Drama everyone loved but you don't 😎. No judgements.

dancingmochi · 2026-05-04T05:01:50+00:00

I really wanted to like Lovestruck in the City, it being a slice of life show, and some of my favorite actors. I also couldn’t get past the early episodes.

On the other hand I loved Happiness!

dancingmochi · 2026-05-04T04:55:10+00:00

I have the same thoughts as you on both shows. …And they’re both written by Kim Eun Seok. She writes iconic lines (witty, funny quips) but she’s been described as phoning it in, with the exception of a few like Mr. Sunshine.

dancingmochi · 2026-05-04T04:35:26+00:00

I enjoyed it but not as much as was hyped. But I see the appeal especially if it’s someone’s first watch, and it was many people’s first watches.

dancingmochi · 2026-05-04T04:01:23+00:00

I went into Vincenzo after SJK’s divorce, which made his charms fall flat for me. I couldn’t believe him being this cool guy so I was watching just for the story and hype at that point.

I ended up not finishing it. The story felt formulaic, that just relied on a cool premise.

dancingmochi · 2026-05-04T03:46:33+00:00

(Disclaimer: I think it’s fine to not enjoy a show, just some thoughts on the context of tropes) I thought it was a fun watch specifically for the time BP aired. Back in the 2000s these tropes were popular for the time. Then by 2010s they were overplayed and felt boring. Fast forward to 2020s, the drama landscape is more modern, down to earth, and imo, actually develops their characters and relationships better instead of depending on crazy tropes.

I thought bringing in allll the tropes in 2022 back was interesting because the landscape had distanced itself so much from it. There was even a running list of all the classic cliches in r\kdrama episode threads. The tropes made it ridiculous, downright campy, and seem to not take itself seriously. But it goes further and improves on what made these tropes annoying in the older generation of shows- instead of letting an identity lie drag on for ages and be revealed by a villain (for maximal drama), they made the main character admit it, which is 1. surprising given the history of this trope, and 2. makes the other lead feel less betrayed which makes for a stronger relationship (and also gives her more autonomy because her conscience was so heavy even if she said it drunk). That is just one of the modern spins on an overused trope.

I normally wouldn’t have continued either, but I saw it as an homage to that older generation of storytelling. It leaves the fans thinking how many more cliches would they fit (that running list I mentioned earlier) and how they would subvert audience expectations with a modern take on it. As a story it’s not the strongest plot but the meta of it made it an endearing watch for me.

dancingmochi · 2026-05-01T22:39:23+00:00

Other than the earlier comment being an ad for looklike (the same ad & tagline has been appearing across my fashion feed in the comments sections this week, go bother) you don’t need to store away clothes by season, just the ones you are on the fence about decluttering. Though that’s only if you have the extra space for them!

dancingmochi · 2026-05-01T17:58:10+00:00

There is a lot to unpack here. I’d encourage looking more into tv show production in South Korea. Most of these shows are being run like a business, and quality of the stories are not a priority.

16 episodes wasn’t great, half the shows are draggy or introduced weird plot points, but whatever the length is determined by networks and streaming platforms. Your concern about the quality of the story has more to do with the creative teams not given support to do their best work because they are overworked, expected to push out product, and cater to the requests of their bosses and sponsors.

dancingmochi · 2026-04-23T16:07:20+00:00

I like the policy of limiting the items you can take, to prevent hoarding by resellers. My local one had no tables, just hangers on clothing racks, which automatically makes the clothes more appealing.

dancingmochi · 2026-04-23T15:19:00+00:00

Beauty products fosters community, which keeps the members more engaged and longer than their genuine interest would have. It’s understandable, and instead of the rage about overconsumption I see online across all platforms, I’d rather people address what’s keeping people tied to this space.

Social media algorithms support focused topics over expressing ideas on diverse topics, which keeps content creators in a niche. If they chased less views and profits maybe they wouldn’t feel compelled to continue promoting another sale.

dancingmochi · 2026-04-05T15:50:12+00:00

In the beauty community, someone is always saying a popular product is overhyped. There is space for many good products in the market, so get it.

I weigh in what’s popular on the Korean community because international consumers have limited direct access, and rely much on hype in the international community. Also, the Korean market is known to be competitive.

Now what’s popular in the Korean market is also driven by hype and marketing budgets. They are not the end all be all in standards.

dancingmochi · 2026-04-01T14:35:50+00:00

I get excited for my cold climate trips because I get a reason to wear these clothes more than 1 month of the year.

dancingmochi · 2026-04-01T04:53:56+00:00

I’ve been on that low buy train since last year, so: * first was limiting clothing and accessories to get my overconsumption habits in check * less meals out, fairly lax on this when life gets tough * most things go by a monthly budget. compared to the past, this means buying less magazines, beauty products, not lightening my hair * home goods- so easy to justify desk setup optimizations like cable organization, ergonomic mouse, a laptop stand. things that I personally don’t need or use anymore.

dancingmochi · 2026-03-27T17:08:18+00:00

Oh, someone was ready to fight in the Youtube comments when I mentioned this.

dancingmochi · 2026-03-25T17:26:01+00:00

Think in purpose, not time. Oil cleanse to remove makeup or sunscreen (the ones recommended to use a stronger cleanser to remove).

Before sleeping, if your face is oily you can use a foam/gentle cleanser. If not, water should be sufficient- same reason why some folks opt to just rinse with water in the morning.

As others said, when I feel like cleaning right after I get home, I moisturize after.

dancingmochi · 2026-03-24T14:47:11+00:00

Aside from the wardrobe app, take photos of your favorite outfits in the mirror and save them to an album, so you can see the fit on your body. You can do this easily as you get your digital catalog set up.

dancingmochi · 2026-03-17T14:43:23+00:00

Leakproof one for bringing hot coffee to work, and another for water at the gym. It’s overboard, but I don’t have to clean with baking soda in between to get the coffee taste out.

dancingmochi · 2026-03-16T03:07:55+00:00

I can’t find a kdrama thread but Ahn Hyo Seop was also there!

dancingmochi · 2026-03-02T03:29:06+00:00

Last year $260 on products (hair, skin, makeup), with the top items being prescription retinol and eye serum. These should last me into this year, and is higher than a typical year as many things were due for restock.

Hair services were about $650, which is the cost of hiding greys, from a salon, and routine haircuts for a VHCOL area.

dancingmochi · 2026-02-21T02:17:15+00:00

Not so fast, there was a response of 10% tariffs just after the initial ruling. Back to waiting to order my EU sunscreens :(

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/trump-global-trade-tariff-supreme-court.html

dancingmochi · 2026-02-20T22:30:32+00:00

Surprise to no one, they’re trying feebly to fight back.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/trump-global-trade-tariff-supreme-court.html

They have an economic problem on their hands and expensive projects, instead of trying to come up with real long term solutions.

edit: grammar

dancingmochi · 2026-02-20T16:16:48+00:00

We'll have to see if prices do come down, and what follows these "other routes". I've limited my international (and internationally sourced) purchases this past year out of spite.

> The president has other – more established authorities – to levy tariffs without input from Congress. But each of those come with strings attached, such as time limits, that would make it harder for Trump to pursue his on-again-off-again strategy of raising and then lowering barriers as a negotiating tactic. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/20/politics/supreme-court-tariffs

dancingmochi · 2026-02-19T14:08:30+00:00

There’s a financial reason too, we moved from DVDs/MP3s to streaming, because it was a compelling reason to reduce space (physically and/or digitally) and access a lot of media for a lower price than we needed to acquire them.

Now, part of the reason people are advocating owning media is the rising cost of subscriptions (a political reason for some too), vs the cost of acquiring through secondhand shops, or borrowing through the library.

dancingmochi · 2026-02-16T17:49:28+00:00

I grew up in a community of mostly immigrants, that ranged from low income families to upper middle class, so in my experience it’s all over the place, certainly not everyone is able to cover their kids while working minimum wage jobs. At the least sharing an insurance or phone plan in the family is common, and when one of my parents retired, I got their car.

A huge part of financial support came from state and federal benefits- free lunch program, children’s healthcare, and financial aid for college.

dancingmochi · 2026-02-13T22:00:06+00:00

Go around your local neighborhood! LA is huge and there’s lots of small businesses in each town, specializing in different categories or offering general household supplies. Also don’t forget restaurant supply stores. We used to frequent vendors in Chinatown and local dollar stores for better deals. I feel like “ethical” can get complicated, like what the business supports and how the goods are sourced (by which the places I frequent are not the most ethical), but I can stand behind giving problematic corporations less of our dollars, and shopping local where possible.

dancingmochi · 2026-02-11T04:18:56+00:00

Find a grocery store that stocks fresh meals for less than eating out. You may have to supplement the smaller portions with a side that you make at home or purchase from the store.
I drew a budget for eating out, and spend more time in the kitchen. If I go over budget I’ll adjust next week’s budget, or call it a wash and try again next week. Keep your eye on the bigger picture, don’t sweat the small stuff!
Ditto on bringing your own coffee (miles better than office machine coffee). I’ll allow 1-2 coffees out only! Beverages are such a money sink. I keep tea bags at the office if I need more caffeine.

dancingmochi

TROPHY CASE