“Remember Me; I’ll Remember You.”

How do we find eternal happiness? Read this post to find out.

“God Only Knows”

Being a huge fan of Lee Byung Hun (as an actor), I’m ambivalent about his ongoing scandal. On one hand, I want to believe the statements released by his agency, BH Entertainment. On the other hand, I know that rich, powerful people can easily get away with their crimes – it is the poor, helpless people who get victimized in the end. (A Man’s Story and History of a Salaryman taught me that!) Whatever the case, this blackmailing incident / scandal is not his first and that’s what really saddens me.

I’m with his wife, Lee Min Jung, on this one: “God Only Knows”. Na’am, Allahu Alam. Allah Knows best what really happened.

I present to you… Korea’s Nodame!

Nae-il – The Korean version of Nodame. Credit: asianwiki.com

Dawww! Doesn’t she look adooorable? And very Nodame-ish, at that.

I really hope that Naeil’s Cantabile (aka Tomorrow Cantabile; the Korean remake of the hit anime adaptation / Japanese drama Nodame Cantabile) will live up to my expectations – which are really high at the moment – mainly because of the leads, Shim Eun Kyung and Joo Won. Aja aja fighting!

Drama Review: Tomato

Credit: doramax264.com

The plotline

Initially I was drawn towards the plot because it breathed an air of freshness into the rich man-poor woman (replete with a bitchy second lead), formulaic kdrama setting:

An incisive development of love and achievements in young people. A drama on the conflicts and love of two characters working in the shoe business. Ha-ni used to work at a department store but then she applies for a design certificate and becomes a shoe designer. By chance, she gets acquainted with Seung-jun, the son of the chairman at her company and subtle conflicts with her frenemy Se-ra arise. Sae-ra approaches Seung-jun for her ambitions but success and love all come to Ha-ni.

[Credit: doramax264.com]

My thoughts on the series

I’m inexplicably biased towards kdramas (and shows in general) from the nineties, and so I began watching the drama with high expectations. The first few episodes were light-hearted, very 90s and trendy. From the get-go, Se-ra’s character – cunning, complicated and calculating – was the most appealing of the lot. Ha-ni is your average kdrama Candy: kind, guileless and ever well-meaning; nonetheless, misfortune never seems to leave her alone.

Oh.the.chemistry! Credit: hancinema.net

It’s a shame that there was almost zero character and romantic development as the series progressed. Every episode seemed repetitive and worn-out, especially after episode 7 / 8. Don’t get me started on the endless trail of failures. Oh puh-leez, even an idiot could do better. I remember thinking for the umpteenth time, this is it! Perhaps Ha-ni will finally succeed in something. Or, at least the guy will muster the guts to speak up (I’m not specifically referring to his feelings. I just never saw him own up, despite him being “righteous” and all)… or, give Ha-ni a back-hug… or, at the very least, wrist-grab her? Nope. Mr Hopeless Lawyer was frustrating to watch till the very end.

Even the last episode appeared to head nowhere… it seemed as though the series needed 10 more episodes to wrap up. And it did, except that it settled for a very rushed and dubious ending instead, which I did NOT buy. The writer concocts a massive concoction of WTFery and, out-of-the-blue, expects us to believe that all is well, no hard feelings? Riiiight.

Acting-wise, the second leads were consistent and did a good job throughout. Both characters were layered and complex: Se-ra was detestably duplicitous and Ki-Joon was a-mysterious-weirdo-in-lurrrve. While the female lead was cute and likable, I hated how utterly clueless she was (most of the time). The male lead is a limited actor, in my opinion. I couldn’t warm up to him. He was so spineless and unmanly that he can’t even be termed a “noble idiot”. Oh, and except the second leads, every other character seemed unbelievably childish and caricature-like.

Credit: hancinema.net

As for the whimsical title, it hints towards the fact that the leads grew closer together through caring for tomato plants. Uhhh, it still sounds weird. After all, how many kdrama titles out there are well thought-out and / or appropriate?

My verdict

Nothing ground-breaking or distantly memorable. Overall, a disappointing series.

Rating: 5/10

Second Impression: It’s Okay, That’s Love

Mian-hae! I’ve been in a state of torpor during the last two weeks. Time for updates…

It’s been a while since I’ve dropped It’s Okay, That’s Love. Despite liking the premier episodes, episode 3 gave me the notion that the show was trying too hard to be fresh, blithe and modern (a.k.a immoral) – just that it got on my nerves instead. I struggled to finish the episode, by the end of which it became clear that the central theme of the drama had shifted from mental illness (the main reason I was looking forward to the show) to will-they-won’t-they-go-to-bed? – thus rendering the show cringe-worthy and pretty much unwatchable for me.

Credit: http://www.koreandramafashion.com

No sense of morals let alone Faith, materialism in full glory, wanton / unnecessary skinship, fan-service outweighing the actual storyline, hackneyed plot elements and lack of originality are some phrases that can be used to describe recent kdramas. What bothers me is that most of the audience is totally cool about them. Aigoo, the world has become so ugly.

After being disappointed by a number of dramas that I’ve picked up over the last few months, I’ve reverted to watching a couple of old dramas for the time being. I treasure old-fashioned, Islamic values such as chastity and no-sex-before-marriage a whole lot, which is why I can’t help but wistfully wonder: whatever happened to the golden, good ol’ concept of “platonic love”?

The Japanese Scientist’s Discovery of The Secrets of ZamZam Water

A humbling read about the Signs of God.

Majestic Islam

Science, at a very later stage, reveals new secrets about Zamzam water and the way it is influenced by the verses of the Glorious Quran. YOU WILL BE STUNNED!! READ THIS!!

We have recently realized the value of the use of amulets. It has been scientifically proven that water is affected by what is recited over it. Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto has had a unique experience. He said that he had read in a book that each snowflake falling from the sky is unique. He said that his scientific instincts told him that this was not true. The geometric shape of the snowflake is determined by its chemical composition. The composition of water is well known – two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. So how come snowflakes that fall from the sky are different from one another? He said: “I was determined to prove that this theory was false.”…

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A dog is a man’s best friend. Google is a man’s best friend. I like to think of dogs and cats and whatpethaveyou as family instead.

The Missing Ingredient

We often find ourselves asking: Why’s my life so messed up? or the like. What I’ve learned over the past few weeks – from IOU – and from this article is that the key ingredient that you need to make life more meaningful and fulfilling is: gratitude.

I recently came to terms with the fact that depression is mainly due to the evil whisperings of Satan, and so whenever I’m blue, I recite a couple of du’a (supplication) to ward off Satan: in particular, A’oodhubillah, and the Mu’awiddhatayn – i.e. Surah Nas & Surah Falaq, the two Surah’s of refuge, as stated by Allah’s Messenger (saws). I also turn to close friends and family members whenever I’m having a hard time. Annnd the results are fabulous: I feel much happier and less depressed these days.

Try thanking Allah – through thick and thin – for the countless blessings that He has bestowed on you. In sha Allah, life won’t seem so messed up anymore.

“Why Men And Women Think Differently. This Guy Nails It.”

OMG! This is so funny and true. Must read!

Amelioration

Earlier, in one of my posts, I had mentioned that I have no friends. Well, I take that back. Allow me to explain myself.

I had written the post while I was very depressed, and, while in that state, evil thoughts preoccupy me. Satan whispers all sorts of false, deviant thoughts into my muddled mind. It’s true that I’m very bad at maintaining human relationships but it’d be awfully ungrateful and delusional of me to say that I don’t have friends. I do have a few friends. It’s just that I’d gotten out of touch with them (for the most part) ever since I had depression.

But now, I’m trying my best to reconnect with them. It all started when I started this blog. Through it, I got to know / read about many ordinary people with extraordinary lives. Their stories touched me, moved me to the verge of tears and made me realize (perhaps for the first time in my life) how blessed I am. Just like Allah said in the Qur’an, Sūrah al-Nahl, Verse 18:
And if you were to count Allah’s favors, you would not be able to number them; most surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

I used to think that the blessings in our life are countable. Now that I reflect on my naïveté, I finally realize the wisdom of this verse. SubhanAllah!

Once I realized that there are people much, much worse off than me (Palestinians, anyone?), I recommenced to have an optimistic outlook on life, like my old self.

Consider this priceless piece of advice from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
“Look at those below you (less fortunate than you), and don’t look at those above you, for this is better.” [Sahih Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Maja]

[Do check out this wonderful, elegantly written article on 10 Steps to Happiness!]

OK, back to what I was saying – on friends. Once I got around to reconnecting with my friends, I discovered that their lives are not as flowery as I had thought. Rather, they each have issues of their own. Thankfully, they didn’t judge me for my complexes, and neither did I for theirs. Instead, we reached out to each other – like true friends should. And by talking about our problems / stumbling blocks, we learned to appreciate life better.

Things don’t seem so bleak anymore. After all, I have a supportive group now whom I can turn to whenever I need someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on. I promise to cherish my friends (they deserve it!) from now on, in sha Allah. Their presence in my life makes a huge difference!