12 Best Korean Films and Series on Netflix During COVID-19 Lockdown

During this COVID-19 pandemic, staying at home is a must. And, it became a prerequisite already to find television shows and movies to watch on streaming websites such as Netflix.

Here are the 12 Best Korean films and series that you can watch on Netflix.

1. 'The Host' (2006) - Before Parasite, director Bong Joon-ho and actor Song Kang-Ho teamed up for The Host. The film is a genre-bending action-adventure-horror about a giant mutant sea monster that is unleashed upon an unsuspecting Seoul. With plenty of social commentary and great creature effects better than in most Hollywood films released today, The Host is perfect if you are looking for an unconventional watch. It has been described as being “on par with Jaws”.
2. 'Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds' (2017) - Kim Yong-Hwa's epic fantasy action film was adapted from a popular Korean web-comic. It features an all-star cast and is the fourth highest-grossing film of all-time in South Korea. Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds follows a firefighter who heroically dies in the line of duty and is taken to the afterlife, where he must undergo seven separate trials to evaluate his life on Earth. His journey is helped by three guardians.
3. 'Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days' (2018) - Netflix also has the previously mentioned film’s sequel, and which is as good. The second half of the fantasy action film series picks up mere minutes after the first and follows the same trio of guardians as they help another soul through its afterlife trials. However, as viewers learn during the first film, there is more at stake for everyone involved, including the chance for reincarnation.
4. 'Forgotten' (2017) - This mystery thriller from Jang Hang-jun has quite a few twists and turns. Forgotten follows a young man named Jin-Seok, who moves into a new house with his family. However, after his brother disappears for 19 days, then reappears having lost his memories, Jin-Seok starts to believe this person might actually be someone else entirely.
5. 'Steel Rain' (2017) - This is an action-thriller from Yang Woo-suk. Steel Rain tells the story of a North Korean secret service agent who fails to stop two top military officers from going rogue and starting a coup against the Supreme Leader (known as ‘No 1’ throughout the film). He heads to South Korea with the injured No 1 in an attempt to keep him alive and teams up with a bureaucratic aide to prevent a Korean war from breaking out.
6. 'Vagabond' (2019) - The K-drama Vagabond aired in South Korea in 2019 and has 16 episodes. It follows the tale of a stuntman whose nephew dies in a mysterious plane crash while on the way to Morocco. Looking to find out the truth about the accident, he embarks on an investigation that leads him to uncover a bigger cover-up. The spy-meets-thriller-meets-romance stars Lee Seung-gi and Bae Suzy as the main leads.
7. 'Crash Landing On You' (2019) - The series Crash Landing On You was the second-highest-rated drama in Korean television history. It has 16 episodes on Netflix. Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin play star-crossed lovers in the series, which follows what happens after a South Korean heiress goes on a paragliding ride and accidentally gets blown off course and lands in North Korea.
8. 'Descendants of the Sun' (2016) - This popular K-drama series first aired in South Korea in 2016 and easily won over fans throughout Asia. It's a love story about a doctor who saves lives and a special forces captain who carries out missions while the country is at war. Since the captain's missions are dangerous and top-secret, this presents a predicament in their budding relationship. An interesting aside: the two leads married in real life after the series aired, but filed for divorce in 2019.
9. 'Kingdom' (2019-present) - Netflix’s first original Korean series Kingdom currently has two seasons, each with six episodes. However, unlike with other typical K-series, the instalments are much shorter, with some running at a little more than half an hour. The show is set during the Joseon dynasty, with the first season focused on the story of the Crown Prince Lee Chang, who stumbles upon a life-threatening political conspiracy while also investigating the spread of a mysterious plague that seems to bring people back to life as zombies.
10. 'When the Camellia Blooms' (2019) - When the Camellia Blooms was a hit when it aired in Korea and has 20 episodes, each a little over an hour long. The rom-com follows a single mother who moves to a small town to start her life over again. She meets and falls in love with a do-good police officer, but small-town gossip, social stigma and a plotline involving a serial killer all make things a bit more complicated.
11. 'Misaeng' (2014) - The hit comedy series became a cultural phenomenon after airing in South Korea in 2014 and also spawned Chinese and Japanese remakes. It follows the story of a young man in his twenties with nothing more than a General Education Development certificate, who gets an internship at an office only to discover the harsh reality of working in the corporate world. Fun fact: it was the first Korean drama to film on location in Jordan.
12. 'Because This Is My First Life' (2017) - The bittersweet rom-com series follows two roommates in their thirties, who become housemates for financial reasons and eventually enter into a marriage out of convenience to appease their families. However, they soon find unexpected complications in their arrangement. The storyline keeps you hooked, but fans cite the chemistry between leads Lee Min Ki and Jung So Min as another reason why they enjoy the show.

References:

https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/television/the-12-best-korean-films-and-series-on-netflix-from-the-host-to-kingdom-1.1016867#11

12 Natural Gargles For Sore Throat

As an official comeback from a very long hiatus on this blog, posts will now be every 12th of the month.

For this official return, here are the 12 natural gargles for soothing your sore throat which is relevant during this COVID-10 worldwide pandemic.

1. Salt and water - mix 1⁄4 teaspoon salt in 1 cup warm water.  Note: mix a fresh batch of gargle for every use. Better to waste a bit pouring it out than to leave it in your glass, where it might become contaminated with bacteria. Also, do not swallow the gargle; spit it out!
2. Hot sauce and water - add five shakes of ground cayenne pepper (or a few shakes of hot sauce) to a cup of hot water for sore throat relief. The capsaicin in chillies helps soothes pain and fights inflammation. Note: Don’t try this if you have open sores in your mouth. 
3. Ginger, honey and lemon - mix 1 teaspoon each of powdered ginger and honey, 1⁄2 cup of hot water, and the juice of 1⁄2 squeezed lemon. Pour the water over the ginger, then add the lemon juice and honey, and gargle. Honey coats the throat and also has mild antibacterial properties. 
4. Sage and apple cider vinegar - Sage has been used as a throat-soother for centuries. One recipe to try during cold and flu season: grind 2 tablespoons each dried sage and thyme into a mason jar with 2 cups apple cider vinegar. Leave covered at room temperature for two weeks, then strain out the herbs. When you’re ready to gargle, mix a couple of tablespoons of the sage mixture into a small glass of warm water. Another herb with cold-busting properties is thyme.
5. Turmeric and water - This yellow spice is a powerful antioxidant, and the traditional system of medicine called Ayurveda, rooted in Hinduism, has used turmeric to fight pain and inflammation for centuries. To try it yourself, add 1/2 teaspoon of the ground spice to a cup of warm water and use up to three times a day.
6. Clove tea - Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of powdered or ground cloves to warm water, then mix and gargle. Cloves have soothing properties, explains acupuncturist, Elizabeth Trattner. Plus, they also have antimicrobial properties that can help stop the growth of bacteria, according to research in Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. The spicy mixture can also be used as a mouthwash to help tooth pain, she says.
7. Spicy tomato juice - For temporary relief of sore throat symptoms, try this tasty gargle: 1/2 cup each of tomato juice and hot water, plus about 10 drops of chilli sauce. Bonus: capsaicin from chillies boosts circulation.
8. Goldenseal, echinacea, or myrrh and water - Gargling with these herbal anti-inflammatories can soothe swollen and sore throat tissue, says Trattner. Try several drops of herbal tinctures in a small amount of warm water.
9. Apple cider vinegar and salt - Anecdotal evidence suggests that apple cider vinegar can help a sore throat, and research does show that it has antibacterial properties. Gargle with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt dissolved in a glass of warm water; use several times a day if needed. For a gentler treatment, combine 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon every four hours.
10. Licorice root powder and water - Licorice root may soothe a sore throat and help eliminate cough-inducing phlegm; a 2013 study of more than 200 people found that surgical patients who had gargled with a licorice solution prior to anaesthesia were less likely to develop a sore throat post-surgery.
11. Green tea - This one is actually a sore-throat prevention measure, since one health benefit of tea is the ability to fight infections. Next time you brew a cup of green tea, make a little extra and gargle with it. A 2016 review of research found that gargling with tea may have a preventative effect against the flu virus.
12. Raspberry tea - This is an old home remedy for a sore throat because of the anti-inflammatory properties. One recipe calls for pouring one cup of boiling water over two teaspoons of dried raspberry leaves or packaged raspberry tea. Steep for ten minutes, then strain and let cool a bit. Gargle while warm.

References:
Sore throat remedies: 12 natural gargles that may ease the pain
ETH Podcast #COVID–19: Try gargling!

12 Smart Things About Smart Contracts

Nick Szabo is a legal scholar, computer scientist, and cryptography expert that coined the term Smart Contracts which means "a computerized transaction protocol that executes the terms of a contract"

These are just some of the good things when Smart Contracts were introduced:

1. Digital Identity - it can let individuals own and control their digital identities.
2. Records - it can automate recording renewals as well as releases without compromising private data.
3. Securities - it can simplify financial technology matters such as dividend payments, stock splits, and liability management issues. 
4. Trade Finance - it can facilitate transfers of streamlined international goods with higher asset liquidity.
5. Derivatives - it can enforce a standard transactional set of rules regarding derivatives which are securities with an asset-dependent price.
6. Financial Data Recording - it can serve as an enterprise-grade accounting ledger for accurate recording of financial data for transparency purposes. 
7. Mortgages - it can automate the process of getting a mortgage. 
8. Land Title Recording - it can facilitate transfers of property with less fraud and disputes. 
9. Supply Chain - it can provide greater visibility on each level of a supply chain in coordination with an Internet of Things (IoT) devices that track assets and products from factories until the point-of-sale (POS) target. 
10. Auto Insurance - it can automate insurance claims in the auto industry including verification and payment.
11. Clinical Trials - it can be a mechanism in the field of medical research and clinical trials by improving data sharing between institutions since it involves sensitive agreements for the privacy of data for participants.
12. Cancer Research - it can largely help in facilitating the data power in the field of cancer research while maintaining a privacy of data for patients.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE2HxTmxfrI
https://www.pcmag.com/article/350088/blockchain-in-2017-the-year-of-smart-contracts

12 Refugee Facts in the Philippines

1. A refugee is a person escaping his or her country because of the forced effects of persecution, war, or natural disaster. 
2. The year 2000 was the year that the United Nations declared 20 June at the celebration for World Refugee Day.
3. The first wave of refugees that came to the Philippines was the so-called "White Russians" of which 800 was a part of a fleet of almost 8,000 refugees that fled the persecution from the "Red Russians" or those who supported the 1917 Socialist Revolution. 250 worked in abaca plantations which were then a booming industry in Mindanao.
4. The second wave of refugees were the 1,200 European Jews that escaped the World War II Nazi persecution. These refugees were accepted by former President Manuel L. Quezon by issuing the Proclamation No. 173 on 21 August 1937 which later became the basis of Commonwealth Act 613 now known as Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. By this act, a Filipino can see Quezon monument in Tel Aviv, Israel, inscribed with his words of welcome for refugees, that: “the people of the Philippines will have in the future every reason to be glad that when the time of need came, their country was willing to extend a hand of welcome.”
5. The third wave of refugees to the Philippines was the Spanish Republicans who fled the Falange Española of General Francisco Franco from 1936 to 1939. It was due to the absolute neutrality being implemented by President Quezon during those time of the Spanish Civil War that these refugees were accepted in the Philippines.
6. The fourth wave of refugees was the Chinese immigrants that came because of the Chinese Civil War. It was in 1940 that the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 was enacted and 30,000 Kuomintang Chinese group were welcomed. It was also the time the Philippines became a sovereign country and the foreigners were allowed to become naturalized Filipinos as stated in the Philippine Constitution.
7. The fifth wave of refugees was the second wave of White Russians, 6,000 of which were welcomed by former President Elpidio Quirino in 1948. These Russians left their community in Shanghai, China due to the impending communist forces and only the Philippines replied to their request for refugee status. This was also the time that the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 was amended.
8. The sixth wave of refugees to the Philippines came during the years of 1975 to 1992 wherein 2,700 Vietnamese "boat people" escaped the fallen South Vietnam Government and was allowed to stay in the country.
9. The seventh wave of refugees that arrived in the Philippines were Iranian refugees in the latter part of the 1970s during the Iranian Revolution.
10. The eighth wave of refugees came in 1980 to the Philippines which were made up of Indo-Chinese refugees including citizens from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It was during this time that the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in Morong, Bataan was opened to accommodate and facilitate around 400,000 refugees from 1980 to 1994. 
11. The ninth wave of refugees was East Timorese during the time that the Timor was struggling for independence from Indonesia in 2000. Former President Joseph Estrada supported this action and was able to raise local funds to support these refugees.
12. In November 2016, due to the crisis in Syria, President Duterte announced that he is welcoming Syrian refugees to the Philippines.

References:

https://youtu.be/6BApCeQUBCg
https://borgenproject.org/refugees-in-the-philippines/
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/11/04/1755813/unhcr-praises-philippines-support-refugees
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/duterte-offers-refugees-home-philippines-161117073606596.html
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/96929-timeline-philippine-law-policies-refugees

12 Bodyguards Run Alongside Kim Jong-Un During His Visit To South Korea

1. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Became the first North Korean leader to visit South Korea after 65 years.
2. South Korean President For Moon Jae-in helped during the last summit between the two countries since he was a former chief of staff of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. 
3. The summit took place in the Peace House in the village of Panmunjom which was located in the heart of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea.
4. The Panmunjom declaration commits to having a complete denuclearisation for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
5. Kim Jong Un wore his trademark black Mao suit and President Moon wore a navy jacket and hold hands when they walked side-by-side across the demarcation line inside the truce village of Panmunjom at the start of the summit.
6. The two leaders also announced for a three-way talk involving United States President Trump or a four-way talk that includes President Xi of China that will convert the armistice into a peace treaty which will create a permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.
7. There was also an agreement in providing a permanent communication office in the North Korean town of Kaesong.
8. It was also agreed to have a resumption of temporary reunions between relatives separated by the Korean War.
9. Expanding civilian exchanges was also agreed upon.
10. Pursuing of joint sports and cultural events were included in the agreement.
11. A mango mousse decorated with a blue map that symbolizes a Unified Korean Peninsulas was served.
12. There have been two meetings prior to this third summit that happened in 2000 (with former South Korean president, Kim Dae-jung) and 2007 (with former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun) wherein Kim Jong Il (the late father of Kim Jong Un) hosted the summits in Pyongyang or P'yŏngyang which is the capital and largest city of North Korea.

References:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5662577/Kim-Jong-prepares-walk-history-Korean-summit.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/bizarre-moment-12-bodyguards-run-alongside-kim-jonguns-vehicle-a3824956.html
http://time.com/5255324/north-korea-talks-kim-jong-un-summit-south-korea/
http://time.com/5257062/north-korea-south-dmz-kim-jong-un-summit/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2018/apr/27/north-and-south-korea-summit-leaders-prepare-for-historic-inter-korean-meeting-live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8XgPnmopOg

12 Things About Abdul Sattar Edhi

1. Abdul Sattar Edhi founded the world's largest volunteer ambulance network in Pakistan, the Edhi Foundation.
2. Unlike wealthy individuals that fund charities in their names, Edhi dedicated his life to the poor from the age of 20, when he himself was penniless in Karachi.
3. Edhi was born before partition in Bantva, Gujarat, India on February 28, 1928.
4. He is also well-known for the aphorism: “People have become educated... but have yet to become human.”
5. Edhi was born into Islam but never allowed faith to interfere in his humanitarian endeavors. Once asked why he helped non-Muslims, he answered simply: “Because my ambulance is more Muslim than you.”
6. In light of the new US President’s “Muslim travel ban”, it is worth remembering another of Edhi’s remarks, after being detained and interrogated by immigration officials at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport in January 2008 under Bush administration terror laws. Questioned by reporters as to the reason for his detention, the philanthropist wryly offered: “The only explanation I can think of is my beard and my dress.”
7. Abdul Sattar Edhi died of kidney failure, leaving behind his wife of 52 years, Bilquis, a former nurse, and four offspring. By the time of his death on July 8th 2016,  Edhi was registered as a parent or guardian of nearly 20,000 children.
8. The Edhi Foundation's slogan is: "Live and help live".
9. With more than 1,800 ambulances stationed across Pakistan, the Edhi Foundation is Pakistan's largest welfare organization. 
10. In 1997, the foundation entered the Guinness World Records as the "largest volunteer ambulance organization" (operating 1,500 vehicles) and Edhi ambulances are welcomed as friendly neighbors throughout Pakistan. If you call 115 in the South Asian nation, the Edhi Foundation will answer.
11. After the nominations in 2014, the hashtag  #NobelPrizeforEdhi was created; many said he should have been recognized instead of Malala Yousafzai, who is also from Pakistan. In an interview with the Express Tribune newspaper, Edhi said: "I don't care about it. The Nobel Prize doesn't mean anything to me. I want these people, I want humanity." 
12. It was announced that the State Bank of Pakistan would issue a commemorative coin of 50 rupees (38p) in memory of Edhi as a small token of appreciation for his selfless services for the country.

References:

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/02/abdul-sattar-edhi-google-honours-angel-mercy-170227140720826.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/02/28/abdul-sattar-edhi-89-birthday-pakistan-angel-of-mercy-father-teresa/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/abdul-sattar-edhi-google-doodle-pakistan-philanthropist-volunteer-medical-care-network-ambulances-a7603221.html

12 Recommended Tech Courses from eDX starting September 2017

I received an email from eDX and here are 12 recommended courses that you can also explore and learn starting September 2017 to boost your personal career.

Discover courses we picked just for you or explore all edX courses See All Courses UBCx The Science of Religion Learn More UC San DiegoX Computer Graphics Learn More LinuxFoundationX Introduction to Cloud Foundry and Cloud Native Software Architecture Learn More CaltechX Learning From Data (Introductory Machine Learning) Learn More Microsoft Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Learn More MITx Becoming an Entrepreneur Learn More DartmouthX Retail Fundamentals Learn More EdinburghX Introduction to Marketing: Tools to Set Enterprises Apart Learn More IIMBx Customer Relationship Management Learn More AdelaideX Introduction to Project Management Learn More MITx Supply Chain Analytics Learn More Microsoft Front-End Web Development Orientation: Microsoft Professional Program Learn More