Hey, it's Kath. European. Freshly baked graduate degree and still no goal in life, but, uh, I'm doing alright and I guess I'm into Asian pop culture and somewhat consistent with that! And my avatar pic hasn't changed for 5 years or so, that's something, right?

I like dramas, it's an on-and-off thing for when I can't find any exciting variety shows to watch or get obsessed with a certain actor or setting or dynamic. I finish more than half of what I started in a good phase, so I joined this page to talk about the ones I do enjoy (and keep track of my own lazy arse if I start and forget some at 3am when I shouldn't be).

I'm actually more into music of all sorts, starting with rock, going on with blues, jazz, dance, house, R'n'B, hip hop and ending with, you guessed it, K-pop.
My original non-Asian favourites are Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte, Dire Straits, Billy Talent, Bloc Party, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Incubus, Green Day, Death Cab, Weezer (you guessed it, I'm sorta into Cali-based bands for the most part). I absolutely love live concerts and hope to see all of them in time, and then again.

The Korean groups I'm most attached to are Royal Pirates, IMFACT (stream Lie for clean skin and against the Corona blues!), iKON and B.I, SuJu, Snuper (Sangho is my son, and their Japanese discography keeps getting better! Also, please kindly support Sebin in his Omega X project group), D1CE (TALENT), BDC, ONEUS (they are taking over QUICK, as is ONEWE), VIXX, SF9, NOIR, and Monsta X. I used to be pretty much into Seventeen, GOT7, Infinite, VICTON, Stray Kids, F.Cuz, U-KISS, 100%,, B.I.G,  FT Island and 24K, too, but I mostly just have attachment left, I don’t listen to ALL of their music non-stop anymore and surely take a pass on the members who left in 2018/19 for good reasons (except I do support B.I and Wonho!) - I'm merely hyping the occasional comeback or solo activity. I also support the Broduce 101 contestants on principle (Season 2 and a few from Produce X, my picks were Yeo Hwanwoong and Choi Suhwan if you're curious) and may never admit that I jam to ATEEZ, NCT (mostly WayV), A.C.E. and Pentagon songs.

I hate having to speak in past tense but since the last months have not been nice to my long-time loving fan heart, I'd like to remind y'all of the ones we've lost to the harsh reality of entertainment (why is this list so long, seriously): Let's take a moment for SPICA (KEEMBO are rockin' it as a duo, though), EXCITE, SPEED, HIGH4, Seven O'Clock, HALO, MADTOWN (support Geon, Jonghwa and Daewon though wherever they'll be, please!), Rainbow (my love will never die, and congrats Jisook on being a wife now!), Nine Muses, Two X, A-Jax, Phantom (go, Hanhae once he's back it's over for y'all!), Boys Republic, Hotshot, MR. MR, MYNAME , A.Cian, C-Clown, The TRAX, History, Myteen (support B.O.Y if you like music!), Wonder Boyz, M.I.B, 2NE1, ZE:A, B.A.P, and Led Apple (man, I'm old!). May they all, and some members of still active groups we've seen leave on the way, shine wherever else they can in the future! They deserved better, and that's my fan girl life's motto.

As soloists, I enjoy listening to Younha, Kim Feel, Seo In Guk, Sam Kim (Where's his money for real?!), John Park, J-Min and ALi very, very much.

I generally try listening to all sorts of other Korean stuff and some J-Rock (as in: UVERworld, One OK Rock (except, sadly, the latest album), Cocoa Otoko) and Mandopop (Yoga Lin, JJ Lin, Hebe Tian - although they're all Taiwanese, to be correct - and Han Geng and Kris Wu a lot, too). "Indie" and "underground" are words that always intrigue me and Amoeba, Feel Ghood Music and Brand New Entertainment are doing it right. I'm a sucker for Samuel Seo's, Jimmy Brown's, NiiHwa's, McKay's and Car the garden's voices and Rex.D is my aesthetic (listen to all his tracks, seriously). I also listen to mixtapes and just anything "trend K-rap" that falls my way like the wannabe I can't stop being (random recommendations at the moment: Junoflo who deserves actual fame, Yumdda (underrated af, his voice is just -), Yoon San's Soundcloud, Van Noir, nafla (even if he's a snitch and without a crew now...), anything with Hash Swan or Yella D in it.

Some more indie artist recs on a side note: Monni (time and again), Luamel (they release a ton, truly unknown jams), Lulileela, Zitten, Jung Joon Il's ballads that make me teary (I was a Mate fan for years, so), we hate jh, and wetter.

I like watching variety shows, especially (the good old) All the K-Pop, New Journey to the West, Dream Team (rip), and Weekly Idol (I'm not into the new format yet, though Idol Room took over well), as well as Sesame Player and the likes. Basically, everything following new groups from the start, especially their own - MTV has countlessly destroyed me and I would like to thank Arirang for creating New Star.com which made me fangirl over groups whose existence was unknown to me before and still has me attached.

I can be enthusiastic about all kinds of dramas but my favourites are probably ones portraying great, youthful friendships - thus, you see Tumbling and Shut Up Flower Boy Band listed at the top. Some romance is never wrong, either, although I lately can't take too much of it, it just gets boring after some time. Intelligent, thrilling storylines are preferred (whoever you are, go watch White Christmas!). Some silly ones have become my favourites, I don't know what happened there either. I also idealize the classics like Itazura na Kiss (in all versions), Coffee Prince or A Gentleman's Dignity (not the abusive parts, mind you).

I have a very unhealthy obsession with unimportant, never-mentioned-again side characters and I ship people who don’t even know each other (I have a weird talent of foreseeing side-pairings before they happen, too). In my next life, I’ll be a professional matchmaker, just wanted to state that. You may have guessed it, but I also tend to have the common second male lead complex that frustrates me in 90% of romance dramas.

I watch dramas and films for the cast, music or because some idols recommended them. Sometimes, I watch them just for fun or because of a mood. I have a bad habit of wanting to finish everything I started, no matter how bad it is and how long it takes me - my ratings are also influenced by that, I usually don't give lower marks than 6 if I made it through them (but that also means that a lot are just left hanging in the air). The list is long and I've got a long way to go, but I'm trying my best!

I will not get over Sung Joon's smirk in a lifetime (congrats on starting a family, my guy!) and it's the reason I have watched some almost-too-idiotic romance dramas recently - he's probably my actor bias by now, I suppose. I think I had no chance there to begin with. Lee Min Ki is also fabulous, and both combined are perfect. #stillpromotingSUFBB

My most recent "bias wrecker" actor who combines everything a man should have is Lee Yi Kyung who works too much and is pure, raw talent, to my mind. Go watch him in anything now, he's a major charismatic hottie, as well, and finally getting more roles, so you better be prepared to see him. I have a strangely good eye for successful actors (not so much with boygroups, sadly).

Regarding some other actors: Baek Sung Hyun's voice has me head over heels for years now, and I do not want to stop watching dramas with him in it, like, ever (I might be one of the only people who watches dramas mainly for HIS side roles - and he is usually cast in dramas with lots of other good actors in them - but it's true! When is that army/marriage hiatus over, seriously, it barely started and I'm suffering from withdrawal). Moreover, I try to watch anything Kang Ha Neul, Darren Wang, Lee Won Gun or Lee Ji Hoon are in because their talent must be recognized. Kim Woo Bin, I've always forseen his rising fame, is included in that list, too, of course, what an inspiration man! Meanwhile, Lee Jong Suk probably plans on being the death of me one of these days - "I Hear Your Voice" has proven as much whenever I rewatch it, can't wait to for his post-military dramas. I also have a thing for Kim Jae Wook, Jung Woo Sung, Ahn Hyoseob, Lee Je Hoon and Gong Yoo (I mean, who doesn't? If only for the legendary coffee CFs), and no, I don't want to conclude this never-ending list of male actors I like. There are simply too many and it will grow, yep.

I was and am a huge Harry Potter fan, the Marauders have had me drooling ever since, and I like Neville, Hermione, Draco and the Quidditch teams a lot, too. My newest favourite hobby is sorting K-idols into the houses and if I may say so, I'm quite good at that... sometimes.

I also lovelovelove me some nostalgic American and British TV series, including The OC, Veronica Mars (I am very divided over Season 4's ending and happy to discuss it), Gossip Girl, Skins and Merlin. I have literally no interest or clue about anything that came out after, like, 2010, though, if it isn't BBC or Asian - but then again, this ain't what MDL is about, right!

Basically, if I don't obsess over idols and actors, there's plenty of other stuff I enjoy obsessing over! Hooray for the fangirl life! (Maybe I'm just doomed, and don't really care)

(Gif credit: hyukjae.info
 The avatar picture is not mine, either. Although I wish the boy on it was and I won't even cross that sentence out to emphasise its relevance.)