I’ve just spent the last ten minutes thinking of a title for this post—one to match the main image above. Alas, my creative juices have forsaken me (although they did proffer “Night,” which feels sort of right and also sort of wrong) and I can’t think of anything apt or witty. So “Goodbye” will have to do.
Because I will not be blogging for a long, long time. In the days ahead, there is simply no place for kdramas; my heart and my priorities lie elsewhere.
About three weeks from now (January 12) the blog will celebrate its third birthday. Since it is almost certain I will not remember that day when it rolls around, I want to take the opportunity now to thank all of you for reading, for commenting, and for lurking. You are the reason the blog exists.
Ockoala, Serendipity, Michael, Softy, Laica, momosan, leonardswench and supah, thank you for spending so many hours writing for Thundie’s Prattle. It has been such an honor for me and I hope you will continue to write, if possible. Thank you, too, for your friendship and for all the little notes of encouragement (they make me cry, dang!).
For rallying around me, for rearranging the year-in-review schedule just for me, I owe you heaps, javabeans. I’m so sorry that in the end I could not deliver. You’re my star among kdrama bloggers; your faith in my writing was the impetus that birthed this blog. Thank you for everything.
To end, let me quote from the intro for my year-end review (I did get started on a draft but had to stop after several paragraphs):
I do not know if my contentment with this year’s offerings is a sign that I’m losing my edge as a half-baked critic (thus disappointing those who expect me to toe the this-year-sucks line) or that I’m simply regressing, becoming the hopeful viewer that I used to be. All I know is that I expected two things from my dramas and they delivered: to entertain me, and, occasionally when real life got a tad hard to bear, to distract me.
In short, I really enjoyed my kdramas this year. The ones I love the most are Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Can You Hear My Heart, and City Hunter. Months (or years) from now, if I do return to kdramas, the first thing I’m going to watch will be the last two episodes of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. This drama (the fourteen episodes that I marathoned in two days) made me laugh so hard last week when I was in a dark and uncertain place; everything about it is perfect. Girl K, Ojakkyo Brothers, and The Princess’s Man are all wonderful as well, although they do not own my heart like the first three. Rounding up the list of dramas that I was going to include in my year-end review are Best Love, Protect the Boss, Royal Family, New Gisaeng Story, Tree With Deep Roots, Romance Town, and You’ve Fallen For Me.
I need to stop here. Thank you again and Happy Hols. Hug your loved ones A LOT.
Thank you, Thundie for helping me to understand this passion for kdramas, for creating this little and cozy place on the web, for giving the opportunity to us, readers and lurkers, to enjoy your writings and the articles of Ockoala, Serendipity, Michael, Softy, Laica, Momosan, Leonardswench and Supah. Thank you again.
A wish you the best and that everything gets better in your life. I’ll light a candle and wait to read from you again someday.Love from an eternal lurker.
The lurker….=( That’s me. *feels guilty*. I don’t think I would’ve discovered the jewel that was CYHMH if it weren’t for you and your love of it. Thank you so much for your beautiful words which helped carry over a drama into many a drama lovers’ hearts.
I wish you strength and good health to face whatever tasks lie ahead of you. I wish your family and your loved ones well. I’ll keep you in my prayers.
Advanced happy birthday to TP! I’ll patiently await your return! We’ll miss you! *hugs super duper duper tight* We’ll be cheering you on and wishing the very best for you. Hwaiting!
Dearest Thundie,
Why do I have tears in my eyes reading your post? I think I cry, for real!
I don’t know you personally, but I am a frequent reader of your blog. I always admire your eloquent writing, and the emotion and passionate you put in every post. Even though I’ve never talked to you, I’ve silently followed you from forums to blogs, and I come to respect your personality. You’re always calm, friendly and warm. You’re so close to us your readers, you’re like a real friend when you shares with us some of your personal stories and experiences.
We’ll miss you dear. And I hope you’ll be able to return someday. HUGS… You and your dear one are in my prayers. Please be happy and stay strong wherever you go. HUGS, and HUGS….
Dear Thundie,
You know I think of you all the time these days. *hugs*
Thanks for being a friend and a wonderful wonderful blog host. Thanks for inviting me to write for this blog in the first place; it came out of the blue but now thanks to you it feels like second nature for me to write about k-drama. It seems trite to say it, but I really would never have done it without you. You’ve been so helpful and encouraging, so enabling in the best sense of the word. You’ve cheered my hare-brained / lame ideas so enthusiastically, you’ve encouraged my opinions even when you’ve not agreed with them, you’ve put up with my eratic in-put without pressurising me to contribute, and the (undeserved but seemingly unfeigned) delight with which you greet my efforts has kept me going. I write for you, I really do, and you make writing so rewarding. You’ve injected k-drama watching with so much joy and grace.
Much love, S
Ah Thundie, I will miss you dearly. While I was a not a frequent poster, I was always amazed by the writing and the community here. Your creativity and your passion really shone through your writing and it was like the light to which moths gathered around.
Take care, Thundie, and I wish you and your loved ones strength, good health, and happiness.
Fighting!
~ BIG HUGS Thunder ~.
DO keep watching whenever you can, even if you’re taking a hiatus from blogging. It keeps us therapeutically grounded and recharges, even as real life deals out those curveballs.
Thundie, thank you for introducing me to many wonderful kdramas. I will never forget your witty writing that brought me laughter at the same time a new piece of knowledge when I read them. I hope that everything will get better in your real life and I promise to include you in my prayers.
Wherever this road takes you, it will eventually lead back to you. And when you get there, you may decide to come back or decide this is something you left by the roadside. Wherever it takes you I sincerely hope you can find hope and joy in life. Goodbye for now…*Hugs*
Oh, Thundie, you will be dearly missed! A day without Thundie is a like a day without sunshine! Stumbling onto your blog was instrumental in feeding my kdrama addiction. I thoroughly enjoyed your extremely clever writing style, and watched so many dramas based on your recommendations. But it was the way you welcomed me into this blogging community when I finally “delurked” that touched my heart the most. I hope you will be buoyed up by all the good wishes sent to you by TP fans. I’ll be thinking of you in the days and months ahead.
You’ve brought such joy, life, and laughter to the kdrama community. It’s hard to think what the blogosphere will be like without you. I hope that whatever sadness or hardship you are experiencing will soon pass, and that you will return to all of your loyal readers in good health and happiness whether that be in months or years.
As Martin Luther King once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
Where are you and the lizards going to? Surely not someplace with no internet access? If you’re gonna work or study in some mentally exhaustive course, all the best!
Thundie, everyone has said what I’ve wanted to say. We will miss you LOTS, and will definitely await the day of your return to TP. Himneja chinggu, and all the best in whatever you do and whatever’s veering you away from K-drama & blogging.
Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year~
Thank you for everything you’ve shared with us, Thundie. I just want you to know that I think your writing is wonderful, and that even when dramas don’t stay with me, your writing on them does. I’m grateful for all the time and effort you’ve put into this blog, and for all your beautiful reviews and recommendations of little-seen shows. Everyone is going to miss your voice and insights in the drama blogosphere, but I hope the new year brings wonderful things for you and your loved ones.
And since the title is “Au Revoir,” then I’ll just say until we see/read you again! Mwah! (That was a kiss, not the beginning of an evil laugh.) *big long rocking from side to side hug*
Dear Thundie, You have inspired me with your thoughtful, artistic writing. I appreciate your writing as much as I do any drama. Thanks for all of the wonderful posts, and take care!
Maiden L
I do hope all’s ok outside of k-drama-land for you. Please take care, and a very happy new year!
“We do what we have to do,” one of my mentors used to remind us. So do what you have to do now, thundie, with fortitude and grace.
Take mental health days, too, as you see fit. You owe it to yourself and those you love.
Take care, chingu!
Hugs,
TC
Oh Thundie, I will be miss you
I always love your writing style. You always amazed me with your creativity..
And Its seems we have similar taste this year… I have marathoned CYHMH and it’s perfect.. Your favourites are my favourite as well
I hope you will enjoyed your time, thundie … Happy new year
I will certainly miss you and your creative writing and witty humour. I hope that each day will bring you happiness, good luck and all the other good stuff. Keep smiling and stay healthy.
I will follow your advice and hug my loved ones and for you I wish only the best for you and yours.
Take care, Thundie. You’ll be missed.
sorry to know you won’t be blogging for a long time, as i’ve always enjoyed reading the posts on your blog. thanks for all that you’ve done here, and please do take care. i’m sure you’ll be sorely missed by the k-drama community.
Thundie, you will be missed! Your blog is the first that brought me into the kdrama blog world and I thank you for that. I’ve enjoyed your writings and while I’ve only known you and your blog briefly, you’ve left a lasting impression. God bless and take care!
i pray it;s not because of health problem. we will surely miss your prattle, Thundie =( Whatever it is that made you to do this kind of decision, I will pray for you.
Thundie, I’m really sad that you have to say goodbye, I and all your other readers will miss you and will wait ’til you return….* hoping Thundie will return T_T…. Good luck and I will pray for you…
Dearest Thundie,
You will be severely missed. Never think that you are a “half baked critic”. Your opinion is your own and you should always write to please yourself first and foremost because of your love of kdrama. With that being said, you have been instrumental in not only fueling my love for kdrama but for so many others. I check your blog DAILY now and it’s going to be sad to see no updates for a long time but I want you to know that it’s okay. Your followers totally understand that real life happens and whatever is going on in your life right now, I hope that everything will turn out for the better in the end.
Your passion and love for kdramas will be sorely missed. Your wit and eloquence have made this blog one of my favorites. I sincerely hope that you won’t ever take down this site no matter what happens. Best wishes to you and your family. I hope you return to your kdrama family someday (hopefully soon. I will still check in frequently just in case!). Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope that this season will bring you blessings and peace.
Hi Thundie,
I hope whatever it is that you are going through right now, you’ll be able to overcome it and emerge stronger and better. I will surely miss reading your insightful and witty posts daily but I respect your decision and I can only wish all the best for you.
Your blog has been a source of happiness to me and although I have only lurked for the most part, please know that i appreciate you and what you have generously shared thus far.
If you ever decide to come back, I promise to de-lurk more often even just to let you know that you are such a Gift to me and all your readers.
Much love to you! Happy Holidays!
Awww, this is so sad. I seemed to take for granted the thought that you were always going to be here. I know there always comes a time where you just have to step back, let go, and move on… but that still doesn’t make this news any easier to bear. I always loved reading your posts, and never once thought of you as half-baked – my views almost always aligned with yours, and you always had a clever, brilliant way of expressing your opinions. And of course I LOVED your writing. Your year-end review this year is the one I was most looking forward to reading, since I knew you’d cover some of my understated favorites…
But all the same, I realize it’s your decision (dang – that means I can’t tie you to your computer and force you to type!) so I won’t begrudge you that. Much: LOL. Fare thee well, and I hope you return sooner rather than later. Hopefully you’re like me, and view this as only a temporary vacation – one that you will most definitely bounce back from – and will be back to spread your K-drama love to the world again. In the meantime, we’ll miss you, Thundie!! You certainly left your footprint in the K-drama community, so you’ll never truly be gone. ^_^
Thundie,
Thank you for your wonderful writing. Reading your posts made me laugh, tugged my heartstrings, and feel like I was getting a little smarter. Thundie’s Prattle is honestly my first choice for kdrama reviews. I check almost daily to see if there are any new posts and when there aren’t I realize that quality takes time. At least we have the old posts to reread like the hilarious Protect the Boss posts.
I pray you have peace now and in the coming days.
Thundie, i was looking forward to your review, this totally took me by surprise. i wished its a bad dream or an april fool on me. i’m sorry, you must be feeling worst right now.
you are one of my favourite writers so i hope you can return one day.
but honestly, i myself hope i can escape from this korean world, be it kdramas or k-celebrities. its taking over my life.
so more than anything, i hope your heart will always be at peace.
thank you for all the joy you gave all this time and i wish you all the best and happiness in life!
you’ll be greatly missed *sobs*
Whut? Noooo…
I’m kind of startled, just woke up and read this, and can’t believe it.
Guess you’ve really left quite the impression on our small community, can’t imagine what this place’ll be like without y’know, THE thundie!
It must be of mighty importance for you to take yourself away for months (please not years?) from something you were so devoted to, so I can only hope for all the best hun
Hwaiting!
And mmwah! xoxox
thundie….
Much much love , hugs and prayers from down under. It’s been an honour and a blessing for countless kdrama fans all over the world to know you. Thanks for sharing your talent, wit, warmth, generosity and most of all your passion with us. Since stumbling upon your blog 2 years ago, you reignited the fire in my heart, a sentiment that I’m sure is shared by many others.
Have faith and courage, wishing you and your loved ones the best in everything. You have our unwavering support. Do take care and the kdramaverse is always here whenever you feel like taking a break.