~ Changing Into A Personal Blog ~

~ The Rainbow-Lookalike Mediterranean Platter ~

Quite honestly, I fell in love with clean eating courtesy the Vegetarian Meal Bowl at Farmer's Cafe. 🌈

But it in no way meant that I was going to leave rest of their menu untouched. On exploring, I chanced upon their Mediterranean Platter (a very happy discovery, indeed). 🌈

Housing three different kinds of hummus -- the beetroot, the chickpea and the olive and black bean -- there's a generous serving of lavash, carrot and cucumber sticks along with 3 piping hot falafels. 🌈

My favorite among the three is that beetroot hummus. Sweet and earthy while imbibing a wonderful coolness, it goes beautifully with the crunchy carrots. The robust earthiness is balanced by salt and a hint of chili to cut through the natural, beet sweetness.🌈

The olive and black bean one comes as a total surprise. Lavash'd up, it is creamy with thick savory notes of black beans, chili and ground spices.🌈

Break open a falafel ball and the aroma of singing cumin and coriander wafts out. Quite frankly, you could eat these plain, they're that good. But they also pair up really well with the classic, chickpea and garlic hummus. I have to constantly remind myself to be a gentlewoman and share these with the person across the table.🌈

If you love unhurried, easy conversations and the idea of slow lunches, this Mediterranean Platter makes for the perfect background score. How you can nibble and spoon something so simple yet tasty and have the joy of sharing it with someone makes for a delightful experience! 🌈

I am not a huge fan of their lavash sticks. They have a weirdly tangy and bitter taste which is unpleasant if you eat these individually. 🌈

Lastly, the fourth mound is the most heavenly ensemble of cauliflower couscous. It comes with notes of vinegar and fresh coriander. This provides immense relief from all that hummus creaminess. 🌈

Bro-Tip: Try the veggie sticks with all three hummus's. The cucumber goes really well with the black-bean rendition. Also, the lavash isn't unbearable if you pair it up with the beetroot hummus. 🌈

‘Dinner Mate’: One Of The Most Underrated K-Dramas Of 2020

My first access point to K-dramas has been Netflix, so it was quite a while later when I realized there are thousands of great dramas not listed on the platform that I could probably access elsewhere. Of course, there were a lot of trials involved in stumbling upon a high-quality, free streaming platform, but I managed.

The Story:

'Dinner Mate' a 2020 drama, fit the bill for my next watch. Two strangers share a meal coincidentally and what follows is a relationship where they refrain from sharing personal details as they continue meeting over dinner to enjoy food.

I came to love this drama SO much. Every element in the story has a purpose and a place. 

Dr. Kim-Haeyoung, a psychiatrist uses food therapy to heal his patients while Producer Woo Do-Hee breathes and slays B-Class tacky content at 2N Media Box. Both of them have survived terrible heartbreaks from long relationships.

What unfolds is not just a story of healing but also of how the acceptance of our pasts can allow us to make the most of the present moment. While their ex-lovers show up, demanding a place back in their hearts, it is wonderful to watch Kim-Haeyoung and Do-Hee let go of residual pain and hurt, as they begin to accept and flourish the love that's blooming between them.

I love badass characters, especially female leads and Do-Hee is one of them. She's bold, fierce, proudly weird and says exactly what's on her mind. Kim Haeyoung is calm, composed and yet bears a childlike curiosity that always leads him to unexpected adventures.

Jin-Eol and Jae-Hyuk, the ex-lovers of our protagonists map a trajectory that begins with entitlement to the love they once walked away from, to fighting a one-sided fight and finally, understanding the beauty of letting go. There's my favorite Nam A-yung, the 43-year-old CEO of 2N Media Box. She's as wild as her wardrobe but has a heart that's more open than any of the lead characters we see.

The story is simply beautiful with elements of humor, heart and emotion seamlessly supporting and elevating each other. Every episode is a delight to watch, every moment dripping with insight and meaning. 

This is one of those underrated wonders which I'd proudly download and re-watch over and over.

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Pictures | IQUI & Doodle App

GIFs | 1&2 - Dramabeans | 3&4 - Soompi Forums

'Mr. Queen’ Taught Me “Be You. The World Will Adjust.”

I have no shame in proclaiming this so early into this year but… 'Mr. Queen' or ‘Queen Cheorin’ is my favorite drama watch of 2021.

Quite honestly, I don't know where to start with this show. There is so much happening in it, right from the very first scene and yet, it doesn't overwhelm or addle you (well done, team TVN).

A time-travel story, prominent Korean chef Jang-Bong Hwan's spirit suddenly transports back to the Joseon Dynasty and settles into Queen Kim So-Yong's body. Strangely, it is exactly at the same time when the Queen decides to jump into a palatial lake.

So what does a man from the 21st century do trapped in a woman's body from a couple of 100 years ago? Of course, he tries every possible trick in the book to swap back to his own physical being.

But the deities have other plans and we then see how Bong Hwan's spirit decides to own his role as a Queen until the heavens deem it right for him to return to present times.

I shall pause here and applaud the absolute brilliancy of actress Shin Hye-Sun who's done such a fantastic job portraying a narcissistic male spirit in a feminine form. She's a complete rock-star, our Queen Cheorin. She has zero hoots to give, she damns patriarchy in the face, she teaches the king a thing or two about how to run a goddamn country, she leads the creation of ramen as we know it today, she's bold, selfish and hellish funny.

King Cheoljung is another interesting entity. Sporting a façade as a 'puppet king', he's actually the mastermind behind the revolt brewing up among the masses. He was never really into Kim So-Yong because his heart is already tied to Jo Hwa-Jin. His marriage to So-Yong is nothing but an extension of court politics and this infuriates our very handsome but clearly-a-bit-twisted second lead, Kim Byeong-in.

In Byeong-in's defense, he's loved So-Yong ever since they were children and he's aware of her being despondent in finding no comfort or companionship in Cheoljong.

We then have two classic bitches-of-the-first-order in Queen Sunwon (great grandmother-in-law) and Queen Dowager Jo (mother-in-law). The former is supported by the slyest villain in the history of Joseon dynasty Kim Jwa-Guen and is evil enough on her own, mind you. Topped up with Queen Dowager's crappy antiques, the trio deserve an ovation for the amount of times they can piss you off.

The story follows the survival of Jang-Bong Hwan as Kim So-Yong amidst political intrigues and secrets that compose the palace and its people.

The show is hilarious. The comic timing, is absolutely woot-worthy and it just keeps wanting you to sit your ass down and move on to the next episode and then the next. Even through the darkest moments of storytelling, the show finds a way to make you laugh. And this, more than anything else (exception: Shin-Hye Sun's stellar performance) is the reason why I simply LOVE and adore the show.

I cannot not talk about Court Lady Choi-Hwa, a sensational, traditional mother-figure who's about to lose her shit thanks to the baffling antiques of our Mr. Queen. From walking with her skirt held up to her knees, from burping in your face, from taking over the Royal Kitchen and to dancing in the rain, So-Yong's sudden change of character causes Lady Choi to almost faint.

So-Yong, Lady Choi and Hong Yeon's femme bonding is one of my favorite parts of this entire tale, hands down.

There are so many sensational and cute side characters in the show but I'm going to list down some key learnings I picked up:

1. Have the courage to love yourself first.

Often, it is easier to love another before loving ourselves first. But to sit down with yourself and give yourself the love you crave for is a no-bargain deal, even if it means not having the space to love others.

2. Celebrate your weird, your crazy and your wild.

Life's really, really rather short to be anything but the whole of you. I love that about So-Yong: her ability to be radically herself and celebrate it.

3. You are only defeated when you think yourself to be.

No matter what life throws at you or if time has your back or not, you cannot be defeated until you allow yourself to be. I think this is one of my favorite qualities of King Cheoljung.

I'd like to rewatch this drama, at a slower pace, with large bowls of chili popcorn, now that the suspense is over and I know how it ends. My last words: So-Yong eating ramen. ❤

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GIF Credits: GIF 1 & 13 - Tumbex | GIF 2: Choi Jin-Hyuk y Dramas, Tumblr | GIF 3: @labelledejour​ | GIF 4: Aghasewatchtv | GIF 5: MyDramaList | GIF 5: Kenh 14 a | GIF 11: Dramabeans | GIF 12: Bitches Over Dramas | GIF 14: Tenor | GIF 15: @thingskateknows​ | 

I may not have the wisest words to say but I do want to spread love. That’s the guttural calling I cannot ignore, despite the days when a safe, known life feels easy. 

I do not know what adventure awaits but I can already feel the stirrings of something beginning. Something warm, something exciting, something to make me smile from the inside.

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Sometimes, the easiest way out is to cave in to what your heart already knows but what your mind is too afraid to take a leap for. 

Today, more than ever, may we take that leap. 🌸

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~ A very proud moment for me. I completed a 100 blog posts of original, heartwork yesterday evening.

This blog has been a source of comfort, creativity, fulfillment and a space where I’ve learned the joy of putting in consistent work to build something from scratch.

The feeling is indescribable and for everyone here, supporting my journey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Turning this into a beautiful memory today.🌼🥑 ~

“How your life feels is more important than how it looks.” - homebody club.

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| Passport Journal |

~ You can pour love into the world from where you are, here and now ~

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Not needing to wait till you are 'perfect', till all of your ideas have fallen into place, you can breathe into your purpose, as you are today.

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To fill yourself first before filling others, to love yourself first before loving others, to heal yourself first, before you heal others, that is all this journey asks.

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~ notes from everyday ~

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Image: chenchenchenrr, Weibo, source: @lunasea​ 

~ Doing ordinary things with care fills you with soft warmth and joy.~ 

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Yesterday, as I cleaned and organized my stationery folder, I realized I was happy doing this seemingly banal thing because I was doing it with care. May be the little moments of life, which means almost every moment we spend, are not really that little if we pour care into them. 🌞

~ A shower to reset the mind, a cry for the heart. ~

Whenever I am stuck in a loop of negative thoughts or my mind feels anxious, my subconscious nudges me to take a shower.

I don't know what the philosophy behind this is, but the warmth of a hot shower helps my head settle down. I allow myself to ease away from the continuous thinking. Sometimes, a cool shower energizes me and preps me up to switch to a happier headspace.

In fact, it's become my thing without me trying to make it my thing. A shower has become the secret reset button for my mind and body.

Shower power? That should be a thing.🌸

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01: A nugget to help me fall in love with life again.

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Image Credits: Discovered on @taros

~ Iburagurashi ~ Ep.1 Favorite Moments, (Part 2) ~

~ Meguru and Yori spend their Sunday afternoon having homemade cocktails and smoked snacks ~

* I’m very attracted to the way J-dramas are appreciative of the little moments of living. It is this quality that I cherish in people too. As I write this, I feel myself smile because I know how much I treasure shows that bring this to my heart, over and over again.✨

* Yori-chan may seem reserved but has a mind that thinks things over. She mulls upon what is shared and is quick to learn new things. She feels a lot but she isn’t very articulate with her thoughts. ✨

* Meguru-chan is the more vibrant of the two. He smiles easily, opens up to new people faster and is way more expressive when he relishes his meals. However, behind all of this is a wonderful depth---he says the wisest of things in the simplest of ways. ✨

* I love how different Yori and Meguru are from each other because it is wonderful to see how their personalities compliment one another. I also like how Yori isn’t forcefully bubbly or talkative like most ‘positive, cute’ women characters in dramas. She’s confident and comfortable in who she is and it is lovely to see that.

* For me, the slow waiting for the cooking pot to smoke the meal of the day instilled peace and calm. It was like a definite pause to my thinking mind. Through that pot, Yori and Meguru explore the adventures of cooking their special yet humble Sunday meals.

* The last picture of the evening sky, with Yori and Meguru having spent their Sunday well in each other’s presence, blessed my the bounty of delicious food, is precious.