#BuriedHearts mini review

‼️Spoiler Alert‼️Buried Hearts mini review After his successful stint in Doctor Slump in 2024, #ParkHyungSik’s #BuriedHearts (aka Treasure Island) ended with 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫. #DoctorSlump is still one of the best I’ve seen, with our Oppa playing a handsome and warm and goofy and charming and sweet Dr. Yeo Jeong Woo (not so unlike his real personality, and with a bonus track Lean on Me in the drama’s OST at that). And he keeps on getting better. This time, he is Seo Dong Ju, a brilliant strategist who hacked into a political slush fund worth 2 trillion won, dodging multiple murder attempts; and also a brokenhearted man who lost a partner (Eun Nam - Hong Hwa Yeon) to an arranged marriage; lost his mother, his foster sister (Sister Agnes - Han Ji Hye), and later on, his biological father (Huh Il Do - Lee Hae Young) and half-brother (Taehyun - Yoon Sang Hyeon) - all in tragic deaths. Revenge is what kept him alive and going, he rose to become the President of Daesan and made his enemy (the hateful villain Yeom Jang Seon - Heo Joon Ho) give up all his wealth to be free. But revenge is also what has left him empty and perhaps regretful in the end (with his “I don’t think I know what’s wrong anymore” line to Eun Nam, and to the corrupt Elder (Lee Cheol Yong - Choi Kwang Il) : “What happened to you?”) that he believed he needed to step down from his post, take a break, and search for his old soul and whatever goodness that is left in him – the one who was loyal, passionately in love with the woman he wanted to marry, ambitious but still humane. Notes: 1. I liked that they did not force Dong Ju and Eun Nam to get back together – at least not yet. Maybe later, but not in this season hahaha They still love each other but I was glad that they were given time apart, especially after Eun Nam’s divorce as respect also to her ex-husband, prosecutor turned private lawyer Yeom Hui Cheol - Kwon Soo-Hyun who, while not entirely a good person, was given a chance to redeem himself in the end. Love that permed bangs hahaha 2. The loyalty of (also hateful) Chun Gu Ho - Joo Yeon-Woo to his boss Yang Seon 3. The loyalty of Dong Ju’s group - Madame Pi - Son Ji Na (one of those who supported him and Sister Agnes when they were young), Myung Tae Geum - Kong Ji-Ho (rich techie friend and owner of the instrument shop) and Bae Won Bae - Lee Yoo Joon (the one who saved him after he was shot). 4. The loyalty of Secretary Gong – the family’s lady butler who knows all the skeletons in their closet 5. I didn’t like how things ended with Taehyun, who seemed to be the nicest character in the drama. For him to be a sacrificial lamb just to show that evil does not stop, and what greed and lust for riches and power could do to a person, or in this case, to mother and son tandem of Ji Yeong Soo - Do Ji-Won and Ji Seon Woo - Cha Woo-Min. I was disappointed, I was hoping that the Chairman’s illegitimate-turned-legitimate son would turn out to be a fine man, with us seeing them on a heartwarming bike ride one evening. I was hoping that people with humble beginnings like them could remain unaffected despite their newfound status and money. Sad also that the Chairman appeared to be holding on to his last memories of frequenting the cafe/bakery to catch a glimpse of Yeong Soo and Seon Woo - at a time when things were simpler and I guess, more dear. And then again maybe Taehyun’s death and effect on his mother (Cha Dok Hui - Kim Jung Nan) is to show us once again that crime does not pay, and in one way or another, you will suffer the consequences. Dok Hui, together with Il Do, plotted to kill her 1st husband Seon Ho, Dong Ju’s mother Gyeong-Won, and Dong Ju as a young boy. 6. Nice casting touch – the young Dong Ju played by Yoo Young Woo. He was able to get Park Hyung Sik’s approach to the character, how he spoke, little things that matter. 7. Missing in the finale was Dong Ju’s neurologist and her father (friend of Il Do and Seon Ho) who were also helpful during the time the Dong Ju was struggling with his memories; and while Cha Guik Hi became Daesan Volt CEO, her neurosurgeon husband was also missing in the last episode. 8. “Not like”– why would you want the viewers to think Dong Ju and Eun Nam have the same father? Ewwww – not with those love scenes! 9. Watching Reborn Rich, The Impossible Heir, Flex x Cop, I am thinking, don’t we have a good chaebol family? Is this how things work with wealthy families really, the power struggle? And why is the title Buried Hearts? More like twisted hearts but I guess, you prefer these family-corporate warfare stuff to be buried hahaha literally. 10. What happened to Dong Ju – Did he kill himself? Will he and Eun Nam reconcile? When will the power struggle in Daesan stop? The evil son is going to destroy what his chairman grandfather and chairman father have built, and what Dong Ju has fixed. With the chairman having dementia, it's likely that the same dynamics will persist. Even though Dong Ju tried to tie up loose ends, some say it was a hurried ending, too many unresolved plots, which is not befitting of a most-watched revenge drama series with an average nationwide rating of 15.0 percent, that puts Park Hyung Sik further on top. Rumored to be paid 500M KRW per Doctor Slump episode (or 8B KRW for 16 episodes), PHS embracing a dark role seems to be a smart move. His acting here in BH, they say, is career-defining. I was thinking, can anyone be in his place as Dong Ju? Nope, he is Dong Ju all right. He worked hard for this drama. Just a trivial observation, don’t mind me, you don’t have to believe it, but there’s one scene in the end that reminded me of Park Seo Joon. That move, when he turned around to walk towards Eun Nam for that one last kiss, it reminded me of PSJ. Oh well, I guess I am just a Wooga devotee after all. (Sorry Woo Shik I finished your Melo Movie in one sitting so I could focus on Hyung Sik.) Should there be another Season? Personally, I am fine and I don’t need another. My imagination can deal with the unfinished business or details that were left hanging. To hell with what will happen to Dong Ju and Daesan. While there are lessons learned, life goes on. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it will never be perfect. And there are stories that, no matter how compelling or well-loved, must rest after they are told. No need to dig deeper to make new memories - just buried inside our hearts. You can still catch Buried Hearts, streaming on Disney+ PH #BuhayKPam

When Life Gives You “When Life Gives You Tangerines”

“It’s an odd thing. Parents dwell on what they couldn’t give. And children dwell on what they couldn’t get.” – Geum Myeong

Netflix’s #WhenLifeGivesYouTangerines gives us a lot to ponder on.

As a parent, we always want to give the best to our children, offer them comfort and convenience in almost everything, even if it means working so hard that your brains and butt couldn’t tell which is which. Whether you are an employee or run your own business, there are a lot of times you want to retreat and surrender, but you don’t. In fact, you even end up giving up a lot of things for their sake, to be able to keep this up – your youth, your time, even your own dreams.  Because theirs matter more to you than yours. Because as parents, it is our role and obligation.

Not that I am complaining, we’re all in this for the long haul. I’ve been a parent since I was 23. I’m just saying that parents may not be always perfect, or we may not be able to give our children everything, but we try, and we will always do our best. We may not be the “best” parents for them, but we try to be. When you see them throw tantrums, or they seem sad or discontented or annoyed with you for some reason, when they get mad at you and they don’t seem to appreciate their life and the things you do for them, when you hear them whine or worry or look for things that they don’t have, or what you can’t give, it hurts a lot. But as a parent, would you fight back? Would you tell or show them that you’re hurt? Would they care? You just take it all in. Maybe our children will never know that side of parenthood until they become parents themselves.

Speaking for myself and my own experience, I have been working since I was 17 and battling against health issues, I decided to retire in 2022 at age 51. I have a few regrets after this humbling chapter of my life (but that’s another story), but I must live with that decision. If I were only living for myself, the retirement fund I received would be enough for my k-vices and “luxurious indulgences.” To translate in Filipino: Na kung ako lang at sarili ko lang iintindihin ko at aasikasuhin, at wala na ko ibang pagkakagastusan, ok na ko sa milyones ko.

But as my youngest son is still studying, I thought an extra income as a consultant would be nice. Leaving my comfort zone, which I thoroughly enjoyed for 2 years (no alarm clock in the morning, watching k-drama all day and all night, going out and to the mall anytime I want), I went back to work – and lost my time freedom again.

In the same year, our lives changed when my son entered college, and we had to move to QC and rent a place, again giving up the comforts of my home where I just had to set up my laptop and log out after 8 hours, nap and wake up, with my 2 helpers doing the household chores. Lunch and dinner are ready, laundry sorted and done, rooms cleaned - the works. Here, I have to multi-task – working at home is literally work and at the same time, tackle cleaning/cooking/etc. Expenses are double, too – Meralco, water, food and groceries. My helpers still get paid but I don’t hahaha Sometimes I resent being in this situation, but since I was the one who made the decision to stay with my son, I cannot grumble forever. I try not to dwell on it but sometimes it can be very challenging, especially for someone like me with mental and physical health limitations, I just pray that I will stay healthy and strong (and employed) for a long time to sustain this setup. 

But yes, if there are pains, there are gains, too. Don’t get me wrong. Parenting and parenthood involve not just challenges, but joys and rewards too. I have my share. And they outnumber the down times. In the same episode of WLGYT, the lead /mom AeSun said: “I found happiness in my own way. There was sunshine in my life too. I’ve had so many picture-perfect moments. I just want you to acknowledge that my life was worthwhile too.” 

If I have regrets, those are mine and my issues alone. I may have sacrificed a few personal wants and needs, but I will never take these against my children. 

To my two treasures: I just want you to be more understanding and patient (also me: perimenopause, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, mood swings, irritability, and other signs of aging hahaha). 

I’ll be 54 this year and even so, I am still being given tangerines, still learning every day, trying to be a better person every day, trying to guide you every day, praying for you every day – and praying to be with you as much as I can, as longer as I can, every day.

#talesofthegoodgirl