Favorite Korean Dramas...So Far: Part 1

Yep, I'm obsessed.  I love Korean drama!  I've lost all interest for American television--it's so boring!

But Kdrama--the romance, the story-lines, the actors, the exotic locale (to me at least)--it's irresistible. Thanks to Netflix, I've fallen head over heels.

However, as my one loyal reader keeps reminding me (thanks, Awesome!), my addiction has caused me not only to neglect the housework, but blogging as well. And, while I started this post about my favorite dramas three months ago, the list grew so quickly that I gave it up.  So here I am with a [very] abbreviated list of my favorite dramas.

1.  Heartstrings (aka You've Fallen for Me)

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

A talented young rock guitarist at a performing arts university, Lee Shin seems much more cold and aloof than he really is.  This is partially because he is constantly bombarded with disgustingly adoring fans of his band, The Stupid, and also because his sole passion is music.  This all changes, albeit gradually, when he meets Lee Gyu Won, a Korean traditional music major, who not only doesn't scream and swoon when he's around, but who thinks his music is soulless and boring.  Their clash leads to a music battle to see which genre will win, rock or classical.  A lot of music, conflict, and cuteness ensue, all in the setting of a university campus.  

This drama is my all-time favorite.  I watched it 3 times in a row, then bought the DVDs and watched it again.  The initial allure was definitely the actors.  Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye are my favorite Korean actors to date, and I loved them both in You're Beautiful, where they were adorable together, but didn't end up as a couple (which basically broke my heart).  Seeing them again in this drama, where they fall in love, was very sweet and satisfying.

I also loved the music.  Both leads perform several songs, and some of the other actors sing and play as well.  This series was my first introduction to Korean traditional music.  I had no idea it was so beautiful!  There are also some fusion pieces with Korean instruments and electric guitars, which were strangely enchanting.

Since this drama, I've watched many, many others, several of which I would totally own.  However, Heartstrings continues to be my absolute favorite.  It's a little akin to my favorite comfort food.  Even the intro music makes me smile and get warm fuzzies.

2.  You Are Beautiful

from koreandrama.org

A nun-in-training, Go Mi Nyu pretends to be a boy to temporarily take her twin brother's place in an uber-famous boy band.  Drama happens as all three fellow bandmates begin to discover she's really a girl and consequently fall in love with her.

As I've mentioned before, this was my first Korean drama, and will always hold that special place in my heart.  It was definitely my favorite actors that made this series pop for me, along with the love story.  The show is probably not recommended for a first-time viewer, because it is incredibly cheesy and over the top.  Still, it was a lot of fun, and it remains the only Kdrama, other than Heartstrings, that I have watched more than once.

3.  Dream High

from FanPop.com

Dream High is about a group of misfits who join a snooty performing arts high school in the hopes of becoming the next big star.  Only one student will be chosen.  As they develop their musical ability, they experience some of the bullying and prejudice that can be rampant in high school, especially because they are all so darn talented that it threatens several of the other students.  This show is packed with music, dancing, and surprising friendships, as the students discover themselves and, for several, love.

I love voices, and this show had the most great singers.  I frequently look up some of the songs on YouTube because I like them so much.  This show also had a love triangle among the lead actors where, surprisingly, I would have been equally happy where either guy ended up with the girl.  That is a pretty unusual occurrence in Kdrama-land.


So there you have it: a few Korean dramas that I love.

Obsessed with Korean Drama

Well, I'm a little embarrassed by how long it's been since I posted.  I have lots of excuses--work, health problems (not mine or Awesome's), the holidays--but the honest truth is that I discovered a new obsession.

Korean television.

Right now your eyebrows are probably raised up into your hairline as you try to understand that.

I am addicted to Korean dramas, and it has been as surprising to me as to everyone else who knows me.

No, I'm not Korean.  I'm not Asian of any kind.  I don't speak Korean.  I don't even have any Korean friends.  Up until about four months ago, my sole exposure to Korea was summed up by serving kimchi in the cafeteria at college.

It all started when Netflix recommended a show for me with 5 stars.  Nothing ever gets recommended with 5 stars.  For me, anyway.  I read the synopsis and was intrigued by the storyline. Captain Awesome happened to be out for the evening so I knew he wouldn't be offended by any cheesy girly-ness.  So I started the first episode.  

(Looking back, I don't even think I realized the show was Korean or subtitled until it started.  Not that either of those things would have stopped me.)

I was hooked within minutes.

It started with curiosity about how the storyline would play out, but quickly became about the characters.  The main girl was so sweet and pretty, I couldn't look away.  Actually, all the characters were pretty, girls and boys.  But what really held my attention was the love story that started growing quickly.


                                                                                                                         Image courtesy of www.dramanut.com

This is the cover picture for the drama, "You are Beautiful," my first Korean drama and the beginning of my obsession.  While it is almost embarrassingly cheesy and the acting is terrible, this drama was where I got started, and there are elements of it that are just about perfect.  One moment I was cringing at the ridiculousness of the writing, and the next I was fighting back tears at the sweetness of a portrayal of genuine unconditional love.  Like I said before, it was a surprise.

And that's basically why I love Korean dramas.  It's all about the love stories.  They tend to be really sweet and intense.  There are tons of cheesy moments, including plenty that make me roll my eyes or blush in embarrassment.  But then there will also be the sweetest, most poignant scenes.  I've laughed, cried, gotten angry, shouted at my computer screen, and completely fallen in love with the genre.  

I have a feeling that there will be many other posts about Korean dramas in the future.  I can't wait to share my favorites!  Until then, I will try to not be quite so silent...

Garden Inspiration

I have been going through a dry spell in my garden. The drought here in Northern California has taken its toll and I've been trying to do my part to not waste water. So I've lost a number of my more tender plants, the lawn is getting brown, and everything other than the tomatoes is semi-dormant. 

It's been discouraging. 

So I've barely kept the garden going while hoping and praying for rain. 

Last weekend I reached the end of my patience and put in a much-needed hour of tidying and pruning (my un-watered tomato plants are still monster-sized). 

And IT FELT WONDERFUL!

The lovely smells of good soil, rosemary, and dill, the peep-peep of my chicken teenagers as they foraged around me, the riot of purple morning glories everywhere (they apparently need little water)--it was balm to my tired, stressed-out soul. I felt like I was having a reunion with the oldest and best of friends. 

All of which tells me that, for my happiness, I must spend time regularly in my garden. 

So I've been looking through my garden boards on Pinterest, trying to keep motivated as I head into the winter lull. There are so many things I'd like to do!

Photo via fiskars.com

This beauty is what I'm dreaming about for the space between the back porch and the garden. I have the perfect area for it. 

Photo courtesy of finegardening.com

This is what I'd like to do with my front lawn. Right now it is a tiny dying triangle, a pain to maintain and absolutely useless. Some pretty, drought-tolerant flowers would dress up the front of the house nicely. 

Photo courtesy of bhg.com

This is what I would do on the road side of the front picket fence. Right now there is lots of gravel and a few weeds, definitely nothing inspiring!

So those are just a few of the pictures that are inspiring me. Hopefully they'll keep me going until I get my winter garden planted. 

Inexpensive Kitchen Remodel

When you own a fixer-upper, there is always something that needs to be repaired or upgraded. Or added. 

Most of these jobs aren't fun, like the new roof or the anti-termite treatment. 

However, in the long list of never-ending, ever-multiplying, must-be-done-now jobs, my favorite to date has been my cheapo kitchen remodel. 

When we bought our house, the kitchen had decent builder-grade oak cabinets.  They weren't what I wanted or what fit the era of the house, but it was too expensive to change them out. I left them for a couple years while we tackled more important projects. 

Finally I decided to jump in and fix up my kitchen. After lots of research and some advice from a helpful Home Depot sales person, I got a Rustoleum Cabinet Makeover kit. 

I followed the directions on the kit from start to finish. 

The job took me a really long time. The instructions on the package said that you could finish a smallish kitchen in a weekend but I'm not sure that would really be possible if you did a good job. Anyway, for whatever it's worth, painting my kitchen cabinets took me about a month. 

This job is not for the faint of heart. However, it's definitely a great way to cheaply get an updated kitchen. 

I could have sped up the process by skipping the insides of the cabinets, and the doors would have been so much easier to paint if I could have spread them out in a garage. By the end of the summer I was sick of painting, but I would totally do it all over again if I had to. 

Here's the sink area ready for a party I threw. I can't believe how much brighter and cleaner the place looks. 

Here's by the door that leads to the back yard. I love it!

So, if you have a kitchen that isn't exactly what you want, but don't have thousands of dollars for a complete refitting, consider painting your cabinets. You'll be surprised by what a huge difference it makes!

5 Areas to Improve in My Home

When you move into a fixer-upper, there is a never-ending list of things that need to be updated, repaired, or made.  My husband and I have made lots of progress, but we tend to get snowed under with all the jobs that need to be done NOW! 

Periodically, I take inventory of all the things that still need to be done.

Then I get completely overwhelmed and have to take a break and have some coffee (if only!). 

What works best is to take a step back and choose a handful of areas to improve.  Here are my 5 major areas that need help:

1.      Back Yard: (the job that never ends!)  When we moved into our house, the back yard was ready to go in a lot of ways—for a much different family than ours.  There was a nice big porch (which I love), a paved patio, a pergola, a postage-stamp-sized lawn, and tons of gravel.  There was no usable space for plants, flowers, and the huge garden I had been dreaming of.  (There also were no weeds back then). 

 3 and ½ years later, we’ve made lots of changes.  We’ve moved miles of gravel, hauled several trucks worth of compost, and built raised boxes for my garden.  I’ve planted a lot, mainly vegetables and herbs, with a few roses thrown in.  We put in one irrigation system, and have plans to add another.

 We’ve also added to our collection of patio furniture so we have a comfortable place to hang out during beautiful Napa Valley weather.

 I still feel like we are fighting a losing battle in the backyard.  I have dreams of it being a beautiful, peaceful place where we can relax, entertain, and grow lots of food.  I also want it to all be easy to maintain, since we both work long hours and don’t want to spend every waking minute weeding. Sadly, the weeds grow sprout almost as quickly as I pull them. 

2.      TV room:  This is definitely the Man’s room.  It’s not pretty.  It is hard to keep clean.  There’s lots of computer equipment, weights, and guy stuff in there.  I don’t like it.  ‘Nuff said.

 3.    Spare room:  Other than the bathroom, this is the only room in the house that I have not really changed in any way since we bought the house.  I hope to turn it into a nursery soon, so there just has never seemed much point in decorating it at all.  However, I have found that a room with no purpose quickly becomes the junk-dropping zone.  Not good!

 4.      Laundry Room/Hallway Pantry: My nemesis!  Yes, I should be grateful that I have a dedicated room for laundry (I really am grateful), but this room is dark, dingy, and humid.  Plus, it’s usually a lot dirtier than this.  I really hate laundry, and this room has not made it easier.

 5.      Shed:  When you have no garage, you either need to have very little stuff, or good storage (or preferably, both).  Our shed is tiny, has very little shelving, and is sort of a black-hole for our belongings. 

     The best solution I can think of, short of another shed, is to install lots of shelving and other forms of storage.

So, there are some of the major areas that we need to improve. I'm not sure where we'll start working. Now we're building a run for the chicks so we'll see what we feel inspired to begin after that's finished. 

Weaning Off Coffee

Kicking the coffee habit has been a beast.

I had no idea I was so addicted.  I see myself as a person with few vices (chocolate doesn't count, right?), so realizing how deep my dependence on coffee has been has shaken some of my personal confidence.  I want a cup of coffee more than a lot of things, and that's saying something.

That being said, I have been off coffee for about a month now, and I feel like I have finally broken the physical dependence.  The mental/emotional need for coffee is still strong, and I'm anticipating it will be a few more months before I can get through a full day without longing for a cup, but physically, I'm fine.  Not happy, but fine.

I didn't research weaning off caffeine until late in the weaning process, but my progression was some of what I read.  Here is how I weaned off coffee:

Days 1 and 2:  1/4 decaf and 3/4 regular coffee.

Days 3 and 4: 1/2 decaf and 1/2 regular.

Days 5 and 6: 3/4 decaf and 1/4 regular

Days 7 and 8: 100% decaf

Day 9 and beyond: cold turkey! 

This formula is not for the faint of heart.   I still had some headaches, and my energy was very low.  However, I got through the process quickly, which was what I wanted. 

Keep in mind that your body will be going through a tough time during this approach (or any weaning time).  Make sure you drink extra water, get lots of rest, and eat well.  Your body will need some babying as it is working hard!

Beginner's Guide to Raising Chicks

I don’t claim to be an expert on raising chickens (the first night I had my girls, I kept asking my husband every 10 minutes if he thought they were all right).  However, I have discovered that there are some important things you need to have when you bring those cute little balls of fluff home from the farm supply store. 

 

 

Here is my current must-have list:

1.      A large container.  Right now I’m using a Rubbermaid tub from Home Depot.  The walls are very tall in comparison to the width of the box, so the chicks won’t be able to jump out for a while (I hope).  Eventually the chicks will need more space, but right now they’re doing well.

2.      Bedding material:  The feed supply gave me a huge bag of lovely sweet-smelling wood shavings. 

3.      A small water dish:  I got a large water container from the feed store (the red and white dispenser above) , but it was way too big for such tiny babies and their cozy box.  So right now I’m improvising and using a glass snack container.  It is short enough so the chicks can get the water easily.

4.   Food dish:  This has been my biggest frustration.  Like the water container, I got a container that will work really well in the coop once the chicks are grown up, but it was ridiculous in the current box I’m using.  So, I tried a plastic one-cup container that is used for freezing jam.  That was ok, except the chicks liked to sleep in it and occasionally stood on the edge and tipped all the food out.  Then I tried an ordinary saucer.  That worked for about 5 minutes.  The chicks scratched all the food onto the floor of their box and then pooped all over the plate.  Ewww!  So my current solution is a plastic sandwich container sans lid, with a rock in it to keep it from tipping over.  So far so good.
 

5.      Chick food:  I got 25 pounds of what the feed supply recommended—the medicated kind.

6.      A heat lamp or warm place to stay:  Ordinarily, I would use a clip-on shop light to keep the chicks warm.  However, we’re having a mini-heat wave in Northern California, and there has been very little need for any extra heating devices.  I do have lamp I can use if I need to.  My chicks are already two weeks old, so they are not as cold-sensitive as they were.  Hopefully I won’t need to use it. 

Last but not least, I have a chicken coop ready to go when the chicks are old enough.  For me, that was the most important part.  I'm ready to go!