My ID Is Gangnam Beauty: My Take!

Imafe from: https://www.dramafever.com/drama/5200/my-id-is-gangnam-beauty/

I am not sure if this post is an exception to my promise that I'll make this blog KDrama-free, or a beginning of more KDrama thoughts. But My ID is Gangnam Beauty is one of those drama that wreaked my innermost thoughts. It awakened my repressed insecurities, and why I am the way I am back then... back to those days -- university life, high school life. The drama subliminally unfolded a lot of my past thoughts, right on my screen. This drama just surely hits home. It is so relatable, that I am actually writing this post.

Why I am highly recommending this drama?
I rarely recommend Korean Drama. I believe everyone has their own choice of drama. I've been in this addiction for almost a decade now. I watched a LOT of Korean Drama. I can only recommend three drama: School f 2013 (my definition of friendship), Kill Me Heal Me (pyschological reasons) and Six Flying Dragons(sageuk/historical). My ID is Gangnam Beauty is very personal to me. It is more psychological, in a pyshoanalytical way. It kind of made me reflect on my self when I was at that age. Maybe this is the reason why a lot of viewers were hooked into it.

Well-written vs Cha Eun Woo's Face Genius
I stumbled upon this drama without knowing any of the cast. I started right on the first week of airing. I was wary of the synopsis. I am not a fan of superficial plots. When I saw plastic surgery, I almost skipped it. I saw university life, and I gave it a try. And it's one of the best decision I have ever made in my kdrama journey. After the first 2 episodes, I remember posting on FB that this drama got me bad. How? I felt like I was Kang Mirae right from episode 1. Kang Mirae's insecurities. Kang Mirae's fears. Kang Mirae's embarassments (which became a second-hand embarrasment). Kang Mirae's self-worth drawn out of her. Kang Mirae's desperate attempt to save herself from mental torture -- by doing a plastic surgery. Her struggles could be anybody's struggles. How each of us resolves them varies from one person to another. Although she studied hard, and even got accepted to a university, still, it is not enough for her to feel normal. The bullies and the society's standard just pushed her to the edge, that she opted to go through the knife. All of this -- was covered right on the first episode. And just like that, the rest of the drama tansport you into her journey of having that "new face". Did the ending justify her choice to change her face? No, it did not. But it makes you walk into her shoes. The entire drama will make you realize that you are not alone with those thoughts in your head. I know that a lot of viewers watched the drama for Cha Eun Woo (Do KyungSuk). Some even complained how stoic Cha Eun Woo was. But personally, Cha Eun Woo's portrayal of Do Kyung Suk helped a lot for his character to be believable. Most of the time, the handsome male lead is a jerk, a bully, an-all-that chaebol. Not on this drama. His cold-loner-stoic personality gives you hope that he could be real in this world. Do Kyung Suk reminded me of my HS crush. Someone whom you put on a pedestal, and someone whom you thought do not know of your existence. Cha Eun Woo's Face Genius brought a lot of viewers to the drama, but his protrayal of Do Kyung Suk would remind a lot of us, of that one "ideal person" in our life. It was not until Episode 12, when I heard the OST, Rainbow Falling, sang by him, that I actually took the moment to search about him and Astro. Beyond that, the characters just got me hooked all-in-all. The pacing makes you feel what the characters feel. The drama was that well-written.

Characters you won't forget.
In most drama, the plot usually focuses on the main leads, leaving the side-characters forgotten, or their arcs unresolved. This drama will make you remember all the characters. You may forget their names, but you will remember the characters. They portray the roles of people around you: your family, you friends, that bestfriend who fell in love with the guy you like or who likes you, the bullies, your classmates, that quiet classmate sitting at the corner, the mother-in-law you wish to have, that dad who don't want you to change anything in your life -- anybody. You will even wish for Do Kyung Suk's sister to have more screen time. That's how much relatable the characters are. People who are not superficial will appreciate the characters. They will understand every issue and concerns that every character, every episode would like to address to. It is not rocket science, because they are all normal issues. But most of the time they are issues we try to repress in our thoughts, all hoping that if we pretend to forget them, they will all go away. That's why this drama is so well-written, because it makes you face the issues.

Unforgetable/Unique moments in the drama.
        Second-hand humiliation/rejection when Kang Mirae professed her feelings to the boy she liked in MiddleSchol/HighSchool. Despite the fact that Mirae feels so ugly already, yet she took this tough decision to let the boy know she likes him. The rejection stings but seriously, that was one act of bravery. In the real world, that could really happen. That's why I trully admire the writer for making the girls in this drama really, really  strong. Honest confessions from girls in korean drama are so rare.
        When Do Kyung Suk told Mirae: "It sounds like what needed a surgery for is your unhealthy mindset!". Baamm! I did not expect that from him. And it made me appreciate his character more. As much as it hurts, Mirae needed those words. As much as she hates that moment, Kyung Suk made her think and rationalize her decisions. For me, this isthe  turning point of Mirae's character growth. This is the moment when Mirae second-guessed Kyung Suk as well. In the real world, for people who feel so little of themselves, some shocking honesty could actually jerk them. That is why I categorize this drama as my psychoanalysis favourite. It just touches so much soft spots on the psyche.
       When Do Kyung Suk told Mirae: "So right from the start, I have no chance." I think I lot of hearts were broken during this moment. Watching Kyung Suk so dejected, as he walks away from Mirae. Have you ever been told almost the same line as "How would you know what I want? Whom can I love?". Something to that effect. Mirae just blocking all possibilities of dating Kyung Suk because of what other people will say -- is just so real for people with a lot of insecurieties. But what Kyung Suk feels after actually hearing Mirae tell him why she doesn't wanna date is so frustrating. This is like telling the boy you like (and who likes you back) that he deserves someone better. And as much as it hurts Mirae to say that, it hurts Kyung Suk more to hear that. It's a very painful moment.
       When Do Kyung Suk says, "She is herself..."/"You are just you.." The sweetest line that could ever be said to someone you love. So simple, yet so honest. It is not a validation of someone's beauty/ugliness, dumbness/smartness, poorness/richness, jerkness/kindness. It's just loving someone for who they are.
        There's more, but this is my favourite moment -- Cha Eun Woo kissing properly. I used his name because this is VERY, VERY important. Cha Eun Woo (Do Kyung Suk) is a kpop idol. Just saying that is loaded already. I've seen a lot of kissing scene. New actors, idol-actors, popular actors. I did not expect that from Eun Woo. But that kissing scene speaks a lot of how he loves and respect Mirae for who she is. The moment before that was crucial to this kiss. And Cha Eun Woo delivering that un-idol-like kiss is the sweetest-surrender. He broke that idol-wall, and just go for the jugular of owning the character he is in. He deserves that New Actor Award. I've never seen such a natural kiss from any popular new actor I've watched -- Lee Min Ho, Park Boogum, Kim Hyung Joon, Park Hyun Shik, Yuk SungJae, and others. Most of them are cringe-worthy, if not flat. Cha Eun Woo delivered. It was bitter-sweet.

Social-Issues covered.
Insecurities
Bullying
Plastic Surgery
Sexism
Mental Health
Bolimia
Social Status

Is it worth watching?
This drama is for the insecure, the loner, the introvert, the weak and the bullied. If you are here to swoon for Cha Eun Woo, this is not the drama for you. If you are here for a rom-com, this is not the drama for you. This is for the lonely, the broken-hearted, the hopeless and the indifferent ones. This is for those who wants to understand other people's repressed thoughts. This is for you and me who think so little of ourselves.

My favourite lesson from the drama?
Never judge people from the way they look. Just because he looks like Do Kyung Suk, doesn't mean there is no chance he can like you. Give people a chance. You will never know until you open that door of chance. 

Treat Of A Trip: 2018 Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Cod, MA

June 30-July 2, 2018

With Khloe's intense schedule from Fall to Spring, end of the school year is always that refreshing breather for our little Rivera Family. It has been my goal to always try to plan something for us, especially for her. She's been bringing us so much pride the whole crazy year, that she simply deserves a good vacation.

And because of that, I searched high and low for good ideas to where we can spend the long weekend. As a rule, I try not to go back to where we've been before. For that, I decided to check-off MY hidden bucketlist - - this year, it's Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Why Cape Cod? Why Massachussets?

Cape Cod is one of those places on my bucketlist that a lot of people I know would never think of going. Hence, I am going. Keep in mind - - I don't do 'norm'.

Massachussets, on the other hand, is home to Harvard University. That Ivy-League school everybody wanna check out.

So, longdrive we did.. and Massachussets we hit. This year, we were with my bestfriend's little family. Khloe had a blast as she was with her bestfriend. Helps a lot with the driving part, multipled on the fun part.

We left Friday night and arrived at Cape Cod early in the morning. Traffic slowed down when we were entering Cape Cod. As our check in is not until the afternoon, we checked out the beach. Nauset Beach is where we headed. The shoreline seems to stretch out forever, and Atlantic Ocean just seems so powerful. 

The girls enjoyed splashing with waves.. despite the cold sea water... and tried their best to beat the waves from destrying their sand fort and castles. With no luck, the high tide crept in.. and we decided to hit our resort.

Town N Country Family Resort

With reasonable rates, close to almost everything, this resort boasts an indoor and an outdoor pool that the girls enjoyed so much. The hot tub is haven for us, tired moms. The best part, it has an outdoor public grill that we can use. We peruse this amenity and had sumptuous meals all the time. 

Smugglers Beach

The boys (dads) decided to pick up fishing supplies and wandered for hours. After dinner, they brought us to this beach and try their luck on fishing. As the girls just got off from the pool, they decided to stick with fishing and forego the beach. It was a beautiful evening. Unfortunately... the fishes didn't bite. 

Kid's Fishing

We decided to get to a boat and try fishing. We opted out of whale watching as the boys are really not into it. Kid's Fishing is so reasonable and accessible, even for last minute plans. For 90 mins.. we enjoyed fishing for baby sharks and carps and even crabs. I even caught a teen-shark, a first catch of that size as per our guide.

Cape Cod Inflatable Park

As this is a kids treat of a trip, we indulged the two with a treat to this Inflatable Park. They had a blast at H20 water park and the Challenge Park. This inflatable idea is something new... and the girls just enjoyed themselves immensely. 

Harvard University

While we are in the state already, we took a sidetrip to Boston/Cambridge and took The Hahvahd Tour. Our guide gave us a 60min tour of the university. He shared a lot of history, informative facts and interesting features of the university that made our Khloe got so interested. It was reasonably priced and easy to book. I recommend it to anyone whose on the go.. and just want a glimpse of this oldest university in the U. S. 

It was a good trip. We had fun. We collected beautiful memories. I wonder what I can come up with for next year. 

Support What They Love

As parents.. we try our best to give our kids the best of what we can provide. We work hard, strive more.. and aim for more, as long as it brings home "a lot of bacon".

This is, with all hope that our kids would take note of all our efforts and will do their end of the bargain. All hope that they will study hard.. and do good for their own future.

Hopefully.

Most of the time... I'll tell our Khloe that we will support her, on her every heart's desire - - within our budget (or lack of it). This has been my goal as a mom ever since. That we will raise Khloe.. a happy kid, and try to keep up with her every skills or talents.

Khloe is not a dreamer. She is more of a realist. A VERY cautious realist. She never dream to be anything. She just wanna try to do what she thinks she can... and go from there. But one thing is for sure.. She is a girl of many tricks.

What we did, as her parents, was support her. We let her try  things that she want to try. We encouraged her when she got cautious. We cheered for her when she doubted herself. And it was not easy. Since she was 3 years old... we never stop supporting her with what she loves. It may be time consuming, whacks our budget(or lack of it) or never in our plan, BUT we still let her explore her skills. Her talents.

And on anything she do well, she shines. She gets recognized. She gets encouraged. And with our support, she finds her niche. And in this most comfortable state, she shines some more. She delivers. She finds where her heart is.

And she get confident of herself. Of her skills. Of her talents. Of her academic excellence. She fights bullying with her silent defiance of its shallow intent. She was taught to speak up for wrongdoings, and ignore the pettiness of dramas. She knows the good deeds...and she is always reminded to give credit to where credit is due.

This is what our love and support made her - - a strong little girl, who can fight her battles, and knows where she belongs.

We hope for her not to crave for attention, because we instilled in her everyday, that humble people will outshine a room full of fancy intentions.

Support what they love, and they will appreciate the beautiful gifts given to them.

That Surprising All-aroumd!

Jr. Jungle Challenge

3rd/Last Competition for WAG Level 2 Age 9yo +

It's been an interesting journey, as our little gymnast faced this WAG Level 2 stage of her gymnastic life. The first competion, Chinese New Year Challenge (Home), was gut-wrenching --as it's our first time for this level. The second competition, Milton's Springer Challenge, was a confirmation of her skill set. And the third competition, Jr. Jungle Challenge, was a test of her strength and weaknesses. These are her Level 2 scores for all three competitions.

This competitive world is a revelation to Khloe, and even to us, her parents. It's a totally different environment from the PreComp last year. All these kids are still young to feel the pressure and the tension of competing, yet, it's already there. It's in the air, no matter how much the parents would deny it. And it's still surreal for me and my husband, as we are still in this oblivion that we are still in here for Khloe's joy. 

But still, reality bites. The other parents could actually drag you into this competitive mode. Then,  you find yourself checking out the real-time scores online. Then, you find yourself holding your breath everytime they start the dismount. Then, you check out the standing online. Then, you get scared of that 9.800 because somebody could still do better. Then, somebody beat that score and you lost hope on the over-all. Then your athelete screwed up on the bars. Fell off on the beam. Screwed up on the floor. Messed up on the vault. And finally... you started adding up the scores. And realized -- she hit that 37.000 + threshold again!! And you prayed Thank You. For her safety. For her good scores.

This has been the story of our lives the past few months since competition started. We came into this journey all blind. No expectations. No clue of what Khloe can do. Then, she pulled out all these medals since Day1. Gold. Silver. Bronze. She even had a certificate for Most Confident on Beam. At first.. we thought it's just a one-time achievement. But she pulled another sets of medals for the next competition. And another set of medals for her last competition. And what she can't believe is garnering that Gold/First Place medal for All-around on her last competition. It was her best triumph for this year. She was pretty proud of herself. 

All-around is  a huge deal. We realized that towards the end. The score kind of define your skill set, of where you are on all of these 4 events. It made Khloe realized that consistency is needed from her. That she has to stay on her game on every event, and try her best everytime. And she proved herself once more, that she can do it, even if that means not being first place on any/if not most or all of the events

This journey has taught Khloe a lot. She grew up so much, not just as an athlete, but as a girl who is determined to stay on the top of her game. This is notwithstanding the other activities she's into: acro, ballet & Math Club Classes; and consistent straight A's on her report card. Her gymnastics strength balances out the sensetive Khloe that she is, emotional, tearful & soft-hearted. 

It's a humbling experience for her and for us. Whether or not she'll continue,  is all up to her. But one thing is for sure, there's no pot of gold at the end of her rainbow, if she cannot weather the storm, first and foremost.

Little Bestfriends

Khloe is one lucky girl who is surrounded with awesome friends.
She is comfortable playing with the boys, and hanging out with girls. She is friends to almost everyone, and appreciates each of them as individual. She doesn't pick one, nor fight with another.
She treasures her friends, just as how much she treasures her family.

But being lucky does not mean she gets spared of the daily harshness of these little graders' world. Of course, there is that bullying issue, the "where-i-belong" drama, and the "i-don't-wanna-play-with-you!" moments. Khloe is just like the other kids, she went through some of those moments. Howerver, she does not go home from school thinking about it and feeling sorry for herself. Most of the time, she forgot to tell me. Just goes to show how little of an issue it is for her to deal with. This doesn't mean she thinks less of bullying. She is just one strong girl, and knows how to deal with it her herself.

Strength in mind and heart.
Khloe is raised to deal with issues in school, by herself first before excalating it to us, her parents. Despite her weak demeanor, we tried to raise her to never let anybody deprive her of her rights and her choices. She may be a cry baby, but she is one strong girl. Hence, as much as she treasures her friends very much, she can actually put them on their places if they push her to a corner.
She knows her rights and her wrongs, and will gladly let you know yours as well. Say that one time her friends made her choose between the new girl (who is getting bullied) and them (whose been her friends since) -- Khloe chose the new girl. Why? Because she grew knowing it is her Christian duty to protect the weak. And she's been doing this eversince. That is one thing that we are very proud of her.

Friends are forever no matter what.
The only thing that breaks Khloe's heart is when her friends separate from her. As Khloe choses to protect the weak, she befriends most of them and connects with them sincerely. However, these kids do not stay long in the area. They have to leave, much to Khloe's dismay. But that does not stop her from making beautiful memories with them. In their own little way, these girls collect moments, share ideas and spend as much time as they could have -- knowing fully well that they will separate soon.

Tears are proof that you loved!
Khloe will cry again and again everytime she misses these girls.
My heart breaks watching her go through this everytime. But I am proud of her. I am proud of the kind of girl that she becomes. She might be broken for a bit, but the memories with them makes her a better girl. A better friend. A stronger friend.

Friends until the end.
A bestfriend is what Khloe is to her bestfriends. They are the ones who are always there, even if Khloe is too busy with her activities. They are always there even if Khloe cannot spend as much time with them. They are always there to understand her, to protect her when she needs protecting, and play with her when their mood sets in. This is the friendship that Khloe is so proud to have, be that with the girls or the boys, around her. She loves her friends and she treasures them sincerely


Photo credit:
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/480688960199202771/

An Athlete's Mom

I am writing this as a poignant reflection of the recent bus crash carrying  #HumboldtBroncos Jr. Hockey Team, taking away 10 athlete's lives, their coach and 4 others. Our family may not be a hockey family, but we are in deep mourning of this tragedy. We are, first and foremost, a Canadian Family in part, an Athlete's Family and a family who loves hockey. We are sending our sincere condolences to all the bereaved family and friends. As a mom, I am sending all my spiritual strength to all the bereaved moms who are going through this loss.

I can't imagine the pain, the deep sorrow, the anguish of these athletes' moms, or of all the moms who went through a loss like this. Or of ANY mom who went through a loss of a child.

As a mom of a competitive gymnast for more than a year now, I still have trepidation everytime Khloe goes to train for gymnastics, or competes on a bar or the beam events. Same trepidation I felt when I saw that victorious smile on her face when she tried an assisted cartwheel at 3y.o. on her first gymnastics class. And I think most, if not all, moms can attest to this, that there will always be THAT feeling, be the child an athlete or not. Maybe, just a different level of trepidation for an athlete's mom.

For those travelling athletes,  whose parents cannot come with them all the time, that waiting-period of parents for their athletes to be home is always heart-pounding. A game's WIN is nothing compared to that heart-warming embrace a child can give to their parents. Knowing that they are home, in your arms, is the GOLD or the WINNING TROPHY  any athlete can give to their parents. And for those parents who are with their athletes during training or competition: the simple fact of bringing their athletes home, all in piece -- with no broken bones, is way, way more important than winning medals or trophies. As parents and as moms, this is our ultimate wish.

Personally, my bitter-sweet surrender for Khloe to go competitive is a journey by itself. As a mom, I was so torn on whether or not to sign her. The invitation for her to join the ODP program was so fast, leaving us a whirlwind of chaotic adjustments on our schedules and individual lives. All my trepidation was set aside, to let me focus on how to organized our crazy-enough scheduled lives. UNTIL competition hit. Until I saw her swinging on the bars. Up on the beam. That rotten feeling came back again. Got worst when after a year, she levelled up to Women's Artistic Gymnastic proper. When the swinging on the bar gets harder. When the choreography on the beam gets tougher. When the scoring is not about how pretty they are doing the skills, but by how many errors and deduction they would do instead. As Khloe's mom, I hold my breath everytime she is up on the bar, or on the beam. I might be holding my camera, but my heart is pounding and hoping that she won't fall and hurt herself. I am first and foremost her mom. And I will feel this way forever.

Hence, I have very HIGH respect for those moms of every athletes who do sports that have more physical contact with others, or more dangerous than Khloe's gymnastics. I always believe that what we all feel is the same. Our fears are the same. Our hopes and wishes are the same.

We just want our child to be safe, be that on triumphs and or losses!
We will forever support what they love!
We will forever pray for their safety!
We are a parent!
We are a mom!

An Escape @ 40th

Trying something new!

It has been our goal to try something new each time we celebrate something. I, personally, do not like doing what everybody seems to do. I prefer to do things my way, the opinion of others be "you know what!". 

When I turned 40 five months ago, we celebrated by having a night cap with close friends, at this Filipino Bar with a live band playing. It's been a while since I have done this, so it was really a treat for me. I only wished the band played more Filipino songs. But who am I to complain. Live band.. booze.. good company. Enough said.

For my husbands 40th birthday this February, I decided to try something different again. A novelty is always a good thing. Escape Room!

So back then, I have a different notion when I first heard of this 2-word activity. Then, at one time, when I was at work, a colleague explain what it is this room. And it just made me curious ever since. 

Escape Room, is not an adult-only room. It's way, way, way more fun and General Admission! Escape Room is actually a Game Room. In plain words, it's like coming in a room to solve puzzles and unlock locks -- and try to get out within the time allotted (1 hour, 2 hours -- varies with every room). So here's our experience.

I signed us up into a Team vs Team game for an hour, with the Theme: Classroom. At first I was thinking of combining each team with some Gen X and some Millennials. When we got there, the combination did not happen. The Millennials decided to gang up against us, WISER Gen Xs. There were 5 of them nerds and 5 of us wise people. Hah! They really thought they're way ahead of this game. Guess what -- ? They are not. Just 2 in-locks away from us. BUT -- both teams not able to get out! The kids claimed they were 2 locks away. And because we are the humble-wise-grownups, we claimed the truth, and that we are 4 locks away. Or maybe make that 5 locks? 

Overall, it was an awesome hour of celebrating a birthday. I will not get into the details of what to expect inside -- coz that is pretty much the beauty of this game. Just do not expect anything to escape. It's worth it.. and it's an experience you wanna do again and again. 

You can book it as a 3-person game. or a Team vs Team. It is not a walk-in kind of game. Be sure to book it ahead. And just be yourself. Bring some common sense. and Do NOT overthink. 

Credits Image from: http://escaperoom.org