Add and Subtract Game

[Guest]

846

[CamelKnight]

848

That addition to the subtractor team doesn't do them much good though  

[emiry32]

846

Team Subtract will stay strong!!! Being Optimistic 

[Guest]

850

Welcome back!

[Lynne]

854

[Guest]

856

[CamelKnight]

858

[emiry32]

856

[CamelKnight]

858

[packmule3]

860

13 hours ago, seasons32 said:

852

thanks @phikyl! I was away due to real life, which settled a bit more recently. ^^ life of a student

 

You're a student??!! 

Hahaha. I'm almost at the opposite end of the spectrum: life of a retiree or -- an emeritus hag. 

@Lmangla, another drama trope: tsundere or the jerkass leading male. Behind that mean, insolent, cruel, beastly, cold, (insert your choice adjective) facade of the hero is a lonely, hurting, misunderstood man with abandonment/mommy issue. Ugh. I don't know about you, but I've never found the tsundere characters appealing in real and reel life. 

There was this post (I ignored by whom) in the Goblin thread which compared the hero Kim Shin to Jane Eyre's Mr Rochester. >.< I could barely refrain from snorting out loud. To me, Mr Rochester is, was, and always has been a big a-hole. A scumbag tsundere. He clearly deceived and manipulated Jane. But this continued romanticization and worship of his character have arrested the critical analysis of many female "literary" wits.

Please! Kim Shin is nothing like Mr Rochester. Hmmmm... Maybe I should have a rewatch in Goblin, eh, @phikyl? 

Oh well.... I'm back. 

[packmule3]

864

Lol! I remember when my children turned 21, their dad  bought them their first "legal" drink at the bar as a rite of passage. But we've all been drinking wine for dinner and giving them champagne on occasions for a long time. Oftentimes, the more grown-ups prohibit alcohol and other things, the more tempting and "desirable" they become. With drinking, moderation is key. 

I think in many Asian countries, the minimum age to purchase and drink alcohol is 18. I was in Seoul recently and the college students I met and their professor kindly invited me to drink soju. (lol! They thought I was chill.) Unfortunately, I had meetings the following day so I had to decline. I was surprised to discover that a bottle of soju is pretty inexpensive. (About a dollar.) 

[Lmangla]

866

@packmule3 ~ kekekekke.. I hated jane eyre so much that I aggravated my english teacher. she was rather lost for words when I told her that it was just a 19th century version of a paperback romance novel and I had read better paperbacks with far more interesting characters and plots. hahahha..

 

41 minutes ago, packmule3 said:

another drama trope: tsundere or the jerkass leading male. Behind that mean, insolent, cruel, beastly, cold, (insert your choice adjective) facade of the hero is a lonely, hurting, misunderstood man with abandonment/mommy issue. Ugh. I don't know about you, but I've never found the tsundere characters appealing in real and reel life. 

but there are good versions of this trope -- basically this is taming of the shrew male version. hahahah... so an early kdrama (that most have never heard of) that made me fall in love with kdramas was "bright girls success" .. you might like it because the characters are rather unique even with time.

so the girl is a plucky, practical country miss whose romantic dream is to rescue the "useless prince" (the dream has a fight sequence where she is the action hero while the prince stands helpless). kekekke..... and hands down, they have one of the most memorable meets in kdrama -- she is taking a bath outdoors (she lives in the country) and he literally falls from the sky after his paraglide doesn't work. 

and he is a rich spoiled brat who still suffers bad dreams of losing his parents at a boating accident when he was 10 where he alone managed to survive.. so he lives alone in a huge house with the business partner's family next door who have kind of raised him.

one reason this trope is popular is there are sometimes pretty great lines/wit. so in this drama, there was one I still remember. so she is in high school but already 19 when she initially meets him. basically she had lost a few years and is actually older than her classmates. but is desperate to get her high school diploma at least. however, she has to work as a servant to pay off the debt created by her con-artist parents. so she rather desperately wants him to get up early to go to work so she can go to school after she serves him breakfast. so she tries to convince him with the saying "early bird catches the worm" to which he responds "so what about the worm? it got caught by the bird because it woke up early?"

this was a ridiculously popular drama in its time -- got something like a 40% rating!!!!! and part of the appeal is it aired during the economic crisis. so his taming occurs because he loses his company and fortune as he gets cheated by his own uncle and cousin and he becomes penniless and homeless. then has to figure out how to get it back while being abandoned by all  his high society friends. the only ones who have his back are this girl (who used to work as his servant) and his driver (who reluctantly takes him in)...

and it is a comedy in that the characters are rather cheerful despite the economic gloom.. and it does end happy on an atypical note. so he gets his company back and she... goes off to join the army! hahahhaha... so her dream was to be a soldier and she feels free to go be a short-term commissioned solider now that her and his problems are resolved. she is 21 and it is the last year (age-wise) she can join. so he ends up waiting for her. hahahah.... 

 

[packmule3]

53 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

866

@packmule3 ~ kekekekke.. I hated jane eyre so much that I aggravated my english teacher. she was rather lost for words when I told her that it was just a 19th century version of a paperback romance novel and I had read better paperbacks with far more interesting characters and plots. hahahha..

 

but there are good versions of this trope -- basically this is taming of the shrew male version. hahahah... so an early kdrama (that most have never heard of) that made me fall in love with kdramas was "bright girls success" .. you might like it because the characters are rather unique even with time.

so the girl is a plucky, practical country miss whose romantic dream is to rescue the "useless prince" (the dream has a fight sequence where she is the action hero while the prince stands helpless). kekekke..... and hands down, they have one of the most memorable meets in kdrama -- she is taking a bath outdoors (she lives in the country) and he literally falls from the sky after his paraglide doesn't work. 

and he is a rich spoiled brat who still suffers bad dreams of losing his parents at a boating accident when he was 10 where he alone managed to survive.. so he lives alone in a huge house with the business partner's family next door who have kind of raised him.

one reason this trope is popular is there are sometimes pretty great lines/wit. so in this drama, there was one I still remember. so she is in high school but already 19 when she initially meets him. basically she had lost a few years and is actually older than her classmates. but is desperate to get her high school diploma at least. however, she has to work as a servant to pay off the debt created by her con-artist parents. so she rather desperately wants him to get up early to go to work so she can go to school after she serves him breakfast. so she tries to convince him with the saying "early bird catches the worm" to which he responds "so what about the worm? it got caught by the bird because it woke up early?"

this was a ridiculously popular drama in its time -- got something like a 40% rating!!!!! and part of the appeal is it aired during the economic crisis. so his taming occurs because he loses his company and fortune as he gets cheated by his own uncle and cousin and he becomes penniless and homeless. then has to figure out how to get it back while being abandoned by all  his high society friends. the only ones who have his back are this girl (who used to work as his servant) and his driver (who reluctantly takes him in)...

and it is a comedy in that the characters are rather cheerful despite the economic gloom.. and it does end happy on an atypical note. so he gets his company back and she... goes off to join the army! hahahhaha... so her dream was to be a soldier and she feels free to go be a short-term commissioned solider now that her and his problems are resolved. she is 21 and it is the last year (age-wise) she can join. so he ends up waiting for her. hahahah.... 

 

 

868

Aha!!! A kindred spirit. 

In all honesty, however, I can't recall now whether Jane Eyre was an assigned reading or I read it on my own. But I know I read it around the same time I read (furtively) Lady Chatterley's Lover.  haha.

Okay, I'll check out "Bright Girl's Success". Is it on Viki? 

I believe my first encounter with the tsundere hero in kdrama was Playful Kiss with KIm Hyung Joon.  I couldn't believe it!  I couldn't believe how such a hateful character could ever be regarded as a hero in this day and age.  I fast-forwarded through the episodes to see if a bolt-from-skies would change his spiteful and derogatory behavior. But nope!

I thought the Taiwanese version would be any better, but the lead exhibited the same arrogance and condescension.  And the female actress looked moronic. (I know. I know. the actress is passably good-looking in real life.)  But at least, in the Korean version, the lead actress was cute.  

The Japanese version, Mischievous Kiss, was a little better (a smidgeon). But I'm glad that @phikyl introduced me to the Thai version, Kiss Me. Now, for me, that version is the most acceptable. 

And yes, I like the Taming of the Shrew. depending on the adaptation. The hero IS tsundere but there's a legitimate reason because the heroine IS a shrew. So, they're both a match, and on even footing. They can duke it out.  But if the hero's tsundere and the girl's a doormat, I find the unequal relationship painful to watch.  

BTW, my current favorite version of the Taming of the Shrew is the one with Rufus Sewell as Petrucchio (and Shirley Henderson? as Kate).  It's a modernized version. I couldn't find the whole play on youtube anymore but here's a sample.

The elevator scene (or their first encounter after Petrucchio was bribed to marry her) --

I find it hilarious when Petrucchio tries to flirt with her, she eyes him suspiciously, "Did my mother put you up to this?!"  And when he teasingly bids her goodbye with, "Kiss me, Kate!"  she snarls, "Up yours, weirdo!" lol. 

 

[Lmangla]

870

@packmule3 ~ a quick search tells me that it is not on viki but it is there on other sites.  sometimes it is titled as "successful story of bright girl" -- jang nara and jang hyuk are the leads and since this was their first leading roles, they aren't as polished as they are now. but it really is a lovely bright quirky drama that you can watch and perks you up -- think that is why it did so well during the economic crisis because the focus is on battling adversity but it has such a positive vibe instead of melodramatic. the romance is actually mostly bumbling, awkward and hilarious but it is pretty obvious to everyone including themselves on how much they care because of the way they support each other. re-watched it a few years back and it absolutely cracked me up when he realizes that she turned down his marriage proposal to join the army! (he is about 8-9 years older than her) his reaction is a mixture of - but you are a girl! + why on earth would anyone voluntarily serve when they are not required to? have yet to see that plotline repeated in another kdrama. hahahahha.....

27 minutes ago, packmule3 said:

BTW, my current favorite version of the Taming of the Shrew is the one with Rufus Sewell as Petrucchio (and Shirley Henderson? as Kate).  It's a modernized version.

yea I watched that one before and it was amusing. the lift scene totally crackles.

and playful kiss is probably something you intensely feel if you are closer to the school age. all that angst for a boy. hahahaha... as an adult, you want to sock her for being so dumb. kekkeke...

[packmule3]

2 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

870

@packmule3 ~ a quick search tells me that it is not on viki but it is there on other sites.  sometimes it is titled as "successful story of bright girl" -- jang nara and jang hyuk are the leads and since this was their first leading roles, they aren't as polished as they are now. but it really is a lovely bright quirky drama that you can watch and perks you up -- think that is why it did so well during the economic crisis because the focus is on battling adversity but it has such a positive vibe instead of melodramatic. the romance is actually mostly bumbling, awkward and hilarious but it is pretty obvious to everyone including themselves on how much they care because of the way they support each other. re-watched it a few years back and it absolutely cracked me up when he realizes that she turned down his marriage proposal to join the army! (he is about 8-9 years older than her) his reaction is a mixture of - but you are a girl! + why on earth would anyone voluntarily serve when they are not required to? have yet to see that plotline repeated in another kdrama. hahahahha.....

yea I watched that one before and it was amusing. the lift scene totally crackles.

and playful kiss is probably something you intensely feel if you are closer to the school age. all that angst for a boy. hahahaha... as an adult, you want to sock her for being so dumb. kekkeke...

 

872

You said it! I wanted to fistbump her 

...on the head.

Wait! Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk?  Weren't they the leads in "Fated to Love You"?  

Here's another kdrama trope: First Love

The very first encounter of romantic love is true love.  And to raise your anxiety level ten notches, your childhood sweetheart is your true love.  Ugh! That's why these Korean moms are so stressed out raising their little children. If their children's playmates will eventually become their sons'/daughters' eternal loves, then the sandbox is a virtual dating place.  The poor moms have got to choose the right park and the right sandbox and swingset to situate their poor hapless babies. Every toddler is a potential Romeo/Juliet just drooling on the other side of the seesaw. 

 

[Lmangla]

874

hahahah... @packmule3 ~ in real life, how many first loves actually end up as adults? another kdrama trope that I find annoying but sometimes necessary is the whiny second lead. makes me wonder why they don't just find someone else instead of pining away for someone who obviously could care less...

and yea, jang nara and jang hyuk were in fated to love you. bright girl's success didn't have a real kiss scene. it was her first leading role and she basically was dying of embarrassment and the PD gave up and did a funny angle. so during fated to love you interview/press conference, she was asked if she was willing to kiss jang hyuk this time! hahahahah... and she jokingly answered that she didn't know why she hesitated then. hahahahha.... and yea, when the first kiss scene aired, we laughed in the thread that we (those who had seen bright girl's success) just had to wait 12 years (or was it 13) to see these two kiss.

[packmule3]

2 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

874

hahahah... @packmule3 ~ in real life, how many first loves actually end up as adults? another kdrama trope that I find annoying but sometimes necessary is the whiny second lead. makes me wonder why they don't just find someone else instead of pining away for someone who obviously could care less...

and yea, jang nara and jang hyuk were in fated to love you. bright girl's success didn't have a real kiss scene. it was her first leading role and she basically was dying of embarrassment and the PD gave up and did a funny angle. so during fated to love you interview/press conference, she was asked if she was willing to kiss jang hyuk this time! hahahahah... and she jokingly answered that she didn't know why she hesitated then. hahahahha.... and yea, when the first kiss scene aired, we laughed in the thread that we (those who had seen bright girl's success) just had to wait 12 years (or was it 13) to see these two kiss.

 

876

Hahaha. Will the subtractors notice that we'll soon reach 890?

Yes! That drama trope: Annoying, whiny FEMALE second lead + saintly, supportive MALE second lead.  The viewers are meant to dislike the female second lead at first sight while falling in love with the male second lead. It isn't fair.  It reinforces unhealthy competition and rivalry among females (i.e., you eye another female with distrust because she's out to steal the hero) while it depicts men as emotional crutches. 

As I said in another post, no girl ever grew up dreaming of becoming a villain in her own love story.  

[Lmangla]

878

@packmule3 ~ sometimes the second male lead is also super annoying. a classic one is winter sonata where the guy tries to emotionally manipulate her into staying.. but even when the second lead guys are good, it makes it seem like "good guys finish last" saying is true and then the question pops -- so what is the point of being a good guy then no?

but talking of childhood first loves trope reminded me of another drama with a little bit of twist. have you seen "18 vs 29"? it is amnesia with a twist. basically she is 29 and gets amnesia in an accident and ends up remembering only stuff till she was 18 and is horrified to find out that she was married to someone she despised in high school! hahahah... he liked her but she didn't and can't believe her adult self actually got married got him.

[packmule3]

19 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

878

@packmule3 ~ sometimes the second male lead is also super annoying. a classic one is winter sonata where the guy tries to emotionally manipulate her into staying.. but even when the second lead guys are good, it makes it seem like "good guys finish last" saying is true and then the question pops -- so what is the point of being a good guy then no?

but talking of childhood first loves trope reminded me of another drama with a little bit of twist. have you seen "18 vs 29"? it is amnesia with a twist. basically she is 29 and gets amnesia in an accident and ends up remembering only stuff till she was 18 and is horrified to find out that she was married to someone she despised in high school! hahahah... he liked her but she didn't and can't believe her adult self actually got married got him.

 

878 (rats. our plan has been discovered by our captain, @angelangie. kekeke)

Oh yesss! I forgot about the annoying second male leads.  Especially those psycho, crazy ones. I haven't seen Winter Sonata. (so many dramas, so little time!) But I've watched the Hong sisters' first drama, Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang.  At first, I liked the second lead because he acted more mature and steady and considerate, blah-blah, to the heroine.  But midway through the plot, he turned Machiavellian and tried to get rid of the guy with trumped up charges.  Add the fact that he was considerably older than the girl, and --eeeks--- he was just too creepy for me, in the end. 

18 vs 29?  Wasn't this a Hollywood movie? With Jennifer Garner? lol.  She gets angry with her geeky best (boy) friend who sprinkled fairy/magic dust on her dollhouse and she transported into the future where she found herself estranged from her childhood best (boy) friend. Or something like that. 

But 18 vs 29 seems interesting, too.  Nowadays, I seem to like movies where the guy likes the gal FIRST and pursues her without her knowing it. 

[Lmangla]

892 (EDIT: SHOULD BE 890)

@packmule3 ~ yea the second male lead in that drama was really eeky and creepy. perhaps it was the age difference that made it look even more stranger than the standard second male lead....

and I didn't like that hollywood version but this kdrama from my vague memory made me laugh mostly because she was so horrified that she was married to her nemesis. hahahahahah...

one trope I really dislike is the candy heroine -- makes me annoyed. who on earth is that good and does not react negatively when wronged? please! give a character some flaws. perhaps, thats why I like the tsundere. atleast the guy does seem real and like you said, when she isn't a doormat, the pairings can be great fun to watch...

Edited April 7, 2017 by Lmangla
because I cant count today? hahahahha