Her Life is a WIP

Dear flist, I don't even know how long it's been since I've posted here (well. Now that I'm actually posting here, I do, because I could check the date of my last update... let's say it's been a while, and leave it at that).

Quite many things have happened since my last entry, the most amazing being that we moved! We bought a new place: a flat that hadn't been lived in for ages but that we knew from the start would be perfect for us. You sometimes hear people say 'it was love at first sight, we knew the house was meant for us'. We were those people, that was us. It was quite a whole process, obviously, then it was ours, we had it completely renovated which means it's basically brand new now.

We moved out of our old flat on Nov. 19th-20th and moved in the week after. Which means I'm writing this entry on this lazy Sunday afternoon from my big and bright living room, looking at our First Christmas Tree in the New Flat and I couldn't be happier :)

It's a much bigger and lighter place and we even have a big balcony! Icing on the cake, it's still closeby my parents' place and actually nearer my sister's, so yay on that front :) We're in the process of selling our old flat so that's a whole other story but so far - for now, knocking wood etc. - so good, so I'm hoping it'll be another business that will soon'ish - like, hopefully February? - be taken care of. But you know how it is with real estate, I'll believe it when I've given away the keys ;)

Anyway! I wanted to share the news - especially as I know some of you are still sending cards for the holidays. Technically, I will get them as we try to go to the old flat at least once a week but, nonetheless, if you want to know my new address, send me an email :)

What else? Oh, like many other European countries, we've had a freezing beginning of December, as in I don't remember when it was that cold that early. Of course I'm over the moon about it because it's mostly crisp weather, the best weather imho but also, how typical that it'd be freezing *just* the year when we're being asked to be frugal about our energy consumption, the year they're actually reducing the heating everywhere they can, and the government is already planning some power cuts in January (like a proper plan and everything). The universe is intent on messing with us, these days...

Apart from that, I'm still deep into kpop and kdramas and still having a blast with it all. I'm actually going to another kpop concert in March with crazybutsound, and I'm bringing my goddaughter with me. We're seeing Ateez - second time for Jem and I, first time for my goddaughter. I can't wait!

Hope you've all been doing well, or if things have been tough, that they're finally looking up. Take care, flist <3

Dear flist. It's been a hot minute, as someone I know always says. I didn't mean to fall off the edge of LJ (do I ever?) but time has the tendency to fly by when you're not looking! I've had a couple of Interesting Weeks with my ex-BIL getting COVID (he's fine now), then both my nieces being tested positive for Covid (100% asymptomatic, thank God, they never had any symptoms and took things in stride) then my sister getting sick but not, contrary to what we all thought, due to COVID (she's also better now), my parents both having to isolate and take the tests as well because they'd been in contact (both tested negative and are perfectly fine), consequently us having to cancel our plans to meet for Easter. Work has picked up and I've been running on pretty low energy - I suspect my iron level is acting up again, as in it's been getting lower as time passes.
 
So that kept me busy. 

Well, that and did you know that being involved in a very active fandom as the show airs every week takes a lot of your fannish time? I'd almost forgotten ;) In other words, I'm even more in love with Word of Honor than I was the last time I posted about it (which is saying a lot because I was already overflowing with love for that drama!). I've been having a blast interacting with the fandom over at Twitter (all the while regretting that it didn't happen on LJ but alas, that was Back Then) and enjoying the whole fannish experience to the fullest ♥ 

YouKu, the platform that broadcasts the drama, is super clever about it and is handling things like a pro (which er, I know they are but what I mean is that they seem to Really Get It). In addition to posting three - free - episodes a week, they keep sharing new content from MVs to BTS to deleted scenes to interviews, the whole shebang. They promote the cast perfectly and you almost don't have to do any research yourself, they hand in everything to you. Pretty convenient, if you ask me ;) 

Sometimes it feels like they love (even ship) Zhou Zi Shu and Wen Ke Xing even more than Fandom does, which is very cute to witness. I keep joking about the fact that I'm as much a fan of WoH as I am the YouKu team but they have been very good to us fans, indeed, and it's quite sweet to feel like TPTB understands how invested we are, in a positive way. I'm not sure how to explain it but, overall, it feels like they understand Fandom and that's extremely enjoyable.

What have you been up to, flist? Hope you're doing well *hugs*

Before I get on with the fannish portion of this entry, I have a question related to the Covid-situation - specifically to the vaccination campaign in your respective countries. Even more specifically, a question regarding the staff that has been "enlisted" to do the vaccination.  

I'm asking because the campaign is a clusterfuck here: we're behind schedule, our stock isn't enough for the number of people who should be vaccinated at the moment, people who belong to the group that is supposed to get vaccinated right now can't get an appointment and so on. Still, the government means to speed things up so they're in the process of enrolling even more people to boost the vaccination drive because doctors, nurses and pharmacists won't be enough. So they're now thinking of enrolling med students, lab technicians, radiographers and... vets! As in veterinarians.

Vets, you guys!

So my question is... are you also going to get vaccinated by vets? And I mean... it's not as if they weren't used to vaccinate and take care of their patients, ok? I know how the jabs work, that there's no need to insert the needle in a vein but... vets. I can't explain why but I haven't managed to get over this piece of information all day. 

I mean... what next? Dart players? (No offense meant to either dart players or vets).

Moving on, moving on. I've made two discoveries this week! Well. The first one isn't a complete discovery as, a few years back, I'd stumbled upon one of their songs and really loved it (as it happens, I remember writing about it here) but let's say this week I really went deep. I'm talking about Super Junior, another k-pop band.

I've listened to them in a loop all week while working - or not, I'm actually listening to them as I type this - and many of their songs are so upbeat and uplifting that it's almost impossible not to start dancing while listening - even on your seat ;) I've been sharing them all around me because they put me in such a happy mood and I'm hoping it'll be the case for others too.

So if you want to dance on your seat while working - or dancing in your living room or while baking... which I've been doing a lot too the past week - I'd rec the following songs: Good Day for a Good Day, Super Clap, House Party (watch the MV on YT and use the subtitles, the lyrics are worth it), Black Suit, Devil, I Think I (and Sorry Sorry, which is an oldie but forever a goodie).

Onto the next discovery now, namely Word of Honor (Chinese drama). Just like with The Untamed I've seen the name pop up a lot recently and since I've been getting into The Untamed, I thought I could give it a try as well; I mean, soul mates going on adventures? Sounds pretty good to me! Then a friend linked me to this vid and let's say my interest increased tenfold. That same evening, I started watching it.

Omg, it was love at first sight! I'm absolutely smitten! 

The two leads' chemistry is off the charts, one of them got himself a fourteen-year-old disciple that they're basically raising together, there are intrigues, revenge, deception, secrets, mysterious childhoods, past traumas, present traumas, men being absolutely adorable towards each other, ruthless killers on the path of redemption, ruthless killers being the softest, friendship and declaration of love - oh, and the most gorgeous outfits...

This drama has Everything and is Everything, basically ♥ I mean... my heart almost can't take it!

Incidentally, the two leads are two of the prettiest men I've seen in my life. And believe me when I say that since getting into k-drama back in November, I've seen a plethora of pretty men but Ah Xu and Lao Wen? Hot damn. ( Exhibit A and B under the cut )

So, ok, we might get our vaccination by vets but at least I live in a world where Super Junior welcomes me in the morning and where Ah Xu and Lao Wen love each other. I mean... it's not so bad, right? ;)

RL is what it is, we're basically stuck in a time loop blahblahblah - thankfully Fandom is there to spice things up ;) Fair warning, this entry is 100% about Asian series. I'm not branching out as such but I've watched two series that were not - I repeat, that were n.o.t - Korean, so. 

Where to start? I know, let's start with a drama that I've heard about quite a lot the past months - year? - without ever really intending to investigate further, namely The Untamed. I feel this drama has taken Fandom by storm. One day it was all over the different platforms I hung around. I found the phenomenon more amusing than anything (it's always interesting to see a show/fandom suddenly take over the world) and never really thought to try it myself.

Fast-forward to last month or so when Cookie fell in love with it. She's been waiting for me to watch it ever since and seeing I was looking for something to spice up my workout sessions, I thought I'd give it a try - I felt the show would be perfect stimulation when I'm biking. And I was right. It's a lot of fun to watch! I'm only at episode 5, so I know I have quite a long journey - and many heartaches - ahead of me but I think I'll enjoy the ride ;)

Speaking of shows I've heard a lot about in this household: I've finally watched the two BL dramas Cookie has been raving about lately, namely Until We Meet Again (Thailand - complete) and You Make Me Dance (Korea - on air). I'm really enjoying the latter, it's super sweet and touching, but oh, Until We Meet Again kinda floored me? 

I'm a sucker for reincarnation stories to begin with (Please Save My Earth remains one of my favourite animes to this day) so I was already sold on principle, but the way they told the story just spoke to me (I'm a marshmallow inside, so). It's both super cute and fluffy and absolutely heartbreaking at times (I cried so many times, wow...) and overall it was just beautiful and moving and gripping.

Finally, I'm kinda obsessed with both Beyond Evil and Mouse, both of which are even better than I expected. You start watching both shows thinking you know where the stories are heading, thinking they'll both be interesting, no doubt about it, but also thinking you might already know how it'll go and then both storylines veer off course and, suddenly, confusion prevails because ok, if InsertTwist happened so early on in the show then er,what now? So that's super exciting.

Next week I have two new dramas premiering and I have good feelings about them both. Thing is, so far, I've rarely - if ever? - been disappointed when picking my k-dramas so fingers crossed that said expectations are met again ;)

Hello and good Sunday to you, flist. It's a beautiful and sunny Sunday for me, I hope it's also the case for you. We've had gorgeous weather the whole week, actually. Spring decided to make a sudden appearance - right on time for my week off work, so I'm not complaining too much as Cookie and I have enjoyed the whole atmosphere but, still, the question remains, where has my Winter gone? Apart from the fact that it's not supposed to be that warm at this time of the year, I almost suffered from whiplash because we literally went from -5°C temperatures to 17°C in the course of a couple of days. 

Nothing of import to report but we managed to go to Paris twice in the past two weeks, so that was sweet :) Especially as this little outing might soon become a thing of the past as chances are they're going to announce a weekend Lockdown for twenty départements next week (including Paris and the Val-de-Marne, where I live) so, fun times! Between the 6.00PM curfew and the Weekend Lockdown, life is going to be even quieter if possible. Anyway, we'll know by the end of the week... 

( My life in pictures - week whatever ) 

Featured: deserted Louvre, frosty Tuileries, gorgeous Albert Kahn gardens, Zoom brunch with the FP, remote work - as per usual - sister's birthday and some nice BTS/kpop/kdrama convos with my nieces and, well, Korean tv. As per usual.

Turns out my k-drama love is not only going strong but thriving as new shows have premiered recently, meaning that in addition to the catching-up of old(er) dramas, I'm also watching (well, Cookie and I) the new ones. I'm now back to the excitement of having to wait a whole week between episodes (it's pretty cool actually as the way they're doing it - at least for those I'm following at the moment, I don't know if it's A Thing - is that they release not one but two episodes per week). 

Speaking of live tv, I've fallen for 2 Days 1 Night, a reality-variety show that is airing on the one Korean channel I have access to on my tv and, you guys, it's pure laughter therapy. I've never been into variety/game shows (either French or otherwise) and literally never watch them but I've watched a couple of Korean ones (Busted, Running Man, now 2 Days 1 Night) and it's always so fun and cute! The "missions" the guys have to perform are always a bit whacked and omg, the cast members are absolutely adorable! Plus, 2D1N brings you on a journey through Korea and you learn stuff about the areas each time (be it culinary or historical - or both) so it turns out that it has also some cultural values ;) Anyway, I'm smitten and I can enjoy some nice laughter at lunch break as the show airs at the perfect (French) time for me. 

Well. That's it for now, I think? Hope you're doing okay, flist *kisses*

Hello, flist. How are you all doing? Good, I hope. It'd seem I've fallen out of the habit of posting more regularly (I was so consistent on so many things during Lockdown #1, you'd think habits would stick. They don't necessarily) and you know how it is when you mean to do a little update, it can get a bit tedious if some time has gone by. So I'm taking the lazy route and posting a little collage - I don't know why I didn't do that earlier, btw, I should make a monthly collage to remember the year by in a super-easy way. Will think about it *nodnod*

( You'll see, it's pretty much of the 'Same old, same old' category )

As I said, same old same old: still having fun with the food part (I'm trying out new Korean recipes here and there - not that you'd see it since the meal in the picture is a version of a Japanese curry but, yes, having fun with those). Still working from home although I've gone back to work on-site once a week (we'll see how long that lasts). Still deeply, madly in love with Kdramas. Incidentally, still learning Korean by myself (it remains such a fun and stimulating experience, if a bit of a lonely one, especially for a language you're learning from scratch. At least with German and Italian I have some ground to stand on, here I'm just going for it and hoping it works out ;) Thankfully there are a plethora of online resources and I've found some that really help. I still hope I'll be able to enroll in a proper Korean class next year, though).

And, extremely exciting, it snowed! That was such a beautiful surprise, you guys! It rarely snows in the Parisian suburb (I think the last time was two-three years ago?) and when it started snowing on Saturday morning it felt like pure magic! Obviously, it's nothing compared to what some of you are used to but this was huge for me :) Snow always makes me happy but this year even more so; it was such a beautiful surprise, as I said, such a welcome break from routine. So that was absolutely lovely :)

There're not many outdoor pictures because a) our curfew starts at 6.00PM so that's 0 opportunity to do anything during the week and b) we're trying to keep our outings to a minimum - but we did go to Paris a couple of times so that was nice too :)

Apart from that, we're doing good. Hope it's the same for you. Take care, flist *hugs*

PS: my 'lazy' route wasn't that lazy, after all ;) Go figures.

Hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a lovely time, no matter the circumstances. I especially thought of those who were under a new lockdown and had to change their plans in a matter of a couple of days, talk about an unpleasant surprise. But what can you do, guys - 2020 will 2020, right? 

No new lockdown for us and our curfew was even lifted on the 24th. We were advised not to have more than 6 adults gathered under the same roof, which is why we split as there are usually 23 of us around, meaning this year Christmas was my parents, my sister and nieces and my BIL. My MIL had warned us long in advance that she didn't want to take any risks and would rather stay on her own. We'll go and see her after Cookie and I have quarantined so that we know for sure we're not bringing more than just our Christmas presents to her! (Although, by then, we might be under our third lockdown? Who knows!)

I think my presents are very much 2020: homewear (I mean, who needs Outdoor clothes when you spend so much of your time at home, right?), BTS and Kdrama :)

The plan for the rest of the week is to chill home, basically. I have many Kdramas lined up on my Netflix list to watch, books to read, board games to play, new recipes to try as well as language lessons to learn, I'm covered! We would love to maybe go to Paris at least once or twice for a little Parisian stroll (it's not as if we can do anything else, anyway) but we'll see how it goes. I think Cookie and I mostly want to rest, rest and rest some more. 

Oh, and I wanted to make a little update on my Kdrama watching:
Completed: Signal, Tunnel, Bad Guys, Stranger s1
Currently watching: The Guest, Watcher
Lined up next: Kkondae Intern, It's Okay not to be Okay, Stranger s2
Listed for the upcoming months: My Love from the Star, Forest, Man to Man, The Good Detective, Doctor John, Healer, Mystic Pop-Up Bar, Tomorrow with You, The Lies Within, Are you Human and - well... the list is so long, you guys. I think Cookie and I are covered for all of 2021 at this rate ;) 

Ok, let's end this entry here and post it now. I hope you're all doing ok and that you've found things that make you feel good *hugs to everyone who needs it* *or just wants hugs ;)*

First things first, congratulations to my American friends! When I heard the results I felt so happy for you. Finally some wonderful news at a time when it feels like we seldom get them. Well done :)

Speaking of good and bad news, turns out the ban on the selling of Christmas trees - obviously, it hasn't made it to the 'essential items' list - has been lifted so we might be able to purchase one, after all. Fingers crossed that a) shops are, indeed, allowed to sell them and b) we manage to grab one. Cookie and I were seriously considering getting a fake one, as a back-up plan, in order to make sure we'd have a tree this year. (To think this is actually an issue now...)

Moving on. We'll get there when we get there.

Hope you had a lovely weekend. I was knackered after another long and dense week at work (I'm Perpetually Tired these days, is the thing) and was happy to take it easy and rest. I had pre-Lockdown plans, which were all lovely, but I wasn't even that disappointed at having to cancel them. I was that tired. I watched some more BTS - a friend linked me to this site that is essentially a BTS-content goldmine, bless - read fic, started a new book (The Seven Deaths of Evely Hardcastle by Stuart Turton), made tiramisu, started watching Signal and wrote a couple of thousands of words of my latest TOG fic \o/ 

Is anyone else watching Signal? (Or have watched the show back when it first aired in Korea, circa 2016?) If you ever watched - and enjoyed - Frequency, it follows the same premise: two characters communicating through time - via a talkie-walkie in this case - to solve cold cases. And dealing with the consequences because the ripple effect is no joke, people! 

The idea alone piqued my interest when Netflix recc'ed it to me but I didn't expect to be so invested so quickly lol Cookie and me both. I really enjoy the way it deals with the whole idea. The cast is fantastic and all the characters you meet (not just the main ones but the supporting ones etc.) are extremely touching. It's also quite interesting to see a series that is not American or British (or French, I guess, but I rarely watch French series, so my reference is really from the US and the UK). 

One thing I love is that male characters express their emotions all over the place! They cry when they're sad or frustrated and this is so refreshing! And it's not even just the main character (you know, in an "oh look, he's so different move") it's everyone! Something sad and/or upsetting happens which would upset and/or sadden real people in real life and those men react to it. I love it so <3

As for my writing, I had a lot of fun with this new writing spree. I had the feeling the fic was mocking me at first because I originally had only two parts left to write but when I finished adding the missing scenes to the first one, I realised I had to divide it in two, meaning even though I'd just finished one part, I still had two parts left to deal with lol But then I got inspired and finished that "part b" so I was pacified ;) I'm now one part away from being done with it. Wednesday being a bank holiday, I might finish it then. If not, hopefully, next weekend.

I often see those "You know you're an adult when-" posts and I think I can add one to the list: you know you're an adult when you get excited about purchasing two brand new Ikea bin with lids for your kitchen (Hållbar in light grey, if you're curious) as well as two magazine files - is that what they're called? Ah, Ikea.gb tells me it is, ok then - for the office/spare room (Tjog, dark grey). Said office/spare room is now officially finished, btw \o/ We've also added new shelves here and there (for Cookie's plants, for my books). Everything is lovely and cozy and at the perfect time, too. (I think we're nesting? I don't know, but we certainly need the flat to be soft and cozy more than we ever did before).

Speaking of soft and sweet. I seem to have fallen into a new fandom. That is, into a band, namely BTS. I'm not reading any fic or anything but I've been watching many clips and live performances and interviews and, well, you know the drill. The band has never been under my radar except through "fandom osmosis" as my eldest nieces (12 and 9) have been into K-pop for the past couple of years, meaning I've heard about them quite a lot. 

And I do mean a lot, in detail. It'd seem being an enthusiastic fangirl runs in the family ;) Emma, in particular, is the proud and besotted ARMY and we've had some hilarious conversations, believe you me: "So I'm an ARMY. That's the name of their fans. Tata, did you know that fans have names too?" "Er, are you trying to teach me how fandom works?". Plus, two of Cookie's best friends are massive fans of theirs. 

All that to say, I knew of them but I'd never listened to them on my own. Until last week. When I started listening to them on my own volition. In a loop. Ok, Emma, I can see the appeal, you win. (Hopefully, we're not about to bring Fandom wars into the household as her sister was quite unimpressed that I showed an interest in BTS when she is into Stray Kids. We had to watch one Stray Kids video for each BTS one Emma showed us. Chiara drives a hard bargain, kudos to her).

I'm digressing! I didn't even come here to talk about my newly found appreciation of those BTS kids. What I want to do, though, is share one song in particular because it's a feel-good, happy-making song and I think we all need that kind of feel-good, happy-making sound at the moment. 

So in case you've never heard Dynamite... do yourself a favour and go and listen to it right now. I promise you'll feel better afterwards. Funky and colourful clip here and a lil' bonus with their MTV VMA live performance which is super cool as well. Oh, and if you want something soft - and pretty as ever when those boys are concerned, let's be real - listen to Mikrokosmos. There, a funky song and a soft song for you, flist. Both are a balm for my soul at the moment, I hope you'll enjoy them too ;)

I have to say that between TOG and BTS, fandom has helped a lot in dealing with the current situation. If tomorrow's announcement from the government is as shitty as everyone worries it's going to, I'm spending the whole night reading Joe/Nicky fic and listening to BTS. Mark my words.