I haven't been actively blogging here and posting updates on A Fangirl's Heart SNS pages. I took a short break. But since I have rested already, I'm back to writing and putting updates.

Last December 18, I received a very special package from iQIYI Philippines. For those who are not familiar yet with iQIYI (read as ai-chee-yee), it is an online video streaming website (and app) that offers not only Korean and Chinese dramas, but also other Asian contents.

I got to know iQIYI around May or June because I got addicted to Chinese dramas after watching Skate into Love, even though it wasn't my first Chinese drama. Through iQIYI, I got to watch other Chinese contents like Youth with You Season 2, My Huckleberry Friend, Just an Encore, My Unicorn Girl, and more.

But aside from Chinese contents, they are also adding more and more Korean contents on their platform. In fact, I finished watching 18 Again and More than Friends. I still have a lot of dramas to watch on my list.

Going back to the kit, I'll be sharing to you the things that is inside the box.

I was actually surprised how big and heavy the box is when I received it. As you can see, it's a big black box with iQIYI's logo on top. And once you opened the box, there's a letter there and somehow a mini door. I really like the door concept. It's so cool!

Once you opened the door, you can see some snacks (drink, mochi, almond and pretzel, noodles), gifts (a cup with their logo and a pair of chopsticks), and their A-List Guide.

It will be more enjoying to watch Chinese and Korean dramas while eating these snacks. To be honest, I already ate the Almond & Pretzel Honey and Butter flavor while watching Yoona's new drama, Hush.

Their A-List Guide is a mini booklet wherein you can see what iQIYI has to offer. Through this guide, I was able to know that they also have some anime on their platform. So if you want to watch a lot of Asian contents, make sure to download the iQIYI app (available on both iOS and Android). You can also visit their website.

Thank you iQIYI for this special gift.

[This review has been on my drafts since the drama ended and I only published it this December 2020.]

After watching the Chinese drama "Go Ahead" (and I haven't finished writing my review about it), I had a hard time to get myself to watch another drama. I guess I was in a drama slump. I wasn't really emotionally feeling well that's why I forced myself to watch ongoing dramas. And I didn't know that "18 Again" will somehow make me feel okay.

I have been waiting for 18 Again ever since the news came out. First reason, Lee Do Hyun will be the main lead here. Second reason, this is a drama based on the American film "17 Again" starring Zac Efron. I am familiar with the story so I wonder how will they make this into a series.

Title: 18 Again

Episodes: 16 episodes (around 1 hour each)

Kim Haneul as Jung Dajung

Yoon Sang Hyun as Hong Daeyoung (old)

Lee Do Hyun as Hong Daeyoung (teen) / Ko Wooyoung

Plot: 18 Again is a series based on the Western film, "17 Again". It is about a husband who went back to his youth right before his divorce.

I can say that Lee Do Hyun is a promising actor. I really never thought that his acting will go to this extent. A young guy was able to portray a father's role very well. And yes, he isn't trying hard. You can really see in his facial expressions and movements that he can act as a father trapped in a young body. He made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with him in this series.

One of my favorites parts of his acting is whenever he cries so hard (when Dae Young's mother died and when Dae Young wanted to go back to his old life). You can really feel his desperate heart. He doesn't care if he'll look ugly in front of the camera. He only cares if his acting is convincing. I really can't wait to see more of Lee Do Hyun in the future. I know he will really do well!

To be very honest, I wasn't updated that much with the other casts of 18 Again. That's why when I saw their script reading photos, I was shocked that Bomin and Ryeoun were part of the casts. I liked Bomin because of the webdrama A-Teen and Ryeoun in the webdrama In Seoul. I really love watching web dramas.

Anyway, I was really excited to see Lee Do Hyun, Bomin, and Ryeoun in one drama. But little did I know that I will also fall in love with Hwang In Yeop and Wi Ha Joon. I am somehow familiar with Wi Ha Joon because I have watched him in Romance is a Bonus Book. But for Hwang In Yeop, he is totally new to me.

Each of them have their own charms in this drama. It's normal if you start to like all of them.

Well, aside from the fact that this drama can make you laugh and cry, it will also allow you to realize a lot of things about life. That is one of the reasons why 18 Again will be one of my favorite dramas this 2020.

Here are some of the life lessons that I learned here:

Communication is really important in a relationship, whether it be a romantic one, or with your parents, or with your friends. The main reason why Daeyoung and Dajung divorced because they did not know each other's struggles. They didn't know that their partner is having a hard time too because they barely talk about it.

Also, when Daeyoung went back to his teenage self and became friends with his son, he noticed that there are a lot of things his children are not telling him. For example, the bullying issue and the part-time job. What he only knows is the children he sees at home.

Communication is important so that we can avoid misunderstandings. It may be hard to tell every single detail, but at least let them know what you're going through.

Believe. One of the memorable part is when Kiwoo (the basketball coach) was talking with his father when he was in jail. "Have you ever believed in me?" he asked his father. When he was on his teenage years, he was also part of the basketball team but unlike Daeyoung, his father keeps on giving money to their coach so that he'll be part of the line-up. It's so painful to the child to see that because it only proves that you don't believe in his capabilities.

Believing on other people's capabilities can help them boost their confidence. It's not hard to show your support to them.

Our parents will still love us no matter what happens. When Dajung was pregnant, of course her mom felt angry. But at the end, she still supported her daughter's decision. For Daeyoung's father, Daeyoung and him separated in bad terms but when Daeyoung went back to his teeange self, they reunited. He understood how hard it is to be a father.

We children usually get mad at our parents for not understanding us. But we should also understand them. At the end of the day, it's them who will be there for us when we needed someone.

[SPOILER ALERT] Of course, it's a happy ending. Everything went back to normal. But I was expecting a more dramatic return of the old Daeyoung. He just went back as if nothing happened. It would have been better if he was also playing basketball just like before, left the court, and run to Dajung. Well, that was my thought when I watched the ending.

But anyway, 18 Again is one of the best dramas this 2020. The actors and actresses were all good. It's a heartwarming drama. I just hoped a lot of people paid attention to this drama too when it was still airing.

You can watch 18 Again via iQIYI.

I have never been to Jeju Island. I wanted to go there but I had no time and money to visit it yet. But yes, I plan to go there soon! In fact, I also included Jeju in my Itaewon Class itinerary. Since we're still having pandemic, I just decided to search for the fun things I can do in Jeju Island.

I happened to drop by an article saying EXO's D.O and Sehun visited Jeju Island for a short vacation last 2016. And I became interested with the activities and places they visited. If you also want to visit Jeju Island, you might want to add these activities!

I am not a person who is fond of doing extreme activities, especially when I'm alone. But if I am with my friends, for sure I would also love to try these things. Besides, we only live once. So where can we experience riding ATVs in Jeju? Based from my research, you can experience this at the Jeju Meong-e ATV. It costs around Php 900+ per person for 15 minutes.

Address: 2815 Nansan-ri, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

As much as I really want to try diving and being near the sharks, my fear of them surpasses everything. I am not as adventurous as Sehun. But I still want to see the sharks or fishes. So instead of diving, going underwater through a submarine will be the safer option.

In Jeju, they have the Seogwipo Submarine Adventure where in you'll go 40 meters deep and see the sea life in 40 minutes. It's around Php 1500 per head.

Address: 707-5, Seohong-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju-do

Although I can't see any photos of Sehun and D.O during their paragliding session, some fans were able to spot them and someone even asked them for a signature. I am afraid of heights, but I would really love to try this because it feels so refreshing. This activity is kinda pricey though, but still, I believe it's worth it!

Location: Near Geum Oreum

I love sushi! Whenever I see sushi, I would really love to eat it. Maybe because I always see sushi whenever I watch anime. So this restaurant, Sushi Hoshikai, is a place I want to visit in Jeju Island. You can visit their website to see more details. Prices start at 38,000 KRW.

If given the chance to visit Jeju Island soon, I would really love to try these things. Aside from the fact that Sehun and D.O visited these places, trying new adventures is a great thing too. How about you? Do you also want to try it?

It took me quite awhile to do an unboxing blog (I haven't finished editing the video for this one) for It's Okay to Not be Okay OST album. I have been quite unmotivated to write something the past weeks. But since I'm almost back to my usual self, I'll now be sharing to you my album.

Before I start with the contents, I would like to personally thank Ms. Jay for this graduation/birthday gift for me. She ordered it at K.Hit.Ano shop. It only took a few weeks since it's under fast ETA. So okay, let's start with the unboxing.

The packaging reminds me so much of Wanna One albums since it has a magnet type on the side and you'll open it like a book. This is the kind of album that you would really love to put on the shelves. The packaging is thick also. The only thing that I dislike with this kind of packaging is that some of the contents (ex. photocards) can easily slip out.

The first inclusion that I got to see is this special butterfly bookmark. The design is the same back to back. As you can see in the photo, it is the butterfly in the series with the words 사이코지만 괜찮아. I would really love to use this as my bookmark when I start reading books again.

This is probably one of my most favorite inclusions here. I really love the Gangtae and Munyeong characters and I love pop-up cards even if I won't use them. Just for display purposes. This is really cute! I love the illustration at the back too.

Of course, the most thrilling part in unboxing an album, the photocards. Since you'll get 2 out of 6 photocards. I was actually just wishing even one group photocard. And I GOT IT! Out of the 6 photocards, I got 1 group (Gangtae, Munyeong, and Sangtae) and the other one was a solo of Gangtae. I'm already happy with my pulls.

This is how the cover of the photobook looks like (front and back). I'll be sharing a video soon on the contents of this photobook. I haven't finished editing it hihi. The photobook is an 80-pages book full of still cuts of the drama.

This is how the CDs were placed in the album. The front cover is Gangtae and the back cover is Munyeong. There are two CDs. The first CD has the "Zombie Kid" design while the second CD has the "The Boy who Fed on Nightmares". To be honest, I haven't played this. Well, I don't really think I have played my CDs ever haha.

You'll only get a poster during the pre-order period. The poster is also random. There are two designs. One is the main poster of It's Okay to Not be Okay. I got this design! Although I don't really hang my posters, I still love to see it rolled and not folded. It breaks my heart whenever there is a folded poster.

So those are the inclusions of the OST album. If you want to buy, you may check out the shop that I mentioned earlier and ask if they are still open for this item. I will be updating this post once I get to finish editing the unboxing video.

Also, if you are planning to visit filming locations of It's Okay to Not be Okay once this pandemic ends, make sure to check out this blog: Following It's Okay to Not be Okay Footsteps - 4D/3N Itinerary.

Busan is my second favorite place in South Korea, next to Seoul. Ever since I became interested with South Korea as a whole, I have been doing a lot of research on where to visit or what to do. Last 2019, I was able to visit Busan for 3-days and I can say that 3 days isn't enough for me.

In this blog, I'll be sharing to you the places I have visited in Busan and the places I want to visit if given the chance.

Address: 162, Jwadong-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, 48108, Korea

The ASEAN Culture House is the "hall of culture" wherein the culture and history of the 10 ASEAN countries are introduced to Korea. The building consists of exhibition halls, VR rooms, seminar rooms, and concert hall.

ACH was actually the reason why I got to visit South Korea again last 2019. They invited us for a 9-day trip in South Korea along with other ASEAN countries. During my visit here in ACH, I was able to attend a cooking class!

Address: 264, Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan

I wanted to visit Haeundae Beach ever since I have watched it on a variety show (not quite sure if it was Return of Superman or 2 Days 1 Night). And when I got to visit it, I can't help but just be amazed on how beautiful it is. In fact, I barely had photos here because I was busy smiling and appreciating the surroundings.

We went here during Autumn, so it's a bit chilly. I wonder how it feels if it is summer.

Address: 67, Dongbaek-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan

My photo here looks bright but it's not hot. Look, I even wore a jacket. We were supposed to visit the APEC House but it was closed because they are preparing for an event. We walked even more and saw this place. I love how quiet and peaceful this place is.

Address: 203, Gamnae 2-ro, Saha-gu, Busan

I am a fan of The Little Prince that is why I really want to visit Gamcheon Culture Village just to take a photo with the little prince. And I really fell in love with the place. "I want to stay here forever. It feels like home." Those were the words that is going on in my mind.

If given the chance, I would like to go back to Gamcheon to take more photos and buy more souvenirs! I love the bag that I bought here.

Photo from Visit Korea website

Address: 137, Oryukdo-ro, Nam-gu, Busan

Just look at how beautiful this place is. I'm already imaging a lot of photos I will take once I get to see this skywalk. I am afraid of heights but I am willing to take risk if this is the view I'll be seeing.

Address: 4, Nampo-gil, Jung-gu, Busan

I want to see the celebrity hand prints at the street of BIFF Square. Not only that, I also want to taste the popular street food, ssiat hotteok (sugar-filled seeded griddlecake), dak kkochi (chicken skewers), tteokbokki, and croquettes.

To be honest, I would love to spend a week just in Busan. Three days for me wasn't enough. I need more time on each place to take photos, videos, and appreciate the surrounding. Once this pandemic ends, I hope I can visit Busan again!

How about you? Have you visited Busan too?