I started watching Korean dramas again.

I finally have some free time, so I decided to start watching dramas again. Currently, I’m watching Dream High [드림 하이]. It was one of the highest ranking ones so I just decided that I would watch it. It might be the fact that IU is in it, or that there’s so much song and dance, but I find it to be pretty enjoyable. I finished episodes 1-8 over the weekend and I’m hoping to finish by the end of next week. I don’t have a TV, or anything else to do with all my free time, so I’ll probably watch a few more dramas in the coming months.

Stringer Bell is still a badass.

Since I am currently unemployed, I spend a lot of time watching television. I am just finishing up this show Luther on BBC America and I have to say that it is one of the best shows that I’ve seen the entire year. If you’ve watched The Wire, then you know that Stringer Bell is one of the best characters in the entire show. The same actor, Idris Elba plays John Luther, a detective that’s fucking badass.

A Korean drama from the Philippines!?

I stumbled across this while my mom was watching the Filipino Channel.  It's not really a Korean drama, it's a Filipino drama (which are just as cheesy).  The whole centers on Korean nationals in the Philippines.  Here's a bit from the series's Wiki:

The story of Koreana begins twenty years ago when Nerissa (Angelu de Leon), a Filipina caregiver falls in love with Philip (Marco Morales), a wealthy Korean national based in the Philippines. Defying conventional Korean standards, their relationship earns the ire of Chang Hee Jung (Eddie Garcia), Philip’s father who strongly resents his son’ decision of falling in love with a non-Korean.

Philip and Nerissa will soon bear a child causing Chang Hee Jung to set aside his misgivings, and to open his home to Philip and his family. But their happiness will be cut short as Violeta (Eula Valdez) Chang Hee Jung’s adoptive Filipina daughter, sets off an evil scheme against Nerissa. She will be thrown out of the house but secretly takes her baby with her.

To add on to her misery, Nerissa will be separated from her daughter after being involved in an unpleasant bus incident. The baby ends up in the arms of Josefina (Lotlot de Leon), an old maid who works as a cashier in a local beer club. Believing that the mother has already abandoned the child, Josefina takes her home, and names her Jenna (Kris Bernal).

Jenna, despite being raised in an unconventional neighborhood, grows up to be a sensible and cheerful young woman. Aware of her Korean heritage, she acquaints herself with all things Korean, particularly their cuisine. And while in the midst of fulfilling her dream of becoming a chef, she unexpectedly ends up in a Korean restaurant, unaware that the place she works for is actually owned by Chang Hee Jung.

After twenty years of living an incomplete life, how will Jenna unmask the secrets concealing her true identity? How will she take back what is rightfully hers? Will she end up neglecting her roots or embracing it all the more?

I'm not sure if I'll actually follow the series.  It sounds like they could be touching on some pretty heavy stuff with the different cultures and all that.  It'd also be interesting to see how Filipinos view and portray Koreans, but  I'll proably just end up asking my mom about it since she watches every drama out of the Philippines.

I just watched episode one and two of Stairway to Heaven.

So I decided to watch this Korean drama because it was recommended to me and it’s one of the top rated dramas on crunchyroll. Since this is only the second drama I’ve gotten into, I really don’t have much to compare it to. I can tell that it’s been some time since the drama originally aired. The video quality, the way the characters dress, and the way Korea looks in the background all give it away. I sort of like it. Another thing i can tell from the first two episodes is that it’s the entire series is going to be SAD AS FUCK. Coffee Prince was a little dramatic at some points, but it was pretty lighthearted, at least for the first two episodes. It definitely wasn’t anything like this though. Seriously, SAD AS FUCK. I like it though. It’s more along the lines of what I previously imagined k-dramas to be like. Anyway, I probably won’t take as long to finish this series since I have a lot more free time on my hands now. I also made this contract with myself where I apply for two jobs in Korea before starting an episode. If I stick with it, I should have twenty applications sent in before the end of the week.

Law & Order: UK is pretty cool.

I've mentioned Law & Order: Los Angeles a few times and I really have been enjoying it for what it is.  However, I also just discovered Law & Order: UK on BBC America and I have to say that I like it a little better than the L.A. iteration.  It follows the same formula as the original L&O, with the first half of the show focusing on the detectives and the second half on the prosecution.  It even has the same speech at the start of the show except "district attorneys" is changed to "Crown Prosecutors."  There are a few differences though:

• Them English sure do talk funny.  Just kidding.  The show is easy to follow but the slang is a little tough to follow sometimes.  It's only bad when they're talking to hoodlums and hookers on the street.
• Apparently, Crown Prosecutors and Judges wear powdered wigs during their court proceedings.  I found this extremely funny.
• In the original, a recurring theme was Jack McCoy's liberal streak and how far he would take it.  In UK, it focuses a little more on how the prosecutor is torn up about his work, a little like the detectives on SVU.
• There's less science on the show.  I'm not sure if it's because CSI isn't popular in the UK or not, but there's just less of it.  There's also not a regular coroner either, so that might be part of it.
• I've also noticed that there are less guns on the show, which makes sense, but it's still interesting.  I've seen five episodes now and there's only been a gun that I've seen.  There hasn't been any looking for the gun, ballistic tests, gun shot residue tests, or finding where the shooter was standing.  It's a little weird.

All in all, I really like the show.  I've been looking it up on Wikipedia right now and it looks like I should try to see if I can illegally acquire this somehow.  Just kidding.  I pay for all the shit I watch.

I just finished watching Coffee Prince.

I started watching the series a while ago and I’m surprised that it actually took me so long to finish. Usually when I decide to watch something, I marathon the whole thing. I didn’t think the series was boring or anything, I just got caught up in doing random shit. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I think it was a good show to watch for my first Korean drama. The premise was a little strange but it wasn’t anything too weird. I actually kept thinking about Ouran High School Host Club (an anime) the entire time I was watching it. Now that it’s over though, I’m left with a small little void inside of me that needs to be filled with another Korean drama. The only problem is that there are so many to choose from that I don’t know where to start.

The Jersey Shore finale is tonight.

It’s been a good run. I have to say that I enjoyed this season just as much as the first. Bringing Angelina back was a good choice because it brought so much drama to the house. I haven’t really been following the news thats going on outside of the show like I did during the first, so I don’t rally know what to expect for the next season, but with all the GTL in the first and the t-shirt times in the second, it can’t possibly go wrong.

It’s a constant struggle.

In her old age, my mom’s only two joys are not my brother and me, but the Filipino Channel and computer solitaire. This doesn’t bother me one bit, but since the big screen TV in the living room is currently not working, it means that the prime real estate in the house is now my brother’s room, where one can enjoy cable TV while sitting at a computer desk. I particularly enjoy this spot because I can indulge in internet browsing and daytime Law & Order marathons. So now my brother’s room has become a heated battlefield while my brother is at work/school in the day between my mom and me. My mom is surprisingly sneaky. When I get up to use the bathroom she will sneak in and firmly plant herself in the computer chair. Since I enjoy computer games myself, I know that it’s pointless to interrupt someone when they’re in the middle of a game, so once those cards are dealt on the screen there’s no moving her until the game is done. If I miss that window where she completes a game and starts another one, then I’ll be stuck with my iPad and now television for hours. I’m fairly sneaky myself, so sometimes when I want to use the computer, I’ll call the house from my cell phone and when she gets up to answer it, I’ll take over the computer. I’m able to defend the position for a while by telling her that I’m applying for jobs, which I actually do sometimes. However, my mom is a hardened veteran of subtle mind games so I always have to be on the lookout.

Law and Order: Los Angeles premieres tomorrow.

I’ve been seeing the hype for this on TV since I’ve been back and I’m really excited for this. For one thing, I am a huge L&O fan. I even own some box sets. There’s also the fact that it’s set in LA, which I think will have it’s own unique effect on the show. However, I can totally see this going really bad, but hopefully Terrence Howard will be enough to save the show.

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love the Jersey Shore Season 2

I've been busy these past few weeks so I haven't been able to sit down and watch anything, but I just caught up with all the episodes of the Jersey Shore and I'm still going to have to say that it's the greatest reality TV show on air right now.  I think season 2 is just as good as the first, maybe even a ltitle better, so here's ten reasons why I love this season:

1. Angelina.  At first, I wasn't really sure why they brought her back for a second season, but it's great that they did.  In season one, we didn't really get a chance to see just how crazy she is, but now that she's here and here to stay, FUCKING RIDICULOUS.
2. There's so much in-house drama.  I feel like last season there wasn't as much conflict within the house.  There was just a lot of talk for the first few episodes how crazy Snooki was and the shit between Ronny, Sammie, and Mike.  This time there's just so much shit happening with everyone.
3. "I have the best blow-out in the nation." -Pauly D
4. There's a camera placed right at the mirror.  Every clip where it shows someone looking themselves at the mirror is fucking hilarious, whether it's Mike looking at himself, Pauly D fixing his hair, or J-Woww fixing her boobs.
5. Vinny.  To be honest, he was my favorite character in the first season.  He was down-to-earth and seemed like a guy I can actually get along with.  None of that has really changed, except now he's just doing more shit in the show.
6. Snooki is still bat-shit crazy.  I'm glad to see that nothing's changed.
7. Mike always pulls up his shirt in a club, girls start feeling his abs, and then he turns and looks at the camera.  This happens every episode, guaranteed.
8. It's in Miami.  It might be because I'm from California and I'm not that familiar with the actual Jersey Shore, but I've seen enough of CSI: Miami that the location speaks to me.
9. Ronny and Sammi's relationship is still so frustrating.  I thought I was really going to be tired of all their dumb shit this season, but I just can't stop watching it.  It's also the driving force of the rest of the drama of the show.
10. It's reality television at its best.  I'll stand by this statement if you want to believe me or not.