a shout out when I review your suggested band!

Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

2011-12-29T15:36:00.001-06:00

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl, 1962

Most readers are fully familiar with the plot of this story: Good child goes to magical chocolate factory and has good things happen to him, while bad children go to chocolate factory and get turned into blueberries. The book can be slightly scary for the youngest of elementary readers, but it's very enjoyable for adults because it reminds us of the wonders of childhood. The sensory details in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are excellent, and when it says that you can smell the warm, melted chocolate for miles around the Wonka factory, it's not hard to imagine the deliciousness.

But to go with its whimsical chocolaty goodness, this book has some severe themes. With tongue in cheek, I'd like to observe these dark themes, such as:

The terrifying decline of old age: All four of the grandfolks in Charlie's house are over 90 years old, and they stay huddled in a single cold bed all day long with nothing to do and no energy with which to do it. Fortunately, this dreadful image of entropy gets turned on its head when Grandpa Joe gets out of bed after twenty years of convalescence.

The horrors of poverty: Charlie's family is already living below the poverty line, but when Mr. Bucket loses his cap-fastening job at the toothpaste factory, the family begins to undergo starvation. It gets so bad, Charlie stops running and playing so that he can conserve his energy and avoid passing out.

Wonka's fear of betrayal: Seriously, when your workers start stealing your secret recipes, your solution is to fire them all and import a tribe of dwarven people to staff your chocolate factory? Paranoia runs deep in the world of confectionery, it would seem. But no one really minds Wonka's neuroses because he's a creative genius. And besides, who else can look dashing in a top hat, cane, and plum-colored velvet coat with tails?

The Candy Man Can.

Displacement: Charlie lives in some country with 1960's industrial technology but without a welfare system, because the Buckets would be the first in line for food stamps if there were any to be had. Where is this fantasy country, anyways? The characters buy things with dollars, but use British slang. The book's "location confusion" also spreads to the 1971 movie of this book, which was filmed in Munich, Germany and starred a cast of Americans with a few Brits mixed in (and one German kid!).

On a lighter note, I'd like to mention---

Stuff Willy Wonka Has Invented, and Its Relative Practicality/Grooviness:

-Non-melty ice cream. (Mmm, yes. You know you want this.)
-Marshmallows that taste like violets. (I've never tasted a violet, but this does not sound yummy.)
-Caramels that change color as they melt in your mouth. (Only appreciable if you kept opening your mouth and looking in a mirror. So it's utterly perfect for kids, who do this anyway.)
-Candy that evaporates when it passes your lips. (We already have that, it's called cotton candy.)
-Chewing gum with eternal flavor. (Ideal.)
-Candy balloons you pop with a pin and eat. (Sounds like a violent eating experience. Whee!)
-Candy bluebird eggs that melt into a tiny sugar bird. (Surprisingly artsy.)
-A chocolate Taj Mahal. (WANT.)
-Edible minty grass. (Impractical. That minty freshness will be ruined by the first sneaker to smush it.)
-Chocolate waterfall. (Wasteful! You'd lose so much through splashing.)
-A yacht made out of pink candy. (Doesn't Paris Hilton own one of these?)

All told, Charlie and Chocolate Factory is a fun book, but I think it's considered a classic because of people's fond memories of the Gene Wilder film version. The book is fine, but the film elevates its subject matter a bit and also quotes Shakespeare in the process. Perfection. Grade: B

YA Story Scavenger Hunt, Question #57

2011-12-29T08:55:00.000-06:00

Good morning, everyone! I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Entwined by Heather Dixon.

Question #57: What is the name of the second oldest princess?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 15-16

2011-12-28T10:26:00.000-06:00

Read episode reviews for:

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14

Contains Spoilers for episodes 15-16

Thanks to Chi-Soo's dad's interference, Kang-Hyuk has to decide whether to give up Chi-Soo, his baby half-brother, or give up the ramyun shop and Eun-Bi's future. Eun-Bi herself finally understands that she's not really whole without Chi-Soo and that she's afraid of losing him. And at least she does acknowledge to Kang-Hyuk what an amazing person he is and how lucky she was to have him as a friend, even though she couldn't feel anything more.

Chi-Soo's dad has been a sweet fellow until now, but he is finally putting his foot down and getting tired of his only son turning his back on the family corporation. This is actually great for Chi-Soo's personal development because he's learning that he can't do whatever he likes whenever he likes, and he can't ignore important people like his family. He also owes loyalty to his makeshift family at the ramyun shop, which makes for a divided heart.

Enjoy the final episodes of this super-awesome drama! It has action, intrigue, comedy, sweetness, bravery, rescues, and all loose ends are tied up perfectly! Almost nothing about the ending went the way I expected, and I mean that as a compliment. The writing staff took a flurry of plot cliches and made them absolutely non-cliche. *slow clap*

And a final word of caution: if you don't get misty-eyed while watching these episodes, it's because you have a heart of iron and eyes of steel. Kleenex. You will need it.

Things I Loved: 1. The opening fairytale/dream sequence in episode 15. It encapsulates the difficulties inherent in Eun-Bi/Chi-Soo, and uses comedy to highlight what would have to change for them to work longterm.

Princely, But Somewhat Useless

2. Brotherly Love. Kang-Hyuk is the best big brother ever, and does what is best for Chi-Soo even when baby bro is acting snobby or rude. He even goes and fetches Chi-Soo when he's lost, and gives him advice about how to treat Eun-Bi.

Give Him a Good Ending, Writers!

3. Eun-Bi practicing singing "Good Day" by IU because she wants to serenade Chi-Soo. I know this song, so it's even funnier listening to Eun-Bi try to croak it out in front of the mirror in a forced cutesy fashion.

I Love You, Girl, But You're No IU.

4. Eun-Bi in a bridesmaid dress and fur wrap, brandishing a plunger while leading a mob of protesters. I'm not even going to provide context for this one. Watch it for yourself.

Because it is Glorious!

Complaints: None. This finale is dipped in pure televised gold.

Themes:

Kid vs. Adult: Chi-Soo finally has to act like an adult, and the transition is hard for him. Kang-Hyuk highlights this difference when Chi-Soo wants to know what will happen if they lose the ramyun shop and he replies, "Do you want the adult answer or the kid answer?" Chi-Soo requests the kiddie answer, followed by the grown-up answer. Chi-Soo really does start his full progression toward being a true adult when he becomes willing to give up everything he wants to keep Ba-Wool and Hyunwoo safe and happy.

Love and Money: This theme is awesome. Chi-Soo, who never met a problem he didn't throw money at, is now willing to live in an impoverished fashion if that's what is best for his friends. He won't ask the guys for cash so that Eun-Bi won't find out and worry about him, and he has finally admitted that sometimes ready cash cannot solve life's most important issues. He asks So-Yi why she used to date him and she honestly replies that she enjoyed the expensive presents and wouldn't have dated him if he was poor. Chi-Soo says he knows Eun-Bi will still care for him without his fortune, but that fact bothers him too.

The Heartbreaking Walk-Away: In dramas, if you love someone you've got to let them go and you have to make it look convincing. Chi-Soo pulls an Edward Cullen with Eun-Bi when he says that she's all wrong for him and that he never cared for her. But anyone in their right mind knows he's lying because he's on the verge of tears while shoving her hand away.

Bathroom jokes: Holy cow, I never expected the show to carry on with its running gag about constipation this long. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't funny.

Mirrored scenes: Chi-Soo's dad blows up for once and calls his son a brat, then Kang-Hyuk calls him the same thing soon afterward.

Chi-Soo kept the Pororo penguin blanket from episode 5-ish, and still sleeps under it when he's lonely! It's probably the only warm and human object he owns--everything besides this child's blanket is totally expensive and totally replaceable.

The entire last 10 minutes of the final episode is a series of mirror scenes that make you remember all the great times you've had with the show.

Cultural Observances:

New words: "Uri" is "we" or "us" and Eun-Bi starts talking about herself and Chi-Soo in terms of "we".

English Bonus:

English songs: "Creep" by Radiohead plays when Chi-Soo learns that his presence at the ramyun shop is about to ruin everyone's lives and their source of income. It's the unedited version of "Creep", no less. Harsh much, soundtrack? When everyone is decorating the Christmas tree, "Jingle Bell Rock" plays in the background, though it's clearly a K-pop artist singing in English. When Chi-Soo is at the coffee chop with So-Yi, "She Will be Loved" by Maroon 5 plays. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" plays at the opening of the finale.

Random words: Ba-Wool says "jingle bells" and "musicals". Hyunwoo says "Christmas"...well, really everyone in the cast says "Merry Christmas" at some point. Eun-Bi says the number "two". Chi-Soo writes "no problem" on a Christmas card.

Episode Evaluations: These are funny, dramatic, and touching episodes from top-notch series. I do not want for this to be over. But there are rumors of a season 2, so yay!

For K-Drama fans: If there's a show you'd like me to check out, leave a suggestion in the comments. I'd love to find the next awesome Korean drama to fall for and review.

New Blogger Meme: Book Blogger Confessions!

2011-12-28T09:19:00.003-06:00

I love book-blogging. Reading, reviewing and discussing books is an absolute rush. It's a solo activity that quickly becomes a social activity when you connect with other book fans, and it can be educational, as well as a whole heaping lot of fun. :-)

But how about when it isn't? My friend Karen at For What It's Worth Reviews and I have had so many "blogger confessions" to each other over the past two years, discussing the hidden, difficult side of book blogging. We'd like to co-host a meme in 2012 as a continuation of these convos. As Karen puts it in her official introduction of the meme at her blog:

"Tiger and I thought it might be time to start a meme to discuss some of the frustrations that are unique to book bloggers. What happens when the hobby you love becomes more of a chore?

We're introducing a meme called "Book Blogger Confessions"

On the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month we'll be discussing a topic that affects book bloggers and give you a chance to vent, share your opinion or offer a solution.

One thing this meme isn't is a way to bash other bloggers or authors. Everyone can blog however they like. It's your blog. Book Blogger Confessions is just a way to shine a light on the things that effect us all but we might be reluctant to admit to otherwise.

If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Tiger's All Consuming Books or For What It's Worth. Once your post is up feel free add a link to our post.

Alternately, you can comment on our posts once they're up.

For non-bloggers feel free to comment and let us know if there is something we could do better regarding that week's topic.

We'll be starting the meme off in January.

Here is the topic schedule.

January 2nd: How has the "job" of book blogging changed your reading habits? Both pro and con.

January 16th: Have you ever had reading/blogging slumps? How do you work through them or work around them?

Feel free to give us topic suggestions in the comment section!

I think we lose a lot of good bloggers each year to burn out. It's our hope that through this meme we can all find suggestions and support to help ride out those times.

Thank you to Sandy from Scribing Shadows for making our meme button."

I hope you'll all join us in January for the start of Book Blogger Confessions! Get ready to share. And possibly vent. :-)

Top Ten Best Books of 2011

2011-12-27T12:01:00.001-06:00

2011 is ending already? It's time for all good little bloggers to take stock of the previous year and look forward to what awaits us in the new one! I decided to recap my favorite fiction reads of 2011, with the aid of pictures of kittens on books. You're welcome.

Breakdown: My list includes 5 YA books, 4 urban fantasy books and 1 science fiction book. Two authors have two books each on the list, and only one book is by a male author--I'm guessing because I read mostly YA and UF, two genres currently dominated by female writers--though Ilona Andrews' books are co-written by a wife-and-husband writing team. Three of the books are debut novels. I read a lot of non-fiction and poetry this year, but for my Top Ten list, I leaned more toward showing the fun books you read during your free time rather than the brainy books you read to improve your intellect--though the "fun" books are often pretty smart, too.

#10--Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

This was a very nice vampire YA, and I appreciated it so much because it was one of the few "spinoff" books I've read that has lived up to or surpassed the original series. I was quite a fan of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, but I lost interest somewhere after book 4 and didn't bother reading the last book. But when Bloodlines was announced, I knew I wanted to try it out because Richelle really had some great worldbuilding going on and I thought I might like Sydney better as a protagonist than I liked Rose, who got really abrasive as time wore on. Turns out that Sydney was good protagonist, and the whole book was nicely complex and fun. Plus, more of Adrian Ivashkov, my favorite character from the original series!

#9 If I Die by Rachel Vincent

Wow. As I've mentioned before, I have a habit of losing interest in a series after book 4 or 5. The series will simply jump the shark for me or it'll get repetitive or I'll grow tired of waiting for the new releases. Not so with Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers YA books! If I Die is book number 5, and it's more nail-biting, more gut-wrenching, and more romantic than the previous books, even. I can't even say what I love about the book without spoilering the whole thing, but it is GRAND.

#8 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I've never read anything like this book. It's a science fiction world mixed with a quest fantasy theme, plus a healthy dose of geek/gamer culture, 80's pop factoids, and humor woven in. It's really funny, really brainy, and will really click with you if you self-identify as a nerd. *raises hand* Ready Player One actually poses some excellent questions about the value of virtual worlds and leaves the readers to decide for themselves how much is too much of a good thing when it comes to fantasy, the internet, and OASIS, the virtual reality universe in the story. This is brain candy, plus some true food for thought.

#7 Head Rush by Carolyn Crane

An explosive end to an explosive trilogy. I was so glad to get my mittens on this book when it came out a couple weeks ago, because the cliffhanger ending of book 2 left me floored. It was the kind of ending that makes you want to throw something non-breakable against the wall in frustration because you have to wait six months to a year before you read what happens next. Head Rush delivered everything I hoped for, which almost never happens. This is particular book is almost a psycho-thriller, and it always keeps you on the edge of your seat.

#6 Hourglass by Myra McEntire

I ought to just praise the book, but I want to take a moment to say that Myra McEntire is an amazing person. She's sweet, thoughtful, and if you follow her on Twitter you know she has a wicked sense of humor. Anyhoo, her debut novel Hourglass is a very smart timeslip story and it deals with concepts like time travel, time loops, and changing events in a bold, new way. I could never predict how events were going to go. And it has a good romance that isn't at all sappy or cheesy. Can't wait for the next book!

#5 Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

Again with the awsomeness from RVincent. With her werecat shifters series, I felt like she did a great job with a known urban fantasy concept. Then with Soul Screamers, she was doing something with folklore banshees that was brand new. And in Blood Bound, she's working with blood-oath concept I've never seen before, mixed with additional superpowers and a very complex criminal underworld. It makes for some irresistibly good dark, gritty UF.

#4 Divergent by Veronica Roth

Such an impressive debut novel. At a time when it seemed like everyone was trying their hand at writing dystopias (post-apocalyptic horror is the new vampire fiction!), Veronica Roth came out of nowhere and demolished the competition. Divergent is a tense, actiony, spellbinding book and I really love the concept of the five factions. Tris also gets major props for being a strong heroine with enough vulnerability to be fully human. Divergent is a book worth buying for your friends, or loaning out at the very least.

#3 Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

Another book 5 in a series which somehow managed to be exquisite. I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a stand-alone, but I'm even more in awe of it when I consider that the Magic Bites series has not had a single bad book. They are all individually interesting and they form a cohesive and compelling story arc when read back-to-back. Kate grows as a character, Curran is amazing as always, and I loved seeing the entire cast of side characters who I've come to care about. Action, mythology, world-building, and deadly peril await in post-apocalyptic Atlanta. Check it out.

#2 Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Alongside Divergent, Enclave is the best dystopian book of the year, in my opinion. It's very fierce and claustrophobic because the first half of the book takes place underground. It's really not the same-old same-old ruined world, and the societies really seem to behave in the way that tribal communities with limited resources would act. I was struck by the realism, and I know that author did a boatload of research to make her work feel 100% authentic. Deuce is a great heroine, and all the other characters are compelling or heartbreaking for different reasons. Ann Aguirre is an established author, and it shows in this book, because she handles every little plot movement like an expert.

#1 Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Does urban fantasy get any better than this? I think not. Though it's really urban fantasy meets high fantasy meet James Bond gadgetry meets conman story meets romantic suspense meets heist novel... Suffice it to say, everything I want to read about is in this book. Kaldar is the kind of hero I rarely get to see, one who has a talent for crime and who isn't the least bit sorry about his bad deeds, though he does have a conscience when it comes to actually harming people. He somehow manages to be a perfect brother/cousin/uncle while still breaking every law known to humankind. Audrey is a delight too, with her talent for thievery, her inner strength, and her complicated family issues. And I normally ignore side character POVs, but I loved seeing the thoughts of Jack, a 12-year-old shapeshifter, and I thought the scenes with Jack and his brother added depth to the plot and humor to the story. It's just made of win.

So those are my Top Ten favorite releases from 2011! Which of these books did you like best? Which books made your Top Ten list? What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

And in closing, here's another cat on a book!

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 13-14

2011-12-26T19:31:00.001-06:00

Read episode reviews for:
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for episodes 13-14

Kang-Hyuk has finally admitted to Chi-Soo they are secretly half brothers with the same mother, due to a complex plot twist involving remarriage, terminal illness, and moving to and from Japan and back again. (Hey, I don't write this stuff, I just review it.) Now the complex character interaction is even more complex-ier. Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk are bonding in an odd sort of way, but they're still romantic rivals and Chi-Soo thinks Kang-Hyuk is out for money. Chi-Soo rains down insults, Kang-Hyuk starts removing doors from their hinges, Eun-Bi can't make a decision between them...in other words, the competition is so on.

But Chi-Soo's dad is very concerned about his son's ongoing involvement with Eun-Bi and with the ramyun shop. Chi-Soo is a prince and his dad doesn't want him to risk hurting himself by hanging out in a world where he doesn't belong. When Chi-Soo insists on spending all his time with Eun-Bi (and he also seems to secretly enjoy spending time with his half-brother), his dad pulls out all the stops to ensure that Chi-Soo will climb back up to his ritzy hotel home and never go slumming again. The guys in the series have to make really big decisions because Kang-Hyuk has to choose between being a good brother and being a good potential match for Eun-Bi and Chi-Soo has to decide whether leading a happy life is worth doing without all the frou-frou of his dad's world.

Also...Kang-Hyuk is no longer comic relief. He's part of some funny scenes, but he's nearly 100% serious, which is just amazing.

Things I Loved: 1. Ba-Wool. His overprotective baby brother act is so endearing, and while he used to get fighting mad over his girlfriend So-Yi, now he's more likely to get fussy when people mess with his favorite "big sister" Eun-Bi. And his hand drawn flowchart of the Cha family's insane backstory is priceless.

Plus, His Hair Comes Right Out of "Grease" the Musical.

2. The Meta-Speak and Genre Awareness. Eun-Bi talks a lot about how unpleasant it is to be involved in a love triangle. Chi-Soo asks Kang-Hyuk, "Have you never watched K-dramas? The girl always ends up with the bad boy who has money", meaning himself. Kang-Hyuk and a friend joke about being secret relatives, which plays into him being actual secret relatives with Chi-Soo. The local ajummas (middle-aged women) say that Eun-Bi's life looks like a TV drama, then they mention several silly tropes that she is living out on a daily basis.

Also, when Eun-Bi worries about her love life, Dongjoo continually reminds her to "Just enjoy it!" which feels like the show's writers telling the audience not to flip out too much over this love triangle--just have fun with the show and don't get too angry with any of the characters. It's all done in fun. No hearts were broken in the filming of this drama.

Especially Not So-Yi's--Though She's Getting There

3. Eun-Bi's makeover for the dates. She looks so smooth and classy, and I think the audience appreciates it more because she hasn't shied away from looking grungy, athletic, bookish, or casual--now that she gets to look sophisticated, it feels like she earned the right. Eun-Bi is a knockout!

As GD and TOP Would Say, Aju Ppeogigayo.

4. Chi-Soo's unfathomably literal thought processes. Eun-Bi tells Chi-Soo that he shouldn't date her because he's like a lion, she's like grass, and lions can't eat grass. He is stricken for awhile, but then he shows up at her house in the middle of the night to let her know that a websearch reveals that actually, lions CAN eat grass. Ha! This guy simply cannot comprehend wordplay or figures of speech, not even in his native language. It's terribly cute.

My Internets Have Proven You Wrong, Milady.

Complaints: 1. That crushed water bottle prop is overplayed. Chi-Soo dramatically crushes his empty water bottle to make a point, then Kang-Hyuk grabs and reinflates it, then Chi-Soo yanks it back and crushes it again! Poor water bottle can't catch a break.

2. Not enough nice things happen to Kang-Hyuk to compensate for the bad things. He needs comfort!

Someone Give This Man Some Chocolate and a Snuggie.

Themes:

Using the wrong name: Whoa, this one really comes around full circle. Kang-Hyuk always called Chi-Soo by the wrong surname, but now it seems like it was his way of focusing on Chi-Soo as a person and not as someone who had a different father and came from a different family; the Cha family instead of Choi. Also, Chi-Soo used to call Kang-Hyuk the Japanese word for "onion", and now it turns out that Kang-Hyuk spent a large portion of his life in Japan and his dad was Japanese. (But then why is his surname Choi, like his mother's?)

Family ties: Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk's mother becomes a kind of stand-in for Eun-Bi, with Kang-Hyuk saying that no one in the Cha family knows how to truly love and care for a woman, because Chi-Soo's dad did a poor job of taking care of their mother. As it turns out, everything comes down to family experience, even tiny little details: Kang-Hyuk always loved Eun-Bi's strength and I thought he was just a progressive sort of dude. Actually, he's attracted to strong, healthy women because his own mother was sickly and died fairly young. And Chi-Soo's seemingly random hatred of women who cry in front of him dates back to his childhood, when he heard his mother crying every single night. Yikes.

Mirrored scenes: Both Ba-Wool and Dongjoo ask Eun-Bi "Are you bragging right now?"

Dongjoo and Coach have to keep ducking and hiding from Eun-Bi, since they're secretly dating and don't want her to know. They wonder aloud if she's on some tour of Seoul, with the way they keep running into her.

Kang-Hyuk always seems to be waiting in the same place for Eun-Bi when she walks home.

Chi-Soo's dad gives him the same speech as Eun-Bi about lions not eating grass.

Cultural Observances:

Inter-cultural dating taboos: Before Eun-Bi, Kang-Hyuk has only ever dated Japanese women because his father was treated badly for marrying a Korean woman instead of someone from his own country. I'm guessing that the stigma isn't so bad anymore, but Korea and Japan have a long and tense history.

Skinship: I think this word is a portmanteau of skin+kinship, and it means showing your closeness through touching. It's a little bit like the English term "PDA"(public display of affection), but it doesn't always have to be romantic and can mean just hugging your friends. Kang-Hyuk says that skinship with Eun-Bi is off-limits for Chi-Soo while they're both trying to win her heart. I guess he figures that Chi-Soo has an unfair advantage in this area, which he does.

K-Pop: During the Cha ramyun shop opening, "Gee" by SNSD (Girls' Generation) plays. Coach hears the music and asks if Girls' Generation is at the event.

New words: "Animyeon" is "either" or "or". "Moksori" is "voice", which Eun-Bi says wen she recognizes Chi-Soo's dad's vocie.

English Bonus:

Random words: Ba-Wool says "no problem", but pronounces it with like 5 extra syllables.

Episode Evaluations: Great character development for everyone, all around. I'm sad that there are only two episodes left.

Book Review: Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews

2011-12-26T11:10:00.000-06:00

Magic Gifts
Ilona Andrews, Decmeber 2011

It's s delightful to be a fan of an author who is not only immensely talented but incredibly generous. Ilona and Gordon produced this wonderful novella as a gift for their fans, with no intentions of selling the novella on its own anytime soon. However, it will appear as bonus content at the end of Andrea's POV novel Gunmetal Magic, so if you don't get a chance to download it, you'll still be able to read it in paperback. Since hardcore Andrews fans like myself are desperate for every little glimpse of the world of post-magic post-apocalyptic Atlanta, this is the greatest present of fiction we could get. :-)

Kate and her best friend Andrea are running Cutting Edge Investigations in Atlanta, and they aren't getting nearly enough cases to stay afloat financially. The cases they do get tend to be unsavory, like disposing of a "giant levitating jellyfish" that is eating neighborhood cats in a nice suburb. Kate is glad to get a little break from work to go out to dinner with her mate Curran, but when someone is almost magically decapitated at the restaurant they pick, it's a dinner date turned into a paranormal investigation. Next thing they know, they're babysitting an inhuman child named Roderick, consulting with Vikings, looking for dwarves, and generally warding off death. Fun times!

I love getting a snapshot of Curran and Kate's everyday life together. In the regular series, they're often so busy killing things that we don't get to see much of their domestic reality. It's a cute and hardcore mixture at the same time, because they're both "alphas" (Curran in a more literal sense), and yet they still try to do normal things like have dinner together. And they also have neat little moments that underscore just how abnormal they are--while an average guy might help his lady move a couch a table, Curran helps Kate by hefting a 300-pound magical jellyfish for her. So chivalrous. They have the best conversations ever, so I never get tired of their interaction in this novella or in the regular series.

As an additional upside to the novella, we get a hint of Norse mythology and as always, there's plenty of humor. And there's the beloved side characters, Jim and Derek and Ascanio, and just a hint of Andrea and Julie. I really want to read Andrea's book, now. The girl is going to be as great a heroine as Kate is! Also, this novella has the best "revenge epilogue" I've ever read. Grade: A

International bonus: I'm somewhat obsessed with Korea, so I was thrilled when Kate and Curran went to eat at a Korean restaurant called Arirang, the name of an old Korean folk song.

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 11-12

2011-12-25T13:40:00.003-06:00

Read episode reviews for:

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for episodes 11-12

Good grief. Way to make your audience want to cheer and cry at the same time, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop! As Episode 11 opens, Eun-Bi and Chi-Soo are finally getting their big epic kiss (yay!), but Kang-Hyuk sees it and is heartbroken (*sniffle*), and after he had just bought Eun-Bi a cute little present he saw her admiring, he gets abandoned at the movie theater. We just can't have any victories without also getting a punch to the gut, can we? The only thing that makes this more bearable is the fact that we know nothing about Kang-Hyuk or the depth of his thoughts or feelings--he's mainly in the show to be a complication, but he's still so sweet it's hard not to feel his (assumed) pain.

But all isn't settled. Chi-Soo still hasn't gained a full measure of emotional maturity and doesn't really know what to do with Eun-Bi, and he still isn't a kind or thoughtful person so he ends up insulting her instead of winning her over. Eun-Bi goes back to Kang-Hyuk who acts like he didn't see anything and steps up to be a very mature love interest. It only gets more complicated from there on, but rather than fighting Chi-Soo, Kang-Hyuk becomes his mentor. And Chi-Soo's dad still wants to buy out the ramyun shop, so their very "home" is under a bit of a threat, which leads everyone to ask themselves some important questions about how devoted they are to the life they've built.

Plus, there are epic 5-person Rock Paper Scissors battles, and whole scenes of the entire cast awkwardly making kimchi together. This show is made of win.

Things I Loved:

1. Chi-Soo delivering a long deprecating speech to Eun-Bi in a loving tone, then concluding his flurry of criticism with the line, "So, please stay by my side. Until I regain my senses." Horrible. Hilarious. Hilarrible. It's like the Pride and Prejudice insult/proposal scene all over again. But for all his meanness, the guy is blinking back tears when she walks away. You don't know whether to slap him or hug him.

I Am Just Like Mr. Darcy, Only More Insulting.

2. So-Yi showing that she really does care about Ba-Wool. The girl's heart is not made of stone!

Snow White Swan Princess Lily Flower Has Feelings!

3. Kang-Hyuk. Just...Kang-Hyuk. When Eun-Bi apologizes for leaving him behind, he just says "I'm thankful you came back to me". And he's this kind-hearted to everyone; he almost views Chi-Soo like a son and he worries about his welfare.

At Left: Chivalrous and Noble. Almost Tragically So.

4. The guys all humiliating Eun-Bi when she tries to explain to some neighbors why they're all living in the same house. Hyunwoo, Ba-Wool, Kang-Hyuk, and Chi-Soo respectively walk up and call Eun-Bi "Teacher, Noona, Wife, and Honey".

We're All One Big, Happy WEIRD Family

5. Chi-Soo and Eun-Bi's Big Epic Hug. It's actually better than the Big Epic Kiss from episode 10, because that was just a moment of passion--the hug is the very first example of Chi-Soo becoming a real human being and trying to love and comfort another person.

Pinocchio, You Have Now Become a Real Boy.

Complaints: 1. The Big Reveal about Chi-Soo's mom. Really? Did we have to do that? Isn't the story dramatic enough without getting ridiculous? Whyyyyy? And I think it takes away a little bit from Kang-Hyuk's awesome sweetness by giving him too clear a motivation for his actions.

Themes:

Creating a Home/Family: Kang-Hyuk insists to Chi-Soo's dad that the ramyun shop is more of a home than a business. He says that his employees find the comfort of a home in this place, which absolutely seems true when you think of the family structure Kang-Hyuk provides for Ba-Wool, Hyunwoo, and even Chi-Soo. Everyone in the ramyun shop is missing one or more of their parents--Kang-Hyuk has no parents, Chi-So has no mother, while Eun-Bi's father is dead and Hyunwoo's father is missing, and Ba-Wool is a runaway. And yet they all take comfort in being together and forming their own home at the shop. Kang-Hyuk outright says that everyone at the restaurant is like his child and he'll continue to protect them as such. AWWW.

Romantic Competition: To Kang-Hyuk, not competing for Eun-Bi's affections shows his care for her and for Chi-Soo. To Eun-Bi, his not competing signals his indifference. Chi-Soo thinks he has won the competition regardless of what is happening at any given time.

Food as a reflection of identity/economic status: Chi-Soo says that since he can't eat ramyun (become a poor, lowly person), he'll turn Eun-Bi into someone fitting for him and make her eat caviar. He then proceeds to take her out for caviar, but she doesn't really like it. Eun-Bi uses food as a metaphor for her love life when she says that she's to old to want a quick romance that is easily replaceable (cup ramyun), but she'd like a solid committed love (ramyun cooked at home by an individual). She says Chi-Soo doesn't even know how to cook ramyun, which Chi-Soo takes in a literal way and decides to become a decent ramyun chef. Is there anything this guy does not take literally?

Mirrored scenes: Ba-Wool explains to So-Yi that Eun-Bi is his beloved noona (older sister/friend) in the exact same terms that So-Yi explained her oppa (older brother/friend) to him in a previous episode. In both instances, there is jealousy over the oppa/noona being mentioned.

Ba-Wool and Hyunwoo have a surprisingly deep conversation in the ramyun shop kitchen, while Ba-Wool brandishes a giant leafy onion. Next, Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk have a big convo in the kitchen, with Kang-Hyuk holding the onion.

Chi-Soo's dad asks Kang-Hyuk to fire Chi-Soo, and later asks Eun-Bi to rebuff Chi-Soo's romantic attentions.

Cultural Observances:

Love Confessions: I used to read a lot of manga/manhwa, so I was already familiar with the Asian pop culture trope called the "love confession", which is often referenced in FBRS. In American media, of course we do have plenty of scenes where a character confesses their love or admits "I like you" and so on, but these scenes don't quite seem to have the same impact and weight that they do in Japanese or Korean love stories. It's hard to say what the difference between the two types of revelations really is, but the fact that they call it a confession in Asian media certainly reflects the seriousness of admitting their feelings out loud. It really is like a proposal of marriage, but in miniature.

Wedding Preparations: Dongjoo says that when a person gets married, they're supposed to buy new outfits for their parents. First time I've heard of that custom.

Boy bands: Eun-Bi tries to have a discussion with Chi-Soo about the 90's boy band Shinhwa, but they're before his time.

New words: "Geokjeongma" means "Don't worry", which Chi-Soo tells his dad. "Banhae" is to fall for someone or to become infatuated.

English Bonus:

English language music: As Chi-Soo insults Eun-Bi, a wistful song called "Your Eyes" talks about feeling "lost in a crowded room". This song has a neat and weird international bonus: it's from a 1982 French film called La Boum (The Party) 2, but it is sung by British new wave group Cook da Books. Later, "You Are My Destiny" by Paul Anka plays. Where do the K-drama soundtrack people even find this stuff?

Random English words: Kang-Hyuk says that he and Eun-Bi are no "Romeo" and "Juliet". Thank goodness--that means this show won't end in a double suicide. Chi-Soo and Eun-Bi say "caviar", which I wrote down as an English word, but it's actually French. *facepalm* Kang-Hyuk tells his boys to "sit down" and eat. Chi-Soo says "Got it?"

Episode Evaluations: When I can compare anything to Pride and Prejudice, it's a good sign. And it's so, so, so funny!

Scripture Sunday: The Book of Romans

2011-12-25T12:16:00.001-06:00

Romans is Paul's letter to the church--the group of believers in Christ--in Rome. It 's a theological book that explains a lot of Christian doctrine, and it can get rather complex at points. To me, the ideal way to understand Romans is with the aid of a good trustworthy commentary, though there are still plenty of nuggets of truth we can pick up for ourselves without added help.

One of the first well-known verses in Romans is 1:16, where Paul is discussing the possibility of coming to preach in Rome and says he is prepared to do so, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." I like this verse for a few different reasons. At the end, it reminds us that the salvation of Jesus was offered to the Jewish nation first. Christianity was for the Jews, but God extended his mercy to the Gentiles also, not as secondary citizens but as a kind of additional blessing to the family of believers. I also love the first part, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ", which people often quote by itself because it is so powerful. It's so easy to be shy about your faith in the Son of God, but we're called to be brave and forthright about it. There's no shame in loving the savior!

Chapter 2 has some good counsel about sin and hypocrisy. Verse 1 says, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." There's no room for any human being to say that they are perfect while tearing down others for their sins. Gross sin and wrongdoing are easy to spot in others, but we rarely want to turn that same level of judgement on our own selves. Verse 6 reminds us that God "will render to every man according to his deeds". We will all get a recompense one day, and it will be in line with our actions on earth.

Chapter 5 has some beautiful points about Jesus' sacrifice for our sins: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (5:6-8)" This passage highlights that Jesus did not die for us because we were worthy of his sacrifice or because we had earned it or ever would earn it through good behavior--he took our punishment even when we had done nothing to deserve the exchange. He did it out of love, and all that remains is for us to accept him and live our lives for him. No fear of eternal punishment is left after we decide to serve Jesus; "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Romans is an intense theological book, but it's also a very rewarding book to read.

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 9-10

2011-12-24T10:53:00.003-06:00

Read Episode reviews for:
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for episodes 9-10

Chi-Soo has come to the end of his wits, regarding Eun-Bi. He can't stop thinking about her and even though he sees her every day at the ramyun shop, he's not satisfied. But since Chi-Soo doesn't understand human emotions (he aways has to ask his best friend "What is jealousy? What is compassion? What is pity?), he doesn't know that he's in love with or at least severely infatuated with Eun-Bi. For her part, Eun-Bi finally realizes that she's in the middle of a love triangle and it dawns on her that Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk both like her, but she doesn't know how she feels about them at all.

Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk are having some epic verbal showdowns, but they don't do it when Eun-Bi is around. The tension continues unrelieved until Kang-Hyuk asks Eun-Bi for a date to the movies. But Chi-Soo is a bit of a stalker and can't help but follow them, so the triangle continues. Bwa-ha-ha.

Things I Loved:

1. New Perspectives. I really enjoy seeing scenes from the previous episode re-shown from different viewpoints. Now we know why Kang-Hyuk showed up out of nowhere and punched Chi-Soo in episode 8! This is a very clever filming technique, and it's really the only time when we get something akin to Kang-Hyuk's POV.

Does Not Get as Much Screentime as Chi-Soo

2. The wacky humor. At one point, I complained about the sort of slapstick comedy and cartoony humor that detracted from the seriousness of this show, but now I'm thankful for it. The audience would be either crying or biting their nails through the whole show if we didn't get these breaks to laugh. Bring on the absurdities!

This Guy's Hobby is Knitting. Even Funnier Than It Sounds.

3. At the hair salon, while Eun-Bi is feeling good about herself for connecting with Kang-Hyuk, 2NE1's song "I Am the Best" plays in the background.

"Naega chae chalaga!"

4. Finally, we get a kiss! After 10 episodes, it's ABOUT TIME. And literal bells ring, just like Eun-Bi was told they would back in episode 1.

1st Kiss Gets Bonus "Cool Points "for Being Beside a Motorcycle.

Complaints: 1. In Ep. 9 when you think the song-selecting plot device is going to bring some resolution to Chi-Soo/Eun-Bi...it doesn't! Argh! Foiled again.

Themes:

The power of music: Chi-Soo remembers how Eun-Bi said that a certain song was basically the "our song" for her and Jaeho, so he tries to find the song. Chi-Soo's dad frequently listens to a song that was his "our song" with Chi-Soo's mother. Aww! Chi-Soo's dad deepens the concept by saying that the person you love always has music associated with them. Chi-Soo embraces this information as evidence that he does not love Eun-Bi because he doesn't have a song that reminds him of her.

Almost-magic: This is not a paranormal show, but there is the occasional sort-of supernatural element, like when the woman in episode one gave a prediction about bells ringing when Eun-Bi kisses her one true love. In Ep 9, we see more of this type of magic when Chi-Soo employs an iPod app that selects random songs, but the songs actually match his feelings for whichever person he's looking at. Chi-Soo uses the magical iPod app to determine his feelings for Eun-Bi, but this time, it's not 100% accurate.

Incorrect names: Kang-Hyuk has now called Cha Chi-Soo by the surnames Kim, Park, Jung, and Lee. Choi and Kwan are probably next.

Mirrored scenes: So very many. In Ep. 9, Kang-Hyuk emerges from a shop while drinking from a giant carton of milk with a straw, which is reminiscent of his first appearance in episode 3, when he gets a similarly jumbo sized drink.

Kang-Hyuk and Chi-Soo walk into the same music store to request a CD, hum the same song, and then offer similar compliments to the unhelpful music store clerk.

Chi-Soo gets a bloody lip from Kang-Hyuk's punch, which matches the bloody lip Kang-Hyuk had from Chi-Soo's punch, back around episode 5.

Eun-Bi has to ask Kang-Hyuk how old he is and he replies that he was born in the year of the Rooster. Eun-Bi has flashbacks to when she assumed Chi-Soo was older based on his zodiac year, but it turns out that although Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk were born in the same type of year, they are 12 years apart: Chi-Soo is 19 while Kang-Hyuk is 31.

Cultural Observances:

Chicken feet: Eun-Bi chows down on barbecued chicken feet like they're steak, while Chi-Soo, spoiled rich boy that he is, looks on in abject horror and says that this is not a part of the chicken that should be eaten.

New words: "Gasum" is "heart", and hearts are mentioned often. "Ddong" is "poop", and it is mentioned often as well. For some reason, this romantic series does not shy away from poop jokes. I think I hear Hyunwoo call Kang-Hyuk "sunsangnim" which is like "teacher" or instructor, but I don't get the connection, because he's Hyunwoo's boss, not his teacher. "Hajiman" is "but" or "however", a frequently used conjunction.

"Oppa" gets special attention again because So-Yi introduces Ba-Wool to another oppa of hers, but doesn't really make it clear whether she means a just-friends/older-brother oppa or an I'm-dating-this-person oppa. Ba-Wool assumes the latter, and is undoubtedly right. Later, Chi-Soo flies into a jealous rage when Eun-Bi describes Kang-Hyuk as her oppa, again, because the context is not clear and Chi-Soo guesses that she means the romantic oppa.

Despite Being Younger, I Thought /I/ Was Your Oppa?

English Bonus:

Random words: Eun-Bi says her ramyun is "hot" in English, and she says "thank you" to Chi-Soo who replies "no problem". Ba-Wool says "recipe". Chi-Soo says he likes "Paris Hilton', but it turns out that he doesn't mean the socialite--he has named his car Paris Hilton. A kpop song says "be happy!"

Episode Evaluations: So many confounded expectations. So many dramatic declarations. Yay!

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 7-8

2011-12-23T09:34:00.005-06:00

Read episode reviews for:
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for episodes 7-8

Eun-Bi and her acquaintance/friend/business partner Kang-Hyuk are running the ramyun shop now, and they've hired three highschool guys as part-time helpers! Let's see what new troubles arise at the freshly remodeled shop.

It's nice that Chi-Soo is back to causing trouble for Eun-Bi. In the beginning episodes, he made her life very difficult, but then for Ep 5-6 he was basically at her mercy, though she didn't know it. Turnabout is fair play, and now Chi-Soo is complicating Eun-Bi's life again by working at her ramyun shop and interacting with her every day. Chi-Soo passes off his job at the shop as a way to learn managerial responsibility, but everyone knows that Chi-Soo has all the innate responsibility of a kindergartner--he's really at the shop to get his daily Eun-Bi fix. He still has a constantly morphing illness (which the audience knows is lovesickness), and now that his stomach isn't hurting any more, his eyes are in pain. The only cure for his eye-strain is to see Eun-Bi all the time.

And oh, the ramyun shop environment itself is grand--it's the ideal excuse to keep all the main cast in the same place. Eun-Bi is in her element, with lots of hard work ahead of her and lots of people to boss around. Ba-Wool and Hyunwoo are funny guys with contrasting personalities that make for plenty of laughs, and it's very charming to see the female clients of the ramyun shop giggling over their waiters. Dongjoo and Coach come visiting to give Eun-Bi some added support, and their scenes are great as well--I only wish there were more of them. Then there's Chi-Soo in the corner of the shop, magnanimously dispensing pickled radish as if he were signing autographs for rabid fans.

In other words, life is going well until Eun-Bi's ex-boyfriend Jaeho returns, throwing everyone's emotions into turmoil. Will Eun-Bi reunite with this jerk? Will Chi-Soo finally recognize his own feelings? Will Kang-Hyuk do anything besides be funny? Dun, dun, dun...

Things I Loved:

1. The balance of the character development. This show is really excellent at taking turns putting its characters under pressure, then easing up. Early on, Eun-Bi's life looked like one long shame spiral, but then she got her act together. Next, Chi-Soo became so imbalanced, he seemed ready for a mental ward, but then he regained his composure and his attitude. Now, it's Eun-Bi's turn to be off-balance and flustered. This is such a neat trick the writing team has mastered; make a character hilariously upset and then relieve the tension by moving on to a new ~~victim~~ target.

We Take Turns Being Crazy. Today is Not My Turn.

And if Eun-Bi and Chi-Soo take turns being the "martyr" of the cast, Eun-Bi and Kang-Hyuk take turns being the grown-up or the parent of the cast. See? Balance.

2. The new shop. It's clean and bright after the redecoration, and it looks like the kind of place you'd want to spend your free time. The set designers did a good job with the place.

Come for the Noodles, Stay for the Drama.

3. Chi-Soo getting even with Eun-Bi by saying weird things to Jaeho about their fake relationship.

Has the Worst Make-Believe Boyfriend Ever

Seriously, Chi-Soo should get a special award for his inventive cruelty. He hates backpacks, but he buys a backpack specifically so he can emphasize to Jaeho that Eun-Bi is pathetically dating a highschooler. And in the scene where Chi-Soo is talking to Jaeho about Eun-Bi, I nearly died laughing when I recognized the song playing in the background as SHINee's "Noona Neomu Yeppeo" or "Older Woman, You're So Pretty". Someone in charge of the soundtrack definitely had a sense of humor.

4. The power of music. Episode 8 does some amazing things with exploring how closely songs are associated with our memories and with our feelings.

Complaints: Uh. Nope, surprisingly, no criticisms. I am let down by Eun-Bi's entertaining the thought of dating Jaeho again, but she adored him for years and years, so her one-time feelings for him have to be dealt with in order for her to progress as a person. It makes sense, but it still hurts to see her reading Jaeho's blog posts and trying to interpret everything he says as meaning something about her. Oh, girl. *air hugs*

Themes:

Hyper-Femininity vs. Feminine strength: So-Yi is ultra-feminine, but while she's not a villain, I think she's the girl least worthy of respect in this show because she uses her charms to make other people do what she wants. On the opposite side of this spectrum, we hear Kang-Hyuk say he admires Eun-Bi most when she's using her strength, and I think the audience probably feels the same way.

Taking care of your friends: Everyone else in the show has done a good job of this, but Chi-Soo is trying to be a good friend for the very first time by having his father's guards look out for Hyunwoo. But this is a drama, so the attempt at caring for others goes drastically wrong and everyone blames Chi-Soo. But he gets an "A" for effort! His attempts to pay off Hyunwoo's dad's debts are rebuffed also.

Using names correctly: Kang-Hyuk intentionally forgets Chi-Soo's last name, but if he ever says "Cha Chi-Soo", like he ought to, he's trying to get Chi-Soo's full attention. And when Chi-Soo calls Eun-Bi "Yang Eun-Bi" instead of "intern" or "that woman", he's trying to have a sincere conversation. So-Yi always seems more sincere when she's calling Ba-Wool by his name instead of the manipulative use of oppa. Kang-Hyuk does still say "Kim Chi-Soo: and "Park Chi-Soo" and has now added "Jung Chi-Soo" to the repertoire.

Mirrored scenes: Eun-Bi is baking and her hair keeps falling in her face, so Kang-Hyuk ties it back for her. Kang-Hyuk does sweet, thoughtful things like this all the time and not just for Eun-Bi, so we expect it of him. But then he leaves and Eun-Bi's hair falls again, and someone starts to fix it for her, someone who's guy-bracelets look familiar... I think the wardrobe department for the show probably assigned Chi-Soo these certain bracelets just so that the audience would be able to recognize his hands when his face is not in the shot.

A Double Dose of Romantic Hair-Fixing

Cultural Observances:

Not very many new ones this time around.

New words: Ba-Wool calls Kang-Hyuk "Hyung-nim", which I think is a more polite way for a guy to say "older brother". It's very cute that he's putting Kang-Hyuk on the same older-sibling level as Eun-Bi. "kamsahamnida" is "thank you", and we hear it a lot at the shop as customers thank Chi-Soo for bowls of pickled radish. "Jagi" is like "honey" or "darling", and that's what Eun-Bi calls Chi-Soo when she's pretending they're dating.

English Bonus:

Random words: A K-pop song playing in the background contains the words "be happy". Kang-Hyuk says "chicken curry" in English, Chi-Soo says "no problem" in English, and Eun-Bi says "thank you" in English.

Episode Evaluations: It's more complicated than ever, with plenty of fun and intense emotions.

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 5-6

2011-12-22T14:34:00.007-06:00

Read episode reviews for:
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for episodes 5-6

Eun-Bi's world is turning upside down yet again. She has lost her student-teaching job and is staying at her father's house, wondering what to do with his run-down ramyun shop. Turns out, the shop isn't hers to deal with because her father has willed it to Kang-Hyuk (in a notarized document written in crayon!). And dear old dad also seems to have arranged a marriage for Kang-Hyuk and Eun-Bi, as evidenced by the fact that Eun-Bi is already being called "wife" by this sweet yet clueless guy.

Meanwhile, Chi-Soo is in serious emotional trouble, but he misinterprets his heartsickness over Eun-Bi as medical distress. The guy actually develops a wide variety of unpleasant symptoms that can't be traced to any source, but he knows that his breathing constricts and his head hurts when he thinks of Eun-Bi. He also has stomach pain, nightmares, and hallucinations. Aww. Chi-Soo's overreactions to his feelings, plus the fact that he doesn't understand that he has feelings, are incredibly funny. He gets very inventive and creative with his attempts to find Eun-Bi, but when he sees her practicing volleyball, he falls even harder for her--but still thinks he's got some weird disease. *headdesk*

Eun-Bi resents the ramyun shop and says she'd like to sell it, but Kang-Hyuk wants her to care about what happens to the shop because it represents everything her father worked for and believed in. Eun-Bi finally makes peace with the memory of her father, so she is getting calmer and more grown-up in some ways, just as Chi-Soo seems to be on the verge of a psychotic break, poor guy.

Kang-Hyuk decides to hire part-time workers for the ramyun shop, so Ba-Wool and Woohyun are drafted into working and living at the restaurant. Chi-Soo decides to take the job as well, so that he can cure his obsession with Eun-Bi by being around her all the time. (Yeah, we'll see how that works out for you, buddy.) Finally, finally, finally, the show's title makes sense and we have a ramyun shop that will be run by flower boys!

As for the side characters, Ba-Wool is still in love with So-Yi, and So-Yi is still seeing other people. I don't really know what this girl's problem is. Does she really not know or care when she's hurting Ba-Wool's feelings? Grr. I'm also hoping that Coach and Dongjoo get together because he certainly didn't seem happy to hear her engagement announcement.

Things I Loved:

1. Eun-Bi somehow not noticing that she's been sharing a house with Kang-Hyuk for four days. It is hilarious. She's suffering from grief, but seriously now. I real life, she would notice.

How could you not see this guy, Eun-Bi?

2. Re-visiting old scenes. I love how this show replays a scene from the previous episode, but then gives you more dialogue and more info than you had before. It's not as boring as a simple recap, and it refreshes your memory of what has happened before while shedding new light on people's attitudes because now you know the whole story, like with Chi-Soo and Kang-Hyuk's argument in the ramyun shop.

Chi-Soo humbly requests to be called by his full name!

3. Chi-Soo comparing Eun-Bi to a mermaid and saying her hair is like a unicorn's. Yes, a unicorn.

Likes mythical creatures and Eun-Bi. Sometimes confuses the two.

Complaints:

1. The confusing order of the scenes. I thought Chi-Soo was in a coma because you see him react to bright lights on the highway like he's going to crash, then the next thing you see is him underwater in a pool, looking like he's drowning. I thought waking up underwater was art-film code for "in the hospital, about to die". No, we've just skipped from a driving scene to a scene where he's at a pool, struggling to stay afloat.

2. The big shift between drama and comedy. Most of the time, I enjoy the broad humor and then the serious scenes, but sometimes there's a whiplash effect where the mood will be incredibly serious and then something goofy will happen.

Themes:

Importance of Food: Eun-Bi's dad used to talk about how people basically need to eat hot, nourishing food in order to grow into better human beings. Ramyun was the equivalent of soul food for him, and it's the same situation with Kang-Hyuk. He loves to cook for people, and his argument with Eun-Bi is ended after she eats the ramyun he makes. Kang-Hyuk is happy while watching Ba-Wol eat his cooking, too.

Avoidance of proper names: Kang-Hyuk is often referred to by nouns that describe his height, like "the post" or "the column". I'm assuming that's somewhat rude in Korean, because they place such significance on what one person calls another. Chi-Soo sometimes calls him "Onion". I think Eun-Bi avoids Kang-Hyuk's name because she sees him as an annoyance, and Chi-Soo avoids his name because he sees him as a threat. Oddly enough, his actual name is used so rarely, I had to look it up on a drama website. In my head, I called him "Lee Ki Woo", the actor's name, because the character's name is spoken so rarely.

Kang-Hyuk also refuses to call Chi-Soo by his correct full name. It's Cha Chi-Soo, with "Cha" being the last name, but we hear him called Park Chi-Soo and Kim Chi-Soo, two common Korean surnames. It becomes almost a game to see which incorrect name Kang-Hyuk is going to assign to Chi-Soo next!

Moral responsibility: Eun-Bi keeps saying that Chi-Soo has no conscience and no concept of right and wrong. At one point that seemed to be accurate, but it's gradually becoming less true.

Female athleticism represents independence: Ba-Wool discovers Eun-Bi's old volleyball jersey and says that she was so much cooler back when she ruled on the volleyball court. He essentially says that her killer instincts and brave spirit were more apparent when she was playing sports and that being a proper career woman does not suit her. When Eun-Bi finally practices volleyball again, she remembers an important part of her past that she tried to leave behind. Also related to this topic, Chi-Soo may think that he prefers Eun-Bi when she's cowering, but he clearly likes her better when she's doing the athletic thing and not caring what anyone thinks of her. Women+athletics=awesomeness.

Yang Eun-Bi: Athlete. Noona. Hero.

Mirrored scenes: Kang-Hyuk entertains a little girl on the train, and makes funny faces to get her to smile. Later, the same little girl takes care of Chi-Soo by giving him her Pororo blanket and some candy.

Chi-Soo tries to create a mirror scene by getting So-Yi to put her hair in a ponytail like Eun-Bi's, but it doesn't work.

Ba-Wool and Chi-Soo have a fight in the ramyun shop that is identical to the fight they had at school, right down to the yelling and Ba-Wool getting trapped behind sliding tables.

Cultural Observances:

New words: "Chingu" is "friend". It's used when Eun-Bi discovers that Kang-Hyuk is the son of her father's friend. "Wae" is "why", and Eun-Bi says it all the time but draws the word out like wehhhyy? "Arasso" is like "I've got it" or "fine!" or "gotcha"--it seems to imply that you get the other person's conversational point.

Noraebang: Yay, I love seeing the activity! It's Korean karaoke, and it's apparently featured in every K-drama ever produced. When Dongjoo announces that she's getting married, Eun-Bi and Coach go to noraebang with her. Coach's hoarse bellowing of his song is brilliant.

Boy bands: Eun-Bi has an alarm clock with a piture of the 90's kpop boy band Shinhwa. In ep. 5, Ba-Wool finds an actual poster of Shinhwa in Eun-Bi's closet and announces that these guys were "the SHINee of their generation". I'm guessing that SHINee fans loved that reference.

English Bonus:

1. American songs. At the rather underpopulated club Chi-Soo visits with his friends, "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO plays.

The marquee at the theater Chi-Soo leaves advertises in English: "Romantic Moment at Sweetbox Premium" and "Sound Really Matters--Beats by Dr. Dre". Huh? Are these films that are playing, or advertisements of the theater sound system?

2. Random words. Eun-Bi accused Kang-Hyuk of being a "stalker" and says the English word. Chi-Soo still pronounces Manhattan as "Manhat". Eun-Bi says "bingo" when Kang-Hyuk figures something out. Chi-Soo yells at his friend Woohyun to come help him "right now"!

Episode Evaluations: It's getting good. Eun-Bi is fierce. Chi-Soo is crazy. Kang-Hyuk is...tall.

Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Autsten, Seth Grahame-Smith

2011-12-21T20:16:00.002-06:00

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Seth Grahame-Smith
Quirk Classics, 2009

Most readers have at least heard of the premise of this novel, because it made a big impression on the book world a couple of years back and spawned a whole horde of "literary mashups", enough to start an entire subgenre. I wanted to give PPZ another look, just to solidify my memory of how successful this novelty book is on a comedic level--pretty decent.

If you're a Jane Austen fan, you'll probably spend the first several pages giggling and generally feeling delighted at seeing well-known passages from P&P rendered with zombie discussions included. There's a certain joy that comes from glancing at the first page and reading, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains," because this opening line has been paraphrased, parodied, and mis-quoted so often,that we're used to seeing new spins on it, but never one this drastic. We know we're in for some fun when that first page is done and a simple husband-and-wife discussion between the Bennets about marrying off their daughters becomes a squabble about survival in a world full of the undead. But yeah, it's still all done for laughs, so I try not to read too much into it. Here are a few things I've observed about PPZ.

Some things that have changed in this version of the story: 1. Lizzy is basically a ninja. In the original, she's wittier and sharper than her sisters, but readers have aways attributed all manner of fierceness and awesomeness to her, so her killing zombies is just the next logical step. I think her killer instincts are pushed just slightly too far to still be funny, but that's just me.

2. Mr. Darcy is also a ninja. Again, I think this is just a few steps of character progression above his existing level of coolness. You do not have to look very far on the internet before you find someone waxing lyrical about Mr. Darcy's virtues, so his ability to slay a thousand undead shamblers fits right in with what we expect of him. (On a related note, I wonder how great we readers would think the original Mr. Darcy is if we weren't always being told how great he is. I very much like his character, but I ask myself how much of my fondness is based on other people's continual assertions that he's great.)

3. Mr. Bennet is active. In the original story, I always saw Mr. Bennet as incredibly passive. I loved him for his wisecracking and intelligence and I never saw him as a weak man, but it's hard to keep from noticing that he doesn't do much of anything in the story until Lydia's moral failure forces him to move. In PPZ, Mr. Bennet is all about preparing for a bloody apocalypse, which is a nice change from someone who was always retiring to the library.

Subtle wit: You'd think that a book with the gall to add zombies to a literary classic would just beat you up with its concept over and over again...which does happen, but there are also nice little passages where the author is having fun with the reader. Like when Lydia says that she's the most tempting member of her family (instead of saying "I'm the tallest", as she's supposed to), it's a laugh-out-loud moment for P&P fans who know how Lydia ends up in the first story. Mr. Bennet's put-downs are amazing, and I'd also advise paying close attention to Mr. Darcy's lines--they are hilarious when you least expect them to be.

Absurdity: Naturally, it's very appealing to see the proper society manners of Georgian England contrasted with zombie violence. After an attack, everyone just picks up their good manners like nothing has gone wrong.

To really enjoy PPZ, it's best if you like both Jane Austen and zombies, as I do. If you're a hardcore Jane Austen fan, you might not appreciate the broad humor and blood spattering, and if you're a fan of zombie gore, you may find the old-fashioned writing a bit tedious. But if you can enjoy both things, you'll have a fun time seeing them jammed together in one book. The joke does seem to go on a little too long, though, kind of like an SNL skit stretched out to fill an entire 90-minute movie, but PPZ is still fun enough that there's no reason not to at least give it a look. Grade: B+

Best lines: "As guests fled in every direction, Mr. Bennet's voice cut through the commotion. "Girls! Pentagram of Death!"" (pg 15)

Caroline Bingley: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!"
Mr. Darcy: "Spoken like one who has never known the ecstasy of holding a still-beating heart in her hand." (pg 45)

Lady Catherine: "Five daughters brought up at home without any ninjas? I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your safety." (pg 133)

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 3-4

2011-12-21T10:12:00.006-06:00

Read episode reviews for:
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 1-2
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Significant Spoilers for episodes 3-4

Eun-Bi's student-teaching is not going well and she is having more trouble than ever from her rich student Chi-Soo. Eun-Bi does not know how to read Chi-Soo's behavior, since he ignores her most of the time but seems to flirt sincerely on occasion. Eun-Bi's dad has a medical emergency and is hospitalized, and a man named Kang-Hyuk arrives in town. Kang-Hyuk is a young friend of Eun-Bi's dad, and he thinks that he needs to care of their ramyun shop and take care of Eun-Bi as well. The only real problem with Kang-Hyuk is that he seems to be selectively narcoleptic. When faced with a problem or an important decision, he will immediately lay down on the floor and go to sleep.

Eun-Bi's teaching troubles continue when she has to conduct a gym class where Ba-Wool is ready to kill Chi-Soo. Later, Eun-Bi gets so infuriated by Chi-Soo, she spikes him with a volleyball to the head in front of half the school. Chi-Soo spends some time in the hospital (what a baby!) and meets Eun-Bi's dad just before the dad dies. Eun-Bi has to pull her life together when teaching falls through and she has to live at her dad's abandoned ramyun shop.

One great thing about these two episodes is the intensity of emotion. Prior to now, Chi-Soo hasn't been genuinely angry about anything other than losing his driving privileges, but Eun-Bi embarrasses him badly enough that he loses it and starts yelling. This may not sound like a positive thing, but at least Chi-Soo is getting outside of his own head a little. It's nice to see some character progression from Chi-Soo even if he's moving from arrogant indifference to paranoid anger. He's making a concerted effort to understand normal human emotions like sympathy, and it's fun to watch the "Prince" become a regular human being who has to cope with failure and work toward his goals.

Also, Eun-Bi's scenes of mourning for her dad are wonderful and very touching. They're tear-jerker moments, which are all the more surprising because I was so certain that this show was all comedy. Watch it with tissues nearby.
Things I Loved:

1. Eun-Bi and Ba-Wool's friendship. It's a relief to know that there's no chance that these two are going to be a romantic pairing. They have a genuine sibling-like interaction onscreen, with Ba-Wool always overreacting to things and Eun-Bi slapping the back of his head to bring him back to reality. There's plenty of genuine annoyance and genuine affection in this relationship. Their celebratory dance when they're winning a basketball game is insanely cute.

Precious, Even When Fighting

2. Kang-Hyuk. He is so incredibly sweet, it's easy to forget that he's a total loony.

Falls Asleep for No Apparent Reason

Complaints: 1. Kang-Hyuk's lack of backstory. Is he supposed to be mysterious? Because he comes out of nowhere with an undefined connection to Eun-Bi's dad who he calls "boss", and very few of the facts make sense. Eun-Bi's dad calls Kang-Hyuk instead of calling his own daughter when he thinks he's dying--why? Kang-Hyuk says he already knows Eun-Bi from the past, but doesn't recognize her at the 7-11 store, but then later at the school he does recognize her--why? Good luck answering these important questions, fair viewer, because the show does not fill you in.

2. Ending the teaching job. The plot works overtime to get Eun-Bi fired from her student teaching, but then she gets a full reprieve on two occasions (once from Chi-Soo's father, who owns the school), and we don't even get to see the scene where she irrevocably loses the chance to come back. It's like the writing staff wasn't sure how to force Eun-Bi to stay at the ramyun shop, so they just gave up trying to make it work out logically and said, "Oh well, she loses her temper offscreen, and that's the end of the teaching".

Themes:

False Romance: Eun-Bi overhears Chi-Soo advising his friends on how to get girls to shut up--compliment them, then kiss them on the forehead so you will seem tender and sincere. Eun-Bi is shocked to hear Chi-Soo reduce romance to a few trite gestures designed to produce a certain effect, but Eun-Bi herself was trying to use romantic shortcuts in Episode 1 when she thought that wide blinking eyes and the use of the word "oppa" would instantly charm her romantic target. But Eun-Bi's attempts really were very innocent, while Chi-Soo is intentionally manipulative. And I think So-Yi's attitude toward Ba-Wool is also a type of false romance, because she keeps stringing him along and offering no real affection or respect.

Visual impact: Much like with Chi-Soo, Kang-Hyuk makes all the ladies swoon and sigh. The difference is that Kang-Hyuk is not trying to charm anyone, and Chi-Soo is. It's also interesting that early on, the camera is focused on reaction shots where instead of the audience seeing Kang-Hyuk, we're seeing other people's reactions to his handsomeness. With Chi-Soo, we're always looking right at him.

Female strength and society's reactions to it: Eun-Bi is known for her strength (though the actress playing her probably only weighs around 90 pounds). When Eun-Bi boxes against a coin-operated strength measuring machine, her BFF Dongjoo is horrified because Eun-Bi is acting unfeminine in public, but Kang-Hyuk happens to be watching and he thinks she's awesome. Eun-Bi's friend Coach also admires her athletic abilities and mourns whenever Eun-Bi acts helpless. It's interesting that the male characters affirm Eun-Bi's strength, athletic ability, and assertiveness, but her female friend cautions her against such displays.

Mirrored scenes: It's laugh out loud funny when Kang-Hyuk is introduced in the exact same way that Chi-Soo was. Kang-Hyuk sits in the same airplane seat across from the same girl as Chi-Soo sat opposite in episode one, and the camera pans in the same soft-focus sweeps while the same dreamy music plays. Only Kang-Hyuk is totally different from Chi-Soo and rather than being a false charmer, he's much more genuine. And a little bit weird.

Cultural Observances:

New words: 1. "Aboji" is "father", and the word is mentioned a lot because Eun-Bi's father plays a big role in these episodes. 2. "Seonbae" is a term of respect for upperclassmen or someone who is your senior in sports or some other organized activity, and Dongjoo calls Eun-Bi her seonbae because Eun-Bi is older, and they were friends in school and teammates in volleyball. This surprised me though, because I would have thought Dongjoo was close enough to call Eun-Bi her "Unnie" or "older sister".

Food as a reflection of economic status: Eun-Bi tells her dad that she doesn't want to eat ramyun all her life; instead she wants to eat rice. I'm guessing that ramyun (ramen) is just as cheap in Korea as it is in America and that rice represents eating better and living better. Though in my mind, rice is super inexpensive as well, so I don't quite get the connection, but Eun-Bi may be saying that she wants to be independent of her dad's shop and wants to earn her own living.

Hanbok: Eun-Bi wears a special kind of formal black dress for her dad's funeral. It looks like a kimono, but it's Korean instead of Japanese.

Wearing gloves while eating: Eun-Bi, Coach, and Dongjoo eat barbecue so hot they wear plastic gloves to keep from hurting their skin. Wow. We probably have this in America, but I've never seen it.
English Bonus:

1. American songs. "Step Into My World" plays yet again when Kang-Hyuk is introduced. "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz plays when So-Yi and Ba-Wool are having lunch.

2. Random words. Dongjoo and Eun-Bi both say the English word "something" in conversation. Eun-Bi counts to three in English when she hits Chi-Soo with the volleyball. Chi-Soo always calls Eun-Bi "intern" in English.

Episode Evaluations: Getting less realistic, but still compulsively watchable.

K-Drama Review: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Ep 1-2

2011-12-20T10:28:00.006-06:00

Read episode reviews for:

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 3-4
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 5-6
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 7-8
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 9-10
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 11-12
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 13-14
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for episodes 1-2

This is my first time to watch a subtitled Korean drama, and I thought I'd write out my thoughts about the episodes as I view them! When some element of the show helps me understand a piece of Korean culture, I'll make note of it, but for the most part these shows aren't cultural guides, but heavily exaggerated forms of media--like a non-trashy soap opera combined with a sitcom, minus the laugh track.

In Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Eun-Bi is a young woman determined to pass her civil service exam and become a schoolteacher. Her longtime boyfriend is returning from military service, and she's ready to start the next phase of her life as a successful grown-up with a steady job and a solid love life. But a fortune-teller says that Eun-Bi will only succeed if she holds her explosive temper (which won't be easy), and also says that she will hear bells ringing when she kisses the person she is destined to be with for life. Eun-Bi finds out that her boyfriend is dating someone else, so she's ready to find a new person who will make those bells ring. Sadly, the person she initially crushes on is Chi-Soo.

Chi-Soo is adored by everyone he meets. He charms all the young ladies with compliments, and he even manages to wink at them without looking like an idiot. But Chi-Soo's father is the president of a huge corporation and he insists that Chi-Soo go back and finish his senior year of high school since he has blown all attempts at studying overseas. Unluckily for Chi-Soo, Eun-Bi is his student-teacher and they've crossed paths disastrously a few times already, most notably when Eun-Bi mistook him for a 30-year-old and asked him out. In reality he's 19 and she's 25, he's rich and she's dirt poor, he's fastidious and prideful while she's messy and assertive. There's no way these two can keep from killing each other before the semester is over, right?

Chi-Soo makes Eun-Bi's life more difficult in several ways. His father's corporation wants to buy her father's ramyun shop (noodle restaurant), for one thing. Eun-Bi has serious father issues, and just being around her dad and his shop is enough to stress her out. Also, Chi-Soo starts dating a girl beloved by Eun-Bi's young guy friend Ba-Wool, which causes a lot of fights that Eun-Bi has to referee. Tension! Anger! Noodles!

Things I Loved:

1. Eun-Bi. She's so hardcore about her studying and about her life. She works hard and doesn't accept trash talk from anyone. And she usually looks like this:

I give this show props for allowing their main actress to wear sweatpants and unflattering shirts, and to have genuinely messy hair instead of Styled for Two Hours in Order to Look Messy hair. The actress is gorgeous, but you never get the sense that she's trying to pose or preen for the camera. She's like Eliza Doolittle, all rough manners and emotional intensity, only she doesn't actually need to be transformed into a lady--she just needs to find out who she really wants to be. I really respect the actress and I love the character of Eun-Bi.

2. Chi-Soo and Ba-Wool's classroom fight. Lots of sliding desks and shouting, mostly on Ba-Wool's part. It's a very fake fight, but very fun.

Complaints: In episodes 1 and 2, the title does not match the show at all. We see Flower Boys (handsome, well-dressed guys), and we see a Ramyun Shop, but the two things do not in any way coincide.

Themes:

Economic status: So much of the characters' behavior is actually determined by their economic status. Eun-Bi really wants to become a teacher because it means financial security for the rest of her life, not because she likes teaching, and she's very embarrassed by her father's run-down ghetto restaurant. Chi-Soo's own wealth enables him to move about freely in society, but only so long as his father funds him. In contrast, Chi-Soo's friend Woohyun is working a part time job (rare for a highschool student) because his absent father has amassed a serious gambling debt.

False Romance/ Romantic trappings: Oh, boy. Chi-Soo embodies everything about stereotypical romantic heroes, at least young Asian romantic heroes, but it's all 100% fake. When we first see him, the camera goes into this misty soft-focus to make sure that the audience knows he's a dreamboat. The air around him is filled with CGI sparkles that make a twinkly noise, much like Edward's skin in Twilight. Yet for all his sparkliness and charm, Chi-Soo is a spoiled brat who cares more about his expensive car and his pricey clothes than about other people's feelings. He's the farthest thing from his gentlemanly image, so the reality does not match the romantic hype. As an example of fantasy and reality colliding, I love the scene where a heartbroken Eun-Bi is weeping in Chi-Soo's car and instead of offering some comforting words and a shoulder to cry on, he goes, "Get out of my car. I mean it. GO NOW."

Eun-Bi also sees a lot of false romance in her best female friend Dongjoo's life, because Dongjoo has a half-dozen boyfriends, but really seems to be enjoying playing the field and garnering so much attention. Eun-Bi tries to turn on her own fake charm like Dongjoo (and like Chi-Soo, for that matter), but she's not very good at it, and her flirting attempts end disastrously.

The theme of whether you can love more than one person at a time is also brought up. Chi-Soo says that love is a game meant to be played by many people, but Eun-Bi thinks his philosophy is disgusting. Ba-Wool certainly doesn't think that dating more than one person is a good idea, and he's floored when So-Yi decides to split her time between him and Chi-Soo. This in-show discussion is interesting because most romantic TV shows (this one included) are actively enticing their audience with multiple love interests, but while viewers like seeing this on TV, most people aren't at all pleased with the idea of having to share sweethearts in everyday life.

Mirrored scenes: Chi-Soo jumps into a girl's car and asks her to drive away with no questions so he can get away from his dad, while Eun-Bi later jumps into Chi-Soo's car and asks him to drive away so that she can dramatically leave her ex-boyfriend.

Cultural observances:

1. Districts. Chi-Soo says he doesn't want to stay in Itaewon because it's full of foreigners and he just came from America. I found this funny because I already knew that Itaewon was the "foreigner" district in Seoul.

2. Mandatory Military Service. In Korea, all healthy men must serve two years in the military. We see this fact as a part of everyday life when Eun-Bi's boyfriend returns from the service, and when Eun-Bi is suddenly more interested in Chi-Soo because he says he was born in America and therefore does not have to join the military at any point.

3. Flower Boys. They are Korea's equivalent of "metro", guys who are super fashionable and pay loads of attention to their hair and clothes.

4. New vocabulary words. "Yeppeo" is "pretty", and Chi-Soo throws this word around like it's going out of style. He tells every girl he sees that she is "yeppeo", but it's clear that he doesn't mean this, it's just his standard line. "Oppa" is an even more interesting word--it means "big brother", but a girl can use the term to refer to her literal brother, her older male friend, a guy who is being nice to her, or her boyfriend. Before she knows his real age, Eun-Bi asks Chi-Soo is she can call him oppa. He finds this hilarious, since she's the wrong age to call him that, no matter what context she's using. And the word oppa is like kryptonite for poor Ba-Wool, who will do anything in the world for So-Yi if she calls him by this endearment. "Noona" is the counterpart to "oppa", and it can mean girlfriend or literal older sister, but Ba-Wool calls Eun-Bi his noona to show that she's a trusted older friend.

English bonus:

1. Several English songs play in the background. A cover of "Step Into My World" plays when we first meet Chi-Soo, when he meets with his friends, "Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani plays. In Ep. 2, "Grenade" by Bruno Mars plays as Chi-Soo and So-Yi have coffee, then "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars is playing in the very next scene where So-Yi is sitting with Ba-Wool. Someone working at that coffee shop must be a Mars fan.

2. We immediately know that Chi-Soo is not fluent in English even when he pretends to be, because he pronounces Manhattan as "Manhat". His way of saying "Hey buddy!" is also pretty hilarious.

Episode evaluations: Funny and intriguing. Keeps the audience hooked with humor and surprises.

Book Review: WinterTown by Stephen Emond

2011-12-19T16:18:00.000-06:00

WinterTown
Stephen Emond
Little Brown, December 2011
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Evan has lived for a whole year without his best friend Lucy, but now she's back in town for winter vacation. Evan has been anticipating the return of his platonic soulmate, but Lucy's return is nothing like he hoped for. Lucy's all-American look has been traded for Goth accessories, and her outgoing boldness has morphed into a sullen iciness that doesn't melt even for her male BFF, who finds himself increasingly frustrated with this new Lucy. She has taken up smoking, is sporting a nose ring, and doesn't seem to care about anything, including him. Is this dark version of Lucy who she really is? Should Evan help her out, accept her as she is, or just get out of her way?

This is a novel thoroughly infused with pop-culture, and the references to music, movies, and books are great. I also think the drawings and art panels from Evan are a perfect addition to the book. In some YA books with graphic novel element, I feel like the art is an afterthought wedged into the book for extra flash, but here it melds seamlessly with the narrative and adds a lot of uniqueness to WinterTown. The drawings simultaneously bring some lightness and some bite to Evan's thoughty-moody POV.

Unfortunately, Evan was not a character I could like. He strikes me as too obsessed with Lucy, and though it isn't romantic obsession, I feel like his whole personality is built around Lucy and what she thinks of him. For example, Evan is into obscure experimental films, but he doesn't really spend much time thinking about them--he only mentions his wacky taste in movies when he's trying to coax Lucy into a conversation. Even has a talent for art, but most of his comics involve Lucy and he also makes his art into a way to reach out to her. Evan is a superb student, but he doesn't really have a heart for his schoolwork and he doesn't know where he wants to go to college or what he wants to do when he gets there. He has dated a few girls and is even said to be girl-crazy, but we don't catch him thinking about any girls other than Lucy. I was just bothered by how much of a vacuum Evan seems to be when he isn't thinking about or talking to Lucy.

I liked Lucy far less than Evan. Her long-ago brashness is supposed to be charming and endearing because Evan sure loved it, despite the fact that punches and insults were her main way of showing affection. But if old Lucy is bold and bossy (kind of like Lucy from the Charlie Brown shows), then the new Lucy can barely be bothered to show an interest in other people. I will add that Lucy does get better over time. She comes out of her shell and says a few challenging and helpful things that make Evan rethink his dispassionate lifestyle of running on autopilot, but even at that point she still isn't anyone that I want to spend more time with. And then I felt guilty for disliking Lucy because it turns out that she has great reasons for being heartbroken and withdrawn!

One thing I do like about WinterTown are the themes of friendship and perception. When your friends change, are they still your friends? How much of what you like about your friends are just the traits that you attribute to them? Evan loves Lucy's assertiveness, but Lucy claims that she was never that brave, and that her new attitude accurately reflects who she really is. But for all the second-guessing and peeling away layers of outward perception, it's clear that Evan really does care about Lucy herself, no matter what she looks like or how she happens to be acting at the time. His friend-love really does transcend a myriad of obstacles.

I think that enjoying this book comes down to whether or not you like Evan and Lucy. There aren't any problems that I can see with the story, which is capably written, or with the art, which is a very nice touch also. WinterTown didn't work for me because I didn't warm up to either Evan or Lucy, but if they end up being the kind of characters you enjoy, you'll probably fall in love with the story. Grade: B-

Music bonus: One of Evan's playlists includes music from Weezer, Ben Folds, They Might Be Giants, and Jonathan Coulton. My jaw dropped when I read that list, because it mirrored my own so well. Long live nerd rock.

CD Review: Last Fantasy by IU

2011-12-18T15:51:00.001-06:00

Last Fantasy
IU
Loen Entertainment, November 2011
Buy it from YesAsia

Track List:

Secret (비밀)
Sleeping Prince (잠자는 숲 속의 왕자) (Feat. Yoon Sang)
Holding A Star In My Heart (별을 찾는 아이) (Feat. Kim Gwang Jin)
You and I (너랑 나)
Wallpaper Pattern (벽지무늬)
Uncle (삼촌) (Feat. Lee Juck)
Wisdom Tooth (사랑니)
Everything's Alright (Feat. Kim Hyun Cheol)
Last Fantasy
Teacher (Feat. Ra.D)
The Abandoned (길 잃은 강아지)
4AM
L'amant (라망)

I'm a fan singer-songwriter IU, and though I don't always enjoy her songs (see my review of her EP "Real"), I do always love her voice and I find her very endearing as a person, from what I've seen of live performances and interviews. IU is 20 now (in Korean age--American age is always 1 or 2 years less), and this album is supposed to represent more of her grown up talents. It succeeds.

"Secret" begins with pretty piano coupled with some darker-sounding strings, and later we get some pennywhistle and then a full, swelling orchestra. The melody is dreamy and smooth, and the English translations of the lyrics seem to reflect some very nice poetic imagery in the original Korean lines. And man, does IU nail those high notes, and she ends the song while being backed by this full angelic choir! This is not K-pop as I know it, but I like it very much.

"Sleeping Prince of the Woods" was jarring for me, because while it has a bit of sparkly winter charm to it, it also has a dated 70's sound, like something you might hear playing at a disco 40 years ago. At least it continues with the sort of fairytale theme of the album. "Star-Seeking Child" is much better, with IU singing quietly while accompanied by some understated piano music. This is a soothing ballad that also gets a nice crescendo as she harmonizes with her guest singer.

"You and I" has an intricate sound that makes me think that I'm about to see either a number from the Nutcracker ballet or maybe a movie scene at Hogwarts magical academy. "You and I" is a very big song and IU's voice has a very Disney feel to it, while the music is on the epic side. "Wallpaper Design" starts with whimsical music box sounds, then gets some vocals and strings that make the song feel like European indie music. "Uncle" is an okay song with more uptempo strings, "Wisdom Tooth" has infectious Spanish guitar, and "Everything's Alright" is a peppy song that makes good use of its English lines.

The title track "Last Fantasy" really delivers the dreamy, classy vibe that the other songs have been offering bits of. I can't help but think of the soundtrack to the Chronicles of Narnia when I hear this, because after listening to IU's album, you really do feel like you've gone through the wardrobe and entered a winter fantasy realm. At 6 minutes long, the song is oversized but no listeners will really care because it's so touching. "Teacher" focuses on acoustic guitar and good beats, which I really appreciate. I think this may be one of the more singable tracks, and the guest artist sounds great. IU should collaborate with male singers regularly--her voice goes with everybody.

"The Abandoned" is very intriguing and has a crackly static-interference sound woven through it. "4 AM" has some funk music of all things, plus IU singing in a sort of lounge singer style. "L'Amant"s music sounds like something from "A Charlie Brown Christmas", and though it's not what I would have picked to close out the album, it perfectly showcases her amazing voice. Woot!

Oh, how nice it is to be listening to an album with no heavy synth or electronic programming or Autotune. Don't get me wrong, I love my autotuned dancepop, but it can get old when it's all you ever hear. To enjoy this CD, you have to be ready for a sprawling, ambitious concept album with a lot of classical influences and a lot of guest contributors, but if you embrace it, "Last Fantasy" is quite rewarding. It's really meant to be listened to all together, so while I normally pick just a couple of tracks I like from a CD and never bother listening to the discarded songs again, "Last Fantasy" is the kind of album you pop in and have the entire thing play through. It's a great album to have playing while you decorate your Christmas tree or go on a long car ride to visit friends and family. Probably none of the songs will get stuck in your head like the dance anthems tend to do, but you'll be glad to have this music on hand nonetheless.

My grade: 4 of 5 stars

Must-listens: "Secret", "You and I"

Watchable bonus: Here's the music video for "You and I". I love this one. IU's in some kind of Santa's workshop/steampunk science lab with her pet goose. She loves a guy who's on a science fictiony life support system. And she has a pet goose! There's a clockwork room full of cogs and gears, then a Doctor Who time machine, and did I mention the goose?

Scripture Sunday: The Book of Acts

2011-12-18T10:21:00.001-06:00

The book of Acts is just that--the acts of the disciples and the members of the early church in the years following Jesus' resurrection and his return to heaven. Acts was written by Luke (who previously written the gospel of Luke), and the first half of the book roughly centers around Peter and his experiences while the second half roughly centers around Paul.

In the second chapter of Acts, Peter and about 100 other followers of Jesus are gathered together and God sends a special kind of power to them. They are all "filled with the Holy Ghost" and they begin to speak in other languages. This part of Acts seems to be the source of a lot of controversy. In contemporary America, Protestant (meaning non-Catholic) Christianity seems to be separated into the groups who believe in the dynamic working of the Holy Spirit (miracles, healing, prophesying, speaking in tongues), and those who believe that the Holy Spirit only works through our conscience, guiding us and helping us know the godly thing to do. Charismatic churches sometimes get a bad reputation for over-emphasizing these dramatic spiritual gifts--if you've ever head anyone making fun of a televangelist, this is probably what they were making fun of--while non-Charismatic churches can seem dry and bound by a bunch of rules with no real spiritual element. I believe in the value of spiritual gifts, though I don't have any myself, but I also know that these talents are often faked or abused.

Anyway, the move of the Holy Spirit in chapter 2 spurs Peter to preach to a large group of people about how Jesus is the son of God. Many people join the early church, and the numbers just keep growing. Peter performs many miracles and continues to preach boldly, despite opposition from the chief priests in Jerusalem. In chapter 7, a Christian named Stephen becomes a martyr for his faith because these religious leaders are furious at him for proclaiming that Jesus is the son of God and that they had wrongfully rejected him. At Stephen's execution, a man named Saul guards the coats of the men who are doing the stoning, and Saul then proceeds to persecute and imprison those who believe in Jesus. In chapter 9, Saul has a spiritual encounter with Jesus himself and he becomes a Christian. After this encounter, his name is changed to "Paul". Paul is responsible for writing most of the New Testament.

For me, one of the most important things about the book of Acts is God's mercy to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It's funny how in modern times most people see Jews and Christians as two completely separate groups of people, and even go so far as to think that if you're a Jew you cannot be a Christian and vice versa. But Acts shows that every disciple and every member of the early church was Jewish, and that the Christian Jews were absolutely shocked (but happy) when they found out that God intended to offer his salvation to people who were not of the nation of Israel. Peter is the first person to preach to the Gentiles, but Paul becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, travelling around the known world to let people know about Jesus.

Song Review: Tick Tack by U-KISS

2011-12-13T14:16:00.000-06:00

Tick Tack
U-KISS
NH Media/ Avex Trax, December 2011

Shortly after I got into Kpop music, I learned that Korean bands were making lots of crossovers into the Japanese music market, usually by releasing Japanese versions of their existing songs. I wasn't sure if I'd review any of these Korean-turned-Japanese albums--after all, I'm into Kpop not Jpop (yes, there is a difference between the two), and most of the songs are just repeats anyway. But then U-KISS came out with a Japanese debut, so I had to check it out. They're my favorites among the boy bands, so I'm going to review anything they produce, even if they decide to try out Icelandic death metal.

First off, when I heard the name of the lead single, "Tick Tack" seemed like an odd title to me (are we discussing mints?), but it's actually pronounced "Tick Tock" like the Ke$ha song. In Japanese, the English sound-word "tock" is written "tack". So the spelling is perfect for the intended audience of Japanese listeners, but I think it confuses North Americans.

On to the song itself. I very much like the ticking clock sound at the beginning, plus the members chanting "tick tock" and the great distorted loops in the background. Even before the song has really begun, it catches your attention. The verse is haunting and spooky, then the chorus brings out a really strong dance beat. Soohyun's voice is the most powerful as usual, but Kevin gets most of the focus during the chorus, which is good because he has a more unique sound, and I'm also starting to appreciate Hoon's vocals more. Eli's voice is far too autotuned when it doesn't need to be, but he gets a better line later in the song. Overall, "Tick Tack" is just incredibly moving and dance-able. I'm also glad that it's not a half-hearted remake, but an entirely new song for the Japanese market.

Lyrics note: I have no idea if they are successfully pronouncing the Japanese lyrics. After some months of listening to Kpop, I have a decent ear for what Korean should sound like, but Japanese pronunciation is beyond me. The English lines are interesting, but they are definitely unusual. One lyrics site believes they're saying:

"Tonight, I shall be singing for you through the night,
tonight, I shall be turning on the broken light"

But the writers of the song say it's actually: "TO LIE, I shall be singing for you through the night". So every time you think you hear "tonight", it's actually "to lie". It doesn't fully make sense, but it does fit in with the song's theme of deception. The English translations I've found show that the lyrics are about a speaker constantly lying in order to comfort a love interest who wants to believe they'll always be together. They won't, but the speaker is still going to keep up the deception and maintain that everything's okay. Yikes, that's kind of creepy. I do like the old-style verb usage that comes from saying "I shall" instead of "I will"--it's not incorrect, just unusual, and it's kind of poetic.

Authorship note: I found out that the song was produced by JD Relic (http://twitter.com/#!/JDRelic), an American who gained lot of recognition for his English covers of Kpop songs on Youtube. And now he writes music for Kpop artists! And I also found that JD Relic wrote my two favorite songs on the Neverland album, so major props to him for that.

My grade: 4 of 5 stars for the song

Watchable bonus: Here's the music video for "Tick Tack". With the giant clock, the dancing in full suits, and the glittery confetti, it looks like a very stylized New Year's Eve celebration. And there's also some sort of a bomb shelter setting where everyone is either holding a watch or playing in the dirt? This is why Kpop videos are so much fun.

Book Review: Head Rush (Disillusionists #3) by Carolyn Crane

2011-12-12T23:54:00.000-06:00

Head Rush
Carolyn Crane
Samhain Publishing, December 2011

*This review contains no spoilers*

Justine Jones has had a tumultuous life in the past year, but now everything has settled down. Sure, she can't stop thinking about Packard, the former love interest who she saw murder someone in cold blood. Sure, her fiance is keeping her under constant surveillance by a bodyguard, but that's for her own safety. And maybe her tome turf in Midcity is being bombarded with more violent supernatural crimes than ever before, but her fiance, Mayor Otto Sanchez, is addressing that problem as well.

Justine was once a disillusionist working with Packard to psychologically ruin and reboot violent criminals. She liked being a crime fighter even if she was performing a sort of morally questionable vigilante justice, and now she feels a bit side-lined. Justine is a severe hypochondriac, and her disillusionment specialty was transferring her own extreme fear into the bad guys to make them less able to carry out their schemes. Now she refuses to zing her fear into other people, but her moral principles may be hurting her psychological health. And there's a lot about her life that doesn't add up anymore, which makes her think that she might be emotionally damaged, like she's witnessed too much craziness to have appropriate reactions any more. But there's more to Justine's disconnected emotions than she realizes, and she's about to discover just how messed up her life truly is.

I heart this trilogy! Its ideas about disillusionment are like nothing I've read elsewhere, and the side characters are still very vivid and likable. I still love Simon the gambler, who has a great and weird sense of humor and a fashion style that can only be described as "deranged pimp". It's been nice to see him morph from almost an enemy of Justine to one of her best friends over the course of the trilogy. Then there's Shelby, a girl who is wrapped up in her own desire for revenge, but who is still someone with whom readers can empathize. I actually feel a slight distance from Justine herself in this novel, but it doesn't make much of a difference to me because I'm so into the world itself.

And whoo, this book was an emotional roller coaster ride, especially considering the gigantic cliff-hanger at the end of book two! I'm longing to deliver some spoilers, but sadly, I can't even discuss my most important feelings about this book without giving away so much of the previous books that I'll ruin them for new readers. Let's just say that one of the characters is someone I vehemently adore and there is another character I disdain with the heat of a thousand supernovas, to the point of cringing when that character has dialogue. There. An emotionally intense, yet spoiler-free assessment!

One thing I like about this novel is that it's even more psychologically complex than the previous books. In the best urban fantasy books I expect to find cool worldbuilding, a strong heroine, some fun romance, a sprinkling of humor and clever dialogue, and a fair bit of tail-kicking and evil-defeating, but Head Rush delivers even more than that--it digs into some layered and difficult questions about how much to trust other people and how much to trust your own thoughts and impressions. It's not completely a pycho-thriller, but some of the elements are there, which makes the story that much more intriguing. I have to dock the novel just a fraction of a point because Justine started to drive me crazy with her back-and-forth feelings, though there were extenuating circumstances. Even so, this trilogy rocks and you should definitely check it out! Grade: A-

YA Story Scavenger Hunt: Day 8

2011-12-08T08:59:00.000-06:00

Good morning, everyone. I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Supernaturally by Kiersten White.

Question #16: What is the creature from the sky that snatched Evie from the ground?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

EP Review: Trouble Maker by Trouble Maker

2011-12-05T19:28:00.000-06:00

Trouble Maker
Trouble Maker
Cube Entertainment, December 2011

Track List:
1. "Trouble Maker" 3:40
2. "The Words I Don't Want to Hear" (듣기 싫은 말) 3:26
3. "Time!" (Hyuna's solo (feat. Rado 라도)) 3:30
4. "Don't You Mind" (아무렇치 않니 (Hyunseung's solo)) 2:59

Yay for Trouble Maker! I'm glad to be listening to music from a "co-ed unit", meaning a kpop band with male and female members, which is really rare. In this case, Trouble Maker is a duo with two artists from Cube Entertainment, each of whom belongs to a bigger band. Hyuna is one of the girls from 4minute and Hyunseung is one of the guys from BEAST. They each have a rather big following, but I'd say that Hyuna is more individually well-known that her partner because she has done solo work before (her song " Bubble Pop" is one of my favorites, but I don't care for the video).

The song "Trouble Maker" is really easy to get swept up in. The whistling alone sets the song apart, and the finger-snapping sound affect contributes to the different-ness of the sound (though I could have done without the breathing noises). There seems to be a lot of funk inspired music in the background, and that's so very cool because it steps away from the same-old same-old electropop. Hyuna's raps are fine, more in a talk-rap style than a really fast delivery, and I quite like Hyunseung's vocals. The lyrics are about being so interested in a person, it makes the speaker a troublemaker who is going to try to keep getting their attention. But these lyrics don't actually come off as sounding stalkery, maybe because it's a girl and a guy both singing the song. Language note: they do a great job of pronouncing the English word "trouble", which I think is probably a difficult word for native Korean speakers to say because of the "bl" consonant blend.

"The Words I Don't Want to Hear" is okay. I'm not a fan of ballads, so slow love songs are always at a disadvantage with me. However, I will admit that Hyunseung's voice sounds really nice (especially on those almost-falsetto parts) and Hyuna holds her own. The remaining two songs on the EP are solo songs, which is a fine practice for albums by bands with higher numbers, but since this is the first outing for this duo, I would have preferred to hear more songs highlighting these two performers collaborating together.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this unit's lead single, "Trouble Maker", and how well the pairing may potentially work. I never would have guessed that Cube would pick Hyunseung to sing with Hyuna--I initially thought a Hyuna collaboration with Junhyung would work better, just because his rapping style feels more edgy and troublesome. But all told, I like Trouble Maker's music, and I hope we'll see more official co-ed collaborations from kpop in the future. Guy voices + girl voices = cool songs.

My grade: 3 of 5 stars for the EP, but 4 of 5 stars for the song "Trouble Maker"

Must-listens: "Trouble Maker", of course!

Watchable bonus: Here's some audio and fan-produced lyrics for "Trouble Maker"

Scripture Sunday: The Gospel of John

2011-12-04T13:03:00.000-06:00

John is the last of the four gospels dealing with Jesus' life on earth, and it's the most "different" of the four in my opinion, because it isn't synoptic--it's less of a recounting and more of a close personal account of Jesus' deity and his message. The first three gospel open with a genealogy of Christ (Matthew), the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry (Mark), and the circumstances in Jesus' earthly family before his birth (Luke), but John starts out with theological statements:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:1-5)

The Word means Jesus. He always co-existed with God, and he was part of the force of creation. I find it interesting that God spoke the world into existence ("let there be ___") instead of making it through other means, and here we see that verbal theme coming up again when John describes Jesus as being THE word.
John feels more personal partly because it is unconcerned with establishing strict chronological events ("this happened, then this happened, in this order"), and instead focuses on what Jesus says about himself. There are seven notable miracles in the book of John, and they're all leading up to Jesus' long discussion with his disciples over the Passover dinner. Chapter 13 is when the passover dinner begins, and Jesus uses this gathering as a way to establish some important truths about himself. In chapter 14 verse 6 he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." This was a very big change from the teaching of Judaism of the day, which said that you could get close to God by obeying the extensive religious laws of their community. Through this teaching, a personal relationship with Jesus becomes the way to obtain a good standing with God the father. The end of John also has a very personal feel to it, and the very last verse of chapter 21 testifies to the enormity of what occurred during Jesus' ministry on Earth: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."