Ready, Set, Love Review

Ready, Set, Love is a Thai drama series that was released on February 15, 2024. The series language is Thai and it can be watched on Netflix. It features Thai actor Blue Pongtiwat Tangwancharoen, Kemisara Paladesh, and many more. 

In the series, men are outnumbered by women due to a pandemic that wiped out a significant number of men. As a result, only 1% of the population is men so it is rare to find a man in their world. However, these 1% of men have to live in this area called The Farm. Since it is rare to see a man, a game was created by the government to see which lady ended up with a man to marry and live on the farm.

Day, the main character, participated in this game accidentally when she won a raffle that her boy-obsessed sister put her in. She only went there for the food but somehow encountered Son, the male lead in the bathroom. It becomes a misunderstanding as Son thinks Day is a stalker but in reality, Day wanted an autograph for her sister. Turns out her sister collapsed due to her health condition so Day wanted to quit. However, the lady in charge of the game tells her the price which can save her sister’s life. 

As a result, Day ends up playing the game and somehow passes through the levels. Son, who almost rejects her in a round, recognizes her necklace and keeps her in the game. They fall in love throughout the show and they end up leaving the place with others.

I first encountered this show after I finished a movie so I decided to watch it because I got bored and it was the best decision ever. I ended up finishing the show in one sitting because it was pretty short. I love the storyline and I love how there were lots of plot twists and character developments. This show is definitely very entertaining and I recommend watching it.

SMART Goals!

The first month of the new year, 2024, comes to an end but it is still not too late to make 2024 resolutions! Goals are hard to set and achieve especially if it’s hard for you to commit to long-term stuff, but using SMART can help you achieve the goals for 2024 whether it be to lose weight, get better grades, or even start meditating. So what does SMART stand for?

S – Specific

The S in SMART means “specific.” This means that your goal has to be specific and it can not be broad. You can be more specific with your goal by using the 5 W’s: who, where, what, and why. You can also use how in this when making your goal. An example of being specific is instead of saying,“My goal is to get better grades,” you can say “My goal is to turn my grades from C’s to A’s for the second semester of high school.”

M – Measurable

The M in SMART means “measurable.” This means that your goal has to be measurable. By being measurable, it means that you can track your progress. If your goal was to lose weight, you could track your weight on a scale at the end of each week. 

A –  Attainable

The A in SMART means “attainable.” This means that your goal should be attainable and not impossible. You can state how this goal is attainable. For example, if your goal is to start getting a better sleeping schedule, you can eliminate some distractions, such as going on your device before you sleep, so the goal is attainable. 

R – Realistic

The R in SMART means “realistic.”This means that you should be realistic in making your goal and that it can be achieved within the amount of time. Ask yourself questions such as “How will I complete this goal by the end of the year?” so that you can be realistic with making your goals. 

T – Timely

The T in SMART means “timely.” This means how you will time your progress. You can time your progress in various ways such as writing down in your planner every week or daily to achieve your goal. For timely, you have to write down how you’re going to time your progress. An example of this could be that you will read 2 books to 5 more books than last year by December 31st, 2024. 

This is really helpful and I apologize if my explanation was not clear enough but this has helped me a lot. I had to make a goal for my English class and although I was obligated to do the assignment, it actually is really helpful for I have stayed consistent with my goals for the new year. So if you really want to be productive and achieve goals for 2024, I recommend using the SMART method.

Trolls Band Together Movie Review

Trolls Band Together is one of the many Trolls films produced by DreamWorks Animation. It was released on November 17, 2023, and it is currently being shown in movie theaters. The cast of this movie features Anna Kendrick as Poppy, Justin Timberlake as Branch, and many others such as Kid Cudi, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, etc.

The movie starts off in the past when this boy band called Brozone splits and leaves Baby Branch after their failed performance. The previous Trolls films took place after they split and they have been away from Branch’s life ever since they walked out on him. Now, Branch is not a baby anymore and they attend King Gristle and Bridget’s wedding just for it to get interrupted by none other than John Dory, Branch’s brother. John Dory tells Branch that their other brother, Floyd, requires rescue after being held captive by the superstars Velvet and Veneer and the only way to rescue him is by the Perfect Family Harmony, which needs all of the brothers. Since John Dory had walked out on Branch, Branch seems to have hatred against him and declines his offer at first but soon gives in because the brother he hated less, Floyd, is in danger. 

Throughout the movie, they go everywhere and gather each and every single one of their brothers, resulting in Poppy finding her long-lost sister throughout the way, but nearing the end of the movie, the brothers start arguing and Branch can not handle it so he walks out on them. Unfortunately, the other brothers ended up getting trapped and only Branch could rescue them so he tried to free his brothers while Velvet and Veneer performed. Fortunately, he had some help from his companions and he soon rescued them by singing Better Place and achieving the Perfect Family Harmony, which freed Floyd. In the end, they all perform together again and they not only reunite as a band but as brothers as well.

I literally can not explain how I absolutely loved this movie. It’s so good! Trolls Band Together was the talk of all my friends and it was everywhere on the internet so I decided to watch it because it seemed entertaining and I do not regret it at all. This sounds a bit exaggerated but the movie is so entertaining and I literally love everything about the movie: the plot, the cast, and the soundtrack especially. I legitimately can not stop singing the soundtrack. Overall, I loved this movie and you should definitely go watch it in theaters!

When I Fly Towards You Show Review

When I Fly Towards You or 当我飞奔向你 is a romantic comedy Chinese television series that was released this year, 2023. It was adapted by a novel called She’s a Little Crazy and it is directed by Mao De Shu. It can be watched on streaming devices such as Netflix. It features the main actors, Zhou Yi Ran and Zhang Miao Yi who play the main characters, Su Zai Zai and Zhang Lurang.

The show starts off when the main character, Su Zai Zai sees Zhang Lurang at a convenience store on a rainy day and she falls in love with him. After a while, they meet again at Jiangyi High School, where they both attend. Su Zai Zai is cheerful while Zhang Lurang is cold and introverted due to his family issues and constantly being compared to his younger brother, who is a genius. Zai Zai, and her friend, Jiang Jia, join friend groups with Lurang, Gu Ran, and Guan Fang, who are friends with Zhang Lurang over the years, their friendships with each other strengthen, and the love between Zai Zai and Lurang bloom.

Honestly, I had planned to watch this show since my friends were talking about it months ago. I did not get the chance to due to my school work causing little free time, but thanks to Thanksgiving break, I had lots of free time. I used that time to finally start watching the show and I enjoyed watching it. I am not finished as of now but I’m nearing the end of the show.

I liked how the show showed the struggle of being constantly being compared to someone because personally, I have experienced being constantly being compared to someone. It’s not in academics specifically but another reason why and it’s so frustrating, so I liked how the show portrayed that. I also loved how the show showed us the struggle of unrequited love between Jiang Jia and Shen Qian Yu. However, I did not like how everyone in their friend group except for Guan Fang got together with someone they deserved because honestly, Guan Fang is my personal favorite. I loved his character and the way he took care of his grandmother. Overall, I really like this show and I definitely recommend watching it when you have free time!

Business Proposal Show Review

Business Proposal is a South Korean romantic comedy show that was released in 2022 after it was adapted from the Webtoon version of Business Proposal. It can be seen on Netflix and other streaming sites. It features the main lead actors Kim Se Jeong Ahn Hyeo Sop, Kim Min Gue, and Seol In Ah.

The story starts off with Kim Se Jeong who plays the role of Shin Ha Ri who goes as her friend, Jin Young Seo on a blind date for money. On the previous blind dates, Shin Ha Ri effortlessly made sure that the blind dates would not want to get together with her friend, Jin Young Seo. However, this time, Shin Ha Ri ends up on a blind date with Kang Tae Moo, who ends up being the peculiar boss of her work. Shin Ha Ri tries her very best to get him to reject her so that her deed is done but despite what she does, Kang Tae Moo does not seem to be declining her. Instead, since Kang Tae Moo is pressured by his grandfather to get married, Kang Tae Moo decides that he wants to get with Shin Ha Ri. 

This causes a problem for Shin Ha Ri because Jin Young Seo starts to complain to her and interrogate her. Shin Ha Ri denies her accusations and says that Kang Tae Moo is the odd one. After this, Jin Young Seo ends up setting her up for one more fake date, and she confesses that she did this for money. As a result, Kang Tae Moo threatens Shin Ha Ri and orders her to act as his fiance. After a while into this “fake” relationship, they start to develop feelings for each other but soon Kang Tae Moo finds the real identity of Shin Ha Ri and finds out that she is an employee of his company, GoFood. Due to his frustrations and his trust being broken, Kang Tae Moo decides to get “revenge” by overworking Shin Ha Ri. In the end, they both confess their feelings and get together. 

Personally, I liked watching this show in 2022. I have never read the Webtoon version of it, but thanks to the show adaptation, I might consider reading it. This show really brought me joy. Usually, watching long videos tends to bore me but watching these episodes, time went by so fast and it felt like 10 minutes instead of an hour. This show was really entertaining and I liked the plot a lot. I definitely recommend watching or reading Business Proposal.

Kimi ni Todoke Review

Kimi ni Todoke, also known as From Me To You, is a Japanese romance manga written by  Karuho Shiina and adapted in different ways such as the Netflix adaptation. The anime has two seasons as of now, but a third season is confirmed to be aired on Netflix.

In the story, the main protagonist, Sawako Kuronuma, is misunderstood and is called a ghost because of her appearance and because she resembles the ghost from “The Ring”. The high school student is often called “Sadako” which is the name of the ghost she resembles instead of her actual name, Sawako. The protagonist lives this life until Kazehaya Shouta, the popular guy at school talks to her and actually calls her the right name. 

Because of Kazehaya, her life started to change and she started to make friends and be happy despite the obstacles she faced such as rumors and many misunderstandings. Sawako and Kazehaya then start to like each other and they get together by the end of season two. 

I really like this show and I definitely recommend watching it. I love how their interest in each other develops and I like how friendship is portrayed in this anime. The main leads are super adorable and I like their interactions. I suggest watching the anime first instead of the Netflix adaptation because the Netflix adaptation is more complicated to me but it’s my personal preference. Like I said, I definitely recommend watching it, especially if you want to feel giddy and happy.

“Quilt of a Country”

“A Quilt of a Country” is an essay written by Anna Quindlen after the 9/11 attacks on September 11, 2001. At the beginning of her essay, Quindlen claims that the idea of America is impossible because trying to put all the different types of people in one nation seems like it doesn’t work out. She compares America to quilts because quilts are great pieces of art made by combining parts that don’t seem to go together.

In her essay, she says that America is a failure because of all the bad things such as slavery, burning of the crosses, and the sweatshops but Anna Quindlen argues that “amid all the failures is something spectacularly successful.” Anna Quindlen says that historians worry about Americans clinging to the views of certain groups of people because of the past, for example, white people’s views of black people due to slavery in the past, but Anna Quindlen states that people today are no longer separated and they no longer need to avoid each other. Anna Quindlen concludes her essay by saying that even though the idea of putting different types of people in one country is impossible, it can unite the country if it works.

I read this essay in my English class and I honestly didn’t get what the essay was about for a few days but after reading it more and taking notes, I started to understand it more and I honestly found it kind of interesting. I like how she compared America to quilts because of the diversity.

Dodosolsollalasol Show Review

Spoilers are contained in this post!

Dodosolsollalasol is a romance and comedy K-drama that features the actors Go Ara and Lee Jae-Wook. It aired on October 7, 2020. It can be watched on Netflix and it has 16 episodes.

The main character, Goo Ra-ra, finds herself in shambles after her father dies the day of her wedding and her fiancé runs away during the wedding. Her life completely changes as she has to adapt from riches to rags. The male lead, Sunwoo Jun, is a high schooler who runs away from his parents due to high expectations and is currently hiding away from his parents.

Both characters find themselves closer to each other after an incident that led Ra-Ra to the hospital and due to financial reasons, Ra-Ra ends up staying with Jun and this develops their relationship. In the second half of the show, it’s more serious as the characters start to uncover each other’s secrets, but this problem is soon resolved. Although, after Jun’s secret is exposed, Ra-Ra and Jun are separated by Jun’s mother and Ra-Ra finds out Jun has an illness. Jun goes abroad for treatment of his illness and after a while, Jun was supposed to come back to the town on the day of Christmas, but he doesn’t show up. Ra-Ra thinks Jun is just running late but her world is shattered when Jun’s mother breaks the news of Jun’s passing.5 years after Jun’s death and everyone is trying to move on, but Jun comes back and tells Ra-Ra that he did not want her to see him sick so he faked his death for 5 years.

Most of the plot of the drama is Ra-Ra trying to survive on her own with the help of Jun and I honestly really loved it. The first half of the story is really cute and wholesome and I loved the interactions with the characters. The second half of the story was more serious but it was still really interesting and cute. However, like most people who watched Dodosolsollalasol, I did not like the ending of Dodosolsollalasol because the main male lead just randomly shows up after 5 years of faking his death. I felt like the ending was rushed and I honestly didn’t like it, but the show is overall really good and I definitely recommend it.

Everything I Know About Love Album Review

On August 26, 2022, Laufey, a singer-songwriter from Iceland, released her first full lengthened album, Everything I Know About Love. The album consists of many songs that have different meanings varying from growing up and being a hopeless romantic. The album consists of her most popular songs such as Valentine and Fragile.

I personally love all of the songs but my favorite song in this album for now would be Slow Down and Everything I Know About Love. One of my favorites is Slow Down because the song sounds really calming to me but I especially love the whole message of the song, which is to enjoy the present and cherish it and slow down. I love the message of Slow Down because I spend most of my days doing the same things over and over again and I always wait for things to end and never really cherish the present and my moments. My other favorite song is Everything I Know About Love because the song sounds more upbeat than the other songs and I just love how the song sounds. 

Overall I really loved the album Everything I Know About Love by Laufey and it’s definitely one of my favorite albums. Although it may not be the style of music most people would like, I definitely recommend at least trying to listen to the album or one of Laufey’s songs at least once.

Knowing Brothers (TV Show)

Knowing Brothers is a South Korean television show first released in December 2015 by the entertainment company SM C&C. It is also known as Men on Mission, or Ask Us Anything. The main cast of Knowing Brothers are Kang Ho Dong, Lee Soo Geun, Seo Jang Hoon, Kim Young Chul, Kim Hee Chul, Min Kyung Hoon, Lee Sang Min, and Lee Jin Ho as of now. The show is currently available on OnDemandKorea, Netflix, VIU, and DramaFever. There are currently 381 episodes of Knowing Brothers as of now. In the television show, different guests, mostly Korean celebrities, appear on different episodes and they discuss topics, some of which are personal, and they play games. 

I watched Knowing Brothers back in 2019 or 2020 when I watched it for this group I really liked and it was really enjoyable. I didn’t watch Knowing Brothers after that but I soon started watching them again recently and I really loved the episode where Seventeen, a Korean boy group, appeared for the second time on Knowing Brothers to promote their song, “Home; Run.” It was really chaotic and the main hosts were hilarious. I enjoy watching Knowing Brothers and watch it whenever I need to laugh. I recommend watching it if you’re bored or just need something to laugh at.