Weezer | Photograph
The Nominators
Hi all! It’s still Liebster season, isn’t it? xD
This year Idle Revelry has been nominated by coffeenlucia of Arbitrarilynamed, Analogueblues, and Splashofinspiration. Thank you so much! It’s an honor to know that such wonderful bloggers and writers and fellow drama lovers have enjoyed some of the stuff we’ve put up. Before I dive into their questions I want to highlight some of my favorite of their posts over the past year:
UPDATE: We’ve also been nominated by the lovely Countingoutheartbeats and Kdramakrazy! Thank you!
Arbitrarilynamed
Let’s Eat Coverage — I have been looking for Let’s Eat posts everywhere. I even went to Soompi! An lo and behold, coffeenlucia had written recaps for the first 4 episodes!
Gong Hyo Jin Unnie – My Drama Queen — The more love for the ladies of kdrama, the better.
Analogueblues
Discussing the Queen’s Classroom with Tenlotus — There are some dramas I know I will never watch. But though I don’t watch them, I love reading about them, especially when they star my favorite actresses–this was the case with Queen’s Classroom. I especially liked this post because it was a conversation, which we usually don’t get to have until we reach the comments.
Splashofinspiration
2013 Women in Kdrama Awards — What a treat it was to have some space devoted to the awesome women in kdrama, both in front of and behind the camera. I can’t wait for this year’s awards. Now that I know about them I find I’m paying more attention to the actresses and writers of the shows, as well as the heroines. Thanks for organizing and hosting this!
Counting Out Heartbeats
Me Too Flower Review — I don’t think this show is written about enough, so I’m always excited to find new stuff about it. I really love this:
What initially made me want to watch this show was how it openly addresses peoples’ mental issues. Each of the characters, including the psychiatrist (played by Jo Min Ki), has or has had his own issues and personal struggles to overcome. These are things that are not easy to overcome, and that have been developed over time, and it will take time and lots of emotional support for these people to heal. Bong-sun’s depression is an important part of Me Too, Flower! because it directly reflects how little she loves herself and how much she needs and wants someone to love her. The way the show explores the reasons behind her depression and her struggle to rise above it hits a chord in me.
KdramaKrazy
I Need Romance Series Impression — I love it when bloggers write about a show in general, or in this case, a series. I love recaps and episode specific discussions, but sometimes widening the focus of study can lead to some really great thoughts and writing.
The Questions
Q: If you could change a drama’s ending, which drama would it be? What would the new ending be?
A: I’d have to finish a drama first, wouldn’t I? Lol. But hmmm, let’s see…It would probably be White Christmas. I want an ending that is less of a spectacle, something new ending would be less of a spectacle and more in tune with the rest of the drama.
Q: 5 cool facts about yourself?
A: These aren’t very cool, but: I’m trying to learn HTML & CSS and JavaScript; I’m getting more into YA Lit; I think I’ll be way more into Jdoramas this year; I have a gap between my front teeth; when I was in the 7th grade I “wrote” a YA book. I was way more ambitious then than I am now, lol.
Q: What got you into watching dramas?
A: MALTA. Here is our creation story:
In the beginning was a time of great fatigue, after Malta had gotten her Master’s, and it so happened that she stumbled upon a curious sight on Hulu. It was of a man wearing a v-neck shirt with so deep a v as to tease the viewer with his belly button. And the man was Lee Min Ho. 16 some-odd hours later Malta emerged from a Lee Min Ho induced haze of confusion. But her curiosity was not satisfied. She looked some more into this thing called “kdrama.” And so she stumbled upon Coffee Prince. Never again would she watch an American television show. Some days later, concerned by the cooing noises and googly eyes her sister kept making, ladida asked, “What’s wrong with you? You’re creeping me out.” And so Malta introduced her to the greatest of pleasures, Coffee Prince. From then on ladida demanded all her shows reach an acceptable threshold of cute before she even considered watching them.
Q: What is your favorite drama? And why?
A: Oh, I have so many favorites, I can’t choose just one! How about my favorite melodrama? I’m not really a melo person, but my favorite melo is Beloved, probably because it doesn’t look or act much like a melo. It’s got all my ultimate weaknesses: a noona romance, a great soundtrack, and adultery,believe it or not. Before kdramas I did not know I cared about marriages and adultery so much.
Q: How much time do you devote a day to blogging?
A: YIKES. Um, way too much time. I spend a good amount of time on tumblr, though I’ve been trying to cut down. But when I’m writing a post for IR it could take anywhere from one to several weeks.
Q: How much time do you devote a day to watching dramas?
A: This varies because I don’t really have a set schedule. Right now Thrusdays and Fridays are my heaviest drama watching days because Let’s Eat comes out on Thursdays and I like to watch it raw and then watch it over and over again.
Q: If you could create a drama, what would be the plot?
A: I think this covers it. But I also have this idea for a mystery drama starring Yoon Shi Yoon and Yoo In Ah, and also another drama that’s about a reclusive drama writer who falls in love with a minor actor in her drama and starts killing off all her characters so that he can become the hero.
Q: Do you watch dramas by yourself or with other people?
A: By myself. But sometimes I’ll watch an episode with Malta.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: Lasagnaaaaaaaaaaa! Also ice cream, fried plantain, bacon, cake…the list is endless, really.
Q: Should more dramas have second seasons? Why or why not?
A: No thank you. There are already too many great shows to watch without having to worry about second and third seasons to keep up with. And one of the things I love about kdrams is that the stories are finite.
Q: Any idea as to why drama watching is a female-dominated past time?
A: ‘Cause women do the coolest things? Lol. No…I think it’s because so many dramas focus on women and things that are traditionally considered to be feminine, like romance. I’ve found that in the US there’s a real dearth of stories that are just about romance–usually you have to go to teen dramas to find it, and even then you never get the kind of text that’s explicitly about two people getting together and nothing else. And dramas are mostly marketed to women. I think it also matters that the international drama-watching community gets most of its news from sites that are run by women, like Dramabeans.
Q: Do you want Asian dramas to become big in other countries, or would you like it to stay the way it is now. That is, a much smaller tight-knit international community.
A: Hmmm…I think dramas are already pretty big in most countries. I even follow a French drama blog! (Well, “follow.” Each year my French deteriorates.) And each year we get lots of great new bloggers. I think it’s inevitable that dramas will become more popular, but it’s not too worrying because the way I see our communities shaking out is that we all gather around our favorite dramas and talk to each other about them. I think I might not be very good at answering this question because I’m not on Twitter, so I miss out on a lot of that closeness. Sorry!
Q: How many dramas have you completed entirely? (Don’t be shy saying the number xD)
A: Not as many as I would like! I see people’s lists and they go into the hundreds, and I wonder what I do with all my time! I confess blogging has actually made watch less dramas because I always wonder what I can write about it. In total I have completed 44 Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese dramas.
Q: What actors/actresses are you dying to see act together?
A: YOON SHI YOON AND YOON EUN HYE. My god the things I would do for this… Oooo, and Yoon Eun Hye and Moon Chae Won.
Q: If you could be an extra in a drama or movie, which one will you be in?
A: Flower Boy Next Door, so I could listen in on the conversations Yoon Shi Yoon and Park Shin Hye had about their craft (and stare at YSY reading), and Coffee Prince so I could experience the incredible vibe that show has on set.
Q: You are a character in a drama, and instead of killing you off, the writer chooses to send you abroad to “study”…where will you go?
A: I’m assuming by “study” you mean Yoon Shi Yoon asks me to go on a trip? I would go to France and South Africa: France for the views and so I could come back home and annoy everyone with a pretentious faux-French accent, and South Africa for the gorgeous scenery all up and down the coast.
Q: Pen, pencil, or keyboard?
A: Used to be pen, now keyboard all the way. It helps me think…
Q: Have you ever wanted to quit writing for your blog? What helped you revive your interest?
A: Yes! Sometimes I don’t know if the effort we put into IR is worth it, because it seems to take so much just to make one post, but then I’ll come onto our blog and everything looks so pretty that I just want to make it prettier by adding one more post. Also the only reason I’m getting into HTML & CSS is cause I want more control over this blog, so…
Q: Do you have a blogger that you look up to? A blog that you wished you were the one running?
A: Omg, SO MANY. You, for one. I mean the Women of Kdrama Awards were amazing. I love Outside Seoul and think Amanda’s dedication is impressive. DDee over at OCDramadee has been on fire (she’s doing an episode guide for Coffee Prince that’s got me squeeing all over the place). I’m always excited whenever Jandoe over at Blogphilic posts something. Kdrama Laws is hilarious and ingenious. And I always love stopping by Serendipity’s Stream of Consciousness. And that’s leaving out all the folks on tumblr. I don’t wish I were running any of those blogs, though, cause then they’d only be updated once a month.
Q: What’s a song (or two) that you enjoy listening to on a rainy day?
A: Click below for full view.
Q: What is a city you dream of living in? Do you even want to live in a city?
A: I’m much too impractical to dream of any city. But I used to think I wanted to live in Philadelphia.
Q: Plan a five day dream vacation. You will be provided with a wormhole to take you instantly from one location to another.
A: I’m not really big on vacations. Mostly I just like to stay at home and annoy my family members.
Q:If you were put under a spell and trapped in a drama as the second lead, would you give up on your love or fight for it and why?
A: I would give up my love because I’m lazy and prideful and don’t want to convince someone to love me. I don’t know if that’s foolish, romantic, or just arrogant.
Q: Was there ever a drama in which you shipped the two second leads? If yes, what was it?
A: Yes! Gu Yong Ha and Moon Jae Shin from Sungkuynkwan Scandal, Dong Hoon and Editor Lady from Flower Boy Next Door, Dong Ah and Robot Kim from Wild Romance, Pil Suk and Jason from Dream High, and Yoo Joo and Han Sung from Coffee Prince. Actually, for SKKS and Dream High I cared more about these secondary couples than the leads!
Q: Was there a side character whom you became attached to almost as much as or more than the main leads in a drama?
A: Yes! Kim Pil Suk from Dream High. I love her so much, and she is one of my favorite kdrama heroines. I remember being so much more invested in her growth and transformation and romance than in Hye Mi’s, and I cared more about the two girls’ friendship than I did about Hye Mi’s romance. Pil Suk was so cute and kind, but she was resilient and she spoke her mind and stood up for herself, too. I really loved that in the last episode we were shown that she was fat again, and she had a successful singing career but had found something else she wanted to do, and she and Jason were still in love. ❤ ❤ ❤
Q: Was there a drama that made an impact on your life in a big way? If so, which one and why?
A: Coffee Prince. I was my very first drama (thank you Malta!) and after I finished it I was so happy. I was still in school back then and I remember waking up with a smile on my face and spending the entire day giggling for no reason. People were concerned, lol. It didn’t reorient my life, or anything, but it left an impression that few other shows have.
Q: What is your all-time favorite drama character? Would you want to be his/her friend in real life?
A: Oh no, I don’t think I can choose. How about I just list my favorite heroines? Kim Pil Suk from Dream High, Chen You Qing from ITWY, Kim Nana from City Hunter, Go Byung Hee from What’s Up Fox?, Lee Soo Kyung from Let’s Eat, Go Dok Mi from FBND, Oh Dal Ja from Dal Ja’s Spring, Choi Hee Jin from QIHM, Go Eun Chan from Coffee Prince, Kim Dong Ah from Wild Romance, and Seo Chan Joo from Beloved. Hrmph. That’s like every drama I’ve ever watched. Probably because if the drama doesn’t grab me in the first couple episodes I drop it…
Q: Did you fall in love with drama slowly or did you suddenly realize you were addicted?
A: I was addicted right off the bat.I have an addictive personality, though, so that’s not surprising.
Q: What keeps you blogging?
A: Guilt, lol. I feel bad that we never update this blog!
Q: What food have you never eaten but most want to try?
A: I haven’t eaten conch in a looooooooong time and I want it so badly. I also would love to try Korean street food.
Q: What kdrama character have you most wanted to strangle?
A: Park Hwa Young from Me Too Flower. She was so obsessive and controlling and destructive. And just abusive, really. Actually, I wanted to strangle Jae Hee, too, even though I loved him. So much lying and wrist grabbing!
Q: Is there a drama you wish you had never watched? If so, which one and why?
A: HANOI BRIDE. It is the worst show ever. I watched it in a fever of lust love for Lee Dong Wook and I steadily felt my love for him decrease in inverse proportion to my growing horror of how awful the show was.
Q: Who is your biggest kdrama crush and why?
A: YOON SHI YOON. He’s so pretty I wanna cry. But I also find him intellectually engaging, in that he often speaks about his craft and I find myself loving everything he has to say about acting and the goals he has for his career. I would give anything to have him and Park Shin Hye be interviewed by an insightful journalist who cares about acting and the industry. Also he’s a grandma’s boy and that just breaks me in so. many. ways.
Q: What was your first kdrama you have ever watched?
A: Coffee Prince. I have Malta to thank for that blessing; I can’t think of a better introduction to kdramas, even as I’ve found other shows to love. There’s just something so refreshing about Coffee Prince. It’s so full of joy.
Q: Are you out of the kdrama closet?( do people know of your obsession with Asian dramas?)
A: Hmmm…well, my family knows. I mean I spend so much time watching them and talking about them it would be near impossible for them not to. But I make a conscious effort not to tell colleagues or new acquaintances about it.
Q: How did you get into blogging?
A: It’s all Malta’s fault. She loves doing projects, and after we’d spent way too many hours of our lives discussing City Hunter and all the ways we felt it failed us she decided we should have a platform from which we could fangirl freely and without limit.
Q: If you could hang out with a kdrama character who would it be?
A: Choi Jin Hee from Queen In Hyun’s Man. I feel like we could watch episodes of variety shows with our favorite actors in them while drinking and eating chicken and we’d have a ball of a time. I’d also love a tour of Seoul lead by Enrique from Flower Boy Next Door, and to go drinking with Sam Soon from My name is Kim Sam Soon.
Q: If you could kill one kdrama character who would it be and why?
A: Gu Jun Pyo. I only watched about 3 episodes of BOF but I remember developing an intense hatred of him. He’s so cruel and selfish and unthinking; he’s just hateful, you know?
Q: Have you ever tried making Korean food after watching a kdrama?
A: No, but I have ordered massive amounts of Korean food from this great place near my mom’s and eaten it all up happily. Oh, wait. I do have noodles in miso soup now; does that count?
Q: Have you ever been to Korea?
A: No. I don’t really have much wanderlust.
Q: Is there anything that annoys you about kdramas?
A: Lots of stuff, but they aren’t specific to kdramas. Mostly stuff having to do with how women and romance are portrayed.
Q: What other shows/movies do you like that aren’t Korean?
A: I love British series and American sitcoms.
My Nominations + Questions
Splashofinspiration — I nominate you for my favorite post of the year and for community building–I just followed a new blog you nominated in your Liebster post!
Radio-Palava — I nominate you for commitment to community building and for excellence in writing. I always love reading your insights into kpop; I’m not very into music, and I know close to nothing about kpop, but your essays are never too intimidating to keep me from enjoying them.
Outside Seoul — I nominate you for your thoroughness and hilarious commentary. Seriously, Outside Seoul is like a library.
Blogphilic — I nominate you for excellence in writing. You are the only blog I follow that isn’t totally drama or subject specific. I love your musings on life and writing!
Obsessive Compulsive (k) Drama Watching Disorder — I nominate you for dynamic blogging. You always seem to have something exciting going on on your blog. Oh, and I nominate you for community building, too!
My Drama Tea — I nominate you for excellence in covering dramas that aren’t from Korea. Seriously, if it weren’t for you and Sulovesdrama, I wouldn’t know about Saikou no Rikon or Woman, or any of the other gems out there.
Analogueblues — I nominate you for prettiest blog. It’s so prettyyyyyyyy. The color scheme and the headers you have for your posts? Gorgeous. I want to get more into the aesthetics of blogging, and yours is definitely inspiration.
*
- What came first, writing, or dramas?
- Do you have a raison d’etre behind your blog, or are you just doing it for fun?
- Favorite blog post that you’ve written? That one of your fav blogs has posted?
- If you could have a kdrama remake of a show from any country, what would that show be? What kdrama, if any, would you like to see remade in another country?
- What are some of your favorite older dramas?
- Do you ever feel like you have the exact same thing to say about different dramas? What do you do to keep your writing fresh and engaging, if anything?
Thanks to all the folks who nominated us, and thanks to all our followers, too!
Idle Revelry 
Congrats on the Liebster love!! Love how detailed you are about your fave posts and nominations! Which brings me to…
OMG Ladida, I had no idea you feel that way about my blog. I’m… speechless. So happy and humbled, but awww I honestly had no idea and now I’m just smiling like a loon – thank you, thank you :’) :’) I’ll get to your Qs over the weekend, should be fun to do during study breaks ^_^
PS I would sooooo watch the drama you had in mind to create, about the writer and killing off everyone so the hero can be the leading man. It legit sounds really interesting (and you have Yoon Shi Yoon in mind! Sold!)
PPS In reference to the Q about city, ah you mentioned Philly! I <333
Wow, I’m flabbergasted honestly. I’m a huge fan of this blog and your writing and commentary, so like, I kinda need a moment here haha. And Ladida, your episode guides of Beloved (which I haven’t seen but will) is what inspired me to do one for CP!
Yunno, Yoon Shi Yoon would be hotdamn fantastic in that new noona romance with Kim Hee Ae. Not that I’m complaining about Yoo Ah In, but still imagine that face!
I gotta get my thinking cap on to answer your questions now…Thanks again, and please don’t stop blogging!
Really enjoyed your answers :)
In one of the answers, you said that you want Yoon Eun Hye and Moon Chae Won to act together…I think they already have …in My Fair Lady…
Really? Oh, now I have to check that out! Thanks!
Yes….but I haven’t seen that drama…haven’t read good things about it…lol ;)
Awww..thanks for the nomination :)
Now let’s see if we can make that Yoon Si Yoon/Yoon Eun Hye drama happen. I can’t even imagine them on screen together—so often they’re paired with actors that don’t seem to me to be their equals. Between the two of them, I wouldn’t even know where to look first.
You are really creative– the plot for the drama with Yoon Shi Yoon and Song Ji Hyo blew my mind. So good. You should make a title for it!
Thanks so much! :D I’m touched by the nomination message, hehe! I have updated my post with the answers to your questions. :)
Hi, I nominated you for another liebster :)
http://countingoutheartbeats.blogspot.com/2014/02/liebster-award.html
Pingback: The Liebster Award–Part 3 | obsessive compulsive (k)drama-watching disorder
Pingback: Liebster Award v2.2: One More Set of Q&As! | you don't know me.
I nominated you for one too:)
http://kdramakrazy.wordpress.com/