The Sad Sonata.

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Lately I have been crying so much until I've developed sags under both my eyes!

Yesterday, my beautician called to remind me that my monthly facial treatment is due.
I agreed to a 4.30pm appointment thinking that I could spend time on the bench after picking up Ikram from school.
However at 4.15pm, I called Ally to cancel my appointment.

mama: Ally, we won't be finished until 6pm, right?
Ally: Ya, treatment should be over latest by 7pm.
mama: Sorry Ally, I'll have to reschedule the appointment! I have to be home at 6pm to watch The Sad Sonata!

That's the cause of my weeping so much.......

The Sad Sonata is currently shown on RTM2 at 6.00pm-7.00pm daily From Monday to Thursday.
It's such a sad story about love that is denied through cruel twists of fate.
The serial has put my activity for the day at a standstill for an hour each evening.

Imran: Ya Allah mama!!!! Sedih sangat ker???? (after he saw half a box of drenched tissue paper on my bedroom table).

I'm not qualified and do not want to write reviews on dramas, but Korean dramas manage to consume me thus far!
We first started watching 'The Winter Sonata' a few years ago.
When papa came back from office in the evening, he found Tasya and Dilla sprawled at the family hall wailing profusely.
As he entered the bedroom, I was wiping my face with a face towel (as tissue papers would not be sufficient to dry away the tears!!!)

Papa: Weh, is there a funeral here????
You girls are sooo silly!!!

Later on I cried each evening watching 'Autumn in My Heart'.
and 'Love Story in Harvard',
and 'Stairways to Heaven'.........

They are well made dramas depicting the Korean culture, bersopan santun, full of respect for the elders, work ethics, value of frienships, and able to make us cry buckets.....

Our film makers should emulate them.
Instead of showing Harith Iskandar running around the house in his underwear showing his 'lanjut' thingy, with Ida Nerina berkemban ditengah2 rumah ditengah2 hari....,
The film maker told us to swallow the fact that it IS being Malaysian,
nak bertengkar2 lagi dengan whoever dare say otherwise (after all they have won an international award)*..

Ooooppss.....I've said earlier that I am not a qualified movie reviewer!!!!!

*No prizes for guessing which movie!!!....




The Sad Sonata
*Reviewed by jicy

Oh, the sweet bitterness of first love. This of course is a common recurring theme in most Korean dramas. Sad Love Song, just as the drama name suggests, delivers a tragic storyline about three characters; through their passion to launch careers in the music industry, their lives are intertwined by fate within the intricate nature of love and friendship.

Three-handed concerto
As a boy growing up, Seo Jun-young (Kwon Sang-woo) hates his social status of being the prostitute's son. He is ashamed of being raised by his single mother (Na Young-hee), who owns a pub at the American army's base area. Humiliated with the endless teasing, insults and bullying at school, Jun-young is frequently involved in fights with his peers. All until he meets Park Hye-in, who showers him with love and diverts his attention to develop his musical talent of becoming a promising composer.
Park Hye-in (Kim Hee-sun) is Seo Jun-young's childhood sweetheart. A tragic infancy resulted Hye-in losing her parents, and then she suffered the loss of her eyesight during a severe illness. Seo Jun-young, as her classmate, first started to help out Hye-in by the request of their teacher. However, within time, Hye-in and Jun-young build a strong bond of friendship that blossoms into everlasting love. Hye-in was raised by her aunt, Audrey (Jin Hee-kyung), who works at the pub owned by Jun-young's mother. She inherited her mother's beautiful voice and enjoys playing the piano with hopes of becoming a renowned singer.
Seo Jun-young's best friend is Lee Gun-woo (Yeon Jung-hoon). They met in the occasion of a bizarre misunderstanding which led to a violent fight between the boys. After Lee Gun-woo and Seo Jun-young beat the crap out of each other, both of them eventually formed a special bond and developed a close friendship during high school. Lee Gun-woo is the heir of his father's successful telecommunications business company in South Korea. The loss of his mother during childhood has impacted Gun-woo's life, which causes him to distrust love. He is a bit rebellious towards his father's requests, as he has an ambitious dream of starting his own music production company.

Fateful tragedy
Seo Jun-young is a tragic character in this drama. His only love, Park Hye-in, continues to be separated from him, while he suffers through a series of misfortunate events without her. He gets a new identity as Choi Jun-kyu, while he lives with his father (Lee Young-ha) in Seoul, for high school registration purposes. During some of the lowest point in his teenage life, his friendship with Lee Gun-woo and Jang Jin-pyo (Mc Mong) alleviate some of his distress.
When Park Hye-in's aunt, Audrey, decides to marry her American boyfriend and seek a new life in New York, Hye-in unwillingly leaves Jun-young to be with her aunt. Life in America turns out to be a complete nightmare. Audrey's abusive husband leaves Hye-in and Audrey to seek another refuge, whilst Audrey looks aimlessly for means of employment to finance their trip back to South Korea.
Coincidently, Lee Gun-woo comes to New York to further his studies at Princeton. Fate brings Park Hye-in to meet Lee Gun-woo at Central Park; it is love at first sight for Gun-woo. He instantly becomes a saviour to Audrey's problems. He helps Hye-in to land singing gigs at a jazz club, finances Hye-in's eye surgery and loves Hye-in with all his heart. He even assists Jun-young to visit New York, in hopes of helping Jun-young find his girlfriend. The attempt fails through a drug trafficking mix-up and Jun-young, destined to be apart from Hye-in, is sent back to South Korea immediately.
Hye-in's life falls apart when she loses touch with Jun-young and receives a false informed letter about Jun-young's death. Lee Gun-woo stands by her through her depressed days, suicide attempts, and Hye-in still passionately lingers onto her first love, Jun-young, who lives in her heart. In the meantime, Gun-woo actively pursues Hye-in, and proposes to her.
Upon the completion of his studies, Lee Gun-woo returns to South Korea with Park Hye-in, and Gun-woo proudly brings Hye-in to visit his best friend, Seo Jun-young (whom he knew as Choi Jun-Kyu from high school). At the first sight of Park Hye-in and Lee Gun-woo together, Seo Jun-young's heart sinks to rock bottom. The turmoil follow suit for all three characters, at the crossroads of choosing love or friendship, depicts one of the saddest melodramas..
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