Iljimae (일지매)

I recently picked up a really good Korean period drama, Iljimae -- loosely based off the manhwa by Ko Woo Yung (고우영) -- which is about a thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor, while searching for the man whom murdered his father. Though some (or most) of the special effects are so-so, the overall plot is quite good. The drama begins with illustrating how badass of thief and fighter Iljimae is in showing off his agility, skill, speed, and smarts for about 12 minutes where he infiltrates a tight-security nobleman's home and steals something from him, leaving behind his signature painting of plum blossoms. After his great escape,

The story of Iljimae is set during the Joseon Dynasty around 1632 - 1649, with references to the Coup of 1623 that happened around three or four years prior to Iljimae's birth. The current emperor, Injo, is an insecure ruler who will stop at nothing to protect his station, even resorting to having his closest comrades -- the ones who participated in the rebellion that dethroned Gwanghaegun -- murdered.

The timeline of the story's history begins around ten years after the Coup of 1623 with the image of a perfectly peaceful, happy noble family. The patriarch, Lee Won Ho, is sitting in the garden with his son, Lee Geom (also romanized as Kyum), and both are admiring the tree blossoms in full bloom. When Lee Won Ho asks his son why he favors plum blossoms, Geom answers that they are not as extravagant as cherry blossoms, but not as sad as pear blossoms. The plum blossoms will later serve as his signature, and source of his rogue name, "Iljimae."

Meanwhile on a hill not far from where the Lee family resides, Emperor Injo, dressed in noble civilian clothing, has met an old, blind seer whom provides him with the prophecy that during his monarchy in the palace, someone will appear and rattle the very foundation of his rule. The only line provided at this time is that something red will appear -- foreshadowing Iljimae's signature -- the rest of the vision, which is revealed in later episodes goes along the lines of "another king will appear in the future and the people will revere him. Two suns will shine down from the same sky." Injo, desiring for no one else to know about this prophecy, orders for his chief assassin, Sa-cheon, to kill the seer, his family, and all the villagers from where the blind man lives. Injo proceeds to resort to any method in maintaining his sovereignty, including the assassination of his younger brother, Lee Won Ho, whom he considered as a threat to his position.

Lee Won Ho is convicted of treason after a fake revolutionary letter is planted beneath his house, and he is murdered by the emperor and his assassins soon after with them passing it off as suicide. The entire Lee Clan is imprisoned for their relations to a traitor, but only Geom is able to escape, due to his father locking him up in a chest and the thief, Seo Dol, bringing the chest -- with Geom inside -- back to his place away from the household. Geom is later hunted down by the assassins and imperial guards, until an unfortunate boy is killed in his place and redeemed by Geom's mother as though he were Geom during the marketplace parade, in order for her to protect him. Geom however is forced to throw a stone at his biological mother as though they were not related, and due to the stress and trauma, he later collapses and loses his memory. Na Seo Dol, feeling responsible for the downfall of the Lee Clan -- since his adopted son planted the fake letter in order to save Seo Dol's life -- takes Geom in and raises him.

Thirteen years later, Geom is now known as Yong (or Ryung depending on romanization), and he is an irresponsible, playful mischief-maker on the streets causing much distress to his adoptive father, Seo Dol, and adoptive mother, Dani. Though everyone close to the Na family knows that Yong is adopted, Yong believes himself to be their biological child and so does everyone else outside of the Na friend circle (this was done so Seo Dol could protect Yong better). However, after a hunter in the mountains recognizes Yong as Geom, the hunt for Lee Won Ho's sun begins again and Yong is subjected to much danger, which eventually triggers various memories from his childhood leading to him regaining his memory later on.

Upon remembering his past, Yong sets off to find the rest of his scattered family while still living as the playful and useless son of the Na family. However, because his loved ones kept getting hurt due to their relation to him, he cannot ignore his situation any longer and goes to search for his father's killer by raiding the house of the wealthy in hopes of finding the sword that cut down his father as Iljimae the thief.

Iljimae is a reasonable 20-episode series. I think episode 13-15ish could have been shortened somewhat, 'cause I know 14 dragged a bit and maybe if they had shortened that episode, the final episode would have been even better (and the epilogue portion would have been longer, but whatever). Overall, I really liked it though there were some parts that could have been less ... ridiculous, but hey we're talking manhwa situation right? Anything is possible ^_^; Out of a lot of Korean dramas I've seen though, I really liked this one a lot.

The lead is played by Lee Joon Ki (이준기), whom is one of the most beautiful, effeminate looking men ever. The first time I saw him was in "The Emperor and the Clown" where he played a beautiful minstrel whom enchanted the king. The onscreen kiss between the tyrant emperor and effeminate clown (though it was like 3 seconds long) caused much stir and interest in the movie (by pretty much all yaoi-loving fans out there), and really brought the actor into prominence. In Iljimae, he looks more like a man, but he is still very pretty. In a way, he reminds me of Matsuda Ryuhei, whom was very effeminate and beautiful during the "Gohatto" and "Aoi Haru" days. Though if I had to pick between the two, Lee Joon Ki's much better looking than Matsuda Ryuhei ^_^;

I Cleaned My Room

After two months of much needed cleaning, I finally got down to it yesterday since I have the day off today. I got into an argument with my mother and I was so angry that I just went on a cleaning rampage. Let's say, it was extremely therapeutic and it got the job done... very, very well. I threw away a lot of cardboard boxes (either it's from packages sent to me, or cereal boxes, etc), and a lot of paper and trash. I collected all the plastic bags in my room and shoved them all into two paper bags to use for trash bags later. I organized all the boxes in my room (that I got from the office) and set it up so that now I have places to put my pots and pans. I put all my clothes back into my closet, and now all I have to do is to do the laundry for my sheets and some of my clothes. Just finished vacuuming the room after I sprinkled the carpet with that deodorizing baking powder stuff ^__^ Now it smells so good~~~ Not that it smelled bad to begin with, but that's one of my fave things about vacuuming XD~

I was supposed to go with my friend to her hair appointment today, but I went to the post office too late and forgot my other friend's address so I just told her to go without me. I then texted one of my best friends and had her go into my email account and find my other friend's address so I could send her her birthday present today so she can get it by tomorrow @_@; (Yeah... I really procrastinated till last minute on this one) Well, since I couldn't go to the city anymore, I came home to finish up my cleaning.

I haven't really been able to do much housework 'cause I've been going out so often that I'm never really ever home and when I'm home, I'm too tired to do much so yeah ^_^; Ah, a nice, clean room really is good.

My Life the Eternal Rollercoaster

I have a hard time expressing my feelings. I hardly ever tell people the truth about how I feel, and I am always pretending that things are ok. I do things I don't enjoy doing to make other people happy, which then in turn satisfies me as well. I don't ask for anyone to cater to my needs and I generally try to take care of myself, because I know no one really takes care of me. When I get angry at my friends at the offensive things they say to me, I tell myself that I am being too sensitive about it and I should let it ago instead of telling them that it hurts me. But I think I'm festering right now, because I'm emotionally wounded and very upset.

I don't know how to act around my friends anymore. If I don't hang out with them, they make me feel guilty for not going out and staying in by myself and feeling lonely 'cause I have no one around me. They make it seem like it's my own fault for not going out and having fun. Then when I do go out, they say that I'm not enjoying myself at all so then they feel awkward. If I smile, they think I'm faking having fun, if I don't smile, they think I'm bored. I'm exhausted, I don't know what kind of expression they would like me to have, but regardless of which one it is, it's always wrong. I'm sick of them making me feel like I'm the bad one, I'm the lame one, I'm the ridiculous one. They say that I take life too seriously, but I think they take it too lightly. They're insensitive and they're mean to me. Do they think I'm made of iron or something? That I won't get hurt by the things they do or say to me?

My friend just said to me yesterday that I don't talk enough, I never say anything when I'm hanging out with other people. I tell her that even if I do say something, she or someone else will interrupt me so what's the point of trying? I'm not going to fight for the lead so I can continue talking and once we're off the subject, I don't want to talk about it anymore. So I've developed this inability to socialize, because my friends don't know when to shut the fuck up. They're rude, they talk when they want to and don't care how you feel, and when you're talking, they text right through it. It's too much for me to handle. I've made myself as malleable as possible so that I don't clash, so I fit in, so they won't feel uncomfortable about anything and still they find things to complain about when I haven't said one thing yet.

They tell me that I can say anything to them, because they're my friends, but whenever I tell them how I feel, they shoot me down and make me feel like I'm being ridiculous, that I'm being overly sensitive, that I'm taking things too seriously. Then one day when they finally hit a snag and start feeling some of the feelings I feel, I tell them, well now you know how I've felt then, and they're like "That doesn't count!" Nothing I say counts, nothing I do counts, even how I feel doesn't count and I'm so exhausted. I'm so tired, I'm so angry, I'm so frustrated, I'm so upset. And I take it everyday like an adult. I tell myself that it's life, it's a lesson, I'm learning from experience. I tell myself that I can take it and that I've made this far, so why do anything now? But I want them to love me. I want them to treat me better with more respect. I want them to stop trampling on my perspective. I'm not saying anything about how I disapprove of them going around having one-night stands, and making out with married men, so why are they all so against me and attack me when I simply state that I do not condone having a married man try and kiss me. I do not look favorably upon a man who's married with children, who wants to sleep with me. Regardless of how good he treats me, I do not agree with that. But when I said it, they all attacked me. Granted, I guess when I said it, I was angry and drunk so my words came out a bit more maliciously than intended, but they were not on my side at all. They were defending him and making me seem like the bad guy. It's not fair.

I'm so exhausted, I don't even have the energy to cry.

Has This Drama Always Been This Annoying!?

I'm pretty sure I've hit at least one other drama that's driven me up the wall, but this one really is doing a great job at making me want to bang my head against the wall till it cracks.

So I'm watching Bimil up to episode 6 at the moment (My god... I still have like 12 left?), and I'm severely annoyed. Usually, I'd like dramas that truly invoke emotions out of me, but this one is really annoying. The sad part is that I loved this drama back in the day, now I find myself hating it as much as the Twilight series =_= (Ugh... don't get me started with Twilight).

Ok, so all these problems in the drama could have been so easily resolved if someone would just LISTEN or use COMMON SENSE, which most of the characters seem to be lacking =_=; First the father was cruel in raising his biological daughter as though she were adopted and constantly throw verbally-abusive comments at her. Then to make things worse, his second daughter is probably the most evil antagonist I've encountered in a series yet @_@. Next, the fashion designer is stupid enough to just call the second daughter her OWN daughter instead of researching more into it. God, these people are annoying.

I've got to say that Korean dramas have come a long way though. Things from back in the late 90's and early 00's were just terribly formulaic and annoying as hell like the drama I'm watching at the moment -- why in the world did we even like them then @_@? (So puzzling). The Korean dramas nowadays are a lot better, like "My Name is Kim Sam Soon" or "Coffee Prince." Of course, we've got some occasional annoying ones now and then, but nothing's perfect. At least it's not as annoying as the one I'm watching right now =_= *sigh*

Anyway, I just needed to rant so rant I did.

Activities To Explore

So... for the weekend, I was rather lonely 'cause all my friends disappeared on me to other great adventures so I kind of sat and stared most of Friday night. I scrolled through my phonebook on my cellphone and there was no particular number I wanted to call at all 'cause either that person is busy, or they're just mere acquaintances. I ended up calling up two of my friends from college and my mother to try and ease my boredom and find an outlet for my growing depression. Well, the conversation with my mother did not help much, but then I chatted with my friend from L.A. and she gave me some ideas to explore.

Right now, I feel like I'm trapped in a job that I may not ever get better in and am not sure if it's something I want to do for the rest of my life. I feel like I was never really allowed to dream, so I'll never really get to do what I want, but because I've banished so many of my dreams down the road back in the day, I don't even know what it is that I really want to do with my life. The thought's really depressing so I've just been re-evaluating my life. I currently have nothing really that stimulates my interest in any way, so my friend told me that I should try out some activities that I may like. Even if it's something I might not be interested in now, maybe once I try it I will like it. She said cooking classes can be fun, or dancing classes, pottery classes, etc.

I've never really thought about participating in any local activities before so that gave me something to think about. Right now, I think one of my desires is still to open a restaurant with a bar, so maybe if I take some cooking classes or bartending classes, I'll be able to move closer to that dream. I don't think I'll ever be able to be a mangaka or a writer so I should still stick with something that's a bit more practical. I still need to work the job I'm currently at to get to the stage where I can open my own business, but it's not too bad if I find something else that'll make me happy.

Since most of my girlfriends are basically attaching themselves to men, I'm going to be pretty lonely in the months (and probably years) ahead if I'm still by myself, so I need to expand my circle of friends by going out and trying new things. I really hope I'm not lazy about this and actually try to do something fun and useful lol. I'd like to take salsa or tango, and I'd like to take pastry-making classes. I was told by my friend that I need to be happier, I need to do things that make me happy and not care what other people think. She says that I have this tendency to believe that I don't deserve anything good in this world, and that's one of my problems that I need to fix 'cause I do deserve better and I do deserve to be happy, so I need to go out there and have some fun with, or without my current set of friends.

So... I'm looking for activities around town now to do. I hope something pops up and gets me inspired for the future.

Bimil (비밀) Drama

I remember watching this back in 2004 or 2005-ish when it aired in Cantonese dubbing on the Chinese satelite TV thingy and I really loved it then, but now that I'm watching it again, it's hard to stand in a way.

This drama was made back in year 2000, so most of the Korean dramas then had the same formula. There was always the main heroine or hero who was poor, then they're actually related to or falls in love with someone in a rich family, next there's always a deceptive evil sister or something that prevents people from finding out the real identity of the main character or allowing the main character to get together with the other main person, and lastly, someone dies in a car crash or leukemia. I think this was the second to last drama I watched before quitting K-drama completely since they were basically the same in almost every way.

In Bimil, it's a story about a girl who wants to be a fashion designer, but currently works in a clothing wholesale shop within a department store. She believes herself to be an orphan, taken in by her father, a truck driver whom once owned a clothing store, and is thankful to him for bringing her up all her life, except... she is actually his real daughter. The man was resentful towards the woman whom left him behind nearly 25 years ago, so he brought up his biological daughter as though he adopted her. He then met another woman and had a daughter with her, but he was abusive towards this woman and then she died. He raised this second daughter as his biological daughter, and she grew up with a deceitful streak.

Now in the present, the woman whom left her lover and infant child behind 25 years ago, is back in Korea as a famous designer. She wants to find the daughter whom she left behind years ago and support her as she should have, but she makes a mistake and thinks the younger daughter is her real daughter. The younger daughter, becoming more power-hungry and twisted, tricks the fashion designer and makes herself into a rich lady while her half-sister, the real daughter to the fashion designer, has no idea of what has happened.

At the same time, the director of the fashion designer's company falls in love with the main girl, but the fashion designer wants her "daughter" to marry the director, and it causes quite a rift between the two sisters. In the end, the main girl finds out that the fashion designer is actually her mother when she is diagnosed with leukemia and the younger sister runs to the main girl begging for her to donate bone marrow. However, despite that, the fashion designer eventually passes away without ever really reuniting with her real daughter. (Yeah, the fashion designer telling the main girl to call her mom as she lays dying by her bedside doesn't really count as a reunion =_= even if she does acknowledge that the girl before her is her biological daughter).

This is basically the entire story summed up in a nutshell. It's a bit excruciating to watch at the moment, because there's nothing more irritating than watching one of the sisters be a complete bitch, while the other accepts all the abuse. Frankly, it's annoying.

I used to love this drama, but now I can't seem to like it at all. Oh well.

Drinking Again

So after nearly six months of sobriety, I've started drinking again. These days have been incredibly tough on my mental well-being so the old habits have kicked in again. It's been so long since I've drank though that I get drunk off of just one glass of alcohol. My tolerance level is so low right now it's not even funny.

We went out to this restaurant two towns up from where I live and I ordered a beer and drank that on an empty stomach -- which we all know is not a good idea. So of course, like I expected, I felt the ceiling-swirling effects of the alcohol after I drank half of it. Of course, that's not exactly something to be proud of. I used to never get drunk like this even after a glass, even on an empty stomach, which goes to prove that my body has done such a splendid job of detoxifying these last few months that it not longer remembers how to process alcohol in my body.

But yeah... I'm not sure I can even drink like I used to anymore, but we'll see what happens.