Liebster for You!

The Liebster Award is making its way around for this year! I never thought that I’d be nominated this time, simply because I’m aware that I spend less time on other blogs nowadays. Thus, it’s a pleasure to be nominated by these amazing people: Soori from Second Lead Syndrome, Rochelle from Living the Fangirl Life, and Kelly from kellykdramafantasy.Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! Plus…deewanifordrama also wished to get to know more about me as one of the neighbours, and I’m more than happy to do so. Ah, just like what she described (in such a beautiful way), we are living in a ‘city’! Looks like “I’ve Been Liebstered” again by missienelly, and I’m glad to receive another nomination 😉

I initially thought of putting all the questions under a single post that I’ve made last year but considering that the rules have changed a little, I think it’s appropriate to make a new post…so here it is! Since we’re just celebrating the Lunar New Year, I consider these new set of rules as a way to celebrate the new year^^

Each nominee link back the person who nominated them.
Answer 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
Nominate 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.
Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

Let’s rack my brain and answer these questions from the lovely bloggers!

Soori’s Questions

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.
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.
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 ^^;
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!
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…
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~
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!
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
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.
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…

Rochelle’s Questions

Where do you get your inspiration in writing down your thoughts in your blog about the dramas you watch? Dramabeans and my own tumblr. Hehehe. I came across Dramabeans back in 2009 but I visited the site only once in a while. 2010 was the year when I officially ended my hiatus on kdramas and started to watch dramas actively. I made my tumblr and came across the 30 Day Kdrama Challenge (it was everywhere back then). While I was diligently answering the questions for the challenge, I suddenly thought of making a proper blog to spazz about dramas…and here I am, writing on The Talking Cupboard since 2011.
At what time of the day do you mostly watch dramas? At night on weekdays and in the morning on weekends. I also watch my dramas during meals, a habit I picked up from my friend in college.
What are the benefits of watching dramas in your life? Benefits? Hmmm..let’s see. I love learning new languages, hence from watching dramas, I can learn more about the languages. I learned Japanese during my secondary school and thanks to all the lessons, I could watch Jdoramas without subtitles at one point. Nowadays I’m more into kdramas and teaches myself Korean. Plus, watching dramas teaches me about people. It’s a work of fiction but just like reading books, I can learn so many things about human beings and how they change according to the things happening around them.
What do you think are the downside of it? The hours feel short with them and I feel empty when I have nothing to watch.
What are your favorite dramas from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc (list as much as you can) J: Nodame Cantabile, Hanazakarino Kimitachie, Code Blue; K: Full House, My Girl, Goong, Tree with Deep Roots, Can You Hear My Heart, Bridal Mask, The Princess’ Man, Nine. I love me some ikemen and sageuk!
Who are your favorite actors and your most favorite project of theirs? My ultimate bias is Song Joong-ki and LOTS of favourite actors (the list keeps growing!). My favourite project of him is Sungkyunkwan Scandal, because it introduced me to him!
What advice can you give me with time management in blogging? Hmmm..advice? Am I qualified to do so? Hehehehe! Don’t push yourself too much. Take your time and relax. Blogging can be fun but there’s limit to everything..so plan yourself accordingly!
Apart from watching dramas, what are your hobbies? List as much interests as you can. Reading, listening to music, writing and baking. I’m not much of an outdoor person, so..yeah.
At what obsession level do you consider yourself with blogging? Probably ‘addicted at intervals’. There are times when I am so into writing down every single thing that crosses my mind and when I hit the low (writer’s block, time constraint, no mood to watch dramas, etc) I do feel like abandoning the blog for good. That one usually lasts about a day and a half. I love my Cupboard 🙂
How much percentage of your daily time do dramas consume you? 25% max, except in certain conditions such as marathoning dramas or dealing with drama withdrawal symptoms.

Kelly’s Questions

If you can be a female drama lead in any drama, who would it be? Kim Yoon-hee from Sungkyunkwan Scandal, because she’s smart and she gets to hang out with the smartest flower boys in the country. LOL
What would you do if a banana you are about to eat comes to life and begs you for his/her life? “Be my pet!” A banana doesn’t need to eat and I’ll have a pet, so…it’s a win-win situation!
What is your all time favourite song to sing at the karaoke? No specific song. My friends and I tend to sing all the songs together like a choir group.
What subject are you majoring in and do you know what you want to be in the future/what is your occupation? I’m taking a degree in Chemical Engineering but I hope that I won’t end up as an engineer for the rest of my life. Heee
If the world ends in a week, would you still watch dramas for the remaining time or would you think that it’s a waste of time? Perhaps…a rerun of my favourite drama, or I might be too busy cuddling with my family.
Do you believe in supernatural beings such as ghost, gumiho, aliens, etc.? I believe in ghosts and used to be so afraid of them..but as I grow up, I realize that they’re part of this world and have lives on their own! Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you!
What influences your choice in picking a drama to watch? It depends on my mood actually. It can be the cast, the writers, or the plot..and most of the time, it’s a mixture of these three and other factors as well.
What is the earliest memory you can remember? Waiting for the bread man to come in front of my house so that I could buy my favourite bread.
What food out of any dramas you’ve watch do you want to try? I am lucky to live in a country where Japanese and Korean food are quite common, but I really want to try the authentic jjajangmyun, seollongtang, and…makgulli!
What would you do if you have amnesia? (kinda like making up your own story involving amnesia) I would forget everything except my family. That’s all, because they’re the biggest comfort to me 🙂

Deewanifordrama’s Questions

Choose a question from the 10 I just answered that you like and answer it (Who is your favourite OTP and why?). It’s hard to choose my favourite OTP because it tends to change rather sporadically. New shows means more OTPs…and it never ends! My current favourite is Seolnan and Myungnong from King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang, simply because they have the power to make me smile, laugh, and cry just from looking at their pictures.
If I were to visit you in your city/country, what activity/touristy thing would you want to do? (If you want to, please include where that might be) If you come to Malaysia, you can visit the islands and the beaches (Lee Jong-suk came to one of the islands, Langkawi, for a photoshoot!) but I would suggest a food tour. You won’t regret it! Besides visiting different states, you get to taste the mixture of flavours in the dishes, just like our integrated culture.
What is your favourite K-drama (or K-pop) trope? Back hugs! Gimme my back hugs and you’ll get my love, shows!
What is your favourite Korean food? (Or if you haven’t eaten Korean food, just your favourite food) Japchae! Ddukbokki is too rubbery for my taste…or maybe it’ll be different in Korea?
Please recommend a K-drama (or Korean film) for me to watch. You can see which dramas and films I have already watched on our ratings page. Psychometry (2013), starring Kim Kang-woo and Kim Bum. A crime thriller that makes me completely fall for Kim Bum.

Missienelly’s Questions

Do you kpop/cpop/twpop/jpop? If yes, share with me few of your favorite singers and/or groups. My favourite is DBSK (including TVXQ and JYJ). although I’m not really into kpop nowadays, I still listen to their songs once in a while. And I think I’m crushing on Changmin…for the nth time.
What is your current krack drama at the moment? Empress Ki!!! I’m falling in love with your boy Ji Chang-wook. Hehehehe!
If you can spend a day shopping or grocery shopping with your favorite star, who would it be? Song Joong-ki. I really miss him nowadays :’|
If you’re given a chance to spend time in a drama set, which drama would it be and why? King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang‘s set. I want to see how my OTP really interact when the camera is not rolling. The set looks fun but since it’s a daily drama, not much is known except for a few stills posted on its official website.
Which 3 drama OST’s did you love? Did you love the drama itself or you just love the OST? Easy peasy! The Princess’ Man, Scent of a Woman, and Secret Garden OSTs. I love these dramas but at the same time, the OSTs stand out from the other dramas. The instrumentals are so lovely!
Who are the most annoying actors and actresses in dramaland? I don’t have any annoying actors/actresses on my list but I really hate screeching characters in dramas. I can easily quit a drama when I get too annoyed with a side character >.<”
Who is the most fashionable k-star/c-star/tw-star/j-star? All of them? Hahahaha too many to choose from!
Name your favorite bromance/sistermance from dramaland. I still dig Nam-soon and Heung-soo’s bromance from School 2013.
Name one drama you love to rewatch again and again and again. I don’t really do any rewatch because of the time constraint and lots (lots lots) of new dramas, but I’d like to do a marathon of Full House.
If you can marry your bias, who would it be? Again, it’s Song Joong-ki.

As for the nominations from me, here’s the five blogs that frequent these days…sorry,not ten!

The Drama Corner: a comfy corner for me 🙂
Lore in Stone Cities: my Running Man news source (although I’m not actively watching it nowadays) and all the witty drama insights.
It’s My World – NewKDramaAddict’s Sandbox: I always look forward to her posts and the person who made me watch King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang!
The Crazy Ahjummas: the place I’d go to have a good laugh while reading the reviews.
dramatictealeaves: reading the Chinese drama recaps over here is my guilty pleasure even when I’m not watching any of the show

My questions~

What was the drama that you found it hardest to move on when it ended, i.e. dealing with the craziest withdrawal symptom?
What makes you jump into the world of blogging about dramas?
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?
Do you have a favorite among the acting-dol (acting idols)?
How do you see yourself in 20 years, especially in your drama watching habit and your blog?
Do you have a dream pairing (actor and actress) that you would like to see in a drama?
What do you think of drama OST? Do you feel that the OST enhances the mood or becomes a distraction for the drama?
Which actor/actress that you would like to meet one day?
What is your favourite drama that you think is underrated?
If one day you decide to stop blogging, would you delete the blog or keep it as it is?

Looking forward to your response! Again, thanks Soori, Rochelle, Kelly, Deewanifordrama,and Misssienelly for the nominations! Stay healthy everyone 😉

5 thoughts on “Liebster for You!”

Cherry (@chaerrii) says:

February 6, 2014 at 3:13 am

I’m watching this TW drama called In A Good Way and its characters seem similar to the characters of your ideal drama story! I swear, the characters are not like those what we’re used to! And it’s such a feel-good drama, simple and sweet! You may want to try it if you watch TW dramas. 😀

1. timeinthegray says:
  
  February 6, 2014 at 8:02 am
  
  I second this! All four leads in In a Good Way fit muchadoboutlove’s descriptions to a tee. 😀
  
2. muchadoboutlove says:
  
  February 6, 2014 at 8:03 am
  
  Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve seen people talking about it here and there so maybe I should give it a try…but I have to wait until my current drama plate is empty 😉
  
heisui says:

February 6, 2014 at 1:21 pm

Congrats!! 😀

kfangurl says:

February 7, 2014 at 9:52 pm

Giggle. I can just see you now, brainy smart girl, surrounded by the SKKS boys, sipping on makgulli, and instructing your pet banana to wait for the bread man to fetch you your bread while you watch dramas with the boys..! HAHA! XD