The Top 7 Dramas

Honorable mentions

This drama is a remake of the Korean drama She Was Pretty. The Korean version is only 16 episodes long, and this one is like 40, so it's obviously longer. I actually really enjoyed this drama and thought it was really well done when I first watched it but the more I think about it the more I'm like....eh. The drama is ridiculously long, considering how short the Korean version was, and the chemistry between the two main leads isn't as strong and convincing. I still thought it was a pretty cute drama and when I was watching it I really liked it. Plus, it was a pretty funny drama and very lighthearted, which I liked about it and so, it get's an honorable mention.

Phew that was kind of a long post! Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it (I had fun finding gifs hehe) and were maybe able to find your new favorite drama? It was a great year in Chinese dramas and I hope that this year is even better!

Binge (n): a short period devoted to indulging in an activity to excess, especially drinking alcohol or eating. (ohp)

Dear Binges,

One of the main reasons why I disappear for weeks a time sometimes is because usually, I am in the middle of a binge, whether it's a show binge (it usually is haha) or I am binge reading a series. I love binges because I am such an impatient person so I like finishing storylines as soon as I can. Like you guys don't even know, when it comes to stories I am extremely impatient so I usually I try to get through things fast. I binge like no other, seriously. Books, dramas, shows, I love binge-ing them. There are good things and bad things to binges honestly, and today I am here to talk about them and why I love binges.

Pros:

• OTP get's together faster (duh)
• You don't forget what had happened in the last book/episode/season
• You spend the whole day in the binge. How relaxing! (?)

I don't know, there is something just something so satisfying about sitting in your bed for 5 days, watching 3 seasons of the best show ever. And I admit, emotional hangovers are not fun. Believe me, after I binge watched 3 seasons of Arrow in like, 2 weeks (slow for me, but it was one of my first binges ever) I spent the next months crying over Arrow and it's Tumblr tag. This time around, emotional hangovers aren't as bad as compared to the Arrow one (I'm no longer weak muahaha) but they still definitely happen. Sure, people get emotional hangovers off of stuff that they slowly worked their way through but I definitely think it's not as bad as when you binge it.

And also, the main couples always take less time to get together when you binge! This is one of the main reasons why I am always so impatient because I really can't wait for the cuteness when the romance *finally* kicks in. It's still nice to enjoy the ride when they aren't together but let's be real here, the fun starts when the main couple finally get's together. It's hilarious because especially in dramas, I will race through like the first half of the drama, and finally slow down a little once the main couple gets together because I am just so eager to see them together. IT'S A THING, IT'S A THING OMG.

Sure binges are also kind of unhealthy, staring at my laptop or a book for hours and hours isn't good and I probably should exercise more often during binges but honestly can you really when the storyline is that *just that good*?? It's hilarious because when my friends don't hear from me for days and days, they know, they know that I am on a binge and probably won't be hearing from me for a few days.

And as always it's lightweight relaxing to spend so many days doing nothing but reading or watching a show. I will admit though, binges can be stressful. Stories are filled with so much angsty and drama and emotions sometimes *its just not fun.* Whatever though, that's what comes with stories and I honestly love looking back on binges thinking about the fact that I just spend the last 4 days doing nothing but sitting on the couch, crying over a drama or book.

I don't know, there is just something about binge reading or watching a show that I just love. I love being totally invested in a storyline for a few days and coming out of a binge shook af. It honestly is probably because I am just such an impatient person and I want to know what happens *now,* which is why binges come so easily to me. It's not hard at all to me to binge things, which is probably why I do them way too much haha.

And honestly, binge watching or reading something isn't for everyone. Some people actually have the patience to slowly work their way through a storyline but me? No, if it's that good I will probably fly through the drama or books. I love binge-ing things. So, binges, here is your love letter.

Some of my best binges:

• Love Me If You Dare (Drama) - 24 Episodes, 40 minutes each: 2 days
• Vampire Academy Series - 6 books, 2702 pages: 6 days
• Bloodlines Series - 6 books, 2040 pages: 7 days 

So here is the thing, lately I have been realizing that my month playlists suck. Like compared to when I first started making these things, the songs in the playlists and the amount of songs have honestly just been seriously slacking. I had a very simple process when I made November's playlist: I had about 3-4 newer songs and the rest were songs that I added from past monthly playlists. A lot of these songs are honestly songs that I forgot about but I remember loving. I'm honestly very excited for this month's playlist because it's like being reunited with my old friends - songs I have missed but didn't really realize I had missed them.

Some favorites:
Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift: I picked this song off one of my older playlists, one that I listened to before I started making monthly playlists. I've been listening to Taylor for almost 10 years now (about that new album...haven't listened to it yet ohp) and this song is honestly one of my most favorite Taylor Swift songs. It's super different from her normal stuff and I don't care how depressing this song sounds this was one of my jams back then. It was my simp song before I even knew simping was a thing. I didn't realize how much I loved and missed this song (and The Hunger Games aha) until this song shuffled in. I definitely had to bring it back into my life, which is why I have it in this month's playlist.

BOMO by Tatiana Manaois: I don't listen to a lot of Tatiana and I probably should. This is one of the only songs I really know by her but this is honestly such a fun song. It's a song that you dance to by yourself when no one is watching and sing on the top of your lungs in the shower. It's a chill song but super cute. I loooove BOMO so I am super excited to be listening to it again.

The Guilty Ones by Leslie Odom Jr.:*I TOTALLY FORGOT THIS EVEN EXISTED OMG.* The Spring Awakening is musical that leaves you *shook.* I remember hearing this cover and I was *shook,* just as shook as I was after finishing the Spring Awakening. This is a beautiful song and Leslie sang this song beautifully. Find me crying to the Guilty Ones this month aha...

Bulletproof by Melanie Martinez: This song was taken from my very first monthly playlist so I haven't heard it for so long but I love this version of Bulletproof. Melanie Martinez has such a unique voice and I don't know I can't describe it. I love her version of this song and I totally forgot about this version actually existed, which is a problem that I am fixing this month.

That was my month's playlist! Let me know if you recognize any songs on it

Okay, when I first read the synopsis of this book, I thought the story was fictional a*hah* and it wasn't until after I started the story when I found out that this story is actually true. Not only did the storyline really bring me into wanting to read this book, it was also the fact that it took place in Oakland, a place that I am pretty familiar with. It's rare books ever take place in the Bay Area so when they do, I kind of jump to read them lol.

Anyway, this story is true, and tells the true story of an event that actually happened not too long ago. I was pretty young when it happened so I don't ever remember hearing about it so I  think that it's important to be informed about these type of events, especially when they take place so close to you. The story follows two teenagers, Sasha and Richard, and how one incident changes their lives.

I like how this story didn't just talk about the event between Sasha and Richard, but also went in depth and their backgrounds and how they were the people they were at the time of the event. There are many sides to the a story and I think Slater did a great job covering all perspectives to that story. Not only did it talk about Sasha, the victim of the situation, but also went pretty in depth about Richard, who he was, his past, and why he lit Sasha's skirt on fire.

The story also covers other topics: sexuality, race, and other issues that were apart of Sasha and Richard's life. Slater is a journalist, which is apparent in this book because there is so much information here, and it is really valuable information about these topics. I was actually surprised by how much research was done for this book - research into the City of Oakland, into Sasha's family and background, into Richard's past.

The writing style of this story played very well for all the information that was being presented in the story. Because of the writing style, the chapters weren't that long and there were a lot of stories being told on the, stories relevant to the people and events in the main storyline. These side stories gave more depth to the background of the characters, it gave more understanding on who the characters were. And both characters are interesting people as they've both had hardships through their lives so they both had unique stories and experiences that had allowed them to become who they were.

In general, I thought that this was a really good book. It was well written, well researched, and told both sides of the situation very well. The story is non-fiction, so I really think that it is a benefit to everyone to learn about events like the one told in The 57 Bus, especially if you're someone who lives near Oakland or in the Bay Area.

The 57 Bus

Okay, so like here is the deal. I don't got an issue with K-Pop or anything, like I think it's great how people don't even have to even be Korean to appreciate Korean music and culture but personally, it's just not my thing. Like my friends listen to it and stuff but me? Not much, which is why I found myself super surprised when I ended up totally falling for the K-Pop Indie playlists I found on YouTube.

I think I was watching a video on studying and taking notes (lol) when the girl mentioned that she studied to these playlists and I was like, hmmm maybe I should try this out. So like I did and holy crap I really loved it. Like, the main reason why I never really got into K-Pop was that I was just listening to music that I didn't even understand so like to me, there wasn't a big point to listening to music just for the....sound.

In the past I have definitely struggled with finding music to study or do homework to. I mean, it's kind of hard because the music can't be distracting but also has to kind of keep you awake. You don't want to end up simping in the middle of doing my homework or having a dance party so you have to find music that fits the in between. Before I kind of just put on a playlist that I was feeling at the time, but like, I always got sick of the playlist super fast. So when I heard one of these playlists I was lightweight shook, lightweight.

I mean the whole thing is kind of perfect, I love the vibes that the playlists send off and the fact that I can't really be distracted by them because I don't understand Korean. It's perfect background noise and I have been obsessed with them ever since. I put on a playlist, and 5 hours later I have played 4 other playlists as well and haven't even realized it.
My favorite channel of playlists is dandelions playlists. They've got longer playlists (playlists that go up to an hour and a half) and also shorter ones. My favorite playlist from them has probably got to be this one, which is an hour and a half a playlist I had on repeat for days. Eventually I started to subconsciously be able to tell which song was coming up in the playlist because I have listened to it so many times haha. Another channel that has really good playlist as well is this channel (the name is super long so I'm just going to link it lol). I don't listen to the playlists on this channel as much as I do dandelions playlists but I do listen to them occasionally.

So yeah, and that's how I totally fell head over heels for Korean Pop Indie Playlists. Find me jamming to this music while doing my homework, while cleaning my room, while basically doing...everything. If you want studying music I would definitely recommend checking out these playlists!

The last time I read a book by Cassandra Clare was probably about 3 years ago, and that was probably City of Glass. Honestly, something I have always been wanted to do is finish off all the series that I have left incomplete. I tend not to leave series incomplete because usually I might crash and fall into the hole and totally just binge read the whole thing but that doesn't happen *all* the time.

For like, months now I have debated on going back to the Shadowhunter's world. I mean, I left both The Mortal Instruments series and Infernal Devices so it kind of haunted me. I was slowly coming out of my reading slump so I thought it was a pretty perfect time to go back to the Shadowhunter's world. I took to twitter to ask which book I should read, City of Fallen Angels, Clockwork Prince, or (lmaooooo) start a new series and read Lady Midnight. Obviously, Clockwork Prince won (by like, a landslide) and it was one that I kind of wanted to read more than the others.

One of the things that had driven me away from reading the trilogy again was just the fact that it had been so long since I read the first book; I didn't remember anything that had happened and I was super young when I read it, so everything was kind of blurry for me when it came to the first book. Thankfully, Recaptains exists so that definitely helped me out while I was reading the next two books.

Once I got into this series I lightweight fell super hard for it. I ended up getting sick while I was reading the two books so it was the perfect opportunity to binge read. And then I binge read the next book super fast too. I have always heard that the ending of this trilogy is extremely heartbreaking and holy fuck I was not prepared for anything these two books had in store. I don't remember the first book being particularly sad so the next two books being emotional SHOOK ME.

I think if I were to sum up this whole trilogy in a few words it would definitely be SHOOKETH. Not just the ending and this extremely painful and unique love triangle, but the characters, and this plot, and this world, and *EVERYTHING.* Although I haven't finished the Mortal Instruments series yet, I can definitely see how someone would think this trilogy is better than TMI. The whole trilogy definitely stays with you, whether it be the characters, or a plot twist. (Or this freaking love triangle.)

There were many things I loved about this trilogy. I think Cassandra Clare did a great job with this story and the storyline. She has great ideas and such a wide imagination when it comes to this world, and I love it because she really knows to write a good story. I admit, these books are fucking long as hell and I did feel like that at moments things were dragging on and got lightweight boring but honestly it wasn't anything bad.

And I have to talk about this: the love triangle. For some reason she was able to write such a balanced and unique love triangle. I have mixed feelings about love triangles, they are honestly so frustrating but I mean, when done right they can be pretty entertaining to read about. I could not pick a side in this love triangle, it was impossible because I ended up really loving Jem and Will so much. And honestly the love triangle didn't get annoying, sure the fact that Tessa was never able to figure out which one she liked more was *kind of* irritating but I'm glad that the love triangle didn't become the storyline. And honestly, it makes this series that much more unique because it's a different love triangle compared to other love triangles.

So, tl;dr: The Infernal Devices is a bomb ass series. I can't believe I waited so long to continue reading it lol. And despite the fact that it was 3 years between the time I read the first and second book, I really enjoyed continuing this series.

Clockwork Angel

So much of this playlist consists of oldies I haven't heard in forever and suddenly remembered and then stuck into this playlist. There were a few releases from August I was able to put into this playlist though and Daniel Caeser released an album a few days ago so I had to resist from sticking the whole thing into September's playlist. It's funny because so many of these songs are songs I actually forgot about so I am looking forward to this month's playlist because I loved some of the songs that I totally forgot about. *oops* Also! You can see my actual playlist here.

Some favorites
Therapy by Khalid: I don't listen to Khalid enough. I've listened through American Teen so many times but I always forget to put his songs into playlists, so this is me remedy-ing that. Khalid has some good ass music and I really love this song (and it's vibes) so I am super looking forward to hearing this song more.

Almost is Never Enough by Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes: I put this song into the playlist after I had just finished The Clockwork Princess and for some reason, this song was just very much helping with all the feels that I had. I loved this song when it first came out, loved it loved it loved it. Funny story, back when The Wanted was still a thing Nathan was my favorite, so him being featured in this song only made me love it even more. Can't wait for all the simping I am about to do to this song.

Best Part by Daniel Caeser + H. E. R.: This is one of my favorite songs off of Freudian. I love the vibes, I love the sounds, and I love the lyrics. I love everything about this song and I just can't wait to be listening to it over and over again.

What are some of your favorite songs recently? Do you recognize any songs on my playlist?

This month was alright when it came to blog posts. I started the month off by recapping July, which was a pretty interesting month for me! And I also shared my August playlist, which I hope you guys enjoyed. I also finished off my China recaps with a recap of all the fabulous food I had and the polaroids I took while on my trip! I wrote a review on one of the books I read this month, I Believe in a Thing Called Love. This was a pretty good book! And finally, I talked about my thoughts on the new music from Halsey, Lorde, and Oh Wonder. And that was August.


This is the only life thing going on in my life because school is already eating up all my time. My math class is killing me, I already have a presentation due next week, and I am already exhausted. I always knew school was going to kill me but I didn't think it would be in high school. I'm also participating in sports this fall so that's going to be another thing on my plate. I play an outdoor sport, which is nice until the weather becomes well over a hundred so I am really looking forward to that as well. Basically, school is killing me, my life is a mess, but I will survive.

Hopeless Fountain Kingdom

Melodrama

Melodrama Faves: The Lourve, Hard Feelings/Loveless, Supercut
Lorde hasn't released a new album since Pure Heroine, which was, holy crap, 4 years ago. I loved Pure Heroine. Sure, Royals may have been super overplayed on the radios for a whole three months straight but I still jam out to all the other songs on her debut. So, I was so excited to hear about her new album. When she dropped Green Light, loved it. Liability? Loved it. Perfect Places, loved that one too. Melodrama is just as great as Pure Heroine and it's nice to see that she still has her touch despite the 4 year gap between her two albums. Lorde has always been great with lyrics and I definitely saw more of that in Melodrama. There isn't a song off this album that I don't like and I am just so excited for Lorde. Hope there won't be another 4 year wait for her next album lmao.

Ultralife

Have you listened to any of these three albums? What did you think of them?

In my lifetime, I have watched one Korean drama: Playful Kiss. It was a super long time ago (the drama itself is very old) but it was a pretty terrible drama now that I think back on it. I have a good idea on what Asian dramas are like though, based on what I have seen and obsessively watching Chinese dramas. Each country's dramas are different so I don't have a total understanding on Kdramas so all my opinions are based on the Chinese ones I watch. Anyway, I was pretty excited for this book ever since I read the synopsis. Girl tries to pursue a boy based off tips she gets from watching Korean dramas, oh my lordy I already knew this book was going to be hilarious. I went in with high expectations and I was most definitely not disappointed. So! Let's get into the review.

One of my favorite things about this was the awesome characters Goo wrote about. The main character is kind of like me: she is a planner, she likes to make lists, she also endlessly binged watched her dramas, which is most definitely me. I can safely say that I would probably never pull something Desi did to pursue a guy but I get her. I understand her ways just because I can really relate to her. I also really loved the side characters of this story. Desi friends are in some ways pretty great. I love how chill they are with each other and how supportive they are of each other. (They shouldn't have supported Desi's Kdrama plan though these people do not know when they hear a bad idea) I looooved Desi's relationship with her father as well. He is such a funny character and definitely added some more humor to the book. Also, Luca was such a perfect love interest. He was *SWOONY AF*.

Alright, I got a lot to say about this plot so buckle yourself in. I am going to be real with you, the whole "let's take tips from Kdramas" thing was such a bad idea now that I think of it. I understand Desi needed a plan and something to go off but please people, don't try that at home it's a bad idea. Some parts in this book was kind of screwed up, some parts of the book was extremely cringy but that is the beauty of Asian dramas. The typical romance drama will have the most cringy scenes, with the most obsessive characters, who have the most terrible ideas and who are constantly giving you second-hand embarrassment. However, that is the beauty of these dramas. The female lead is constantly getting herself into stupid situations, the characters will do anything - no matter how screwed up - to get to their love interest, and there will always be a scene where the female lead get's injured and the love interest lovingly performs some first aid, as if they can't do it themselves. Sure, what Desi did was kind of screwed up and a little ridiculous but that captures an aspect of Asian dramas: a lot of screwed up shit.

I also knew this storyline was going to be a great one to read about because I knew a lot of events in this book were going to be hella based off of stuff that happens in the dramas. Stuff that happens in those dramas always give such funny and light content and the happenings in this book definitely made the book so light and funny. Also, reading about Desi trying to make her and Luca's love story like the ones in the Kdramas made the book that much funnier to read about. And honestly, Goo did a great job picking apart dramas and finding a way to put them "in real life." It was so fun to read about something I love being incorporated into a book and I can only hope more books like I Believe in a Thing Called Love come our way.

And I can't forget about the fabulous rep and diversity of this book! I don't think I've read many books with Korean main characters so I am really happy to have this book. Korea is definitely an interesting culture, with their super popular music and dramas, and their bomb ass fooooood. This was such a great sophomore novel for Goo and I am really looking forward to what else she has in mind.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love

Rating:

Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.

1: Lu Shan - I took these three polaroids in Lu Shan, one of the naturey cities I had visited. I talked about my love for Lu Shan in my other post so I'm not going to gush too much about it here but I knew the view would look beautiful on polaroid. And it did! I got two pictures of the mountains and fog, along with one of me. ;)

2: Zhang Jia Jie - Zhang Jia Jie was the other mountain-naturey cities I had visited. Again, I talk more about it in my previous post along with everything that was in Zhang Jia Jie. This picture is a little hard to see, I will admit. The first two pictures from the left are just of the canyons and columns, and the next one is me with the canyons and columns haha! Yes yes, the pictures are a tiny bit dark but I promise it looks better in person.

3: The Great Wall of China - Again, talked about my trip to the Great Wall in my other post. (Seriously if you haven't read it yet it's right here) These pictures are pretty clear on what they are, one of me and the wall and another one of the wall, all the greenery around the wall, all through a little window in one of the Wall's towers. That shot took a lot of angling and squatting but I really loved how it turned out.

4: Shen Zhen and Zhang Jia Jie - These three are polaroids I didn't photograph in China so I had to do them in front of my closet door. Anyway, the first and last picture is taken in Shen Zhen, during that time me and my fam were eating above the city. The first is me, obviously, with all our food and drinks and the beautiful Shen Zhen view. The last is my attempt to take a picture of the view right when the storm clouds were rolling out. Problem is, there was a window, so I had to cover the flash and everything. The picture turned out okay I guess. You can see the city in the real polaroid, which is pretty good! The middle one is in Zhang Jia Jie, in a dried river. I wish the mountains were more visable in the background but other than that, I really liked how this shot turned out.

So yeah! That was the polaroids I took in China, along with just some of the bombass food I had. I hope you guys enjoyed and watch out for the last recap post, coming soon!

Which picture from this post is your favorite?