WanderLiews 2016 [1]: Manchester ♥︎

Holidays are great fun! Especially when it's your first time flying solo! So here is a new travel series WanderLiews where you can read all about my latest traveling adventurers!

It’s probably going to take me a long time to write what I did on my trip this year but I’ll try to complete writing it before my next holiday. By the time you get to read this, a few weeks has gone by or even another month has gone by. So without further ado, let’s begin my recap of my great adventure 2016.

Singapore - Manchester - Vienna - Salzburg - Budapest - Manchester – Singapore

For those people who know me well would probably know what a horrible flyer I am. I have motion sickness so I’m terribly sensitive to motion and thus riding in moving vehicles requires me to take some medication. The worst part is, in all my life I’ve never flown alone, this would be the first time.

So my flight was to take off early in the morning. I arrived at the airport with my parents and just waiting to board the flight made me nervous already. Thankfully I was feeling quite sleepy so I was looking forward to boarding the flight and catching up on some rest.

The first challenge I faced after leaving my parents was looking for a water cooler. I had to take my medicine and I didn’t have any water with me. The only available water cooler was situated in the priority seats section and so I carefully entered with the permission of the ground staff. I needed to take the medicine 30 minutes before whatever journey so I had to take it quickly. After awhile, they opened the gates for boarding. I wasn’t in the priority seating but the nice air steward allowed me to board.

The next challenge I faced would be getting my hand luggage up into the overheard compartment. It was a newer and bigger plane so they had compartments that were higher than usual. Oh boy, I had such a difficult time getting my luggage up there. There weren’t any flight crewmembers nearby so I thought I’d just do it myself. Obviously, the luggage was too heavy for me. Thankfully, the lady behind me offered her help and we put up the luggage together. I did ask for help for the second flight, realizing how heavy my hand luggage actually was.

Seems like I’ve faced quite a few challenges during my solo flight to Manchester but it’s not over yet. There’s this portion of air space that had pretty bad turbulence. The turbulence lasted for quite some time, from 30 minutes to maybe an hour. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad so I managed to sleep through most of it.

Most of you would probably be bored by now. This serves as like a dairy entry for me so I’m recording even the most boring part down. Bear with me for a little while longer.

Once the plane arrived in Amsterdam, I started to get worried again. I was worried I would miss the next flight plus research have shown that the Schipol Airport in big. The details are fuzzy but I do remember clearing customs quite quickly and finding the next boarding gate pretty quickly. Finally had some time to catch my breath and use my phone.

Of course, the classic shot of the plane. Was updating my parents, best friend and sister in Manchester (who was still sleeping at this point) of my whereabouts.

The second plane was much smaller than the first plane. In my opinion smaller planes are less stable and move more during take off and landing. I did not like the feeling. By this time, I was feeling rather sleepy due to the time difference and so with another motion sickness tablet, I managed to sleep during this flight. I don’t recall facing any challenges and considering it was a shorter flight, the plane didn’t ascend too high.

I arrived in Manchester about 10 in the morning UK time, totally feeling relieved I survived the 16 hour journey alone. 棒棒我真棒! While walking to the customs, I faced my next challenge. While filling out the immigration card, I realised I didn’t ask my sister for her address. So I desperately tried to connect to some wifi but no, there wasn’t any signal. Then all of a sudden I remembered a friend gave me his address and he stayed in the same block as my sister so PHEW I wrote that address down instead, then feeling very clever afterward.

Finally moving on to the more interesting part of the day!

My sister was waiting for me at the arrival hall and she laughed at me when I exited, mostly because I was struggling with them luggage. It's hard to pull or drag two at the same time, okay.

We headed to her place via Uber. Uber, seriously making life easy for us. We arrived at her apartment in about 30 to 40 minutes? It was a pretty interesting ride, looking and admiring all the different kinds of houses and just soaking in the different country feels.

I managed to take a quick shower, wash up before we headed out for some late lunch and shopping! I arrived just before lunch but it was like almost bed time back home. So I figured the only way to help me to stay awake would be to do some shopping. Let's hit the drugstores!

Since it was Good Friday, there weren't many bus services available, rather there weren't many of those magic buses available. Magic buses are literally those buses with a wizard on it, they charge a flat rate of £1.50 to travel anywhere. If I'm not wrong.

Back to the topic! We walked all the way while my sister gave like a quick tour of the place. We stopped by parts of my sister's school.

This is some part of her school. I took it for the pretty yellow flowers across the street. I think they're daffodils?

Of course, had to stop for a touristy shot as well. Nothing like taking photos like tourists. We had to wait for the other people to finish taking a photo first before I awkwardly walked over to stand.

According to my sister, the weather was considered pretty good. It was raining or something like that the day before. It's no surprise that the weather in the UK isn't always bright and sunny.

When we finally got to Moose Cafe, it was full so we had to wait for awhile. What did we do? Primark! Just went window shopping a bit. I think we headed back before the time they gave us and thankfully someone left at the same time, so we got a table.

I had Eggs Benedict and Caramel Macchiato. I was worried the coffee would be bitter like how it was in Boston but thankfully it tasted so good! It had like whipped cream on the top so it had this creamy taste to it and at same time it still had the fragrant coffee smell and taste. I don't know how to explain it, it was just really good. Even the Eggs Benedict was delicious. It was really a good first meal!

During lunch, the tiredness slowly sunk in. It was bed time or rather past bedtime back home so if it weren't for the coffee and the excitement of going shopping, I would've probably not lasted the afternoon.

We headed to drugstores, Superdrug and Boots and I got some things. Then went around the town area. I don't remember we shopped at Primark on the first day. I think it was on the second day.

For dinner we went to a Chinese restaurant. I didn't managed or rather remember to take photos but we had some chicken and salted egg tofu which was rather unique tasting.

By night time I was feeling even more cold, we dropped off the shopping before heading out again with a scarf. The winds were really no joke! I didn't expect it to be so cold. Nonetheless it was refreshing. Hehe.

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That's it for the first day of our great adventure! Check back again for day 2 and more! Day 1 and 2 shouldn't be that interesting (plus was preoccupied with worrying about other stuff) but wait till we get to Vienna, Salzburg and Budapest! Oh boy, the adventure  really begins!

Jukebox #78 Interview ♥︎

Finally getting to write about this song. This song has been stuck in my head since I heard it. I've been singing it for weeks now.

This week, we have Eric Nam's Interview!

I've always liked his voice. By now, it's no surprise that I'm easily fascinated by people who can sing well. I had to include a video of him singing this song live just to prove my point.

I first noticed Eric Nam when my sister talked about him. I think he was on some program she was watching and then later on he moved on to becoming the host of Arirang's After School Club. That's when I really bothered to get to know more about him. I like how he sounds speaking English and to me, although he was new to hosting, he did a pretty good job. He quickly became known amongst international Korean fans.

I think his debut song was Ooh ooh and then it was already quite impressive. I remember thinking that he must have been a good host because he's made many friends and a few of them appeared in his MV. Then I started losing touch with ASC and Kpop but came to be interested in Eric Nam again when he was casted on WGM.

He seriously has awesome manners. I remembered thinking to myself that whoever ends up with him is really fortunate because he really knows how to treat a girl and is known in the industry for his good manners. Manners is a big deal to Koreans so if they acknowledge it means it must be superb.

I better stop myself before this goes into a full on spazz post on Eric Nam. Do check out his song Interview and take some time to appreciate his soothing vocals.

Drama Discussion: Descendants of the Sun ♥︎

Finally *drum rolls* after weeks of writing and editing, I've completed this drama review! Been juggling writing this along with various reports for work so it's taken me awhile to get it out. So without further ado, here are my overall thoughts on the hit drama Descendants of the Sun! With this review, I'll be finally saying goodbye to this drama...

If you have not read my first impression post, you may do so here. I highly recommend reading it before continuing on with this post as I will not repeat some information. This post will probably contain more words than photos, though I will try my best to insert some (Song Joong Ki) photos to make reading more enjoyable.

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

Firstly, I have no idea where or how to begin writing this overall review. That’s probably why I’ve been putting it off until now. A lot has happened in this drama and I’m sure those who’ve watched it would agree. I honestly think that someone should give this screenwriter an award. Although there are some flaws in the storyline, like every drama would have, on the whole I think the storyline is quite unique for a Korean drama.

Characters

Previously I’ve introduced and discussed some of the characters already so I won’t into so much detail. I shall just write my concluding thoughts on each of the characters. Hopefully it’ll make sense. It probably makes more sense in my head.

Firstly there’s Yoo Si Jin played by Song Joong Ki. I wrote that I was unsure of his character at the start. I was mostly questioning in sincerity because it seemed too good to be true. Like falling in love at first sight and everything. Right up till the end, that sense of perfectness doesn’t go away. Captain Yoo is definitely someone that doesn’t exist in real life. He’s the perfect boyfriend except that his job is really dangerous. Plus, he seems to be able to do everything. He isn't just a special force soldier... he’s superman. I still agree that Song Joong Ki is the best choice for this role of Captain Yoo. I can’t see any other actor playing this role and being successful at it.

Then there’s Kang Mo Yeon played by Song Hye Gyo. She’s probably the person people are envious of right now for acting alongside Song Joong Ki (and a lot of other hot actors). I think she did a pretty good job portraying the role though I must say the drunken scene was very awkward. Although I don’t feel like Kang Mo Yeon is the typical damsel in distress kind of character, in the end it did turn out to be that way, as they had to make Captain Yoo look like the hero. At least she isn’t weak.

The supporting couple is probably really popular right now too. Jin Goo and Kim Ji Won probably shot to fame for playing Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Ju. Although they have a 12-year age gap, it’s probably not noticeable as Kim Ji Won did a pretty good job playing Myeong Ju. I’m glad that their complicated love line ended up with a happily ever after and that Seo Dae Young didn’t have to keep running away from her. On the whole, I felt that the tension between the couple was well planned. I could feel the build up from the beginning of the drama till the end.

Of course I’ll have to mention Onew, Lee Jin Ki. He played Lee Chi Hoon. Oh boy, I thought his acting was good at the beginning but it got even better. When he was heartbroken, I felt the heartbreak along with him. For a rookie actor, his crying scenes were really something. It probably wouldn’t have been easy to gather the emotions and portray it correctly but I think he did a pretty good job. It was very believable. And when he started smiling again, it could make fans heart melt. Oh yes! I liked the cute little relationship he had with the boy ‘Blackie’. Once again, they probably could do a good job developing the characters and scene because it was pre-filmed.

Lastly, we have to give it up for the supporting cast as well. It was revealed during the special episode that most of the children and teen actors were from Greece and didn’t have much experience. I think they helped make the show more realistic. Really have to give it up for Argus (played by David McInnis) as well. I think although at some points his acting was a little awkward, nonetheless he still played an important role as our bad guy. Despite the awkwardness, he really felt like a bad guy and as a viewer, I really disliked him. Hahaha.

Plot

Based on my first impression post, I think my prediction was somewhat on point. I felt that they were building up and pre-empting the viewers for something bigger to come, the peak of the drama as some would call it. Although the bad guys were introduced, their scenes were mostly touch-and-go without actually having much resolution to their conflict, indicating that there’s more to come. Prior to that, there were exciting and thrilling scenes too but they all seemed to be interlinked, slowly adding information leading us to the big finale.

In episode 12, we see finally get to see what happens between Argus and Yoo Si Jin. Aside from the love story aspect, the other exciting scenes had a hint of Argus that made everyone wonder when Yoo Si Jin would finally take him out. It was pretty obvious as Yoo Si Jin gave Argus many chances to escape, which in real life that totally would not be the case. That scene where Yoo Si Jin finally takes care of Argus really kept me at the edge of my seat.

Once the bad guy was taken care of, they would have to, of course, settle the love lines. But before that we get a glimpse of the relationship between Yoo Si Jin and the North Korean soldier whose name escapes me. Sorry. Later on it’ll be revealed that this relationship (friendship) is very crucial for the last episode. I really liked how they switched between light and heavy scenes during episode 13 and 14. One second they’re all decked out in black on a rooftop waiting to take a sniper hit, the next they’re being goofy in the hospital room, then they switch to another serious scene with Yoon Myeong Ju and Seo Dae Young. Definitely a perk of filming a drama beforehand as they can spend more time editing and pay more attention to how things flow.

The last two episodes were something as well! Although a part of me was expecting the story to flow this way, I didn’t expect that it would really happen and how it would turn out. I predicted that if they wanted to kill a character it would be Seo Dae Young as most Korean dramas had their second male lead suffering that fate. Little did I expect that both Yoo Si Jin and Seo Dae Young would die! I seriously couldn’t hold back my tears while watching this episode. Normally I would be able to just control and get through with watching the episode but this time round I had to reach for those tissues.

The Ending

When I say ending, I mean the entire whole last episode! Honestly, after that second last episode, I didn’t know what to think of expect from the last episode. After killing off the two male leads, it seriously couldn’t get any worse than that. But of course, I was hoping they wouldn’t really kill them and since they weren’t able to find the bodies, there was a chance that they might be hiding somewhere. (When you’ve watched enough dramas it’s hard to accept what they give you and always explore with other options, if you get what I mean.)

Of course, my suspicions were confirmed when Big Boss’ voice is heard over the walkie-talkie. Then all of a sudden all the Line messages to Yoo Si Jin is read. At that point in time, my mind was totally blown. I was happy but mind totally blown. I remember that there were many questions in my head. The questions were mostly about how he was alive and if he was alive, why did he not contact anyone for a year. Not only that, how did he get data connection in the dessert or how did he even get his phone after being captured? Samsung is probably a super strong phone. Super obvious product placements throughout the drama, like how could we possibly not notice.

The next question mark that pops up would be how Yoo Si Jin and Seo Dae Young got rescued. This is the part that I was talking about before, how their North Korean soldier friend would be important. They didn’t give any details but through a flashback we suddenly see this North Korean soldier coming to their rescue and suddenly he becomes everyone’s best friend. Hahaha. They don’t add any more details though. I guess at that point we were all too happy that they didn’t die to have thought of all the technicalities anyway 😂

Overall, I liked how the drama ended. It ended on a light note with everyone happy, alive and getting their happily-ever-after. Although it is very cliché and expected, I couldn’t have asked for a different ending. I liked the scenes that the two couples got – Yoo Si Jin and Kang Mo Yeon at the shipwreck beach, Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Ju at the army camp. It wrapped up their relationships nicely and I have to make special mention of Song Joong Ki’s white shirt. It’s a really nice shirt. Plus rolled up sleeves. And his voice... I really like that low deep voice 😍

Finally, I shall end of with the quote of the drama, “방법이 없진 않죠”.

Jukebox #77 I Just Wanna Dance ♥︎

The weekends come and go by so quickly! I barely have time to sit down and complete a jukebox song review post in one sitting. Before I get carried away with a longwinded introduction, let's jump right into the post.

This week we have Tiffany's I Just Wanna Dance from her first solo album.

When I first heard that Tiffany would be making her solo debut, I wondered what kind of song she would come out with. Of course I expected no less than Taeyeon, considering how successful Taeyeon's solo debut was. At the same time, I didn't think she would do something like Taeyeon as Tiffany isn't known for her vocals like Taeyeon is, although I must say, she has improved quite a bit.

I did expect maybe she would do either something cute or sexy. Then again, there aren't many other concepts that are available anyway. It's quite a challenge to dance and sing at the same time but I think Tiffany managed that quite well. Of course, I'm sure they make use of background vocals but then again there are those fans that would make MR videos to see who is lip syncing so it's not really possible to get away with it.

Jukebox #76 Loser ♥︎

Apologies for the backlog of Jukebox Song Review posts. Haven't been able to find time to complete them but fret not! I will complete writing them and catch up hopefully by this week. 

For the 76th Jukebox post, we have Big Bang's Loser from their 4th Single Album and 1st from their Made series! It's also their first song released after a three year absence. 

Honestly, I've never been a fan of Big Bang. For some strange reason I just don't fancy their songs other than Taeyang's songs. So although I'm able to sing Fantastic Baby, I don't actually have any of their songs in my iTunes library, Loser is the first Big Bang song to make it.

I first heard Loser while watching Fantastic Duo, the first and second episode when Taeyang was on. I liked the tuned and the beat. Although it's not the usual song that would be classified as my style, somehow I took a liking to this song. Anyway, I'm not really sure what genre this song would be classified under. I guess songs with a strong beat does appeal to me too.

I guess Big Bang's style leans more towards a hip hop style that is more westernised so that could be why I don't fancy most of their songs. I prefer ballads and pop songs but then again it's very subjective. I do know that Big Bang is a group liked by people who aren't mainstream Kpop fans. I would think it's because of their westernised sound and also because G Dragon (and TOP). Lol.

That brings me to the end of this weekend's post! Do stay tuned for next week's post and I hope to catch up quickly so I can review all the new summer songs that are coming out came out.