My Journey to the Seoul In Me

I must have been Korean in my past life but instead of delving into what is probably my past life… guessing and assuming… I will instead delve into my real and current past like a typical Korean telenovela…to know what led me here and create this blog…

In a typical K-drama fashion, my K-drama series called “My Life to Seoul” starts with a past. Around 15 years ago, I wasn’t really a very happy person…True…I seem to have a comfortable life wherein I came from a good family, starting to have a booming career and can buy most of the things I would like to have but I wasn’t really happy…”haengbokhae” (“행복하다”)…as korean translation goes. Similar to K-Drama heroine in the first series of its episodes, I was being introduced to the challenges that life brings. Some people when they are not happy get into addictions. What’s mine? Serious shopping expenditures (I mean really racking expenses) and smoking. One of the huge expenses I got myself into beside jewellery, bags and clothing is watching movies that can make me forget my life. I am not known for doing things half way, so, when I get into something, I get into it. Thank God I didn’t see any point of going into drugs (I’m actually on my snobbish opinion that those who do this are quite stupid… no matter how depressing my thoughts were on those days), otherwise, my mind will be too much in a mush to finally fix my life. My addiction to have amnesia (similar to the K-characters in most of its drama) through watching movies rack up quite a huge expense so, after awhile of buying legitimate CD and DVD’s, it led me to buy pirated DVD’s in the basement parking of one of the malls in Makati. I have 5 balikbayan boxes full of it…just to show you how addicted I was.

My very first taste of what K-entertainment as to make me forget my life during those days is the K-Movie “My Sassy Girl”. I never thought I would watch let alone be addicted to any movies that I have to read subtitles at the same time see what’s unfolding on the screen while listening to the sound of a language I can’t understand nor be interested in learning to write or speak. The lady whose life’s work is to make me and her other clients buy more and more pirated DVD’s had reach her maximum level of what else she can offer me for I am still quite discriminating on what to buy as addicted I was in English movies. She needed to solve my waning interest fast, either she loses me or rile me into another world of entertainment. Guess, the latter is a much lucrative choice for her. So, she made me an offer I can’t refuse. She will give me a free pirated DVD of a K-Movie with no obligation whatsoever. In fact, she was so confident that I will love the movie even if it is Korean because she promise to give me free 10 DVD English movies on my next visit if in the end I didn’t like it. Pretty ballsy of her, don’t you think so? Who in their right mind would refuse a freebie like that? (FYI, I’ve been her client for quite some time and are quite familiar already with each other that she knows I won’t lie ) I was quite confident myself I will win on that bet. It took me 3 days before I ended up watching it…and…oh…well…as the credits scrolls on my screen… I knew I was a goner and lost that bet. I fell hook, line and sinker to the realm of K-Movie and her business flourishes with me. However, K-Movies don’t get made as fast as English ones, my fix for K-Movies must continually be encouraged to a hot flame and the availability of quality K-Movies is dwindling by the months I devour on it. She needs to think fast if she wants my business to continue and she got an unexpected help from someone she doesn’t even know…my sister. She lives in the US, thousands of miles away from me, recommended this K-Drama in one of our endless and nonsensical long-distance phone call marathon (no Skype, Viber or power of FB yet). She was talking continuously as to how this K-Drama ended up making her not go to sleep for straight 2 days over the weekend and provoking her to cry non-stop for an hour. She was so  affected by it that for someone like her who’s totally opposite to my personality…let’s just say I got piqued. Although, I am in need of my fix for K-Movie, I wasn’t looking forward on watching a 20-episode series either. But, since, it must be that good… for my sister who’s a stickler for money and time would even think of wasting 2 days on her busy schedule more so money for a 20-minute discussion of it with me during our bouts of overseas calls that she’s paying…I was thinking…it must probably be that good.

That 20-episode K-Drama series entitled “Stairway to Heaven” with the delicious and just about all that is dreamy of a man, Kwon Sang-Woo, sealed my fate to all that is my addiction to K-Drama. And, that’s where my kindred spirit to all that is Seoul was born.

My addiction has wane through the years as I tackle my “real” life drama rather than hiding behind the “reel”… not to mention getting tired of hearing amnesia as a twist of the story, too villainous characters, inexplicable long flashbacks and after all that shit that the lead characters have to go through while watching them for more than 72 hours or so in a week with my eyes getting blurry and just get and see a 2-second too-fake on-screen kiss just kinda leaves an unsatisfied taste in my mouth. It made me wake up and smell the coffee of really facing my real life. I want that happy ending…

Well…my own K-Drama series didn’t end there unlike almost all K-Drama were the ending must be wrapped up in a beautiful red bow. But, to sort of wrap up my own K-Drama series…my ending is still open for interpretation as I am still breathing and alive. True…I am older, wiser, Kwon Sang-woo is already married with 2 kids… but… I am glad to say I am much happier these days. It took me more than 3 years to go back and watch another K-movie or drama after I stopped watching them…or…even buy a pirated DVD for that matter. But, when I got back into it, I’m in a much happy disposition in my life. I started my journey going up the ladder of sadness from “Stairway to Heaven” leading up to a happy scenery of  “Secret Garden”. I must say with age comes with wisdom to choose which things you would like to waste your time on. And, I was so glad for the many blogs and sites that I was able to read before I try and take a hit of my former addiction (see the list of sources). You know…being able to choose what you would like to do…for me…is one of the best things success can bring to one’s life. Choosing to build a website and write a blog about one of my epic passions…which is probably stupid to others… is one of the fruits of my success. I love to write, love to watch movies and love internet…make sense wanting to share my passions to kindred spirits…after all…the seoul in me always brings me happiness…and…happiness is where I want to be.

So, this blog is for me to share my opinions and reviews to what I watch and hopefully for fellow addicts like me be able to share and enjoy my journey into the seoul in me. Welcome to my blog.