A) One Of My Favorite Quotes From ‘Mr. Queen’

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ Taught Me That to See the Good in the Bad is Indeed, a Very Brave Thing

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ is an absolute beam of light, there's no other way to describe the show. It is a haven for when you're lost, a huge hug of positivity when you're having low days and a thoroughly adorable drama.

The Story:

We have our lead protagonist, Gu Ra-Ra, a 24-year-old whose perpetually positive and cannot but look at the silver lining of every bad occurrence. She shines through adversity as she meets Jun Suwoon, a 19-year-old runaway who wants more from life than his family's stifling expectations.

It is in Eunpo, a little town away from Seoul, that the two meet accidentally. From here on we see the story of Ra-Ra and her jolting awareness of the real world as she loses everything she owns and has to now stand up on her two feet.

The show is so heartwarming because of the community of beautiful people Ra-Ra meets in her new, sleep town. Thanks to them (and a lot to Jun), Ra-Ra opens up her own piano academy 'La La Land'.

Dr.Cha: 

Jin Su-Kyeong:

Jin Ha-Yeong:

Lee Seung-Gi:

TWD: (The ‘Want Divorce’ Club)

Kim Man-Bok:

Detective Chu:

My Learnings from ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’:

1. Take life one day at a time.

Life is utterly unpredictable so sleep your worries away, and take one day at a time, as it comes. Gu Ra-Ra's 'let's do what we can do today' mantra is gold.

2. Love. Love is what makes the stars go around and rewrite themselves.

Oh man, if I can just hug Jun Woo and Ra-Ra for the beautiful, beautiful love they harbor and nurture, I'd have broken my screen by now.

3. Sometimes, we don't find family, it finds us.

To all the lovely people of Eunpo, I am smitten by the way you found Ra-Ra when she most needed companionship, love and comfort. It made me believe that there is sometimes more than just one family for some of us, and that sometimes that 'other' family finds you in the form of new friends, neighbors and landladies.

4. People may forget the rest, but they will always remember that one, unexpected act of kindness.

Ra-ra’s father was her biggest cheerleader and that is what made Ra-Ra stick to the piano. That one moment when her father cheered for her, defines Ra-Ra’s attitude when things get rough. It is this unexpected act of love that shapes Ra-Ra’s way of seeing the world and it showed me how powerful kindness can be. 

My Last Thoughts:

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Credits: Picture 1: letsott.com | Picture 2 & 3: Twitter (Hani, KPopandKDrama) | Picture 4: IDN Times | GIF 1 & 8: Tumgir | GIF 2: @dramaintherain​ | GIF 3: southsounder.com | GIF 4 & 6: Gfycat | GIF 5: Netflix | GIF 7: WiffleGif | GIF 9: Bitches Over Dramas 

~ Do you feel nourished, restful and calm with the people you surround yourself with? Or do you feel depleted, tired and often find yourself as a human soundboard for their thoughts and feelings? ~🐏  . Does your close circle uplift you, push to towards growth, or does it thwart your progress by belittling your ideas and work through constant negative judgment? 🐏  . Do you feel loved, seen and cherished for your heart, your mind? Or do you find yourself hiding your quirks and true feelings because there is no room for honest heart talk? 🐏 . May you choose those who choose you because we are conscious partakers of the energy we allow in our lives. 🐏 . And this beautiful little life, this sweet, fleeting existence requires you to choose people who are good to you + for you. 🐏 . . Love always, Anvi

~ I believe we all have something called a ‘God’s gift’ or gifts. It is when something much more stronger than our own minds flows through our bodies to create things. When we show up, we also allow this divine energy to flow through us. ~

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~ notes from everyday ~

~ Favorite stills from Episode 2 of Traveler (S2). I think I fell as hard for Tango as the three boys and for some reason, it was so believable that Kang Ha Neul would shop a turquoise charm necklace and carry it like it belonged to his body. ❤ ~

~ Today, I want to share something very dear to my heart, something that's become my Golden Mantra of sorts. I recently learnt and experienced that whenever you feel you're at a dead-end, lost or have 10% of clarity on a subject: . a) Pray: Take that 10% clarity and go ahead with it rather than wait for the remaining 90%. With that 10%, head to the Universe or to whichever divine energy you believe in and ask for help. Pray: about your worries, your hopes, your want for guidance and rest all of it on the Universe. Let it be there for you. . b) Act: Once you've teamed up with the Universe, pinpoint areas where you can start taking immediate action. What is the work you need to put in and in which areas? Prayer is one half of the Divine Teamwork, taking action is the next. It solidifies your hope and makes you feel actively responsible for your path. It makes you feel like a thriving part of it rather than a passive onlooker. . c) Surrender: Once you've acted in the best way you could, however minimal your actions might feel at times, surrender the outcome to the universe. Trust the divine plan and trust its timing. It is never wrong. Let go of your mind's need to control the result and trust the universe's splendid, ever-caring magic. . . P.S: Most often than not, we are the only ones in our way. Let's open our hearts to help (both divine and human), and let's learn to get out of our own way. 🌼 ~ . . ~ notes from everyday ~

Don’t Let Your Past Dictate Your Present Is What  I Learnt From ‘Chocolate’

For every drama I've loved so far, there's an inner Anvi screaming "O, my god! What a show! Go watch it!". It's screaming very loudly for this one as well.

My third drama to be precise and my first Korean one, ‘Chocolate’ (2019) had my heart in a knot and made me weep like a baby. It took every broken piece inside me and took its time in gluing it back with a little bit more magic and love.

Man, this show. Oh man, this show.

A tale of two childhood sweethearts, Dr. Kang and chef Moon Cha Young, the two reunite after nearly two decades with only Cha Young recognizing her first love. Dr. Lee Kang, an illegitimate heir of a big medical institution, lives with his step-family who wants nothing more than his inheritance. A boy who once dreamed of becoming a chef, Kang now seeks revenge for his mother's death.

Moon Cha Young has had it rough in life. A survivor of a terrifying building crash, she finds solace in food and cooking. Suffering from post-traumatic disorder, Cha Young keeps to herself, until Kang's best friend falls for her.

(I won't spill the beans further because that would just unravel the plot making it pointless to watch. Which is precisely what I don't want --- I want you to watch the drama and fall head over heels for it and cry buckets just like I did.)

Kang and Cha Young cross paths once again in a hospice for terminally ill patients and it is here, amidst stories of love, death, family and friendship that they begin to know each other.

The drama is tear-jerker, NGL. But I didn't mind that one bit. It isn't a light watch, it is mature and heavy and worth every minute of your precious time.

As is typical of drama male leads, Kang's initial treatment of Cha Young pissed the shit out of me even though I could understand where his attitude stemmed from -- Cha Young after all, broke the heart of his only and best friend. Still, I wanted to punch the man in his face a lot of times. And I also wanted to shake the hell out of Cha Young for returning to him time and again like a wounded puppy. Thank god she stopped after a while, thank god for some self-respect.

I also love, love the side-cast in this show. What freaking cool actors and boomers. I particularly love head nurse Ha Young Shi who's totally cool, gives zero shits about gender stereotypes and goes all in with her heart. Then there is Lee Joon who's narrative I particularly enjoyed, especially the way he chose to let his own heart guide him rather than his family's expectations of him. I loved Director Kwon Hyun Sik, a father figure to Kang and an absolutely beautiful man.

My learnings:

1. Some people are worth those second chances. 

Some people are worth placing your trust back into and trying once more. Some people are worth the fight. 

2. Don’t let your past dictate your present. 

Let your present dictate your choices, your heart. The past is long gone and if something from it comes revisiting, it is worth looking at in a brand new way.

3. It’s never too late to open your heart again.

For me, 'Chocolate' still remains one of my favorite dramas till date. I love the slow-paced nature of the show, I love how it wrings out all kinds of emotions from you and how it heals you in ways you don't even realize.

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GIF Credits: | GIF 2  - Soompi | GIF 7: Tumgir | GIF 11: Netflix 

Image Credits: Hancinema.net

Hyori's Bed & Breakfast ~  Season 1, Episode 1

Hyori's Bed & Breakfast has been a non-pushy contender on my Netflix to-watch 'list' give and take, for the past 6 months.🍄

At the forefront are Lee Hyori and her husband Sang-Soon who live on Jeju island. The house in itself is modest (considering they have an entire field as a backyard and then some more). It serves as a reflection of the quiet, lazy life the couple prefers. 🍄

Episode 1 opens up to Hyori and Soon starting their day, sitting in their dining room sipping tea. Hyori is yet to figure out a camera angle that shies away from her nasal hair. She'll target Soon's next. 🍄

The couple are having second thoughts on signing up to have their home serve as a bed & breakfast for surprise guests. Living with 5 dogs and 2 cats (their children), it is Hyori and Soon's easy, nonchalant, loving camaraderie that I spot right away. 🍄

Having failed to look good on camera as they eat breakfast, the couple settles on prepping their home as the next B&B on Jeju. Their pace is slow, unhurried and they are very good with unintentional, slapstick comedy (especially the part when Hyori drops a comforter on Soon's head). 🍄

You'll see them clean, head out to get groceries, play with their pets and have a lot of moments where they don't have anything interesting for the camera. But rest assured, for the English subtitles deserve a mini Oscar. They do a hilarious 'reading between the lines' and accurate (read: LOL-worthy) interpretations of the on-goings in the house. 🍄

The episode ends with the to-be B&B owners having their last restful night of sleep as their first guests are due to arrive the next day. 🍄

My favorite bits:

1. Hyori and Soon's fail humor. 🍄 2. Little Mocha's (their tiny dog) adoption story. 🍄 3. Hyori's take on worldly possessions after she nearly buys the entire slipper shelf at a store. 🍄    4. Soon's adventurous-chef spirit. 🍄 5. Their drive to the local market filled with open highways, trees and sunsets. 🍄    6. Hyori and Soon's little tea setup in the dining room. 🍄 7. The house cats’ 'why do I tolerate these humans?' faces. 🍄 8. Hyori waking up after a nap. 🍄 9. The real reason why Soon married Hyori. 🍄

Image Credits: 1) channelkorea.com 2) Netflix

~ When we have a constantly active inner critic that thrives on self-hate, try as hard as we may, it becomes extremely difficult to move towards positive self-growth. . The negative self-talk from such an inner critic instantly demotivates you and since that's all we hear, we begin to see ourselves solely from the eyes of this critic. . This propels us to second-guess the nourishing choices we've decided to make and stops us from taking regular action to back these choices, hence causing us to stay in this same toxic loop of self-caused pain.  . If we get down to the root of this, we realize, that in order to back ourselves up, we need to trust ourselves. Due to loop patterns of self-destructive behavior (both conscious + unconscious), without knowing it, over time, we lose trust in our self and our power to make healthy choices. . The way out, I've realised over this past year, is to back the promises you make to yourself by regular, consistent actions.  . This weakens the negative self-talk the inner critic often thrives on and suddenly, there opens a tiny space where you start seeing yourself minus this toxic lens of self-hate (which is the primary cause of self-hurt and self-sabotage).  . Slowly, by backing the words + choices we tell & make for ourselves with regular, positive actions, we invite buds of self-trust to bloom once more. 

“The Universe is watching you in absolute awe. . Each time you step forward and share your magic, A breath of relief can be heard . For you are being who you were destined to be.” 

- girlandhermoon

~ You can pour love into the world from where you are, here and now ~

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Not needing to wait till you are 'perfect', till all of your ideas have fallen into place, you can breathe into your purpose, as you are today.

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To fill yourself first before filling others, to love yourself first before loving others, to heal yourself first, before you heal others, that is all this journey asks.

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~ notes from everyday ~

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Image: chenchenchenrr, Weibo, source: @lunasea​