It is the fall of my life
After toiling in the humid heat
Under the summer sun
The leaves wither and fall
It is not a sad thing
To lose the decay
The browns, the reds, the oranges
Fall from above
Like sunset on the pavement sea
I sleep through the winter-white blanket
Of a fairy wonderland
I am a glacier
Immovable in my value
Content
I dream of spring
Aside from accepting my downward spiral into madness, I’ve taken time during this quarantine to indulge in my usual pastimes. And as I am a bored young adult with a blog of her own, I will use this avenue to take what I’ve enjoyed and foist them into the good opinion of my readers:
Read: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
I haven’t read a lot of books lately, I admit – but this is the first novel I’ve read in a long time that made me feel anything at all. It was described as a cross between “Pride and Prejudice” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”, so I was incredibly skeptical about it. (I love both books. And their screen adaptations.)
I’m delighted to say I was proven wrong, since it managed to blend Regency England and the magic of Howl with a great set of characters and a rare, refreshing message hidden in romance: that everyone in the world can and should do their part to rid the world of its small evils.
Plot: Theodora “Dora” Ettings had half of her soul captured by a faerie lord when she was 10-years old, ridding her intense feelings like joy, sorrow, or embarrassment. Her cousin Vanessa appeals to England’s Lord Sorcier (This version of Regency England has magic, yes.) Elias Wilder to help Dora with her affliction.
If you’re looking for a short and sweet read, this is it.
Things I’m also re/reading: Lucy Worsley’s Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Watch: Because This Is My First Life
As of April 2020, Because This Is My First Life is probably my favorite K-Drama of all time. I think it’s fair to make that assessment after having watched almost 40 dramas at this point.
Plot: Because This Is My First Life follows Ji-ho and Se-hee, two 30-somethings who have housing issues, decide on a contract marriage that is really more of a landlord-tenant relationship – until it’s not and they develop real feelings for one another.
I don’t want to get in too deep into the premise because it’s simple on the surface, but there are minor characters that are also the leading characters in their own lives, and they’re very interesting too.
The seemingly banal premise gives way to a hidden depth in message and empathy in a way that I’ve never seen before in a K-Drama. I think it’s the most sincere and steadfast K-Drama I’ve watched that makes excellent points about womanhood: division of household labor, how women have to give up on dreams when they marry, dealing with in-laws, sexual harrassment, wearing a bra – all the sundry pains and inconveniences of being an Asian woman are in this drama.
Ji-ho, the female lead, graduated from a top university and desperately wants to be a writer, but her life isn’t going anywhere she wants it to. That part alone hit me on the head with a hammer by the first two episodes. Her two best friends also are going through it: one desires to be a wife and a homemaker but her boyfriend won’t settle, while the other has to kowtow to male colleagues and accept their assholishness despite being more competent than them.
I also liked that even if they went with one of my age-old favorite tropes (fake marriage), it considers the ethics of that trope and turns it around to honor the sanctity of such a commitment. It’s so rare to find a K-Drama with this much heart to it, and honestly it makes you feel like the drama was able to respect the intelligence and emotional capacities of not only its characters, but also you – the viewer.
Things I’ve also watched: Itaewon Class, A Well-Intended Love (Season 2)
Listened To: Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows
I’m a little ashamed to say that I re-watched the first two Shrek films, and that this song from the beginning of Shrek 2 has been playing over and over in my head. It’s a really cute song for a really cute sequence. Maybe I’m not that ashamed afterall. The Shrek soundtracks are bomb. Come to think of it, this song can actually apply to the two above.
That’s what I have so far, aside from learning how to cook and to garden these days. I’m really excited to go back out into the world and live my life, but if I still can’t then I’m settling for living vicariously through others and highly encourage everyone to do the same.
Dear Friend,
Yours is a warm hand on a cold day
And letting go of it
Is the end of a good dream
I feel it in everything
In the fraying cotton I spin
In the onion skins I peel away
In the crossed out letters I tear apart
My hair reached the small of my back
The last time you saw me
It’s almost as long again
Two, no three haircuts have passed
I’ve grown up and so have you
But in split-end directions
If you care to know, I still haven’t had a nosebleed
And now, I have a taste for wine
Send me a postscript if you want to know the lists that have grown in your absence:
Dreams
Disappointments
Fears
Heroes
Enemies
Future baby names
Albums to sing to
Bad jokes I’ve laughed at
And if not, adieu.
Until we meet again.
With so much going on in the world, I have been writing – but not necessarily something suited for this blog. I can’t really write about anything current since everyone is quarantined at home.
With regards to my personal life, I quit my job right before what looks like a global recession will hit, so things are… swell. I have been watching a lot of different things lately, but not much time to process it all.
I was able to watch the new Emma. film, as well as Itaewon Class and Because This Is My First Life, among other things. I’m trying to read a bit every day, and exercise and practice my Mandarin. On days when I am exceptionally active, I even do research on how to write for S.E.O. and such.
But I confess that with all the uncertainty in the world, it is hard to be productive. So the best I can wish for is that everyone will stay safe and healthy and hopeful. I think hope is very important right now, wouldn’t you agree?
writing space for now 