49 Days (Kdrama): My Thoughts

Just a few weeks ago, I finished watching the 20 episode Kdrama entitled 49 Days. In a few words, it was emotional, dramatic and heartwarming. Masterfully written by the same screenwriter as Shining Inheritance, So Hyun Kyung's 49 Days earns top honours in my book as one of the best Kdramas that I have had the pleasure of watching (alongside Shining Inheritance). With these two dramas, writer So set the bar very high indeed.

Here is a synopsis I borrowed from drama wiki:

Shin Ji Hyun was enjoying absolute bliss as she was about to marry her fiancé, Kang Min Ho, but her perfect life is shattered when she gets into a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She is given a second chance at life by a reaper, but it comes with a condition: she has to find three people outside of her family who would cry genuine tears for her. In order to do this, she borrows the body of Yi Kyung, a part-time employee at a convenience store for 49 days. 

Exploring the themes of life and death through the experiences of the characters Song Yi Kyung and Shin Ji Hyun, the story of their intertwined fate is gripping! The show may encourage some introspection around the subject of how one should live life in the most fulfilling way. And, it may also inspire thoughts about how you might live if you had a mere 49 days or whether you would have had a significant impact on the lives of those around you during your lifetime.Throughout the show, you will be reminded of the finality and arbitrariness of death, which will leave you kind of sad.

Charitable Endeavours

Recently struck with major (it's subjective!) disappointment, I've felt the strong need to do something fulfilling. I came to the conclusion that donating money to a few humanitarian causes might suit this desire of mines. Through this, I am hoping to curb the urge to indulge my materialistic impulses, saving me from splurging on items that will have an ignorant impact on my happiness and also to restore my perspective and return me to a state of gratefulness for all that I have.

There's this verse in the Qur'an that resonates with me as I write this post.
3: 92 By no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spend (benevolently) out of what you love; and whatever thing you spend, Allah surely knows it. 

May the Lord accept my intentions and meager contributions. Ameen.

In searching for which organizations to donate to, I found it extremely difficult to narrow the list down to a few causes. There are an enormous number of charities focusing on international and domestic issues, healthcare, education, disaster relief, etc and it is near impossible to reduce causes to a manageable figure! Hopefully we'll all get the chance to contribute to as many organizations as we can during our lifetime :-) In the meantime, I think I've found a few organizations which I have never donated to that fit my donating needs and hopes. 

Justice and Freedom for all.

 

The efforts of those involved in the venture to bring aid and attention to Gaza does not in the slightest appear to me as 'hateful', 'provocative' or 'irresponsible', as it has been inaccurately described by a number of government administrations.

In fact, I think we should be proud of the 22 Canadians aboard the Tahrir flotilla- who are advocating against the illegal blockade on Gaza. Just read that attempts to leave Greece have been blocked by coastguard officials. For more on this story, check out this Guardian article. And if you're interested in supporting the Palestinian cause, check out Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East!

-In solidarity with oppressed peoples everywhere.

This gives me goosebumps!

Interesting Finds, XIII

Here is a very insightful piece written by an American Rabbi. He discusses the pressing need to distinguish between religious theology and religious practice. Misperceptions about religious groups persist when we confuse the two. He shares, "the growing chasm between faith-based teachings, on the one hand, and the actions of the faithful on the other, is the greatest cancer afflicting modern religion." No disagreement there.

An excellent article written by a member of the Muslims Guild of America.We need to be aware of the distinction between belief systems and the actions of its adherents- they can be and are two very different matters.

A perspective on the denigration of polytheism by atheists and monotheists.

Anti-Muslim bias in the workforce.

Places of worship should always be respected. Synagogues, temples, churches, mosques- all houses of God. Let's show some respect!

City Hunter (Kdrama): First Thoughts

*Spoilers ahead*
This past weekend, I began watching a new Korean drama called City Hunter, starring the always stylish Lee Min-Ho. I hadn't heard too much about this one, though I did see a few stills on dramabeans that didn't really give too much away about the story, direction, etc. From what I understand, the drama is loosely based on a Japanese manga with the same title. But, after reading about the manga it looks like the connection is fairly loose indeed. I sure wasn't looking forward to seeing LMH as a womanizer :-S (Update: After watching episode 2, I'm a little worried about this now!)

If I had to describe the drama, I would say that it is about a young man who is groomed to avenge his father's death, but during this quest (with part of his humanity intact), he falls in love with a girl. I couldn't find a more accurate synopsis online, so my version will have to do.

Now, I'm not accustomed to watching more serious dramas, but it looks like this one might have enough of a balance between the lighthearted/fun and serious/revenge elements. As I have only watched the first episode, I will probably elaborate on this later.

There were, admittedly, a few inconsistencies that I found difficult to ignore. On the one hand, it seemed to defy logic that the character Lee Jin-Pyo could justify stealing an innocent baby from its mother. If the mother had passed away or something, Jin-Pyo taking the child would have been more believable. But it was just plain ridiculous! And on top of that, raising the child on a drug farm made the child's displacement even more intolerable.

My Princess (Kdrama): My Thoughts

I've spent the last week watching Kdrama, My Princess and it been quite an enjoyable experience. I just wrapped it up a short time ago. Coming off watching Shining Inheritance, and sampling a few new dramas, I was skeptical about the prospect of finding new ones that would have the right vibe. For me, that vibe could be described as lighthearted, romantic comedies, that aren't too rambunctious or too experimental (it's kind of hard to explain what I mean by this!). I'm also very picky about the male and female leads, they simply need to be likable, charming and down to earth- not too much to ask for, right??! I'm not too interested in leads that look too plastic either.

Very quickly, here is a brief synopsis of this drama. Don't want to give too much away...

An ordinary college student, Lee Seol, finds out she's a princess. The grandson of Daehan Group, Park Hae Young, is put in charge of educating Seol on proper etiquette.

So with this drama, I felt that it moved a little slowly until about the 5th episode, when everything seemed to pick up and move at a more regular pace. One thing I found difficult to accept about Lee Seol's character in the beginning was how she did not seem very independent or willing to speak up for herself (especially against the evil Oh Yoon Joo). Granted, she is a university student and is young. I guess I am accustomed to/enjoy seeing independent women in the shows I watch. It takes Lee Seol some time to get there, but she slowly starts becoming more and more independent and that is great to see!

Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy/Beautiful Legacy: Best Korean Drama.

I recently watched a Korean drama called Shining Inheritance (also known as Brilliant Legacy and Beautiful Legacy). It was incredible. It really set the bar for kdramas, for me. As a huge fan of these dramas, I have seen a number of them including Boys Over Flowers (Lee Min-Ho ♥), Coffee Prince (Gong Yoo ♥), Secret Garden, Personal Taste and have tried out a few others, as well! I am currently watching My Princess (Song Seung Heon ♥) and Lie to Me. As far as genre goes, it's probably evident by my selections that I find the romantic comedies/ romantic dramas most interesting. What can I say?

Getting back to Shining Inheritance. Here is the show's description:

Go Eun Sung's life is similar to Cinderella's. After her father died, her step-mother, Baek Sung Hee, took away all of her assets and her younger brother, Eun Woo, suddenly disappears without a trace. Despite this, Eun Sung preservers and works really hard to fulfill her dreams. When the CEO of a food company, Jang Sook Ja, suffers amnesia and can't remember who she is. Eun Sung takes her in. However, Eun Sung does not know that she is the grandmother of Sun Woo Hwan, the man who she switched bags with at the airport. How will their constant bickering lead them to realize that they care more about each other than they let on? 

Such a great storyline. The writing was incredible (as far as I could tell through the translation!) and I never found myself questioning the plot direction, pace, script etc, which tends to happens with shows at one point or another, right? Not only is this drama cute, romantic and funny, it was also full of genuine drama. It is sure to evoke emotion. And the actors all did a wonderful job. The supporting cast were very compelling and entertaining, as well!

This is all to say that this drama is an absolute must-see. Whether you're new to Kdramas or are a Kdrama vet, this one is not to be missed. The length of this drama-28 episodes will be an added treat. You won't be able to get enough of Hwan & Eun Sung! :-)

For more Kdrama info, check out this informative blog.

Ahn-nyong-i kah-se-yo!

EPIC.

Can't wait!

Multiculturalism and the Canadian Federal Election 2011

I wasn't planning on weighing in on the upcoming federal election, but I came across this op-ed in the Toronto Star that discussed a topic I have both studied and been very much interested in for many years now: multiculturalism, and thought to share it.

The piece discusses some of our political party leaders and their responses to a question during the live debates recently. The question concerned multiculturalism, reasonable accommodation and diversity in Canada.

The biggest surprise comes when you read what Harper's response was to the question and some of his comments later directed at the anti-inclusive Bloc party leader Duceppe.

I have never been a fan of Stephen Harper, his politics nor his vision for Canada. And I find his tight control over his caucus, his (and his party's) hypocrisy and his concerted effort to reduce transparency through limiting his availability to the media, very offensive. Not to mention his unprincipled stance towards foreign policy and what I view as his misuse of power and disregard for some of the most basic principles underlying parliamentary democracy.