Marry My Husband

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The plot is an adaptation of the web novel of the same name. It follows the life of Kang Ji-won, a middle class working woman who is diagnosed with late stage stomach cancer.

She is portrayed as an ordinary woman – timid, hardworking and in simple terms the “not so popular”. She is married to Park Min-hwan, who was initially shown as a caring partner but changes since their marriage. Post the marriage he chose to quit his job and ended up being a burden to Ji-won. Things were just made worse by his mother who thought that her son could do nothing wrong and in turn pressurized Ji-won to work harder.

The stress takes it’s toll and she ends up falling sick. In those times her closest friend Jung Soo-min was her only companion when she battling with cancer. Her friend regularly visited her during treatments and encouraged her to fight.

Little did she know that her life was about to be turned upside down when she was sent back home from the hospital due to non payment of the hospital bills. When she arrived at home the scene in front was that of her husband cheating on her with her closest friend. They all the while were plotting a way to get rid of her to cash on the life insurance.

She threw a fit of rage on discovering the truth but neither of them regretted on what they did to her. They said “The living needs to keep on living” and in the scuffle pushed her sending her crashing to the floor. She saw her life drain out of her.

When she wakes up again she is back to the year 2013. To a time before she made all the wrong decisions in her life. Given the opportunity to change her fate, she now has to make the right choices to ensure a better future than the one she lived.

The series follows the changes she makes to enact her revenge on the ones that had killed her and all the while claiming her right to to a “Fairytale Happy Ever After”. With the help of her romantic interest Yoo Ji-hyuk who seems to be in a time loop of his own they sought to alter the present to make their future one in which they finally win.

In my opinion, it is a light-hearted revenge tale which is a nice break from reality giving the viewers the motivation that it is never to late to change their destiny.

A New Chapter

When my parents were of my age I believe they had moved from the the phase of Married Couple to Parents.

Strange how we never realize how things are getting easier for at least some people. They whole lives were narrated by others. I could never imagine taking such a responsibility at this stage of my life. To be responsible for another life. To make them your priority. To maybe have to put your personal dreams on the back burner.

Many parents I think were not ready for it but still went head first into the unknown. They gave up on the lot of pleasures and luxuries and wore the cloak of responsibility. They built a life.. a better life for their children and were willing to put themselves through the wringer to do it.

Cheers to the parents who choose to love and sacrifice for a better world for their children!

Daily writing prompt
What were your parents doing at your age?

The Glory

Rating: 5 out of 5.

One of best portrayed TV series I have watched in a long time.

Part 1 and Part 2 of the Netflix series, inspired by true events, revolves around the life of Moon Dong-eun. She came from a broken home with a mother who had all but abandoned her. She cherished the dream of one day becoming an architect. She take to take odd jobs to survive and in the time that she had she studied hard. She is seen as a happy child before things took the turn for the worst.

On the other end of the spectrum, a gang of bullies. Park Yeon-jin, Jeon Jae-joon and Lee Sara came from wealth and had parents who threw money at anything that came in their children’s way. Accompanying them were Choi Hye-jeong and Son Myeong-o, though they were not well off like the others they were party to everything the other 3 did.

The storyline shows how over the course of the schooling years this gang of bullies ragged their fellow students and ruined their lives. They chose victims who were poor or from desolate homes. When the victims asked “Why Me?” Yeon-jin’s response was “Because I can and nothing will ever change for you”. That one statement shows that the bullying was not caused by an event but just for the pure pleasure of hurting someone.

Their bullying broke the protagonist Moon Dong-eun, but she sought to take revenge. She sought to change the what was told would never change. The whole plot is how she enacted her revenge on each of them for the crimes they had committed. The story also shows hope in a desolate circumstance through the love interest Joo Yeo-jeong.

Truly, a well scripted and picturized series worth the watch. The series awakens emotions in the viewers and drives you to join in the revenge plan of the protagonist.

Break the Mould

Women before me have already fought most of my battles for me. I live in a privileged time where I can make my own choices and not be severely persecuted for that.

The laws have come a long way than what one could hope but there is only so much that laws can do. The only way that things can change is when people minds change.

Child Marriage: There are age limits in most countries but despite that kids get married at quite a young age. People end up saying it has been done before it wasn’t wrong then what is different now.

Laws against Acid Attacker/ Rapist: I know that most laws believes there is always a possibility that the person can recover their conscious. But I feel that it is unfair that the survivor have to live their rest of their life with the trauma. But the perpetrator after serving their time gets to get back to their life. I feel the victim needs to be given the right to decide the punishment.

Restrictive Rights: This not just about woman but about any class of people. I feel that all humans are created the same. If they have not done a crime why should their rights be any different from the next person.

There are so many other things that I feel could be better. However, I know that there a million things that need to fall into place for it to actually move in the right direction. Let’s all hope that we as humans learn to make the world a better place. A time where humanity is what rules everything and good laws just become habits.

Daily writing prompt
If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?

Charming Chateau

Well dreams has no limits and I always dream large. I used to read a lot of Classic Novels and I loved the way the homes of the characters were picturized through the author’s words.

If I could get my dream house forgetting all about the cost and maintenance involved I would want a Chateau. The large rooms with assigned names half of which I have not yet heard of, the long hallways in which could put a football field to shame, beautiful windows that end up being larger than some doors, the multiple floors that almost make you feel like you live in a resort.

— Picture of Château de Chambord

But closer to home, I want an apartment with 2 bedrooms, a living room, an office space, a nice kitchen and pantry, a balcony (which would mean it cannot be on the ground floor) and a bathroom with a nice tub.

To tell the truth, when I think of my dream home it’s size doesn’t really matter. I want it to be a place where I can decorate and nest with my personality. Where the walls can be filled with photos from my memories and each and every item is my choice. That is my true dream home!

Daily writing prompt
Write about your dream home.

Prayer of Thanks

Good news does not come very often in my life. More like the attitude to appreciate something good does not come very often to me. I think the first thing I would do is give thanks.

Most of the good things that I have received is not because I deserve it but it has been due to Jesus’s abundant grace and mercy. I may not think that I have a lot to be happy about but I know that I have received more than most.

Every time I speak to him it has always increased my joy. It just makes everything a whole lot more meaningful. I hope that I never forget that all good things I have come through Him. And that I remember to keep a space for Him in my moment of Joy.

You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

Recollections of the Past

When we are kids we always are busy. Always doing something or the other.

As a kid I loved collecting stamps and coins but with the relocating I lost some so I has to let it go. I loved writing down the lyrics to my favorite songs. I also made activity books by cutting up the crossword puzzles and comic strips from the newspaper. Oh and makeup! I think all kids at some put loved being a make up artist.

But there are some that I have continued doing or restarted recently. I still enjoying making small drawings once in a while or painting or some sort of art. The one consistent thing over the years has been writing and I am so glad I never let that go.

Daily writing prompt
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

Sweet Tooth

I believe with all my heart that I like most kids loved all kinds of candy. As I grew up though I started to loose my interest of most kind of candies.

There are however a few of them that have continued to hold a place in my heart. Kit Kat is my forever favorite! I simply love the Hazelnut chocolate flavor. I know there are other chocolates with the same taste but those wafer covered chocolates will always be my first choice.

I also love the Heartbeat candies.. Especially the purple colored ones. I have not eaten them in a long time but I still have the memory of the taste and it is just amazing.

I am not sure it would be considered as a candy. But when talking about my favorite sweet food item, Loacker cube wafers cannot be excluded. I could eat a whole bag of it at one go. Even though now I don’t prefer having a lot of candies, I still I could binge eat them today.

All these are stuff I have been having since my childhood so I guess they are part of my core memories. I can just close my eyes and imagine their taste.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite candy?

Society

People need people. That was told to me every time I said I didn’t want to attend a ceremony or function. It’s not that I don’t like people, I don’t like the opinions that people have about my life.

We are all different people with our own thoughts, opinions, experiences and expectations. It think it would be impossible to find someone with the same ideology in every aspect of life. Given that there are people who learn to love each others differences and are happy.

At any stage of my life, the one statement that I have constantly heard was “What will people think?”. I was never an extremely bright student neither was I a great athlete. There were people always commenting on the way I was. There was some invisible standards that were set and I never could match up to them. When I think I have made it the standards change again.

The society I live in has degraded me on the way I look because I do not match the standards of “normal” beauty. They have pointed fingers at me calling me greedy or money minded when all I did was strive to be better. They have influenced so many life altering decisions in my family because my parents had to stay true to the society standards. Sometimes even forgetting their love for me. I hate parts of my life and I hate myself more for the fact that I did not have the courage to fight against it and just gave in.

This society is what has caused me to compartmentalize my emotions. I have given up on my happiness and in some cases my sanity to meet these standards and all I got for it was pain. I am not sure who made these standards cause I see that most all people are like me. They are crushed by society’s expectations. They are empty.

There are days I feel empty too. But, now I have learnt one thing, no matter what I can’t please anybody. All I can do is fight for a little bit of happiness for myself. I am not going to keep scratching at things that scar me. I am going to let it go. I am going to hold on to the few dreams that I have and work towards that. Let the society sneer and rebuke at me. I will still keep moving forward.

I maybe broken but I have not fallen apart. My scars are witness to the battles I survived. Cheers to the survival in the battles before and the ones yet to come.

Daily writing prompt
Do you need a break? From what?

Technology Explosion

Today’s prompt is a tough one. Come to think of it, there have been so many inventions in the past couple of decades I don’t think I can think of one important thing.

Of the top of my mind, Camera phones. Who could have imagined a day when we don’t have to wait to get the photos from the studios. I love the fact that in a second we can capture a scene and then have it as a memory for a lifetime. I literally have archives of photos. I may not be in any of them but it serves like a time when I look at them it almost feels like I am seeing the scenes through my eyes again.

Oh MP3 players! I love listening to music so much. My parents had got me a portable CD player which I used till its dying breath. I think Mp3 players revolutionized the way we listened to music. we no longer had to carry around different CDs and could just change the tracks in the storage. And the number of songs you could save in one tiny device at that time was considered beyond imagination. Total introvert haven! Headphones In and I was in my own private land of peace.

I think “Google” also should be listed. I know that there were search engines before but Google completely changed the game for everyone else and made information so easily available. It was just beyond words.

All my inventions are around technology it probably is because I can’t think beyond these for now. Maybe after I have had some time to think about it I probably need to revisit this prompt once again.

Daily writing prompt
The most important invention in your lifetime is…