A Liebster Nomination

I’ve been pretty MIA in the kdrama blogverse for months that nearly equal to years, but it makes me feel so loved and happy and humbled that other bloggers haven’t forgotten me! Everyone is so kind! Thanks Indigo @ Between Wor(L)ds and glacierkn @ Ginkgohill for nominating me for a Liebster. Here are the participant rules of acceptance:

1 List 11 random facts about yourself.
2 Answer the questions designated by the blogger (s) who nominated you.
3 Place YOUR nominations for the Liebster Award! Nominate five (or more) other bloggers that have less than 200 followers. Make sure to notify them via comment/email, etc.
4 Make up a set of questions for those nominated bloggers to answer.
5 Display the Liebster award badge on your blog!

11 Random Facts About Myself
1 I’m a Big Bang fan, and an even bigger G-Dragon fan; my favorite non-Korean artists are Sigur Ros and Interpol.

2 Before kdramas took over my life, I watched a lot of anime. My all-time favorites are Shinichirō Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, two works I think are pure works of artistic genius.

3 I’m a voracious reader, my Kindle often tucked away in my bag and traveling with me. If I wasn’t blogging about kdramas, likely I’d be blogging about my other passion: books. I am a particular fan of science fiction and historical fantasy.

4 I’m a Manchester United follower. Goodbye and goodluck, Fergie!

5 My guilty pleasure is watching those blasted Kardashian shows. A part of me hates myself for watching them, but I can’t help myself. On another note, I’ve also been really enjoying Anthony Bourdain’s new CNN show Parts Unknown, a beautifully filmed foodie docu-travelogue with a pinch of history, or something of that sort.

6 I’ve never watched a single old sku Star Trek thing, tv show or film, but I love the new JJ Abrams movies starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Does that make me some sort of Trekkie now?

7 I am currently obsessed with playing “Candy Crush” on my iPad. I just love seeing those sprinkled donuts explode!

8 I’m a terrible singer and am the embarassment of all present when doing group karaoke.

9 My favorite drinks are gin martinis and New Orleans style Pimm’s Cups.

10 My favorite Korean dishes are bibimbap (with samgepsal, chives, and sesame leaves), samgetang, and all forms of naengmyun, which I plan to eat a lot of when…

11 …when I visit Seoul and Tokyo later this year. That’s right, y’all, you read right, I’ll be landing in the motherland very, very soon!



Q’s from Indigo @ Between Wor(L)ds
What has been the hardest challenge of your blogging career? (e.g. getting people to comment, making headers, placing pictures side by side, etc)
I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist, but I am obsessive, and small things sometimes become big things to me and drive me mad, and html is a small thing that sometimes feels too big. Like many other bloggers have already said, these free blog templates can be $%!@&#! They add random spacing, exclaim weird errors, and sometimes outright freeze and kick you off. I have once even spent hours trying to get rid of a spacing glitch to no win. It can be infuriating.

But in my case, probably time is my biggest challenge to blogging. I love writing about dramas, but between watching them, watching my U.S. shows, sleeping and earning money to live, I have very little hours and brainpower left...

“When life gives you lemons...” Then what are you going to do with them? (you are free to be as imaginative as you like)
Most definitely make a lemon drop. Here’s a recipe for a pear lemon drop: one part fresh squeezed lemon juice, half part grand marnier/triple sec, two parts Grey Goose Pear, tsp fine sugar, shake it up with ice, and pour into a martini glass with a sugar rim.

What is your favourite and least favourite Asian drama cliche?
Secretly and “heroically” dying from a fatal illness and crazy birth secrets, these I usually dislike.

The marriage contract or dating contract premises and gender-bending romcom ones often tickle me silly, totally love them.

Which Korean variety show would you like to participate in?
This is a good question…for something current, probably Running Man. It looks like a fun show to be a part of, if perhaps a bit tiring.

But if I may pick one that’s no longer airing, hands down Family Outing. I think it would be a hoot to spend an overnight trip with that hilarious cast, not to mention have the opportunity to be besties with Daesung and Hyori for a few days.

If you had the chance to personally slap (or punch) one drama character, then who from which drama would it be and why?
Well, the hardest part of this question is having to narrow it down to only one!!! Let me think, let me think…there are a lot of slap-worthy characters, but if I had to name only one, maybe Goo HyeSun’s weepy victim damsel Geum JanDi of Boys Over Flowers? Girl needed a slap to wake up out of her pity party.


Q’s from glacierkn @ Ginkgohill
How did you get into dramas (typical question but I’m always curious)?
While this isn’t my first ever kdrama, probably the one that that made me seek out more kdramas to watch was Something Happened in Bali. To me, it felt hip and edgy, largely due to the intense young cast. But the dramas that truly made me into the addict that I am today were both classic romcom comedies: My Lovely Samsoon and Full House. Those were my first loves. And I have to extend credit and gratitude to Javabeans at Dramabeans. Back when I started watching kdramas, her site was one of the few really dedicated korean drama blogs, and it felt like there was a place for a lonely fan like me to share this love of a very specific passion.

Which Korean actor and actress would you like to meet in person?
So many…but definitely at the top of my wish list is Won Bin and Kang DongWon. And at the moment, Jung KyungHo.

What’s your opinion of Kpop? Any favorites?
I’m not a very well-rounded kpop fan. I love Big Bang, but that’s about it. But there seems to be a string of great young talents on the rise. I’ve recently thought Teen Top and B.A.P were eye-catching entertainers, and that Nillili Mambo by Block B was pure awesomeness, one of the best kpop music vids I’ve seen in a long while, effortlessly cool and original.

Can you recommend to me a healthy dish/meal that you like (preferably non-Korean since I eat it often ;)?
Hmmmm…pho? It’s pretty healthy…isn’t it? It’s only noodles, broth, and veggies, maybe meat, and it is all parts delicious!

What’s one talent or skill you wish you had?
The ability to slow down time while I continue to operate at normal speed. I wish I had more time so I can indulge in all my interests without having to sacrifice anything!


My Nominations
Here are a few drama blogs I like, most of these have already been nominated by others, and some have already published Liebster answers, but since there’s no rules against throwing nominations at the already honored (as far as I know), I’m picking them anyway plus throwing back an admiring nod to my nominators as well, since their blogs are awesome:

Between Wor(L)ds
http://saryre.blogspot.com/

Ginkgohill
http://ginkgohill.wordpress.com/

The Fangirl Verdict
http://thefangirlverdict.wordpress.com/

Outside Seoul
http://outsideseoul.blogspot.com/

KDrama Therapy
http://kdramatherapy.blogspot.com/


My Questions
1 You are the director and I am a producer with money to throw at your dream project. Pitch me a kdrama scenario with your fantasy kdrama cast, sky’s the limit: lead actor, lead actress, supporting actor and actress, and two peripheral castmembers.

2 If you could substitute yourself as the heroine/hero of any drama, who would you replace?

3 Where would you like to go on vacation (besides South Korea) and why?

4 When you aren’t watching kdramas, what are you up to?

5 What is your favorite movie (doesn’t have to be K-related)?

Thanks everybody for reading and letting me be a part of the kdrama blogging world!