I was quite surprised when I got nominated for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award because this is the first time I’ve ever been nominated for it! So thank you to the following drama blogger sisters for nominating me:
Anna & Estelle (Drama for Real)—These two do wonderful recaps for c-movies, c-dramas, and tw-dramas.
Isabellealyssa (Musings of a Self-professed Dramaholic)—Belle reviews Korean indie music, writes travel journals about England, and also does drama reviews.
NeeNee (Asian Addicts Anonymous)—NeeNee shares the latest Asian music releases, writes drama reviews, and has a handy list of all the Asian dramas on Netflix.
I will be answering questions posed by Anna & Estelle, Isabellealyssa, and NeeNee for this award. Stay tuned ‘til the end to see who I nominate! 
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Questions from Anna & Estelle (Drama for Real)
1. What is your favorite drama of all time?
The mainland Chinese drama The Legend of Zhen Huan (also known as Hou Gong: Zhen Huan Zhuan and Empresses in the Palace) is by far my most favorite drama EVER. I loved it enough to write reviews for all 76 episodes, darn right! And there’s even more reviews coming along the way now that it has released a U.S. version! Why do I like LZH so much, you may ask? It’s hard to explain. It could be the gorgeous costumes and set, the amazing acting from the solid cast (Sun Li, Jiang Xin, Ada Choi, and more!), the complexity, the attention that’s paid to every detail….really, I could go on and on and on about it. I love everything about it.
2. What got you into blogging?
Before I started my own blog, I used to have the habit of reading some of the most popular drama blogs. Seeing these blogs made me think to myself, “Hey, I think that’d be fun to do.” So I decided to try it out on my own. At the time there weren’t many blogs about c-dramas, tw-dramas, or j-dramas. Most blogs were about k-dramas (and currently, there’s still a lot more k-drama blogs). Instead of writing about the super popular dramas, I wanted to write about the ones that not many other people were writing about. I first started reviewing j-dramas, and then eventually added c-dramas, tw-dramas and even an occasional HK or k-drama! It turns out that I loved blogging even though at first, it was hard to get many page views or comments. I find blogging to be extremely rewarding. And I’m still here, 4 years later!
3. Would you prefer to be too hot or too cold?
Too cold. I melt in the heat. X_X
4. If you could meet an actor/actress of your choice, who would it be?
^Mitsushima Hikari in Woman
This is a tough question…especially because I think there would probably be a language barrier. T_T If I could choose any actor or actress regardless of a language barrier, I think I would want to meet the Japanese actress Mitsushima Hikari. She is one of the Japanese actresses that has impressed me the most with her acting chops. I absolutely loved her in jdramas such as Soredemo Ikite Yuku and Woman.
5. Do you snack while watching dramas? If so, what’s your snack of choice?
Not really, and I’m glad I don’t heheh. If I did I’m sure I’d be snacking WAY too much!
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Isabellealyssa’s Questions (Musings of a Self-professed Dramaholic)
1. Did you have a childhood nickname? If so, what’s the story behind it?
Nope, some people have attempted to shorten my name into a nickname but it never really stuck. I generally have people call me by my full name.
2. Tell me three things about the place you grew up in.
The city I grew up in is considered a part of suburbia and is relatively young compared to other cities. Some people think that the suburbs are really boring and conventional, but whatever, I like the city that I grew up in.
3. What’s the craziest/oddest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Actually I’m not a very adventurous eater. I would say the most odd thing I’ve eaten by American standards is chicken feet. But actually, chicken feet is totally normal by Chinese standards. So I can’t say it’s all that crazy, heheh.
4. Would you rather eat healthy or exercise regularly?
Ideally we should all do both. But if I had to choose, I would rather eat healthily so that I don’t have to burn off what I eat through tons of exercise.
5. If you had to pick one representative dish that best encapsulates where you are from what would it be and why?
Sadly, there is no one dish that represents where I come from. Some states or regions in America have certain foods that they are known for. For instance, New York style pizza in New York, chili in Texas, and clam chowder in New England. However, I’m not from any of these areas. >_>
6. How do you spend your free time apart from watching shows?
Heheh does drama blogging count, even though it’s related to watching dramas? Just kidding. Actually before I got into watching dramas, I was really into reading manga and watching anime. Currently I no longer watch anime as often but I still read manga and Korean webtoons on a regular basis. I love the slice-of-life and psychological/thriller genres!
7. If you could go back into time (say, ten years) to offer a piece of advice to the younger you, what would it be and why?
One of the things I regret from my youth is that I stopped reading on a regular basis after I was introduced to the internet. Oops. It’s sad to say, but it’s true. So I would tell my younger self to READ READ READ!
8. What is one of the most adventurous things you’ve ever done?
Ok, this is going to sound totally unadventurous. But me being a non-roller coaster person, my most adventurous feats are going on giant scary roller coasters LOL. I’ve gone on a ride that drops you from the top of a crazy tall tower, eeek! I’ve also gone on a couple of scary roller coasters that make you go backwards, upside down, in loops, etc. at crazy fast speeds. My legs kept on shaking for like 10 minutes after I went on those rides. T_T”
9. What is something you are waiting for, or looking forward to, right now?
Currently I’m looking forward to the tw-drama Rose Battle (also called Wah! Chen Yi Jun!) starring Tammy Chen! Tammy Chen is one of my favorite Taiwanese actresses, and this is her latest drama since 2013, so I’m really hoping that it will be good!!! *crosses fingers*
10. Where are you from? How did you get to discover this space? In other words, what brought you here?
I’m from the U.S., born & raised on the West Coast. However I am a Chinese American, so my roots go back to China.
I have no idea how I first discovered Isabellealyssa’s blog, Musings of a Self-professed Dramaholic. Apparently she had been lurking on my blog for two years before I found out about her presence. So it’s most likely that I connected with her when she started commenting on my blog for the first time. To all my lurkers, I don’t know you exist until you comment!!!
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Questions from NeeNee (Asian Addicts Anonymous)
1. What does music mean to you in your life?
For me, music helps me relax, get my study-game on, or get into a good mood.
2. To lift your mood, what is your go to music?
Pretty much anything that I can sing along with will do the trick. (as long as it’s not an annoying song or a song that I don’t like heh.) All I have to do is sing along really loudly and eventually I will feel a bit better.
3. Do you use blogging to help escape from the everyday tedium or hustle bustle?
Simply put, yes. I could also say that dramas are another form of escapism. Even though I’m not ‘escaping’ into the world of dramas as often lately (I don’t have enough time!), I think a part of me still sees my blog & dramas as a way to get away from it all. When I’m blogging or watching a show, I don’t have to think about anything else. Writing & watching are both a great way for me to destress and relax. And guess what, I’ve already written a Heisui’s Thoughts post on the very topic on escapism!
4. What was the last book you ever read that you would definitely recommend to others?
As I mentioned before, lately I haven’t been reading for fun as much as I’d like to. Instead of recommending a book I would like to recommend an online novel, written by the drama blogger Dramatictealeaves! It is called Yu Zhu (Bamboo Rain) and is a wuxia fantasy novel. I think it’s really cool how Dramatictealeaves started her own wuxia!
5. If today was your last day, what would you do?
I would definitely spend it with my family and the people who are closest to me. It doesn’t matter what we do together as long as I can be with them.
6. If you were to give a total newbie advice on blogging, what would be the first thing you’d say?
Just go for it! I had no idea what to do when I first started blogging! This is kind of embarrassing, but actually when I first wanted to make my own drama blog, I literally googled “how to drama blog”. Obviously, nothing came up LOLOL. Turns out, there is no how-to guide or step-by-step process. It is all up to you how you blog. And even if you don’t know what you’re doing at first, you will gradually figure it out as you get the hang of it. If you need any advice, you can read my Drama-blogging tips or my post on my drama blogging process.
7. And just for fun and utter nonsense…Where’s Waldo?
In your mind.
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I nominate…
My nominations are for blogger sisters who have ‘unique writing voices’.
Kaa & Mina (In Between Dreams)
Alualuna (Otherwhere)
Carolies541 (Obsessions of Line)
Emsterzz (Dramarathon)
The rules:
Link the blogger who nominated you on your post.
Put the award logo on your blog. (Note: You may use my image but you may NOT crop out the credits.)
Answer the questions that were given to you.
Make up new questions for your nominees to answer.
Nominate five blogs and explain why you nominated them.
Make sure the nominees are aware they are nominated.
When you have responded, leave a link in the comment of the person who nominated you.
Note: I tweaked the rules a bit.
My Questions:
If you could make your own blogging award (such as this one) what would it be called, and what would it be for?
What is one thing you don’t like about dramas?
If you could transform into an animal, what animal would you choose, and why?
Are you for or against social media?
Which season (winter, spring, summer, or fall) describes your personality the best?
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Again, thank you to NeeNee, Isabellealyssa, Anna and Estelle for nominating me. It really made my day! Also, even for those who were not nominated or who are not bloggers, feel free to answer my questions in the comments! I’m curious to hear your answers!
You can find my previous blogging awards here.