Beyond Good Bye! 

Jumping in another JSeries this weekend; binge-watched Netflix's Beyond Goodbye and got curious. I mean look at the poster! Me na pictures is a thousand words. 

Beyond Goodbye centers Seiko who lost her fiancé Yusuke in an accident while on the other hand Kazu whose suffering from a heart ailment, was the recipient of Yusuke's heart and is married to Miki. Things suddenly went differently when Kazu is feeling and remembering things from Yusuke's heart. Seiko whose grieving her beloved, saw Yusuke's nuances to Kazu. 

This series talked about grief, moving forward, self-growth, heart transplant, friendship, and love. I also liked how each episode was named Beyond Proposal, Beyond Life, Beyond Memories, Beyond a Birthday,  Beyond the Storm, Beyond Fate and Chance, Beyond a Lifetime and Beyond Goodbye

Cinematography-wise: Definitely a Chef Kiss. It made me feel like I'm inside a cafe, not to mention that the soul of this story was coffee. It felt like I was sipping coffee, hearing the beans chime through the coffee machine, the pouring of hot water into the coffee pot, the quiet mumbling of people, and the beauty of the scenes wallowing through the bitterness and sweetness in your cup enticed with its mellow soundtrack that captivates the scenery. Ang lakas maka Your name nung isang song. Then suddenly, reality checks in, your not in a dream. 

Byeond Goodbye somehow attempts to give you that fairytale-like feel but doesn't let you miss out on a knock that this is not a fantasy. All I can say "the heart wants what it wants."

I have so many feelings watching Beyond Goodbye. All i thought i would be bawling my eyes while watching but in the end i wasnt. In Seiko's POV we are shown the different aspects she does in moving on, but when she met Kazu at the train station, things that didn't mostly matter changed. She saw the little things Yusuke does but instead of Yusuke it was Kazu. I was even immersed that their first encounters would lead to a great friendship remembering someone She Lost and Something He gained.

Through the course of the series, I loved the back Story of Yusuke and Sieko, the glowing and bright deameanor of their romance, the smooth sailing joy of peace, it was something to look forward too. The Chemistry is Chemistrying while backstory between Kazu and Miki  felt like it was always cut short parang little bits lang ung kanila, so kulang parang pinilit. Ung nabibitin ung kilig mo. 

But as the story unravels, i am starting to become detached by our main leads, just like i said this series made me dream but drastically drag me like dude be real!From light conversations to deal breakers like a camera foucst to Kazu's ring you know that its not right. 

When Kazu was already feeling things beyond the beatings of his heart, he tried to navigate what his new heart says and followed it, all the things Yusuke has done, the memories he have, the people he knew, Kazu suddenly lives a double life. And When he said to Kengo (Kazu's Friend), I don't know if it's Yusukes feeling or his but he knows it's his. 

I have also noticed something in Seiko, in flashbacks with Yusuke, it felt like a dream, it was bright, childlike, like yellows in a farm, it was all about fun and beauty. 

But when shes with Kazu, change of mood color, the scenery the feels convey some feelings she tried to ignore, she faced it and straightly said it to Kazu but you can see in the way she felt for Kazu, that she liked it but me as a viewer somehow felt its half hearted, because Kazu was like the remnants of Yusuke.  the only thing that is living about Yusuke is his heart. 

Beyond goodby's  baseline was grief, and how to move on with grief, and it showed the process of grieving. Seiko grieving for her true love, and Miki slowly grieving for losing her husband in the process of finding out what his new heart says. 

Theres this line Miki Says I just think I'll be sad if you start disliking things you used to like.

 Because the moment Kazu has his new heart, Miki his wife had felt change towards her husband she knew it was wrong for her to feel that way but theres this sudden jolts of emotions shes trying to undertstand. And when she tried to shy away from the conversation she had with Kazu about knowing his donor, she slowly research on it as well but somehow ending up hurting her. She confronted Seiko but in the end, felt her emotions, cried for the feeling Seiko had and she said she wished it was an affair. 

Since Yusuke was the common ground of the story, the reason of all reasons. I felt like even if Kazu was exploring the new feelings he has, the change of heart, the memories, its not loosing the fact that he himself is confused, that hes living a double life during the night and the day. That despite Kazu was standing in front of Seiko, he was intirely emersing Yusuke. That i felt where does he fall in this picture, is he just a messenger for all the feelings left unsaid by yusuke? Is he some stand in for Seikos Grief? 

Yusuke was the dream Kazu wanted to be but was stopped beacuse of his ailment. But in between Healing, Yusuke's heart was a missed opportunity for Kazu. Instead of spending his remaining healthy days with his wife, Enjoy his life, live comfortably he chose a different direction and passively follow his new heart and says to his wife this is a must. the heart really wants wht it wants. Parang ang nangyari all his POV was all Yusuke even if Yuske didn't say so. So when he said that he was confused whose feelings are these? He knew all along that those are his. 

If the story didnt lean on the pedestal of infedility but instead building friendship betweeen Seiko, Kazu, Miki and Kengo, and navigate these changes despite of it complications this might be more of a tear jecker for me. I love the first episode, and i hope it ended in Seikos letter hahaha

My pick up points are the quotes 

1. Life is a little bit spontaneous! 

2. Follow your heart. 

3. The point is, you should think of him as often as you want. And one more thing, Saeko. You said that it was difficult for you to look forward. Don't worry. Humans aren't... aren't built like automobiles. We aren't made to walk backward. Okay? So as long as you're walking each and every day, that means you're moving forward. You're walking towards the future. Right? Follow your heart. All right, Saeko?

4. Stop thinking out life has been decided, you harness it yourself. 

You make your own fate in the world 

5. Fate is actually up to us. Constantly making choices and what determines pur future ks connectedt to our choices.

6. Whenever I think of someone who passed away, I believe there's a reason for it. It's that that person wants to visit me. It's a sign that they're coming to see me.

 

Learnings from Nobody Wants This in a Millennial Point of View!

"I really like you a lot. I'm on your side, I can handle you"

Hi everyone! We meet again! I miss blogging! I have been doing a lot of vlogs lately, you can check it out at Janine Kaye on Youtube, and I have been sharing some of my thoughts in the series I have watched and some me moments during these few months. 

After a very long time of not writing or blogging here I am with a series I am loving! I have also shared my feels online with this one! So here we are with my beloved topic which is learnings! 

Let's dive in shall we! 

1. Love can find it's ways at 30. 

Who would have thought that finding love in your mid life would be this beautiful. The series didn't dwell much about their age but they are right there at that 30s corner. They both have their own things in life, and cautiosly they work their way through their relationship. It's like pressing a reset button but you already know what you needed to do, so make way and change. and that my friends tackles the 

2. Romantic Healings. Tough and big word! But it's more of the willingness to do the right thing for each other to make it work :) Kasi they have been into relationships before they met each other. Unconsciously they put their best foot forward for each other. and all I could say this is a rare example of a healthy relationship on screen!

3. It's all about the grey areas! my favorite word to say whenever I have a discussion of balancing acts. It seems vague but the series had discussed the possibility of finding a deeper connection with someone even if you haven’t known them for a very long time.  May story sa ganyan, months mo palang kilala INLOVE KA NA! Parang ganun :) 

4. The series also depicts that timelines aren't necessary. Not because society dictates that in this era or timeline you have to be this, or that, you're supposed to be in a relationship but it's about you slowly gliding to the flow of life that if what is meant for you is meant for you. and what is not is not for you. Timelines ruin the fun of enjoying our come what mays. 

5. Communications is the key, the key to all successful relationship, no explanation needed! But in all aspects of life, communication is the solution of all solution, this is not as easy as we wish it could be but if we work this out, our relationship, Love or Friendship or Family, would be smooth sailing!

6. Choosing each other. there are some moments in the series that shows that one snap could change the course of their relationship, yung tipong ay nako! kung di ko to mahal ayaw ko na! ganern! but I would go back to that one line I'm all in, I deal with a lot of crazy. What made me kilig is the ASSURANCE, the assurance that I will be with you even if there are some broken parts. Waaaaah NOAH REALLY GAVE THAT BEST MAN THAT HAD GRACE THE SCREEN OF ALL GREEN FLAGS! 

My Key takes on Nobody Wants this:

 - is that they gave us a realistic happily ever after, something we’ve all been waiting for. They choose each other even when they don't need to pick each other.  What is love, if not working on ourselves because we realize that not only our partner, but we also, deserve a better version of ourselves, right?

- The series has kept us faith in love. We can find love in our 30s. They have met in a place where little did they know they are each others happy place. 

You can also check my vlog here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc3jCixM2EY&t=612s

Thank you so much for reading all through my little blog! See you to our next Post!!! 

Celebrity (Kdrama Review)

 

Hi, it's been a while since I wrote a blog about a k-drama series I have sat down for hours and sunk into this K-drama world. And this blog was in this zone of drafts, I felt like it's so unfinished that I didn't want to publish it. 

I really miss blogging! In connection to blogging and the digital age, here I am writing about a kdrama I have watched last July, and that my friends is Celebrity. 

Everyone has been talking about this series here and there. The story focuses on Seo Ah Ri (Park Gyu Young) a young saleswoman who lives with her mom who runs a dry cleaning business. 

Photo from Asian Wiki

In the process of getting to know Ah Ri, her family used to be wealthy however when her father died and their company was bankrupt, her family was left penniless. 

I have watched Park Gyu Young countless of times from Sweet Home, It's okay not to be okay, Nokdu Flower, and Dali & Cocky Prince, she really has this feminine charm that you want to protect at all cost but is a smart, fun, strong woman that would really make you question why in the world that I have thought of her as naïve. 

She really had me and my brother hooked by her soft gestures to that one feisty charisma! She really had carried herself all throughout the series; she had her humble beginnings but the dark side of fame had caught on her too much that all you wanted was to root for her and at the same time leave the society that trolled on her; specifically the Cabin Society. 

Yoon Shi Hyeon (Lee Chung Ah), the big sister of the Cabin Society. One of the calmest characters' in this series. From the beginning, Shi Hyeon already had a soft spot for Ari. You can feel her so much from the weight of her actions, her tone of voice, her smile and her attitude towards Ari, not only too Ari but to girls in Cabin Society too (if only these girls are nice). I love Lee Chung Ah in VIP, well all of her characters are lovable too, but there's something about her aura in this type of drama. You'll never know what's she's up too until she would utter her words. 

Shi Hyeon may seem like she only follows the rules that should be bent, but there's something even beyond her character that you would like to know aside from how she can be Seo Ari's Ally. 

Han Jun Kyung (Kang Min Hyuk), when he first showed up in the scene at the bar, I felt like his character is somehow a happy go lucky character, a fine gentleman charmer who definitely likes Ah Ri. But he's way bolder and deep and than that. I came to somehow dislike him a little too, but all is well, because he's character is like a little bit of a shinning armor to Ah Ri. I feel like his character is one of the arcs that is needed to make Ah Ri's character shine and stronger. But Ah Ri is stronger by her self. But yes, he's like one dashing man really wanting to take care of Ah Ri NO MATTER WHAT. 

There's is just this scene, that made my mind blown! And I'm sure you know what I mean! 

Jin Tae Joon (Lee Dong Goon) Shi Hyeon's husband. I know from the moment he walks in the camera, this man is up to no good, there's just this certain vibe that he has that "Ammm not to be friends with" kind of feel. Whenever I see Don Goon on my TV Screen, I am always reminded by his character in Marry Him if you Dare as Anchor Shin, and I 

Photo Taken from Asian Wiki. 

Gosh the girls of Gabin Society! If you watched this series, you'll know what I mean! I felt like these ladies had everything they wanted but still, they had their attitude elsewhere. These girls reminded me that envy can cause too much! Because they wanted to always be the "IT girls" they made childish decisions that I felt like I didn't understand you girls. But all claps to them because they are all GOOD ACTRESSES! They made my heart angry with them especially when they are on screen! 

The series goes back from the present to the past. What had happened why these characters are taking this route, you would totally be out of your seat just by the different twists and turns on every episode. When I first heard about it, I thought it was all about the glitz and glamour of being a celebrity in South Korea. But it's definitely the inner causes and effects of fame. 

Learnings: 

1.  Fame is not everything. 

Celebrities are under pressure to perform all the time. You are in front of a camera all the time, and it is difficult to lead a life in the world of glamour. -Sushmita Sen

  As older celebrities, locally and internationally. fame is not really everything. It's not about rainbows and unicorns, but it's much more deeper than that. Celebrities had to face a total amount of pressure not only for the people who sees them but the scrutiny of people who may dislike them. 

2. Cause and Effects of Social Media

The world of social media is fair (I supposed it was), you can make your own content, create, and express yourself with the beauty of the internet. It's basically a freedom wall all around the world. But unfortunately, it's not the case as social media is diverging into a bigger state phenomenon that freedom of expression has been used to cause negativity, hate and disarming fake news.  Usually everyone behind computer screens are no longer black and white it's beyond measurable. 

Let's face it, the sad part of social media is that most famous people suffer depression. From constant scrutiny of people behind computer screens, The tabloid headlines, the gossips, and relentless judgements take a toll on a celebrity/influencer's mental health. 

Just like the series had describe, being an influencer is not some walking in a park agenda. The pressure is real and good and bad competition is everywhere. The series also showed us that in between PR managements and arrangements there are the people behind the scenes gracefully handle media interactions, your brand image, your values and at the same time help you empower the different challenges you need to face becoming an influencer. Especially focusing on what truly matters in creating and connecting to your audience. 

3. Be your authentic self  

Here's the thing with authenticity, there are some who forget that being authentic is being oneself. But how? In celebrity, the series touched on that genuine connections, and genuine interactions will lead to success. Easier said than done, yes, a lot of people are genuinely kind and you can see it through their body language and all. But always know too that not everyone who smiles smiles back at you. Then again Authenticity is GOLD!

4. Balancing Public and Private lives 

Just like how celebrities usually say that Living in the limelight isn't all about glitz and glamor; "Celebrity" gives us a glimpse into the life of a celebrity and it tells the viewers to always draw boundaries when it comes to personal life and public life. The same way when it comes to using your social media. Share not because it's a part of the norm but share because you want to impart an inspiration to your viewers. 

My takeaway with Celebrity is to not everyone who smiles at you is your friend. Not everyone who invites you wants you to be a part of their team, and always THINK before you click. Always be careful and be kind to others. 

Celebrity also shows that not because fame is overpowering, your insecurities and challenges are shielded. The show is almost a raw personification of celebrities,  and at the end of the day each and every one of us is human. 

If you're dreaming of stepping into the zone of being an influencer, I believe Celebrity shows you a glimpse not just glimpse but the world of digital media. Take time to understand the pros and cons of entering the world of digital world.