“serious Transformations Begin With Two Commitments:

~ This teaching, among the many that make this heart soar, comes from my spiritual teacher, my Guru. . I hope we each turn inwards and I hope we find the inherent, never-fading, gorgeous, priceless treasure of our own self.  . Here's to experiencing we are our own home.~

“Real time is slower than social-media time, where everything feels urgent. Real time often includes periods of silence, reflection, growth, space, self-forgiveness, processing with loved ones, rest, and responsibility."

-  @adriennemareebrown @artidote 

“Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once.” ~ @thehoneydesignco

~ When the Camellia Blooms ~

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Images: Netflix | Doodle App

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~ I wanted to do a little appreciation look-book of Jin Su-Kyung’s super pretty, prints, hair bands and bows, from ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’. So here it is! 🌼 ~

~ Meguru and Yori constantly inspire each other to be better people. Even though Meguru feels like the wiser one, Yori has a quiet strength to her.  She may not speak her musings out loud, but her actions display her experience and wisdom consistently. I find her a reliable anchor in the relationship she shares with Meguru--- someone he can share and learn from at the same time.~🌞

‘Flavour: It’s Yours’ Taught Me That Talent & Ego Cannot Go Hand In Hand

Of all the romance C-dramas I've watched over the past year, the story troupes have always been very similar : childhood friends meet as adults, fall in love and help each other become their best selves.

But with 'Flavour: It's Yours' (also known as ‘Instead Of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk), it was a very welcome change.

First up, I love the idea of a wine critic losing his taste buds after he accidentally kisses a girl who's lost her own since she was 10. What?! Who comes up with concepts like these?! Can I please meet them?

The Story & Its Characters:

Lu Wei Xen is China's top wine critic and he's established himself as one of the pioneer voices in the wine-making industry. Various wineries seek his counsel to determine their latest flavors and marketing strategies. Going against his father's wishes to inherit his family business, Lu Wei Xen is formidable, arrogant and talented.

He Bu Zui is a woman who's lost her taste buds due to a traumatic experience in her childhood. Her father, who was once the owner of a winery decided to shut it down in order to heal Bu Zui's condition. Our heroine is now threatened by a cheap gangster-landlord to repay her  father's debt. Using her loss of taste buds as a weapon, she participates in drinking contests and earns money to get her family by.

Unknown to her, her childhood love's (Yi Nan Ke) brother Yi Be Dao is back in town and he has some serious evilry up his sleeve. Sparked by the desire to avenge his father's death, Yi Be Dao will go to any limit to resolve the mystery behind it and find the murderer. 

What Yi Be Dao doesn't expect is crossing paths with the ambitious, headstrong yet soft Mi Ya. Working as an editor at a reputed wine magazine, Mi Ya is extremely independent. She's smart, sassy and isn't afraid to go after what she desires.

After Lu Wei Xen and He Bu Zui accidentally exchange their taste buds through a kiss, we embark on a journey of how the two try to reverse this ordeal for Wei Xen. How can a wine critic still retain his no.1 spot when he cannot even taste wine anymore?

They decide that they only way to break the curse and help get Lu Wei Xen’s taste buds back is to “exchange saliva” through a lot of kissing (since that’s what triggered the weird condition in the first place). So our hero hires our heroine on a contractual basis to help do just this.🤷🏽‍♀️

Mu Chun Feng poses as Wei Xen's competitor and he does a damn fine job at it. I loved watching the wine battles the two of them hold.

I also have a soft spot for Xia Fan who plays Lu Wei Xun's biggest fan. He's a popular vlogger with a huge fan-following and is known for his live sessions. He's a complete fan-girl when it comes to Wei Xun's talent and addresses him as 'idol' in the cutest way. He's also super loyal and stands by his hero when the latter is going through hard times.

What I liked:

What I loved about this show was that while romance was still a big part of it, there was also a murder mystery woven in, in such a seamless, interesting and exciting way. Both the male and female leads were their own persons and were chasing their own individual dreams. The villains' were villain-y enough to make the chase worth it and the side-character narratives were as interesting as those of the leads.

What I didn't like:

~ I'm all in for good kissing but it can't be a forced affair. I thought the show took 'dominant male lead make-out' a bit too far.

~ I also found Yi Be Dao's character too regressive and his vengeance for his twin's death lacking complete knowledge of the situation that caused it.

~ Mi Ya is exceptionally amazing as a woman and I found her too accommodating for a toxic man like Yi Be Dao, even though eventually he does change his ways.

My top 3 learnings:

1. Talent and ego should never go hand in hand.🍜 2. Choose to be seen and loved as you are. 🍜 3. Let that shit go. (It really is too heavy to keep carrying) 🍜

My last thoughts:

In short, I was totally blown away by how unique this drama was and how mature it is compared to its typical, commercial C-Drama cousins. So if you're reading this, I know you're wise enough not to pass this one by.

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GIF Credits: GIF 1: @movielosophy​ | GIF 2: An Asian Drama Vortex | GIF 3: Pi Yanuo | GIF 4: Tumgir | GIF 5 & 9: Foolish Asian Drama Life | GIF 6: The Ofy | GIF 7 & 8: Tumbex 

In a recent drama that I watched, I learned something beautiful --- you must share what you are passionate about otherwise your passion for that thing will begin to slowly fade away. 

I am unsure if my love for stationery will die out but I do feel some part of me stifle when I don’t share my passion for it. 

I feel grateful for that learning. It has brought me back to share my sticker and paper love with more hearts. 

Here’s to beginning once again, as many times as I require to.🌺

~ To build something with care requires time. It requires infusion of your spirit. Things built slowly smell of love and patience. Haste has no room when time expands, and you create from the well of joy in your heart. ~🌼

~ I celebrated the discovery of my own creative journaling style, last Sunday.

Inspired by Ana Jimenez , I wanted to include cute, minimalist illustrations, enjoy fussy-cutting them, play with memos (my favorites), include bits and pieces of handmade papers (sometimes soft, sometimes scratchy, I love their textures), and my weakness--- Avril yarns. :)

I wanted to include one positive quote or saying in each page too. So here’s Davi Nakadamaki’s spring illustration saying hello.~ 🌸🌸🌸