picture in my mind

A promising k-drama called Moorim School that's got me so super-excited, I have to rein myself in;

cause one generally has to be cautious with the love to prevent disappointment.

but ohhhhmygod, sign me up for this.

this drama has my favourite tropes and is hence hitting all the right buttons for me.

It feels like HP! but not quite. or wait, maybe it feels like DT.

• a special school that is hidden and mysterious (after Hogwarts, how can anyone not love this trope -- if done well, of course); they have a you-choose-whatever-class-you-want-to-attend system, and only morning exercise is compulsory!
• a wise-mentor figure that does not let on what he knows -- gah, frustrating!
• secret histories of characters that hook you in
• very-likely hero prophecy plot -- and the icing on the suspense: we're not 100% sure who it is yet!
• intense rivalry/enmity that is looking like it will develop into an unlikely blood-brothers-friendship -- no bonus points for guessing that this was the clincher for me, because DTDraco/Harry, duh. And the pair of male leads are an orphan and an unloved-rich-kid to boot. 
• kickass female leads who fight with sticks and fists; strong women are always necessary 
• a subtle yet supernatural element threading through the world as we know it: do our boys have special powers? which one of them does?
• I can sense the existence of a really, really evil villain, the magnitude of whom cannot yet be comprehended by our protagonists who are embedded in the dramas of youth: figuring out goals and dreams, and juggling school with love, friendship, and bullying.

Basically, yes, it's HP, ahahah. Not all of it of course, but definitely the coming-of-age, finding yourself in the world, the world is more than what it seems, good-vs-evil part.

And speaking of awesome schools -- met K and N at a work course today, and had a hilarious account of the sad state of our Singaporean schools. Sad in the sense of it being... crazy, machine-making, unreal, and inhumane. (In other words, a microcosm of the actual adult world in Singapore, I guess.) K was telling us how she has morphed into a nutso-Mother who texts teachers and is obsessed over tests and exams hahaha -- and how she needs to return to her old chill self.

Because yes, K (oh how I miss her, she's so awesome), was, is, one of the coolest Mums I know out there. When we were in school, she was proof for me of a loving Mum who lived her own life, participated actively in the community, did not micro-manage her kids, and had awesome kids anyway! because you lead and parent by example more than anything. Despite being a busy mother, she still organised our class outings, planned class events, got involved in Muslim efforts, and basically built a career. She didn't miss out on the fun side of life. Of course, her husband is awesome-beyond-awesome. Seriously, behind every great man, is a great woman, and vice versa.

So  anyway, K was telling us in her typical, comic, make-everyone-burst-into-laughter way, of her eldest boy scoring 93+ marks for all subjects in Primary 1 and still not gracing anywhere near the top 10 position in his class. Where apparently, it was not an uncommon event for kids to attain full marks on every single test paper since day 1 in school. Because, it appears, that marks are what all Singaporean parents have their eyes on.

And don't make me start on the increasingly-accepted norm of parents taking substantial amounts of leave because their kid is sitting for PSLE -- APPALLING. I cannot even. what. no, people, no. There is something wrong here. This is not right. Something is not right. And I don't know how or what to say, because they are my friends too some of them who do this.

My future kids, should God grace me with that responsibility, will likely be home-schooled. Why would I want to subject my kids to this life, seriously? So K was like all, yes, I need to home-school them, and what about character and resilience and tenacity and less outcome-oriented-ness and we were laughing it out.

God, I miss my class. I miss these two friends of mine. And unless it's Hogwarts or Moorim, I'm not sure I want to let my children go to school.