Unforgettable Love : Chinese Drama Review

Copied from MyDramaList 

The drama revolves around He Qiao Yan, CEO of Heshi Group, and Qin Yi Yue, a child psychologist. It tells the story of a rational and indifferent man and a soft, optimistic, considerate, and meticulous psychologist, whose relationship develops from acquaintance to love.

Allow me to elaborate. Qiao Yan has a son. It's not his biological son, but his late brother's. His brother and sis-in-law both died in a car crash (which also involved Qiao) .Xiao Bao (the son), due to trauma as he was also involved in the crash, became mute and anti-social. He doesn't like being touched and often throw tantrums. But unexpectedly, Xiao Bao warmed up to Dr Qin real quick. Upon seeing their instant connection, Qiao proposed a marriage contract so that Dr Qin can be a stay-at-home doc and truly focus on Xiao Bao's improvement.

Honestly, I skipped A LOT. I just skipped to the main couple's scenes so I won't be able to comment any other thing than their relationship. Judging from how much I skipped, the drama really had many side stories which I didn't really enjoy. Mind you, my harsh criticisms may stem due the fact that I really realllyyyyyyyyyyy reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy enjoyed Miles Wei's previous drama, "Perfect and Casual". Officially one of my favourite dramas ever. And Miles' character in that drama... O.M.G .. perfection. I can't imagine liking a character more than Professor Zhang. Will definitely write a review on PaC but need to rant about this one first.

Okay on to my review: 

1) Pre-binge hopes 

The premise: It was soooo promising. I haven't crossed any dramas where the male lead has a son. So I thought, I THOUGHT, the plot won't be as cliche. Unfortunately, it was not so. 

2) Cliches

Male lead, extremely cliche. The clueless-about-love CEO with either dead or toxic parents trope. It could've still been enjoyable if he didn't act TOO clueless. Like cmon. He couldn't even figure out that the female lead wanted to hear "I love you". That issue alone dragged out over 2 episodes. Which annoyed me.   

And then the constant accidental fall into each other arms and almost kisses. Mygawd. Annoying AF. It kept happening throughout the series and I was no longer entertained. I'm clumsy too; no one is that uncoordinated. 

Then the interfering family member who thinks the hero deserves someone of same status (this time it was the aunt)

..and the possessive 2nd female lead  who is of same status/is supposedly more suited... boring boring boring!  

And seriously this woman.. how many times does she need saving?? i hate the damsel in distress trope too. Meteor Garden had plenty as well, but MG had 49 eps so those type of scenes were spaced out ok. UL only has 24 eps and its sooooo frequent. She sprained her ankle twice, nearly got attacked by a snake, kidnapped, media harassments, gotten sick, and the many times she fell or needed a coat. Plus all the situations were insignificant to the plot. I like scenes proving the male lead is "reliable" (like shown in PaC) but it would've been better if the situations were a lot less serious. 

3) Healthy relay. Yay or Nay? 

Nay. Their communication is a bit off. Contributed to a lot of misunderstandings. Plus their progression of love didn't make sense. It was sooo fast in the beginning but then dragged mid-way. The hero acted very understanding at times, and very clueless at other times. Idk it just didn't make sense to me. The post-confession kiss wasn't brief like most dramas' first kisses but then they had the audacity to act all awkward and shy the episode after that??? Ughhhh frustating!! They were going back and forth. The breakup phase where both were lying to each other was hella distressing to watch. They broke up twice. The heroin is a bit weak. 

4) What's to love 

The beginning episodes! If they kept up the pace throughout, it would've been hella cute. Like Dr Qin faking intimacy with Qiao just to make Bao Bao happy. It picked up the pace once they both confessed but due to the mid-way drag it somehow felt unnatural to me. PaC had perfect progression <3

5) Rewatchibility - would binge from the start/sweet scenes only/never again

Never again, unless to only stare at Miles Wei. Even the occasional cute cant make me.

Small victories

Harini Majlis Anugerah Cemerlang sekolah aku. Dan majlis ni buat aku teringat kat pelajar pelajar aku yang tidak hadir kerana mereka tidak "layak" menerima apa jua anugerah.

And that somehow made me sad.

Sebagai guru, aku bukan lah pesen cikgu yang nak "trophy for all". Healthy competition is needed. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But in reality, education is not a fair competition. Kalau ada sesiapa yang tengok video berkenaan "how privilege works" fahamlah maksud aku ni. These students did not start at the same starting line. And yet we reward them as if they do. The culture that we are upholding now is basically rewarding students with better privileges and giving them even MORE privilege.

Aku tak nafikan ada pelajar yang had little privilege and yet succeeded nevertheless. But such students are scarce. You need that extra perseverence, that extra effort, that extra motivation. Something that students with better privilege need not worry about because their situation has already made it much easier for them.

Aku ambil alih kesemua pelajar yang aku ada sekarang sejurus habis PPT. Aku ada anak murid yang PPT Bahasa Inggeris dia 0. Zero gais, zero. Dia tulis nama je. Dia tak usaha nak jawab pon. Selain isu akademik, dia juga ada severe behavioral issues. Aku hampir give up. Setiap kali aku masuk kelas dia akan menangis. Lari keluar kelas. Guling guling kat lantai. Hentak hentak barang. Baju sekolah dia kelabu. Kelabu betul, tak pernah putih (kesan berguling). Beg koyak robak. Aku ni da lah pesen cikgu yang suka main game segala apa tau. Tapi dalam kelas dia aku takleh buat. Contohnya, nak main dadu. Kena lah bergilir-bergilir kan? Dia tak boleh. Orang lain pegang dadu jee dia akan menangis. Dia nak dia sorang je pegang. Aku reward dia boleh. Suka. Aku reward orang lain tak boleh. Dia akan menangis juga. I tried every method in the book (except hitting coz I don't hit) and it showed results, though painstakingly slow.

Anyways, fast forward several months later, after endless pujukan, PAT arrived and guess what?

He got 66% for BI. From F to B. He's now one of my most well behaved. Tak buat bising dah, habis kerja buat kerja sendiri senyap senyap. And he has finally learn to share 😭😭😭😭😭 I was so proud of him playing chess and snakes and ladders with friends without breaking into tears (I took so many photos lol). He's also the kid that hugged me and said "sayang teacher!"

And this kiddo, who has made me so so so proud, was not present at today's ceremony.

By my standards, he deserve to be on a grand stage and be recognized for his amazing improvement. But apparently its not good enough. I, alone cannot change this culture. Be the teacher that celebrates the small things. They matter.

Actually, they matter the most.

Disebalik itu..., #buatmucikgu

Apabila anak kita datang cakap...

'Mommy! Mommy! I had fun in English class today!'

Kita mungkin respon ' Glad you enjoyed it honey' and thought nothing of it later..

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang bersengkang mata memikirkan idea dan menyediakan bahan kelas bagi memastikan anak-anak muridnya seronok belajar..

Apabila anak kita tunjuk...

'Abah tengok ni! Adik dapat A!'

Kita mungkin cakap ' Bijak anak Abah! Bagus, bagus! ' and thought nothing of it later..

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang bertungkus lumus mempelbagaikan strategi pengajaran supaya anak-anak muridnya faham..

Apabila kita berjumpa dengan cikgu bertanyakan perihal kelakuan anak kita, dan cikgu kata anak kita 'well-behaved, nice young boy'

Kita mungkin fikir ' Boleh tahan malaikat anak aku ye, walhal kat rumah perangai macam hantu' and then thought nothing of it later..

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang terbeban akal fikirannya memikirkan kaedah displin yang paling sesuai supaya anak-anak muridnya berkelakuan baik..

Apabila anak kita balik dengan senyuman, tunjuk kat kita 'Ibu, tengok! Cikgu bagi hadiah untuk lukisan paling cantik!'

Kita mungkin senyum dan cakap 'Haaa camtu lah buat kerja bagus bagus lagi' and thought nothing of it later..

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang pokai mengeluarkan belanja untuk anak muridnya untuk memastikan anak muridnya berasa dihargai untuk usahanya..

Apabila anak kita cakap 'Abi, kakak ada kelas tambahan'

Kita mungkin respon ' Okay, nanti Abi hantar. Belajar rajin rajin ya' and thought of nothing it later..

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang mengorbankan masanya bersama keluarga supaya anak-anak murid mendapat persediaan yang cukup untuk menghadapi peperiksaan..

Apabila anak kita menang pertandingan, tayang trofi kemenangannya pada kita..

Kita mungkin high-five anak kita dan cakap 'Way to go lah Abang! I'm proud of you!'

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang pulang lewat ke rumah setiap hari untuk melatih anak-anak muridnya sehingga mencapai kemenangan..

Apabila anak kita duduk dalam bilik, tekun mengulangkaji..

Kita mungkin fikir 'Rajinnya anak Ummi'

Kita tidak sedar, disebalik itu, ada cikgu yang mempelbagaikan teknik motivasi supaya anak-anak muridnya bersemangat untuk cemerlang..

Cikgu, you're a real life-changer! Thanks so much!

No, not what I've taught them, but what THEY've taught me.. :) #1stpracticum

Pada 8 mei yang lalu, maka tamatlah perkhidmatanku sebagai guru praktikum di SK Desa Tasik. Whewww what an experience! Honestly speaking, I was a lazy and lamey teacher, but the pupils were lovely. Rasa menyesal tak give my best, tak give my all. Because the pupils were my first babies.. My anak-anak sulong. My lab rats. My experiments. They were the first to see my shortcomings as a teacher, my efforts, my passion, my struggle, my love..

And the 1 month that I get to be with them, I've learnt so much. Betullah orang kata, you can learn so much from children.. So kat sini aku nak list benda-benda yang aku dah belajar dari anak-anak muridku sayang!

1) To show your appreciation and love without shame, like its a badge of honour.

Children are honest. They say 'I love you' repeatedly, without any fear of not getting an ' I love you too' back. They don't mind if they've said it too much, or it if sounds all mushy. Even the boys, even the naughty ones. Even the ones that I always get mad at, ones I always ask to stand up on chairs for being noisy, ones that I don't give much attention to compared to the others. Kita da besar ni, nak cakap 'I love you' and 'Thank you' tu punya payah, sebab takut bunyi 'clingy' atau 'overly-attached' atau lemah lembut gemalai sangat. Dah tua kena ajet-ajet taff takde emosi gituuhh.. Tetapi tidak mereka. Walaupon aku takde jasa apa sangat pon (and I'm not being humble here), walaupon aku bersama mereka sebulan cuma, but the outpouring of love and appreciation from them are overwhelming. Nangis wohh aku akhirnya. 

Sorang budak ni, Qutnizan namanya.. Memang sangat nakal. Aku salu suruh dia berdiri atas kerusi. Kalau minta buat kerja malas-malasan. Tapi hari terakhir aku, dia bagi aku home-made card yang dia lukis dan tulis sendiri..Depan kad, tulis besar -besar 'We <3 Miss Soffea'.. Ayat dia dalam kad tu 'Masa miss mula-mula masuk dulu, takde sapa nak layan miss. Tapi lama-kelamaan, semua orang sayang miss.'. Berdepan dengan aku, minta aku jangan pergi. Minta aku ajar lagi. Minta maaf atas kesilapan sebelum ini. Waduh sebak! Tak sangka dihukum berkali-kali masih reti memberi apresiasi.

Aku paling terharu mereka ambil marker pen aku yang kaler kaler tu nak tulis nota nota cinta di whiteboard. Sebab asyik tak cukup ruang, ramai yang padam kawan punya sampai jadi gaduh.. Ada siap tulis warning kat board jangan padam dia punya! Haha lucu-lucu. My second last day mereka buat cheers 'We love Miss Soffea'.. Wuuu :'( :'( :'( Aku jadi awkward tak reti nak respon macamane hanya mampu cakap 'awwww'. Thankyou children! I love you all too!

2) To be forgiving. To let things go. 

Babes and dudes, aku ni jadi teacher leh tahan garangnya. Mengamok tak cukup jari haa bilangannya. Aku dok kutuk sistem punishment tapi aku ni suka gak punish budak. Sadist gitu. Pembaris 1 meter tu aku hentak hentak nya haaa kat atas meja sampai terdiam semua. Habis pasif bebudak hyper aku. Kah3. Jahat k. Tapi bebudak ni, the next day buat macam it never happened. Kekadang amarah aku ni tak padan dengan salah. Tapi the next day, bukan nak dendam, bukan nak merajuk, siap datang meja 'Miss let me carry that for you!' (walaupon hanya lah pencil box), and said sorry for yesterday. Kita dah tua bangka ni, salah kecik pon tanak maapkan sampai mati. I wish I have a heart as big as theirs to forgive and let go. I'm sorry children, for all my faults.. Grow up in age and maturity, but always keep your pure heart.. :) 

3) To be eager and excited about life. 

My children were always excited for learning. They got excited over getting the correct answers, were not easily put off when they've got the wrong answers. Nak sifu motivation, kau tengok budak-budak belajar. Everything is a wonder to them. Everything is exciting. Serious aku envy dengan positive energy mereka.. Bila seseorang da meningkat dewasa (ecece aku ajet-ajet matang sekarang), the stresses of life brings you down. You don't think about the fresh new start of tomorrow, but you dwell with the doomness of now, of today. You don't think you can escape, like ever, like there's not gonna be some light at the end of the tunnel. Kids on the other hand, though they have their bad days too, they would always think ' Well there is always tomorrow'... Kids, I'm inspired!

4) To always ask. 

Miss can I go to the toilet?

Miss, can you speak slower, I don't understand..

Miss can I speak in Melayu, I don't know..

Miss ajar lah kami lagi!

Miss jadikan saya anak angkat miss!

Miss datanglah jumpa kami!

Miss bawaklah kami jalan-jalan!

Miss, janganlah tinggalkan kami.... 

Da besar, kita malas da nak meminta. Nak bertanya. Independent katanya.. Sampaikan doa pada Tuhan pon sudah hilang kesungguhannya.. Teringat aku pada pesanan seseorang, nak minta sesuatu kepada Allah, mintalah sepertimana budak kecil.. Tidak kenal erti penat, erti putus asa, akan minta sampai dapat! Orang 'dewasa' ni pon sudah kurang bertanya. Sombong agaknya. Takut dianggapi bodoh. Sudah rasa dirinya pandai. Walhal budak-budak ini tidak pernah malu mengaku tidak tahu.. Thank you children, for making me feel needed.. Walhal adalah aku yang perlukan mereka .. :') 

5) You can't save everyone

Ok. This is one of the toughest lesson of all. Of course kau nak SEMUA orang jadi rajin belajar, dengar kata, faham pelajaran. But that's unrealistic, you know that, but you still want it. That already made me demotivated the first week in as a teacher. Unrealistic goals lead to REAL pain. Dalam dunia ni, kita nak semua benda nampak, nak semua benda immediate. Barangkali dek kecanggihan teknologi, dek kepantasan globalisasi, semua benda kita nak super fast and furious jugak. Nak budak faham segera. Siapkan kerja segera. Semua segera! segera! segera! Agaknya kita mengharap pemahaman anak murid ni selaju siapnya maggi segera. Always remember "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.".. 

6) The satisfaction of imparting knowledge

Kelas aku low-proficiency. Third class but they can have real trouble in understanding the simplest of English. The first day teaching, aku minta mereka salin the first sentence of each paragraph. Siap tunjuk contoh segala apa bagai. Some still got it wrong, so I didn't have high expectations for them.

Haritu aku decide nak ajar benda payah sikit, and aku buat lagak berani nak ajar mereka benda susah tu waktu lecturer aku nak datang observe. Aktiviti dia adalah transferring information from non-linear text to linear text. Mereka perlu menganalisis pie chart dan text and vice versa. Waktu mengajar tu, serious budak-budak aku semua pasang muka blur gila tak faham. Pasif gila semua orang. Aku tanya 'Class, do you understand?', krik krik gila tak macam biasa. Dalam hati dah risau, macamane ni. Beberapa orang angkat tangan cakap 'Miss, I don't understand'.  So I repeated my explanation. Lari lah sikit masa teaching aku, but macamane nak go on to the next stage kalau mereka tak faham right? So aku tanya sekali lagi, separuh kelas kata faham.. Aku anggap itu green light untuk go on.. Buat aktiviti seterusnya, (game quiz).. ALHAMDULILLAH, faham rupanya! And I mean EVERYBODY! Pehh puas beb! Buat lagi satu activity, sebab game quiz tu aktiviti berkumpulan, next activity aku bagi tasksheet mereka kena lengkapkan secara individu.. Everybody got it right. I was majorly surprised, and of course pleased! Syamim yang suka buat leka dalam kelas aku pon participate and got his answers right! Aku jarang ajar benda susah-susah sangat sebab suka berada dalam comfort zone, suka rasa confirm-confirm objektif pelajaran tercapai.. So bila mereka berjaya faham, waduhh terharunya hanya Allah saja tahu! Thank you my lovelies, for you have taught me knowledge too! 

*            *            *

Hahaha sekian sahaja laporan dari Miss Soffea. There's just so much to share, and I can't put all my experiences into words, maka ini sahaja yang mampu. When they say that teaching is a noble profession, a fulfilling job...

I get it now. :)