I had to check twice because I couldn't make sense of the dates but from the looks of it, it is the first of May today.

If you've been here long enough (and can you believe I'll celebrate my twenty-years - 20! - on LJ in two years? Mind is blown) you know what it means, ie. I come here to offer you the traditional bunch of Lilies of the valley for luck and happiness (and don't we still need those in abundance!) <3 Maaaaa, if you're visiting me again this year, I always have a special thought for you on this particular day :)

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Hope it brings you luck and warmth, flist <3 I had a stressful couple of days at work myself so I need all the soft and quiet and peaceful I can get this weekend. So far so good, I'm having a pretty cozy day at home (it's grey and rainy today here so that's perfect) and taking it easy: Fandom is keeping me company and I'm having a pretty good time all around.

Speaking of, please think of me next week! Word of Honor has its last 3(+1) episodes and I already know I'm going to be a wreck. I've - intentionally - spoiled myself very early on because I felt like it would lowkey stress me out not to know how it ended so, technically, I'm aware of everything that's about to happen and yet... I have no doubt it'll be an emotional ride. I know you get it. 

I'm going to miss this drama so much! The excitement of each new episode, the reactions on Twitter, the interaction with the fans... I know we'll get more related content for some time and the two leads already have two new dramas coming up so it's not the end of them or the last opportunity to enjoy their work but it won't be WoH and I have such love and affection for it *__* Obviously, I'll watch it again but you know how it is, you only get one single opportunity to watch a beloved show for the first time. At least, I'll have enjoyed the experience to the fullest <3

Speaking of. So it'd seem they do that kind of things regularly over there but last month or so ago they announced that they would hold a WoH fan event: a concert (well, two on two different days) with some reenactment of iconic scenes by the cast - be still my heart <3 They shared a poll so that people could vote for the scenes they wanted to see, it was a lot of fun. Seeing how popular the drama has become, they announced that the whole show would be live-streamed for those who could get a ticket. Many of us couldn't and I admit I was a bit disappointed because, idk, it's a live concert so obviously it's nothing like physically attending the event but it was still something new and exciting to look forward to, you know? And this hasn't happened for more than a year now! 

Fast-forward yesterday morning when YouKu announced they'd opened their YT membership and people could subscribe and get a pass in order to have access to not only the two concerts on each day but some backstage view and bonus clips later on. I was quite tempted - as in, since I started writing this entry last night, I got it ;) Cookie and I needed that spark of 'Ohh, something New and Exciting is Happening Soon'. So now I can say that will be "going" to a concert Monday or Tuesday (depending on work)! How surreal does that sound? Very surreal, indeed. Yes, it's an online concert but even then... just the idea is exciting, know what I mean?

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*

I meant to post something earlier this week because we're having a new Presidential address tonight, which might lead to a new rant - especially as it's never a good sign when Macron is the one doing the talking so I was all, quick! I need to write a post that is not a rant before you all think I spend my days ranting, which I promise I'm not ;) Work has calmed down a bit recently, meaning I've enjoyed being able to take a breather, the weather is absolutely gorgeous right now... things are ok! And I'm posting this before they - potentially - get less ok.

You know how it goes when you fall head over heels in love with a piece of media and you have to talk about it every day, everywhere? I'm at this stage, I'm right there *waves* So today, in my TED Talk, I will sing the praise of and express my love for Word of Honor, the latest Chinese drama that I've started watching.

I'll start by stating that I wish every slasher in the land watched Word of Honor because it truly has everything one could wish for in a show. Of course, I'm kidding, to each other their own and all that, plus I know it's a genre that is definitely not to everyone's taste and, obviously, not everyone would like it anyway even if they happpened to be into Wuxia. Still, I wish every slasher out there could at least meet Wen Ke Xing and Zhou Zi Shu because they would be so delighted about the way this particular relationship is being treated! 

The canon source is m/m even though the drama isn't. I mean, I do find descriptions and/or articles that talk about 'BL drama' but it actually/officially isn't (when you know how strong the Chinese censorship turns out to be, it's not surprising). In any case, it reads that way; in addition to the deep connection between the main characters, there seems to be several 'hidden messages/symbols' usually associated with love between husband and wife or with homosexuality, so, you know... Still, Official BL or not, it has many of its codes. Don't we love the Soulmates trope? We do, we most definitely do.

Let's say if you wanted to enjoy a male friendship that transcends traditional friendships, WoH is for you, and if you wanted to enjoy a not-so-slow burn relationship between two male characters, then WoH would be for you all the same. Then again, if you wanted both, well, aren't you the lucky one, you can have both!

At its core, WoH tells the story of two men who find salvation and love when they find each other. That's it, that's the show. The fun of it that you can interpret that love however you wish. I mean it, bromance or queer relationship, this drama has one of the most beautiful depictions of love and friendship I've ever seen. It's pure joy, really ♥

It's so refreshing to have male characters constantly express their love for one another. I'm not even talking about subtext, I mean plain text; canon dialogues, canon scenes, it's all there for you to enjoy on-screen, be it with their actions, their words or the looks. Oh my god, you guys, the looks! I swear I've seen canon m/m couple who looked at each other with less love and tenderness than these two. It's actually a bit unreal - and they haven't known each other for long in the episodes that vid uses. Imagine after 20, 30 episodes ;) 

Even better yet, the show has darker elements and thus characters hurt and suffer - physically and mentally - which pushes many of my buttons, they do questionable things that they regret later on and try to atone for, the action scenes are super awesome, the intrigue engaging, the secondary characters loveable and/or interesting too... I'm lapping it up all ;) It's actually a pretty clever mix of cute and domestic moments and dramatic ones. They do know how to keep a good balance. 

Anyway, it's definitely my happy place of late <3 And don't we all love those? ;)

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 cutCollapse )

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? ;)

Fair warning: this is pure Covid-situation rant. You might want to skip that one. 

What a week. What a week! So, yesterday was our First Lockdown anniversary - whaddayaknow, a whole year has passed since the whole mess officially started! How to celebrate, you might ask? Well, wonder no more! What better way to celebrate that splendid anniversary than to announce yet a new Lockdown the day after the one-year point! 

So that's what, our third lockdown? I guess I'll stop counting very soon. 

Admittedly, other areas of France already had a weekend lockdown but we "upgraded" the whole thing as Ile-de-France (as well as 15 other areas) are now in 7/7 Lockdown for four weeks. Oh, and we still have our curfew! I mean, why not keep the curfew on top of the lockdown? (Actually, said curfew has been pushed back an hour which was music to my ears as it now starts at 7.00PM instead of 6.00PM, which in turns means I can go out and take a breather right after work, which wasn't possible up to that point).

So we're back to non-essentials shops being closed, back to not being able to go far (although further than the dreaded 1km of Before) and back to our beloved permission form! Oh, how I did not miss that cursed document. I'm impatient to see the new version, though, because turns out even though we still have a km-restriction, we don't have a time-restriction any longer (during the day, I mean). So we could theoretically stay outside for ten hours if we wanted and I mean... why? (My theory is that the Gvt is worried people are so tired and so fed up with the whole thing that they will just not care if the restrictions are too restrictive and so they're being lenient in some areas).

Anyway. Sorry. I'm fuming inside, it has to get out somehow - also, I wasn't having the best of weeks to begin with, so. And don't get me wrong I actually believe in restrictive restrictions but at this point, everything sounds futile and/or stupid and/or too little, too late. (And don't get me started on the clusterfuck that is the French vaccination campaign).
  
Ha! Don't you miss my K-drama obsessive posts now? lol (I'll be back with k-drama related posts very soon, never fear!)

Ok, rant over. Hope you're all doing good, flist, or as well as you can. I'm sending lots of love your way, I'm thinking of you *hugs* 

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 c-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 ;)

Is the week dragging for everyone else or is it just for me? At one point this afternoon I almost had a heart attack when I realised that we were only Tuesday! Which means, if my calculations are correct, that tomorrow is only Wednesday - not Thursday at all! That was painful. 

Don't mind me, the week is actually going well, I'm just being overdramatic lol I had a 2h30 long Zoom reunion in the morning followed by another 3h long Zoom reunion in the afternoon and I was just dead by the end of the day. I actually made the executive decision to go out for a stroll at 5.00 PM to clear my head. I resumed work when I got back (it's not as if I could wait for the actual end of my day at 6.00 PM to go out, right?! #BloodyCurfew). The fresh air did me good - that and the lovely weather.

But as I said, the week is going well. I'm on top of everything I want to be on top of and it's quite satisfying: working out (before and after work), going out for a walk at lunch break (except when I can't and decide to do it at 5.00 PM *cough*), studying German and/or Korean. I've also started listening to podcasts again! I've missed it a lot but as it happens, I only ever listen to podcasts when I'm out and about on my own, meaning when I'm commuting and when I'm doing solo outings. Obviously since March 2020... well. Things haven't exactly gone according to plan, have they? But this week I started listening to podcasts while I'm working out. As it happens, up until now following the video worked just fine but it hasn't been the case recently and, as a consequence, I wasn't enjoying those sessions that much anymore (not that I'm super into sport to begin with, mind, it's the Lockdown Effect). 

So anyway, I thought I'd do it differently and fix the podcast problem at the same time. It worked like a charm! I'm listening to whatever episodes strike my fancy in the morning and sticking to the same podcast when I'm on the indoor-bike in the evening - and I know some of you are huge fans of that one, namely The Magnus Archive. I wanted some fiction podcast to end the day... I'm sure it'll be quite the ride. 

All in all, things are doing well, as I said :) Oh! And I'm quite excited because one of the dramas I've been anticipating the most lately is premiering this week (tomorrow, even!). I have high expectations for that one. I know it's never a good idea but you know how it goes, it's not as if you can help it. Let's just hope I'll enjoy Mouse as much as I think I will.

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 whateverCollapse ) 

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. I wrote this last night but apparently fell asleep before I could hit send, meant to post it before work, then forgot. This is the perfect example of how I'll find myself with a post ready to go live and no update on my LJ for days. So, quick, coffee break before my next online meeting and let's post this.

( Pictures behind the cutCollapse )

Having a leisurely walk in Paris (or any kind of walk, really) is a luxury these days since we mostly stay home and that particular outing was especially enjoyable. I actually took that shot (metro station at the Tuileries) because I wanted to share it with you. There, sometimes I take pictures for the sole purpose of online sharing. I'm still working from home, no surprise here and as I was enjoying a nice little latte, I was trying not to have murderous thoughts for some people at work (not my coworkers, thankfully). Work is still pretty dense, I guess I'm not getting bored? (Between you and me, I wouldn't mind just a little bit of boredom). February, 2nd was was the Chandeleur so we made our traditional crêpes - that was super lovely. 

Obviously, I'm still watching k-dramas, I mean, when am I not, these days? But! I did pause my k-drama to catch up with the new season of Prodigal Son. I really enjoyed those first episodes, they were pretty wild and very on-brand for Prodigal Son. I think it bodes well for the rest of the season :)

Oh, and yesterday was a perfect example of your 'Pandemic Sunday' as at any other time we would have gone to the movies or seen an exhibit (it was the perfect type of weather for that, grey and wet) likely followed with a visit to a favourite coffeeshop. Instead it was Jenga at home. We had fun, though ;)

And you can't see it in the pic but I had my first swab test! I started coughing ten days ago and you know how it is, the time when you could just wait before going to the GP is long behind us so I went to see them and, no surprise, I got a one-way ticket to the infamous swab test. (Also, the place where I had it was super sketchy - totally official, mind, but it felt so "suburby"...). Anyway, the results came back negative, it was just your run-of-the-mill bout of bronchitis (early days, even) but seriously, I'm basically home all the time, I've been taking all the bloody precautions we've been advised to from the get to and I get sick? At least it was nothing serious (although I'm still coughing to this day so colour me a bit frustrated. Also tired, you guys. My GP thought I looked pretty tired and I was just "Is there any other way of being these days?").

Apart from this little "adventure", things are still going well - as good as they can under the circumstances? No, they're going well. It's a bit difficult telling the difference these days ;) 
Hope you're all doing well too, flist *hugs*

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' categoryCollapse )

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.