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Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Korean Diaries- The Last PartWell, I guess this shall be my last official Korean Diaries entry, even though there's still 1 week left. (Maybe I should make a Bangkok Diaries. But I rather shop my life away there. HAHA) I've completed one module's final exam. Spent a few days studying for it and ends up still doubting myself during the exam-- BAD sign. The teacher was nothing short of cunning, even to the extend of testing us on who wrote what, and whether the policy name was right. SO KUKU! But nevermind. One thing I've discovered is my laundry skills- -and it leaves much to be desired. Pretty much whatever clothes I put into the washing machine has quite a high chance of getting ruined. I have white clothes with slight blue tinges, a green top now fluffed and shorter on one side, a top which had a vintage look but now just look PLAIN old. Washing my clothes is really like buying new ones-- cos they come out entirely different. Is it me, or is it the washing machine? OR IS IT THE curse of the new age women who can't cook or do laudry for nuts?
8:57 PM
Friday, July 27, 2007
The art of conversationIt's one am singapore time. Two am korean time. I'm in loser land. A fantasy island where people walk around with noses in books, and with their "finger and her thumb in the shape of an L on her forehead". My landlord is saying his mixture of English, Chinese, and Korean yet again. Still makes us laugh. He compared me to Shu Qi out of the blue, and so I have to explain to him that I'm not Shu Qi because she's a porn star. Porn star? He asked. What is a porn star? Oops. Awkward situation. Finally explained that she's one to take off her clothes everytime and I'm not. Hah. How random can a conversation get with Ah-ju-shi (mister in korean) around? And that's something to remember. Cos how many times do I get compared to Shu Qi. Seriously?
12:52 AM
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
 Korean Diaries Part 7- "Saying goodbye to a vibrant country" Time really flies, doesn't it? 12 more days and I'll be back into the land of laksa, ice kachang, rojak, prawn noodles and many many more! However, I have this nagging dread because I know i'll miss the traditional BBQ chicken which you wrap in a lettuce leaf to eat, bibimbap, topoki and even the cold noodles. And along the way, bonded with the AntiYou people, even though we had no idea who each other were before the trip. Nope, you'll never find these treasures in Singapore. I still remember thinking that the only Korean food ever was "bbq chicken on hotplate". And I only ate that dish once here. Nevertheless, I still look forward to rolling around in my bed. (NO MORE QUEEN-SIZED BED FOR YOU, DISATAN) And the looks on my friends when I shower gifts on them. But I think I quite cheapo la, so don't expect too much. Even *kopped* free movie posters for friend who likes the movie. And the unfattening process. Come to me, basketball. Rid my second chin. Not that keen on school starting though- it's gonna be a long semester and I know I have to buck up on my GPA. No regrets on coming here! PICTURES! Gyeongbok Gong (Palace)  Subway station to the palace.   My current desktop wallpaper.  Han River Cruise    63 Sky Deck   On the elevator up.  We discovered a "sky tunnel" with flashing lights and decided to have some fun. scream MAROON 5!     Gonna be the end of Korean Diaries soon!
10:14 PM
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Before I start proper, here's the few people who made our trips very enjoyable. We are eternally grateful. Jo and Yena, who brought us around Co Ex and treated us Ginseng Chicken for dinner. (And taught us Mi Chi num)  Jo's boyfriend, Vincent. He brought us around Busan and made our stay memorable.  The volunteer driver who drove us around Busan.  Gayoung, who brought us 'round Chun Cheon and Nami Island. And all thanks to Joyce, who has these fabulous friends. They spoilt us thoroughly, to the point of making us look like spoilt brats. Yeap, they're that good hosts! Ok, starting...  Korean Diaries Part 6- "Of dots and dashes, lights and cityscrapers, and a whole NOISY, FOURSOME load of fun- Pictorisque edition" BUSAN in a Glance          Lotte World, Seoul.       Chun Cheon & Nami Island. Winter Sonata in my Summer      
12:50 PM
Saturday, July 21, 2007
oh look. I was ALMOST gonna stoop to your level. But for her sake, I'm not gonna.
9:38 PM
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Korean Dairies-"A Random Picture titled 'I have wayyy cuter ears than you.'"
11:12 PM
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
WHY are you worshipping the land I ice-skate on?My first ice skating experience IS in the same ice skating rink that Song Hae Kyo and Rain ice skated in the drama, Full house. Yes, obviously and obsessively (if there's such a word) elated. Hence writing post in incoherant sentences. May be also due to large number of falls encountered, mostly impacted on butt surface. Ice skating is truly butt numbing experience.
11:19 PM
I’ve been here in Seoul for a little over 3 weeks now. (it’s the 4th week as we speak) Thus, I think it’s time I talk about how I lived my new summer life over here. Everyday without fail (with the exception of Wednesdays and weekends), I would be the first to wake up at 7am. I don’t know how I do it, but my eyes open and it’s 7am. The alarm clock, placed on a shelf nearby, seldom get its chance to ring. So I go to the bathroom to wash up and brush my teeth like I always do in Singapore, then proceed to wake Joyce up, and then Victor and David. By the time all of us are done, it’ll always be around 7.55am, and so we’ll go down to meet Chee Harn and Estelle to take the bus to school. School, to us, is forever a late affair. I’m not saying that the buses here are inefficient. On the other hand, they are way faster than the SBS buses in Singapore. Ever seen an SBS bus do 70km/h on a normal road before? Well, in Seoul, every bus gets its chance to do 70 like it’s some mad bus from hell- --which I really like, by the way. Anyway, lessons start at 9am for all of us. The normal buses that go to Yonsei University from the bus stop near my house are aplenty- there’s even a digital schedule telling us when the bus is coming- but the bus fare all cost 1500WON and above, which translates to S$2.00plus per ride. However, it takes only half an hour to reach school, and that’s saying a lot considering morning rush hours. Once, we discovered bus 7727, which cost only 900WON (S$1.50). Naturally, it takes longer than the rest of the buses to reach the university’s main gate. If we’re lucky and the bus doesn’t get stuck behind some stupid garbage can, we’ll reach the school’s bus stop at 9am on the dot. The good news is, we save money. Yay! It means more money to eat Baskin Robbins and Krispy Crème donuts which Singapore doesn’t have. The bad news is, our lessons aren’t held anywhere near the university’s main gate. It’s easily a fifteen minute hike from the main gate, and along the way there’s this ridiculously steep slope that I think is the winning formula that to me maintaining my weight even after gorging on so much Baskin Robbins. This special semester, I’m taking 2 modules. East Asian Cinema and Understanding Korean Pop Culture and the Korean Wave. Funnily enough, both modules involve watching a whole lotta films. (It’s granted that I’m watching a lot of movies for the former module, but the latter was unexpected.) So far, I’ve watched - A perfumed nightmare by Kidlat Tahimik (slept) - Ju Dou by Zhang Yimou - Sopyongje by Im Kwan Taek (slept) - Joint Security Area (Korean) - Shiri (Korean) - Chunking Express by Wong Kar Wai - Happy Together by Wong Kar Wai (YES, LIEW Shixiong. We’re studying Wong Kar Wai’s films now and boy, his films are really out of this world…… in a good way) - Peppermint Candy (Korean) And all that in curriculum time, too! “After having to read about the history of Korea, and the aftermath of the Korean war, I saw a side of Korea I never knew. This goes to show that the effects of war are not as simple as winning or losing, but sentiments of hatred, guilt and remorse carry on, vibrating in every person who’s seen the country change hands many times and ultimately splitting into two. Lucky for us Singaporeans, we don’t have to go through that phase” And that’s summer school for ya!
12:54 AM
Saturday, July 07, 2007
The Korean Diaries Part 4- Culture VultureThese days, I didn’t get the luxury of going out often because school had kicked in. School, to me, is no longer a white-washed factory-look alike structure with muddy lake waters and dirty laundry hanging from the first building I see when the bus enters the school compounds. So unglam! Instead, school is now a hilltop fantasy of maple trees lining up beside statues brimming with history and pride. (Look below for evidence)  And that’s what a university should look like.  The past week, the gang went for two trips organized by the university. First, a breakdancing concert called “B-boy Korea” on Wednesday night, then a tv studio tour on a Saturday.  The breakdancing concert tells a humorous story of love through break-dancing. Every scene was filled with non-stop spinning, hand-stands and outrageous tricks and stunts of break-dancing. And of course, the cute breakdancers made it much more easier to enjoy.  Three quarter through the show, I noticed that the male lead has hurt his right hand. I could see his agony and him clutching his right hand from time to time, but it never stopped him from executing his moves with fluidity. And that’s why Joyce and Estelle couldn’t tell that he had hurt his hand. I cringe though, every time he had to move his right hand, because I could imagine how painful it was for him. Ouch! But hey, that’s professionalism for ya. My favourite in the show though, was not that male lead. Nor it was the female lead, who was yes, pretty and talented. My favourite person was this female drummer who hit the drums so hard and so wildly that she brought the show to another level. It was a joy to look at a crazy woman hitting the drums with such precision, that every beat travels to my ears and every expression of her madness just rocks! I like people who can go crazy doing what they love.  It’s apparent that everyone enjoyed the show. That’s because the girls in the row in front of me (all Korean Americans) kept shouting “Go go go” for no reason and one even JUMPED out her seat when this certain break dancer appears for his scenes. She was lucky she ain’t that tall, but she did jump up and down and up again out of excitement. Over there, we call it “being excited”. I think if she did it in Singapore, she’ll hear a rousing echo of “siao ah” all over the auditorium. After the show, everyone clamoured to take pictures with the cast. (and of course, so did we.) On the way up the bus back to school, we spotted two girls (yes, I would be 100% sure it was Korean Americans) running from the street with a bouquet in hand into the area where the cast were. A bouquet of roses—wicked. David asked, “Wah, why they so crazy ah?” I said, “Because they lived halfway around the globe.” On Saturday, we visited a television studio where television and movies shot scenes at. There were huts and houses of the olden Chosan days, so that location shooting for period dramas could take place there. Then there was the set of the movie Joint Security Area, a Korean movie which was quite popular worldwide. Strangely enough, there were small dinosaur statues too, but they look too unrealistic to be in a movie. Even so, Estelle were still quite afraid of them dinosaurs. harhar.    (still needed the toilet) There was an exhibition of an anime, Wonderful days, where on display were miniature sets of the cartoon. Chokeful of details, with every teeny nut and bolt in place, it was mind blowing to see the imagination of a story become real, even though it was down-sized.  After that, and an UNFORGETTABLE meal at the countryside (unforgettable for a reason but I’m not going to recall it for you because it’s just too….), we traveled for another 1 hour to the DaeJangGeum Theme Park. Does Dae Jang Geum seem familiar? Of course it does. It’s Da Chang Jin! The theme park was the actual location set of the period drama, Da Chang Jin. There was the palace, which was quite small, as well as the village where she had to live while in exile. I didn’t watch the show, but I was still fascinated about the entire place. On television, the palace can feel so big and mighty, but in reality, the palace is right beside the village.  (Disa! Ngh ngh ni bu bu) I know my sister will be jealous because she watched the entire show.     Faces in Cutouts. Clockwise from top left: Victor as crazy palace maid, Me as jealous palace maid, David as crazier palace maid and Estelle as happy palace maid.  He who tries to kiss Lee Young Ae gets a flying pamphlet in his face. On Tuesday, we went to Seoul Tower at night by cable car. It offered a breath taking view of the entire Seoul landscape. I lingered at the glass panel that looked out towards the direction of Singapore (every glass panel had a country and the number of kilometers it was away from.) From there, I cupped my face into the glass panel and stared out. There was the Han River, visible because there were bright lights on its river banks. There were millions of little bulbs of lights shining across the entire plain below me. Looking down, all I saw were lights. From cars, from buildings, from homes, from offices. I tried to capture every light I saw, but there were too many. So I stared some more. I wasn’t about to let every ray of light escape my eyes because that’s what I was there for, but in the end I realized that it was impossible. And that was what basically life is all about, I guess. You just can’t take in everything, you’ll burst. You can only take in the brightest, the tallest, or the ones that shine so bright, it will hurt your eyes but you still want to look at it. So I thought slowly which light I want to be. (And I’m not telling ya which one!) And I finally left that glass panel, leaving only a teeny condensation mark on it that will be wiped away in a few minutes by the attendants. Even though there are so many things here for us to see, I find myself not so eager, or excited to go to the various places of interest. I guess for me, taking the subway and bus, walking amongst the South Korean crowd, living in their house, is already an awesome experience. I’m not just touring here—I’m living here. Sadly, the double-edge sword of globalization is at its best. On one hand, a city dweller like me has no problem fitting into the environment which has modernized into a working society like Singapore. On the other hand, the wild, crazy adventurer in me is craving for much more—a culture shock, maybe. The only culture shock was the lunch after visiting the tv studios. In between a scale of 1 to 10, that shock was a 2. Countryside vegetables just aren’t that tasty, that’s all. Another 3 weeks to go then it’s all back to normality.
10:32 AM
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