NEW YEAR........

It's the New Year... Again. Somehow I feel like 2009 just started not long ago, and now everything's about to wrap up to start 2010. We're not having any New Year party or anything, but my mom and dad did get some snacks and other munchies for stomach entertainment while watching the TV countdown. But I'll most probably be watching Rain's Fashion concert instead. Haha.

Every new year I always tell myself, I want this year to be different, I want this year to be well-lived, I want this year to be better than the last. But it always doesn't work out that way. All the time, it comes right back down to following the school timetable, the zombie-like life of waking up, eating, going to school, study study, work work work, sleep. I really really really want to break out of this mode of living this year. I don't know if I'm able to do it, but I'll try my best. I'll try to live like there's no tomorrow, try to do new things and step out of my comfort zone once in a while. Along the way, I hope to discover more of who I really am, my purpose in life, and the bare essence and philosophy of living. Haha, sounds a bit over-the-top right? But it's something that I really want to achieve... that standpoint in life where you know where you want to go, who you are, what you live for, and how you can be a better person. It's not really enlightenment, but more like fufilling the journey of self-discovery.

Now I wish I'm back in New York, the Big Apple, joining in their New Year Celebrations in Time's Square.


Today I went to watch Sherlock Holmes with my Dad. I think my Dad and my Aunt are the two people whom I have watched the most movies with. I like the director Guy Ritchie's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, as much as the classic version. But in the movie, I would say I prefer Dr Watson to Sherlock Holmes. Watson somehow seems to have more class and edge when he does things. Haha... I heard that the British tabloids nicknamed Jude Law (the actor who plays Dr Watson) Hot-son. LOL. It's a good movie, I must say, Sherlock Holmes. I can't wait for the sequel. Judging from the ending, I'm 99% sure there's gonna be one. =))

yesterday was my aunt's wedding. We didn't do a super elaborate job nor a over the top wedding, just booked a small salon room in Conrad Hotel just enough for four tables and around 30 plus close family and friends. I didn't wear my prom dress as planned, I switched to another dark purple dress I had in my closet. I won't publish any photos on my blog, I personally do not feel safe flaunting my personal life and my loved ones on a webpage that is accessible to not only friends but the international public as well. I'll most probably be posting them on Facebook on a later date.

The food was super sumptous yesterday, thanks to the chinese restaurant at Conrad. I talked a lot with Nancy (Uncle Mark's elder sister) and Ron, her boyfriend. Oh, and they had a really beautiful wedding cake. It wasn't the usual white cream covered cake, but a fruitcake with LOTS, and I mean LOTS of fruits on top as topping. Not just any other fruits, but lots of BERRIES. Forgive me, a super diehard fan of Berries (any berries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, you name it!) speaking here...

Yeah, so I'm back in Singapore, nothing much has changed about me, just that I have this accent I cannot shake off until about 2-3weeks later, and a little bit change in status. Cheng Hui called, and I spoke to her in my "Singaporean accent" but it all seemed so so unnatural. Like I was forcing it or something....
Sheryl contacted me about this job offer as a telemarketer with Prudential, but I'll have to turn it down. My parents don't want me to work at all. So I guess I'm back with my housewife training. Haha.

Oh, and guess what, I'm learning to play Taylor Swift songs on my guitar, and it's working out great. =))

Christmas.

Finally, it's Christmas. Yeah, so MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone. =))

I've already opened the presents from my cousins, and here's what I've got... er, Oil control paper from the brand Anna Sui (with a Anna Sui case), two dolls which are keychains (and which look a bit scary, to me), a skirt, a coin purse and a Bvlgari Fragrance set with soap and stuff (but the soap's scent is too overpowering for me....). I can't say i'm disappointed with the presents, but I must say the dolls are freaky. I've never liked dolls since the beginning of my existance, and it still stays true after 16 years of age.

I'm not going to spell what my friends gave me. It'll take the whole day. But these group of presents are much better than the ones from the above group. Oops...=X No offence....

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Square has been beautifully lighted up since my birthday, and I finally got a chance to see it. It's like super-duperly-huge, and magnificent in every way possible. Of course, a trip to that area has to include ice-skating, which I am miserably bad at. So, I came home with no less than a couple of bruises, but i'll survive. Haha.

We're having sort of a sleep-over thing tonight, so everyone's (about 23 odd people) are squashed in Nick's home and Trish's & Aaron's house next door. Half of the 23 are alsleep by now, it's almost 2 a.m. here... just completed the Christmas countdown party. I love it that it's a day behind Singapore. Going to church tonight (now it's 1.55 a.m. on the 25th of dec here), to stretch our vocal chords with songs. Haha. I can't even bear to sleep, just want to treasure every second of time I have here. Some magical things have happened as usual. I think it's 1 degree outside.

I'll be back on Sunday. I don't want to. Life is so much more relaxing and fun up here. I wish it was like this back home. Yeah, I wish.

이승가 ~! 이승가 ~~!!!

Lee Seung Gi's performance. I find it a little bit funny, cause some of his dance moves are a bit too like "acting-cute". Haha... I like his song lyrics, they really mean something. Not to worry, his other performances are not so "act-cutish". LOLS. Nick and Erik were like impersonating Lee Seung Gi in the living room, and THAT was HILARIOUS. Well, it was already a miracle they got more than half of the Korean Lyrics right. Haha...

Lee Seung Gi is actually quite multi-talented. I just found out that he can speak Korean, Japanese and English. He plays the guitar and piano, and did well in school also. He was class president in both middle and high school, and he managed to graduate with a Bachelor Degree on International Trade and Commerce despite his crazy schedule. He acts, hosts and sings. A part of me is like screaming "That's the life I want to live!!!" while I was reading his wikipedia article. Haha.

It's going to be Christmas Eve in like 1 min from now here. Merry CHRISTMAS!

Time, PLEASE CRAWL.

I can't believe that December is about to end. The thought of recieving O level results, going back to school just SUCKS. Totally. It feels like you've just got your life back and somebody's about to snatch it away from you all over again. I'm scared to see my O level results. I dread to return to the zombie like life of non-exisitence, where your life revolves around a timetable of stuff, half of which you don't even like. I wish I could fast forward to University, where I can study and do the things that I want. My uncle wants me to aim for Harvard or Yale. Nuts. I don't know where i'm going yet, I just know that I won't be taking up a local Uni. They don't have the course I want.

I'll be back in Singapore on Sunday... Just in time for my Aunt's wedding. Uncle Mark is coming over on Sunday also, we'll see how things go. I'll be re-wearing my prom dress for that. I didn't spend more than a hundred for a one-time wear.

I just bought a new dress yesterday. I don't know why I did but I just did. Ok, I don't make sense. I just bought it cause it was cheap, like S$28 around. The rest of the gang bought more things than me, of course. Trish even got a USD 300+ bag, which we all thought was over priced, but she thought it was "cheap"... It still snows, which is good. I oughta take in as much of this weather as I can. Today I went to the school, met some of the freshmen. Seriously I think that this batch is better than the previous one. They installed a new recording studio ( like those to record music in CDs) in the school, so I'm going to play around with that with Marisol tmr. Went out with the boys today too, Snowball fight in Central Park. HAHA. That was super FUN. Nick and I got 2nd place in the snowball fight. Lols. Nobody has ever managed to beat Ashley and Erik in snowball fights (unsurprisingly they got first place). EVER. I can't wait to meet Jamal tomorrow. He's got a mind like Qun Jie's (a.k.a super genius who tops the Grade with ease) but can dance like MJ. haha, that's something that Qun Jie can never do, i guess. lols.

I'm going downstairs for supper now. Apple pie. YUMMO.

I'm gone with the wind again, I guess. For those of you who know where the hell I am, keep it low key. That is, don't tell anyone. For those who don't, you'll just have to guess. =) I still have internet access, I still can blog, and I'll be back soon after Christmas. That's all I can say. There is a snowflake stuck on the window now. Haha. Sometimes when I look out the window, this place feels so foreign yet so familiar, to an extend that it is a little welcoming.

I can't blog for long, got to go sleep. It's 10.52 pm here, and i've got a whole day of Christmas shopping with Mari and the gang tmr.

Yesterday I had this really strange dream that a big dog ran into my house and started jumping around everywhere. And that I was studying this strange thing related to atomics. (I hate Science, so i don't know how that got there) So I patted the dog, my family came to see what was happening, and I took a look at the dog collar to see whose dog it was. The words on the dog tag were all korean. So okay, we fed the dog, and used this very high tech computer screen thing that is connected to all the apartments in my block. Each apartment is represented by a green square on the screen, and if anything happened to any of the apartments, the square would be red. There was one particular red square, and we selected that, and the "crisis" was "missing dog". The dog, who was also looking at the computer screen, suddenly sat up, like he realised something, and walked out the door, possibly back home. WEIRD!!

People say that dreams are supposed to mean something, but what the heck does that mean?

I'm very proud of the huge stack of stuff that I have thrown out of my study room. Haha... Hopefully I can transform that junkyard into a place where I can actually sit down and write something by the end of this month. =) I feel like going shopping again, but I really must not spend anymore cash. I'm not broke or something, in fact I have a substantial amount in my treasury, but I just saw how much we spend on our Korea trip. It was crazy. we really splurged like mad. I can't tell you how much, but it's more than what most people can afford. Bottom line? Given my character, I feel guilty about every penny I spend. So, I've become a saving freak now, trying to save up as much as I can. But I'm not getting a job. I just don't have the time to do so.

I dropped by the FaceShop at Northpoint yesterday. And oh my gosh. I bought a eyeshadow from the FaceShop in Korea for like 6,900 won (about S$8), and I saw it in the FaceShop here selling for S$16.90. That's almost twice the price! No wonder some of the ladies on my tour bought Suitcases of make-up. and I'm not using figurative language. They really did buy suitcases of make-up and skin care products.

I can't believe I'll be seeing Nick soon in a couple of days. I really am at a loss of what to say. The truth, lies or just nothing and avoid the subject. Argh. Mari's mom has gone back to Mexico for a visit, so I guess that spells no more Spanish Lessons for me this winter.

Now, it's time to plan the feast that i'm supposed to cook on Monday.

My new music player on the left to this blog post is so tacky looking... But I had to change the player skin in order to play certain songs that I like. Ah well.

Yahoo News just had this article about Facebook scams. Like people hack into your facebook accounts and just like pretend to be you and try to extort cash from your friends, something like that. Thank God I don't ever use the chat function in Facebook. So, if any of y'all see me trying to chat you up on Facebook, you know it's a phony.

Just watched the Oprah show, she was talking about Miracle Kids, children who weren't supposed to survive, but they did, a reminder that miracles indeed do happen. I like to watch the Oprah show, it's really meaningful and serves as a constant reminder of how lucky you are, and how to improve your life, lifestyle and be a better person. It's sad that Oprah is going to end her talkshow on CBS after next year's season... I hope she does come up with a new talkshow.

Wooh. I successfully uploaded my leftover Korea Photos from my Dad's camera and my own camera into the computer. I did it extra slowly and extra carefully, so I won't have to go through DéJá Vu. Hopefully I'll drop by the photo shop later in the day or the week to get some of the good shots developed. Actually, I miss the old type of cameras. Like the ones with the film and the peep hole. Those really make capturing pictures fun. Like you pay extra attention when taking pictures, cause you know you only have one shot, unlike digital cameras, which you can delete the pictures. And there's the part where you wait eagerly for the photos to be developed, so you can view them. With digital cameras, that joy of collecting your freshly developed photos from the shop is gone -- You can just view the pictures immediately. And with old cameras, you wouldn't face the risk of your photos being accidentally deleted by some stupid USB connection fault. =(

I wish the stack of papers under my study desk could just clear and sort itself out. I'm not in the mood of spring cleaning. at all. Why is everyone so busy and fussed up about cleaning the house? It's not even Chinese New Year yet, and nobody's coming over for Christmas. We'll all be out, so I don't get the point.

Hanguk, Sarang haeyo.

I'm feeling much better today. I'm still sore about losing those photos, but at least i'm not so beat-up about it. Thank you Veron for offering to help me recover those photos...!! Thank you, really, a lot, whole-heartedly.

Ok, here is what I was supposed to post yesterday:

When you're in Seoul, don't ever forget to shop. Seriously... especially for girls. Their earrings, bangles and hairclips can be much cheaper than Singapore, if you know where to buy. Well, first of all, my number one recommendation for shopping is at Myongdong. But shop where the street stalls are, not in the large department stores. The street stalls offer a much better deal. And the cosmetics are really cheap. Especially face masks. Haha... Namdaemun is also another shopping area, if you're travelling with elderly. The stuff there are mostly for older people, and if you're a antique or furniture lover, head down there too. Well, the Orchard Road of Seoul has to be Dongdaemun. If you prefer shopping at upscale to midscale areas (think wisma atria) then head on to the large shopping malls at that area. Each floor is catagorised into shops selling different stuff. e.g. fifth floor jewelery and accessories, fourth floor men's wear, etc. If you're looking for cheaper buys at the Dongdaemun area, head towards the older buildings. At the older buildings, you can bargain, but not too much, as the shopkeepers would rather chase you away then sell things to you at a low price.

If you're heading to Korea in winter, I strongly recomend Yongpyong ski resort. It's the largest of it's kind in Asia. The popular k-drama Winter Sonata was filmed there. There you can rent skiing equipment and try your hand out at the sport. There's snow boarding also. Those who are not ski crazy have two choices. The first is to take a cable car up several mountains to the peak of a particularly high one. If you're scared of the cold, don't go there. The time I went, it was minus 20 degrees celsius up there. Plus strong wind, so you feel it''s like minus 30. Don't stay out for too long to avoid frost bite. Go out, snap a few pics and head back to the building, where there's a cafe that was one of the filming areas of winter sonata. The second option is to take 3 minutes walk to nearby Peak Island (it's not a island, just the name of a building near the hotel). Peak Island is something like Wild Wild Wet (or whatever you call that water themepark thing in Downtown east) complete with saunas and jacuzzi facilities. There's a indoor and outdoor water park there... the outdoor one is closed during winter. The water is warm, so no worries about freezing. But you have to wear a swim cap, or they won't let you enter the water. You can buy a swim cap from their shop at a really cheap price too.

Ok, now i shall focus on Jeju Island. There's something you MUST do at Jeju. Eat the TANGARINES! or oranges if you like to call them that. The jeju "oranges" are smaller in size than normal oranges so by right, they should be called tangarines. Anyway... They are simply YUMMO. Their strawberries are superb as well. Not a single one is sour. Go to the sea side in Jeju, the seaview is simply breathtaking. You could hike up several smaller mountains in the area also, and take up the scenery from there. Oh, and visit the village of the original inhabitants of Jeju. The villagers are all descendants of Chinese, so most speak Chinese. The popular drama Da Chang Jin had filmed at their village. Also visit the Teddy Bear Museum. The teddy bears are so cute! They have bears from all over the world displayed there... and they house the tiniest teddy bears in the world also. '

Last but not least, themeparks =) I would suggest Everland themepark. It's a really magical themepark, that makes you feel like a young child, innocent and with no worries. Beware not to go to Everland on weekends though. It will be so packed that you'll have to queue at least 1 hour plus to get on a ride. When I visited, it was Friday, but I still had to queue for like half hour for the popular attractions. Another cool themepark to check out is Lotteworld, located in Seoul. That one is pretty fun too.

Some must eat Korean food: Ginseng chicken soup, Korean style BBQ pork and BBQ duck, Bi-Bim-Bap (mixed rice with other small dishes. Think of Korean style fried rice. the best Bi-Bim-Bap is the stone pot Bi-Bim-Bap), Zha-Jiang Mian (I can't think of a Eng translation for that, so work your hanyupinyin knowledge....), Seafood Hotpot, and of course KIMCHI ( which is available in almost every restaurant in Korea).

Woah, I wrote a lot.... I hope this helps anyone who wants to visit Korea next time. I simply just regurgitated what I have experienced and what Eric (the tour guide) told me. Ask me straight for more info. Haha.

I'm in the midst of learning Korean. I'm stuck with Spanish without the help of Marisol's mom anyway. I already know how to read and write Korean, just that I don't understand what i'm reading or writing. Something like you know how to read and write certain Chinese words, but you don't know what they mean. Ok, signing off now. Going to listen to Lee Seung Gi's songs. Lols... I heard him on TV in Korea, and found his songs pretty good.

Toodles =)

i feel so useless and devastated right now. It's like I just lost something very very precious to me and there's nothing I can do to get it back. I hate computers and technology.

The photos I took in Korea are all gone. I didn't even delete them. I was in the midst of transferring them from my phone into my computer when the connection between the phone and the PC suddenly broke off and all my files are just gone. I don't know how, i don't know why, but I feel like somebody just tore something really important away from me. Luckily my dad took more photos with his camera. My digital camera couldn't stand the cold, so it jammed, and hence I used my handphone. 40 over images all gone. I know that even if they are deleted, they are somewhere in my mini SD card, but I'm not some computer whiz, i don't know how to extract them out. I hate feeling so useless and incapable. I hate this.

If anyone of you who is reading this knows how to extract or restore deleted files in a mini SD card PLEASE. I'M SERIOUSLY BEGGING YOU TO TELL ME HOW, OR SHOW ME HOW OR WHATEVER. those pictures mean so much to me.

I've always have had a problem with letting things go. I just can't. When something means something to you, letting go is tormenting.

I told Gerald that I would post something about my trip on this post... But I just ain't got the mood now.

Back home. or is it really?

Hey Y'all, I'm back. Korea was PHENOMENAL. It was the best holiday I've ever had in my entire 16 years of existence. Korean guys are really tall, and our tour guide (his name is Eric) said that it's because they all drank Ginseng Milk and ate Kimchi growing up. HAHA. Seriously Koreans are super tall, the guys on average are about 1.85m. Eric's a really nice guy, not to mention good-looking. haha. (The tour guide Eric, not the Eric in school. Had to add this disclaimer, just in case.)

On the first day of the trip, he asked me how old I was, so I replied like I was going to be 16 the next day. And guess what, he threw me a surprise birthday party and bought this huge yummo strawberry cream cake for me!! Believe it or not, i never did once have a birthday party (my birthdays were usually a quiet family affair), and that was one of the best things anyone ever did for me. We spilt the cake among the whole tour group. He's a real joker and made the entire trip more fun than it could ever have been=) It's not that I have a crush on him but he's just soo nice, the kinda person you can become instant best friends with. And that's what happened. Haha. I've supposedly been awarded with the title of the most attentive person when he starts talking about Korean traditions and history.

In all korean tour groups, there's this guy who follows the group around and does little errands like helping us off the bus, serving us during meals and doing the headcounts and reservations for restaurants, etc. His official title is the Photographer for the tour group, and ya, he does go around with his camera taking shots of us. Another tall and good-looking korean guy. LOLs. John's his name and he's still in Uni. This is his part time job. And it is pretty heart-wrenching to see that young, handsome chap working his head off to provide a good service. Like, with his face, he could play a lead in some Korean drama and be the next Bae Yong Joon. He doesn't have a salary, he gets his pay from selling his photos. So I spent alot on him. Haha... over 40 US dollars buying his photos of me and my family.

That totals up to two tall, young and handsome Korean guys that I have met. The members of our tour group were really enthusiastic as well, and I had a blast. When it came time to leave Incheon airport for home, I couldn't bear to leave... like it was so so upsetting that all these people that you played, lived, and laughed with, you're not going to see them again. Especially Eric and John. At the airport, I gave them the biggest smile I could and waved them goodbye, but when I turned around and walked into check-in, I was tearing up really bad, fighting the urge to cry. It's like you just made two wonderful friends and now you're just packed up and flying off and you might never ever get to see them ever again. It didn't help that my dad was rattling away at me for being so not alert and slow at the airport. I hate it when dad does that. He didn't shout or anything, just talking with a irritated expression, but somehow that always makes me feel like I'm not good enough. Basically, leaving the airport was difficult, saddening and just dreadful. Maybe it's just PMS or some other teenage hormone surge that I'm being this emotional. In the end I did cry in the plane, I took the window seat so I could turn and look out the window and no one would see. I still miss Korea. I vow to learn the language and go back someday. Eric told me it only takes 3 months to learn Korean.

To all the kind and sweet people who had wished me a happy birthday in one way or another... THANK YOU SO MUCH<3
You make me feel loved and cared for in this world. I could never have asked for a better SIXTEENth Birthday. xoxo.

You walked in and out of my life too fast. Too fast. Sometimes I wish I could turn back the time to the day we first met.

Going away.

Yeah, I'm off to Korea. In fact, I'll be gone by tonight, so no blogging for one week...

I finally got my guitar yesterday and tuned it, but since i'm going away, I've to wait for like a week later before I actually get to play it seriously.

Still can't find a job. Like all those that I approached had vacancies, but, they only want people 18 and above. There's even one shop which is so ridiculous. It's advert says that it's hiring retail assistants for a youth fashion shop, and when I called up, the lady says she only wants to hire people 30 years and above in age. That, does not make any sense or logic to me. At all.

I'll have to do more job hunting when I come back from Korea. If not i'll forever feel guilty about buying anything at all this holiday season. My mom is still persuading me not to get a job, saying that we are financially just. Again, we'll see. I have a job idea, like a be-your-own-boss kinda thing, but i'm not sure if it'll work. You'll never know if you don't try, though. Argh, whatever.