The Reply Series :)

Reply 1997: Source

An unhealthy obsession over Reply 1997 led me to move on to the third instalment from its series - a bad decision, if any. If you're unfamiliar with Reply 1997, it's basically a 16-episode drama series starring Seo In-Guk and Jung Eun Ji (A Pink). I'm not sure what compelled me to watch this drama in the first place, seeing as i'm 4 years too late to the hype. Even so, it's a drama that takes you back to the group of friends and their lives back in 1997. I particularly enjoyed Reply 1997 because of its two main leads. The protagonist doesn't fit the mould of your sweet girl-next-door. She's uncouth, loud, spoilt and feisty. Yet there's a charm to her that you can't help falling for, and this I give heavy credit to Eun-ji for playing the character so well. As for the male lead... let's just say that In-guk played one of the most realistic male characters I've seen in korean dramas. I usually avoid romantic korean dramas because the male leads are just too good to be true. They're good looking, say wonderful cheesy things and treat the women in ways you've only dreamed of since you were a little girl. If Disney has been blamed for their unrealistic portrayals of 'happy ever after', then korean dramas (of the romance genre) needs to be blamed for breaking the hearts of women (and men) everywhere (cries). 

Anyway I digress. Reply 1997 is still by far ranks #1 in the romance department for me. Apart from the brilliant chemistry from the ensemble, the script and directing really impressed me. It wasn't long-winded, had great punchlines and didn't miss out on details. It was predictable yet still lovely to watch :) I don't think there was a moment where I cringed from a corny script. 

And so after watching the series six times, I decided it was unhealthy and that it was time to move on to something else. And this led me to the third instalment of the Reply series, Reply 1988.

Reply 1988 Poster: Source

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If I hoped that Reply 1988 would ease my transition from Reply 1997 then I was terribly wrong. Where the latter focused on the friendship of the group of friends from Busan, the former focused on both the importance of family and friendship in Ssangmun-dong, Seoul. 

Reply 1988 left me crying towards the end of its run. There was a strong connection that I felt with the show. It reminded me of the kampong days when I was a child, and in many ways the setting of this series brought flashbacks of the Singapore I knew and grew up in. Above all, the importance of your neighbours, your family and friends are reflected so well in this drama. It was portrayed simply, and reminded me the importance of family and sacrifice. I think everyone will be able to relate to this series. 

However unlike most drama series, what I love about this series (and the reason why the Reply series has gained so much recognition) is the script and directing. There are a total of 20-episodes, with each episode spanning an hour and 30minutes or more. Even so, you hardly notice that it's that long. The cinematography is conducted so wonderfully and each scene isn't longer than it should be. Most importantly, each character had enough screen time. So much so that I forgot who the main leads were. At the end of the day, Reply 1988 takes you back to those times you spent with your family and friends as a teenager. Back to the days when love was new, when you were unable to express yourself to the people you love, and when you were too childish to understand a parents sacrifice. I truly thank the team who came up and produced this show, it deserved the high ratings and credit it received. I'm now on my third run with the show >< 

There are three instalments so far from the Reply series: Reply 1997, Reply 1994, Reply 1988. They are mutually exclusive and apart from the cameos some of the characters from the previous instalments have made, there are no links whatsoever between the three 'worlds'. I have yet to watch Reply 1994, but I would highly urge everyone to give these shows a go. I'd recommend starting with Reply 1997 because after all, that's where it all started :) I hope the writer comes up with another Reply series in the future. I'm sure it'll be another award-winning show for sure. 

Have you seen these shows? What are your thoughts? I'd love to know :) 

xx

p.s. I tried very hard to maintain my composure as a fan in this post. Could you tell?

Friday Musings

Image taken and edited by me.

I've had the privilege of living a life that gives me the freedom of speech. However, let's not get too technical with the term "freedom of speech" here.

Most of us don't seem to realise how fortunate we are to be able to grow up in a society that allows us to speak as we think. Am I unhappy with the way something is run in the country? Sure. I'm allowed to voice my opinion. Am I unhappy with something my parents have done? Sure. I'm allowed to share my sentiments to them as well.

Most importantly, I am allowed to voice my opinions and be heard. Whilst not all of these things are necessarily followed up, however I do have a voice and thus a say in things. My decision matters and I have the opportunity to take charge of my life and decisions.

I've been a member of Toastmasters International for a year now and boy, what an incredible year it has been. I don't think I've ever openly spoken about Toastmasters and how much it's saved my life, but today I will share a little something that I've learnt.

At Toastmasters, it's not all about leadership skills and public speaking. It's so much more than that. I can't say I've fully grasped all the wonderful benefits Toastmasters can bring to an individual, but a few things would include meeting a myriad of individuals with different stories, building your confidence to speak in front of a large group of people as well as pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to truly test your limits.

I attended a club contest held by another club in my district last night, and during one of the filler sessions had the great opportunity to hear from a member who had competed in the semi-finals in Las Vegas.

Now before I continue, I'd just like to share how wonderful I think globalisation can be. Conglomerating individuals with one shared interest together is bound to bring an abundance of anecdotes and learning points to take home. I've never fully grasped how beautiful it is to be able to share your culture and ideas with others. It's always rewarding to be able to hear experiences of others from their own mouths as opposed to what you see in the media. And for this particular case, it was a humbling experience that made me realise the power of speech.

Upon socialising with other fellow Toastmasters from around the world, he found out that for some people, Toastmasters was the only platform in which they were able to speak and share their mind. They weren't allowed to do this at home due to societal norms in their country, and so Toastmasters was the only outlet for them to speak freely without facing dire consequences. Others saw it as an outlet to share their stories and views with people without having to face discrimination for the content shared. Toastmasters - I believe - does not judge you so much based on the content (unless very highly controversial, I should state now that there are such things as "inappropriate topics" that could disqualify someone during a competition). Rather, evaluations on the speeches are made with the intention to strengthen the quality of someone's speech. These evaluations are always very helpful, because there are only so many things you yourself notice from your speech. Having someone evaluate you opens your eyes to what you're lacking in. Finally of course I should say that everyone in Toastmasters is there to improve, and as such there is no hostility amongst members. We're all there to help one another out and it's always a splendid feeling to be in a very supportive environment.

Either ways, my main takeaway was how important it is to have the power of speech. The ability to voice out your opinions is something people like myself take for granted. I was humbled by the story shared, and it made me realise how powerful one is with this. That said, expressing one's views properly and respectfully also strengthens the power of the speech, and is something we should all strive to achieve. I'd like to believe and feel that if everyone practises the power of "freedom of speech" appropriately, there is no issue that we'd be unable to discuss critically and constructively.

So take charge of the ability to voice your opinions. Be mindful of what you say, approach the topics considering the emotions of the person on the other end, and always know that we are allowed to agree to disagree.

Till then, xx.