On My Playlist: Yesterday by Jay Park

“Yesterday” by Jay Park (박재범) was produced by Cha Cha Malone & Chucky Kim and was released on February 13, 2023.

This was actually the most played track on my Spotify playlist in 2023. 😆

“On February 13, the 35-year-old musician dropped his new single ‘Yesterday’ alongside with a music video featuring South Korean actress Lee Yoo-mi, who is best known for starring in Netflix series Squid Game and All Of Us Are Dead.”
—NME.com

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K-Drama Review: Queenmaker

Greysuitcase - K-Drama Review: Queenmaker | Photo Courtesy: Netflix

Synopsis

“After a crisis of conscience, a powerful fixer uses her skills to boost a civil rights lawyer’s mayoral campaign and take down her former employer.” —Netflix

My Take

Starring two strong female leads, the story focused on the partnership formed between Hwang Do-Hee, a former powerful fixer for a chaebol family (the Eunsung group), and Oh Kyung-Sook, a human rights lawyer who often went up against Eunsung Group to fight for the weak.

This was the first Korean drama that I watched that has the plot revolves around a powerful fixer (I think there were other dramas where the scenario of a fixer came in, but the story never really focused on the fixer themselves).

The progression of the first three episodes were a little slow for me. But afterwards, I think the drama hit the right pacing of unfolding of the story. It’s not too intense but it‘s not necessarily slow either.

The characters are interesting, the actors acted well, and there were plenty of interesting sub-plots that made me want to keep watching. They definitely dramatized the incidents that happened, but they all still believable enough to have happened in real life (at least for viewers like me who doesn’t know a lot of or work in Korean politics). Nothing feels overly dramatized, which I appreciate.

There are also some moral issues and dilemma that are being discussed throughout the drama with the main message being the fight between the good and evil and how much sacrifices you have to make for the good to win the war.

I also like the fact that they show how somebody who has done the wrong thing ended up taking up accountability for their actions and not just skate by while still having the message of there’s hope of a better future ahead.

Being a big fan of Olivia Pope (who here also watched “Scandal”?), Hwang Do-Hee’s character certainly reminded me of Olivia Pope. They both are helping somebody to get elected to one of the most powerful office in the country, their fashion and appearances are always put together and their war rooms are definitely reminiscent of each others’,

Overall, I quite enjoy this drama and would definitely recommend it to those who like political drama.

My Rating: 8.5/10

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Bad Book Or Bad Movie

Sometimes ago, I did a poll on my Instagram asking my followers which one would they rather do, read a bad book or watch a bad movie (and why). The result was 25% of people who voted would rather read a bad book while the other 75% would rather watch a bad movie.

I also got some response on the reason why from the people who rather watch a bad movie. One person said “Movie is easier because it moves and you’re forced to move along, unlike a book where you can’t get past a bad page. I’ve watched a lot of bad movies but I haven’t finished a lot of bad books,” and another person said “Movies are usually a shorter investment time-wise than reading a book”.

(Text version is under the image)

I personally rather watch a bad movie as well. On top of the two previous reasons, with movie, I can always fast forward to skip the boring part or watch it in 1.5x or 2x speed to get it over with. 😆

Or if the plot is bad but the cinematography is good, at the very least I can learn how certain scene is lit and shot.

With books, if the writing is bad, I can hardly pass the first couple of pages, let alone finish the whole thing. The writing style and the plot need to be interesting enough to keep me hooked. Plus since there’s no visual with books, if the writing and plot are bad, then that’s it for me.

For the 25% of you who voted for this, curious to know why would you prefer a bad book rather than a bad movie?

Now that I think about it, reading a bad book can probably be compensated with your own good imagination maybe? If you visualize the words way better in your head, perhaps the story won’t be as bad as it is in words? 😆

Also, I devoured a lot of books when I was younger and I think that also made me a little bit picky about what I read later on because some books are just too predictable, unrelatable (even if it’s a fiction, I want my fiction to be somewhat realistic) or some books are just plainly bad and I can’t bring myself to finish it.

In any case, whether it’s a bad book or a bad movie, the one thing that I CAN stand is probably listening to people who review or recap these bad books or movies in their own words and make them fun (part of it is also probably because I can do other stuff while listening to these reviews so it doesn’t feel like my time is wasted since I can still be productive).

If you don’t already know, there’s a whole genre of this kind of videos on Youtube.

The first channel I found a couple of years ago and started binge watching (hearing actually, since I usually listen to her while editing) was probably @KennieJD who usually talks about bad movies that she watched in a self-proclaimed series called “Bad Movies & A Beat” where she does her story telling while doing her makeup.

Almost all the movies that she reviewed are bad and I would probably never watch in real life, but she’s funny so it’s entertaining to hear her comments about the movies. She now does recaps/reviews on reality shows too which is also pretty fun.

My next find was Stephanie Soo’s channel @MissMangoButt “Baking a Mystery” series where she retells and reviews thriller/mystery/horror movies and books. Usually the good ones, but there are some not so good books/movies that she reviewed. The script (if there’s any) is very well-written and she’s very expressive so listening to her telling the story is very fun.

I actually know her initally as a mukbang Youtuber, but then my sister told me that she started a true crime story channel called Rotten Mango (@rottenmangopod) and I should check it out.

I did and I love it. She talks about true crime cases that are pretty well scripted and well researched and she’s a pretty great story teller overall.

Rotten Mango also has its podcast on Spotify which have more episodes than the Youtube channel. She put up cases that have more explicit and gruesome details on the podcast. So if you want to listen to more episodes, definitely head to Spotify.

After I discovered Rotten Mango, it led me to her other channels, @MissMangoButt and @StephanieSoo where she talks about lighter, non-crime related topics such as celebrities’ real-life dramas. Most of her recent topics have revolved around Asian celebrities/public figures and I gotta say, I learned a lot of new things about Chinese public figures’ recent dramas from her stories. Very entertaining.

Anyways, a little bit of a tangent there inthe end but as always, thank you to those who voted on the poll and DM-ed me your answers. 😊

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On My Playlist: Sweatpants by Lauv

Sweatpants is the 12th track of Lauv’s debut studio album ~how i'm feeling~ that was released on March 6, 2020.

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Intentional Pursuit of Friendship

Photo by: Paola Kudacki for TIME

So a couple of day ago, my friend Juli sent me this article and ended up reading and watching the interview clip embedded in the article.

“You have to pursue people you want to be friends with.”@80forBrady actor @Janefonda explains how she sought friendships with @sally_field and @LilyTomlin while discussing the importance of being "intentional" during the process. pic.twitter.com/TSzdk4P0T2

— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) January 14, 2023

My Take

(Text version is under each image gallery.)

After finishing reading and watching the article and the videos, it led me to reflect on my experience on women’s friendship and the intentional pursuit of friendship and I wholeheartedly agree with this.

I’m all for intentionally pursuing people who I want to be friends with.

I think I’ve always been.

Not in middle school though because I was a pretty shy and awkward kid back then and social hierarchy and peer pressure were real.

It started after middle school after I left home for Australia. The moving class system over there might have something to do with it because I didn’t get to spend most of my day with the same group of people, which in hindsight, is a relief honestly. But on the downside, if I wanted to be friends with someone, I had to put an effort to hang out with them during breaks or during the weekends outside school.

There’s also the fact that I was introduced to a couple of different social groups outside school (church, basketball team), which meant I have to make friends with at least one person in each group if I don’t want to be that loner girl during gatherings. Again, peer pressure was real guys. And honestly, it was pretty awkward and nerve-wracking for me.

But it’s okay.

I survived.

Looking back now, that period kind of forced me to start honing my social skills, so it’s all good.

Then after high school, it was the start of my (somewhat) transient life. Went on to live in 6 different cities in the span of 10 years. Not to mention the amount of travel I did every year after that (I think my busiest year was visiting 11 cities in a year). Throughout those years, my social skills got better, meeting new people and introducing myself have gotten easier (anything gets easier with practice, really), and making friends is something that I actually enjoy in every city that I lived or traveled to.

But because of my transient life, I always think that my time in a certain place is limited (including in my hometown sinceI traveled so much). It unconsciously made me prioritize things in my life, including friendship. Friendship for me is pretty high up on the list.

So, with the limited amount of time I got to spend in certain places with certain people, I became very intentional in pursuing people who I want to be friends with. I’d try to meet and spend time with them as much as possible.

Doesn’t really matter what we do—whether it’s spending a whole day together doing everything or doing absolutely nothing—as long as we get to talk and know each other better, I’m always down.

I don’t remember when exactly, but there’s a point in my life where somebody or something someone said made me feel like what I’m doing—this whole intentional pursuit of friendship thing—was weird. Or at the very least, uncommon. It bothered me for a while, thinking I was weird, and afraid that people will find me weird when I want to be friends with them (oh the beauty of self-doubts in your 20s).

But then I met Soo Zee.

The whole self-doubt thing still nagged at the back of my mind during our budding friendship. Plus we initially met on a project so I didn’t want to accidentally cross any line or overstep. But we’ve been meeting for a couple of times, talking about non-work related stuff over food and coffee and desserts and I ended up asking her a question about whether this is a work hangout thing or a friend hangout thing.

I remembered she told me something along the lines of “Yes, we’re friends” and “If I don’t like you, I wouldn’t have asked you to hang out with me.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever told her this but her words brought so much comfort to my then self-doubts because hey, there’s actually another human being who’s also intentional in pursuing their friendship.

I guess in the past, I always felt like I’m the only one doing the pursuing in a friendship. Or at least initiated the pursuit (which later is reciprocated, obviously, if we became friends). And nobody really said that to me explicitly before so I didn’t know if anybody else is intentional in pursuing their friendship, let alone a friendship with me.

Most of my friends, my Indonesian friends at least, usually became friends either because they grew up together, went to school together, or went to church together. Like, their friendship naturally (or sometimes forcefully) formed because they’ve spent so much time together in certain settings (at least from my observation). And growing up, that’s whatI experienced too.

But then after I moved to Seoul, I mostly made friends with people who I met on the internet (which some found weird and I understand. But hey, it works great for me so far, so I don’t think I’m going to stop anytime soon. Also, shoutout to the old version of Instagram for connecting me with these awesome people. It was really an awesome time where I saw real people’s photos more than I saw ad posts) or during my travels.

And the biggest thing about making friends with people on the internet or during my travel is that they could come from a very different walk of life than me.

Sure, there are probably some common grounds that we bonded over during the initial stage of our friendship. But if I didn’t put any effort in pursuing them, the budding friendship wouldn’t have grown, especially with the limited amount of face to face time I get to spend with them since I traveled a lot, we all live in different cities and countries, and most of my friends prefer in-person hangouts or calling over texting. Not to mention that everybody has other (usually more pressing) things that are going on in their lives—work, family, their partner, other friends.

With no intentional pursuit, they’ll just become another face I met during a time in my life that I probably soon forget.

Anyway, after what Soo Zee said, I’ve became very aware of the fact that there are other people who are also very intentional in pursuing their friendship.

I don’t know if it’s the city or just pure coincidence, but all my now close friends who I met in Seoul are very intentional in pursuing their friendship with me. Same with the people who I became friends with from that period onwards.

Some said it explicitly, some said it loudly through their openness and vulnerability when we talk to each other, or through their efforts and actions to spend time with me or check up on me from time to time if we couldn’t meet.

But either way, I’m grateful for every single one of them.

I guess what I’m trying to with this impromptu essay is:

being intentional in my pursuit of friendship has led me to making strangers to become some of my closest friends.

And although intentional pursuit is an important part of forming a friendship with someone, opening up, being honest and vulnerable with each other are as important if you want your friendship to grow and last.

Source: @ninagrewal97 Twitter

Dig deeper than the usual surface level conversations. Talk about things that make you happy, or sad, your hopes and dreams, your fears and struggles and find strength and comfort in each other.

It really did wonders for me in forming new friendship as well as maintaining old ones.

Anyways, didn’t know that this was going to be this long but if you made it ‘til here, thanks for reading! :)

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On My Playlist: Beautiful Scars by Maximillian

About the Song

The 20-year-old promising Danish act Maximillian, has just started 2019 with a personal but simply hypnotic new single “Beautiful Scars”. A perfect mix between the honest lyrics (about his past and his own flaws and mistakes) and the earworming melody of it that will be stuck in your mind for ages.

“I made a lot of bad decisions, hung out with the wrong people and did a lot of things I regret. I literally lived a life on the edge at the age of 13 and “Beautiful Scars” is me facing my life growing up. It’s about how I used to behave and treat people around me. How we all have inner demons that sometimes burst out in the world with no warning,” Maximillian explains.

Maximillian embraces this wonderful trend in which pop is becoming more and more honest: “I believe it’s important to embrace your demons. No one’s perfect –so embrace that –and live your life as good as you possibly can!

—Vibe of Silence

Some of my personal favorite lyrics:

🎵
—
Broken all the pieces I've been shaping lately
Focused on the things that didn't make no sense
Guess that growing up was never meant to be easy
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🎵
—
I went down a road that only got me nowhere
I've seen every corner, every inch of this place
Being all alone it really got me thinking, maybe overthinking
—

Although Maximillian is talking about the mistakes and bad decisions that he’s made in his past, I also feel sometimes when life’s not going the way you imagine it to be, or when life isn’t making sense and you feel lost, you got to break down all the things that you know up to that point of your life before you can have a new start and gain a new perspective. Because, like they say, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result, that’s insanity and you won’t be able to grow from that.

And sometimes being all alone is the exact thing you need to grow. In this current world that’s constantly filled with new content every single second that’s screaming for your attention, you barely got time to think, let alone overthink (although it’s probably not a problem if you’re an overthinker by nature I suppose).

Thinking in peace without having to worry that the world will run and left you behind is, in my opinion, a luxury. Being able to stay still is something that you have to intentionally choose to do. And admittedly, it’s scary being alone with your most honest inner thoughts because sometimes (most of the time, really), every single emotions within you that you usually numbed down with the distractions of this world will bubble up to the surface.

And then, you’ll actually feel.

It’ll be intense and uncomfortable and (sometimes) painful because the only thing you’re focusing on is your feelings. But if you’re brave enough to face your own fears and be honest with your feelings, it’ll also give you a sense of clarity about what you want and what you need in your life.

Growing up is a never ending process that we’ll have to go through all of our life and it’s certainly not easy.

🎵
—
Oh, but what is lost ain't gone
No, you can't just let go
'Cause it's a part of you that will make you strong
Embrace your flaws
—

I believe every bad decisions, mistakes, sadness, pain, anger and heartbreaks in your past certainly made you who you are today. I know people usually say you should let all the negative things that has happened in your life go and forget about it. Although I do believe in letting things go, I also believe that letting things go doesn’t mean that you have to forget all about it because sometimes, things that happened to us will keep us humble, grounded and in touch with the reality of this world. They teach us to be smarter, to be better, and to be stronger.

Every bad decisions, mistakes, sadness, pain, anger and heartbreaks in your past certainly made you who you are today, but they certainly don’t define your future.

🎵
—
I'm not gonna fight back what I've become
Yeah, I've got bruises where I came from
I've been going way too hard on myself
Guess that it's the reason I've been feeling like hell
But I wouldn't change if I could restart
I ain't gonna hide these beautiful scars
—

Being a perfectionist and an idealist at heart, embracing my flaws is something that I’m still learning to do. It took me a quite while to accept that as much as I want to do good, sometimes I fell short because I’m a mere imperfect human. And it’s okay to have flaws because it makes me human. I took me even longer to realize that sometimes I really do go way too hard on myself (and yes, it’s definitely one of the reason why it felt like hell during those times).

Have I embraced my flaws fully? No, not really. I still have to make a conscious decision to do it every single time. But now, I think it gets a little easier for me. Especially when I have people around me who’s letting me be vulnerable and, well, imperfect. People who accept my flaws with nothing but listening ears and silent understanding. People who teaches me how to go easier on myself and love myself a little more. I’m thankful for those people.

One thing that I fully agree with this song is that every single one of these beautiful (battle) scars that I have, have made me who I am today.

Would I change anything if I could restart?

Honestly?

Probably.

There are some painful chapters in my life that I wish I never gone through. But then again, if I skipped those chapters, I probably won’t be who I am today now, am I?

Watch the MV:

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Movie Review: Do Revenge

Greysuitcase - Movie Review: Do Revenge | Photo Courtesy: Netflix

Synopsis

“Drea (Camila Mendes) is at the peak of her high school powers as the Alpha it-girl on campus when her entire life goes up in flames after her sex tape gets leaked to the whole school, seemingly by her boyfriend and king of the school, Max (Austin Abrams). Eleanor (Maya Hawke) is an awkward new transfer student who is angered to find out that she now has to go to school with her old bully, Carissa (Ava Capri) who started a nasty rumor about her in summer camp when they were 13. After a clandestine run-in at tennis camp, Drea and Eleanor form an unlikely and secret friendship to get revenge on each other's tormentors.” —Rotten Tomatoes

MY TAKE

First thing that came to mind when I read the plot was Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on the Train” that was adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel. But only not as extreme as a double murder I guess.

It’s been a a while since I watched a teen flick and although I was expecting the plot to be predictable (which to a certain extent it is), “Do Revenge” did surprise me with its own twists making this a not-so-typical teen movie I should say.

The movie is very well-scripted filled with quick paced dialogues delivered with great acting by Maya Hawke (Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter) and Camila Mendes, the two protagonists of the story.

Not to mention this whole cotton candy-esque color theme they adapted for the entire movie that certainly give us an eye-candy. Also, got to mention that I love the color transition on the two main characters’ outfits as their characters grow. Drea started with a more pink/red/colorful outfits and Eleanor with a more blue/grey/muted outfits and they switch as the movie progresses.

Other random observation, just like any other teen movie, all the actors looks way too old for high schoolers. Especially the boyfriend. Also, my favorite secondary character probably goes to Talia Ryder’s character. Never seen her act before but she’s hella cool in this one. Might go watch “Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” after this.

The one thing that might be different than other teen flicks s is they do touch on mental health issues in this movie and they were highlighted by the two protagonists of the movie. I don’t think I remember any movie that I’ve watched did this. Usually the protagonist is depicted as the strong one so it’s quite interesting to see the more vulnerable part of their characters.

Overall, I think the movie nailed all the things that you usually find in a teen comedy drama. If you’re looking for some lighthearted movie to watch, would definitely recommend this one.

My Rating: 9/10

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Blackpink 'Pink Venom' Countdown Livestream

19 Aug ‘22 — At 12pm (KST), Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa greeted Blinks through a livestream for the ‘Pink Venom’ countdown event. After the livestream was over, Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé said hi and interacted with Blinks who were waiting outside the venue before they left on their separate vans.

Blackpink ‘Pink Venom’ Countdown Livestream Poster | Photo Courtesy: Blackpink/YG Entertainment

Watch the full livestream below:

Blackpink also reacted to their ‘Pink Venom’ music video when they watched it for the first time with the rest of the world on that same day. Their reaction video was released on their Youtube channel on Aug 25. Watch the full video below.

Here are some snippets I found on Twitter during the day of the countdown livestream:

Jennie updated her Instagram story minutes before the livestream started.

220819 제니 스토리 업데이트

유튜브 라이브 5분뒤 !#제니 #JENNIE #블랙핑크 #BLACKPINK @BLACKPINK pic.twitter.com/yB6SubP5pE

— DC 제니 갤러리 (@JennieDCGallery) August 19, 2022

Jennie is BLACKPINK's "workout queen" 😂

— NJ (@NJARCHIVED) August 19, 2022

Everyone working out and busy with their own schedules and lisa?? “I beat all the levels on the cooking game”😭😭😭😭

— ً🫣 (@perfectlalisa) August 19, 2022

Lisa thought she picked herself as the member who fit the choreo the most but held up Jisoo and immediately held hers up when she noticed 😂 pic.twitter.com/vwmha0ikSk

— 젠바 🙈💕 (@blackpinkbabo) August 19, 2022

Lisa really like playing this quiz that she got frustrated when her turn was done.

Hearing that.. Jen immediately said that she can answer one more question.

Look at how happy Lisa after that. She such a baby 😁#Jenlisa pic.twitter.com/BEMoZONVqw

— JL (@ND230917) August 19, 2022

“i want to try the rappers’ parts” JENLISA RAPPING BACK AND FORTH FINALLY??? pic.twitter.com/cQIvLDfcfc

— rj ᱬ (@slytherjennie) August 19, 2022

Jennie chose Jisoo as member who shows new sides for this #PINKVENOM MV because of Jisoo’s charisma 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/Ta86so8GhY

— 𝐽𝐽 (@official_jensoo) August 19, 2022

Is that really a hard question Jen 😏

Jen almost spill their moment here but she suddenly held back and change the reason 😌#Jenlisa pic.twitter.com/zbDOTgAjXA

— JL (@ND230917) August 19, 2022

L: I am anyone???

J: NO!#Jenlisa pic.twitter.com/d7ILfnvFwH

— JL (@ND230917) August 19, 2022

jisoo & jennie doing the crab walk 😭🦀 pic.twitter.com/85TREcxrvm

— 𝐽𝐽 (@official_jensoo) August 19, 2022

💭 who gave the most spoilers about the new song?

jisoo ▶️ jennie
jennie : me??

her spoiler during vlive 😂 https://t.co/rl9E6LtZwX pic.twitter.com/dHjZPausxO

— 𝐽𝐽 (@official_jensoo) August 19, 2022

💭 who was the moodmaker during the cb preparation?

Jennie : “I hope she says it’s me. Say it is me”

Jennie’s 🤭😍 after Jisoo chose her 😂

pic.twitter.com/MueDwhyCb6

— 𝐽𝐽 (@official_jensoo) August 19, 2022

jisoo was copying jennie’s teaser pose lol 😭😂pic.twitter.com/sRcxj9rgZ7

— 𝐽𝐽 (@official_jensoo) August 20, 2022

JENNIE FAST READING??? YESS MAIN RAPPER pic.twitter.com/deHwXGFDrq

— ❦ (@egirIjnk) August 19, 2022

Jennie rapping while reading that letter and the translator's struggling

— 터틀 🐢 (@xx_turtle_) August 19, 2022

jisoo & jennie “we love you 🫶🏻” 🥹😭 pic.twitter.com/UV53Rqe6Zj

— 𝐽𝐽 (@official_jensoo) August 19, 2022

After the livestream, fans and masternims were waiting for the members outside the venue. Here are some of the clips before the members left the venue:

Rosé

Rosé had a little fan meeting outside the venue where she cried after meeting Blinks again after all these times. She said she misses Blinks, thus the tears.

I found the whole video as one of Rosé leaving in the car and it really captures the atmosphere and I'm just
😭😭😭🤧#ROSÉ #PINKVENOM #BORNPINK pic.twitter.com/qxbshizx7G

— Colourmeblue99 (@ColourMeBlue99) August 19, 2022

Our little cutie Rosie 🤍 Rosé found out they got first and she was like “Really?” and whispered “I knew that’ll happen” 😂pic.twitter.com/U3PrGvIOFw

— 젠바 🙈💕 (@blackpinkbabo) August 19, 2022

Rosé is too precious, she cried over the fans waiting under the rain and cried again meeting the fans after a long time 💔

— -𝗥- (@artisticrozay) August 19, 2022

she’s crying coz she missed the fans 🥹 pic.twitter.com/6Iri8SzRMC

— ❀ᐢ·͈ʷ̣̫·͈ᐢ❀ (@joohwangie) August 19, 2022

Photos by: @allurelove_rose

Jennie

쿠마웃음 직관 최고야 pic.twitter.com/KQKz5bXbxN

— 가방 (@Gabangaa) August 19, 2022

Photo Source: @jennieedyou, @official_jensoo

Black Pink's Jennie 😘

Soooo pretty! 😵 She parked the car at a corner near the sidewalks so that we (fans) were not at the middle of the road and at the danger of getting hit by passing cars! 😭

Outside YG Entertainment
Pink Venom MV Release
2022-08-19#BLACKPINK #Jennie#YG pic.twitter.com/9j5V904zwP

— HallyuToYou (@HallyuToYou) August 28, 2022

Jisoo

Photo Source: @ohingchu__, @official_jensoo

Some think she may had another schedule because she never came out the entrance the others did

— Disney fanatic (@dwprincess20) August 19, 2022

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K-Drama Review: Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Greysuitcase - K-Drama Review: Extraordinary Attorney Woo | Photo Courtesy: ENA/Netflix

‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is a very lighthearted courtroom drama with a positive outlook on life filled with hope. The series has very little intense moments, cutthroat competitions and evil villains that are usually present in other courtroom drama series.

My Take

Comparing it to the other Korean courtroom TV shows I’ve watched in the past like‘The Devil Judge’ or ‘Juvenile Justice’, or the American shows like ‘Suits’ and ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ definitely feels very lightweight.

But since the main character is a woman on the autism spectrum, I can see why the show is different from all those other shows. There’s a certain type of innocence and simplicity in the way Attorney Woo thinks, which I think is reflected on how the scenes are set and shot. And in that sense, I feel the lightheartedness of this drama is part of the way for us to understand her perspective without making the subjects too heavy.

The pace is a little slow for me and it took me quite sometimes to get invested in the characters. But overall, albeit finding myself fast-forwarding scenes on a couple of different occasion, the drama is quite enjoyable for me and it required little brain power and energy to watch this show.

If you’re looking for a feel-good courtroom TV show with a very positive outlook in life, ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is definitely it.

Here are some of my comments about the show.

// Warning!May contain spoilers from the show. //

Woo Young-Woo

Woo Young-Woo’s character is definitely unique and different. Apart from the fact that she is a laser-focused genius with a photographic memory, I think the thing I like the most about her is how self-aware she is. She knows what her strengths and weaknesses are and tries her best to not to rely on others.

Also, despite the fact that she usually unintentionally became the center of attention, instead of focusing only on herself, she also has great empathy for others. With her struggle of identifying people’s emotions and the nuances of facial expression and body languages, she still try her best to understand others by asking questions.

Korean Court Law

One of the things I like about watching courtroom drama is that I get to learn about other country’s laws and court system.

This drama is a little bit hard for me to do that since a lot of the arguments or law recitations that Attorney Woo did are usually in rapid-fire delivery that made them hard to digest. So a lot of the articles she quoted during her arguments in court flew over my head completely (watching it without knowing what the law exactly says doesn’t really affect my understanding about the plot so it’s still fine).

Since we’re on the subject of court and law, I also do think some of the cases in the drama are light with best-case-scenario verdicts. The situations that the characters were in also feels like the most ideal or positive situation they could be in.

Woo Young-Woo’s Coworkers

Other than his supervisor, Jung Myeong-Seok, who feels like somebody who (sometimes) knows more than her, I feel like Young-Woo is the only one who’s carrying her team in terms of work since most of the solution came from her (and I understand that’s probably mainly because she’s the main character).

But I kind of wish to see more on her coworkers’ knowledge of the law and how they interpret it. Other than the fact that Kwon Min-Woo is ambitious and Choi Su-Yeon is passionate about justice, I don’t feel like I really know the lawyer side of them. There’s not a lot of brainstorming or dialogue between the team to reach a solution. It’s mostly Woo Young-Woo who has an epiphany on how to solve the case.

Romance Plot

Although the romance plot is not the main plot of this drama, I wish they could explore more on the subject, especially on how the society views Young-Woo and Jun-Ho relationship, as well as the reality of it if they were to continue with their relationship.

The whole subject felt kind of brushed off with the easy solution of you can’t judge somebody who’s on a spectrum (which I agree with).

Although some reactions were inappropriate, I also do think Jun-Ho’s friends and family’s preconceived notion of Young-Woo was warranted for. I think it’s normal for them to worry (and I do think this apply to every significant other one introduces to their family and friends, especially if they don’t know the person. I think it’s normal to be worried). His expectation of everybody just accepting Young-woo as she is like he does is a little much for me. Especially when he never really talks about Young-Woo to them. I feel like if you want people to understand, you have to at least tell your side even just a little bit or introduce her to them perhaps so they can get to know her more. If not, then how would people understand?

Underdeveloped Plots

After watching the whole season, there are definitely a lot of underdeveloped plots.

But now, knowing that ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is going to have a second season in 2024 (although I don’t know if I’ll still remember the story of the first season if the second one will come out in 2024), I guess the underdeveloped plots and slow pace kind of make sense. There are a lot of loose ends after the last episode ended that have the potential to be explored more.

Will i watch the second season?

Honestly, I don’t know. It’s not like I’m holding my breath for it right now. I guess I’ll just have to see when the second season comes out.

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'Pink Venom' Global Press Conference

19 Aug ‘22 — After 22 months of hiatus since their first album release, Blackpink finally has made a comeback with their new pre-release single, ‘Pink Venom’, ahead of their sophomore album release in September. The day began at 10:00 am (KST) with Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa sitting down together addressing the press and sharing their thoughts on their highly anticipated comeback track, as well as their upcoming album and world tour.

Blackpink Pink Venom Global Press Conference | Photo Courtesy: Blackpink/YG Entertainment

“According to Blackpink, “Pink Venom” was chosen as the pre-release single because the track expresses their identity as a group the best. “Since our album’s title is Born Pink, we wanted to relay our identity in the song as much as we could,” said Jennie. “Since ‘pink’ and ‘venom’ have contradicting images, we thought they were kind of reminiscent of us.”

Composed by Blackpink’s longtime collaborators and producers Teddy Park, R. Tee, 24 and IDO, the single’s soundscape was described as a blend of hip-hop and traditional Korean instrumentals. “I remember the first time I listened to the song in our studio,” recalled Rosé. “It had a very new sound, which we haven’t tried before. I just wanted to record the song right away and show the song’s performance to our fans. I’m so excited for it.”” —Riddhi Chakraborty for Rolling Stone

“'Pink Venom’ is a hip-hop track with a striking sound from the beginning,” Jisoo said. “It features sounds of geomungo [traditional Korean six-stringed zither] and an addictive hook, which show a new side of our charms.” About the song title “Pink Venom,” members said the contrasting imagery of the two words captures Blackpink’s essence.

“Since the moment we debuted as Blackpink, we’ve been portraying that kind of contrasting image as our greatest charm,” said Jennie. “A loveable poison; pretty poison. I think it’s a phrase that captures our identity. It’s also a very conceptual song, as it’s the first revelation of ‘Born Pink.’” —By Hayley Yang for Korea Joongang Daily

Reading the articles and tweets that were covering the press conference, it seems that ‘Pink Venom’ will serve as a prequel to Blackpink’s upcoming full-length album ‘Born Pink’ as well as a reflection to Blackpink’s origin. While explaining that the song will be something new that we will be hearing from them, the group also mentioned the fact that it will still be reminiscent of the essence of who they are as a group.

Combining these facts with the MV teaser that has been released two days prior, the statement made complete sense. Observant Blinks have been pointing out the connections of various items on the scenes from the teaser to Blackpink’s previous music videos. And although sometimes fans could read too much into things, this time, I have to agree with the majority of their observations that there are a few nods to their past works in the teaser that made complete sense if reflecting to or staying true to their origin is something that they have in mind.

Blackpink Pink Venom Global Press Conference | Photo Courtesy: Blackpink/YG Entertainment

“The music video for “Pink Venom” finds Blackpink experimenting with new fashion, styling and intricate choreography as well as conceptual sets. It is reportedly the most expensive music video the group’s label YG Entertainment has ever produced. “In terms of our music video, there’s an impactful dance break at the end, and the set is just amazing,” shared Lisa. “Our makeup, styling and dance performances are also very impressive and powerful.” The members demonstrated the key point of the choreography, a move titled ‘Fang Dance’ which they hope fans will recreate on YouTube and social media after the track’s release.” —Riddhi Chakraborty for Rolling Stone

The statement made by YG Entertainment about ‘the most expensive music video they have ever produced’ also caused quite a stir online as soon as it was released, building up fans’ excitement and expectation for the music video, especially when Blackpink’s music videos are well-known for its well-designed real-life sets (like the fans like to point out, Blackpink respects the green screen community but they aren’t a part of it).

“It’s difficult to summarize our identity in one keyword,” Jennie added when asked what Blackpink’s identity exactly is. “Over the past years, we’ve been trying to convey many kinds of messages through various genres. But the one message that we always put first and foremost is reminding ourselves and others to be confident and proud.”

The upcoming “Born Pink” album has already sold over 1.5 million copies in pre-orders, according to YG Entertainment on Thursday. Considering that pre-orders have only been available for a week, “Born Pink” is likely to become a multi-million seller and set a new record among female K-pop acts.

“For us, more so than breaking the record, we want our fans to enjoy our new album as much as we put our work into it,” Rosé said. “Of course, since we worked so hard on it, achieving some honorable records would also make us so grateful, whatever the record may be.” —By Hayley Yang for Korea Joongang Daily”

It’s obvious by now that Blackpink’s songs mostly revolve around the theme of being strong, independent, confident and knowing one’s own self worth. Their songs are unapologetically self-assured and empowering and hearing Jennie reiterated that message (and also the journalist who quoted her on the article) is something that I personally appreciate.

In the world of K-pop, it’s very easy to get dragged into the less than positive side of things that are going on around and within the fandoms. A lot of the time, fans can get lost in unnecessary online dramas that unfortunately bury the core messages the idols’ are trying to convey. Rosé also added on to Jennie’s reminder of focusing on what’s important by saying that she hoped the fans would enjoy their new album rather than focusing so much on breaking records.

And I completely agree with her. Having been using Twitter as a source to keep me updated with Blackpink’s news and activities, I know how those statistics wars can really took away from the joy of enjoying Blackpink’s music. Don’t get me wrong. Of course seeing all the reports of the records they are breaking make me happy for and proud of them. But when those records are used as weapons to instigate war with other fandoms and within the fandoms, that is what I have a problem with. I think we all should be able to celebrate the group’s or individual member’s achievements without having to put other group or people down.

After the release of “Born Pink” in September, Blackpink will embark on a world tour and meet approximately 1.5 million fans around the globe.

“It’s been ages since our last world tour,” Jisoo said. “Fans have been waiting for us for so long, and we’re also preparing very hard with determination to give it our everything. I want to feel that excitement we felt during our previous world tours.” —By Hayley Yang for Korea Joongang Daily”

“Regarding their Born Pink World Tour, Jisoo stated, “We are ready to give everything we have,” adding that it’s been way too long since they’ve seen their fans and they’re looking forward to being onstage again. The tour will feature a much longer set list than previous shows, brand new stages and choreography. “Since it’s our first one in a very long time, we’d like to focus on our originality and include a lot of new songs,” said Jennie. As of now, a total of 36 dates have been announced for Asia, the U.S., Europe, and Australia with more to come.” —Riddhi Chakraborty for Rolling Stone

‘Born Pink’ world tour that will kick-off in Seoul in mid-October has been labeled as the largest world tour by a girl group in K-pop history, with 1.5 million fan attendance projection by YG Entertainment. As exciting as the news is, the one thing that I’m pretty sure is nagging in the back of every single Blinks’ mind who wants to go the concert is whether we’re going to get tickets to the show because ticket war is going to be bru-tal.

Blackpink will become the first female K-pop act to perform at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Lisa is also a nominee for this year’s award for Best K-pop for her EP “Lalisa.” During the almost two-year hiatus, members Rosé and Lisa made their solo debuts.

“I was so excited to reunite with members after my solo activities,” said Rosé. “It felt different than before, to see them again. It motivated me to work even more enthusiastically with them.”

“For me as well, being active as a solo was fun for me, but I felt a sense of emptiness whenever I was alone in a waiting room or while moving from one place to another,” Lisa added. “I love you,” she told her groupmates. —By Hayley Yang for Korea Joongang Daily”

Blackpink’s confirmed attendance at the VMA is also another exciting thing that Blinks are looking forward to. On top of the live stage debut of ‘Pink Venom’ during the event, the group’s nomination for Best Group and Lisa’s nomination for Best K-Pop added to the whole excitement of ‘Pink Venom’ era that will officially marks Blackpink’s comeback.

The press conference wrapped up after 30-minute or so with Jennie thanking all the press for attending and saying that she hopes everybody loves the ‘Pink Venom’ MV too.

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Other Updates:

19 Aug ‘22 — Jisoo updated on her Instagram and her Weibo posting photos of her outfit she wore during the press conference.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JISOO🤍 (@sooyaaa__)

Photo Courtesy: Jisoo’s Weibo Account

BLACKPINK 'PINK VENOM' Global Press Conference 🕷️🖤#PinkVenomOutTODAY#PINKVENOM pic.twitter.com/ohWZcNmpHo

— JISOO STYLE 🤍 (@jisoocloset) August 19, 2022

JISOO, Dior fashion and beauty global ambassador, elegantly appeared in a black gown by Maria Grazia Chiuri for the release event of the Pre-Release Single 'Pink Venom' by @BLACKPINK. pic.twitter.com/UGsbKAFydV

— Dior (@Dior) August 22, 2022

23 Aug ‘22 — Lisa updated with photos from the day on her Instagram.

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A post shared by LISA (@lalalalisa_m)

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