Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
***
The Sun Is Also a Star is on my TBR list. I remember being drawn to the book because of its beautiful and unique cover. This year, I challenged myself to participate in Taylor Swift's 1989 Reading Challenge, with the first prompt being Welcome to New York: A book set in New York.
Rumah di tepi rawa itu menyimpan bahaya. Dari kucing-kucing yang menghilang tanpa jejak, kerisik aneh di langit-langit pada malam hari, hingga takhayul keberadaan makhluk setinggi pohon kelapa yang menjaga tanah itu.Suatu hari, Venus—anak perempuan penghuni rumah—terjatuh ke sumur dan koma. Saat dia siuman, dia mengaku terpeleset karena kaget melihat ular besar di sana. Tapi benarkah pengakuannya itu?Lantas mengapa Adam, sahabat karib Venus, dikucilkan dan dituduh mendorong gadis itu ke sumur? Mengapa pula Luna, adik Venus yang serbatahu malah diam seribu bahasa?Rumah di tepi rawa itu tak hanya menyimpan bahaya, tetapi juga rahasia gelap yang tak boleh menyebar.
![]() |
| Sunrise at Banyuwangi |
So, 2022 is now officially over. Normally, I would have written this reflection on December 31st, but yesterday I felt so drowsy. I end up sleeping much during the NYE.
I'm not sure why, but starting two years ago, I've made it a habit to write this reflection on my blog. Why not write another post for this year as well?
Let's see what has happened so far in 2022 and what lessons I have learned from each of those recollections.
January
Let's start from this.
I know it’s okay to miss you because whatever we had was strong and beautiful. To pretend like I don’t miss you would be a disservice to everything we went through. Yet I’m finally in a place where I know that missing you isn’t a sign to try again. It’s a sign that we had a great thing. That’s it, that’s all. So please know I miss you, but I do understand we aren’t meant for each other. But I’ll still remember us for the rest of my life- and I will learn to be okay with that. — Lacey Ramburger. https://thoughtcatalog.com/lacey-ramburger/2020/04/i-miss-you-but-i-understand-we-arent-meant-for-each-other/
![]() |
| Image: Twitter/TvNDrama |
Ryu Sung-Joon (TaecYeon), Ryu Sung-Hoon (Ha Seok-Jin) and Jo Eun-Ki (Jung Eun-Ji) become involved in a serial murder case involving jury members as the victims. These three individuals try to uncover the truth behind the deaths.
***
To be honest, I watched a lot of things lately. Start from k-drama, movies, anime, and others. Since I am too lazy to make an update on my blog, it feels like the spider web has come around again.
Blind is the latest mystery drama that showed on TvN. Once again, I watched this k-drama because of Mbakdew. Well, not gonna lie, her recommendations are always good and exciting.
Just like the synopsis said, Ryu Sungjoon works as an enthusiastic detective. He is always determined to catch the bad guys. His determination led him to be the top detective since his arrest rate is high. Then, his older brother, Ryu Sunghoon works as a judge. Sunghoon is portrayed as someone who is really perfectionist, smart, and calm. Everyone respects him the most because of that.
One day, a murder of a young woman happened. This murder is called a Joker Murder Case since the killer makes a smile wound on their victim's case. To be honest, I was surprised because there is no censor at all at the beginning of the episodes. I almost wanna throw my laptop away when seeing the victim's condition. It's too much scary.
After a long investigation, Sungjoon's team succeed to bring the main suspect for the murder. His name is Jung Manchun--a Chinese immigrant who works at the victim's father's factory. During the investigation, Manchun denies all of the charges. He even asked for a jury trial for his case. Sunghoon who become the judge for Manchun's case, in the name of rights for all, granted Manchun's request.
Even though Manchun tried to plead so hard for his innocence. the juror still finds him guilty. When the decision is final. Manchun became so upset and promised to take revenge, especially on the juror. At first, no one pays attention to Manchun's threat, but after he succeeds to escape from the police and take Eunki hostage, everyone knows that that guy is serious.
When the police once again can catch Manchun, everyone was so surprised that the other murder happened. Now, the victim is Yeom Hyejin, one of the jurors and also the daughter of Chief Police Yeom Kinam. Since it's getting more serious, and the fact that Manchun has an alibi, now the main suspect, in this case, is Sungjoon. Yeah, at the Manchun'c court, he is being accused as the real killer for the Joker Murder Case.
Actually, this drama is not only about the Joker Murder Case. All of this happened because of what happened at Hope Welfare Center. This center is an institution like an orphanage, but the authorities there treat all of the children in a very bad and cruel manner. They use violence, starve them, and won't give them a chance to escape.
Everyone that is a victim in the murder case is somewhat related to that center. So, to unravel the mystery around the murder case, everyone should face the horrible reality that happened at that center.
To be honest, I thought Blind will only be a single murder case mystery. Without any other elements. But, from the first time, they showed what horrible things happened at the Hope Welfare Center. The way all of the dots are connected is very unpredictable.
Then, the truth behind the joker Murder Case is really not what I expected. Of course, that truth is very heartbreaking for me. Aww, poor Sung Joon on this occasion. I still couldn't believe that Sung Joon's mind has been manipulated since from the very start. Gosh...
If I have to make a comparison between Blind and Big Mouth, I will prefer Blind more, The story is satisfying and I could sympathize more with the character. TaecYeon's acting is amazing here. In Vincenzo, I also love how his character is developed.
So, one of the best mystery k-dramas that I ever watched so far.
8 out of 10 stars