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Im Siwan, Interviews and English!

What fun to come across these interviews.  I'm not sure why but although Im Siwan is one of my favourite actors, I hardly knew anything about him.  I never knew he was from a rural area of Busan, that he went off to Seoul to "escape" from studies or was a latecomer to idol life!  Thanks to Eric Nam's Daebak Show , I've learnt some basic info about him. Wonderful to hear him speak so much English and okay, he has been very focused on learning the language well so that possibly, he can pursue work in the US.  Agh... we need him in Korean shows!!!  Oh well, the man and his dreams -- if he is meant for the bigger stage, so be it, and all the best to him!! Entertaining interview by Carol Cheng -- who would have thought she watched Misaeng (and who would have thought also that it is called  未生) and is a gushy fan!!  There's her speaking in English too, with both of them sounding very cute conversing in English.  Overall, I loved how they interacted w...
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Dr Cha (2023)

I’ve been off medical drama in any language and form since watching wonderful Bong Dal-hee but I knew Uhm Jung-hwa would make a show worth watching.  What I didn’t know was Kim Byung-chul (playing husband Seo In-ho) would make it doubly entertaining.  I also didn’t know that Jung-hwa survived thyroid cancer.  Wonderful to see her back at work and I hope she’s ok! Of course, we have the juxtaposition of life and death, courage and fear, desperation and hope, and Dr Cha smilingly evokes an overriding sense of positivity, even through her tears.  She is such an inspiring character – always looking forward, looking out for others and looking fantastic!  Jung-hwa more than ably played her role. Did I hate In-ho and his mum (played by Park Joon-geum) at the start.  So reliant on Jeong-suk and yet, so horrid and unreasonable.  I hated him for trying to control everyone’s lives, bossing his wife around and having that brainl...

The Corsican Caper

Time for yet another Peter Mayle French adventure!   After  Vintage , this one becomes slightly predictable, in the sense that you know Sam Levitt and friends will outwit the villains by twisting the plot, and the baddies will be murderous yet bumbling.  Vronsky is also formulaic as the evil, rich Russian, while it feels unbelievable that his paid men, the Oblomovs, are so easily made fools of.     Nevertheless, it is signature Mayle with its views of the French landscape, delicious meals and quick-witted hatching of plans, though I would have liked a longer tour of Corsica.  Scenic, gastronomic, comic and also, quick reading!     The Corsican Caper Peter Mayle (Vintage Books, 2015)

A Bookshop in Algiers

my holiday reading Knew nothing about Algeria.  Knew nothing about Algeria and France.  Knew Camus’ name but nothing about him.  Now I know a little about them.   This is an intriguing and skilful weaving of past and present, Algeria and France, history and fiction, Charlot and Ryad.  It is also short and sharp, so you get quite immediately the pain-hope, youth-age, brokenness-regeneration mood of the book.   I enjoyed it and was happy that it is only 140 pages long, not because I couldn’t wait for the story to end but because it is succinct yet atmospheric.   Another novel French story I enjoyed.   A Bookshop in Algiers by Kaouther Adimi translated by Chris Andrews (Serpent’s Tail, 2020)

Romance in the House (2024)

This show is alright if one is looking for something light and uncomplicated.     Otherwise, it’s a neither-here-nor-there kind of show. The romance isn’t that romantic, the melodrama isn’t that melodramatic, there is some humour but it isn’t that funny, and most of the characters are thinly written.    There is potential for a strong plot but unfortunately, we don’t get one.     For example, Moo-jin’s (Ji Jin-hee!) 11 years away could have been more substantially spent than on selling stilettos and just waiting for the right moment to pounce on the scammer.     Many possibly interesting junctures were too simply explained away.   In addition, there was too much randomness.     Moo-jin randomly spots the scammer and then makes it his life goal to trail him.     Randomly, the rich lady tracks down the scammer as well, and then very carelessly, callously and randomly gives millions to Moo-jin.     The previous vill...

True Beauty (2020)

True beauty is: Friends you can count on   The girls are the typical friends-are-forever lot and I like how fellow bully victim Hye-min (Oh Yoo-jin) eventually becomes part of the group. The guys are my  scene stealers  for the show.  Seo-joon’s non-gangster gang is hilarious, along with Tae-hoon (Lee Il-joon) and the guy in specs.  Their best parts were the hospital room scene and them chasing the ‘ugly ghost’ at the school camp.  Brilliant juxtaposition of the guys finding the white sheet at the bottom of the slope with Soo-ho (Cha Eun-woo) confessing to Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young).  Loved how the Soo-ho/Seo-joon (Hwang In-yeop) ‘fight’ looked like a weird romp in the fields from the guys’ perspective.  so funny to have Seo-joon faint at the sight of 'ugly ghost' where else in the world can we find a school campsite with a romantic boat setting? Special mention for Tae-hoon, who was instrumental in Soo-ho taking his first step, ...