In the blink of an eye, I’ve been blogging at the playground for a year now. June 8th is also another personal moment for me, but in the blog world it’s considered a bloggerversary. Over the past year, it’s been a pleasure sharing thoughtful and enthusiastic discourse about dramas and other sundry entertainment-related topics with new and old friends alike.
I watch dramas because I find them both entertaining and thought-provoking, which are sometimes mutually exclusive when it comes to various dramas I’ve watched over the years. I love what I do, and I’ll continue to do it as long as I love it. I want to thank every lurker and commenter for spending time reading my ramblings. I don’t have any presents to giveaway, so I thought I’d answer some common reader questions over the past year instead.
Where are you from: Born in a country in Asia, raised in the US
Where are you now: US – Pacific Standard Time
How many languages do you know: I am fluent in 3 languages, conversational in 2 more
What is your favorite K-drama: City Hall
What is your favorite TW-drama: Sunny Happiness
What is your favorite J-dorama: Pride and Nobuta wo Produce
Do you follow K-pop: No
Why are you a Koala: I have no clue
What subject matter at AKP do you know most about: Mangas
The first K-drama you watched: Seodongyeo
First K-drama crush: Jo Hyun Jae
First J-dorama crush: Yamapi
First TW-drama crush: Zai Zai (Vic Zhou)
Do you like to read: I love to read, my Kindle is constantly by my side
How many hits do you get a day: Between 50,000 to 60,000
Do you work: Yes
Do you sleep: Yes, I get my beauty sleep
Are you three people pretending to be one person: No 😀
And with that concludes the Koala-version of 21-questions. I am exceedingly unsentimental and hate birthdays, anniversaries, and all forms of milestone celebrations when it comes to myself, so this will likely be the first and last time I mark off a year gone by at the playground. It’s been a wild ride and I’ve loved every minute of it – the cheers and the jeers. So here’s a toast, to everyone, for making this endeavor so much fun for me.
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Congratulations!!! Happy Blogoversery! and may you have many many more to come!!!
Congratulations!!!
Congrats!! Or is Happy Birthday??
Oh well we'll go with Happy Bloggerversary :)
I found your blog during 49 days &since then been addicted. I love how your blog carters to not just k-dramas bt tw &J as well which I love too.
I love your crushes. Mines is Yamapi too &Nobuta wo Produce one of my faves. Kame, Maki &Yamapi were so cute. Where I became a diehard Maki &YaMaki fan <3
Love Zai Zai too...
Anyways again happy bloggerversary :)
Yay congrats!
First J-dorama crush: Yamapi
THIS :D
congratulations! and i thank u for starting this blog bcoz you're very thorough and very engaging in everything that you right. thank you for sharing your thoughts and more to come! :)
Hello Ms. Koala!
Long long time no see... How are you??
You probably are wondering who on earth is this chick... XD and if you even know me... XD The answer to the first one is = I was here as a PKer.. The answer to the other one= no you don't... but in my delusional fantasy based on one tiny mention you did once, then yes you do. :)
Anyhow... Life has taken over completely (this is like the most critical pt in my life or smth...) so that's why I don't have time to do anything anymore, including blogging... but since your blog is one i have a particular fondness for, it's one of the few indulgences i give myself, lurking from time to time although I dont have time to comment anymore.. you'd be surprised by the magical effect of cheering me up from a slump just by reading, or even just skimming through your one of your posts.
All this ramble... in short to say, thank you for blogging... and happy bloggerversary!!!
also... Itadakimasu... if you happen to be still here... I STILL haven't forgotten about our chatroom... will get to it one day... (I hate not finishing something I set my mind to do), when I get my life back.
v! you're here!!! omo, i missed you. itadakimasu and i (and some more chingus) are constantly in touch and i will make sure that she reads your message. *hugs*
sooooo good to see you!
hi chingoo! *virtual bear hug* Im getting a bit teary... missed you too!! so good to see you. what's ur new fav addiction now?
OMGGGG V!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ugh.. i hope you read this message... hehe since i'm not getting AKP notifications anymore.. it's harder to keep track of posts and chat around like we all did during PK period... about a year ago already^^
missed you sooo much! And you know what we said to each other each and every single post, so dearest dongsaeng, don't you worry about that!!!
I'm so sooo happy to hear from you and that you remember me and our crazy chatroom still!
Gambatte~ne Chingu!!
ok i wanted to keep this short but i can't... in case you read this, also wanted to say....
i had to blink twice when i saw your avatar and nick hhahahhaha... like: "is that really v??? THE V???? ^^
adding another random post... it's so happy to post again and see these familiar avatars and nicks around!!!!! getting teary bout that too!!!...been a bit of a looney lately (along with many MANY others i guess) with all the Kim Hyun Joong stuff flying around!!!! heh, this is adding a bit to the crazy!!!
(and i'm so hoping that you're gonna read this so i'm not having this monologue for nothing xD)
ok sorry one last thing... i already posted a thank-you but... Koala thank you so much again for this little place of happiness!!! Although it's almost midnight, finding this right here just makes my day x)
V!!!!!!! I finally checked my soompi and saw you replied so bad of me for not checking. i hope your finals are alright! :)
we've missed you lots :)
sheeesh ok, one more additon: i just went to our chatroom.. haha feeling nostalgic. gonna have to read and save the stuff when i have time (i always felt i have to go there and just copy and save it, but somehow... it feels like time is not right to do so x))
@JJ
kkk.. XD XD
don't worry too much about not checking... I'm awfully terrible with correspondence myself so I can't say I'm in any position to blame you... :) My finals were quite alright, thank you for asking... (did I somewhere complain to u about my finals? -_-" haha... sorry I vented...). Miss all of you guys loads as well! ^^
And you're such a darling for dropping by to say hello to me, even after all this while!
@Itadakimasu...
Major LOL >.<
I came here not sure if you would read my comment since I don't know if you still hang around here still but since dearest yeisha assured me she was still in contact with you, I had some sort of hope but I didn't expect this MANY comments... haha.. looks like our habit of always having things to say and add did not go much away, even after one year (gasp!!! really??). Quite frankly, I'm not sure it'll EVER be gone in my case... I am usually the quiet stoic type but I can be such a chatterbox when unleashed. :) (and especially with my online persona... yes, I'm different online and in real life... although the older I get, the more the two personas tend to mesh up... I become more loose in my behavior in real life, and a little bit more mature online and oh dear... I just started rambling again. :\) [edit: btw, the following content might be a tad too incoherent because all i did was copy and paste your answers and reply to them as they go... ]
Yes, I'm reading your message. ^^ I'm not about to say hey to you, and then not reply back when you favor me with an answer am I? That would be at the height of discourtesy... ^^ although quite frankly, that IS exactly what I did with our chatroom. :(
dear me... I STILL can't get over the fact that it's been nearly a year... missed you sooo much too! so very very very much!! (have u finally watched MGIAG? or u always have watched it and I'm mixing you up with someone else.. in that case, ignore me). I also forgot I was a dongsaeng.... until I remembered all the wise advices you gave me about how I would change as I mature and I was like DUH... it just that what I remembered more about you was that you felt so much more like a chingoo that I've known for as long as forever.... ^^ and I have to say that since then, I haven't had the luxury to meet someone else with whom I poured as much out of myself as with you. haha.
Of course I still remember you and our "crazy" chatroom!! haha... I wouldn't have come up with the world crazy myself but reading it.. it does feel quite an accurate word to describe it..
well... I wanted to keep this short as well but looks like I'll have to resign myself to rambling...
quite honestly, I had to blink a bit too when I saw your reply... I wasn't sure you'd do so but I thought I should at least let you know about my intention (and hopefully eventual completion) of replying
Yes, I'm feeling so happy too to see most of the pkers still here... we were really an enthusiastic bunch weren't we?? haha. to be honest, I have been quite a bit out of the KHJ phase for a while now... although I always come back to him... my obsession for him is seasonal... lately, the only thing I can afford to do is skimming through all the news, and fast forwarding when watching dramas [news regarding to Suju is an exception... -_-" fans are not got Everlating Friends for nothing you know... seems like I'm stuck with SJ for life. btw, if I recall right, you like siwonnie right? r you excited about Extravagant challenge? I have to say after rereading Skip Beat (which I owe I ought not to have done but did so anyway... at the expense of studying and of several all nighters... I'm mighty excited for it... I didn't like Skip beat the first time around (well, towards the end anyways) but the second time around did the trick. by the by, do u have any interest in mangas?)
I'm hoping you read this too... although to be quite frank, I'm content as well if you didn't and I had a monologue... I sort of NEED this... haven't poured myself out in a long... it's been bubbling up for a while and it's quite relieving to have this monologue.. in fact, in some way, i sort of wish it WAS a monologue... I'm quite embarrassed by this outpouring... plus I'm not sure if I can prevent another chatroom forming. -_-"
Feel free to ignore my comment. In a way, it would b welcomed.
Oh dear... you're right to thank Koala... did I just turn this post about thanking HER to all about me, me, me?! *head drops*
Sorry Ms. Koala... but really, thank you so much for this blog.
Haha.. you make me want to go back to our chatroom as well! (dont tempt me please... i have as little self control as I cannot afford to have already... )... it was good epic stuff wasn't it? XD It went from silly things like spazzing, to venting, to sharing experiences and discussing life and love... XD (btw, if you don't mind me asking... any progress on the latter?)
wonder what you mean by it not being right to save the chatroom? maybe because it is too private and personal information to keep?
and wow... that was short... NOT. again, feel absolutely free to IGNORE this whole thing. I'm almost tempted to order you to do so...
I'm all late and s**t, but Hello There V!!!!!
@lulybunny
Never too late!! especially to be so nice too me!
Seriously, I'm so touched by all of you welcoming me!
Hello there to you too! XD so good of you to say hi to me.. You made me very happy!
Missed you and im so glad you passed by. ^^
Hello V. You don't know me but I'm butting in because I saw you talk about Skip Beat!
I'm also excited about it! Just wondering... Do you happen to know when it is going to air?
Also, have you seen the trailer? It seriously exceeded my expectations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBYq-LEqkpk
Koala, I am so sorry... I didn't know posting the link would result in an embedded video. :( I am relatively new to this site.
Hi kk. Nice to meet you. N don't hesitate to "butt in"! I always welcome talks about dramas, entertainment in general, etc. and I never deny spazzing about SJ. ^^
Yes, I've seen the trailer. (but no, I dont know when the drama will air, sorry. Wonnie and Hae are scheduled to finish filming end of june, so I expect it to be either july or august.. not very precised, I know).
Honestly, as much as I anticipated Extravagant Challenge, I also dreaded it at the same time... cuz as much as I love sj... it's absolutely NO guarantee that i'll like a drama they are in. And also, I was worried a bit about Hae because his real character is as far as Shou as it can be and he has always played the nice guy, either in Attacks of the gominam, or It's Daddy's daughter... As for wonnie, he is practically a live Ren anyways (well, the Ren celebrity persona in any case), he even looks a bit caucasian like (SPOILER SPOILER ren is supposed to be SPOILER).
so all in all, I wasn't sure I wanted the boys to be in a bad drama and I wasn't sure skip beat would translate into a good drama... BUT all that said... the trailer made me really hopeful!
I've always liked Ivy and she looks like she would be able to play a likeable Kyoko, despite Kyoko's antics. I even like Bianca's chemistry with Ivy in the trailer... I never thought I would say this but looks like I might like Bianca as Kanae. As for the boys... man, I was taken aback at how PERFECT Hae was as Shou (in the trailer in any case)... I never expected it of him... I didn't think he had it in him honestly. He fits the role even more than wonnie although siwon definitely has the star aura Ren has... I wonder how they'll end the drama though... the anime ending was kind of dissastifying and I really liked the Cain siblings arc of the manga but I doubt the drama will include that part. :(
Also, at first, I didn't know what to think of the boys speaking a mix of korea and chinese... but in the end, I think that's much better than dubbed voices. Plus, I can understand both languages (at least the basics) so I don't have a problem with them using korean. and wow... sorry.. I just made a major spazzing there...
Thank you for including me. :)
I also love talking about entertainment, and I like mangas especially. I also like Super Junior as well but like you said, my liking does not as a shield against bad acting, or a bad drama. And I completely loved it that you spazzed about Skip Beat.
BTW, I'm new so I'm not sure but is there a rule against off topic conversations here like in soompi or other places? Since you apologized so many times, I wonder if we might get into trouble for talking about Skip Beat!
I hope not because I also want to spazz with you!
V!!!!!! :):):) buahahahahahah you're making it really hard not to reply... hahaha with all those questions and info -_______-
.... ugh, don't know what to do, want to reply but i'm at work right now so not gonna attend to your message this moment anyways! And I don't want you to feel pressured or have urges to go crazy here again ..... x(
Do know I'm HAPPY to hear back from you (and the extend of your message x)) and don't come back if real life is too crazy!!!
ah and btw, we'll most likely be watching Extravagant challenge together... whether actively or passively ;)
... Annyeong Chingu!!
SHEEEESH ok... so i started typing away and it turns out that i really haven't changed a single bit either... :(
but since this post is about koala's anniversary and i feel embarrassed about the amount of info I’m about to drop… I’m just gonna head over the chatroom and post my essay -____- there.
again, don’t go over there and/or reply if life doesn’t let you^^ in a way, I’m selfishly replying for me (as I too can not NOT return a “favor” either) UGH
Oh crap, I think I just lured you to the chatroom :( (just read your sentence about not tempting you to go over there…) sheeeesh MI AN MI AN MI AN!!!!! :( :( :(...
Ignore these messages !!!!!!!!!!!
lol... too late... I already WENT there anyways.. XD (i was half joking about you tempting me... so dont feel too guilty. :) plus it's the weekend) Even though you told me to ignore your message... honestly, it's quite hard to. sigh.
can't believe i got back to the right post on the first try.... I didn't think i would remember where our chatroom was but I did...
aw.... now that you said you typed a reply, I selfishly WANT to read it... -_-" haha... but you probably deleted it by now... :(
if you still have it, feel free to post it here. or at the chatroom.
you know what.. maybe i should just make a wordpress just for our "chatting" (aka essay writing)... but i think maybe that would take out the fun (??).
Anyhow, that's lots of :( you made there... don't feel guilty about it. And you can count on me to actively watch Extravagant Challenge (honestly, I cannot NOT be active where SJ is concerned...)
^^ see chatroom ><
Wow, with the quality of your blog, I though you would have bloggin longer.
Congratulations & Well Done! A million Thanks to you for the pleasure and entertainment you'v e given me and you thousands of other readers.
Your J- and TW-actor 'crushes' are my favourites, too. And I so love City Hall.
To many more years of blogging...
Thanks for all the wonderful recaps and also all the detailed expose of the previews and opinions. Have a nice and great year of enjoying more gd dramas to come.
Have a great year!
Happy anniversary! Thanks koala.
Congrats - you have a great blog that's my cup of tea!! I think I've visited your blog for as long as you've been around!! he he...and I've been faithful too!! But I am so naive... me thinks koala is located DownUnder Australia!! ha ha thinking you have a penchant for koala!! I never ask but just assumed you're an asian living in aussie land. Guess I'm so wrong ! Want you to know - you provide me and lots of others lots of enjoyment - getting our K-fix or T-fix!! Thanks a bunch & your efforts and literary skill is much appreciated and valued! Cheers!!