Michi Photostory

My brain can’t remember all of these series so having a list is important. #signsofaging I hope this list won't be long, dapat mas mabawasan. :)

A Witch's Love Epi 7 

Beauty Inside Epi 2

Cafe Minamdang Epi 3

Coffee Prince Epi 7 

Dali & Cocky Prince Epi 5

Dear My Friends Epi 8 

Doctor Prisoner Epi 7 

Do You Like Brahms Epi 4

Faith Epi 5 

Forest Epi 14

Gaus Electronics Epi 7

Hotel Del Luna Epi 7 

Hospital Playlist Season 2 Epi 4 

I Have a Lover Epi 12 

Little Women Epi 2

Numbers Epi 7

One Spring Night Epi 5 

Queen for 7 Days Epi 9 

Red Sleeve Epi 8 

Run On Epi 6 

School 2017 Epi 3 

She Would Never Know Epi 1

Strong Girl Nam Soon Epi 6

Summer Strike Epi 10

Tale of the Nine-Tailed Epi 2

The Worst of Evil Epi 6

Thirty-Nine Epi 6 

Tomorrow Epi 3

Unlock My Boss Epi 1

Vagabond Epi 4

“I can’t recycle wasted time” so before starting a new series, I always check how many episodes or how long per episode. I am having second thoughts if I see that there are so many episodes. So recently, I started searching for short Korean drama series that I can watch in one sitting or I can finish during the weekend (max. 8 hours). I’ve only watched a few series so far because it is a challenge to find short drama series on Netflix so sometimes I have to search on other websites. 

1. My First First Love 1

2. My First First Love 2

3. You Drive Me Crazy 

4. Love Alarm 1

5. D.P. 

6. The Silent Sea

7. Soundtrack #1 

8. One More Time 

9. A Hymn of Death 

Among these series, I like "You Drive Me Crazy" and "Soundtrack #1", both stories are about friends turning into lovers.

10. Pachinko

11. The Sound of Magic

I can't wait so even it is a weekly episode, I started watching it kahit alam ko mabibitin ako. As per my research, this is a remake of “Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong, a 2004 South Korean film. The story is about a smart and pretty dentist "Yoon Hye Jin" who moves to Gongjin after she lost her job in the city. She met Hong Du-sik, a jack-of-all-trades who is very special in the neighborhood because he always helps his neighbors especially the elders. 

As of this writing, I already watched the 4 episodes and every week there are always quotable lines, so this post will be updated until I finished the series. 

This is number 122 on my Korean drama series list. Move to Heaven is the name of the business of Han-Jeong-U and Han Geu-Ru, they are trauma cleaners who help people in cleaning and sorting out the belongings of the deceased. I have no idea that there is such thing as trauma cleaners and I don’t know if we have this kind of service in the Philippines. 

But all I know is, this is a sad reality that we need to face after the wake and interment. Cleaning, organizing, and disposing of the things that our loved ones left behind is a challenge. It is an emotional process where we feel sad and happy at the same time. The pieces of memories that we remember and stay alive in our minds and hearts. 

Going back to the story, Han-Jeong-U died and left Han Geu-Ru who has Asperger syndrome to his long-lost uncle Cho Sang-gu. An ex-convict became Geu-Ru's guardian and helper in running the trauma cleaning company. Move to Heaven is not an ordinary trauma cleaning business because they don’t just clean but they also solve some issues of their deceased clients. They believe that things that were left behind can still tell stories and these things help them to uncover and discover the truth. 

This series has only 10 episodes but it is full of lessons about family, friendship, life, and death. I have so many realizations after watching Move to Heaven. 

1. It confirmed that material things mean nothing. You can’t really bring your treasures to heaven. And shockingly, after the trauma cleaners clean the space, the important things were kept in just a small yellow box. 

2. How sad and lonely to die alone with no family members who will organize your funeral. No one even visits you in the wake. Actually, this happened to some people especially now that we are experiencing a global pandemic because of COVID19. 

3. I love how Namu supports and protects Han Geu-Ru. A true friend that is hard to find. 

4. We all go through loss but we have our own way to deal with our griefs and mournings. Some people will take weeks, months, years, and even forever to heal. Whether we like it or not it is a reality that we cannot escape from, we just need to accept and learn to let go. 

"Although you can't see someone, it doesn't mean they're not with you. As long as you remember, they are not gone" 

Hi, Bye, Mama is a story of Cha Yu-ri who died because of a tragic accident. After she died, she became a ghost who follows her family and friends for five years. Then she was reincarnated and was given a chance to become a human again if she succeeds in returning to her place within 49 days. But it was a challenge because Gang-Hwa, her husband is already married to Oh Min-jung. 

How I wish it can happen in real life, that our loved ones will return even just for one day so we were able to say our last goodbye because not all of us had a chance to say our farewell. Anyway, this series is a comedy-drama so it is a roller coaster of emotions. I like the casts of this series too, magagaling sila lahat umarte especially Seo-woo, kasi boy siya in real life. I like the beauty of Kim Tae Hee, sa Love Story in Harvard ko siya last na napanood and nagmature lang siya ng konti pero mukhang bata pa rin. Kim Min-kyung, perfect lagi sa mga mother role.

There are so many lessons that you can get from this series like the unconditional love of the mother and stepmother and how people deal with pains when they lose someone. Speaking of pains, what a coincidence because when I opened the 365 Pocket Prayers for Women Book, the prayer today is about sorrow. 

Merciful God, I’m mourning a loss, and my grief is heavy upon me. I have moments when I’m overwhelmed with sadness and I can’t think of anything else. Yet sometimes it seems that others feel I should be over my loss by now. I’m comforted by the example of Jeremiah, who in the book of Lamentations declared his grief in almost the same breath that he proclaimed his hope in faithfulness. That shows me that the grief process is not intended to be swift, and it’s not a steady progression. I’m reassured to know that tears and joy may be intermingled for a while. The best comfort is that you are with me Lord and that you care about my pain. Thank you for your promise that those who mourn will be comforted. 

Sharing some worth remembering quotes or lines that I love from the Hi, Bye, Mama series.

So when my husband and son started watching Doctor X, I stopped watching Korean drama and shifted my interest to Japanese series. We seldom watched series together because we have different preferences and the last series that we binged watched is Dr. John. But we all liked Doctor X and we finished the 6 seasons in two weeks. 

Read: Doctor John 

Doctor X is the first-ever Japanese series that I watched and I have no idea that I will love the series. It is a Japanese Medical Drama starring Ryko Yonekura, an exceptional freelance surgeon whose hobby is surgery. She only works until 5PM and doesn’t accept any tasks that don’t require a medical license and most of all she doesn’t care about career, status, or politics. 

As you watched the series, you may feel that the flow of the story is the same but despite the repetitive pattern we still continue to watch the six seasons because it is not stressful to watch. I also like the lead actress here, she is indeed perfect for the role. The first season was premiered in October 2012 and imagine after so many years, Ryko Yonekura still looks young. 

The series is quite relatable because I have family members who passed away because of chronic illnesses and I have family members who are still battling with cancers. How I wish there is a doctor like Doctor X in real life who is willing do to non-operable, high risk, or impossible surgeries that other surgeons do not want to do. A doctor who never gives up on her patient, who never abandons the patient even the surgery seems impossible, and willing to risks her job just to save the patient. Even Stage IV cancer is not a death sentence because she can operate and cure it. 

The first impression on Michiko Daimon is she doesn’t care at all but the truth is, she cares a lot for her patient. Doctor X's trademark line is “I never fail” because she believes that there is no second chance for the patient if you commit mistakes. The doctor may learn from the mistakes but the patient may suffer or lose life because of that mistake. 

I also like how manager aka “melon man” Akira Kanbara and anesthesiologist Hiromi Jonuchi support Michiko Daimon. And how other doctors started to believe in her extraordinary skills and later on supported her too. This medical drama is more on comedy but there are also touching episodes here such as 

* When Michiko Daimon started to ask where her money goes 

* When Akira Kanbara, Hiromi Jonuchi and Michiko Daimon got sick. 

Itashimasen “I won’t do it” 

Watashi shippai shinai no de! “I never fail”

"Change and challenge"