When I  started this blog around 12 years ago, gaining readers or followers was the least of my aims. To me, this platform was a mere space for me to practice my writing skills and just to serve as an outlet to release thoughts in my head and pent-up emotions from the stress of daily life. I started this blog when I was just 23; trying to sail through the troubled waters of freelancing, job-hopping, and navigating through my relationship with my then-boyfriend.

When this blog came to be, I was someone searching for my place under the sun.

But as time passed, I guess there was also something good with writing down my thoughts for I got to encounter people, only virtually. Some of them even became my friends, among them was this lady named Diane. The one behind the blog Diane Wants to Write, she discovered my blog by accident and has since became one of the silent readers. And while blogging was one of the things we share in common, there was another thing: Kdramas

It's just that I was a late bloomer to join the bandwagon. When Crash Landing on You became a hit early this year, I remember being the one almost left behind. I just hopped in after my officemates convinced me that it was worth my time and bedtime habit. I would find out later on that I would share the same penchant for this series with Diane who was also smitten by the male lead Hyun Bin (aka Ang Pambansang Asawa because a lot of ladies are head-over-heels with him!).

The topic of personally meeting up was among our plans back then until COVID19 and the community quarantine happened. But despite being at home, we continued with our Kdrama convos over Instagram. Around May this year, this little parcel came as a surprise in the middle of a stressful and scary period. And as this was something I was not expecting, a lot of thoughts were running in my head even before I got this from the delivery guy -- from the usual quarterly statement that I've been used to receiving from my bank, to even a subpoena from the trial court (yes, may ganong idea sa utak ko that time. Crazy but true.)

The parcel contained the merchandise that we often talked about. I honestly forgot about it because I've settled on the fact that there won't be any other way for me to receive those because of the restrictions brought about by the pandemic. But lo and behold, these cute little standees made its way to my home and eventually, my desk. Diane was that generous because there were three of those items together with a cute handwritten note. Talk about long-distance deliveries with a personal touch.

I know this blog entry is long overdue. But I still went on to write about it as a reminder of how strangers and friends can bring some comfort (even kilig) during this scary, difficult, and uncertain time. Especially if you get to share something in common -- fangirling over Kdramas and the oppas included!

Oh, if you're looking for some inspiration and have an eye for beautiful things, do check out Diane's blog, Diane Wants to Write or you can follow her on Instagram and be amazed by her photography and product styling skills! 

Throughout this quarantine period, there had been a few Korean dramas that I have watched more than once because I enjoyed the story the first time. One of which is the romantic comedy Touch Your Heart. The show stars Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na who happens to be the second lead couple, Grim Reaper and Sunny in the 2016 Kdrama Goblin.

While I was unable to see them portray their respective roles in Goblin, I decided to give this one a go mainly because I found the trailer interesting. In Touch Your Heart, Yoo In-na plays as an actress named Oh Yoon-seo. After being involved in a drug scandal, she hopes to redeem her top star status by making a comeback as a female lead in another drama. But to do so, she must first get some work experience by serving as a legal secretary at a law firm. It is there she meets the workaholic and aloof lawyer, Kwon Jung-rok. Just when she's firm with just acquiring some field experience for her role, love unexpectedly blooms between her and her immediate boss.

I must say that I could somewhat relate to the plot of the story especially with Yoo In-na's role as a legal secretary as I also ventured in the same career before going into this unexpected hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than just a glimpse of life inside the confines of a court, the law practice, and reuniting with legal jargon, what made me enjoy watching this drama was the element of romance (of course). But specifically, I liked how the show was able to convey the concept of office romance between two people from obviously different social status in such a delightful way. I confess, there were moments when I have to lock the door of my bedroom because I was squealing in giddy delight whenever there are kilig moments involving the two characters.

But the show is not just all about all that lovey-dovey stuff. It also included some elements of suspense and conflict especially the ones that involved evidence gathering during those crime-solving scenarios. This rom-com also showed some of the pros and cons, the ups and downs that are part of romantic relationships, and how vital compromise is for a couple to sail through the rough patch and make a relationship work. 

The episode ends with Yoon-seo making a successful comeback and finally deciding to make her relationship with Kwon Jung-rok known to the public. While the ending of Touch Your Heart is simple and not as fireworks-worthy as I hoped it would, I must say it was still worth watching. 

I would recommend it to friends who are after feel-good, lighthearted Kdramas to binge-watch on Friday nights. Who knows they might end up wanting to have someone like Kwon Jung-rok in their lives after finishing the series, as in #SanaAll.  

When I was still a newbie to Korean dramas checking out for recommendations, my former colleague Anna strongly suggested that I watch She Was Pretty. She was confident that it was one show that I will enjoy watching. A month into the enhanced community quarantine, the show was one of the titles I would patiently download but would take me two more months to watch. While it was another show that starred Park Seo Joon (the same guy from my second favorite Kdrama, What's Wrong With Secretary Kim), I was a bit unfamiliar with this one despite it has been aired in Philippine TV back in 2015. I was more familiar with his other hit, Fight for My Way.

She Was Pretty is the story of childhood friends Kim Hye-jin (Hwang Jung-eum) and Ji Sung-joon (Park Seo-joon). Hye-jin, was once a beautiful teenager from a rich family while Sung-joon used to be a boy with low self-esteem due to his chubby physique. After 15 years of separation, and a reversal of physical attributes and fortune they would meet again as adults. But this time, Hye jin's family had gone bankrupt, her dad runs a home-based printing business and the physical changes of puberty had taken its toll on her. On the other hand, Sung joon returns, no longer as the shy, chubby boy but as a handsome and successful editor. Hye-jin ends up working with Sung-joon for a fictional magazine, The Most. And while Hye jin is aware that the good-looking deputy editor, Sung-joon was the chubby boy she was friends with since childhood, he, on the other hand, has no idea that the clumsy intern he often berates and mistreats was the same beautiful girl he was searching for. 

Anna convinced me to watch this drama and even said that this is better than Fight for My Way. And now that I've seen it, I can say that she was right. There's the right balance of romance, drama, and comedy in the series. My tummy was already aching from laughing out loud from the second episode onwards. There are no blood-curdling villain characters in the story. The only "conflict" I found was Go Joon-hee's character as Min Ha-ri, the best friend who pretended to be Hye-jin just because the latter was embarrassed to reveal her present identity to the guy who is also her first love.