absinthe-coloured

Not many writers get the confession scenes right, and very few get the marriage proposals ones perfect.

Shin Ha Eun hit the ball out of the park not once, twice but thrice! I have said in my earlier posts how much I loved the build up, HyeJin’s realisation, her confession and DuSik’s acceptance and respectfully expressing his feelings in return.

DuSik saying I love you too HyeJin at their beach date. That entire beach date scene will remain at the top of my favourite scenes ever in KDramas. I wrote about it here.

HyeJin and DuSik’s relationship is one of the best relationships I have seen in Kdrama (ignore the fan service and lapse that happened in their development as a couple in episodes 11-13). Both very flawed and real characters, but never shying away from having an honest communication. Despite their emotional baggage and strikingly dissimilar personalities - HyeJin and DuSik are very similar - loyal, guarded, smart, intelligent , competitive people, but with strong sense of justice who will always do right by the people they encounter in their personal and professional lives.

DuSik may have changed his way of life given his trauma, but deep down he is aware that he is a genius and he can’t help but show off his knowledge. He may not be chasing money anymore, but he can’t help chasing perfection. That’s how he is wired. It shows in the numerous skills he has amassed and perfected in limited time.

HyeJin has had to work hard through her school and been at the receiving end of prejudices and biases against her. So she has put up her own walls and her desire to do better is now ingrained in her. She wants what is best for her and she knows no person has made her feel complete like DuSik has.

They love each other but they are also competing with each other - who loves each other more, who is there for each other more, who needs each other more, who wins the banter more. There is a natural dynamic that exists in their relationship. Their telepathy and them being on the same page in their relationship is a given. And therefore, was it even a surprise that both wanted to propose marriage to each other at the same time :)

HyeJin who doesn’t want to let go of DuSik, who wants to be his family, who is never afraid to hold back when she is with him, of course she was not going to wait around for DuSik to come propose marriage to her. She was sorted in her head - about her feelings for him and her future with him. HyeJin who knows her mind and heart belongs to DuSik.

DuSik who knows he is the luckiest fellow to have HyeJin in his life, this amazing strong woman who has stood by him, who has helped him overcome his grief and trauma, who is his friend , the love of his life and soulmate. She who boldly confessed to him her feelings without expecting him to return them and so it was only apt that he would be courageous to tell her first he loves her. That’s even stevens! But now he wants to make it even more special for her by proposing to her a future with her - them as a family forever! It’s her wish and he wants to be the one to make it come true for her. But he has no idea he has met his match, because this wonderful woman will always be one step ahead of him - always, even in proposing marriage. So while he is blown away by her proposal , at the same time the perfectionist competitive genius him is frustrated to have lost to a worthy competitor; DuSik won’t express it, but like HyeJin he hates losing even to his most loved, most cherished person in this world.

These two beautiful in love, competitive dorks - competing on who proposes first 😂

It was beautiful this whole proposal - it was the perfect culmination to their entire dynamic across the 16 episodes that we had witnessed. HyeJin focussing on the shoes , the beach, the sea - the ‘things’ that brought them together; DuSik focussing on the ‘sadness ’ - he who had been lucky to have people around him who had noticed the emptiness in his eyes and helped him, he who was naturally drawn to the sadness in her eyes and wanting to know why.

HyeJin who can get all the things she wants with her own ability , she only wants a lifetime of love from DuSik. DuSik who wants a simplistic minimalist life, wants HyeJin to just share the simple things with him for the rest of their life!

There will be conflicts, there will be clashes, they will argue and fight but HyeJin and DuSik won’t stop communicating and understanding and that’s the biggest strength of their relationship! Go live a wonderful life you both!! We will miss seeing your marital bliss and banter on screen!

How beautiful were Shin Min Ah and Kim Seon Ho in this scene - especially Kim Seon Ho’s comic timing was on point when DuSik is stunned and says no, the shock, the ruffling of his hair, the genuine kid-like disappointment of being beaten in the race to proposal , the welled up eyes when he says those beautiful lines.

traditionally koreans practice ancestor veneration and family/clan ties are the biggest aspect of people's identity and your fate, worth, and future are a collective identity u and ur family share. if ur an orphan it means you've been abandoned, u r disconnected from ur lineage and you've done something in a past life that affects all the relationships you have in this life.

STUDIO GHIBLI + AUTUMN 🍁☕️

Only Yesterday (1991) Tales from Earthsea (2006) My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) Pom Poko (1994) Princess Mononoke (1997) Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)

it’s there, isn’t it? or at least something like it, drifting beneath them like an undercurrent, a slipstream.

it’s how du-sik always notices when hye-jin enters or leaves a room. it’s how hye-jin knows he’s about to cry from a look. it’s how they sit at dinner, close, sleeves brushing, but not quite touching. it’s how hye-jin is half-turned to him in every scene, how du-sik is so aware of her anytime she’s near. it’s how she notices he’s hurt, how she notices he’s sick, how she turns to watch him walk away. it’s how he sees mi-seon at the set and then immediately looks around for hye-jin. oh, you’re going for drinks, for lunch? let me join you. never mind that i said i didn’t want to, that was before i knew you would be there.

it’s how their interactions must be casual, otherwise they have to give it weight, give it meaning. i’m going to call you a rhino when you bump into me, because otherwise i’ll have to think about how it felt to have you close. i’m going to bicker and laugh at you while our hands touch, otherwise i’ll have to look at you and i can’t do that. it’s the way the camera doesn’t linger every time they touch but only when it matters, only when they can no longer pretend that it doesn’t. your hands on my face; you leaning in to kiss me; you holding me while i cry, when i’m frightened.

it’s how they linger here, in this halfway place between love and indifference. when i nearly kiss you, i’m going to hit my head and call myself crazy. when i stare at you in the store, i’m going to shake my head and tell myself to get a grip. i’m going to call this anything other than what it is. this is not love; it’s just kindness or attention, and i don’t care that they all mean the same thing. just don’t make me call it love.

it’s how i can’t even fit it all in here, because otherwise i’d be talking about every second they look at each other. because isn’t that what love is? not something bright and blinding, but a constant, steady attention?

The amazing concept art of Kiki’s Delivery Service by Studio Ghibli

These are some of my favorite poets:

Du Fu

T'ao Ch'ien

Li Bai

Li Qingzhao

Su Shi/Su Tung-p’o

Du Mu (II)

Li Po

You can also start with several collections:

Classic of Poetry/Odes (trans. Ezra Pound)

Nineteen Old Poems

Three Hundred Tang Poems

Songs of the South (this is one of my absolute favorites)

These are some anthology/reference books:

Classical Chinese Poetry: An Anthology, David Hinton

How to Read Chinese Poetry: A Guided Anthology, Zong-qi Cai

Autumn Willows: Poetry by Women of China’s Golden Age, Bannie Chow, Thomas Cleary

Mountain Home: The Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China, David Hinton

Li Po and Tu Fu: Poems, Arthur Cooper; Shui Chien-Tung

Three Chinese Poets: Translations of poems by Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu, Vikram Seth

Five T’ang Poets, David Young

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

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Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Stop Procrastinating

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Taeyong simple lockscreens

Requested by: Anon.

1. go out in nature more. every studio ghibli film has some aspect of nature intertwined with the storyline. sometimes its hard to get the energy to go outside, but just going out on your deck or opening the window in your room or taking a walk around the block is enough. if you feel like it, go for a hike! go into the woods and look at every flower, and every tree. look at the mushrooms and streams and notice the beauty of them. look at nature like you’ve never seen it before. wake up at 4 and watch the sunset. put plants around your room. realize how beautiful the world is around you. appreciate it. 

2. get a hobby! this step is certainly easier said than done, but its so worth it. struggling with mental illness makes it especially hard to get a hobby, but its very important that you don’t spend the majority of your time on social media. Start small. If you want to start drawing get a coloring book and fill in a picture with beautiful markers! If you want to write find a random prompt online, give yourself 30 minutes and see what you can come up with. Want to try baking? Start with an easy recipe, like chocolate chip cookies, and share them with your family or friends, or just yourself! Try out a bunch of hobbies, and see what you like best. Maybe you like making jewelry or writing poems or creating digital collages or making video edits or decorating your room or riding a bike or sewing or reading. The possibilities are endless, and getting a hobby you enjoy is very important, and fun.

3. start appreciating small things and noticing details. I don’t know how to explain this step, but in studio Ghibli films, small things always stick out. There are beautiful tiny details that make the story so much more magnificent. small details make the studio Ghibli films what they are. maybe on your way to school/work the sky was a really pretty color. Or the tea you made in the morning was perfectly steeped. appreciate small details of life that you don’t normally notice.

4. appreciate food. Pay attention to your food. If you can, try and make/bake your own food! But if you can’t, just be mindful of your food. Try not to eat while you’re on your phone. Dedicate times to just eating. Appreciating the food in front of you. Make yourself the ponyo drink with milk and honey, or ponyo ramen! Make yourself your own blend of tea like the Baron!

5. be kind and help others. Being kind doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it can be smiling and waving at a baby in a café, or helping your mom finish the dishes, or paying for a friend’s coffee. Small gestures not only put good out into the world, but they also make you feel better. When you can, help others. Try volunteering at an animal shelter, or babysit for your aunt without charging her, or just listen to your friend when they’re going through something and be there for them. In every Ghibli film, the main character is always helping others, and being kind. Try to be like kiki, when she returned the pacifier to the mother who forgot it, or like chizuru from the cat returns, who risks her life to save a cat. Kindness comes in all shapes and forms, so just try your best to do what you can!

6. be your most authentic self. Stay true to who you are. dress how you’d like. Cut your hair like you’ve always wanted to. Stay confident and true to yourself. We all feel insecure sometimes, but we need to remind ourselves that we are great. Don’t try and force yourself to be someone you aren’t. Kiki felt insecure in her abilities as a witch, but she stayed true to herself, and believed in herself, and it paid off. Love and appreciate yourself, just the way you are.