Mein Liebster, My Dearest

I’m neither getting a new boyfriend from Germany nor trying to woo anyone from there, but this is the post for my dearests Indigo from Between Wor(L)ds and Kfangurl from The Fangirl Verdict, who have nominated me for the Liebster Award. I was so flattered and touched and happy…and I nearly cried. Maybe I was being extra sensitive but I really appreciate this nomination. To know that someone remembers me and my humble blog, it’s an honour.

I first saw the Liebster Award making its round among the kdrama bloggers that I follow back in 2011 and since I was so shy in making contacts with other bloggers, I didn’t get any nominations, considering how green I was as a blogger. Liebster is a German word that can be translated as ‘dearest’ in English but it can also give various meanings, such as ‘boyfriend’ and ‘sweetheart’. ‘Dearest’ sounds the most fitting in this situation since the Liebster Award is given by the bloggers to the other bloggers. It looks like a simple chain post thingy (which was quite a hit back then) but we can also discover new blogs through the tagged bloggers.After all, we’re happier when the kdrama community grows, right?

liebster

But then, accepting the award is not that easy as taking the ‘trophy’ and running down the stage. Just like those award winners in the drama awards, the receiver has to abide by these rules! You might think of these rules as your acceptance speech 😉

  • List 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Answer the questions designated by the blogger (s) who nominated you.
  • 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.
  • Make up a set of questions for those nominated bloggers to answer.
  • Display the Liebster award badge on your blog!

I checked the number of followers and phew, I haven’t violated the rules! The blog has 190 followers at the moment, so I haven’t exceeded the limit. As for the first one….

11 Random (and probably boring) Facts about Myself:

  1. I love frogs. Yeah, the slimy frog that most of the girls hate is my favourite animal. I am not sure why but I can remember getting a frog plush toy from my aunt when I was very young and thought, “Poor frog. Why people have to hate this cute creature. I will love them from now on!” I like seeing frogs and get excited whenever I see one, be it a real frog or just a picture. I was famous in my school because of my love towards the green animal and most of my friends say that they think of me when they see a living or a plush frog. Can you guess my birthday presents are? Yes, those cute frogs inhibit my room in the form of plush toys, mirror, shelf, little coin banks, stickers, and even pencils.
  2. As much as I love frogs and the colour green, I HATE green vegetables. I found them bitter each time I had my first bites of those veggies (or maybe I was just unlucky with them). I used to avoid all of them but after several years of being persuaded by my parents to eat them, I’m eating them…but only some. I can spend almost 15 minutes of my meal time just to pick out those types I hate. I’m that picky.
  3. I recently discovered that I can cook and I have some passion in cooking. I am amazed with myself that I am able to prepare some dishes without any help from my mom. My parents are great cooks and my dad is even better at cooking some dishes compared to my mom. Maybe I am fated to be someone who can cook? Only time will tell.
  4. One thing that I don’t inherit from my parents is their talents in art. My mom is good at craft and my dad is a skilled painter apart from his career as a photographer, while the things that I’m capable of doing are simple paper craft and drawing stick men with fancy expressions. Luckily my little brother gets some of the talent, especially in drawing. I envy him!
  5. I didn’t get to use the internet properly until 2008. It’s late but I didn’t feel it was that important back then. My house didn’t even have any internet connection and I learned about browsing the internet from my friends through signing up for Friendster in 2006. In 2008, internet was an important thing for me since I was filling out forms for my college applications and when I entered my university in 2009, everything changed: I got to explore the internet and teach myself how to download kdramas. I considered it a lifetime achievement at that time.
  6. I have photographic memory. I love reading and I can picture the page I’ve read vividly in front of my eyes. It’s like seeing the words floating in the air and it’s even better with pictures. It was a useful skill during my school years but currently underutilized for my university life. You know,engineering is mostly about numbers…
  7. …and I hate numbers. I don’t know why but the only subject that I couldn’t get the top scores during my school years was Maths. I can do quick calculations especially with money but when it comes to Algebra and those Calculus problems, I give up. I’m still wondering (although I’m currently in my final year of study) why I decided to take engineering in the first place. Life is funny at times.
  8. I have a thing for languages. I like learning languages because it involves memorizing, something that I’m excellent at. So far, I have learned Malay, English, Arabic, Japanese, Basic Mandarin, and currently teaching myself Korean.
  9. I began to live away from my parents since I was 13. No, I wasn’t a teenager who ran away from my home, but I stayed in a boarding school (a school with hostels) since it was my childhood dream to enter one. I have to be grateful for the experience because if not because of it, I won’t be as independent as what I am today and I might have difficulty to even iron my own clothes.
  10. I love bags: not limited to handbags but also includes backpacks and sling bags. I like buying bags and using them but only some of the bags made their ways to be used until they’re worn out. Most of them were left to collect the dust in my room. I really have to cut down my spending on the bags…
  11. I have mild acrophobia, which is the fear of heights. I never ride a roller coaster since I know my own limit. 22 years without a single experience with roller coaster? I can live with that.
  12. BONUS: I am a Gemini girl, born on 20 June. Also, I am among those who are expected to have a shorter lifespan…because I am left-handed.

Next, the questions…and I have two angels who nominated me for the award, so I have to answer all the questions from both of them! That’s a total of 10 questions..challenge accepted!

Helena’s Questions

from tumblr
  1. What has been the hardest challenge of your blogging career? (e.g. getting people to comment, making headers, placing pictures side by side, etc) – Recapping regularly. I really want to spread the love for the shows that aren’t recapped by the famous bloggers but there are some things that prevent me from doing so for most of the cases: time constraint and driving force. Time is a problem for me since my life as student means that I won’t be that free all the time. When I don’t have any assignments, it’s all heaven but when the tasks start pouring in, sleepless nights cannot be missed and it means almost no time for dramas, let alone writing the recaps. The driving force is another problem since a drama can be super entertaining in the beginning but when it reaches a point that I think lagging or boring, I feel like dropping it like a hot potato. I used to wonder why the bloggers have the heart to drop the recapping projects but now I know, it’s not easy to be constant with it.
  2. “When life gives you lemons…” Then what are you going to do with them? (you are free to be as imaginative as you like) – I would cry (the figurative lemons – problems) and make a glass of iced lemon tea (the literal lemons – real lemons). Or maybe lemonade.
  3. What is your favourite and least favourite Asian drama cliche? – My favourite cliche: poor, average girl ending up with a super rich and handsome chaebol who is an heir to the largest hotel and shopping malls and everything in the country. Hey, it’s something that will never happen to me but to see someone with that crazy luck even if it’s all fictional is still good. My least favourite cliche: how the same poor girl is always wearing the new clothes that I find out to be $1000, including those $350 shabby sneakers. Not that I hate it…but I envy the girl. Sigh, can I get a boyfriend who owns a shopping mall so that I can buy everything?
  4. Which Korean variety show would you like to participate in? 1 Night 2 Days! Because I can sleep beside spend my time with Joo Won! Just kidding! I enjoy visiting new places and eating delicious food so I think 1N2D will be enjoyable. Running Man will be the death of me because I cannot run. I might end up as the new Suk-jin.
  5. If you had the chance to personally slap (or punch) one drama character, then who from which drama would it be and why? – Jin So-ra from That Winter, the Wind Blows. Her way of showing love is sick and she deserves more of a bitch slap rather than a mere table flip from Oh Soo.
(from tumblr)
Kfangurl’s Questions

  1. Of all the posts you’ve written, which one are you most proud of & why?Traditional Korean Clothing : Inspired by KDramas is one of the earliest works that I put so much effort into it and I’m glad that it’s still the most popular post and one of the posts that lead people into finding the blog, even after two years.
  2. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned through blogging? – The power of being able to reach to your readers. One can be an excellent writer with excellent posts but without the readers, it’s nothing. I used to feel pressured because of the lack of views and comments when I started blogging but as time goes by, I find it more meaningful when my goal changes, from trying to gain more page views into sharing my passion towards dramas through my blog. It’s amazing when the readers leave comments in terms of gratitude, questions, and suggestions because I feel connected to them. The wonderful world of blogging is full of surprise and the comments lift up my spirit when I feel depressed.
  3. If you could re-watch only one drama for the rest of time, which drama would you pick & why? – This is one tough question! I would pick Goong/ Princess Hours because it’s my all-time favourite. A rewatch would be nice because it’s been a while since the last time I watched the whole series. If only I have more time….
  4. If you could have one k-related superpower, what would it be? – “The Power to Return the Affection of a Male Second Lead”! Erm…does that answer the question? I want to be a female lead who would love the kind second lead and ditch the jerk that is the male lead, because I like kind guys and I despise jerks. Muahaha~
  5. If your life were a kdrama, who would be cast as your co-star & why? – Sorry Joo Won, you’ll have to make way for Joong-ki oppa for my life’s co-star. Song Joong-ki~! Why? Because he’s good looking and sexy and cute and adorable and smart. I love brilliant guys! (Can I add several more in my own drama?Pretty please~)
from brainy-joongki

[EDIT: 19 JUNE 2013] It turns out that ladida and malta nominated me back! Thank you so much dearies!!!

from tumblr

Iadida and Malta’s Questions

  1. What are your top three favorite posts you’ve written? This cracks me up. I do have some posts that I’m proud of since I took great lengths of writing them but the visitors found their favorites in other posts! Hahaha 😀 Aside from the posts about hanbok and Joseon Dynasty, my favorite posts are: Keeping My Faith IntactGoodbye Dear Queen, and Nine: an Epic Journey.
  2. Do you have a writing philosophy? If you do, what is it? If you don’t, how do you set out to write? It’s not really a philosophy but I only write when I have the urge to write. I can’t write when I don’t put my heart into it. In fact, this applies to every writing work that I need to do.
  3. Give a synopsis of a drama you wish someone would write. This is hard….but can we have someone doing a drama about soul-switching across the dynasties? It’s like having Lee Gak’s soul from Rooftop Prince being transported to the modern world, in Tae-yong’s body and vice versa. Then the story will progress with the development of both souls alternately.
  4. How do you feel about the 2013 drama year so far? Which year was your favorite? I only finished three 2013 dramas up to this point and I am not that happy for the drama offerings so far since I am not even reluctant to drop some dramas. I hope there will be more good dramas to come for the second half of the year. There are some dramas that I love to bits, with Nine being the top drama of the year so far. Hmmm…my favorite era would be 2004-2006 because at that time, there wasn’t that many dramas compared to what we have nowadays. Most of my all-time favorites were from that era.
  5. Do you watch jdoramas and if so which are your favs? Well…it’s been a while since the last time I watched a jdorama. My favorite would be all Yamapi dramas since he’s my bias (Kurosagi!!!) and HanaKimi because of Ikuta Toma (Nakatsu!!) and the other ikemens! 🙂
  6. Bonus: We have recap blogs, general thoughts blogs, squee blogs, etc. What kind of kdrama blog would you like to see? I prefer a blog of the mix of general thoughts and squee. We already have quite a lot of recap blogs in the dramaland and I like to read what people think of the dramas that are not widely known, with some squeeing and spazzing in between. Recaps for the dramas that are not covered by the mighty Dramabeans are also good once in a while! That’s what I’m trying to do with my blog 🙂

[EDIT: 24 JANUARY 2014] : So…I have received another nomination from the lovely Soori of Second Lead Syndrome! Thank you dear! I see that the rules have changed a little and there are lots of questions! Ehehe~ Let me try my best to answer them…

from dramadaebak

Soori’s Questions

  1. What was your first drama (Korean or other Asian drama) and what made you watch it? My first drama…it was a Chinese Drama, Journey to the West (1996). The reason I watched it because my dad loves those fighting dramas and I was somehow lured into watching…and the rest was history.
  2. When you start a new drama, what are your requirements (eg. the plot, poster, trailer, writer, or PD and so on….) I don’t have a rigid requirement since most of the time, it’s the combination of the cast together with those you mentioned above. Most of the time, I decide on a drama depending on how well I can relate with it. So..maybe the plot? Nowadays, I refrain myself from looking at the spoilers before a drama starts airing, so I will only watch the trailers and avoid reading the character description. I’m getting pickier as I get older.
  3. What story (drama story) had an impact on your life, or if there is any? Hmmm…each of them has their own impact on my life, so I can’t really pick one ^^;
  4. What is your favorite OST and why? I like this question! The Princess’ Man‘s OST is my favourite, because it’s bittersweet and reminds me of the beautiful drama. I also love Scent of a Woman‘s OST, so lovely!
  5. What are your thoughts in regards of the weak female leads? I can see that we’re getting more tough ladies nowadays and I’m thankful for that, Kdramaland! It’s probably because of the patriarchal society of South Korea that most of the time, the female leads are portrayed to be dependent on the male leads, but I prefer them to be weak in physical rather than mentally/emotionally weak.  Yeah, women might have less physical strength than men but when it comes to the intelligence and all sorts of wits, women can be on an equal footing with their male counterparts. I should stop babbling before I get marked as a feminist…
  6. What character you find similar to yourself and why? Go Dok-mi from Flower Boy Next Door. I could see myself in her when I was following the series last year…and this year, I think I’m becoming more like her: nowadays I’m so awkward around people. I guess spending too much time in front of my laptop in my room makes it worse. Hmmmm~
  7. Do you have any actresses/actors you used to dislike but ended up changing your opinion about her/him/them after watching a (certain) drama? I don’t really dislike but rather skeptical about the acting skills. I was doubtful of Go Ah-ra at first when she was cast in Answer Me 1994 but she stole my heart right from the start. She’s the one and only Sung Na-jung!
  8. Which variety show is your guilty pleasure? To be honest, I don’t really follow any variety show closely but I will sneak up behind my brother when he’s watching Running Man and disturb him with my laughter. Hehehe
  9. Which singer/s made you cry? DBSK, my OT5! I’m a Cassie and their songs never failed to cheer me up but at the same time, can be touching. Emmm…maybe I’m still sensitive over their split but I’m slowly recovering from it.
  10. What would be your ideal drama story? An intelligent female lead, a kind and supportive male lead, a funny second male lead who is close with the female lead but never fall in love with her, and a cheerful and friendly second female lead. That sounds too ideal. LOL I might have to brush up my fanfic writing skills…

It’s my turn to nominate the blogs but instead of plainly nominate, I’d like to just present the Liebster Award to them! And the award goes to….

  • A Splash of Inspiration: A new blog in the K-fan community and what I like about it is that it’s not just about kdramas; the blog also includes posts about kpop. I love the style of writing used by the author because when I read the posts, it’s like hearing her talking to me. Amazing. (Read her response here!)
  • Kdrama Laws: If there are laws in kdramas, then this blog would be the homepage for the laws. I love the quirky uptakes on the kdrama cliches made into laws and how Queen Inhyun’s Man has violated some of the laws, according to the awesome lawmaker Mary. (Read Mary’s response here~)
  • Idle Revelry: A pair of sisters ladida and malta are the girls behind the blog that can be regarded as a hidden gem. Is it weird that I feel calm reading their posts? (Read their squee-worthy response here ;))
  • Thoughts Ramble: A buddy that I met through my spazzing about MoonSun and then Queen Inhyun’s Man. We seem to have similar interests when it comes to dramas and I enjoy reading the cheerful spazzy posts on the blog. Hee. (Read thoughtsramble’s response here :D)
  • DramaTalk: I discovered the blog when Queen Inhyun’s Man first aired and maymay was the first person to recap the series before the rest of the world realize how brilliant the drama was. Her recaps are detailed and easy to understand. One of my secret crush among the recappers.
My questions!
  1. What was the drama that you found it hardest to move on when it ended, i.e. dealing with the craziest withdrawal symptom?
  2. What makes you jump into the world of blogging about dramas?
  3. Name an actor/actress in his/her 20’s that you think would still act when he/she reaches 50 years old. Why do you think so?
  4. Do you have a favorite among the acting-dol (acting idols)?
  5. How do you see yourself  in 20 years, especially in your drama watching habit and your blog?

The questions might be silly but I’m not that good in giving questions ^^; To those whom I’ve given the award, I’m looking forward to your posts 😉

Advertisement

26 thoughts on “Mein Liebster, My Dearest

  1. OMG, you have a photographic memory?!? That is possibly the most awesome thing I’ve EVER heard!! 😀 I bet it comes in useful for when you do those epic posts on Korean history and culture!! I am in awe, chingu!! ^^

    I am really tickled that you love frogs – we once had an unofficial pet frog (or toad?) who would come into our kitchen at night and stay warm near the fridge. My sister was freaked out but I thought he was kinda cute. 😉

    I did not know Goong is your all-time fave! It was my first kdrama ever, so I have a huge – HUGE! – soft spot for it! I loved the whole thing: the music, the manhwa-esque world, the story, and of course, Yoon Eun Hye & Joo Ji Hoon.

    Also, LOL that you’d want to sleep next to Joo Won in 1N2D but would pick SJK as your co-star! I think at least one of them’s gonna be miffed about that! XD

    Thanks for making such a fabulous response post – I had a lot of fun reading it! And again, your blog rawks. SUCH a worthy Award recipient/nominee ^^ Keep on rockin’ chingu-ya~~ ❤ ❤

    1. It is useful but sometimes it becomes quite a problem when I know I read it in an article but I can’t find it again. So nowadays I’ll bookmark everything so that it’ll be easier to track back the info 😀 Ah, frogs are cute! I’m sure they are sad that people think they are disgusting :3

      I even wrote a novel – a reinterpretation of Goong – and my friends liked it. Haha! Then I got to know that Indonesia also had its own version of the drama. Yeah, the drama is so special!

      Okay, I really have to make a confession here: I consider SJK as my unforgettable first love and the other actors as my crushes, but I do love all of them, I do! But it’s hard to make one choice and I’ll choose my first love SJK over everyone else, just like my real life…but sadly, my first love was an unrequited love LOL

      Aigoo~ I have to thank you for nominating me 😀 Thanks for the compliment! I hope I’ll be able to maintain this blog and won’t have to give up on it, no matter how busy I’ll be in the future 😉

      1. Omo! You wrote a novel to reinterpret Goong?!? That is DEEP love, I say! DEEP! 😀 Where can I read this novel, is this somewhere on the internet?

        Ahh.. No wonder Joo Won has to make way for SJK!! Maybe we could cast him as a secondary character in your life’s kdrama! ;D Then you could have both, heh!

        Yes, hwaiting, chingu-ya~ … I know RL can be super hectic at times, but do know that you have lots of supporters here in the drama-verse! ❤

        1. Unfortunately, it was only handwritten on a book in Bahasa…I wasn’t a tech savvy back then in 2006-2008 😀

          If only I can make my own kdrama, I would even include some of my favourite actresses as my best friends! Oh, that’s too far-fetched~

          Thanks for the kind words dear! 😉

        1. It’s Benci Bilang Cinta, starring Marshanda and Baim Wong. I’m not sure where to watch it since I watched it on my local tv, so maybe you can try searching it on youtube 🙂

  2. Awww….thank you so much for the nomination though methinks my humble blog is really, really not deserving of such accolade. It’s just a little blog for me to share my love of dramas to fellow fans. I will admit to feeling all fuzzy inside because of your recognition and wanted to let you know as well. Hmm…will try to work on answering your questions as well. I’m like you, just a shy soul who;s a bit wary of sharing information about myself…but I’d be sure to post something just to return the favour. Hint hint* I’m fluent in Malay too.

    1. Omonaaaa I am surprised to know that you’re fluent in Malay! Hehehe 😀 I really love your recaps and it’s just fair to let more people know about the awesomeness that is your blog! I was afraid to let people know too much about me but as I got to know more people, getting to know a little about themselves also let me to understand why their views are different compared to mine. Plus, it’s good to discover that we might have similar interests apart from dramas 😉 Looking forward to your post!

  3. Ha, when I was little I used to love playing with frogs. I used to go and look for them around a small stream near my home. I still find them cute. My other friend though is absolutely disgusted by them 😛

    Wow, photographic memory. This must be awesome. I could totally use that skill these days. Although my memory is quite good, it is not that good that I could remember the things I need to learn for school.

    Actually I didn’t get to use internet and computers properly before 2006-2007. My family didn’t have a computer for a long time and the first one we got was very old one. Before that I only used computers when I was visiting my uncle and sometimes in school. Actually my current blogger account was made somewhere at that time because I used to really want to blog but I never had anything to blog about. Well, that is before I started watching dramas. I kept that same account until I finally created Between Wor(L)ds.

    Yup, recapping is one of those things I don’t think I’ll ever want to do. It’s just too big of a commitment. I am constantly amazed when I see bloggers posting their recaps so soon after the episode has aired. I could not do that.

    Love Joong Ki! 🙂

    1. Hahaha! I didn’t look for the frogs back then…instead, I caught the tadpoles and tried to hide them in the bathroom…until my mom found them and told me to get rid of them 🙂

      Wow, you actually use the same account? Amazing! This isn’t my first blog because I used to blog about myself when everyone was so into blogging back in 2009 but soon the habit died down. I tried to start blogging on wordpress platform later but didn’t get to use it as I forgot the password. This one was created solely for the purpose of blogging about dramas…and I think I can be consistent when talking about my passion rather than myself. I feel that I’m a boring person in real life 😀

      Recaps can fun when you have the time and the passion but without one of them, your life as a recapper will be miserable. At least that’s what I experienced while working on several recaps. Sometimes I do feel like doing recaps for some dramas that I like but I will have to consider lots of things before starting, afraid that I’ll drop the recaps in the middle. But then, watching without doing recaps is like being in a relationship without commitment. Not that I have experienced the relationship part, but that’s what I think so. Hehe 😉

  4. HI HI! I’m so honouredddd^^ My heart’s all warm and fuzzy now heh heh heh, thank you so much!

    And I had a lot of fun reading your entryXD I will post a response soon!

  5. Omg…I have been ignoring WordPress for way too long! Look at all this awesomeness I have been missing.

    First thank you for reading our blog. I’m still surprised and curious when anybody shows interest in what ladida and I discuss. So Yay, thank you.

    Some of your random facts remind me of myself. ❤

    1. You’re welcome 🙂 I love it when both of you are squeeing about something. Trust me, I always grin widely, especially when you’re talking about FBND~

      I think the drama fans like us have some similarities in real life and that might be the reason why we’re into the same thing….dramas! 😉

Rant Out, Souls!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s