If for some reason I'm able to achieve what I want, no one will know what the last months of my life were like. Which is actually all for the better. No one needs to know. Just trying to maintain practice while not actually practicing.

No real highs, aside from the regular highs of mindful awareness of being alive and breathing, and in particular positive emotions through human expression through media . . . specifically Korean media, which seems really superficial, but that's where I ended up. Emotional highs also in listening to music.

No real lows, aside from a growing ennui and difficulty of getting through each day to day and wondering how I got to this point, which inevitably leads me to remind myself that I got here by leading myself here. No mystery.

Pure geeking out:

The cast for a second season of Korean variety/reality show Invincible Youth that I've geeked out about before has been announced.

IY was one of the first Korean media programs I was exposed to, and I can gush on and on about it. I've found other Korean shows that I like, but I wouldn't push them on anyone and couldn't say much about their social value.

In a nutshell, I thought the first season of IY distinguished its social value because it brought together urbanites with a rural lifestyle. It brought together youth and the elderly and expressed the need to care for and respect the elderly. It was an eco-friendly show that brought attention to the environment and where our farm products come from. The show even won an award from Korea's agricultural department for their efforts.

Time and time again on the show, guests would participate and in the end express that they were surprised how real and unscripted the show really was; that they really put in a day's worth of backbreaking farmwork, along with the entertainment. When the cameras were turned off, they apparently continued working.

And as I mentioned before, the show has a lot of heart (even though many episodes got caught up in competition and forced entertainment), and it really showed a raw side of the celebrities that they couldn't hide because of the nature of the show; a side they can hide easily in their appearances on other shows.

As for the new season, which I'm telling myself I won't be around to gush about, I have a good feeling about it. I don't think it's going to be set in the same village as season one, but perhaps a coastal seaside village.

The biggest surprise is that not only did they get two members of SNSD again, but they also got Sunny to return. SNSD was already a big deal when season one started filming, and I thought they surely couldn't get a SNSD member to return because they're just too busy right now.

SNSD members Sunny and Yuri, I thought, were the real anchors of season one, but they had to leave the show halfway through because of their promotions in Japan. After they left, the replacement cast members just couldn't fill their shoes.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of SNSD's music. I do like their singles and the songs that get promoted, but their CDs are largely filler. I am a fan of their cult of personality and I understand their popularity. All nine members have been groomed to entertain, and I think that has been central to their success.

A lot of Korean celebrities can sing and dance just fine, per their training, but when they go on variety shows, it shows that there's a difference between their talent and celebrity, and being entertaining. Like Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood, who are terrific actors doing what they do, but they couldn't entertain a four year old just being themselves to save their lives.

So for IY to get Sunny back is already a strong basis for the show. But instead of Yuri, they got Hyoyeon, who the producers say was because of her international appeal and slightly exotic look. I also think Hyoyeon is a good choice because I've seen her on other shows and she's really down-to-earth and personable and funny, and I think she'll do great on the show. She did appear once as a guest in season one.

Also surprising in the new cast is that they got another member of Kara. Kara member Goo Hara was a lynchpin of season one, and after 3 original members left, I think Hara was instrumental in carrying the show onwards. She was continually hardworking and entertaining and fun to watch.

And personally I'm glad they got Kara's maknae (youngest member) Jiyoung, who did appear as a guest in season one. When I first got into Kara, Jiyoung was the member I liked least. I found nothing appealing about her, maybe because she was so young.

But in Kara's recent comeback, I was shocked to see that Jiyoung is really maturing and coming into her own (she's on the screen far left and is the first singer). As much as I've liked various aspects of other members, Jiyoung is one it's hard to take my eyes off of now.

Out of the girl groups that were represented in season one, I guess it would've been wishful thinking for another member of T-ara or Secret to appear. I can think of any number of T-ara or Secret members who would do well, but it makes sense that the producers don't want to just repeat season one.

When I heard season two was in development, I thought it would be amazing if they could get a member of Miss A, specifically Min, because she has a great personality and she's been hilarious on other shows. But when I saw Miss A's Suzy was confirmed for the show, I was glad that I at least got Miss A right. They're definitely a hot, up-and-coming group.

The last connection with season one is the casting of Amber of f(x). f(x)'s Victoria was one of the replacement cast members and she held her own. She didn't fill in the void after Sunny, Yuri and Hyuna left, but she had a distinct personality and was entertaining. She wasn't "deadweight" like the other replacements.

Amber might prove to be interesting. She's f(x)'s rapper and she's Taiwanese American and has an androgynous, tomboy look. But she's also a fan favorite. She disappeared from f(x) last year, purportedly because of an injury and she went back to the U.S. to recuperate. But when rumors circulated that she may be out of the group because f(x) held some performances without her, fans rebelled and came to her support. I just think that's awesome.

Among the remaining new cast members, I was pleased that Bora of Sistar is included. I'm not a huge fan of Sistar's music, but Bora appeared in season one and showed herself to be capable and amenable.

If I had to scout members of a new cast, of course I would need to include members of rookie groups, just as season one did. And there was a wide field of rookie girl groups this year to choose from, and I would have put Jewelry, Dal Shabet, A Pink and Girls Day among others on the short list.

I got Jewelry right, although technically they aren't a rookie group -- just this incarnation is, and I'm glad they chose Yewon because . . . she's really cute. And she does have a good voice. She's the one with the black ribbon hairpiece.

And I'm not surprised or disappointed that Rainbow's Woori was chosen. I'm not a fan of Rainbow, but they've been gaining notoriety. And for me, notably, I did see the group appear on another show that aired last year, and they were hilarious.

I'm a little worried about the MCs, though. I thought season one's Kim Taewoo had been tapped to return, but apparently not. I was also hoping that they might tap season one cast member, Narsha of Brown Eyed Girls, to come back as MC since she's older than most girl group members, but there was no basis for me thinking that would happen.

The only MC I'm familiar with by name is Boom, and he is funny and entertaining. I'm happy for him as he's just come out of his 2-year mandatory military service and getting back into the business. The thing I'm concerned about is that the MCs may lack the down-to-earth touch that the season one MCs had. They may try too hard just to entertain and be funny without imparting the values and ideals of country or seaside life.