Jukebox #80 Fly ♥︎

As much as I’ll try to write a song review post every week, I can’t promise that it’ll be regular because of the ever-changing schedule at work. I’ll continue to try my best though to review songs that are not so popular or otherwise songs that are new releases.

Anyway, let’s get on with this week’s song review! This week, we have none other than Jessica’s Fly!

I previously put out a poll on Twitter and this song won the poll a few weeks in a row. It must really be popular huh. I mean it is Jessica’s solo debut song since she left Girls’ Generation so definitely people would have been anticipating her comeback.

What I think attracted people, and I think this factor attracts a lot of attention, is that her debut showcased a very confident personality. Usually, if you’re confident or appear confident, it does just make people want to watch it or pay more attention to it. I think that could be why her solo debut was this successful.

Not only that, the song was really Jessica’s style. I mean I’m not sure if that’s the kind of music she likes and wants to produce but the concept of Fly totally suited her image. The girly, ice princess, fashionable and stylish image.

Somehow I feel that there was some improvement in her vocals. Her voice, compared to the other Girls’ Generation members is on the sweeter side and maybe while she’s singing along with them, their voices just overpowers hears. Though it’s distinct enough for it to be noticed. When she’s singing solo, her voice just stands out more probably due to the fact the song is catered solely to her singing style and voice so it just sounds great.

I’m excited to see what other songs Jessica would be showing us in the future. I do believe it’s worth it to check out!

Drama Queen: Bring It On Ghost ;1st Impression ︎♥︎

So I seem to have quite a lot of free time on hand. Especially since I’ve been on leave for quite a few days last week and the week before. So here I'm bringing to you another drama first impression!

I'll be discussing TvN’s drama Bring It On Ghost 싸우자 귀신아.

I wasn't going to watch this drama because of course there are ghosts in this drama and they do look freakishly scary and real despite it being CG. But I completed catching up with Doctors and had nothing to watch so I just started on it. Besides my sister highly recommended it.

Note: This post will contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading.

Characters

We are introduced to the main character Park Bong Pal, played by Taecyeon. He's a university student that can see ghosts. So he works as a ghost catcher to earn extra money. I was a bit doubtful about Taecyeon’s acting but it has definitely improved since Dream High. Plus the tough character of Bong Pal actually suits him well. Considering 2PM is known to be a beastly group.

Then there's our female lead, Kim Hyun Ji, played by Kim So Hyun. She's a wandering ghost and she's trying to figure out how to cross to the other side (pretty similar to Oh My Ghostess). She doesn't remember anything from her past (once again similarl to Oh My Ghostess) and that left her wandering around for 5 years. She ends up working with Bong Pal, eliminating ghosts together. Needless to say, she falls for Bong Pal and begins the love line.

Another important character would be Joo Hye Sung, played by Kwon Yool. He’s a professor in Bong Pal’s university and he’s also a vet. He's the guy with the black smoke or evil spirit attached to his body (similar to Oh My Ghostess). Basically I don't know what his real deal is yet but he ain't someone good. To think someone that handsome can be so evil too. Aside from that, the puppies featured in the drama are just too cute!

Plot

There are quite a few striking similarities between this drama and Oh My Ghostess, which was also a TvN drama. Surprisingly they do not have similar directors or screenwriters, maybe they have the same editors or just because it’s on TvN so they made it similar.

The drama is based on a 2007 webtoon written by Im In Seu. So basically in every episode, there’s a case they will kind of solve. If I’m not wrong it’s similar to Ghost Whisperer, where she helps the dead cross over. So in this drama, the ghost either crosses over, disappearing with white smoke, or get destroyed, red smoke.

Basically, Hyun Ji is a ghost that doesn't remember her past but suddenly gets a glimpse of it after fighting with Bong Pal and accidentally kissing him. So she follows him around hoping to find out more about her past and then ends up fighting off ghosts together with him. Needless to say, ultimately sparks do fly between the two and they end up together as a human and ghost couple. Most viewers are suspicious of Hyun Ji's existence though. She's an opaque and humanlike ghost unlike the other ghosts that are kind of translucent and they glow.

As per all Korean dramas, nothing ever goes on smoothly. We find out about the evil professor and also get to see snippets of Hyun Ji's past. I like how they developed it in such a way where viewers slowly discover how evil the professor is. Through each scene we get to see the real professor and find out what he's up to. I really hope that they get rid of him in the end.

Currently I can’t say how the drama will end. Just 10 episodes into the show so all that I can say is that it seems quite predictable and yet they’re not revealing much to us. I predict that, of course, the bad guy will get his just desserts and as for the good guys, I hope Bong Pal maybe finds some closure. If all else fails, then maybe they’ll just have an ending similar to Oh My Ghostess, which isn’t too bad either.

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Stay tuned for the full review when this drama ends. In the meantime, don't forget to catch this drama!

Jukebox #79 Monster ♥︎

So I haven't been writing Jukebox posts in awhile. Many apologies. Shall try to get back on track with these posts.

Without further ado, this week we have EXO's Monster.

For some reason I like this song! I mean it's high unlikely that I wouldn't like an EXO song right. Initially when I heard Lucky One, I had the feeling I might not like Monster since I didn't really fancy that song. However, when I heard Monster, I immediately liked it. 

It should be considered rare as I'm more of a ballad person but some songs do slip through the gap, like Monster. I'm not sure what genre this song belongs to, electronic dance music? Or just dance music? Anyhow, it's just energetic and not something I would usually listen to. Nonetheless, it'll probably be good for studying or waking up. 

When I first saw the concept photos, it reminded me on SHINee. I think they had a similar concept when the nose rings and stuff like that. Now that I think about it, this song does have a SHINee feel to it too. Wouldn't be a surprise since they're in the same company and SM is quite the trend leader in terms of style, concept, etc. 

Just saw a few days ago that the repackaged album will be released soon. Wonder what kind of song and concept they'll be showing us next! 

Do take a listen to Monster and stay tuned for more Jukebox song reviews in the weeks to come! 

Drama Queen: W ;1st Impression ♥︎

Finally starting on a new drama after the hype from DOTS. So, I started watching W yesterday and wow, it’s taken me on a roller coaster ride with just 6 episodes. If I’m not wrong, this must also be the most talked about drama currently in Korea, ranking beating other dramas that are airing now.

I’m not sure how coherent this post is going to be as I’m writing this just a day after watching 6 episodes and I didn’t have any time to organise my thoughts. Whatever it is, if you’re a drama fan, like me, I’m sure you’ll be able to understand every part of this post.

It might turn into a post with a lot of words, do be warned.

Note: This post will contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading.

Characters

We are firstly introduced to Kang Chul, played by Lee Jong Suk and initially the introduction is a little confusing but it slowly plays out as the drama develops. I guess if you read up beforehand, you would find out that Kang Chul is a character in a webtoon, titled W. He had a very complicated past but ended up being successful and rich.

Then we are introduced to Oh Yeon Joo, played by Han Hyo Joo. She’s the daughter of the W webtoon artist and somehow her life gets intertwined with Kang Chul’s when she gets dragged into the drama. Mysteriously. She continuously gets dragged into the webtoon world as the webtoon takes on a life of its own and writes itself.

Then there’s Oh Seong Mo, Kim Eui Sang, the webtoon artist. He’s the one that started everything, obviously. He knew that Kang Chul was becoming real and had been trying to kill off the character but to no avail.

Plot

For 6 episodes, I would say the drama is proceeding quite quickly and that’s something I prefer. I like fast moving dramas that cover all the points. Initially when I first started on the drama, I totally didn’t know what to expect. I knew roughly what it was about but oh boy, had I known it would be this exciting, I would have started on it later.

I like how it was carefully planned how the transitions to the different worlds would be like. They didn’t leave viewers with many questions so that shows that they covered their bases. Good job.

It got a little confusing in episode 5 when the webtoon world started to get a little messed up. I get that it functions like the real world only that the parts with Kang Chul will be published because he’s the main character but somehow the other characters too act on their own and have a mind of their own. Like how Yoon So Hee got Oh Yeon Joo into trouble with the police. So that part was a little confusing. The kiss in episode 5 was a little strange as well but maybe that could be a result of the subs; lost in translation.

I like how it ended with a creepy cliffhanger in episode 6, forcing viewers to wait 2 weeks before the next episode because of the Rio Olympics. Anyway, why did it say it was creepy... the faceless character appeared in the real world. According to the webtoon artist, the faceless character was just created to make Kang Chul have a difficult childhood. But maybe, it’s not just Kang Chul that’s coming to life. I guess that would really increase the intensity and excitement of the drama. As if it’s not exciting enough.

What I predict would happen in the upcoming episodes would be that the faceless character would come out and threaten Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo’s life. Since the webtoon artist already hinted that Oh Yeon Joo became the female lead of the webtoon, I expect that her life will be exciting.

I’m curious to see what will happen to Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo and how the writers will plan the ending. I hope it won’t be a sad ending. Kang Chul already seems to have fallen for Oh Yeon Joo and Oh Yeon Joo already liked Kang Chul from the beginning so I really hope they’ll develop this love line properly.

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Hope everyone will catch this drama. I totally can't wait to find out what will happen next!

Etude House: Berry Delicious Fantastic Colour Eyes ♥︎

When I first saw this series from Etude House, I knew I would getting at least a few of the products. This product isn't a part of the haul post I wrote earlier as I got it later on.

Etude House
Berry Delicious Fantastic Colour Eyes
Strawberry Fondue

I wasn't intending on getting this product because of course the price wasn't favourable. On my birthday while I was just walking around, I saw this product sitting on the sale shelf of a Etude House store. I checked the price and it was I think around SGD $9. Although the sales lady mentioned that the birthday discount did not apply to discounted items, somehow after keying everything in, it further discounted this product. So in the end I got it for about SGD $6, which is ridiculously cheap.

You gotta love birthday discounts ♥

This product is no longer available, here's what the website says about it:

This is a 6 color eye shadow palette that comes in trendy colors and various textures for fantastic expression of the eyes for different occasions.

Thoughts

I really love the shades! 😍 Although I really don't like pink, I think pink eyeshadow colours are quite versatile and they look pretty good on tanner skin tones.

The names for this palette is just the cutest! Actually most of Etude House eyeshadows have very cute names. Sucker for pretty packaging and cute names! 

Here are the swatches of the 6 shades! I think they're all super pretty! I think my favourite shades would be Fresh Strawberry and Hazelnut Chocolate. 

The swatches above was just one swipe with my finger so they are pretty pigmented. That's quite expected of Etude House eyeshadows, especially their matte shadows. They're pretty easy to blend as well which again came as a surprise considering Etude House is classified as a drugstore brand or roadshop brand.

Sadly, there was one part of this product that I didn't really like. That would be the shade "Dip Dip!". It's the only shade that turned out to be a disappointment. Although it's a dark brown shade, it doesn't really appear dark brown. It's more towards the glittery side so I wasn't too impressed as I felt being the darkest colour in the palette, it was intended for it to be a shading shade.

I've also quite mixed feelings about the shade Hazelnut Chocolate. In the pan it appears more pinkish and when swatched too but somehow when applied on the eyes, it comes out more brown. So the first time using it, the whole look turned out different from what I imagined it to be. I’ll just have to be careful when using this shade.

Verdict

I would say this palette is pretty. I mean the strawberry packaging and strawberry shades, who can resist? But honestly, if it weren’t for the discount, I wouldn’t have gotten it either.

I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of all the shades but they’re not too bad like I mentioned above, Etude House is considered a drugstore brand so I would say they’re doing quite well with these eyeshadows.

I would recommend this palette if you’re a fan of Etude House products or use eyeshadows often otherwise you could get other products like maybe their single shadows, those probably would have a better colour payoff.