KDrama: Descendants of the Sun 2016

Main characters:

Song Joong ki as Yoo Si jin

Song Hye kyo as Kang Mo yeon

Jin Goo as Seo Dae young

Kim Ji won as Yeon Myeong ju

I remember when Descendants of the Sun made a buzz when it was aired back in February and people went crazy over it! It was what everyone was talking about, how the scenes were sweet and how hot and handsome Song Joong ki was. Even my friends who don't really watch kdrama watched it and became addict since then. My sister and I didn't watch it until two months later when all the episodes were already aired and I admit it was addicting. But then we thought it was over-hyped since we've seen better dramas.

So the story revolves around the lives of Yoo Si jin, the Captain of Team Alpha, an elite special forces in South Korea, and Dcotor Kang Mo yeon, a cardiothoracic specialist. These two accidentally meet in the hospital where Mo yeon works and there Si jin quickly falls in love with Mo yeon's assertiveness. At first, Mo yeon is skeptical towards Si jin but soon sees that Si jin is really a soldier. They then begin dating but every time they go out something comes up. It's Si jin who usually needs to go because of his job and soon Mo yeon realizes how different the two of them are. Si jin is a soldier who kills to protect lives while Mo yeon is a doctor who saves lives. Eventually they stop seeing each other. 

Mean while, Sergeant Major Dae young (also Si jin's friend) struggles with his feelings towards Myeong ju, an army surgeon. He likes her but he can't risk being removed from the army by Myeong ju's father who is the commander of the South Korean Special Forces Brigade. 

Eight months later, these four meet again this time in Urk carrying their own mission. Si jin, together with Dae young, was sent there earlier to lead his team on a peacekeeping mission while Mo yeon is sent there to lead a medical team. Myeong ju, on the other hand, followed so she can be with Dae young. There, the four of them fall in love again and together they help save lives. 

I actually enjoyed this drama with all its kilig moments and funny scenes. I also understood why girls went crazy over this drama because the writers surely did a good job developing the relationship between Si jin and Mo yeon who had a great chemistry and of course, the intense feelings between Dae young and Myeong ju. And though they did a good job building the relationship between the characters, they did little to the sub-plots and to the plot in general, for me anyway.

 They also have good and funny secondary characters. Sang hyun (Lee Seung joon) and Ja ae (Seo Jeong yeon) were my favorites and Onew as Chi hoon was a surprise to me but nonetheless did a good job.

Descendants of the Sun surely captured a lot of hearts but I still think it was over-rated. Don't get me wrong, I loved it and enjoyed every single episode but like I said, I've seen better drama with better plot. I mean, the plot of this drama had lots of potential with its military and medical stuff going on but they settled on melodrama which is really not a bad thing. I'm just saying that maybe they should've developed the military and medical sides of the show which would be more interesting since I, myself, am a huge fan of action-romance! But either way, I guess DotS's magic worked on a lot of people seeing that the drama's ratings were higher than expected.

Overall I give it a 3-star rating out of 5! It wasn't that bad but it wasn't that great either. I guess people were just too excited to see Song Joong ki in uniform which I admit was really manly and sexy! This drama was also his first role after getting out of the army which I think also helped on gaining viewers since people were waiting for his comeback.

And, oh, I forgot to mention about the bromance in this drama because there was!

♥

TV Series: The Last Ship (2014) Season 3

Main Characters:

Eric Dane as Captain Tom Chandler

Adam Baldwin as Captain Mike Slattery 

Bridget Regan as Sasha Cooper

Travis Van Wrinkle as Lt. Danny Green

Marissa Neitling as Kara Green

Christina Elmore as Lt. Alisha Granderson

John Pyper-Ferguson as Tex Nolan

Jocko Sims as Lt. Carlton Burk

Charles Parnell as Master Chief Jeter 

As you all know, The Last Ship is one of my favorite series ever. The first season wowed me and the second just made me love it even more! But this season, well, I was mad when they killed off Rachel's character. Ugh! I mean, why would they do that? Rachel was like the center of it all but they killed her. I was so so so frustrated by the end of the second season and I was hoping they would revive Rachel's character but they didn't! But, now I get why they had to do it and actually it made the show better. (I can't believe I just said that!)

[Warning: This review contains some spoilers!]

After discovering the cure in the first season and fighting their way to distribute it in the second, the third season focuses on further healing the sick world. Tom Chandler is now the Chief of Naval Operations appointed by President Michener. Mike Slattery becomes the new Captain of Nathan James and the other crews stay aboard except Kara Foster, now Kara Green, who takes a job in St. Louis as Deputy Chief of Staff. She and Danny also have a son now, Frankie. We also have new characters like Sasha Cooper, a former Navy Intelligence Officer now operating under diplomatic cover in China for the newly reformed U.S. government and Takehaya, a former Japanese Navy officer and legendary pirate captain in post-plague Asia, who is affected by Peng's poison that neutralizes the effect of the cure. Peng is the new leader of China, the now enemy of Tom and his crew because he wants to gain control of all Asia. We also have Allison Shaw, the Chief of Staff of President Michener, and the other regional leaders who later plot the death of Michener because they want to gain control of the federal government.

This season was really action packed and the turn of events were unpredictable. Tom went back aboard Nathan James after someone tried to kill him in China and right that moment Mike and some of his crew were ambushed in some thank you party in Indonesia. It happened simultaneously so by the time Tom was back in Nathan James, Mike and the others were held hostage by some pirates. Later we found out that these pirates were led by Takehaya.

But all throughout the season we also lost some good characters, starting with Val who I grew to love in the first episode. Then there was Mason when Mike and the others were held hostage by Takehaya. By the end of the season we also lost Tex, oh my god Tex! I was happy when I found out he was back and seeing him in action again was exciting. But, but, but! In the end he was killed, trying to save Tom from Shaw. Huhu :"(

This season may not be my favorite but it surely was thrilling and action packed! I loved the new characters and the story kept on getting better. And as if finding the cure and distributing it to the world weren't enough, Tom and his crew must also save Asia and now America from the hands of greedy leaders.

I really thought Allison Shaw could be trusted, that she shared the same vision as President Michener but no, she was a one big fat liar and a scary beach! At first my sister and I thought that Alex Rivera was the traitor but it turned out that Shaw was the bad guy. Grr. And because of her Tex died!!!!

Anyway, it'll be a long wait until the fourth season (2017) and I can't wait to find out what happens next! Tom can't leave Nathan James for good because he just can't! First they killed Rachel and then Tex and now Tom is leaving. But I know they have something else up on their sleeves for the next season. 

Why wait for the right time when you can do it NOW?

Why wait for Mother's Day before you tell your mom you love her? Why wait for Christmas before you give your bestfriend the book she's been eyeing in the bookstore? Why wait for the right time when you can just tell that special someone that you love him/her now? Why wait when time waits for no one?

I think it's just right that we say or do the things we want to before it's too late. Before we don't have the time to say or do them anymore. I know things always need perfect timing but have you ever thought that maybe "now" is the right time? That maybe if we just breathe then say/do it then everything will be fine? That maybe if you call him/her this instant then he/she will still be yours tomorrow? That maybe if you call your family right now and invite them to dinner then you'll have a great weekend? I know it's funny how fond I am of the concept of "now" but I've learned that it's you who make the time right for everything. You have the power to make a moment either a perfect or bad one! And like what my sister said, waiting for the right time is just a waste of time.

Life isn't about waiting for the right time to come. It's all about doing all the right things in the time that is given to you.

What I'm saying is, don't waste the time you have now on things that don't really matter. Call your parents, treat your bestfriend, talk with your colleagues, shop with your sister, help your local community, there are things in life that you could be doing but ignore them since you always believe you can do them tomorrow. What if it's already too late? What if there's no more tomorrow? So don't waste your chances. Don't wait until it's too late. Because it's always exciting to surprise yourself than lose a chance.

So breathe and do/say it now.

Book: Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

★★★/★★★★★

"Relationships are tricky. You need to speak the same language. Or learn each other's, but that doesn't always work."

Initially, I thought I won't be liking Josie that much. And true enough, I was halfway done and she still irritated me for being too smart and stubborn! The fact that she needed to analyze and know EVERYTHING made me dislike her more. 

The book follows Josie's story and her struggle to understand why her sister, Kate, is marrying a man named Geoff. Josie hates Geoff because he's a 'know-it-all' kind of guy and despite Kate's effort on bringing her sister and her fiancé close, she miserably fails. And so begins Josie's quest on understanding what Love really means that Kate insists that she and Geoff are in love with each other. With the help of her family and friends, Josie tries to navigate different languages just to understand what the language of love really is.

“I can speak the languages of lots of groups and learn others with some ease, but no matter how fluent I am, when I'm not speaking Josie, I am merely acting. We all are when we interact outside of our natural cultures. It is inevitable, because it is impossible to be fully yourself in a foreign language.”

Ugh! Did I mention that I hate Kate? She's just too impossible to like and I give it to her parents for being so patient to her. I didn't connect with her at all! And I don't understand why it was so hard for her to just accept the fact that Kate loved Geoff no matter how different they were. Maybe it was the romantic in me but didn't she know that 'opposites attract' and 'love conquers all'? 

What I did like in the book were her relationship with her sisters and Stu. I liked that Josie was close to her sisters and they shared everything with each other because that's what I do with my sisters. We share everything EVERYTHING with each other! And I related when they fought but then forgave each other and even those little threats they give each other when they fought felt normal. I also understand why Kate wanted Josie to like Geoff but Josie was just too stubborn to accept him. It was like once she made up her mind on something, nothing could change it anymore. And Stu? He's probably the only character I liked in the book. The moment he was introduced in the book, I knew what the ending would be. Tsk! 

“Stu, you’re my best friend in the world. I don’t want to lose that.” 
“You’re the person I see myself with forever. I don’t want to lose that.”

I think Josie was just too much for me that's why I didn't enjoy this book that much. She was fifteen, okay, sixteen and smart but she acted so childish at times. And for me, being smart and childish are not really a combo. So 2.75 stars for this book!

Movie: Captain America: Civil War 2016

★★★★★/★★★★★

Main Characters:
#TeamCap

   

Steve Rogers (Captain America) - Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier) - Sam Wilson (Falcon)

   

Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) - Clint Barton (Hawkeye) - Scott Lang (Ant-Man)

#TeamIronMan

  

Tony Stark (Iron Man)  - James Rhodes (War Machine) - Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)

  

Vision - T'Challa (Black Panther) - Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Funny. Entertaining. Action-packed. 

Captain America is probably my favorite film this year! 

 Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off as Steve and the other Avengers continue to save humanity. But as one incident in Lagos leads to a collateral damage, people start to show distrust towards them and the United Nations decide to pass the Sokovia Accords which will put a leash around the Avengers, meaning they only get to work if the government wants them too. Steve strongly disagrees on signing the accords, believing that the Avengers should remain free to act on their own. On the other hand, Tony Stark and some others like Natasha and Rhodey, agree to sign the accords. 

The disagreement and conflict among the Avengers continue to mount as Bucky Barnes, Steve's bestfriend, is wanted for bombing and killing King T'Chaka of Wakanda when a ratification is held in Vienna. The King's son, Prince T'Challa vows to kill the bomber himself so he goes after Barnes. And despite Romanoff's objections, Steve and Sam still track down Barnes in Bucharest. In a police chase, Barnes tries to get away but T'Challa, now Black Panther, shows up. Steve, Sam, Barnes and T'Challa are captured and taken to a facility where Barnes is questioned by Colonel Helmut Zemo, posing to be someone else. Zemo uses Hydra's trigger words on Barnes asking about the 1991 mission and sending Barnes into a rampage. Steve and Sam stop him and together they escape. When Barnes regains consciousness, he explains everything to Steve and Sam, that Zemo is behind what happened and is probably going to Siberia where Barnes was held and is going to unfreeze the other Winter Soldiers that were created.

What happens next is my favorite part of the movie where Steve calls for back up and Stark, with a mission to bring Steve, Sam and Barnes in, also forms his own team. So then we have Sam, Wanda, Clint and Scott Lang on #TeamCap and Rhodey, Romanoff, Vision, T'Challa and Peter Parker on #TeamIronMan. 

After their small talk and fight which, by the way, is intense, nerve-wreaking and hilarious, Romanoff lets Steve and Barnes escape so they can go after Zemo. The rest of Steve's team is captured while Rhodey has broken a leg after Vision has unintentionally shot him down. Romanoff' then informs Stark that Barnes has been framed by Zemo.

Steve and Barnes reach the Siberian Hydra facility and contrary to what they thought, Zemo hasn't activated the other Winter Soldiers but killed them instead. Stark also follows, now knowing the truth that Zemo has planned everything. And with the three of them as audience, Zemo plays a tape showing what really happened in the 1991 mission of Barnes. It turns out Barnes killed Stark's parents. This new evidence enrages Stark and gives him enough reason to kill Barnes. But Steve couldn't let him kill his bestfriend so the three of them engage in yet another intense fight. It ends when Steve pins Stark down and smashes that thing on Stark's chest with his shield. Steve walks away with Barnes but Stark stops him by saying that his shield was made by his father. Steve drops it down before disappearing. On the other hand, believing that he has avenged his family's death in the Sokovia attack by creating a conflict within the Avengers, Zemo tries to attempt suicide but is stopped by T'Challa.

In the aftermath, Rhodey is given leg braces by Stark. Steve has fled with Barnes to Wakanda where T'Challa gives them a place to stay. But before that, Steve breaks his team out of detainment with a narration while Stark reads the letter Steve sent him. It says that whenever Stark needs their help, he knows he can always count on them.

I really enjoyed this movie so it's a perfect 5 star for me. I watched it with my sisters and I'm sure they loved it too. Oh, we love Captain America! :") But one of my sisters, Yana, is #TeamIronMan. 

 

 

We hope you enjoy the movie as much as we did!
And here's a bonus for you  girls out there. Hihi :")

And oh, in the post-credits scene, of course there's a post-credits scene, we see Peter Parker recovering and accidentally touches his web-shooters projecting something on his bedroom ceiling. And he will return!
 ♥

Three Words

Are you okay?
I miss you.
Have you eaten?
Where are you?
I like you.
Take care always.

These are three words we always hear but don't really get and realize the real meaning. We're maybe used to people telling us these but how about we take time to understand what they really mean? Because sometimes, we hear the words but we don't take time to feel their meaning.

Are you okay? Don't you feel even a little bit better when you hear someone ask you this? Isn't it nice when someone is concerned enough to ask Are you okay? after a long day at school/work? Because I think that only the people who love you will be the ones who will care enough to know how are you at the end of the day.

I miss you. Three words that can always warm our heart. I miss you can also mean I want to see you, Come back here, and so many other things. We often hear our relatives and friends say this especially when they're living away from us and don't you think it's their way of telling us that they want to see us again because they have so many things to share and say to us? These may be simple words but to others, they mean so much.

Have you eaten? This one is my personally favorite because when you hear this from someone, you know they truly love you. Because who would want their love one to starve? I think it's also our way of telling someone "Hey, let's have lunch/dinner so we can catch up on things about each other." or simply, "I'm hungry, let's get something to eat and talk about everything while we're on it." And who doesn't smile when they hear the word "eat", anyway?

Where are you? This could mean so many things. Because when someone asks you this, they also want to know if you're safe, who are you with, what time will you be coming home and what are you doing. Most times it simply means the place where you are, sometimes it means a lot of things and usually it means I'm worried about you especially coming from our mothers when it's late at night and we're still not home.

I like you. It's a compliment we all want to hear from someone. But generally, we hear this when someone feels an attraction or connection with us. There are different stages of likes for me. First, it's when you find someone physically attractive. I like him because he's cute. Second, it's when you find out that you have common interests and that you can talk to him about anything. I like him because I can connect with him. Third, it's when you can't stop thinking about that person anymore. I like him because he's been running inside my head 24/7 and I always want to see him. Fourth, and the most exciting one, it's when you finally realize that he's not only cute but he also understands you and he drives you crazy. I like him.

Take care always. I also love this one because hearing these words is also a sign that the person saying it cares so much about you. He wants you to be safe, to be far from any danger and to always take care. It's nice to know that someone is concern about your well-being and isn't it heartwarming when he already knows that you're capable of taking care of yourself but he still want you to know/hear that he cares? It's sweet!

Then, there are the words I love you. And it says it all.

So, these are only few of those three words we always hear but don't bother to understand what really mean. And I hope that from now on, when we hear these words, we realize what the other person really means. That they care for us, that they love us.

TV Series: Sense8 (2015)

★★★★/★★★★★

Sense8 revolves around eight different people from around the globe who are mentally and emotionally connected with each other. They are called 'sensates' who are able to communicate, sense and use each other's knowledge, language and skills.

Characters: 

[WILL GORSKI]

Will is a Chicago cop, a man who often shows 'saviour behaviour' which he thinks he's responsible for other's well-being. He is haunted by Sarah Patrell, a girl whose murder his father was assigned to and couldn't solve when he was a child. As a sensate, he shares connection with the other 7 sensates.

I instantly liked Will's character because come on, he's a cop! And he always helps the other sensates especially when they need it the most. He's the first one to connect with Jonas and because of him they're able to save the other sensates from danger.

[RILEY BLUE]

Riley is an Icelandic dj who moved to London because she thought she was hexed and staying in Iceland will cause misfortune to those around her. She blamed herself for the death of her mother, as well as her husband and daughter. 

Her character contributes a lot to the plot of the series and I liked her too. She's scared but she's trying to be strong and her bravery will later on save all the other sensates. There's also a romantic connection between her and Will.


[WOLFGANG BOGDANOW]

Wolfgang is a German thief and safecracker. He has unsolved issues with his late father and his relatives which give him troubles. He's a bad ass and together with his bestfriend, Felix, they rob his cousin which later on leads to a bloodbath.

It's not hard to like Wolfie because he's, well, likeable. Growing up with an abusive father is never been easy so somehow I understand his actions even though it made him a monster. 
Some of his scenes also kinda shocked me because he's German. (If you know what I mean!)
  
[KALA DANDEKAR]

Kala is a pharmacist, working in a successful pharmaceutical company in Mumbai.  She's a devout Hindu, talking to Ganesha when she's lost or troubled. She's also engaged to Rajan Rasal, the CEO of the company she's working at, though she doesn't love him.

Throughout the series, Kala's story revolves around her marriage to Rajan. She doesn't know what to do because her family really likes Rajan and they think that she is marrying him for love. Enters Wolfgang who confuses her much more. Their scenes are all funny and I love them both.


[CAPHEUS "Van Damme"]

Capheus is a matatu driver living in Nairobi, Kenya with his mother who is fighting AIDS. He's desperately trying to earn money so he can buy and  give quality medicine to his mother. Despite being poor and less fortunate than the other sensate, Capheus stays optimistic. He always faces his problems with a positive attitude and lucky enough, he always overcomes whatever comes his way.

I feel bad for Capheus because among his cluster he's the unfortunate one. But hey, he's a good man and he has the other sensate to help him.


[SUN BAK]

 Sun is a South Korean business executive working in her father's company. She's also a kickboxer participating in an underground kickboxing where she feels more like herself. She's currently in prison for taking blame for what her brother did of embezzling money from their company.

Sun is a badass. She puts her anger on her fists and use them until she feels better. It has also helped the other sensate many times especially Capheus when he's in a bad situation. I like her because she's tough and because she's a girl who knows how to fight.


[LITO RODRIGUEZ]

Lito is a closeted gay Mexican actor living with his boyfriend, Hernando. No one knows he's gay but when Daniella, an actress who seems to fancy him, discovers this secret, he thought it would be the end of his career. But then it turns out that Daniela supports his relationship with Hernando and agrees to be his 'beard'.

Lito's character is hard to dislike because he tries his best to be a good straight actor portraying bad ass roles while hiding his true self which I know is hard.


[NOMI MARKS]

Nomi is a political blogger and hacktivist based in San Francisco. She's a proud trans woman and lesbian though her family doesn't support her. She's currently living with her girlfriend, Amanita, and together they are trying to find who wants to hurt Nomi and the other sensate.

Nomi has a painful past and it made her into becoming the woman she is today. Sharing this experience to Lito gives Lito the courage to finally be open and accept who he really is, not hiding anymore.

Season 1 Trailer

I really loved the series and I can't wait for season 2!
The first season ended with Riley saving Will, and automatically the other sensates, and I really want to know what will happen next. I hope all the 8 of them will finally see each other in person and together they solve this mystery happening to them.


[Screencaps]

*Riley and Will's first meeting

*When Kala was scared for Wolgang because he decided to face his Uncle.

Oh, hello there, Wolfgang.

 *Will warning Wolfgang to be careful

 *This was when Will helped Kala when some people at the temple tried to make her leave. Kala said she wouldn't let them scare her and she would be back at the temple and Will said "So will I" in case she needed help. It was so sweet of him.

 *Will and Riley meeting again

 *Right from their first meeting I knew there was some connection between Riley and Will and I'm not just talking about their connection as sensates but something more.
 

*Will didn't want to leave Riley when she was in the hospital because he knew she was in danger. And I think he really wanted to be with her.

 I just love this photo of Will. Hihi :")

 I love them both! :)

 *Capheus-Sun tandem was also one of my favorites. I liked that Sun was always always there when Capheus needed saving which was always. Poor Capheus he didn't know how to fight.

*These two had feelings for each other too but too bad Kala was getting married.

*Nomi needed help so Sun and Will came. Later on, Capheus also showed up because Nomi didn't know how to drive.

 *Riley and Nomi didn't interact a lot but when they did, they always talked about their problems and they encouraged each other.

 *This was when Will was on his way to save Riley when Whispers captured her. He was so determined he didn't even have a plan. Tsk.
 

*I laughed so hard on this episode. Lito was trying to help Will get inside the facility where Riley was but Will seemed not to remember him so Lito reminded him and Will's reaction was epic. Lol.

 *Will finally met Riley but she was unconscious. I loved this scene especially when Will touched Riley and everything flashed back from the first time they met. 

And finally, Will and Riley escaped with the help of other sensates. But Whispers was able to get inside Will's head so now it was up to Riley to save them both but she was having a hard time confronting her traumatic past of losing her baby. 

 Will: I know how much it hurts. I know you want to lay down here and never get up again. I know it, 'cause I feel it. I can feel it. And that means that somehow, somewhere... you can feel what I'm feeling, too... I love you. That's why you can't give up.

 *I know, I know, I'm a sucker for romance.

 

*The last scene where everyone was seen together.

Gah, I can't wait for Season 2! :)