My picks for entertainment ~ suggested movies, TV shows, music, and books ~ so you can enjoy some quality ME time! (ATTN Korean drama addicts! This blog has lots of K-drama love.)
I have always loved most things vintage, but I have to define “vintage” in case you happen to be about the age of one of my kids. Vintage for them might be circa 1980 or 1990, and they may think vintage for me would be circa 1880 or 1890. Not so.
Vintage, by my definition, is back in my day, the 1950s and 60s, or anything before that, but still in the 1900s.
Are we clear? Good!
One of my favorite things is “library trash”. Books that some public libraries throw away as trash because they do not have enough room on their shelves and have to make space for the “new”.
In my dictionary: old books = vintage books.
Of course, if it is left up to chance and you are searching for a specific book, the odds are not in your favor, and you may be waiting a while – wishing and hoping for that particular reading material to end up on the pile. Not all awesome vintage books are tossed by the head librarian.
Fortunately, there is a bookstore called Vintage Books, that has been around since 1954. It is physically located in New York, New York, but thanks to the wonders of information technology, you can peruse their bookshelf online. There are books listed by the usual genres from Art to History to Mystery to Travel. But you might find the selected works categorized in the Vintage Series worth examining. There are 5 different series: Civil War, Classics, Contemporaries, Departures, and International.
Vintage books are priceless additions to your own personal library and are great gift ideas. What is also great is that these published works are not very expensive, come in paperback or hardcover, as well as audiobook format or in the Kindle edition.
(NOTE: Vintage Books is part of the Random House/Knopf Doubleday network of book selling sites.)
For almost thirty years The Civil War Dictionary has been the most complete, authoritative, and handy reference book on what has been called the Second American Revolution, 1861-1865.
Explorer Christopher Columbus described Cuba as “the most beautiful country that human eyes have ever seen”. 31 writers – poetry, fiction and nonfiction – agree.
A listing of my five (5) favorite female violinists, along with a few bio facts and a little bit of background information on how I discovered these fabulous musicians.
(1) British Violinist Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson is a British violinist known simply as Vanessa-Mae (?? Chén Mei). She was born October 27, 1978, to a Singaporean mother and a Thai father, but she was adopted by a British citizen and was raised in England. At the age of 4, she started playing the violin. My discovery of this talented violinist was accidental. Several years ago, I joined a music club so that I could buy world music at discount prices. I heard her play a song that was very popular during my teenage years. In fact it was one of my favorite pop songs and hearing her play it brought back a joyful memory for me. The name of the musical piece was “Classical Gas”, which was composed and originally performed by Mason Williams. When I heard her play it, I became an instant Vanessa-Mae fan. So I bought some of her albums to add to my music library. Her album sales were so phenomenal that in 2006, she was considered one of the wealthiest entertainers under 30 in the United Kingdom. Ms. Mae calls her musical style “techno-acoustic fusion.” I call it mind-blowing!
(2) American Violinist Karen Briggs
My late husband introduced me to the new age music genre and one of the best selling artists in this genre is Yanni. While listening to a televised Yanni concert that he was video taping (his hobby) so we could re-watch the program over and over, I was introduced to this fantastic female violinist: Ms. Karen Briggs.
Ms. Briggs is also known as the “Lady in Red”. She was born on August 12, 1963, in Manhattan, New York. She was blessed to come from a family of musicians. She started playing the violin at age 12 and at age 15, she decided that she wanted to play professionally. I had never heard of this virtuosa until I watched her solo performance on Yanni’s Live at the Acropolis concert. I could say she was splendid or even magnificent. But if you saw her perform you would say the compliment was insufficient. There are no words to sufficiently describe her. She toured with Yanni for thirteen years. Her latest performance was in 2019. She was invited to perform in Iraq and she was the only woman in the ensemble. Unfortunately because of COVID-19, her 2020 live performances have been canceled until further notice.
(3) Irish Violinist Máiréad Nesbitt
In America, we are fortunate to have a PBS station (Public Broadcasting Service) which airs most of the Celtic Woman concerts. I love these remarkably talented female singers. They voices are magical, even heavenly. Máiréad Nesbitt (pronounced like “parade” with an “M”) does not sing. However, this adorable violinist appears as a solo violinist at all of Celtic Woman concerts. Her parents are both music teachers and all of her siblings are musicians. She has been playing the violin since the age of six. The NY Times describes her as “A demon of a Fiddle Player.” I know they mean that as a compliment. However, I think the best word to aptly describe all of the performances that I have seen is … electrifying! She lights up the stage and literally dances all over the place while she’s playing. You can’t take your eyes off of her. Fans are encouraged to follow her Twitter feed (@MaireadNesbitt) to keep up with her activities.
(4) American Violinist Lindsey Stirling
My youngest daughter told me that it was impossible for me to say that I liked female violinists and not know about Lindsey Stirling. So I looked her up on YouTube. OK! So now I can say that I like female violinists. Ms. Stirling was born on September 21, 1986, and attended junior high and high school in Arizona. She is not only an excellent violinist, be she is a composer and a dancer.
According to her true life story, she said in an interview with NewMediaRockstars, an online magazine which shines a spotlight on successful YouTubers, “…ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wished that I could dance, but my parents said, ‘You [can] choose violin or you [can] choose dance, but we can’t afford both’”. She chose the violin, i.e. her parents paid for and supported her violin playing. However, when it came to being a dancer she didn’t give up her dream. It’s just that her parents didn’t pay for dancing lessons. Her YouTube music videos are enchanting; especially the Christmas videos. She started her YouTube channel in 2007 and she presents her very own choreographed violin performances. The YT channel is the best way to keep up with her.
(5) Lebanese Violinist Hanine El Alam
Once again my late husband gets the credit for discovering this jewel. He was searching for either Arabian music or Arabian artists (another hobby) and found Hanine El Alam. Words to describe her performances? Exotic. Exciting. Exhilarating. In a 2017 article published by Scene Noise, she is described as follows:
“Hanine El Alam is a fiercely talented and diverse violinist from Lebanon. Her “performances” are hardly just that; they are dazzling, larger than life spectacles, featuring adorned dancers, magnetic collaborations and a full band blending techno, Latin and Arabic flavors — not to mention the razzle-dazzle wardrobes. Her music videos are equally as dramatic and extravagant.”
That quote says it all. I could not have said it better. For more about her, she has an official website and you can find her on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Watching Korean dramas is my guilty pleasure. I especially like the
historical period dramas, during the Joseon period. I have been contributing detailed reviews on PopGeeks.com since 2023. But I share K-drama love everywhere I can.
If you have not watched these, you should add them to your watch list.
If you have watched them, let me know if enjoyed them too!
The main character is a feisty little innocent girl who is fiercely
loyal to her family and friends, but has the courage, inner strength and
determination to break with tradition, and find her own way in a cruel
world that is not a very nice place for a low-born; especially not a
low-born young girl.
This series is 60 episodes, with an extraordinary cast, and based on a
true story. It is a real life love story between a king and a woman he
took to be his concubine: Dong Yi (played by Han Hyo-joo) and King
Sukjong (played by Ji Jin-hee).
It's a love story with a bold and daring hero who is not only an
expert swordsman but also knows how to handle a pistol and a rifle. His love
interest is an intelligent woman whose father is a scholar and allowed
her to learn (although she had to dress up like a man to attend school).
They both dream of their country, Joseon, as a land that will one day
be populated with free people. His enemies thought they had killed him,
but he was saved and taken to another country. He returned to Joseon
with a new identity and was determined to settle old scores. The first time
his beloved sees him again, she faints. He may be wearing different
clothes and using a different name, but he still looked to her like the
man she loved. She thought she had seen a ghost.
A baby who was born in a prison turns out to be a princess. But
before she learned her true identity, she was taught by a martial arts
master and first learned how to kick butt!! It's a handy skill to have
if you're going after the bad guys who caused your mother's death. The
main character is Ok Nyeo played by Jin Se Yeon, who is on my list for
favorite Korean actresses.
A young prince witnesses horrific bloodshed and commands that it be
stopped. Since he is a small child, his command is disregarded and he is
returned to his father; only to learn that it was his father who
ordered the bloodshed. To add insult to injury, his mother is
“accidentally” killed (really she was murdered). From that day forward,
he not only hates his father, HE HATES EVERYBODY! Everybody except his
close friend. He was forced into a marriage of convenience. His wife,
the princess, becomes pregnant by another man. In an effort to cover
this up, the father-in-law (the father of the princess) attempts to kill
the prince. The attempt fails. Trying to escape his assassins, the
prince falls down a slope and hits his head. A poor man finds him, takes
care of him as best he can while he is unconscious. When he regains his
consciousness, he does not remember who he is. The poor man tells him
that he is his daughter's husband-to-be and that they must marry
immediately or his daughter will be flogged.
For 100 days, he lives the simple life of a commoner and falls in
love. He is found by his father-in-law and brought back to the palace.
His memory has not returned. But slowly bits and pieces of incidents
from his past, like puzzle pieces, begin to come together. His story
begins … AGAIN! He realizes who he is and what he needs to do. He also
knows what he wants to do. He wants to marry the woman he fell in love
with as a commoner, who is also the little girl he met when he was a
child and had promised he would marry someday.
A young prince meets and makes friends with a nobleman's daughter when they were children. An accident happens on a boat, and the girl he
met is tossed overboard. Her father believes that she drowned. Her
sister grows up, and the prince, now king, chooses her to be his bride;
not realizing that she is the twin sister and NOT the girl he met when
he was younger. Corrupt officials arrange to have both King Lee Kyung
and his queen, Kang Eun Bo, assassinated on their wedding day. They
succeed in killing the sister but the king miraculously comes back to
life. The people are terrified of him. How can he possibly come back
from the dead? The twin sister realizes that her sister has been
murdered. She takes her sister's body and secretly buries it. Then she
returns to the palace AS IF she has also risen from the dead, just like
the king. The king not knowing that she is the young girl he had met as a
child, also believes his wife has come back to life. However, the twin
sister's main purpose for returning to the palace is to discover who
murdered her sister. For all she knew, even the king may have been
involved. But she eventually realizes his innocence and falls in love
with him. The problem is that she has already deceived him into
believing that she is the one who died. This makes their personal
relationship very complicated. As if life in the palace wasn't already
complicated with all of the scheming, conniving, ruthless, greedy
politicking that was going on. Oh! Did I mention the prophecy?
Goo Hae-ryung is a female historian. Prince Dowon (or Yi Rim) is a
young prince who has been sheltered from the outside world. These two
main characters are adorably cute! But they have had some tragedy in
their young lives. They both lost their fathers through violence. Of
course, the adults around them try to hide the truth. But the two of
them trying to uncover the truth makes for a good plot.
The time is during the transitional period between the end of the
Goryeo dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon dynasty, which is why it
is “The New Age”. A king, princes, military leaders, all engaged in a
power struggle to build a new country. Seo Hwi and Nam Seon-ho are two
childhood friends have the power of their friendship “tested”. Things
happen to them, they get separated, and become enemies due to a
misunderstanding about "my country." One of them decides his country is
“the country of the abandoned”.
“'Bossam' in the Korean title refers to a customary remarriage
procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a
widow could not remarry. A single man or widower would kidnap the widow
and marry her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and
others were by force.” (Quote Source: https://asianwiki.com/Bossam:_Steal_the_Fate)
Here's the story. Two friends earn their living by kidnapping widows.
It's a steady-paying job because … evidently, a lot of widows want to
be kidnapped and remarried. However, there is one widow who does not
have this on her mind. She just happened to be sitting outside, and the
kidnapper happened to go to the wrong house and … uh oh! … she is
accidentally kidnapped. You think this problem is easy to solve. The guy
made a mistake, so all he needs to do is take her back home. Right?
WRONG! The lady who was kidnapped turns out to be a princess. Her
father, the king, wants to see her. Since her father-in-law did not know
how or why she disappeared or where she was, HE LIED! He told the king
his daughter had committed suicide, having died from the grief of being a
widow. The king finds out that his daughter is alive and wants to use
this fact to trap the father-in-law and get rid of him for treason. The
father-in-law also finds out she is alive and the entire series is him
trying to have her killed so that he doesn't get caught in his LIE!
Two books are suggested for those who are seeking truth, who are philosophers, who are religious, who are atheists, or who just like to read good books.
BOOK 1: The Signature of God
This book tries to convince the reader that God is the author of the Bible. The author, Grant R. Jeffrey (1948 – 2012), did research and presented his findings.
BOOK 2: The Existence of God
Three decades earlier, before Jeffrey's book was published, two other men, John Hick (1922 - 2012) and Paul Edwards(1923 - 2004) , presented the results of their research regarding "The Existence of God".
NOTE: Content below a first published at Wizzley.com
Searching for the Truth?
Book suggestions for those searching, seeking, on a quest to find life's purpose and the meaning of truth; or for intellectuals, philosophers, or people who just like to read.
Many Seek Truth. Some Write Books About What They Find.
In Memory Of:
- Grant R. Jeffrey (1948 - 2012)
- John Hick (1922 - 2012)
- Paul Edwards (1923 - 2004)
Grant R. Jeffrey believed the Bible was the divinely inspired word of God because God signed it. There is no way it can be deemed a forgery, a fake, or uninspired. He wrote a book titled "The Signature of God" to present his proofs.
Logic dictates that if there is a sole author of "the Book of Books", the author must exist or must have existed at some point.
Three decades earlier, before Jeffrey's findings were made available to the public, two other men, John Hick and Paul Edwards, presented the results of their research regarding "The Existence of God". It was an exercise in philosophical reasoning.
Jeffrey, Hick and Edwards - Believers and Philosophers
Ministers and Teachers
According to the results of research that took him decades to compile, Grant Jeffrey insisted that math, science and medicine, archaeology, and historical records provide indisputable evidence that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. Oddly enough, one of his main indicators or proofs is the same claim made by President Abraham Lincoln, that is, anybody who reads the Bible will live and die a better person for doing so.
"I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man." - Abraham Lincoln, 1863
It is clear in reading The Signature of God that Jeffrey's purpose is to persuade or convince non-believers that the truths presented from Genesis to Revelation are verifiable and come from a Higher Power who reveals Himself to all mankind through His Word. Jeffrey's work is the result of several years of research and study, the final product being presented to the public in book form in 1998. But if one is to accept his analysis and conclusions, one must first accept that God is real. Suppose the non-believers don't even believe a Supreme Intelligent is Being we refer to as God? Logic dictates that if there is a sole author of “the Book of Books”, the author must exist or must have existed at some point.
In 1964, two other men, John Hick and Paul Edwards, published the results of a project they had undertaken. They went on a quest to gather “available” information from the ancient Greeks to the present day (the “present day” at that time being circa 1960s) and share arguments representing both sides, i.e., FOR and AGAINST The Existence of God.
My Assessment and Opinion
Both books, in paperback format, are between 300 to 350 pages. So first, I'd like to say that the condensing of years and years and years of that kind of extensive research into publications that are less than 400 pages is nothing short of miraculous!!! Have you ever seen “reports” promulgated by the United States government? It takes 300 pages to present the summary of whatever it is that's being reported on! (O.o)
RE: The Signature of God
Are you trying to convince me that an extremely wise and intelligent Being is the author of one of the greatest books ever written? Well then, quite frankly, I think that the mysterious Hebrew codes, the mathematical signature of God, and the "Undesigned Coincidences" are totally unnecessary convolutions. The information and arguments presented did nothing to convince me that the Bible is God-breathed, inspired words. Hey! I'm a tough audience!
RE: The Existence of God
If one decides to tackle a topic like the existence of a Supreme Being, why start with the ancient Greeks? There were many civilizations, nations, or people who lived and walked the earth long before the citizens of ancient Greece showed up. Take one look at their mythology, and it's plain to see that they were a pretty confused set of folks. They had gods that treated human beings like they were toys to play with, pieces on a chessboard. I suspect that if one went back far enough in the history of mankind, they would probably find a point in time when all men knew the one true God. His existence wasn't a question; it was a given. :)
*****
Are you an atheist? believer? student of philosophy? truth seeker? Then the combined reading of both books is highly recommended.
Masquerade (2012) is a Korean version of Mark Twain's "The Prince & The Pauper", only set in the Joseon Era. It WON Best Film-Movie of the Year. No surprise it a made into a series. The Crowned Clown (2019) has also enjoyed immense popularity worldwide.
King
Gwanghae swears that “somebody” or maybe “everybody” is out
to get him! He's convinced that a member of the royal court is
trying to poison him. Isn't that how they always get rid of members
of the royal family? The king comes up with a plan. Find a LOOK
ALIKE! Substitute the look-alike on the throne while he goes off to
hide somewhere. That way, the doppelganger who looks like him can get
murdered instead.
As
impossible as the task seems, the king's councilor finds a “twin”.
Initially, Ha-Sun tries to imitate the King Gwanghae speaks. It
works … for a while, although Queen
Heo Gyun
immediately suspects. After all, she is a wife, and the man who has
entered the bed chamber does not behave like her husband. There's no
way he's the king, i.e., the man she married. But??? … Who is he, and what is he doing in the palace? (O.o)
The
best-laid plans often go awry. While
King Gwanghae is hiding, he becomes gravely ill. That means Ha-Sun
has to continue pretending to be King. He finds it too difficult
pretending to be someone that he's not, and his true personality
emerges. He is nothing like King Gwanghae, and everybody notices the
difference. Even so, the king's enemies still want
to get rid of him.
Will
Ha-Sun end up dying in the king's place anyway?
♦
STORYLINE:
The Crowned Clown (2019)
This
is the
same story as
the movie “Masquerade”
with a few more details.
It tells
the story
Ha-Sun's childhood and how he became an entertainer. He worked with
a group of clowns
and they chose him to play the King during
their performances
because he looked so much like the real king. He
was spotted by the king's councilor during a performance and that was
the day his
life changed FOREVER! One of the best
things
that happened to him was
meeting and falling in love with the queen.
When
it comes to keeping Korean drama addicts happy, Netflix and Viki continue to
duke it out. In my humble opinion, Viki is the GO-TO streaming
platform for all the Hallyu-ites and K-drama newbies. To be fair,
that's only because Rakuten Viki markets its platform as “The Heart
of Asian Entertainment”. Whereas Netflix has lots of other content
from all around the world. It's kind of like comparing apples to
oranges.
Even so, Netflix jumped in on the game, so it's kind of
fair to make comparisons. That
being said, below is a quick list of Korean dramas that can be found
ONLY ON VIKI. Many of them, but not ALL of them, are Viki Originals.
ALL of them have been reviewed right here on PopGeeks. To make it
easy for reference, the list is in alphabetical order.
A
top divorce lawyer needed a truly excellent divorce lawyer because
she was getting a divorce, and she and her husband both wanted the
same thing: custody of their child.
I
just liked the male lead because he was one of the mage in “Alchemy
of Souls”.
(The mages are people with special powers who can control the energy
of heaven and earth, and are the protectors of country. That was my
first time seeing the male lead and I've liked him ever since.)
This
K-drama shows that even men who are kings have an inflated ego and
can still be JERK! The queen was a kingmaker. She
did everything
within her power to make her husband king and how did he show his
thanks? By being a KING-SIZED
JERK!
OK.
Admittedly it is strange that every boy who likes you or tries to be
nice to you ends up getting in a tragic accident. That could make
guys want to steer clear of you. But the whole town labeling you a
witch? That's taking it too far. At least there was one guy who
didn't believe it!
If
you have watched any of these, do you have favorites?
Have you ever heard the term "Koreanovela"? It's a portmanteau (newly invented word or phrase) that combines "Korean" and "telenovela”.
A telenovela is a Latin American soap opera. Growing up in Miami, Florida, which has a large Cuban population, the Spanish-speaking channel often aired these TV shows. They are just like American soap operas, i.e. loaded with a bunch of catty people, unfaithful spouses, and unnecessary life drama, but the storyline is very addictive.
It turns out that "Koreanovela" is used for K-dramas that have gained popularity in Latin America and in the Philippines (Yes, this country is part of the part of the Asian continent). Having just recently discovered this word, it made me wonder if I had watched and reviewed any Koreanovelas. The answer is: Yes.
FUN TRIVIA: The Koreanovela that most K-drama addicts know about is “Boys Over Flowers”. No surprise. There are versions, remakes, or adaptations in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and Thailand ~ movies and series.
Below are five (5) Koreanovelas reviewed on PopGeeks. NO, they do not have 100+ episodes. YES, they are available on either Viki or Netflix.
STORYLINE: Kim Sung-Ryong ((played by Namkoong Min) used to receive awards for being a math genius when he was a little boy. But when he became a man, he lost his way and ended up for gangsters managing money. In an attempt to find his way back onto the right path, he started siphoning money from the accounts of his gangsta boss. He got caught! He was a given choice. Get a job at a legitimate company, continue working for his gangsta boss, cook the books to make his boss look like an honest businessman OR … ??? DIE!
STORYLINE: Yoon Ji-Woo (played by Han So-Hee) never knew her father. But like a typical young adult she thinks her father is never there for her. Everyone and everything else in his life is more important to him than her. But on the one night he did show up, he was killed right outside the door of their apartment. She heard the gunshots, and tried to look through the keyhole, but couldn't see the killer. Someone told her that her father had been killed by a dirty cop. Yoon Ji-Woo changed her name to Oh Hye-Jin and got a job work undercover in law enforcement, hoping to find out who the killer was, and GET REVENGE.
STORYLINE: Lee Na-Mi (played by Chun Woo-hee) is intelligent, talented, hard-working, has excellent marketing skills, and holds down more than one job. She's smart but did something that was not smart. Got stupid drunk and lost her smartphone. A serial killer found it. When the serial killer wasn't killing people he had a regular job fixing phones. He contacted her and returned her phone AFTER installing spyware. That psycho trapped both Lee Na-Mi and her father in his murderous hellish nightmare. The End Game was MURDER. But he wanted to have fun before that.
STORYLINE: Im Sol (played by Kim Hye-Yoon) is a young girl involved in a tragic accident and must now use a wheelchair. Ryu Sun-Jae (played by Byeon Woo-Seok) is a top K-pop star and she is a huge fan. The K-pop members are being interviewed on a radio show making calls and talking to listeners. Fan or not, she would rather die than be in a cripple! While she was contemplating suicide, she received a phone call.
Im Sol answers the phone and releases all of her rage on the caller. Rather than hang up, Ryu Sun-Jae started talking to her and ultimately convinced her to live. But later she heard that Ryu Sun-Jae had committed suicide. WHAT? That's so unfair! He was in pain too? She lived. Why didn't he live? Now there's no way to bring him back. Or is there? As if it was an answer to a prayer, Im Sol miraculously traveled back in time. She wasn't in a wheelchair, and Ryu Sun-Jae wasn't a K-Pop member. He was a top athlete in high school and they both attended the same school. He was ALIVE! Could she prevent his suicide?
STORYLINE: Baek Hyun-Woo (played by Kim Soo-Hyun) fell in love with Hong Hae-In (played by Kim Ji-Won), but he didn't know she was a chaebol heiress. No matter because she agreed to get married and promised she would never leave him alone and would never make him cry. But he did make him cry. He became so miserable he decided to divorce her. On the night he planned to ask for a divorce, she told him she was dying. Whoa! Divorce? Death? He decided not to ask for a divorce. If only his wife's illness was the only thing he had to concern himself with. He didn't care about his wife's money. But other people did!
(6)
Mr. Queen (2020) A chef from modern-day Seoul falls off a hotel
balcony and into a pool. When he comes out of the water, he is in
the body of a queen during the Joseon Era. It seems that at that
moment a few hundred years ago, she had jumped into a lake because
she was trying to commit suicide. Somehow his soul entered her body.
He was in shock when he looked in the mirror and in even more shock
when he realized he had to sleep with the king! His first thought
was how to avoid the king's bed until he noticed the king didn't seem
to be interested in him … uuuhh? … her. So then he turned his
focus on how to get back to his time period and back in his own body.
Meanwhile
… he had to learn to live as the queen, which meant he was drawn
into all of the palace scheming, conniving, corruption, and
treachery. He had to learn the queen's friends and her enemies, and
how to get along with her father. The fun part of this
time-travel/body-swap misadventure was using his chef skills to
prepare dishes and win over the king’s enemies. Even though the
chef's identity and personality remain in her body, the queen’s
identity and personality gradually become dominant.
The
chef's memories get replaced with the queen's memories and the reason
she tried to commit suicide became clear. But by that time, the
romance between the king and the queen develops because the king also
understands her reason. The king was mistaken about her true
intention and her love for him. He believed she was part of her
family's corrupt plan for power. The queen learned the tragic story
of the king's childhood and that her father had knowledge of how his
family died. They became closer to each other and fell in love.
Their love story is beautiful and triumphant. Best time travel
romantic comedy ever!! [Where
to Watch]
Hong
Cheong-Gi is the main female character and also the name of a real
historical figure who was the only female painter accepted into the
Korean Royal Academy of Painting during the Joseon era. The leading
male character is Ha Ram. She is the divine painter and he is a
divine astrologer. They first meet as children; she is born blind
and he is a child with special power. The children get separated
because Ha Ram is chosen to participate in a rain ritual. On the day
he performs the ritual, he loses his eyesight and is possessed by a
demon. At the same exact
time, the blind girl gains her eyesight. When they grow up, they
meet again, and their bond of friendship is renewed and matures into
romantic love. However, their love and lives are endangered because
they are caught up in two webs: the political power games in the
human world AND the eternal power struggle of good versus evil in the
spirit world. This Viki Original series is a delightful historical
fantasy romance. [Where
to Watch]
(8)
Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist (2022) A royal physician who
works in
the palace and is called upon to treat members of the royal family
has such extraordinary medical skills, he is given the title “Divine
Acupuncturist”. But others hatched a plan to murder the king and
frame him. He is not aware that performing acupuncture would cause
the king's death. Consequently, he is accused of murder and thrown
into prison. The murderers hoped he would receive the death penalty
and their crime would be hidden. But the crown prince set him free
because he believed he was innocent and that he was also the only one
who could prove who had murdered the king.
He went
from working
as a royal physician to working in a village hospital. But he was
so traumatized that he could no longer perform acupuncture. He met a
young woman
and trained her to be an acupuncturist. When
she first saw him she had to talk him out of committing suicide.
When
he met her again, she a trying to commit suicide. Not only did he
have to treat her “heart”, he uncovered that she was a victim.
Her mother-in-law was trying to convince her to commit suicide so her
family would receive the Virtuous Widow
Honor.
The
royal physician who
was
no longer able to perform acupuncture started a new life and
developed a new
skill. The physician changed the way he treated patients by
diagnosing both their physical sickness and determining how to heal
their troubled minds. He became a “heart doctor” and he also
fell in love. This K-drama has 2 seasons. [Where
to Watch]
The
daughter of a nobleman owns
a guesthouse left to her by her father. In addition to being a
guesthouse, there are also secrets and romance. There are three
flower scholars are her guests.
One
is already paying for a room before the other two guests arrive. He
hopes to win the heart of the owner.
The
second guest came to town to take the civil service exam for martial
arts and hopes to become a member of the king's royal guard.
The
third guest has no money but he did try to help a damsel in
distress. Since the damsel is the owner
of the guesthouse, he arrives there and tells her she should repay
the debt by allowing him to stay there.
Two
of the scholars have a secret identity and are on a secret mission.
The owner
also has a secret and tells all of the guests they are not allowed to
go near the guestroom located at the back. It's haunted.
When
the owner was
a young girl, she protected a young boy who ran into her yard and hid
in the dog house. That boy was the crown prince but he did not tell
her his true identity. Thirteen years passed and one of the guests
is that prince and he' gong to fall in love with him. This is
a Viki Original series. [Where
to Watch]
(10)
Missing Crown Prince (2024)
A
royal physician was told that if his daughter married the crown
prince, he would die young and she would become a widow. His plan is
for his daughter to become the future crown princess so he kidnaps
the crown prince. They are both drugged and spend the night
together, lying side by side, technically making them a married
couple. He further plans to eliminate that crown prince and replace
him with another crown prince and get him to marry his daughter.
Before
he was kidnapped the crown prince was investigating her father. He
had information that proved he was having a secret affair with the
Queen Dowager and might be responsible for the death of a court maid
assigned to the queen dowager's palace.
The
best laid plan usually doesn't work out. The daughter wakes up and
helps the prince escape not knowing who he is. He also does not know
that she is the daughter of the royal physician he was investigating.
The other prince the father had hoped his daughter would marry was
very close to the crown prince. They grew up together and had a
strong bond. But that strong bond might be broken because both of
them fell in love with the royal physician's daughter. This K-drama
series is a spin-off of “Bossam:
Steal the Fate”,
another Viki Original which was released in 2021. This
is a Viki Original series. [Where
to Watch]
Treathyl Fox aka Cmoneyspinner – Home Business Entrepreneur. Think. Dream. Focus. Believe in yourself? Hire yourself! Be your own boss! Do it! Self-employed and loving it! ♦ DISCLOSURE: In compliance with FTC rules and guidelines, be advised that some links shared via this websites might contain affiliate referral links which means commissions might be earned if product sales resulted from your click-through to the vendor’s website.
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