This Siti Never Sleeps At Night

Up all night so you know what to watch, read, and hear


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πŸ•› The Midnight Wrap-Up: Week No. 8 – Spies, High Fashion, Toddlers & Murder

πŸ“ The Week In Review

Well, this feels like a restart of sort. There are reasons why I’ve not been writing my weekly wrap-ups, which you can find in my Siti Wide Awake blog. Head down there if you want to know what was up with me (or is up with me). Anyways, I decided to start watching Agent Kim Reactivated because that show starts to come up on my feed rather randomly. My friend did recommend the show because I enjoyed Teach You A Lesson. Similar but not really – the characters have a different purpose. This show has a group of bad-ass ahjussis. And earlier today, I watched The Devil Wears Prada 2 because I saw that is No. 1 in Disney+ right now. I’m also re-watching earlier episodes of TXT Parenting Diary (no, I have not finished the show yet) and just started this evening, Murder Club: Liar’s Table.

🀩 The Highlights

  • Agent Kim Reactivated (Ep 1-7): ⚑ – Loving it so far. I love me some bad-ass ahjussis, say the person with probably the same age group as the characters πŸ˜‚
  • The Devil Wears Prada 2: β˜• – Nostalgic. Review here.
  • TXT Parenting Diary (Ep 1-6): ☁️ – Comfort show and the start of me being a MOA. They came at the right time for me (both the show and TXT). Soobin looks ready to be a parent πŸ₯°
  • Murder Club: Liar’s Table (Ep 1): πŸ€”- Interesting show. It’s not a new concept, I feel. I know I’ve seen it somewhere before. The reason I decided to watch was Beomgyu from TXT. But his episode(s) aren’t out yet. I’m interested to see his episode because in TXT’s contents, he’s usually the chaotic one (or the bringer of chaos).

πŸ’– The Midnight Mood

  • πŸ˜‹: When I was watching The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Murder Club, I was eating lunch and then dinner. And munching on an Asian snack called rempeyek. Google that. I’m saying Asian because I do not want to offend any country. According to Google though, it’s Indonesian-Javanese cracker. Makes sense. I’m Javanese (new info). I’m Singaporean but Javanese ancestry. Anyways, it’s crunchy. Usually made with peanuts and dried anchovies.
  • 🎢: If you head into Siti Wide Awake blog, there would be very obvious answer to this question but I shall select just one song from the group and that song is Chasing The Feeling.

πŸ‘€ Looking Ahead

I don’t know… I’m not making any promises anymore πŸ˜‚

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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🎬 Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) – β˜•

🍿 The Premise

The fashion queen is back 20 years later and… things changed a lot. Andy was an award-winning journalist with The Vanguard but was unfortunately retrenched along with her other colleagues from the newsroom at an awards gala, no less. Miranda, in the meanwhile, was under fire due to an article that was released about a brand when she was due to be promoted by the boss, Irv. Andy’s brave remarks during her speech after getting retrenched via a text message got the attention of Irv, who then hired her to be the features editor, without Miranda’s consent nor knowledge. Andy had to, once again, proved her worth.

πŸ’– The Highlights

The first movie was released when I graduated and first stepped into the corporate world and it’s back now that I’m much older and experienced, just like Andy. I feel like I grew up along with her and the other characters. It’s amazing that the movie was able to portray that. And those who watched the first one 20 years ago and watching it now, we will feel nostalgic. Other than that, and the fashion, of course, the music is so good. And having Lady Gaga guest-starring and performing on a fashion show, it’s so fitting. The movie also portrays realism with what’s happening in the working world right now. I’d have thought that what I’m experiencing would be restricted within my non-fashion, non-glamourous corporate world. But I guess, even the fashion world is feeling the pinch. And it makes absolute sense. 20 years ago, I was still purchasing and reading magazines – Her World, Cleo, Harper’s Bazaar. But now? I’m not sure if these magazines still exist. We consume things online – TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube. So, magazines like Her World and Harper’s Bazaar have to also pivot digitally to still be relevant. And I’m sure, due to that, some jobs are lost.

πŸͺ« Low Points

The only thing that I would point out and this will be a bit of a stretch (because I almost have nothing negative to say about the movie) was the lack of Asian stars. Why I said this? We are talking 2026 here, not 2006. This is an era where BTS and Blackpink are global stars and leading the fashion world. It would be hard to not find K-pop stars being part of a fashion show. You can just name anyone – G-Dragon, the literal muse for Chanel, Lisa, Jennie, Jungkook, Mark Lee, Jeno, Felix, Soobin, Yeonjun, etc. These are the ones I can name at the top of my mind. You can just imagine how many of them. And it’s not just K-pop, even Chinese stars like Xiao Zhan, who’s the global ambassador for Tod’s. The lack of Asian stars in this movie is very obvious for someone like me.

πŸ’€ Final Sleepy Rating

β˜• It’s a perfect movie to watch in your pajamas at home while drinking Milo on Disney+ and feeling nostalgic.

πŸ‘―β€β™€οΈ Best Watched With

A good cup of Milo or chocolate drink of your choice and popcorns or nachos or whatever chips you have at home in bed and being all comfy.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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πŸ“Ί TV Review: The East Palace (2026)

It’s been a while, isn’t it? To know why yours truly was on a hiatus, go here.

πŸ”’ Seasons/Episodes Covered

Season 1, Episode 1-8

✨ Quick Spark

Gu Cheon was an orphan who lived in a temple up in the mountains. He, who had the ability to see spirits, was kidnapped by the King and was forced to resolve the supernatural issue that plagued The East Palace – The King’s son was haunted by the pond’s spirit. Gu Cheon, who also had the ability to travel to the spirit’s realm, and with the help of the hidden princess, Saeng-gang, who had the ability to hear spirits, defeated the pond’s spirit. But they found out that there were more secrets within the palace’s walls than just the pond’s spirit.

πŸͺ The Hook

I was really excited for this drama when I first saw the trailer. This may also be the fastest I’ve ever reviewed a show. It was just released on 17 July. And I was not disappointed. The show is quite similar to The Haunted Palace, if you have ever watched the show. But this is more epic. The spirit realm created reminds me so much of a video game and you know what? They should really think about creating a video game out of this. The world that the creators had created is so cinematically epic, I feel it would be such a waste to keep it only in the drama.

I also have to say this as a non-horror fan: While Netflix tags it as horror, which may make non-horror fans avoid it at all cost, it’s not as scary as I thought and I watched this at night. And that made me realize what made horror shows or movies horror – the sound effect and jump scares. This one has little to no jump scares because you know the spirits would appear anyway – you’ll get a clue in whenever the spirits whispered into Saeng-gang’s ears.

And one other plus? The ggeomeoksali. That little cutie patootie of a spirit the internetz is now calling Joseon era labubu. You would think the spirit is bad/negative but it is the one spirit that helped Gu Cheon everytime that guy was on the brink of death. Release this as a merch, Netflix! I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Look at it! It’s just a baby πŸ₯Ή

πŸ§ͺ Character Chemistry

The show is non-romance; it’s dark fantasy so I don’t expect romance for this. While there’s a bond between Gu Cheon and Saeng-gang, I’m not sure whether I want to call it as romance or call it as a bond created due to everything that they both experienced together. The romance, if any, is so thin, it’s as thin as a tissue paper. So thin it’s almost non-existent and it’s not the center of the plot. But that does not mean the two characters have no chemistry, they do. Very much. They knew they needed each other to survive and they were also willing to sacrifice to save the other. I’m excited to see more of them hopefully in Season 2. Yes, it looks like there may be one with that ending.

πŸšΆπŸ½β€βž‘οΈ Pacing Check

It’s 8 episodes so it goes fast even with plot twists every time. You would think it goes one way and then it goes the other, it makes you pull an all-nighter on this show.

πŸ’€ Final Sleepy Rating

⚑ – I kept going “Next episode” that Netflix asked if I was still watching.

🧐 Status

Completed

✍🏼 Notable Mention

Two notable mentions: First would be that this is the first show for Nam Joo Hyuk after a long time since he finished his military enlistment two years ago. And what a role it is πŸ‘πŸΌ

Second notable mention: The soundtrack. The soundtrack is as epic as the show itself and how it has some Korean traditional instruments at play as well. So so good! If you’ve ever watched The Day After Tomorrow and you’ve heard the music and felt how it helped to create the apocalyptic world in the movie, the same here as well.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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πŸ•› The Midnight Wrap-Up: Week No. 7 – When Live Action Isn’t Enough, So You Read The Novel Too

πŸ“ The Week In Review

This week feels like a productive one for me. I have decided to watch Xiao Zhan’s works while going to work (see whether I will pull that through) while slowly watching My Royal Nemesis (since the show is still ongoing). Since the episodes are all out for Teach You A Lesson, I added that in the mix as well and reading Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. I love The Untamed so much, there’s zero hesitation for me to purchase all 5 volumes of the novel. My arms were doing a whole heavy-lifting yesterday carrying all 5 volumes plus a new book by Keigo Higashino because I cannot resist a new book from one of my fave authors even though I still have a lot of his books not read yet. Oops!

🀩 The Highlights

  • Teach You A Lesson (Ep 1-2): ⚑- Guys, the satisfaction that I have watching these bullies getting whacked. Finally a drama that shows exactly what we, the audience, want to see whenever we watch such shows with heinous bullies.
  • The Untamed (Ep 1-4): ☁️ – I know, I know, I put Ep 34 in my last post and suddenly, it’s Ep 1-4? See, usually I skipped scenes after watching the 100th time. But I decided for this 101th rewatch to watch it properly and stop skipping even though I do not want to see Wei Wuxian getting hurt for the gazillionth time.
  • My Royal Nemesis (Ep 2-4): ⚑ – This show is so funny. But seeing Cha Se Gye’s past life… man… I don’t want another Scarlet Heart. My heart wouldn’t be able to take this. So, I really hope it’s a happy ending.
  • Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Page 20): ☁️ – Because why not? I did read it before online but it was fan translated and it’s just a mess. So, this novel would be a properly written one. So, I’m super excited to read all 5 volumes of it

πŸ’– The Midnight Mood

  • πŸ˜‹: Still in my dieting era, guys! So, didn’t crave anything at midnight.
  • 🎢: Since I’ve been watching, somewhat, a variety show called TXT Parenting Diary on the side, let’s go with one of their songs called Deja Vu.

πŸ‘€ Looking Ahead

Finish Teach You A Lesson?

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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πŸ“Ί TV Review: The Wonderfools (2026)

πŸ”’ Seasons/Episodes Covered

Season 1, Episode 1-8

✨ Quick Spark

A community’s outlier, Eun Chae Ni, was dealing with a severe heart condition. Being aware that she was not going to have much time to live, she wanted to leave Haeseong City to see the world. But with no money, she planned to trick her rich grandmother, Kim Jeon-Bok, by pretending to be kidnapped, with the help of her two friends, Kang Ro Bin and Son Gyeong Hun. Unfortunately, things took a turn and she died. In panic, her friends were about to dump her into a secluded area but was found by Lee Un Jeong, a civil servant at the local city hall. Her body was accidentally thrown into a toxic chemical water. Un Jeong called the police and was reporting about the kidnap and murder when Chae Ni appeared behind them – alive. It turned out that the three friends gained superpowers. It led Un Jeong to investigate the mysterious incident. But it turned out that he, too, had supernatural abilities. Reluctantly, Un Jeong began to help the three friends navigate their newfound abilities and fight against a villain who threatened their city.

πŸͺ The Hook

Okay, I have to be honest: I stopped at Episode 1 and watched some other shows. It was quite boring in the beginning but what made me come back was Cha Eun Woo. Other than the fact that the man has an insane face card, his character is mysterious enough for me to want to know what is up with him. And I like that he took on this role. My image of him had always been the pretty boy taking on roles that are of popular high school guy that every girl fell in love with. Taking on this role which has a mysterious undertone fit him quite well. I almost forgot he is an idol.

Another thing that got me to stay and continue watching was how it reminded me of some true crime stories in Korea. One was Brothers Home and another was the cult – Shincheonji Church of Jesus. So, when watching, I was constantly reminded of these two stories. I’m not sure whether the writer of the show took these cases as inspiration but it’s uncanny.

πŸ§ͺ Character Chemistry

All four characters actually make a really quirky group. You have the three outliers and then you have this supposedly clumsy, innocent young good-looking guy in the mix. I mean, it is a comedy so the idea itself is already hilarious to think about.

Aside from that, while I’ve seen other female leads with Cha Eun Woo, I think Park Eun Bin actually matched up well with him aside from Moon Ga Young (True Beauty). I still think Ga Young is his best but Eun Bin came in close second.

πŸšΆπŸ½β€βž‘οΈ Pacing Check

I mentioned it before: It was slow and quite boring to begin with. So it took me quite a bit of time to get into it and continue till I finished it.

πŸ’€ Final Sleepy Rating

πŸ₯± – For me. It could have been shorter than 8 episodes. Some felt a little bit draggy. I still managed to finish it because it is a funny show so you can watch it if you need some laughs though it does get a little bit dark/heavy at some moments. It is not to say that it is a bad show.

🧐 Status

Completed

✍🏼 Notable Mention

When watching it, you may be reminded of another show by Disney+ called Moving. Some people will undoubtedly compare these two shows. Personally? I like Moving.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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πŸ•› The Midnight Wrap-Up: Week No. 6 – When the New Dramas are Good, but the Rewatch Calls Your Name

🎧 Late night and your eyes are tired? Tap play below to listen to this week’s entertainment briefing on the go!

πŸ“ The Week In Review

I thought after finishing Perfect Crown, I would be lost. Instead, I managed to finish Soul Mate, started on 2 new shows on Netflix and rewatched The Untamed, all in one week. Wow! Well, it feels like I’m revenge watching shows because I’m stressed about my job and this is my only outlet.

🀩 The Hightlights

  • Soul Mate (Ep 2-8): πŸ₯€ – I put coffee last week, didn’t I? Nope, no… it’s not… it’s definitely not. I had to take 1 whole business day to get over it and write the review.
  • The Wonderfools (Ep 1): β˜• – It says Comedy series. From the first episode, I don’t know what’s comedic about this. Cha Eun Woo’s character is mysterious though.
  • My Royal Nemesis (Ep 1): β˜• – Now, this one I find funny. I’m glad I started this after Perfect Crown. Otherwise, I’d have been confused with all these royal stuffs.
  • The Untamed (Ep 34): ☁️ – I’m rewatching this because why not. I need to feel the tingles and the love and the beautiful storyline of everything. Okay, fine, I actually watched this because Soul Mate reminded me of The Untamed – the looks given to each other, the undying love, how censorship cannot masked these at all.

πŸ’– The Midnight Mood

  • πŸ˜‹: The last thing I ate/drank was a mug of Milo before writing this post.
  • 🎢: Let’s go with Wu Ji by Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo – the soundtrack for The Untamed – because why not. And there are some people who commented that this show is just a bromance. Guys, there’s literally a song for Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji. Let’s not kid ourselves here.

πŸ‘€ Looking Ahead

I need to finish the two shows I started watching before starting something else, honestly.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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πŸŒˆπŸ“Ί TV Review: Soul Mate (2026)

πŸ”’ Seasons/Episodes Covered

Season 1, Episode 1-8

✨ Quick Spark

Ryu, a star college ice hockey player, left Japan to visit his childhood friend, Sumiko, in Berlin, after being confessed to by a friend. He was ridden with guilt and was about to succumb to the fire that he was caught in while in church when he was saved by a Korean boxer, Johan, who was also carrying a deep trauma. As the two lonely souls connected, they found the meaning of life and love. They navigated life together till they faced a brutal fate.

πŸͺ The Hook

As a boys’ love fan, that’s the hook – the story of two guys falling in love without explicitly saying it or doing anything, except being there for each other and being extremely domestic. To anyone else, it’d have looked like a bromance story if Johan’s and Ryu’s actions went over their heads or the words of the people around them didn’t carry much weight to them. But it definitely didn’t go over mine. And I feel that’s what makes it even more beautiful.

πŸ§ͺ Character Chemistry

The fact that Taecyeon and Hayato Isomura didn’t have to do anything explicit to be able to portray their characters’ relationship well is saying something. That is a mark of good acting from both of them. Words are easy, subtle actions and looks are not easy. They did extremely well to be able to show the audience the deep connection and relationship that they have.

πŸšΆπŸ½β€βž‘οΈ Pacing Check

It’s just 8 episodes and at least the first few episodes were relatively short and only close to the end was it longer but for good reason. While I do wish it was longer, it’s enough to tell the story of the couple. And to break my heart into pieces I was sobbing so hard, snot and all.

πŸ’€ Final Sleepy Rating

πŸ₯€ – I needed 1 whole business day to recover before I can even write this review.

🧐 Status

Completed

✍🏼 Notable Mention

Not so much about the actors or the show itself but this show reminds me so much of The Untamed I have the urge to rewatch it.


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πŸ•› The Midnight Wrap-Up: Week No. 5 – From High-Stakes Kingdom to Deep Human Connection

πŸ“ The Week In Review

It’s been a very busy work week for me. So, I’ve not watched a lot of shows. The fact that I managed to finish Perfect Crown on the same weekend it completed is quite remarkable (though that also meant I put my work on the back seat). And I did add in Soul Mate. It’s been appearing on my TikTok FYP so I decided to give this one a shot. I also managed to catch Michael in the cinemas.

🀩 The Highlights

  • Perfect Crown (Ep 11-12): ⚑ – I’m really glad that they ended on a happy note. I was a little scared as IU and Byeon Woo Seok do tend to take on sad/bittersweet shows. I did a review on this one so you can read more here.
  • Chef & My Fridge (Ep 11): ☁️ – After a hell-ish work week for me in the office, working from home and watching this show during lunch is refreshing, especially when I need a laugh.
  • Soul Mate (Ep 1): β˜• – I’m not yet sure of this show but I’m intrigued.
  • Michael: 🫸🏽 – New emoji: It’s the wait till it’s on Netflix for me. Read my review here.

πŸ’– The Midnight Mood

  • πŸ˜‹: I’m back to my dieting. It is especially motivating since I had a couple of scares in the last 2 years and my doctor told me in the recent check-up that the cysts found in my breast last year got smaller. I was encouraged. Whatever it is I’m doing, I’m maintaining it.
  • 🎢: I’ve been playing this song about non-stop – Unique by P1Harmony

πŸ‘€ Looking Ahead

I hope I finish Soul Mate. Let’s see…

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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πŸ“Ί TV Review: Perfect Crown (2026)

πŸ”’ Seasons/Episodes Covered

Season 1, Episode 1-12

✨ Quick Spark

Seong Huiju is a successful businesswoman, leading one of the country’s top company, Castle Beauty. Despite her intelligence and her business acumen, she still feels something lacking – status. Being an illegitimate daughter of her father, Seong Hyeon-Guk, she feels casted aside and less favoured than her brother, Seong Taeju. When her father wanted her to marry, she decides to reach out to an old schoolmate, none other than Grand Prince I-An. Grand Prince I-An, on the other hand, is destined for nothing except his royal status. But he, too, is constantly casted aside with his brother and now the Young King, his nephew, being more favoured. When Huiju comes back into his life with a marriage proposal, the two begin to fight against everyone and their own destiny.

πŸͺ The Hook

Everything. I seriously have nothing bad to say about this show – the cinematography, the production value, the costumes, the cast, the acting, the music, the story, even the previews. See, I’m not bad of a guesser when it comes to TV shows or movies – I can usually guess what would happen next. But this show just threw me off the curve. When I thought it would going one way, it caught me off-guard with something unexpected. I couldn’t even guess what would happen next from the previews and gave up after being wrong from the second episode.

πŸ§ͺ Character Chemistry

The chemistry was off the charts between IU and Byeon Woo Seok that it got some people teasing in social media about her relationship with her boyfriend, Lee Jong Suk – all the memes (They are still going strong, guys!) That’s how good this pairing is. And not just them – even the second pairing of Yoo Su Bin and Lee Yeon who played as their respective aides got the audience smitten. And along with these pairings are also sparks that seemingly flew between Byeon Woo Seok and Gong Seung Yeon, who played the Queen Mother. In reality, these two are actually really close friends.

πŸšΆπŸ½β€βž‘οΈ Pacing Check

I have no problems with the 12 episodes. I like how things wrapped up really well and quickly with the main couple, Huiju and I-An. Their communication skills is so good real life couples need to learn a thing or two from this show. They ensure that they talked to each other so that there’s little to no misunderstanding between them and nothing and no one can put a barrier between the two of them due to secrets unless they put it there themselves. And this is why it’s 12 episodes – no secrecy, no unexpected drama, things wrap up quickly. If I want this show to be longer than 12 episodes, it’s all for selfish reasons because I’m going to miss this show so much.

πŸ’€ Final Sleepy Rating

⚑ Electric – If this show does not win an award next year, I will be very surprised. Unless there’s another drama of this level that comes out this year. Although I heard that there is and it’s starring… IU’s boyfriend, Lee Jong Suk. It’ll be interesting if it can win the hearts of the viewers the same way Perfect Crown did.

🧐 Status

Completed 😭

✍🏽 Notable Mention

Byeon Woo Seok sang one of the show’s soundtrack – Fate Line. He sure used everything he learned from his role in Lovely Runner πŸ˜‚

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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🎬 Movie Review: Michael (2026) – πŸ«ΈπŸ½

🍿 The Premise

Michael is a biopic about the early days of the greatest pop artist of all time, Michael Jackson. It follows during his time with The Jackson 5 till he branched out separately from his brothers as a solo artiste. It also showed how his love for the story of Peter Pan gave him the wings to build his own Neverland Ranch.

πŸ’– The Highlights

Definitely the music. I’m pretty sure anyone who loves music as much as I do know the legendary Michael Jackson. You would have lived under the rock for you not to know him and his music. It’s extensive. But this movie just touches less than 30% of his music repertoire, sadly. Nonetheless, you will get a background of how Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Beat It and Thriller, to name a few, were created. I would also like to commend Michael’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, for stepping up. I’m pretty sure it’s not easy to play someone as legendary as his uncle but he stepped up to the plate and did very well.

πŸͺ« The Low Points

The movie focuses too much on his earlier life with The Jackson 5 and his family dynamics that I was wondering if this is about Michael Jackson or the Jackson family. Maybe it was harder for the family to talk about his later life after The Jackson 5, or maybe they know little of it. We will never know why the focus was so much on his family. If we are to compare with Bohemian Rhapsody where we get to see much more of Freddie Mercury’s life throughout, this movie seems to lack a lot, much less his music after The Jackson 5, like songs from HIStory and Dangerous. And while the movie focuses on his family, for whatever reason, Janet Jackson is not talked about. Apparently, she refused to be involved and the director and the rest of the family respected it.

πŸ’€ Final Sleepy Rating

🫸🏽 New, right? I would have to say that it’s not a snooze-fest. You would enjoy the earlier music of his but it’s not worth going to the cinema for it. You could wait for it to appear on a streaming platform and watch it in the comfort of your home.

πŸ‘― Best Watched With

Someone who likes Michael Jackson, like my cousin. She was singing along to the music next to me πŸ˜…

Stay awake with me,
Siti