Saturday Poetry Corner 19: I sit beside the fire and think

 

Lord of the Rings is filled with poems and songs, crafted meticulously to fit the scene or a character. They're beautiful. And yet this little one is also one of the saddest.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 23: Which Character Did You Prefer?

 

If I had to choose just one - and now, people, just hold on to your hats - I would choose Jeon Nokdu. For various reasons.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 22: The Best Bed Scene

The king and queen can be only one and this year - it really is.

Saturday Poetry Corner 18: [Miscellanea: "Winter Poems"]

The first one is an obvious choice. The second one is not so obvious, being that comes from a new poet. And the third one is only for the toughest of you.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 21: Favorite Song

I actually presented some of my favorite songs from different soundtracks of this year.
But one is probably my ultimate - I listened to it the most.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 20: Which Character Would You Like To Meet?

I would lie if I didn't say Nokdu, but for the sake of keeping this blog diverse, I will play along and say it's someone else. See, this even makes me rhyme.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 19: What Drama You Wanted To Watch But Ended Up Disappointed?

 

The first place goes ex-aequo to two sci-fi shows. This genre is my favorite and I'm ready to stick to something if it engages me even a little. I don't really need for the show to be The Expanse level of complexity, real science and full bloodied characters, I just don't want to split my skull open every fifteen minutes. 

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 18: Whom You Identify With?

I usually don't identify with any character, not to the point I am trying to find my own reflection in somebody else. I may like somebody and understand their motivation but they are not my mirrors. If that was the case, I'd have to identify with THE horse Maximus from Tangled, you know...

But if we're talking about some similar feelings I see in a character (be it any gender, honestly. Or a species) then I think this year's winner is clear.

And no, it's not Nokdu.

But...

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 17: Series You Loved That No One Talked About

That would be without a doubt Elementary. I know only one person who watched it and loved it and that's it. 

But then again, I wasn't that much online so maybe some messages just went past me unknown.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 16: The Biggest Risk

In the series of my monothematic Calendar this year...

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 15: Best Bromance

I'm calling my cheater card and choosing the gang from Prison Playbook as the winner this time.

BBC Seven Worlds One Planet 1/7: Antarctica

 Finally we're back to a good nature documentary - informative, funny and well narrated.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 14: The Best Kiss

No one should be surprised (except for Mila, I guess, poor girl) I'm picking Nokdu but not for the kiss you all think.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 13: The Best Villain

For a short while I was hesitating between Yulmu (Tale of Nokdu) and Homelander (The Boys), but after a careful weighting pros and cons, I'm opting for Yulmu.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 12: Favorite OST

I might have not watched much, but I've listened to probably 73% of 2019 Korean soundtracks. And honestly, I can't decide on my favorite - maybe One Spring Night because it's soft, jazzy and soulful. Or maybe My Country New Age - because of its grandiose orchestral score? Or maybe Kill It - for pulling the biggest joke with that cover.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 11: The Best Chemistry

That would be my laboratory classes during studies in which we...

Oh, the other chemistry. 

If we're talking about series, there was nothing better than Nokdu and Dongju chemistry on screen this year.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 10: Drama Crack

In the original Luthien's post it was worded so beautifully as "coup de cœur" so everyone is probably guessing which 2019 drama was worthy, for me, of this expression.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 9: The Best Womance

I was hesitating between Search: WWW and Tale of Nokdu and after a whole day of pondering over it I'm picking Nokdu as the winner.
At this point I should probably stop participating, right?

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 8: Characters That Gave You Thrills

Now, we have to separate two different kinds of thrills - the absolute terror and the rapture. 

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 7: Most Beautiful Realization

Granted, I did not watch many Kdramas this year, and having any sageuk in such category renders the competition moot. No one should be surprised (hi, Mila!) I'm picking Tale of Nokdu. 

Serengeti (2019) Episode 6: Rebirth

 

In the last episode our cheetah Mum, Kike, makes a comeback, teaches her three offsprings how to hunt and leaves them, lion sisters are reunited, Bakari the baboon becomes the leader and a carcass of an old elephant brings lions and hyenas together for a meal.

If you're looking for an informative nature documentary - this is not it. It was a dramatised retelling of stories that took place - and to my chagrin - to anthropomorphize the animals we saw in these 6 episodes. There was absolutely zero knowledge presented.

The cinematography is good, though.

Saturday Poetry Corner 17: Thanatopsis

Today a poem by William Cullen Bryant - supposedly written when he was only 17 years old.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 6: Actor/Actress Discovery of the Year

And contrary to what some believe it's not Jang Dongyun. Well, not entirely. Its Jeong Haein and I want to thank @mexochi and @cassieap55 for introducing this amazing man into my life this past Autumn.

I admit, this isn't an easy day for me for a reason mentioned below..

 

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 5: A Drama With The Most Innovative Premise

Hands down - The Boys.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 4: A Couple You Loved

 

So far this Calendar is an easy task. There was no better couple than DongJeon couple - they grew with each other, offered each other comfort and unconditional devotion. Their easiness with each other made us (OK, me) feel warm and alive.

Honorable mentions below.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 3: A Drama You Loved Following

 

This is not going to be a huge mystery - Nokdu came and took me by storm from the first to the last minute. And even beyond that, because all of those "making ofs" and behind the scenes we were given.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 2: Actor/Actress I'm happiest to see back on screen

Well, that's a no-brainer :)
Kim Namgil in Fiery Priest.

[Advent drama calendar 2019] Day 1: Favorite poster

The whole idea is @Luthyx 's project - you can read about such fun premises here. Basically, a bunch of people is participating in the Advent Calendar but for dramas. 

Day 1 is about the favorite poster.

Serengeti (2019) Episode 5: Exodus

This episode deals with: three black-maned lions bloody return, hyena clan leader Zalika moving her group into another den, drying up the water hole, Tembo the incel elephant finding a friend and leopards trying to eat a porcupine. The emphasis is on trying.

Saturday Poetry Corner 16: There Will Come Soft Rains

From here.

 "There Will Come Soft Rains" is a 12-line poem by Sara Teasdale. The work was first published in the July 1918 issue of Harper's Magazine, and later included in her 1920 collection Flame and Shadow. (wikipedia)

KBS Drama Special 2019: House of the Universe

I remember the old glory days at D-Addicts and it was there where in 2010 I fell in love with KBS concept of a series of stand-alone episodes, dealing with topics usually not seen in regular dramas. And not because they were socially insignificant or dull. They were small, centered around one person and affecting only a handful of those around them. 

This is why, after a long break, I'm back to KBS Drama Special episodes and as I mentioned earlier - I will work my way back all through to the 2015 when I left.

Serengeti (2019) Episode 4: Misfortune

Episode 4 where we have Shani, a zebra mother separated from her foal, lion sisters trying to reunite with their pride, three black-maned lions killing everything with a pulse, rite-de-passage (literal) for a male elephant. some baboon conflict and wild dogs trying to outsmart hyenas. Spoiler alert: futile.

Serengeti (2019) Episode 3: Invasion

New pictures from the episode 3.

Serengeti (2019) Episode 2: Conflict

A conflict between first-time Mama Cheetah and both hyenas and jackals. 

Also a small brawl between male elephants. Cause they have to measure who has a longer... err...trunk. As all males do. 

Also, I am clearly a cat lady. My screenshots are heavily on the big cats side.

Saturday Poetry Corner 15: Echo

Christina Georgina Rosetti - pseudonym Ellen Alleyne, (born Dec. 5, 1830, London, Eng.—died Dec. 29, 1894, London), one of the most important of English women poets both in range and quality. She excelled in works of fantasy, in poems for children, and in religious poetry. (source)
More about her HERE.

TV Series Opening 43: Tale of Nokdu

I couldn't find one, so I made one. 

I was waiting for November 5th to post it and also for the number 43 (cause I like the number 7).

TV Series Opening 42: Dead Like Me

I binge-watched it this past Summer.

TV Series Opening 41: Narcos

 

 

Here it is.

Serengeti (2019) Episode 1: Destiny

 It's very cinematic and the photography is beautiful but...

But it anthropomorphizes the animals a tad bit too much for my taste. 

I will continue, though.

Saturday Poetry Corner 14: A Poison Tree

 

Today's poem is short, fun and dedicated to Yulmu.

BBC Natural World: Weasels Feisty and Fearless (2019)

The documentary about not only weasels, but also about other members of the Mustalidae family.

Turns out - they can successfully hunt and kill rabbits.

It's not as engaging as other nature documentaries from the BBC, but still very informative.

Saturday Poetry Corner 13: Bosnia Tune

I thank my Sister for this trauma.
Because that's exactly what the doctor prescribed.
From the website of the Nobel Prize:

Joseph Brodsky was born in 1940, in Leningrad, and began writing poetry when he was eighteen. Anna Akhmatova soon recognized in the young poet the most gifted lyric voice of his generation. From March 1964 until November 1965, Brodsky lived in exile in the Arkhangelsk region of northern Russia; he had been sentenced to five years in exile at hard labor for “social parasitism,” but did not serve out his term.

Throwback Thursday Part 47

Today is the anniversary of "Black Thursday" (1929) which marked the start of stock market crash.

Therefore, today's Throwback Tuesday will be for songs with the word "Black" in their titles.

The trauma of Dongju

The motif of surviving a slaughter by playing dead is so widespread in popular narrative that it is hard to actually believe it. In modern warfare soldiers are trained in so called “dead-checking” – that is checking if a fallen enemy is really dead. Just as the following statement:

Marines are taught “dead-checking” in boot camp, the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, and the pre-deployment training at Twentynine Palms called Mojave Viper, he said. (source1)

TV Series Opening 40: The Borgias

The costumes alone should get ALL the awards for this series. It was just beautiful, visually orgasmic. Oh wait...

BBC Earth From Space: Episode 4

Last, fourth episode of the series.

This episode was about the change that human is causing, so I didn't take many screencaps, because those changes would work most as gifs - drying of the lake, widening of the mine, disappearing forests...

TV Series Opening 39: Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers

In two language versions, because first I knew it in Polish and will always prefer it. Sorry.
It remains one of my greatest childhood memories and yes, I do watch it sometimes.

Why Navajos Love Their Country Music

An anthropologist who is also a singer-songwriter explores how Southwestern Native bands shake up the notion of “cowboys and Indians.”

Saturday Poetry Corner 12: Invictus

 Another well known, short poem for Saturday.

TV Series Opening 38: MacGyver

 

It's classic in my book. Classic. I was so addicted to it.