the TOILETBOWL

Our Third Valentine's

2012-02-14T16:40:00.003+11:00

Possibly two or three weeks ago, Hyeyoung and I were strolling through Marina Bay Sands and we passed by this nice Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant, Carnivore, thinking that, "Hey, this looks like a nice place to have a nice dinner for Valentine's..." And so, it kicked off our pursuit for THE place to have a dinner on Valentine's.

The following was how it went:

[Location: Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria @ Marina Bay Sands]

H: Hi, do you still have a table for 2 on Valentine's Day?

Waitress: *checks book of reservations* Yes we do.

H: How much do you charge for Valentine's Day?

Waitress: It's $xx++ per pax for Valentine's Day.

E: I see. What's the usual price?

Waitress: It's $(xx++)-30%.

E: So what's the difference?

Waitress: You get a door-gift (which management has not informed us what it is yet) and two complimentary glasses of Champagne.

H: But the menu's the same?

Waitress: Yes.

H&E: ... Okay, we'll think about it.

*H&E walks a few steps away from the restaurant.*

E: WTF. It's a complete rip-off. They expect us to pay the 30% difference for two glasses of Champagne (when we don't even know what are they serving exactly) and some cock door-gift.

H: Fuck this shit. Let's just go somewhere for dinner on Saturday instead.

E: Yeah, fucking commercialism. *Throws name card into bin.*

(Okay, I admit I can't remember the exact words of the conversation but you get the idea...)

Those who are familiar with our habitual practices will know that Hyeyoung and I celebrate month-saries (which is merely a convenient excuse to find nice food haunts) and so honestly, we concurred that Valentine's Day nor more than just a commercial/marketing gimmick to rip the entire world off - very much like what De Beers did with the value of Diamonds during the Great Depression. I'm sure many restaurants and service providers do add value (at least more than just two glasses of Champagne and some-God-knows-what-door-gift that will probably just end up in the bin during 2013's spring cleaning), but for those who don't, I hope they will look into doing something more for the consumers.

Anyway, moving on... Originally, we wanted to get a table at Kilo for Saturday, 11th February but unfortunately, they were fully booked for some event. Not wanting to splurge, we turned to the ever-trusty Etna (the Duxton Hill outlet) for a 7pm meal that Saturday. Boy, what a nice, slow dinner it turned out to be.

Hyeyoung and I decided to be adventurous that evening and we strayed from the usual mozzarella-based-starter+pasta/pizza-main. Instead, we had Antipasto Enta, which was essentially deep fried おにぎり (onigiri) with minced beef/pork to start. Hyeyoung had chicken breast that's baked with mozzarella and parma ham, and graten potatoes on the side. Meanwhile I satisfied my ravioli craving with one that's home-made with walnut and four cheese stuffing, topped with the Sicilian pesto sauce, featuring Etna's famous pistachio from Bronte, Sicily. It was such a satisfying meal, for the palate, tummy and wallet too!

Thereafter, as usual, we went for a good stroll. That evening, we decided to head for our newly found secret bar for post-dinner drinks. No address but here's a clue how it looks like.

Upon entering, this portal not onlytransports you to a chic and romantic NY-ish bar, but also serves awesomecocktails. Lost in the menu, we ordered rum-based cocktails, for the first time(again!). We know nothing about rum, but surprisingly, strong as they can be, the cocktails were smooth and the meticulous presentation only affirmed our decisionto end the evening there.

But I guess the highlight of that evening waswhat happened back home, where Hyeyoung, (rather bashfully) presented me with asurprise:

It wasn't the big items that caught my eye atfirst, but the cute matching ribbons that Hyeyoung had delicately stuck on eachFerrero Rocher, along with the neatly tied (Happy) socks that melted my heart.I don't mean to brag but sometimes, you must agree that it's the simplestthings in life that can make a day. :)

Happy Valentine's Day Hyeyoung!

Perils of a foodie

2011-12-13T02:42:00.001+11:00

I admit. I love ~~food~~ good food. Seriously, who doesn't? And so I'm always on the hunt for a good meal. Doesn't have to be trendy, intricate, elaborate or expensive. Sometimes, a good bowl of Pork Liver Mee Sua (with a plate of freshly steamed Grouper) is good enough. However, like all things in life, there's a cause, and there's a consequence.

In this case, the problem is that when I find good food, I eat (a lot); when I eat (a lot), I get fat; and finally, when I get fat, I hate myself. :(

Simple stuff. Not very difficult to understand. Yet, very difficult to solve.

So what do I do? I exercise (or at least I try to).

I try to keep to a routine of squash with some close friends and colleagues on weekday evenings, trying to find regular partners for tennis on Saturday mornings (applications are open!) and run/jog on weekday nights. Now, I just need to keep this up for a regular period of time... say, 6 months to 1 year? Hopefully I can go back to having visible pelvic bones. I'm not even aiming for packs on my abs!

Those who know me well would know that very often, I pray for 5 things - (not necessary in this order) perseverance, strength, courage, wisdom, and faith. I think when it comes to my exercise routine, I totally need these 5 traits, especially faith, perseverance and some times, strength.

Well, this is just a short reminder to myself, sent into the vast space of the World Wide Web. Maybe someday in 2012 I'll read this entry again and say, "hey, what they said about writing down your goals could be true after all!"

Meanwhile, any recommendations for good food? :p

(Link to the actual entry.)

Breaking the ice (Main)

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000+11:00

Today Hyeyoung and I celebrate the 800th day of our journey together and I think it's only perfect that I publish this entry...

Before I began, I must say that having been in Korea during summer, autumn and winter, autumn has to be the most beautiful season to be in Korea. (Actually, this is possibly true true for many countries but as many of you would know, my focus now is on 한국!)
The recent trip happened in late November so my dear friends who'd like to visit Korea in the coming year, definitely do it in autumn, when the chill is comforting and the sight of leaves in very hue of red, orange and yellow is oh-so enchanting...

These were shot at 북촌한옥마을 (Bukchon Hanok Village) which is an area that's just a short 10 minutes walk from (Anguk Station). The extremely hilly area however, takes about an hour or two to fully explore (on foot), and possibly more if you're going to sip a cuppa at one of the many charming cafes in the area.

For the adventurous few who are thinking of venturing out of Seoul, why not catch a free shuttle bus from 수원 (Suwon), where the very famous sits, to visit 한국 민속촌 (Korean Folk Village)? (In fact, while you're in 수원, you should totally visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, 화성 (Hwaseong Fortress). For now, here are some shots of 민속촌, one of my favorite touristy sites in Korea...

I'm no pro photographer so this only goes to show how gorgeous Korea is in the fall.

Anyway, I'd digressed. So here's the crux of this (groundbreaking) trip:

I MET HYEYOUNG'S PARENTS, FINALLY! :)

Hyeyoung's parents were kind enough to invite us and so Qing and I visited Hyeyoung's home on our fifth day there to have 소갈비 (Sol Galbi) but more on this later.

Besides meeting her parents and stepping ground onto where Hyeyoung grew up, what is also exciting for me is that this marks my first visit to a 배 (Pear) orchard.

I mean seriously, who would have thought that pears grow on trees with branches that reaches skywards? (At this juncture, Hyeyoung would always shake her and and say, "You city boy...") But it's true! When she spoke about her orchard, I'd always thought that it'd be a tree similar to orange and apple trees.

Here's crates of pears in the cold room, waiting to for their turn to be sold to loving owners. The best season to taste their best pears was during 추석 (Chuseok), when the pears are nicely packed and sold for some ₩120,000 (approximately SGD$100) a box as gift sets. i.e. Think of the nicely packed Muscat Grapes and Honeydews at 伊勢丹 (Isetan).

So unfortunately, we did not had a chance to taste their top grade pears. But we still get to try what is literally, the fruits of her parents' labor (and yes, the pear was very juicy and sweet but it's beyond the taste). It's the mere fact that I had the opportunity to eat something that they had so painstakingly harvest that blew my mind. You have no idea how thankful to God I am.

Another highlight of her house are her dogs, three of them to be precise. (The one above is just one of the trio.) Like Hyeyoung, they are very loving. But what really struck me what how free they ran in the open orchard. I have never seen dogs run so heartily in my life. Even the dogs at Botanical Gardens were mostly leashed.

So before dinner could start, I already have so much emotions welling up inside me. Imagine a nice cosy house, with a backyard of fresh produce (did I mention her parents grew their own cabbage for next year's kimchi making?), loving dogs running free in the orchard, friends and family who'd provide other fresh produce. Wah this is truly life man...

The menu for that evening was just pure bliss - almost everything was either home-grown/raised/made. Her dad had got not just the best grade and cut, he'd also got the freshest beef as his friend had just killed his cow the day before. I had eaten 馬刺し (Basashi) during my stint in Japan (and I love it to bits) but this was way fresher! Unfortunately I was too busy eating and I'd forgotten to take shots of it, but I'm sure it's not too difficult to imagine how fresh and marble-ly it is. There were also potatoes and sweet potatoes from her granny's backyard farm, wine from their friend's vineyard, 된장 (Doenjang) in the 된장 찌개 (Doenjang Jjigae) from either her granny or her aunt.

It was exactly how I'd imagined a meal at her home would be - Fresh ingredients! Oh, did I mention there were also mandarin oranges from their friend's orchard in 제주도(Jeju island)? How I wish to eat like this everyday...

As one can possibly guess, it was a pleasant dinner. There was some conversation going on (albeit a disjunct-ed one) amidst the yummy food and her dad's gorgeous cooking, not to mention the variety of alcohol we had on the table that night (Soju+Beer+Wine+Chinese Wine+Whisky). We spoke about my sister (how a wee bit prettier she is than Hyeyoung hahaha!), how "wonderful" Hyeyoung is, how I can come over to lend them some manpower, how proud he is of Hyeyoung... Considering that even I had a translator (aka Hyeyoung), it was a progressive dinner as I tried to speak as much Korean as I could. We drank a lot but what really humbled me was how Hyeyoung's dad actually fed Qing and I with his spoon. (Most of the time in that order since she's more attractive.) I'm not sure if this is something common but I can feel the warmth and it's a comforting feeling.

Well thinking back, I'm confident to say that at the very least, the ice was broken. So Hyeyoung, thanks. Thanks for inviting us over and making this happen. It's one small step for Ernest and one giant leap for us.

Now, the next challenge is to keep the relationship "warm". :)

Breaking the ice (Prelude)

2011-11-10T13:03:00.002+11:00

Some of you might be aware that I made a (ground breaking) trip recently.

Most of the people I know probably just need to simply take either a bus or train to visit their boyfriend/girlfriend's home or to visit the neighborhood he/she grew up in just to understand that person you so love a little bit better. It could be a shop she has been going with her mom since she was a kid, or a bus stop he has been alighting at since elementary school till the very day he comes home from sending you home, or perhaps it could be just the sights and sounds of the neighborhood that they grew up in.

Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury of proximity for have to take a flight just to visit my girlfriend's neighborhood, and this is exactly the highlight of my trip.

I first visited Osan (오산) in August last year. It was a brief day trip on a very warm summer day but it was very memorable. I had the opportunity to sit down with Hyeyoung and her sister, Hyehwa, for a meal (we had actually had two that evening). The first part was at this very cosy place that Hyehwa frequents.

We tried their specialty, 볶음김치삼겹 (Bukkom Kimchi Samgyob), which is like stir-fried kimchi with pork belly slices.

Yummy stuff (at KRW$10,000) which you can't find in Singapore! As you can probably imagine, this goes really well with rice.

The sisters also decided that I should try Korean 비빔밥 (Bibimbab) Bento.

Apparently kids would bring their lunch to school in these metal boxes. In this instance, as it is 비빔밥, the way to eat it would be to hold the box tightly with the lid and shake it (very) hard to mix everything inside. This is possibly the most "fun" Korean dish I've tried! Again, this cannot be found in Singapore (yet!).

For drinks, I tried 막걸리 (Makkogli), which by the way is possibly the preferred Korean alcohol for both Hyeyoung and myself. Drinking chilled 막걸리 from a metal bowl on a warm summer evening just totally kills the heat!

Thereafter, in true Korean style, we went for Part Two at seafood place, simply because I wanted to have 산낙지 (San Nakji), which is actually sliced live Octopus, served in sesame oil and sprinkled with some sesame seeds. (This version was served with sliced garlic and chili instead.)

Disgusting and cruel as it may seemed, this is 대박 (taebak), i.e. AWESOME-NESS! (And yes, that's Hyeyoung speaking in the background.) Contrary to popular belief that it is difficult to swallow, it actually isn't! You just need to really bite it well before you swallow, pretty much like everything we eat. ;)

Well, 산낙지 wasn't all we ordered. There was also a basket full of colorful shells.

The shells were grilled live and you can choose to eat them in various dips like わさび (Wasabi) + 醤油 (soy sauce) or 고추장 (Gochujang).

There's also this but I can't remember what it is exactly. Perhaps some kind soul can help me out here?

No dinner is complete without dessert and we were lucky enough to have the final scoops of Baskin Robbins before they closed. After 2 rounds of dinner and a moderate amount of alcohol, it was a great way to end the night. (Albeit not very Korean I must say.)

Next up... Breaking the ice (Main).

Fast cars and hot... err... Korean singers!

2011-09-26T01:15:00.015+10:00

Thanks to my secret Santa, the weekend started early with tickets to witness the practice sessions of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix "live", from the Republic Grandstand.

That's Vettel, perfecting his lap... (You can tell it's him from the big screen behind.)

This is the view from our seats - the first and second turns after the starting gird/pit stop.

Turn 3 with this Ferrari (not sure who) coming in to negotiate the last of the series of turns.

This is possibly my favorite picture for the evening. Pity that it's neither a Red Bull or a Ferrari. I can't upload the video I took from where I took this photo but here's something similar to show crazily fast and loud these machines are. (Yes, they are not cars.)

Despite being practice-day, the atmosphere within the racetrack zones were carnival-like and I swear, every single tap (apart from the ones in the bathroom) are flowing with alcohol! It was surprisingly... fun! The blast from the raw V8 engines was no doubt deafening, but it was at the same time (and again surprisingly), exhilarating and very addictive. Hyeyoung and I were actually yearning to hear them from my office on qualifying night. Weird isn't it? Oh, they even dressed up the bars to resemble what they look like on Emerald Hill.

Aren't they cute? (ICB is the last one on the left btw.)

Anyway, I digressed...

Hyeyoung and I left the practice session slightly earlier because we had to walk from where we were (like 10 mins from Nicoll Highway Station) to freaking Padang! Omg, and a w.a.l.k it was! I was so glad that I changed and not gone in my jeans. I must say that it was also the walk that we saw the track from various vantage points and certainly made the entire experience very enriching.

But of course, for Hyeyoung, the night had just began... :)

A (almost all-female) crowd had already formed by the time we got there. (Obviously not very big F1 fans/spectators too.) Apparently according to one of the security guys, wristbands were given out in the afternoon/early evening and they had access to be in front of the stage, while we were stuck outside the cordoned area. (Note: There were still, plenty of space available inside the cordoned area.)

Seungri opened the show but there was no doubt that it was G-Dragon and TOP that the crowd was waiting for. Thankfully, some sense got into the security and they opened the floodgate. Albeit too late but good enough! Very naturally, everybody FLOODED into the main arena. That's where Hyeyoung got up close with the trio (as you can see from the photo below).

Boy, was she a very happy girl that night. (Actually, she was very happy the entire weekend. Those who have her on Facebook would know that she can die in peace now. Lol.) Here's a short clip of their (final) performance.

(Please be a bit understanding of the audio quality - The music was blaring, which was great, but I can't stuff ear plugs into my poor DeeNinety's microphones.)

We left with exhaustion, dehydration but with beaming delight. With the upcoming anniversary, the timing of the tickets couldn't have been better. We saw snippets of the race from an elevator in Marina Mandarin and so being able to see the cars so close was awesome, not to mention the fact that I attended my inaugural K-Pop concert and Hyeyoung saw GD and TOP. It was GREAT/FABULOUS/AWESOME!! :D

Now I need to work hard to make enough money to buy tickets for the 3 days whilst keeping my fingers crossed that maybe BEG or 2NE1 might be one of the featuring acts for next year's Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix.

*If not, the FOC view from my office is also not bad!

A tribute to the both of us, into this infinite space

2011-09-18T03:11:00.003+10:00

It feels so weird drafting a post. After all, it's been eons since I last wrote. (About 11 months to be exact.)

Looking back and reflecting how this space has grew - from a "news feed" to keep friends and love ones updated about my life overseas, to a "scrap piece of paper" to vomit all my emo thoughts; it's a pity to see that today, I have difficulty finding relevance in this space, given that I have lesser subjects and time in my current phase of life.

Yet every once in a while, I'd "draft" something in my head, while going to work or driving home from Hyeyoung's, and "save it" amongst my memories, as if a virtual space exists inside my brain that allows me to retrieve the draft as easily as this platform. It's a weird thing to do, almost no difference as speaking to myself.

Once again today, as I was running around my neighborhood (in an attempt to cure my chronic tension headaches), I started "drafting" and so I decided to finally sit down and spill it all out. :)

...

Come this 29th is our 2nd anniversary. It's a great milestone for us because we have finally transited into a new phase in life, i.e. building the foundation for our career. 2 years ago, we met at the final moments of the previous phase, the studying phase.

We dated in small cosy cafes with skinny lattes, flat whites and gorgeous cakes, took strolls amongst the university grounds in the cool Aussie breeze, and best of all, spent a great deal of time cooking and rolling around at a place we've come to call home. I miss shopping grocery together at Supabarn, doing our laundry across several floors (simply because we always had a big load), taking a stroll to and from Fenner Hall or along the shores of Manly Beach during our Sydney getaways, and of course, our inaugural trip to Byron Bay. One of my fondest image was us being mesmerized by a sky FULL of stars under the lighthouse at Cape Byron, after a degustation meal at a two chef hat restaurant.

Such precious and beautiful memories... :)

This is not say that time spent back in Singapore wasn't memorable I guess since we're still here, we're still in the midst of completing this "part" of our memories and when the time comes, whenever and whatever that may be, we will again look back and cherish our time here.

There is no better entry to restart this blog than to shout out to say how great the journey with Hyeyoung has been. Undoubtedly, the future is still very uncertain for us but I think we know, that our hearts are certain, and that's good enough. For now, we just need to take baby steps to solidify this foundation we've built whilst unraveling the future together, hand in hand. But still, thank you Hyeyoung for everything. You have been great in so many different ways. I can't decide if I wish time will past slowly so that I can enjoy each moment we spend together, to for the clock to spin faster so that time will quickly unravel what our future will be... Guess at the very least, you know how I truly feel. :)

(Great. Now that I'd spilled my heart out, let me think of what else to write in the card I'm going to give to Hyeyoung!)

Time just flew us by

2010-11-03T17:01:00.001+11:00

Something inside today drew me to the website which I'd always used to count the number of days Hyeyoung and I have been together and guess what? I found out that we'd been together for

*drumroll*

f.o.u.r h.u.n.d.r.e.d d.a.y.s!

Amazing how time flies isn't it? This time last year, we were probably just finished camping at the arts library for our final assignments and had just started mugging for exams... Gosh thinking about it just makes me miss our time at Academie House. (I'm so jealous of the future tenants as not only the old elevators will be refurbished but UniLodge is taking over the ownership of the place. Not more inefficient S.H.A.!)

Well, Hyeyoung and I didn't had any celebration of sorts because I am going to have dinner with my CEO. How cool is that? I really appreciate his effort for speaking to each of us individually and for taking time out to have a meal with all of us. Like what I'd said to my colleagues, "it says a lot about the organization". :) It's really heartening to know that your CEO makes the effort to get to know you not just as a staff of his firm but as an individual, who you truly are and what you represent.

Anyway, Hyeyoung and I are going to have the house to ourselves this weekend. I can't wait! ^^; We're going to turn it upside down!!

The stark contrast between two lands

2010-11-01T16:24:00.007+11:00

Families were reunited over the weekend, albeit briefly for two hours, as almost a hundred North Koreans sat down with some 400 South Koreans at Mount Geumgang Resort. From The New York Times to The Straits Times to vernacular media in Korea, reports carry how the participants prepared and more importantly, felt about meeting their long-lost family members. While some might think that I'm dramatizing the event into a tear-jerking movie from what is merely an routine political activity, I can’t help but think of the feeling of the participants involved. Political agendas aside, whoever created the concept of such reunions should be highly praised for breaking down geo-political barriers and reiterating the fact that all Koreans on the entire peninsular are brothers. After all, countries/nations are simply social constructs aren’t they?

I’m not expert on inter-Korea relations, and while I know that such reunions, having conducted countless of times before, are not a novelty, it is still heartening to read that families were being reunited. Even if you doubt both governments’ decision to conduct such an event, the tens of thousands of Koreans in the waiting list, the efforts behind the preparation (eg. recording clips of family members who can’t attend the reunion, bringing of extra clothes and money, etc.), and the tears of joy are no doubt very real. Imagine meeting someone whom you last saw was 50 years ago when you played together in the backyard or were walking back from school.

And so it was very ironic and of course, disappointing, when things were not as rosy domestically over last weekend, especially when we were trying to celebrate my mom’s birthday. A major rift was created and a permanent divide was drawn. I learned that it's impossible for the involved parties to ever have a normal relationship(s) and there is no longer any love. We are only together because we were bound by society's definition of us as a nucleus, hence the responsibility to do so. I shan’t share much of the unhappy event on public domain but by writing this, I hope to remind myself (and to anybody who happens to chance upon this) that loving your partner, your kids, or any other family member should be selfless. If not, don't even bother because everything would be pointless.

More importantly, I feel utterly sorry to Hyeyoung - that she has to bear these flaws which are beyond my control. I cannot change what I'm born with but I hope, when given a chance to have a future together, I can have a go at making sure nobody has to go through what I'd gone through. Simply because nobody deserved to, especially if I had chosen to bring them into this world.

For now, I shall leave you with images of the reunion. Maybe one day we all can learn to love each other like how they had, despite being physically apart from each other for decades.

Another milestone...

2010-10-07T02:22:00.004+11:00

Reading about how MM Lee gave not one but two kisses to bid farewell to his beloved wife simply broke my heart - for I can just imagine how much he loves her.

Growing up as a rebellious teenager, I hated him and his political party. Nonetheless when he visited ANU during my second year there, I was the only willing student who not only spoke publicly to Straits Times in full support of what he has done for my country, but also defended him against the Australian's accusation of him being an authoritarian. Politics aside, having being spoken to him personally enable me to visualize how he gave those parting kisses as I too, has received his sincerity and kindness before.

MM Lee gave his wife two parting kisses because he simply can't bear to let her go. Imagine that grieve in his heart. I guess if I have to be in his shoes because I think I'd have definitely done the same. For some reason, his love for her resonates within me and it is with this very feeling inside that I write this entry...

.
.
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Not too long ago, Hyeyoung and I celebrated our first year anniversary. It was simple but eventful celebration to mark a very important milestone in our relationship. Friends around us would know that although it's only been a year but we had to overcome many obstacles to be where we are today.

Hyeyoung took a leap of faith to fly straight to Singapore with me after graduation and I decided to forgo Honors to look after her in Singapore. She finished her first proper internship and after five tiring rounds of interview, finally landed herself a job in Singapore while I was fortunate enough not to have difficulties landing my first job, it was tough finding a second one when I decided the first one wasn't quite what I was looking for. Meanwhile, both of us had to get accustomed to life without Academie House, a life with many more responsibilities.

Till today, we sometimes still struggle with this transition. At times I would be very annoyed, irritated and frustrated with all that is going around me but Hyeyoung never failed to be supportive and encouraging. This is especially so in the past few months as I struggle to find peace, satisfaction and passion with my career - something which I had been looking forward to carve while as a student, only to realize that life truly is never a bed of roses.

We had a really good time when we celebrated our anniversary - having very fulfilling meals at Shangri-La's The Rose Veranda and Stella@1-Altitude, tasting (and finishing) that long-awaited champagne, having an endless view of Singapore from 1-Altitude, and even impromptu puffs along Singapore River as we sampled beer at Red Dot Brewery. But it's never about the expensive dining venues with polished silverware with limited edition vintage champagne isn't it? It's about sending that one consistent message "I love you" through whatever you are doing. Amidst all the fanciful stuff, I'm not sure if I'd really expressed my gratitude and love enough because I know, deep inside my heart, Hyeyoung has really given me a lot and the past 365 days with her has been unforgettable.

Looking back, I don't think I've spent so much time with an individual who's not a family member of mine. Apart from the first few months of our relationship when we were busy writing our final essays and preparing for the final exams of our university lives, we practically spend most of our waking hours next to each other. "It's amazing we're not sick/bored of each other," Hyeyoung said in the car one day as we were reminiscing about the past and the upcoming anniversary. I agree. It really is amazing how we managed to do it.

I always say that, "We can never choose who we want to fall in love with" and I'm so thankful that God has given me the chance to love a girl so sweet and great as Hyeyoung. Seriously, I don't think any girl would have sewed a pencil case from scratch for me, simply because she knows I'm fussy and she can't seem to find the ideal case for me. "I enjoyed every stitch thinking of you. Hope you like it and it made your day." How can I not feel so indebted to a girl like Hyeyoung?

So Hyeyoung, thank you very much for everything all these while. It's impossible to write so much in a card so here it is, written on my very own space in cyberspace. I feel very blessed to be love by you and everyday, you continue to bring joy into my life so thank you. Thank you for being such a wonderful gift from God, for being so sweet and supportive, for being my soulmate. It's really amazing how everything comes together. Sometimes I still I can't believe the girl whom I did not even breath a word to, yet had left such a deep impression when I attended my first Japan Club Annual General Meeting, would one day be my girlfriend. Nor can I believe when I went for the first Japan Club's movie screening, the girl who had appeared suddenly at the registration counter with food and excitedly asking everybody to eat, would one day be a girl I had grew to love so much.

Well, I'm not sure what kind of challenges the various tomorrows might bring but just as I know in my heart that you'd be there for me, I'd be there for you too. :)

Now that's what I call service!

2010-09-03T10:07:00.002+10:00

Brought Hyeyoung to 鳥焼たか to celebrate our 11th month anniversary last Friday and this cute and sincere card was waiting for us...

A little background on 鳥焼たか:

Back when Hyeyoung was away in Korea, I brought Qing there for round 2 to spend some quality sibling time together. (Round 1 was at ちくわ亭, where I tried 沢蟹 for the first time.) The head waitress made a mistake with my order - instead of serving a serving of their sets, they served us two servings instead. She was kind enough to waive off the charge of the second set but the 焼き鳥 was so awesome that I declined the offer. In the end she waived off all the alcohol charges (3 glasses of 焼酎). Not only that, when we left, she walked us out of the restaurant and bidded goodbye to us with the words, "Sorry for the mistake, please come back again and I will introduce more so 焼酎 to you next time". And yes, she's Japanese. :)

So tell me, after being pampered like that, how can I not return?

And so last Friday, I did. Service was once again impeccable. The lead Japanese waitress was very busy (due to the fact that everybody else there was Japanese) and so she did not our main server. But even when she did, like how she personally spoke to the head chef for us regarding our special request, I felt that (reasonable) requests will always be fulfilled. The other two Filipino staff were very knowledgeable and helpful too - the lady with our alcohol selection and the gentleman with our food. When we left, both the led Japanese waitress and the male Filipino waiter sent us off and bowed till we disappear down the escalator.

Amazing right? What's amazing is that I have yet to touch on the highlight of the place - 焼き鳥! I can't remember which set Hyeyoung and I had that night but everything was awesome. Imagine... Neither of us ate BBQ corn on the cob but much to our own amazement, we ate our corn that evening. It was a pity Hyeyoung couldn't try their 豆腐 'tho. Qing and I loved it for it was so dense with soy. Unforgettable taste I tell you... Hyeyoung and my favorite for that night was the 和牛 - which totally melts in your mouth (and maybe the "お茶漬け" which was not strictly お茶漬け because the soup was not お茶 but chicken soup from our starter).

Oh well, Hyeyoung and I will definitely go back again and hopefully next time, I'd write more about the food instead. :)

Mission accomplished: Staying up till 3am was worth the effort!

2010-08-21T15:30:00.001+10:00

According to the itinerary, Hyeyoung's flight has just took off and is now en route to Singapore. So in slightly more than 6 hours, she would touch down at Changi, where I would be waiting ~~with a lion- and dragon-dance troop~~ patiently.

It's been 40 days since I last touch her face and I have waited faaar tooo looong for these 960 hours to pass! So to welcome her back and to celebrate our reunion, instead of appearing with flowers (no offense Li Shing!), I've decided to made a little something for a change:

(It's supposed to be a surprise and given that she's now in the air, there's absolutely no way she could see this post before tasting the actual product.)

Looks good?

*Ahem...*

DAMN RIGHT YOU ARE!!

It's the most concentrated Tiramisu I've ever tasted. If you've complained about how weak the coffee or Kahlua in commerical Tiramisus are, then this will make you fail the breathalyzer test.

Of course not, I'm just exaggerating.

Precisely because it's not 10/10, I think there's a lot of room for improvement. For example, not to soak the "lady fingers" for too long next time if not the coffee/Kahlua would be oozing out excitedly (as shown above). And another pointer is to figure a way to lift a slice off the entire cake without ruining it like what I'd done to the far end corner of this slice. You should see how many slices I have ruined while trying to get this slice out for a photo.

Nonetheless, this Tiramisu wouldn't have been possible if not for the recipes, advices and ingredients from Amelia and Pam. So thank you both! Really appreciated the help. :)

Now I just hope the surprise would work. I've prepared a special glass of Tiramisu just for her. Initially I was thinking of bringing the glass to the airport and serve it to her as I drive home but I don't think that will work because I really need to keep it refrigerated. HOW?! I need to think of a way to surprise her...

Think Ernest, THINK!

Waiting like as if it's our first date

2010-08-16T22:48:00.002+10:00

Do you still remember how you had to prepare yourself for your first date?

Some of us might discuss the possible scenarios with close friends - "what should I have for dinner so that I can fill my stomach and yet not look like a pig to my date?" or "should I kiss her when I send her home?" Then on the big day itself, we fret over what to wear, what perfume to use and perhaps even a mental note on the a list of topics to inject into the conversations should it turn stale, quiet and awkward. Final checklist may include ensuring the tables are reserved at the right restaurant for the right day and time, and that you have a few post-dinner options depending on her mood...

Tell me I've got it right because this is how I'm feeling now.

Hyeyoung is due to arrive in 5 days and as time slowly luges forward, I can't help but feel like I'm preparing for a major date with her. The only difference now is that there's no dinner, no movies, and no wine bar to chill but simply to wait patiently for her arrival at the right belt, at the right time.

Such a simple and defined moment and yet my mind has been visualizing that moment for the past 3,452,394 seconds, playing it over and over, and over, and over again. The reason, I guess, is simple:

I CAN'T WAIT, PERIOD.

But. (Yes, there's always a 'but' to the other side of the story.) But I know time is never enough for Hyeyoung, especially when she's having great fun spending time with her family. Korea is her home and it should be. For that reason, as much as I feel like jumping out of my skin and just run to the airport now, I cannot deny her of her time in Korea. And so I try to leave her out of my countdown, because it's counting down to saying goodbyes for her and the last thing anybody wants is to see his love one tearing at the airport. So to Hyeyoung I say:

"Treasure your time in Korea and know that it's not 'goodbye' but 'see you later' for we will soon be back again I'm sure."

Just another lazy Sunday

2010-08-15T18:06:00.003+10:00

This is my 2nd attempt making 김밥 (Kimbap). The first was back in Canberra when Hyeyoung was away in Sydney, hanging out with her bestie.There's more ingredients this time but I think I still need to improve on my rolling. It's damn difficult to roll it right! Cutting the roll comes in second in terms of difficulty. Apart from constantly being at war, I think there's another reason know why East Asia is known for its sharp knives...

Food aside, this week marks my second week at work. Everybody, especially those who are aware of the "am-pee-eh" saga has been asking me how's my new job. In terms of job responsibilities and scope, there's a lot of learning to do - from the mundane media monitoring in the mornings to the very exciting strategizing pitches for new businesses. Job nature is awesome because there's a lot of communication between colleagues as well as external partners. The company's small and (most of) my colleagues are around my age so I think there's some kind of energy in the entire team. It's also very comforting to know that everybody's always ready to help and teach me. To sum it up, I'm sure I didn't jump from the boiling pot into the fire, which was my biggest fear. :)

So the next challenge is balancing work and life. I'm starting to like my job and I'm very in love with Hyeyoung. I've gotta learn how to balance both of them well. (Not to mention I'm thinking of teaching a class of creative writing on Saturday.) Luckily Hyeyoung has always been very supportive, telling me that work comes first but knowing me, it's so difficult to ignore my love and concentrate on work. But I guess that's something I have to learn!

Speaking of Hyeyoung, she's coming back in SIX DAYS!! Thus far, we've been apart for 35 days but thanks to technology, we'd managed to stay in contact through numerous SMS, emails, Google Chat and Skype sessions. Singapore Post has also been a very helpful support by sending my love over to her. :) I think in absence of being physically together, we have definitely grown stronger as a couple, as a team. Hopefully next week won't be as busy as the past two weeks and then I can squeeze some squash/tennis sessions in-between so that I can keep myself in shape for her arrival.

Transitional feelings...

2010-07-31T14:25:00.008+10:00

Leaving "am-pee-eh" was more emotional than I'd thought.

Given my disappointment in the organization and hatred/disgust for certain individuals within it, I walked out the doors of the 19th Floor with a heavy heart filled with a sense of extreme pity - pity that I had to leave a job that was so aligned to my academic interests. Over a course of three days, different people came over to speak to me. Some offered their best wishes while some offered their wisdom in dealing with people and career progression. Oh yes, there was even a surprise for me in the fridge, which I felt a bit cheated when I realized that it wasn't food. Indeed, there's no doubt that nice people exists everywhere.

One must know that such a departure is not one I'd envisioned. I'd always thought I would leave the place in complete ruins, walking away nonchalantly in the aftermath of my wrath being unleashed. Think Ernest walking away (in slow-mo) from a sea of flames with screams of poor souls wailing for a second chance. Guess it's always different in reality.

When I left on Friday, I actually felt like crying. God knows why. (Apart from me bring the usual emo me, that is.) And so secretly, I'm quite glad/relief that I left with no animosity and even though it wasn't a happy ending, it wasn't a ugly one either. :)

Tomorrow is going to be a brand new beginning, as once again, I try to crave something out and make it my career. I've only been to the office once and met 2 of the... (Hmmm... I don't even know how many staff they have!!) ... staff, the Managing Director who interviewed me and another girl who administered my test. So as you can see, I have no idea what kind of place it is. Since the firm's quite small, I really hope/wish/pray that people are nice and are willing to teach/share/nurture me while the job scope is dynamic enough to keep me interested. Is that too much to ask?

So I pray... That once again, God will grant me the faith, wisdom, courage, perseverance and strength for tomorrow and more importantly, the career switch. Meanwhile, if I keep writing, then you'd know that things aren't that bad as before. :)

A surprise from four thousand six hundred and thirty-two point nine kilometers away...

2010-07-27T16:21:00.000+10:00

Received this in the mailbox yesterday.

It's a card from Hyeyoung and enclosed in it is a cute little gift to mark our 300th Day Anniversary. (So cute right??)

Ever since she's away, I've been busy with an assortment of things - from meeting up with friends to planning for our One Year Anniversary (in September) to getting ready for my new job (which I will elaborate more in another entry). Oh, and doing research on which mooncake to buy for her family. And so in the midst of everything, I'd cleanly forgotten that 26th July was our 300th Day together.

So thanks Hyeyoung, for not just remembering such small details of our relationship, but also for celebrating it with me even though you are more than 4,600km away from me. 사랑해!!

The lessons behind winning the Golden Ticket

2010-07-27T16:15:00.003+10:00

If stories are reflections of the realities of life, then for once, Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was more than a fantasy story merely for kids, as I now understood how Charlie felt after winning the Golden Ticket.

My story began roughly 3 months ago in late April when I was notified about my eligibility to win the Golden Ticket and subsequently, to work for the Chocolate Factory. Now, nobody rejects such an offer right?

(I meant to write in full details about my entire experience but in retrospective, I think it's better to leave it vague.)

Surprisingly enough, I managed to win the Golden Ticket, a chance to possibly work for the Chocolate Factory and over a span of two months, I went through 7 rounds of elimination. Like how the kids were brought to different rooms as if to eliminate/weed out the undeserving Golden Ticket holders, I was put through 7 rounds of elimination, in which I spoke to staff in India, Japan, San Francisco and of course, in Singapore. And similar to how the kids learned about the different technology behind Willy Wonka's various chocolate products, I too, learned more about the Chocolate Factory and more importantly, myself.

Beyond that 7 rounds of elimination, was a journey of self-discovery for me as I learned about my strengths and weaknesses. Whatever I did and stood for was put to the ultimate test and as I was grilled, I found out that no matter how good I can smoke my way through, my weaknesses can never be covered up with motherhood statements. You really need to know your shit.

And so in the end, no surprisingly, I was not selected to work for the Chocolate Factory. I had a fairly good job offer anyway and this was just a bonus. I'd read online that some people detest the long elimination process but like many things in life, I think it's all about perception and in this case, since I got to learn more about so many things, from the inner workings of the Chocolate Factory to intimate details of my weaknesses, I think I've definitely gained more than the amount of time I'd lost. Not to mention a new level of confidence from surviving all 7 rounds of elimination. :) At the very least, I did get a very cool souvenir to show off:

Reflections on Cheonan

2010-05-20T20:46:00.004+10:00

This photo of a crying mother, hugging her late-son's photo struck me as I was reading an article on Cheonan. Sporting the sterotypical 아줌마 (Ajumma) hairstyle, she represents the remaining 45 moms who similarly, had lost their sons in the incident. I can feel her pain as her wrinkled hands stroked the photo frame...

I'd written on the subject of peace before and once again, life is teaching me yet another important lesson on peace.

Majoring a Security Studies, I'd always said that chaos is good because it provides jobs for people like me. I take it all back now. When I first read about the sinking of Cheonan on 26 March, the immediate thought that came to my mind was, "The two Koreas CANNOT and MUST NOT go to war for this." I thought about the deep underground stations of Seoul's subway system, how they were built as shelters for the civilians and the scene of them being packed with families who'd fled their home for safety. I thought about the soldiers I'd seen at DMZ (demilitarized zone) near the 38th parallel. Most importantly, I thought about Hyeyoung's family.

I visited the DMZ 2 years ago in 2008 as a tourist, thinking how cool it is to visit a place which may no longer exist in the future but in retrospective, I was foolish to go with such a mindset. The DMZ is, if I may, perhaps one important element that's upholding peace in the Korean peninsular. Hyeyoung was amazed when Kaiming drove her across the causeway to have supper. When she related her experience to her dad, he was even more amazed at it. Needless to say, driving across an international boundry to wash your car, fill it up with petrol and have supper is not something Koreans do.

Here in Singapore, we always say that we train to fight a war that will never come and as such, we take peace for granted. Apart from some of our grandparents who'd been through the Japanese Occupation, most of us never knew what it was like to worry about any form of natural disaster, much less an imminent war. I don't claim to be like John Lennon and advocate for peace but I just hope we don't take it for granted. And it's not just about inter-nation peace but even inter-personal peace as well. (I prefer to term the latter as love but for the purpose of this entry, let's just stick to it.)

Yet simultaneously, as a realist, I believe in retaliation as well. (No, I'm not contradicting myself. If I said revenge, then I'd be, but not retaliation.) For the 46 lives lost in the sinking of Cheonan, South Korea must of course respond. War or any form of armed response is definitely not an option, given that tens of million of lives are at stake and that it should always, always, be the final option. As an advocate of Bellum iustum, this is what I truly believe. I hope the Blue House will find an appropriate response to this incident and for the sake of the millions in the Korean Penisular (South and North alike), I pray that peace will prevail.

The end of a dark chapter is near

2010-05-19T00:50:00.004+10:00

*exhales*
*coughs*

Yes. This blog ain't dead, yet.

Despite having my Sunshine beside me, my life had been engulfed by dark clouds over the past few months. Those close enough would know why. As much as I believe that my blog is my personal space online and I am free to express myself, I shall restrain myself from revealing too much, for I fear, that should the seal be broken, it would be too late to prevent the wrath I will subsequently unleash.

More importantly, Hyeyoung said something some time ago which rings till today. She said, "Why have you stopped writing? I miss your entries. They make me feel like a star." Hahaha!! How cute is that?! For that reason, I shall attempt to get back into the habit of writing.

I shall not attempt to back-log everything on what I'd not written as too many things have happened thus far (not to mention the numerous good food we'd tried in Singapore). Instead, I shall write as though I was merely away for a while (in some cave without internet) and resume my writings as per normal. Nonetheless, here are some updates:

1. This is Hyeyoung's 4th month in Singapore and amongst the many things she'd adapted is the ability to order "Kopi O Kosong Peng" at the kopitiam near my place. Isn't she a darl?

2. We are celebrating our 8th month anniversary this month. We were so busy that 200th day came and went without us realizing. 1/2 year anniversary was spent at a (rather reasonably priced) French restaurant, complete with a tiny as a surprise, served on a dessert plate. ;)

3. Together, we've tried many different restaurants (including those I'd never been to) and had identified a few favorite haunts in Singapore. The list is still growing and it doesn't seem like we'd be able to finish everything soon. One of our accomplishment, I think, is to bring mom out for breakfast on Mother's Day.

4. We're doing a mixture of long walks (to Kovan usually), swimming (though most of the time is spent in the jacuzzi) and possibly tennis. Hopefully, we'd be able to settle down on a regular exercising routine soon.

5. Attempts to cook hasn't really worked. My kitchen is quite ill-equipped and it isn't as cosy as the one I had at Academie House, which Hyeyoung and I miss terribly. I wish we can cook more often. So far, Hyeyoung cooked 보쌈 (Bossam) once, I made breakfast (rice + heart-shaped fried egg + 생선구이 (Grilled fish) + Kimchi) once on Hyeyoung's birthday, and we probably cooked 라면 (Ramyeon) two or three times. Wish we have a nicer kitchen and more time to cook something nice to cheer ourselves up.

6. I've started learning 한글 (Hangul)! It's a natural progression and a matter of time I pick it up I suppose. We decided that it is indeed easier to learn from Japanese so Hyeyoung bought me a book from 紀伊國屋 (Kinokuniya). I can read all the characters now. Writing is still tricky but I know more common phrases and some basic vocabulary now. :D Next step, to buy a workbook of sorts to practice. Just pure memorizing/reading to myself repeatedly on the train is not very helpful.

Alrighty, that should set some foundation and save me from having to give some background information for future entries. For now, sleep beckons.

If my oven could express itself...

2010-01-22T09:26:00.004+11:00

... It would be grinning with delight for it has truly fulfilled its role as a trusty little oven.

Not too long ago, Hyeyoung and I decided to bake. It wasn't a new idea as we did toy around with the idea before, but like plans, we just never got do to it.

But about a week ago, on impulse, we decided that we should bake. The original idea was to do a cheesecake and after looking at a few recipes, we decided on Oreo Cheesecake. :)

Boy, it sure was fun!

I searched for the recipes, she decide which one to use. We shopped for the ingredients. She gives me instructs to make the Oreo base. She pours the various ingredients in while I mix them (with an electric mixer of course!). And finally, we put it in the oven and waited...

And waited...

And waited...

After several hours, the final product was ready!

Behold! Our Oreo Cheesecake. :)

You'd watched so many movies and see couples playing in the kitchen as they bake/cook. Then you wonder to yourself if it happens in real life. Well, baking with Hyeyoung has been a dream come true. I'd never baked a cake before in my entire life and it was so much fun - planning what to bake and shopping for the ingredients, the nervous anticipation to see if the cake was a success, and the ultimate satisfaction when you take the first bite. Hopefully, we'd have more chances to bake back in Singapore. Meanwhile, I need to loose these calories I'd just gained!

Spinach and ricotta ravioli in bolognese sauce

2010-01-12T11:11:00.004+11:00

Homemade ravioli accompanied by 2002 Chateau Cormeil-figeac, what an excellent way to start the week! =)

The day Tilley's was closed.

2010-01-10T11:21:00.000+11:00

"Why don't we eat out for breakfast?" I suggested. After all, it's Saturday and I want to break the monotony of having breakfast at home.

"Yeah sure," Hyeyoung replied. "But where?"

"Tilley's?"

So and we got dressed for breakfast at Tilley's, which was supposed to be awesome.

But we have no idea...

After 40 minutes of bus ride, we realized that ~~stupid~~ Tilley's was closed (till the 15th). Annoyed, frustrated and irritated by that fact, Hyeyoung and I decided to walk to Dickson (through a previously unknown shortcut) where we had lunch at Au Lac. Au Lac never fail to disappoint and it sure cheered us up a little as we experimented with two dishes we had never tried.

After lunch we indulged in one of our favorite pastimes (here in Canberra), grocery shopping. :) It was a spur of a moment decision and we decided to do some baking that afternoon. After all, we've been wanting to bake something with my oven but never got down to it. So here it is, our first baked dessert:

Pecan Brownie Fudge!!^^ Trust me, it is sinfully delicious! If not for my expanding waistline, I'd definitely ~~gobble~~ finish everything in one sitting.

And for dinner, we had:

Roast pork with greens. There's salad on the side but I forgot to take photos of it.

It sure is nice to have a lovely and creative chef as your girlfriend. Plus it's so much fun to spend time in the kitchen with her. Man, I'm so going to miss such days when we're in Singapore.

2010 - A new begining...

2010-01-04T17:54:00.002+11:00

*swoosh!*

*bang!*

And that was how 2010 started... With Hyeyoung in my arms, We witnessed the most spectacular fireworks we have ever seen in Sydney (along with probably at least a million other strangers).

No thanks to my amature-ish camera skills, all attempts to capture the breathtaking fireworks failed miserably and thank God for the video-recording function in my DeeNinety. But I guess the best moments will always be in our memories - like how excited Hyeyoung was when she saw the fireworks, how beautiful some of the fireworks were, how nice her hair was despite being under the sun for 8 hours straight, etc. You get the idea. That's right, it was my first time seeing Sydney's world famous fireworks live and it was truly unforgettable.

So thanks to Hyeyoung (since it was her suggestion to do this), 2010 started with a bang (literally!). :D

In retrospective, 2009 was a good year. After a semester's break from university, I came back with a vengeance and achieved what I aimed to achieve, straight distinctions. With that, I was able to secure the Summer Scholarship and, offers for Honors program. Meanwhile, I made a few good friends whom I think might just be friends for life. Amidst those friends, I found a lover, a companion and a partner. She made my 2009 complete. Without her, my final year as an undergraduate student would be in total black and white, buried under books most of the time. But she brought so much color into my life (this blog is a testimony of that) and for that, I'm very, very appreciative and thankful for her and her love.

2010 will be a brand new beginning for me as I have decided to reject my Honors offer (as many of my friends will know) to return to my motherland to kick-start my career (finally!).

There are a two main reasons for doing this and one of which is the huge risk I'd have to take if I were to do Honors here at ANU. It'd be risking not just my precious grades but also risking this relationship as well. After all, those who know me well would know that my performance is so closely connected to the relationship. Being apart is already bad enough for me and any tiny squabble or major argument would have a direct impact on my performance. Honors, unlike an undergraduate degree, should be done with superb flying colors and it would be absolutely pointless if I were to attain anything less than a 2nd Upper. I do not want to risk ending up with either 1. a bad grade for Honors, 2. breaking up with Hyeyoung or worst, 3. having neither Honors or Hyeyoung at the end of 2010.

The second reason is that, it's too heartbreaking for me to see Hyeyoung struggling alone in Singapore trying to establish herself. I want to be there for her, to give her all the support she needs and more importantly, to tell her she's not alone in this fight. Having interned for 3 months in Okayama, I totally understand how difficult it is to establish yourself in a place where you have no friends and no connections. With that in mind, how do you it's possible for me to let her suffer alone in Singapore? Absolutely not. Even if I can gather my family and friends to support her, I don't think anybody can replace me in her heart. More importantly, I want to be there for her, I want to be there when she needs me and, I want to watch her grow.

No doubt it was extremely tough for me to arrive at such a decision and some friends have supported my plan while others have offered their honest and sincere advice. Regardless you're with me or not, I'm glad I have you as my friend. Now that I'm going to be back in Singapore for good, I look forward to catching up with all of you. :)

Finally, my resolution for 2010 is to learn to love my family more (especially the folks), do my best in whatever job I might end up in and be more understanding and caring towards Hyeyoung. Today marks the 14th week that Hyeyoung and I have been together and Thursday will be our 100th Day Anniversary I know not what kind of challenges life might pose for us in the future but I certainly hope and pray that together as a team, we will make it through the storms.

"Happy New Year folks and to my dearest Hyeyoung, Happy 14th Week Anniversary. 사랑해."

Cucumbers & Pickles

2009-11-29T07:25:00.005+11:00

Woke up to this today and it simply sent tears rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably...

Perhaps it's the fact that we have been spending practically almost every minute while we're awake together, our 2 months together felt like 2 years (okay, that's a bit exaggerating), but it definitely felt like we had been together for a long time. Then again, perhaps it's how trying these 2 months had been, all the stress from the various final assignments and exams... But I think we pulled through it well and there's no doubt that it bonded us even closer together.

I believe I can speak for her as well that falling in love with each other had been the most unexpected thing for us. Also, having come from two very different backgrounds meant that we have a lot of things to learn about each other, which of course, requires tremendous amount of mutual understanding. Just last evening we were discussing about how different friends and networks are formed in Singapore and Korea, which no doubt formed the foundation and framework of our attitudes and decisions today. In doing that, we learnt so much from each other and we were able to see things from "the other person's perspective". There were no arguments, no debates, just a standard discussion. Seriously, how cool is that?!

So this has led us to believe that we really clicked very well. Look, she hates cucumbers (it's probably the only ~~vegetable~~ thing she doesn't eat) but eats pickles while I hate pickles (one of the many things I loath to consume) and eats cucumbers. Don't you think that's quite a match? Meanwhile, secretly I believe we kinda like the same colors for clothes, just that I can't wear the colors she likes 'cos I'm too dark... Haha!

I'm leaving for Japan in 5 days (including today) and because my bloody 2.5G iPhone doesn't work in Japan, I think I'm going to die from the lack of contact from her. My Japan trip will be our first mini-test before she returns to Korea for a month and before we part for another 4 months when I come back for Hons (if I get it). It's going to be emotionally tough I think but I have faith that we'd pull though fine and emerge EVEN stronger than before.

So anyway, happy 2nd anniversary Hyeyoung. Thank you for everything and more importantly, for the wonderful surprise this morning.

An unforgettable trip (Day 2)

2009-11-22T08:40:00.012+11:00

(WARNING: ~~FUCKING~~ Very long-winded entry!)

I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that it's post-exams or that we're on a holiday or the bed at Brunswick Heads Chalet is damn comfortable, but both of us had such a good sleep and we got up automatically at 7, feeling extremely refreshed. Sleep has never been this good. :D

To avoid the strong afternoon gusts, we decided to head down to the Main Beach at Byron Bay for an early sunbath instead.

The beach as you can see, it nearly empty and we had almost the entire beach to ourselves. Unfortunately, due to it's slopping nature, Hyeyoung doesn't really like it a lot. After approximately 40 minutes of sun-tanning, we were up and walking along the beach.

That morning was our first stroll on the beach and I don't think I will ever forget it... :)

This might look like the front of a Land Rover but it's actually one of the best and most popular venues in Bryon to have breakfast, Byron Beach Cafe.

Here's how it looks like from the front:

Situated just by the beach, you get not just good food but good view of the beach as well.

Plus because it's so popular, it's good for people watching too. You'd be surprised by the wide variety of the Byron crowd.

For drinks, we had:

Some cranberry drink to share...

A skinny latte for me (Hyeyoung had a long black but I forgot to take a photo of it before she finished it)...

And a banana smoothie with a hint of cinnamon.

Yes. After staying out in the sun for a while, we were freaking thirsty!

Breakfast was:

Eggs benedict (poached eggs, Virginia leg ham with hollandaise sauce + English muffin) for me...

And Hyeyoung had "pumpkin and ricotta hot cakes with poached eggs, rocket and tomato relish"...

They say breakfast is the start of the day and how your day would go depends on it. Well, I say breakfast is the start of a holiday and after such a big and satisfying breakfast, we were definitely fired up for Day Two.

So we walked back to our car and drove up to Cape Byron Lighthouse for the second time. Unlike the night before, where Hyeyoung was scared shitless because of the sheer darkness and all she could hear are the sounds of the gales howling and waves crashing...

... She could now admire the scenery's full grandeur under the bright Australian sun. :) This btw, is NOT Byron Bay's Main Beach but rather, Tallow Beach.

See how happy she is again! Okay, I admit... It's actually partially because she just bought two scoops of ice-cream. Hahaha.

(!) But wait.
Didn't we just had breakfast less than 15 minutes ago?

Anyway, so here you have it, the oh-so-famous Cape Byron Lighthouse.

And as you can see, it's not very big. Jokes aside, I believe it's at least 5 stories tall and its lights were damn powerful. Imagine, I could see the lights even as I was driving back from Bangalow the night before!

With lots of energy and time to kill, we decided to walk down to the tip of this cape, where the huge splashing waves seemed too attractive to give it a miss.

Another shot of the tip, this time, focusing on the rocks at the tip...

Don't you think this shot kind looks like Hawaii? The slope on the right is actually the cliff that the lighthouse sits on. (Note the huge color contrast between the two of us...)

Now, this is Byron Bay's Main Beach. Check out the sea-front houses!

Given that we had such a huge breakfast (and 2 scoops of ice-cream), we weren't hungry and so we wondered around town for a bit finally settling for Fish Head's Fish & Chips.

I'm not very good with Fish & Chips but Hyeyoung thinks that the batter is much better than the one at Manly beach. All I know that this is way too small. The one at Manly is much, much bigger. But, this one comes with tartar sauce, my must-have when I eat Fish & Chips.

Some seafood basket which we shared. Can't really remember what's in it. I know there's 3 pieces of fish, 2 pieces of Calamari, 2 pieces of scallop and 2 pieces of prawn. Nonetheless, I kinda like the crumbs they were fried in. Light and not very oily.

OH! Hyeyoung had a surprise cookie for dessert as we drove back to Brunswick Head to wash up, rest and get ready for the big dinner that night.

Day 2 of our trip happens to be our ~~8th~~ 7th week together (I'd miscalculated previously while on the trip). But more importantly, since it's our graduation trip, we ought to have a nice, big dinner to celebrate our graduation. For that purpose, we decided on Satiate in Bangalow.

This is one of the contributing factors why we decided on the place - it was awarded "One Chef Hat" in the renowned Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards. Moreover, the fact that the lady owner of our accommodation knows about it, only reinforces our decision.

This is sleepy Bangalow. Looks kinda like a cowboy town don't you think?

Satiate is located at the upper story of this shophouse while its sister eatery, Ate, sits at the bottom. Both of them are owned and operated by a lovely couple so it's nice and cosy. Apparently, one of them was trained at Tetsuya's.

Having done my research prior to arrival, I'd already gave instructions to Satiate that we're having the degustation menu. In addition, as a surprise for Hyeyoung, I made arrangements to have champagne served immediately as we arrived (so as to have a toast to OUR graduation) as well as a small selection of hand-made chocolates with a hand-written mini-card.

You should see Hyeyoung's face when the waitress said, "Congratulations" to her as she served Hyeyoung her glass of champagne. That surprised look was simply priceless man. Hahaha. Needless to say, the chocolates and card totally swept her off her feet. I know I sound arrogant here but I think I'm confident enough to say that at least it all took her by surprise, which, after all, was the sole purpose of the set up.

Dinner started with this:
Honestly, I remembered the waitress giving a long and impressive introduction but I just can't remember the name of this dish. :p (It wasn't in the degustation menu so I'm guessing it's complimentary entrée.)

Next up is the actual entrée, cured Kingfish with marinated daikon, Tasmanian wasabi and salmon roe. Unfortunately, it's kinda dim inside Satiate so this is the best I can do. I remember we couldn't really taste the wasabi but the Kingfish and salmon roe was definitely very fresh.

Our first main was Queensland Spanner Crab risotto cooked with buckwheat and shellfish stock. I'd grew to be a big fan of risotto after Hyeyoung cooked her first risotto for me and I really enjoyed this dish. The serving of crab was generous (for such a small portion) and the stock is just so yummy. :)

The second main was braised Bangalow sweet pork belly served with prawn tortellini and jus. Though it's pork belly (again!), it was entirely different from last night's dinner. It's well-cooked but both of us still preferred the one from Orient Express. Sheer pity...

The final main was actually a combination of 2 dishes called, "Sous Vide Veal". The veal's the one in the foreground while the one other is the quail. The medium-rare veal was juicy and tender while the quail tasted surprisingly similar to duck. In fact, one of the drumsticks was cooked in "Duck Confit" style and boy, it was sure DAMN good!

Now, moving on to desserts, is a sweet start with this "Chocolate Pot".

Nothing extraordinary really, just a small SINFUL pot of molten chocolate. After this, we were totally set for deserts!

My first Soufflé. (Okay, maybe I had it before but I seriously can't remember.)

Sitting beside the Soufflé is this "biscuit" with Bangalow blue cheese wedged between 2 crackers. I seldom eat blue cheese but this is amazing stuff I tell you. Unfortunately, I can't remember what on the bottom. Perhaps Hyeyoung might remember?

Our table, tucked away in a small room, separate from the main dining hall. Pity we had to "share" the room with this pair of old, loud and snobbish couple.

This are the two awesome chefs who'd prepared our meals for that memorable evening. The one at the back is co-owner and Tetsuya's-trained Shannon Debreceny. Guess what, he's apparently only 30 years old! How admirable!

And so the we left Satiate in high spirits. Nothing makes Hyeyoung a happier girl than good food, unless you coupled it with another surprise... which is exactly what I did. :D

You see, slightly more than month ago, after confirming this trip, I ordered her graduation gift online and it arrived sooner than expected (like in just 10 days from US, complete with engraving by the hand! Talk about American efficiency!).

So here's the box it came in...

And this is the present. :)

Shan't say what it is but anyway, I gave it to her (together with a card) a the top of Cape Byron and I think as much as it sent her to cloud 9, it totally made my night as well. Months of delicate planning had finally put off and there's no better happiness than to see your love one beaming in joy. Well, I think she definitely deserves it.

So (obviously) we left Cape Byron soon after the surprise and head back for a good night's rest. Day 3 is another big day with her debut visit to Sydney Opera House...

The perks of being a student.

2009-11-21T22:43:00.000+11:00

Although I may be done with my bachelors, I'm still going to remain a student this summer. And while I often complain how I can't wait to start working (mostly because I totally detest assessments of all kinds), I must admit, there are some perks to being a student.

One example would be my upcoming *ahem* ALL-EXPENSES PAID trip to Tokyo in December.

As I'd briefly mentioned, my ex-lecturer for "International Relations in East Asia", Dr Akami has invited me to go to Waseda University to attend a workshop on "Globalization and Social Change" organized by its Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies (GSAPS). I'd be attending it with another ANU researcher, Dr Kobayashi, who's apparently already in Japan at the moment. Dr Kobayashi was previously at NUS so it'd be interesting to speak to her about Singapore and Japan.

The first day will be spent at "The 3rd International Symposium - Regional Integration and Sustainable Development in Asia", while the following two days will be focusing on the actual workshop.

Since maritime security is not only my personal interest but also my Honors thesis, I will be presenting a paper on piracy in Southeast Asia, how multilateral cooperation is essential and useful in curbing it in the region. However, while I might have assisted in ASEAN human rights workshop, I have never participated in one and have no idea about the expectations of it. This is very bimbo-tic but I don't even know what to wear! Hahaha.

Right now, we're finalizing the logistics of the event and hopefully I'd get the flight details soon. That way, I can make the necessary accommodation arrangements in Sydney prior to the trip, as I was thinking of spending 2 nights in Sydney with Hyeyoung before I fly.

The other and perhaps more important thing is that I'm starting my Summer Research this coming Monday. That means for the next 8 weeks, ANU is going to give me extra pocket money! :D

Come to think of it now, I have NO IDEA what time to report on Monday! *Smacks forehead* My supervisor and I didn't even plan anything. All we agreed was, "So I guess I'd see you on the 23rd," and that was it! Guess I should go in at about 9am? Actually, I don't even have a solid research plan right now. Unlike science-base research were experiments can be conducted, we in arts I guess can only read and read. Unless you're at PhD level of course, then you might need to interview people and stuff. But for me, I guess it's just read, highlight, read.

Okay, so that basically sums up my plans for this summer and the reasons why I'm only going back to Singapore on 31st January. Hopefully, all will go well for whatever that's remaining for this year and early next year. :)

An unforgettable trip (Introduction & Day 1)

2009-11-21T10:22:00.009+11:00

Hyeyoung and I planned this trip back in early October, with the pure intention of celebrating our graduation with a simple trip to the beach to indulge in Australia's summer rays. But instead, it was the most exciting and unforgettable trip of my time here.

We did SOOO many things in just over a span of 4 days... From having yummy organic food in a hippy town, to standing next to a waterfall that plunges 104 meters down, to star-gazing at Australia's most Eastern point, to sunbathing at the beach, to savoring the creations of recently awarded one-chef hat restaurant, to watching a renowned Russian conductor leading the Sydney Symphony in telling the story of "Peter and the wolf".

It was truly, a trip worthy of celebrating such an important milestone in our lives.

------------------------------------

The trip started early on the 16th as we departed from Canberra to Sydney Airport in the earliest coach possible, the 4am coach. As if it was some kind of omen, the bus was 30 minutes late (some people apparently missed their flight). Our plane came slightly late as well but nothing really exciting happened while en route to Gold Coast Airport.

The REAL adventure started when I was at the Thrifty counter, at Gold Coast Airport, and realized that I had actually forgotten to bring my fucking driver's license with me.

G.
R.
E.
A.
T!

All the (detailed) planning I'd done for this trip just crumpled in front of my eyes. Suddenly, I felt like the trip had been destroyed by my own carelessness and I feel so responsible. I tried talking to Thrifty's customer service to retrieve some my previous rental records but to no avail. For once, I was lost. My mind was spinning but I couldn't come up with a better plan. There was no plan. Without my driver's license, nothing could be done.

I could tell in Hyeyoung's eyes there was a hint of disappointment but she hid it well. She was very understanding and she did her very best to comfort me. Trust me, there's is no more guilt than to have failed your love one.

Nonetheless, I was able to get a grip of myself and soon we were out of the airport (on a airport transfer mini-bus) and on our way to Brunswick Head, where we were going to stay for two nights.

It was when we arrived that the situation improved.

By a stroke of luck, the female owner of our accommodation was able to find somebody who's willing to rent me a car without my driver's license. In fear of getting the company into trouble, I shan't reveal any more details. You have no idea how relived I was when I heard of that news.

In my mind I thought to myself, "I don't care how much it costs, just get me a damn car! If not, this holiday is ruined!"

So anyway, the lady boss was nice enough to give us a lift there and while waiting for her, Hyeyoung and I took a short walk around Brunswick Head. First off, was definitely, THE BEACH.

The sun was high in the sky but because it was extremely windy that day, it was nearly impossible to be suntanning at the beach. Hence the emptiness of it.

And since Brunswick Head is such a small town, we decided to walk around town and we made a stop at this really healthy and hippy shop for a late lunch...

Hyeyoung's Pumpkin Pie. She was so happy and excited about this organic shop. Somehow, I had a hunch that she'd like such a place...

Vegetable quiche, as yummy as the colors and perfect for someone who doesn't eat a lot of greens (like me!)

Thereafter, we made our way to the car rental shop and after the necessary paper work, we were back on track with our schedule. Immediately, we DROVE to our first destination, Minyon Falls at Nightcap National Park.

To get there, we were traveling on the highlands and the view as you will see, is simply spectacular. The vast greenery accompanied by the calming sea.

"I feel like I'm in a fairly tale," Hyeyoung said as we drove through farms and towering trees that felt almost as though we were heading for our château. Indeed, it didn't feel like I was in Australia and the only thing missing was our horse carriage.

Finally, after approximately 40 minutes of driving, we arrived at our World Heritage-listed destination...

The original plan was to do a 45 minute hike through one of the trails to go to Protester Falls but we found out (to our delight) that we could drive up to not just Minyon Falls (which would normally take 4.5 hours to hike), but the TOP of it as well. So we did.

After walking no more than 5 minutes from the carpark, we were presented with a breath-taking view of the national park.

And just next to it, sits Minyon Falls, trickling gracefully.

Apparently to witness a grander waterfall, you should come here after a rain. Nonetheless, the view plus the fact that you're 104 meters above the national park just makes the entire trip worth it, regardless of the season I'm sure.

Anyway, this is to show how excited and happy Hyeyoung was. Out of pure spontaneity, she decided to climb the roof of the car as a display of her ecstasy.

It might look bright to you but by the time we driving back to Brunswick Head from Minyon Falls, it was already 7-ish. We took a quick shower, got changed and headed to Byron Bay for a nice deserving dinner. It's anybody's guess that by that time, we were famished after such an eventful first day.

While planning for the trip, I read a lot about this restaurant called, Orient Express. Plus, the lady boss seconded the recommendation and so we decided to give it a try.

For entrée, we had this lettuce-wrap thingy (I can't remember the name), with minced meat and some other diced vegetables inside.

Reminds me of P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce wraps and since I'm sure Hyeyoung hasn't tried such a dish before, I thought I might be fun for her to try it.

For mains we ordered the fried snapper with Thai green curry...

And some honey pork belly.

Besides the fact that by the time they were served it was like 9pm and we were starving to death, both dishes were truly delicious. There's nothing special about fried snapper but to top it up with Thai green curry and cherry tomatoes is a totally different story. Meanwhile, the pork belly is just so well made - crispy at the top and juicy at the bottom. The honey sauce too was just so good, even with plain rice.

Another thing worth mentioning at Orient Express is it's special blend of tea. At first taste it would be fairly mild and bland but drank together with the savory food, the tea's flavor gets "released". What is even more amazing is that finally, after the meal, the flavor "changes" again. I don't know much about matching wines but this chameleon tea simply matched every dish we had. It was amazing.

After dinner, we took a small stroll around the town center of Byron Bay and since it was already 10-ish, it was nice and quiet. In fact, we were the last to leave the restaurant that night!

The first day ended with a drive up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse where (I believe) was the most amazing stargazing night ever. The sky was clear and it was literally FILLED with stars. It was so beautiful that I'm sure any girl would say "Yes!" should you propose to her under such a sky. I tried to take shots of the sky but I think my skills was not good enough to unleash my Dee Ninety's ability to take the stars.

And so although the day started with hiccups but in the end, all's well and we were able to have a very, fun and fulfilling first day at Byron Bay. :D Next up, Cape Byron and MORE FOOD!

A perfect start.

2009-11-13T23:34:00.004+11:00

I woke up on Thursday, the day after I finished ALL my fucking exams, to this...

A wonderful breakfast prepared by none other than MY Hyeyoung. I don't mean to get all mushy but seriously, nothing beats waking up from your nightmare to a specially made breakfast (complete with croissants from the best French bakery in town). If there was a perfect start to mark the end of undergraduate life and a start of another (whatever fuck life it is), then this HAS to be it!

Finally... It's all over, THE moment that we've been all waiting for. Yet for some reason, I don't feel any sense of liberation (as my Facebook status said so a few days ago). Am I not supposed to feel relaxed and free? Perhaps it's because now that I'm done with exams, I have even bigger problems to deal with.

Seriously, life is just full of challenges. Sometimes, way too many (at the same time) I think. I don't hate life but I just wish that sometimes (especially now), I can have some breeze and let me just sail gently for a while. Let me sail through calm waters with Hyeyoung so that we can enjoy each other's company a little bit more. Maybe that should be my wish for Christmas this year... That we don't have to face any more rough seas and that the storm can be a bit forgiving for now and let us just sail through peacefully for now. Especially since I know there's a bigger storm up ahead next year.

Anyway, had a very pleasant surprise this morning when I checked my mailbox. My ex-lecturer invited me to go with her to 早稲田 for an all expenses-paid workshop in early December. Damn honored and delighted. Spoke to my Summer Research supervisor and he was very encouraging and supportive. However, because it's my first workshop, I have no idea how to prepare and what to expect. Lost. I need to prepare my presentation topic and a 1-page summary by 18th and the actual paper (complete with handouts) by 24th.

*sobs* I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ON HOLIDAY TILL THE 18TH!!!

Time, which I'd just complained about, is again running out... Hopefully I'd be able to discuss about something I'd written before, something I'm familiar with. If not I think I'd have another "take home exam" soon.

Sigh. I think I don't want to be rich when I grow up. I want to have A LOT of time, A LOT OF FUCKING TIME THAT'S IN MY CONTROL.

Fighting till the end...

2009-11-08T07:13:00.006+11:00

So tomorrow's D-Day, the day I'd been dreading... The first day of exams.

In retrospective, the past weeks have really been extremely stressful. I don't know if I'd ever felt like this before but I felt like I was pushed to my limits. I'm certain that Hyeyoung too, will concur. The stress from deadlines and near-sleepless nights really took a toll on her, me and us. For once, I felt like I was struggling with life, struggling to just keep myself afloat.

But I guess what really helped was not simply my faith in God that He has my best interests at heart, but also the fact that Hyeyoung walked through this treacherous path with me. There's nothing as calming and reassuring as these two important elements and for that, I'm really thankful.

This nightmare will end in 3 days, on Wednesday. Till then, I need to gather up all my strength, both physical and mental, and... ファイト (fight)!

Moving on to a happier note, today is mommy's birthday! :) I haven't been talking to her much this semester and only on a few rare occasions did we have a chat that lasted more than an hour. But still, I know she'd always be there for me whenever I needed her. So thanks mom! You're the best! =)

A trying period

2009-11-02T03:14:00.004+11:00

Finally, I'm done with 作文③. All that's left is to bring it to the print shop later in the morning and then submit it to my teacher. After that, I can concentrate fully on my take home which I can finish by Wednesday and thereafter I can revise for Written and Spoken Japanese.

It's going to be a looong 10 days till the end of everything.

I'd been extremely sensitive and emotional over past few days or perhaps even week and no doubt it has created some tension and stress on our relationship. Thankfully, Hyeyoung has been very patient and as usual, understanding and loving. Without that, I don't think I can get look beyond those dark clouds that had gathered above my head and gaze at the beautiful sunny sky that lies ahead for the both of us. Hyeyoung, if you're reading this, thank you.

Honeymoon period, I think, is over and reality is gradually setting in. We have sooo much in common yet at times we can be sooo different. While the exam stress isn't helping us in ironing out our differences, I'm certain, this is where love comes in, where love will prevail all.

God grant me the strength, wisdom, courage, faith and perseverance to overcome all obstacles that lies ahead for the both of us.

Meanwhile, I must announce that I'm still SOOOOOO in love with her. =)

Ignore this, I'm just talking to myself.

2009-10-25T23:30:00.005+11:00

In by the time the hour passes, I'd be officially in my final week of my undergraduate career. This is regardless of the fact if I get into the hons program or not as even if I did, it'd be more like a semi-graduate program rather than an undergraduate one. Also, most of my friends would really have graduated, leaving no meaning to be an undergraduate. Instead, I should be a loner and concentrate on acing my hons.

But before that, there's this final hurdle I need to cross - the end of semester exams. 1 take home for Security and Strategic Studies and sit downs for Written and Spoken Japanese. It's been months since I last wrote a full essay and I fear that I might not be at my best to tackle the take home. Meanwhile, there's some stress to do well for spoken as I didn't perform up to my expectations for the mid-term. Written is just... SCARY. 1000+ Kanji words to remember and only 1/5 would be tested plus a mini composition component as well. DIESSS!!! And it totally doesn't help that I only have a day of studying in between the two Japanese exams. This means I have to plan my studying week fucking well.

SIGHS...

Luckily, Hyeyoung and I have another date planned this coming week. This time it's to catch Thirst, which was award the Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, at the Canberra Film Festival.

Believe me when I say this is not my idea. Hyeyoung surprised me when she suggested going for the film festival. Perhaps it's the fact that they are screening Korean films but regardless, I'm glad to have found someone who enjoys going to the film festivals. :)

I want to make 汤圆 for Hyeyoung to try as supper but but I'm so tired and a magazine is waiting for me to complete. Argh. Time is never enough!!! :(

Korean curry for a change

2009-10-25T22:04:00.004+11:00

Yesterday it was Hyeyoung's turn to make curry. Needless to say, she did it K-style. Same usual ingredients, except that we made a wrong move and decided to add lamb together with beef. Bad choice. Lamb and Korean/Japanese curry just doesn't go. In an attempt to get rid of the stench, Hyeyoung added more garlic. Unfortunately, the smell was still there. Sigh.

Hyeyoung insisted that we should eat it with Kimchi. (Note to self: iPhone camera is not meant for macro shots!)

In my opinion, Korean curry is extremely similar to their Japanese counterpart (since according to Wikipedia it was introduced from Japan during the 20th century when Korea was annexed to Japan), just that the curry is bolder and definitely not as sweet. No biggie for me since I grew up having Indian and Malay curry but it sure was nice to be exposed to the Korean side of things. Who knew that Korea were eating "Japanese Curry" since more than a 100 years ago?

One thing's for sure though. You MUST have it with Kimchi. Such combination though as weird as it may sound, is in fact, rather complementing.

Our first show, not a movie but a Broadway musical!

2009-10-24T08:21:00.004+11:00

So despite being overwhelmed with assignments, Hyeyoung and I managed to squeeze out some time to catch Avenue Q on its opening day here in Canberra, or as Hyeyoung calls it, "Crapberra".

No photography was allowed but I managed to sneak a shot at the set. I <3 my iPhone!

Just avoid spoiling the fun of those who haven't watch it, I shan't do any form of review of Avenue Q. All I'd say is get ready for tons of laughter, don't concentrate on the puppetry but the songs and acting instead, and a great deal of unexpected fun.

Speaking of unexpected, I just want to make a short note about how unexpected life is. Avenue Q was meant to be THE date which I planned 2 months ago (while I was still woo-ing Hyeyoung) but life being unexpected as it is, turns out that it's a different kind of date last night. Not the one you go while wooing the girl you're interested in, but the one you go with your girlfriend. Needless to say, the latter (with no tension or stress,) is definitely more enjoyable. =)

"This doesn't feel like Canberra," said Hyeyoung as we walked out of the theater. Indeed, and I think it sums things up pretty nicely. You have really changed my Canberra. (Heck, I'm even eating some cereal that has sultanas and apples in it! Something I'd never have done.)

So thank you Hyeyoung, (thank you Avenue Q too,) thank you for making my Canberra a better place. :)

My awesome curry (and meal for the next few days)

2009-10-19T22:58:00.001+11:00

What might look like a plate of rojak is actually my awesome masterpiece, Roasted Pork in Japanese Curry, with a hint of Capsicum.

First you rub some salt on the pork (especially the skin!) and season it in some soy sauce. Then you roast it for like 45 minutes at 225°C (but this varies according to the size of your pork and the capability of your oven).

While roasting, you can prepare the garlic, onions, potatoes and carrots. For potatoes, remember to have some that is fairly thinly sliced so that when they can "blend" easily into the curry to make the curry sauce slightly thicker.

So you pan-fry the onions first, then add the garlic, then potatoes and lastly, carrots. When they are all kinda like a wee bit golden brown (onions are a good gauge), add enough water to just cover everything, not too much though. Then you wait for the water to boil.

Once it starts boiling, add the curry sauce cubes and once you get a good blend of curry, add the chocolate (sparingly!). Too much chocolate would spoil the taste so about 1 or 2 cubes of Cadbury's is usually enough.

I add the capsicums last because I wanted to get the "original" curry flavor right first but I guess if you're confident, you can always add it at the start together with the rest of the vegetables.

By now, the pork should be well roasted. Dice 'em and throw 'em into the curry. Keep stirring occasionally to prevent some "skin" from surfacing. Cook for another 10-15 minutes for the curry to absorb the flavor from the roasted pork.

Serve while it's hot. Or even better, serve it the next day. As Hyeyoung says, overnight curries are the best and I totally agree! :)

(Note to family and friends: Always remember to...
1. Add garlic,
2. Add chocolate,
3. Use 3 cubes of S&B's Golden Curry Mix with 2 cubes S&B's Tasty Curry Sauce Mix.)

Meanwhile, I'm trying to convince myself that it's sooo yummy 'cos it's going to be my lunch and dinner for the next few days. Due to the lack of time and motivation, I think I'm going to have shitty food for the following few weeks. But, but... I will definitely pamper my tummy (and Hyeyoung's) once we're done with the finals.

The end is near / 01 x Graduation ticket needed

2009-10-13T10:47:00.004+11:00

Finally, after a slight detour, the end is near.

I can't wait for this day to come. Unfortunately each graduating student is only given 2 tickets and so I had to ballot for the extra ticket. Maybe Qing can sit on my lap if I don't get the extra ticket? *smirks* I FUCKING NEED THAT EXTRA TICKET!!! It'd be fucking pointless if she doesn't get to attend the ceremony, especially after 9 hours of flight plus 3 hours of driving. (Note: If you're an Asian Studies student who's not attending your graduation ceremony and would love to "donate" your ticket, it'd be greatly appreciated! In fact, I am willing to buy it at a reasonable price as well!)

Sigh... 1 Japanese oral presentation, 1 Japanese composition project, 1 Japanese newspaper assignment, 2 Japanese quizzes more to go... After that it's 1 take home and 2 sit down exams... Oh how I can't wait for this semester to end...

"Why?"

"'cos Hyeyoung and I are going on a mini-graduation trip!" =)

Yet another Sydney trip (Day 2)

2009-10-09T12:46:00.009+11:00

Oh, I forgot to mention that Day 1 ended with a frantic search for one of Hyeyoung's contact lens. But since she was sooo "happy" and I was kinda high, the search was abandoned after 15 minutes.

Day 2 started with resumption of the massive search. 20 minutes later, I was this close to turning the entire room upside down when I decided to check the case again and tah dah...!

The lens was surprisingly inside.

WTF.

Seriously... I have absolutely no idea why the fuck we couldn't find it the night before or why didn't it "appear" when she was putting on the other side in the morning. Fucking weird...

(Okay Kathryn and Jia, stop please reading here or ensure that your stomach is full 'cos it's going to be a list of food photos again.)

Anyway, we had lunch at Ramen Kan with Ihntaek and Jiyeon. I had:

A regular bowl of ミソラーメン(Miso Ramen)...

A small bowl of 海鮮丼 (Kaisen Don)...

A wee bit of Ihntaek's 唐揚げ丼 (Karaage Don)...

1/4 of the オムライス (Omu Rice)...

and, a few mouthfuls of Hyeyoung's and Jiyeon's ramen. Fuck. I was so full that I could hardly walk. Seriously, if you want to go to Ramen Kan, go there during lunch, grab the set meal and trust me, both your tummy and palate will be very satisfied.

The unfortunate thing about this trip was the weather in Sydney. It was so unpredictable. One moment it's bright and sunny, the next moment it's gray and gloomy. Or even worse, rain with crazy wind. So when the sun was out, my dear friends decided to play tourists in Sydney.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Manly Beach. I think it's one of my favorite part of Sydney and if time allows, I would love to bring Qing there when she's in town. The following photos are taken on board the ferry while en route to Manly Beach.

Sydney's Harbor Bridge...

Glimpse of the Australian sun... Possibly my favorite photo from this trip...

The iconic Opera House... (Dark clouds were starting to gather.)

Docking point: Manly Wharf.

When you get to Manly, the number 1 thing you need to do besides going to the beach...

... is to have Fish and Chips!

I can't really describe why I prefer Manly over Bondi but I think it's because it has more to offer than just a beach...

Manly's just lovely isn't it?

All in all it was a fulfilling getaway during this hectic holiday. I got my hair done, tried Soju, met up with Jongyoun and most importantly, spent some quality time with Hyeyoung.

Exams are around the corner and the pressure is starting to build up. After all, it's going to be my FINAL exams as an undergraduate student. Hopefully all will work out fine. Meanwhile, I can't wait to travel again with Hyeyoung. It's been way too much fun. <3

Yet another Sydney trip (Day 1)

2009-10-08T17:12:00.010+11:00

In a sudden (but pleasant) turn of events, I'd received AWESOME (looks at Hyeyoung) news (while I was in Sydney) that I managed to get the SRS in the end.

*BEAMS*

Some kind soul decided to reject the scholarship and I was next in line so I got his/her place instead. Talk about being lucky! I guess perhaps it is possible to have the best of both worlds... =)

...

Sydney with Hyeyoung was lovely. We met up with her long time friend, Jongyoun, whose name is extremely difficult and tricky to pronounce. Hahaha. A slight error in pronunciation would result in me calling her a bitch in Korean. We had Din Tai Feng for lunch and I think HY loves the Xiao Long Bao...

The tray of Xiao Long Bao which I think Hyeyoung finished half, leaving Jongyoun and myself sharing the other half. :(

After lunch was the usual agenda at the usual venue - hair cutting! Met up with the girls after I was done and had bubble tea.

Never knew bubble tea could make you high.

Dinner was at Miliore with 2 of Jongyoun's friends, Sam and Mitch, 2 extremely nice guys.

Had my first taste of 소주 (Soju). Given that it's just a Korean version of Japanese 焼酎 (Shochu), the taste isn't something new. But since I prefer Japanese 焼酎 over Japanese 酒 (Sake), I guess it's not surprising that I fell in love with 소주 at first sip. <3

One highlight of Miliore, free Korean-style 茶碗蒸し (Chawanmushi) called, 계란찜 (Gyeran Jjim).

Can't remember the name of this dish. Somebody help me?

If my memory serves me right, this is Korean-styled 古老肉 called 탕수육 (Tang Su Yuk). Like 古老肉, it's sweet and sour and what's even better is that it's spicy as well! 古老肉 is one of my favorite Canton dish and I think 탕수육 just supersede it.

Mitch, Sam and Jongyoun. It was so funny when Jongyoun kept asking Sam to "open his eyes" to which Sam would reply, "I'm already opening 'em!"

Half way through the dinner, Sam suddenly took out this diary saying that he needs to write something and walked away from the table. It was as though he suddenly had some kind of inspiration for a poem. Fucking funny lah can?

The night ended after 6 bottles of Soju, 6 bottles of beer and another 2 jugs of beer at a bar. Needless to say, everybody was very happy, especially HY. She was... maybe a little too happy. Hahaha... But yeah, it was a good night. It's been a looong time since I drank till I was high and getting high on Soju was definitely enjoyable. Plus with good food and good company, it was the perfect condition to get drunk.

Up next, day 2 of the trip and... MORE FOOD!

Our first week

2009-10-05T22:04:00.005+11:00

Today we made some awesome pancakes with caramelized bananas and frozen yogurt for brunch. (More like breakfast for me and lunch for Hyeyoung actually 'cos I got up late.) Coupled with pipping hot and fresh Lavazza's Caffè espresso, it was the perfect breakfast.

I HEARTS PANCAKES (and bananas)!

Then last Sunday we had our post-中秋节/추석 celebration dinner. Hyeyoung made awesome 잡채 (Japchae). After reading from some Korean Tourism book, that it's originated from Hyeyoung's province, I've been dying to try Japchae. Especially since it's Tang Hoon. I love fried Tang Hoon!

Ihntaek made a variation of 파전 (Pajeon) with fish called 생선전 (Saengseon jeon) and the patty like thingy is 동그랑땡 (Donggeurang ttaeng). Both were very delicious! The patty was a mixture of (if I remember correctly) garlic, ginger, octopus and meat. I should get the recipe from him...

Finally, Jiyeon was THE ~~man~~ girl 'cos she was the booze sponsor. Probably the most crucial element to a party.

I think Annie is right. I need to start trading my Japanese condiments for Korean ones soon... =)

Off to Sydney tomorrow. FINALLY... My haircut!

Happy Friday

2009-10-03T02:15:00.005+10:00

Hyeyoung came over today with a very pleasant surprise - Rooibos tea leaves from T2. She believes that the reason why I have cold feet (literally!) is because of poor blood circulation apparently Rooibos can help alleviate the problem. But I think it doesn't really matter because THE TEA WAS SO TASTY! Before today, I had absolutely no idea of such a type of tea. So it was interesting to hear her explain about Rooibos, it's origins and benefits.

Thereafter, she cooked what is possibly the tastiest dish that was ever made in my house thus far - chicken broccoli risotto. 凄くおいしかった！ Totally took my breath away. Just look at it...

It was really awesome! I love it to bits! Not only was it pleasing to the eyes, it was pleasing to the palate. The difference in the texture of rice, the well-seasoned chicken, the abundance of vegetables (broccoli, carrots and onions) and cheese. Yongmin, if you're reading this, I finally found out what is the name of the cheese we had in NYC. It's Bocconcini. Here is recipe we used but we modified it a little by adding the vegetables, slices of red chilli, boccocini. We didn't use any white wine, neither did we we used lemon, honey and chipotle chili sauce.

I'm damn proud of Hyeyoung for whipping up such a delectable dish. And I'm going to try making it when I'm back in Singapore. :)

While we're at Hyeyoung's cooking, here's the creamy tomato chicken linguine she did on Tuesday.

Yes I know the lighting was horrible. It was awesome 'tho it still couldn't beat the risotto today. Oh and I learnt that it's possible to just slap pesto paste on bread and toast it (which was what we did.)

I guess there is definitely some truth to the saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". =)

A busy weekend

2009-09-28T10:58:00.005+10:00

After a cold, stormy and gloomy weekend, the sun's finally out today! :)

Saturday was a semi-failure.

We went for Nara Candle Festival alright but didn't stay to volunteer. We were waiting for our shift to start but by the weather was simply too harsh. Dark clouds soon cover whatever little sunshine there was and a storm soon ensued. Cold and wet, we decided to pang seh the organizers and came back to my place instead to have 부대찌개 (Budae Jjigae) and 해물파전 (Haemul Pajeon). Nonethless, I did manage to get a few shots of the festival...

Traditional 餅 (Mochi) pounding ceremony (餅搗き) demonstration.

Our friend, Ihntaek, with the ANU 剣道 (Kendo) club's demonstration.

An unexpected Japanese guest, a uber-可愛い柴犬 (Shiba Inu).

Sunday on the other hand, was more fruitful.

Arrived at the Singapore High Commission at around 11:15 and subsequently started my shift at the registration booth. Surprisingly, Sharon was there. It's been a long time since I last saw her and it was quite a pleasant surprise. She introduced me to her hubby as well. Oh I bump into my prospective hons supervisor as well. (He's married to a Singaporean.) Apparently my research proposal for SRS was amongst the final 7 but unfortunately they had only 6 scholarships to give out so I lost out to my competitors in terms of grades. Sigh. But at least to be able to make it to the final round was some kind of consolation I guess. :)

Stayed back after the event to help clear up and was given 40 pieces of frozen prata by Kok Wee. How random! But I was damn grateful that Sharon and her hubby were nice enough to give me a lift back to my place. I have no idea how I'm going to make it back in that shitty weather. I dunno why but I crashed almost immediately after I got back. Sibeh tired lah can! Had dinner with Zhiqi, his friends from Melbourne, Mabel and Mingwei and then they came over to my place for some beer. It was good fun. Pity we all only had a night together. Looking forward to a reunion with Zhiqi + Mabel + Max in Singapore in the future.

Meeting Hyeyoung at 2 to study later. Time to wash up, have lunch and get ready.

Defeat: The Aftermath

2009-09-26T11:03:00.005+10:00

(WARNING: Long entry with emo whining)

Defeat
tr.v. de·feat·ed, de·feat·ing, de·feats
1. To win victory over; beat.
2. To prevent the success of; thwart
3. Law To make void; annul.

n
1. The act of defeating or state of being defeated.
2. Failure to win.
3. A coming to naught; frustration
4. Law The act of making null and void.

After receiving that disappointing email 2 days ago, I'd been trying to console/encourage/motivate myself. But it's tough. Although I know getting the SRS is not everything and it was only meant to be a "bonus", I can't help but feel that without it, I'm not as worthy as a person. Perhaps it's simply the feeling of being rejected or perhaps it's the uncertainty that now shrouds the final outcome of the hons application. I don't know. All I know is that I have to pick myself up again and NOT give up this fight. I have to stop telling myself that I'm not good enough that's why I was rejected. It is exactly this kinda statements that damages your self-confidence/esteem.

Deep inside, I know, I have friends who did hons without the SRS and friends who graduated without hons. And of course I know, that both, while is a good thing to have, does not define me as a person. Of course I fucking know that. But I just don't want it to be an excuse of my failure. I don't want to be one of those people who didn't do well in school and brags, "grades aren't everything". NO. I came here with 2 very clear aims in mind - go on exchange to US and get a hons. No fancy scholarships, no Year-In-Japan Year-In-Japan, no gf, nothing of those sort. Exchange and hons. That's it. That's all I ask of myself. The first target's down and now it's about nailing that second and final one.

LX was right when she said, "there's more opportunities out there." There's still the JSGSS and the Nihongo Summit. If the main dish is simply to get hons, then such stuff are just complimentary side dishes to make the meal a better one. With or without 'em, I'm certain my meal will still be fulfilling. Most importantly, I'd tried. Better to try and fail rather than not trying at all isn't it? :)

Meanwhile, the mid-semester break is finally here. I have about 2 weeks of spare time to gear up for the final 3 weeks and the final exams. 2 weeks of preparation to further secure my target. I must make full use of these 2 weeks. Let's see, finish the final 作文, interview the candidates for the Japanese Oral Presentation, then write the script and design the presentation for the same assignment, start and finish a 3-5 paged paper on 勇気と平和 (Courage & Peace), start revision for WJD and continue the JLPT preparation. Fuck. I need to draw up a plan to make sure I manage this 2 weeks well. If I don't want it to be my last school holiday, then I should better do stuff to ensure it won't be.

Okay. I think I feel better lashing out my feelings online. :) Time to prepare lunch. Having last night's leftovers. Brian and I had a small cookout last night. He cooked stir-fry pork with sliced potatoes in 武汉 (Wuhan) style while I cooked 닭도리탕 (Dakdoritang), spicy chicken and potato stew. Think I'd fry and an egg for lunch as well. Volunteering for Nara Candle Festival later. Winds have been hovering between 40-50 km/h today. I hope it dies down when we start lighting the candles later. Then tomorrow I'm helping out at the Singapore High Commission for Singapore Community Day. Oh, and Zhiqi is coming down from Melbourne today. It'd be good to see him. Haven't seen him since... gosh! Our days at Selarang Camp!

Should be a good weekend. Will be bringing my deeninety along. Watch out for the pics!

Kudos to Getty for providing the image.

My first 歌舞伎 performance

2009-09-24T16:11:00.005+10:00

Attended Haewon's 歌舞伎 (Kabuki) debut last night. Titled 伊勢音頭戀寝刃 (Dancing with the sleeping blade), the play was apparently first acted in 1796 in Osaka. Being my first 歌舞伎 show and having only exposed to 歌舞伎 in 幕末機関説いろはにほへと, I had only a brief idea of what to expect.

The night started with a dance, followed by 2 a skit performances by some Australian college students. The dance seemed 涼みやハルヒ inspired while both skits were comedies. I didn't quite catch the final punchline of the first one while the second one kinda made me go (-_-") at the end. Nonetheless, the students definitely deserve huge credit for not only being able to memorize their lines in Japanese but also putting up a convincing performance as well.

伊勢音頭戀寝刃 on the other hand, totally blew my mind away. Besides the fact that Haewon's the female lead, the other casts put up a superb performance, especially the male lead. The plot is an extremely complex one but in short, it revolves around a prized sword, 青江下坂 (Aoeshimosaka), how it revealed true love and defeated evil.

The male lead (acted by a girl of course) - stunning performance. Hyeyoung and I were in awe at the amount of lines she had to memorize. Even for a Japanese, it was a lot!

A scene with most of the characters. Haewon's the one in orange.

The luckiest dude on Earth with his chio bu. He's the only cast to receive flowers. Wished his character had more development and he had more lines though. I don't think she really allow him to unleash his potential.

Hyeyoung, Haewon and Robert.

And like the opening day of any good performance, there's got to be an after-party, which we did, at my place. :)

Okay, maybe it wasn't exactly the most conventional kind of party. But we had fun. :)

Something random

2009-09-20T13:30:00.004+10:00

"Let's do something crazy!" Haewon said suddenly on Friday.

Okay, considering the fact that he says that almost everyday, it's actually not too much of a surprise. (The last time we played tennis at 2am.) But the problem was, what is "something crazy"?

You see, it was a regular Friday night in (fucking) isolated Canberra. We had just finished dinner with Takahiro, Chikako and Gloria. The girls had work to do so they went back first. So it's just Haewon, Taka and myself. What the fuck could 3 guys do?

"What about climbing Black Mountain?" I suggested.

And after tossing around with other options, we settled for it. Black Mountain it shall be.

Took us 45 mins to get to the top.

Surprisingly, we were the only "animals" around. There were no Kangaroos, no rabbits, nothing! Oh we did hear an owl hoot while on our way down though.

These were taken while we were at the top. There were too much trees to get a good shot of the city.

Here's a shot while we were exploring some beaten track, all in the name of adventure. It was actually quite exciting. Perhaps had we been better equipped, we might have taken the path.

The sky was a weird red when we were descending. The temperature dropped quite suddenly and a thick fog started to gather. Had Taka and Haewon been running, this shot would have looked like something off Resident Evil.

I had to take this shot. It's just so... Evangelion. :D

The night ended with a satisfying supper at Macdees. But it wasn't enough to replenish the lost energy. The fatigue lasted till Saturday. It's been a long time since I slept so much in a day. So yes, for the umpteenth time this week, TIME TO DO FINISH MY ASSIGNMENT!

But I guess what i want to say is, thanks guys. Really. Amidst my roller-coaster emotions and lack of focus, you guys really made my Friday night something to remember.

The closer the end is, the importance of perfection increases

2009-09-17T19:01:00.005+10:00

Perhaps it's because I slept for a mere 4 hours last night or perhaps it's the recent chain of events, but I'm feeling extremely tired. My emotions are like a fucking roller-coaster while my concentration that of a 3 year old kid. Needless to say, I completed nothing recently, and as always, there's a serious need for me to get my ass crackin'.

The timetable for the finals are out. 6th, 9th and 11th of November. The first one's a take home exam so I'm not very worried. Neither is the last one. Rather, it's the one on the 9th that worries me. WJD's the only subject that I haven't been performing consistently well. Not to mention that the final exam is worth 40%, I really, really wonder how should I prepare aptly for it. (The recent defeat by SJ4's mid-term only signifies the importance of early and relevant preparation.)

Also, the results for SRS is due to be released soon. "Offers will be made from mid-September on," the website said. I want it quite badly yet I dare not be too hopeful of it. I check my ANU mail like 9,863,917 times a day, hoping to find a relief for this constant anxiety but to no avail, yet. Meanwhile, I've just submitted the formal application for hons, 1 month ahead of the deadline, hoping that it might trigger some kind of reaction to sway the results of SRS in my favor. After all, it's all to show the administration that I am motivated and keen to embark on my research.

I'm also thinking of applying for this 日本語サミット (Nihongo Summit) program. Unfortunately, I have to prepare a 3-5 page paper on "勇気と平和" (Courage and Peace), in Japanese of course. What a general topic. Well, I have slightly more than a month to prepare so I just might be able to come up with something. For a free trip to Japan next year, why not right?

But for now, a review of 秒速５センチメートル beckons. Gotta make some progress before I go out and have a drink with Eugene later.

Just one of those bad days...

2009-09-15T17:01:00.005+10:00

Woke up this morning from an extremely horrible nightmare - I'd killed someone accidentally and was being chased by the underground gangs as well as the state authorities. In it, I kept running and hiding. I had a friend, an ally with me. But I couldn't seek help from my family nor my sister. It was horrible. I'd never felt so helpless and cornered.

In all honesty I seldom dream, much less encounter any nightmares. As such, maybe it's because of the lack of "practice", I'm easily affected by dreams and today is no exception.

To make it worse, the results for SJ4 had been released and to my (extreme) disappointment, not only did I didn't do as good as how I'd hoped/expected, I was 2.7 points below the median grade. Today's revelation was quite devastating. It totally spoiled my day and I have absolutely no mood to do anything. There was some consoling news though. Just like how I always believe that God is fair, I did get a HD for my research essay. Toooo long have I waited for this HD. I did a small victory dance in my head but not even the HD could savage the day. SJ4's devastating result was simply too overwhelming. It's like the peak of all the unhappy stuff that had happened thus far.

In an attempt to be more cheerful, I shall try to convince myself that not only I have 1 less subject to worry about, but also hons is slightly closer now.

希望を持って、前へ進みましょう！wooo~

Locking on

2009-09-09T13:32:00.005+10:00

Got back my marks for the presentation on SWFs today and looks like hons is still in sight. Final research essay's due on Friday. CCB, I'm so going to make sure I nail this one as well. After all, it's the last assignment for the subject.

Meanwhile, results of SJ4's 中間テスト will only be released next week. 凄く緊張しているね。

The day I broke my anti-instant-noodle record.

2009-09-08T23:18:00.005+10:00

So after keeping off instant noodles for more than a year, I finally broke the restriction and had my first packet earlier this evening. All thanks to Haewon. Perhaps it's my recent craze about all things Korean that made me cave in to his suggestion.

"You MUST try this," he said. "It's very Korean ramen."

I can't remember if I told him about my unbeaten record thus far but I knew I didn't put up a fight to resist it. I should have.

In less than 30 minutes, we were slurping Teumsae Ramen at my place. At first glance, it looks like Shin Ramen. Actually, it even smells like Shin Ramen. The first mouthful I had was actually not bad. That's only because I hadn't drink the soup yet. The soup, omg, was so damn spicy! According to Haewon, apparently this is even spicier than Shin Ramen. But I must say, once your tongue is numb and you get over the spicy-ness, there's actually a very nice taste to it. I won't go into the scientific details of how different parts of your tongue taste the different flavors but ya, there's a nice flavor to the soup. The noodles were okay but the soup left me craving for more. So despite perspiring like today's weather (it was pouring outside earlier), I finished my soup.

Needless to say, my stomach started to act up and churned weirdly. I haven't been to the toilet just yet so I'm guess my stomach can still take the spice.

For those who love spicy ramen, definitely go grab a packet of Teumsae Ramen. Cook with some other ingredients and you'd definitely love it. Or if you're in Korea (in winter), pop by any one of their outlets. I can only imagine it to be piping hot and fucking spicy. Meanwhile, I blame Haewon for breaking my record.

The end is just another beginning.

2009-09-07T13:55:00.003+10:00

Finally, the end is in sight.

What will happen after this is anybody's guess. Job hunting? Honors? Singapore? Japan? US?

All faith and hope has been entrusted unto Him. I can only now hope that He will guide me to a path that is meant for me.

そう、私の道。

その時まで、今頃できるの事は精一杯に頑張ります！

On a irrelevantly-related film

2009-09-05T21:51:00.003+10:00

The past 7 weeks of this semester had been extremely hectic. Everything seems like it's in a huge mess. Weekly quizzes, periodic assignments, mid-semester exams, tons paperwork for various applications, friendships, relationships... EVERYTHING. I'm so tired of chasing deadlines.

So in an effort to change the tempo, I went to Chifley to rent a DVD today. Yet it didn't feel like I was watching a regular movie. The endless rice fields, the architecture of the buildings, the layout of the houses, the schools, the uniforms that the school girls wore, the food that was eaten, the tone of a language I don't understand, the body language of the actors and actresses... All were closely observed so as to understand a little bit more of Hwaseong, a little bit more about her.

The award-winning Memories of Murder wasn't as gruesome, scary nor haunting as how I'd imagined it to be. It was actually, a very factual film that presented the frustrations of the investigators as well as the elusiveness of serial murderer who's still at large. Like most good Asian films, stereotypical Hollywood elements of explosives and sex was left out as the film tells a tale of how the case gradually attached itself onto the investigators' hearts. What started as an opportunity to break a big case, manifested into something that was more than just a case. The investigators were emotionally attached to it. One can only assume that such is normal in a small city like Hwaseong, where ripples of any major incident can easily affect everybody. What more during a chaotic time in Korea where student riots were prevalent and invasion from the North seemed imminent.

I remember my scriptwriting lecturer saying that all good films must be able to connect to the masses, regardless of the theme or storyline. Memories of Murder was such a film. Of course I couldn't relate to police officers and serial murders but seeing how frantically they were trying to break the case seemed to have struck a cord somewhere within me. Yes. It was that desperation of trying to resolve something which connected me to the film. I know that feeling. In fact, I know it quite well.

Oh well, it's time to get my ass crackin'. 3 more weeks before the mid-semester break. One major essay to submit this Friday. Gotta make sure I get at least a D.

Entry in riddle, again.

2009-08-31T03:56:00.003+10:00

Finally...

The anxiety, excitement, stress, pressure and impatience that I'd been carrying during this mission can all be laid to rest. Regardless of the outcome, the end of it meant that there is no longer a need to be in that attack mode. Instead, I have to switch to peace-keeping mode.

But, after putting everything down, I'm feeling so tired. The outcome was positive but yet I am not in high spirits. Perhaps I just need some time to digest everything.

In the words of Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) in Pearl Harbor:

"I was just down at the beach this morning... and I watched the sun rise... and I knew that everything was gonna be different. That this was the start of something new. In this place, in this moment."

August Rush... Literally.

2009-08-29T23:42:00.005+10:00

Have you ever felt like there's something to write but yet you just stare at the screen, watching the blinking cursor?

Today is one such day.

I'd lost count of the number of times I'd opened the drafting page only to stare at it with nothing coming out. There's way to much to say, and yet at the same time, nothing to be said. Oxymoronic isn't it?

It's been such a long time since my last proper entry that I'd actually lost the feel for writing one. I can't remember what it's like to do one. Yet so much has been happening in my life that I should take the time to record every single detail down because I want to look back at this phase in time with fondness.

The last month has been extremely exciting - amidst the constant chasing to meet deadlines, is a sudden burst of socializing. Suddenly, I had a life! This is very different from last semester, whereby I was locked up (most of the time) in my room. I don't feel as focused as last semester and I feel like everything is in a big mess. I don't know if it's because of the structure of this semester or the difference in workload or the simple fact that I've been slacking too much earlier in the semester. I'm very glad that I'd made a new friend and that I'd spent time with other friends and for that, I'm very thankful that God had provided me with such an opportunity. Yet, I still feel some kind of remorse (and disappointment in myself) for not being as focused as last semester or at least as focused as I should have been.

I believe by now, one should be able to feel my dilemma. That's life isn't it? You can never have the best of both worlds.

But balancing friends and school isn't everything that happened last month. Suddenly, I was faced with a new challenge. A challenge which I was previously thankful that I never have to face in the final semester of my university life. But here it is. Right smack in my face. Life truly is unexpected and a complete adventure. I know how I'm going to take up this challenge but what will come out of it, I'm completely clueless.

Perhaps there's a reason why I'm so interested in the upcoming general elections in Japan (besides the fact that the direction of my hons thesis is dependent on it), is that, just like how it might be a historical event for Japan, overcoming this challenge will likely be historical for me as well. FUCKING HISTORICAL.

Anyway, I hate blogging in riddles. I don't feel like I own this blog. I should be able to speak freely but no, I can't. RAWR! Regardless, I will definitely blog again when it's all over, when I can remove this fog of war.

Oh by the way, I submitted the application for the Summer Research Scholarship yesterday night. Results will be out in mid-September. Shall keep my fingers crossed till then.

Now, back to "Sovereign Wealth Funds: A Misconceived Threat to National Security".

I know.

2009-08-13T00:56:00.002+10:00

I seriously need to blog. This place is gathering cobwebs. And I'm not even done with my road trip entries! argh.

Wasted too much time earlier this semester and now I'm feeling the after effects of it. There's too many things to do and too little time.

Stay focused Ernest, you can do it.

Getting a foot in the door

2009-07-28T17:58:00.002+10:00

YES!

Finally, after meeting 3 researchers, I've found a supervisor (the 4th one I'd met within this 2 weeks) for my honors thesis.

Had a chat with Dr Taylor earlier this week on Monday and because maritime issues are not is forte, he kindly referred me to his colleague, Dr Ron Huisken. Being his colleague, Dr Huisken's office was just down the corridor so I decided to pop by and see if he's around. The door is ajar and lights are on but he's no where to be found. Fortunately I'd browsed through SDSC's website previously and thus could remember his face. A little hunt in SDSC subsequently found him in Dr Hugh White (Head of SDSC)'s office. So I waited outside for their meeting to be over before catching Dr Huisken as he walked back to his office.

Back in his office, Dr Huisken listened attentively and keenly as I gave a mini oral-presentation on my proposed honors thesis. When I was done, he uttered the magical sentence, "If you're happy, I'm happy to supervise you for your honors thesis." I couldn't stop grinning. The effort has finally paid off. We chatted about how to narrow down the scope of the thesis and some other random issues. Apparently, he's married to a Singaporean (whom he'd met in Perth) and he had a short stint in intel. Ain't that quite a perfect match?

So what's left now is to seriously draft up something concrete for the actual application. On that note, I believe I'd have to work closely with Dr Huisken to streamline my thoughts into something that's do-able. At the same time, that draft would assist me in my application for the 2009/10 Summer Research Scholarship (SRS). Hopefully, I'd be qualified to do both the SRS and honors. Let's just keep our fingers crossed and wait for the good news for now...

THE road trip (Part 1)

2009-07-23T22:15:00.003+10:00

So 8 days, 3 flights and 4 cars later, I'm done with the road trip. There were a few (mis)adventures but hey, that's why it's so fun to go on a road trip isn't it? 'cos an unexpected mishap can just lead to pleasant surprises and indeed, there were a few on the trip.

The trip started on the 3rd when I took the coach to Sydney.

"Arrive at 7:30 pm, chuck my bags at some counter in the airport, take a train down to city, have a meal at Din Tai Feng at 8:30 pm, wander in the city till 11:30 pm, take the last train back to the airport and catch as much sleep as possible, wake up at 5:00 am and get ready for my flight at 6:00 am." - That WAS the plan. But life as we know, is and never will be perfect.

The first screw up was that I can't leave my bags at the counter because it doesn't open early enough for me to collect my bags for my 6:00 am flight. Great. No way am I bringing everything to the city and have a meal at Din Tai Feng with so many bags. So I decided to rent a car just for a night instead. Not only will I have all my bags with me, I wouldn't have to worry about catching the last bus nor finding a place to sleep since I can sleep in the car. So that went well. I made it to Din Tai Feng before 8:30 pm and wandered on random paths, taking some shots of the city (whilst getting used to taking night shots with the new toy). Finally, I drove back to the airport and attempted to retire for the night in the tiny car. Yes, that's right. IN the car. Not only did I had no need to top up the petrol because I only traveled 24 km, I found a warm place to spend the night! What a good deal renting a car was. The only problem, (and quite a big one it is) is that the car park's too noisy and bright to catch even a wink. Sigh, guess you can never have the best of both worlds...

The real adventure starts on the next day but before that, some photos that were taken that night.

This is exactly what I'd been dreaming about! 小龙包!

They look like they'd just jumped outta an A&F TVC. But I bet they just wanted to show off their erected Aussie nipples to tourists. It was a fucking cold and windy night can?!

For some reason, this shot just reminds of New York. If my memory serves me well, I think there's an iconic building in NYC that is similar to this. But don't put your money on it. I could be wrong.

Next up, the reunification of the ANU buddies...

A surprise text from NYC started this...

2009-07-23T21:19:00.005+10:00

Woah! Had it not been Ms Tsai's reminder, I'd totally forgotten that I'd blogged in the longest of time. (I'd been fairly busy you see.) In fact, I just realized that I didn't even finish my entry about the (uber exciting) road trip I did over the winter holidays. I'd do that once I'm done with this update.

Met the director of my faculty for the first time today to discuss about my honors plan. Apparently, I might just be the first person to do honors in my program! They'd just introduced honors for my program this year. Previously, you'd have to do honors in Asian Studies instead of Security Analysis. But that's besides the point. Oh! And his brother (or was it brother-in-law?) graduated from 岡山大学 (Okayama University), but too is besides the point. The point is, he was very nice and set me up with a researcher, Dr Brendan Taylor, from ANU's Strategic and Defense Studies Centre (SDSC). I'm quite familiar with Dr Taylor (and not the other way around) because he's an expert on North Korea and he'd given a few guest lectures in one of my previous subjects. It'd be interesting to speak to him and see what he has to say about my proposed honors thesis topic.

Actually, I went to look for him earlier today but he wasn't in. That's alright since it provided me with the perfect chance to tour the new Hedley Bull Centre and have a quick lunch there. :) Anyways, I'm going to see him proper next week so I'd get another chance to go to visit what is possibly my next home for the coming year. Oh, if I do get to do honors, I might be able to take a graduate level course from SDSC. How exciting!

Meanwhile, Written Japanese D (WJD) didn't exactly turn out to be THAT difficult as I'd imagined it to be. Sure it's a tough one to nail a distinction (given the fact that I haven't been in touch with a lot of grammar and vocab) but I think I'd be able to pull through this one. After all, WJD IS what I call, "The Final Boss". Spoken Japanese 4 is moving on at a fairly slow pace thus far but judging from the deadlines, I'd have to pick up speed soon. As for Security and Strategic Studies B, I rather not talk about it. The combination of what might just be the two most boring lecturers in the School of Asian Studies is a total dread. I even can't decide which tute to go. Sigh.

Finally, word on the street is that today is Vera's farewell party. I don't exactly feel emo or anything but it just doesn't feel right. The thought that there's no way I'm going to bump into her on the streets is just lonely and makes shopping in Uluberra less exciting. "Exactly what should I look forward to next time when I hit the stores?!" Well, given that I'd probably seriously never ever going to bump into her again, I hope she's happy that she's graduating and I can only sincerely wish her all the best in whatever she so chooses to do.

Now... Time to finish my entry on da Road Trip. :) Watch out for sibeh chio photos taken by my new baby. Hahaha... Oh oh oh, I finally bought a 1TB external hard disk. (It was damn chio and cheap lah!) ~~Punyu2Munyu~~ Baka-Updates here I come!

Retiring FX-8 (Final Part)

2009-07-02T13:41:00.000+10:00

In a less than 3 hours, I'd be embarking on a two-part road trip - first leg covering Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Yamba, and second leg covering Hobart (and the small towns around it) and Strahan. This trip will mark the transition from my trusty FX-8 to D90 and the eventual retirement of FX-8 from full-time photography to back-up photography. As such I think it's only apt that I pay a small tribute to my FX-8.

My FX-8 has served me really, really well. I can still remember buying it at Sim Lim just before coming here for uni. I had been shopping around and was fairly bent on buying a Fuji Finepix S9500. Shopping around the complex, I was hesitant to jump on the S9500 because it ran on AA batteries. Back then, there was a Nikon Coolpix lying somewhere at home but I was slow, had a small screen, ran on AA batteries and had only 3 or 4 megapixels. My bad experience with the Coolpix made me hesitant to purchase another camera that runs on AA batteries. Hence, I shopped around the complex a little more.

I didn't see anything that caught my eye until I spotted the FX-8 in one of the stores on the ground floor. It looked small and compact, had Leica lens which meant good, sharp lens, enough megapixels so that I didn't had to worry about pixelated shots and the price was right. I made my choice and decided against buying the S9500, something which I'd research thoroughly on. I'd never looked back since.

In these 4 years, my FX-8 has accompanied me, my sister and my friends to around the world, including Australia, France, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, United States and Vietnam. Not to even mention the various outings in Singapore as well. I believed it has taken as least 40,000 shots and has never once let me down. Whether it's freezing cold at -5°C on Grandfather Mountains or under the crazy 40°C summer sun, it never once broke down and was always by my side. Even the screen protector that was put on since day 1 is still there! Being a point-and-shoot camera, it has its limitations but it'd served its purpose well, that is capturing the moment for me.

So thank you FX-8 for capturing some of the most precious memories for me. You will not be forgotten. I shall place you next to your successor in the camera bag and hope that you'd inspire it to do the same. =)

A very Singaporean dinner

2009-07-01T23:40:00.005+10:00

Tried out another of Prima Taste's products last night, Sayur Lodeh. WTF is Sayur Lodeh one might ask. I too was unfamiliar with the term. I'd bought premix only because I saw the front image of the dish and thought that I recognized it. Well, apparently it's just vegetable curry that we can get from either a Nasi Padang stall or part of another dish called Lontong.

And like most of Prima Taste's premixes, it was extremely easy to cook, tasted very much like the real thing but, the portion was too small. Yes, that's one thing I dislike about their premixes, the small portion. Nonetheless, Brian, my chinese friend, enjoyed the dish (and the Sambal) so that was good. We had longan with grass jelly for deserts afterwards. It was a very Singaporean dinner indeed.

Still, that doesn't satisfy my craving for Tau Sar Piah. Perhaps dinner tomorrow at Din Tai Feng might make me forget about the craving...

A rude stranger

2009-06-30T00:47:00.003+10:00

So today... I received a email informing me that someone left a comment on one of my post. So this random stranger left an extremely rude comment on my post.

Like what the fuck is, "shut up lah.. u fucking singaporean, go and eat ur favourite chicken rice and be happy.."?! Geez, being online doesn't mean you don't need manners right?

So I decided to hunt this rude stranger down. Apparently, ~~he/she~~ it is accessing my blog from Melbourne, using Microsoft NT and uses Firefox to surf the Internet. Here's the juicy part. It apparently was googling for "kanna sai". Ha! What kind of loser googles for "kanna sai"? So highly likely, deducing from the fact that this asshole was searching for "kanna sai", chances are it is either a Malaysian or Singaporean. That makes it worse cause I'm even more disgusted by now.

But it's okay. I've got it's IP address. If it tries anything funny again, I'd make sure it gets it. RAWR!

Retiring FX-8 (Part 2)

2009-06-29T12:03:00.006+10:00

今日は新人生が生まれました。ほら...！

そして、新しのカメラを使って、学校のへんで写真を取りました。

俺のニコンD９０が大好き！

Photography 101

2009-06-28T05:10:00.002+10:00

It's convenient when two of your interests coincide and in my case, Japanese and Photography. Learnt about 暈け today. Ken Rockwell provides a better explanation here. I think it's about time to invest in some magazines or books...

Meanwhile, I just found out that the result for my take-home essay is out. At least now I have one less subject to worry about. Keeping my fingers crossed till the 6th. I think I'd check my results on the 7th at Brisbane airport. That way I can ensure at least the first leg of the road trip wouldn't be affected.

Retiring FX-8 (Part 1)

2009-06-27T17:46:00.002+10:00

Looks like my new toy might just arrive in time!

Comfort food

2009-06-26T21:37:00.004+10:00

I brought Ivan and Cheryl to my secret Thai hunt in Belconnen yesterday and boy, it was the most comforting dinner I had after the exams. There's this 家的感觉 with the dishes there that is so comforting...

Then the day before, I brought Kathryn to Tilley's for dinner and cakes. It was our super overdue dinner that we were supposed to have but thanks to school, neither of us had time to go out and sit down for a proper dinner. Anyway, it was good. Not as yummy as Thai food but the deserts there totally made up for it.

It was dimly lit so don't mind the over-exposed shots.

Next few days will be home-cooked food 'cos I have to finish all my rubbish before I embark on my road trip. Sian.

Useful scrap piece of paper

2009-06-25T23:59:00.004+10:00

I know it's oxymoronic but never doubt the usefulness of scrap papers. A single scrap piece of paper can...

... Save your ass when you're lost in Paramatta and have absolutely no clue how to get onto Hume highway or...

... Tell you when that cute Japanese stylist is working. :)

Now which paper did I jot down my travel details on?

すっぽかされました

2009-06-24T11:31:00.007+10:00

Any idiot would know that driving when you're deprived of sleep is dangerous, but I had to stubbornly push the limit and test it out. We were supposed to depart for Sydney at 4:30 am on Sunday and we did, just that I didn't have enough sleep. Mommy called at 12 am and we chatted till 1:30 am. After which, James called and I finally went to bed at 2 am. How champion of me. It was more like a power nap rather than sleep.

So I got up at 4 am to get ready and stuff, and we departed fairly promptly at 4:30 am. The good thing about driving so early in the morning was that I could speed. At certain stretches, I went as fast as 150km/h. On the other hand, the bad thing is the danger of driving in the dark. Yes you could switch to high-beam but traveling at 110-120km/h is still too fast to react to any animals on the road. By God's grace (and perhaps Piscesean intuition), I changed lane randomly and avoided hitting a full-grown Kangaroo which was standing on the original lane I was traveling.

In any case, we arrived at Sydney airport earlier than anticipated but it was of no use as Zhen's flight was delayed for 5 fucking hours.

Given the current flu pandemic, we donned our uber cool, 浦原喜助's bucket hat-inspired face masks as a prevention. Boy, did we attract a lot of attention with that.

After leaving the airport, I drove straight into the city where we are going to have breakfast and get our hair done. Breakfast was at 朱妈妈台湾小吃 in Chinatown and it was only so-so. Initially I wanted to have 蚵仔麵線 but to my dismay, they don't have it on the menu. It was only much later when Kathryn told me that the owner is no longer a Taiwanese but a "Ah Tiong" that I realized why they might not have 蚵仔麵線. Anyway, I had the beef tendon noodles (which was rather appetizing) and a bowl of warm soy milk instead.

Cutting my hair is next on my itinerary and I'd made an appointment at DJ's the night before. I wanted to change a stylist so I didn't ask for anybody in particular. So randomly, I had one of the partners to cut my hair but Brian was even luckier, he had a chio bu Japanese girl. Seriously, how is it possible that the world is fair? Pui!

Everything was "so far so good" ('cept for barely missing the Kangaroo and not getting a chio Japanese stylist) but things took a turn when Yuka texted me and said she wasn't able to meet me after all. Ultimate pang seh man! Needless to say, I was damn disappointed... So while Brian and his friend hung out, I went window shopping alone. But okay lah, I bought cupcakes for Kathryn, Cheryl and Brian from The Cupcake Bakery which was awesome!

See how pretty they are!

Fortunately, Brian and his friend were nice enough to save me from my tragedy and we went karaoke, which was fun. After karaoke, we had dinner at Ramen Kan which was something I have been dreaming about.

I had the ねぎ豚骨ラーメン (Negi Tonkotsu Ramen), Brian had カツカーレーラース (Katsu Curry Rice) while his friend had 鶏カッラゲラーメン (Chicken Karagge Ramen) and finally we shared a plate of オムラース (Omu-Rice). We were so full after the meal lah can? And it doesn't help that I had to drive on a full stomach because that made me even sleepier!

Arrived in Canberra at 11:30 pm and after distributing the cupcakes, I finally slept at about 2 am. Sibeh shack but nonetheless, 1 more satisfying trip to Sydney added to the belt! :)

A semester without instant noodles

2009-06-20T13:47:00.003+10:00

Phew. Finally done with 1 semester (and one without a single packet of instant noodles mind you!)

The final exams weren't a breeze and there's a sense of uncertainty about 'em. For some reason, I rather have more time to polish 'em up rather than finishing my semester earlier than most people. Hopefully my fairly consistent results during the semester will be able to withstand the exams' impact and hold the average up.

I'm doing 4 loads of laundry (including my sheets), my room's waiting to be vacuumed, the toilet needs to be cleaned and the kitchen needs some mopping too. So you see, as much as I get my own privacy, I have to do all the chores myself. Argh, the pros and cons of living in a studio.

On another note, I'd be going to Sydney tomorrow for a day trip. Plan is to drop Zhen off at the airport, then go cut hair, then go pick Yuka up from her place. Zhen bought face masks for the both of us. It's so funny how he's so scared of contracting swine flu.

Ok. Hungersss...! Lunch, which is last night's 麻婆豆腐 beckons. (Btw, I totally swear by this brand. Get it and try to believe it!)

The importance of...

2009-06-15T12:28:00.002+10:00

... ~~being earnest~~ Child-safe furniture.

Was still in bed when the alarm (in my phone) went off. The phone's lying on my side desk and when I tossed/turned over to turn it off, I bumped my temple into the corner of the side desk. What a wake up call it was.

CCB. DAMN FUCKING PAIN CAN?!

This is yet another reason why child-safe furniture can sometimes save an adult's life.

Now where is that Zam-Buk...?

.
.
.

Fuck. I forgot to bring it. How great!

One of the random videos that Youtube suggested for me...

2009-06-13T03:42:00.005+10:00

Apparently I'm still awake despite submitting the take home 4 hours ago. I think it's the adrenaline rush that's keeping my eyes open. Was watching some anime concert at Saitama until I saw this...

Behold! the randomness of Youtube and pervert-ness (is there such a word?) of Japan!

Ok lah, I have to say some of the were quite pretty... :x

One down, 2 more to go.

2009-06-12T18:03:00.004+10:00

The first battle was horrible. 2 hours to write 2 responses was simply not enough. By the time I'm done with the first, I'm left with 30 minutes. Argh. I hope whatever effort I'd put in was enough to secure my distinction.

Meanwhile, the second battle (i.e. the take home one) is due in 6 hours. Once again, I can only hope for the best.

But there's always rainbow after the rain and I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow. :)

Fight! Fight! Fight!

On a lighter note... 山本岬のこと．．．恋しました！＾＾

Ponytail-ed, 2 November 1985, Scorpio... WAH. Seriously, there could be some hope felt in this world after all! =)

You know you're a geek when...

2009-06-09T03:41:00.006+10:00

You stay up to read CNET's live coverage of WWDC because you can't be there to see the much speculated launch of Apple's latest iPhone.

It's 10:40 Pacific Daylights Time and the iPhone 3GS (or so it has been rumored to be named) has yet to be launched. The new and cheaper Macbook pro and air, Safari 4, Quicktime, and Snow Leopard had been discussed but just not the iPhone. Not even the iPhone OS 3.0 has been discussed. Omg, I'm so excited!!!

But...

Sleep beckons and a very important day awaits for me tomorrow. Can't wait to see the new iPhone!

edit: This site is even better than CNET's. It provides an auto-updating live coverage of the event!

始まるぞう！

2009-06-03T10:23:00.002+10:00

The final battle is starting soon... I can feel it.

By tonight or latest tomorrow afternoon, the requirements of my first exam, a take-home one, would be announced. My ZBL days will be over soon.

Godspeed Ernest. May you emerge victoriously.

Rare find

2009-06-02T16:12:00.002+10:00

The problem with having 5034 songs in your iTunes is that you probably didn't listened to all of them. But that also means you might find rare gems like the one I found today...

"一定是我不夠好
所以你才想要逃 逃到天涯或海角
躲在別人的懷抱 你能不能不管過的好不好
不要故意躲開不讓我知道"

The tune's a bit cheesy but the lyrics strikes it home man. TOTALLY. Sigh.

*Goes run*

Back on track after a LONG cold turkey treatment

2009-05-31T17:47:00.004+10:00

Sometimes, I feel like I had been on some drug for the past 3 years, and it feels weird now that I'm getting my life back on track...

What a drug "L O V E" was. It felt shittier than a hangover, being high on pot or having a bloody nose after a night of sniffing cocaine. But, I guess the worst thing is that sometimes, just sometimes, like a regular smoker who hadn't smoked for a while, you'd feel like falling back into that "comfort zone".

Looking back at this semester, (not to boast) but I do think I'd progressed really well from being a emo nemo to a fairly diligent student. I do my readings, go to my classes, do my tutorials on time, pay attention in class, participate as much in class, try to forge a relationship with my lecturers and tutors, do my essays early, finish 'em on time, sleep early when I have nothing to do, cook my dinners. Yeah, I can say I've been a good boy.

But just when I think I'm over the drug, something happened when James and I went to the preview of the Country Road sale today...

E: Argh. The entire world's probably going to be there.
J: Really?
E: Yes, the store will be flocked with students...
J: ...
E: And I bet my neighbors would be there as well.
J: ...
(Both of us walked into the store)
E: OMG. That's Chloe. (Waves and smiles) Quick this way. Vera's probably here too.
J: Are you sure? (Gets pulled by Ernest)
E: Highly likely. OMFG. She's really here. (Frantically tries to calm himself down while pretending to be natural.)
Meanwhile, James went missing. Leaving Ernest to deal with this crisis alone. :( *sobs*

Yes I admit, my heart did beat faster and all and the only thing that I can think of when I saw her was how perfect she still is and how impossible it is for anyone to beat that benchmark. Ok, I need to stop. I'm rambling.

Funny thing is, I don't feel emotional at all. There's the "oh-save-me-'cos-I'm-falling-in-love-again" feeling but there's no sense of sadness, reject, disappointment. There's more excitement than that dreaded "heart-sinking" feeling.

喜欢你的脸像天使那么动人
用微笑遮盖心中所有泪痕
我看到你孤单自己平衡
你让我心痛心疼

WHEN WILL I MEET ANOTHER GIRL WHO CAN MAKE MY HEART BEAT THIS WAY?!

p.s. maybe one day I will declassify that final email I'd written to her while I was in North Carolina, that final proclamation of my feelings for her when I realized that the very emotion that's swallowing me, is the very emotion that keeps me alive - my love for her. One day... That one fine day when I'd be numb to all this... ... ...

One fine day...

2009-05-31T03:58:00.002+10:00

For now, I will just let the pictures do the talking for me...

A dedication to a good friend...

2009-05-31T02:05:00.002+10:00

In less than 12 hours, a good friend of mine will be getting married and I'm so happy and excited for her.

On paper, we've known each other since we were 7 but I think we really got to know each other better in secondary school. I mean, after all, we're both part of CGLC. So having grown up with her, seeing her go through the different relationships, I am definitely very happy for her that (in the eyes of the law at least) she's found THE man to spend the rest of her life with. I mean, of course she'd found THE man like YEARS ago already since they were already dating and stuff... But yeah, you get my point.

Having said that, because I'm not rich enough and I really want to be back to celebrate this joyous occasion with her, I really want to announce my best-est wishes for her here.

So (once again) Denise, congrats on finding THE man, and for making that leap of faith to walk the rest of your journey with him. I look forward to seeing all the photos and when I get my ass back, I'd tease the 2 of you like siao. Hahahaha... But I guess by the time you read this, the ceremony would have been done and the 2 of you are already legally a couple. So here's a pat on your back for a job well done. I know it's been tough "micro-managing" and tying up all the loose ends but, now that it's over, I hope you'd take the time to sit down with Alwin, and appreciate that fateful moments of your ROM. 'cos really... I think it's such a special moment... And I think it's that special moment that serves as a gentle reminder to tell you how much you love him (esp at times when it going gets tough).

Finally, like what I'd said, I'm extremely jealous and so please keep a look out for pony-tailed girls for me ok Denise? Ha. *hugs*

The end is near...

2009-05-27T22:25:00.003+10:00

Okay. I admit. The last post was lame. My bad...

Tomorrow's my Japanese presentation and the deadline for a pre-recorded composition, titled 「私と日本」(I & Japan). Ahhh...!!! I can't wait for tomorrow to be over. Because by 5pm tomorrow, I'd be free!!! Yay! No more assignments! All that's left will be exams.

Meanwhile, I'm very tempted to go on a one day trip to Sydney and visit 優加ちゃん & gang. But I guess I'd be a good boy, prepare well for my exams and wait till everything's over first...

I'm quite worried for the presentation tomorrow because I have to try and memorize my script and boy, it's not that easy! It's a group presentation and we're going to talk about renting a place in Japan so there's plenty of technical terms involved. I, of all characters, had to be the Japanese real estate agent. I'm honored to be entrusted with such a important and difficult role but man... It's so difficult!

Episode 7 of 初恋無限 is out. I think it should be my 2nd favorite anime after K-On! for spring's season. For a guy who's 1) too busy to be dating, 2) in a place where there's no targets, these anime are probably the best to the real thing... Ha. I is O-T-A-K-U.

My mystery girl... I think I'm too free / School and finding a gf don't go together

2009-05-20T01:56:00.006+10:00

There's this girl in uni that I keep bumping into. My photographic memory tells me that I first met her 2 or 3 days after touching down in Canberra. I was walking in uni and I happen to "spot" her. For some reason, she simply stood out from the crowd. Subsequently, I saw her again during one of my visits to the International Education Office and learnt that she carries an Indonesian passport. Note that we are totally strangers then. I would continue to see her a few times in school and then one fine day, she pops up at a bible study group which I used to go. Now we must remember that I never mix religion and women. So for some reason I don't wanna disclose, I stopped going to the bible study group. Needless to say, I didn't see her for a while too. Then I went to Sydney for a short trip. Guess what? I saw her in downtown Sydney too! Thereafter, I would see her every now and then at different places. The most recent one was today, at Chifley library.

Now, there's a few thoughts on my mind. One, there's this guy who's always beside her. Rumors has it that they're a couple but I never see them holding hands or doing anything couple-ly. Some more she's listed herself as single on Facebook. Hmmm... So who IS this guy? Two, SHOULD I ASK HER OUT? 'nuff said. Oh wait. That guy's status is listed as complicated.

Ok.
Screw it.
End of story.

Yes I will fight for what I want, only when I'm damn certain of it. And provided life gives me the right opportunity too. For now, let's concentrate on the final assignments and exams ya?

p.s. I Just want my hons... Don't matter if I don't have a gf! GIVE ME MY HONS!

What's left for this semester...

2009-05-18T13:42:00.003+10:00

And that's all for just ONE freaking essay... knn... 2,500 words only some more! :(

Let's see, I have...

1 tutorial to moderate (this Wednesday)
1 research paper on Maritime Security in Southeast Asia (this Friday)
1 presentation on renting a house in Japan (next Thursday)
1 pod cast on Japan and myself (the following Thursday)

then...

1 take home exam (12 June)
2 sit down exams (12 and 17 June)

... and I'm DONE with this semester! Yay!

Btw, I made Meatball Pasta yesterday with meatballs from Woollys... If I do enough research, maybe I can replicate Ikea's Swedish Meatballs hor?

Chilling out in

2009-05-14T02:41:00.005+10:00

After more than 2 years, I revisited Julep Lounge for the second time earlier tonight with James. Apparently they no longer have a full kitchen, hence gone is their wonderful dégustation menu. Yet it was still as lovely a place to chill as ever and they're cocktails, something which they're renowned for, are still as yummy.

I had a Champagne Julep...

... a concoction of fresh mint with sugar, sparkling wine, vodka and Chambord. I wanted something similar to a Mojito and it was a good alternative. James on the other hand, wanted something sour so I ordered Twisted Sister, also a Julep invention, for him. Made from Amaretto, orange blossom water, mandarins, fresh lemon juice and sugar, it was indeed fairly sour but James apparently liked it.

Earlier I brought James to Tilleys as he wanted somewhere cosy. It too, was still as charming. Man... The good 'ol times with Rus, Gil, Husien and... hmmm... did Amelia go there with us too?

Well, gotta visit these places more often! Oh did I mention that cocktails are $10 all day on Wednesdays at Julep Lounge?

History repeating itself...

2009-05-10T21:08:00.002+10:00

Despite having started on my essay like way back in March, I'm still working on it AND IT'S FUCKING DUE TOMORROW!

Sigh...

And the pressure to do well is really swelling up. BUT... I shall persevere and hang on till the end and I will emerge from this fight victoriously.

Dear God, grant me the strength, courage, wisdom, faith and perseverance to sail through this stormy sea...

Satisfying my craving...

2009-05-06T20:29:00.005+10:00

Yay! Today's キムチ炒飯 (Kimchi fried rice) was a success!

Initially, I wanted to follow this recipe from Yahoo! Japan but in the end, I borrowed the principles and made my own, complete with pork belly, waxed sausages and lots of fried garlic! (I used like 4 huge cloves!) Not only fried garlic is extremely tasty in fried rice, (something which I'd learnt from the numerous visits to 鉄板焼き restaurants,) its anti-carcinogenic and anti-oxidant properties makes it a very healthy choice as well. Needless to say, I removed the top most layer of fat from the pork belly (i.e. the skin) as well. Now... How should I improve it? Any suggestions?

Love-hate relationship with...

2009-05-05T00:08:00.004+10:00

... My essay! Argh. I'm STILL lost and so not confident about it.

Meanwhile, I visited James' lab over the weekend and for the first time in my life, I saw a tobacco plant.

This is the cabinet which housed the tobacco plants...

These two are tobacco plants. The lighting's not very good because the strips of florescent tubes were screwing iPhone's aperture in the dark lab. It's amazing how harmless they looked... Heh.

Anyway, now I have a clearer idea how Poison Ivy came about.

Stuck.

2009-05-02T12:28:00.002+10:00

My International Relations in Northeast Asia essay is due in 2 weeks and despite having composed an outline, I feel stuck. The question:

"Why did Meiji Japan pursue to become an empire and what alternative choices were available for Japan between 1868 and 1912?"

As this is a international relations course, I'm supposed to approach this question from an international relations/foreign policy perspective. Or at least that's what my lecturer says. However, I understand that domestic issues and policies do contribute to the formation of foreign policies. On that note, I've broken the essay into 3 main parts - domestic issues, foreign influences and alternatives. One of my concern lies in allocating 1/3 of the essay to domestic issues. Would she think that's unnecessary for an international relations essay? But you don't need to be a fulbright scholar to know that one of the reasons that propelled Japan to expand was it's lack and need of natural resources at home. We all learnt that in our history textbooks didn't we? I guess all I have to do is to relate how domestic issues can contribute to the formulation foreign policies and my ass should be covered.

Then comes the "alternatives" section of the essay. The logical permutations are usually, +1, 0 and -1 which is usually represented as yes, status quo and no. In this case, to be an empire, not to be an empire/nation-state and the alliance of Japan and China. Does that make sense? A Sino-Japanese alliance as the direct opposite of an empire, whereby one works bilaterally while the other works unilaterally. Hmmm... Ok, seems logical to me...

I'm just rambling here to straighten out my thoughts. Now it's done, it's time to GET BACK TO RESEARCH/WRITING!

アナタは、恋をしたこと、ありますか？

2009-04-29T01:39:00.003+10:00

Finally... I took down the photos of Vera and I from the notice board. About time, it's been more than 3 years. Looking back, I think I'd come a long way, recovering slowly, taking 1 small step at a time. But at least today I can say I'm definitely more ready to fall in love again. :)

懐かしの記憶

2009-04-28T21:15:00.006+10:00

I seriously don't think I can ever be a teacher... For the simple reason that I'm so attached to my students!

優加ちゃん (Yuka) replied my message today, 2 days late. Still, I was very happy to hear from her. It feels just like how it was in Japan - how we would text each other (pretty) furiously.

From her messages, it does seem like her English has improved. For that, I'm very proud of her. Just as how the 3 months in Japan really helped me in improving my Japanese, I hope this year here in Sydney would do the same (if not more) for them.

Meanwhile, I tried this today, with major modifications of course.

I'm very surprised to find how tasty chicken seasoned with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano and black pepper is. Also, how yummy baked eggplant that's slightly soaked with olive oil taste. I think I just broke the code in cooking eggplants today. :)

This coming month is going to be extremely busy - deadlines for my papers as well as preparations for 2 Japanese oral presentations (one solo and the other, a team of 3). I'm hoping that I'd be able to go to the Kokoda Foundation's Young Strategic Leaders' Congress at the end of this month. It's probably one of the main motivations for me to finish up my work in time to go. And if I do, I might pop by Sydney for a while since I'm going to rent a car to get there. This is because the congress is held at ANU's Coastal Campus Kioloa. Besides the contents of the congress, it's a perfect opportunity/excuse to visit ANU's Coastal Campus. Something which I doubt I'd ever do.

Having said all that, I think it's time for me to hit the books!

It's all coming back to me now...

2009-04-27T01:30:00.003+10:00

Met up with the girls from 学芸館 (Gakugeikan) last night. They were on a school trip and made a trip down to canberra for ANZAC day. So I went over to YHA, where they're staying, and caught up with them. Thanks to 佳奈子ちゃん (Kanako) for giving me the heads up on their arrival.

優加ちゃん(Yuka), 萌ちゃん(Moe), 麻帆ちゃん (Asaho) and gang were all so surprised to see me. I hope it was a pleasant surprise for them though. And so we chatted for a bit, just like how we use to in Japan. I'm glad there's still some chemistry between 優加ちゃん and I though it was kinda awkward between 麻帆ちゃん and me. But seeing 麻帆ちゃん really made me feel so guilty for my actions then in Japan - I shouldn't have been so harsh on a young girl like her. ~~Or maybe Japanese girls just make my heart go all tofu-soft.~~

Anyway, I'm so happy to see all of them. I spoke to their teacher-in-charge for a bit and learnt that they're all doing well so I'm very glad and happy for them. I really hope they'd make the best out of this opportunity.

Yep, so here are the absolutely adorable girls of 学芸館:

Here's hoping that I can see them again in July when I pop by Sydney.

"Lest we forget..."

2009-04-25T06:40:00.004+10:00

94 years ago, on this very day, some 2,000 brave, young men of ANZAC (Australia & New Zealand) landed on the beaches of Gallipoli. Thus began the treacherous campaign against the Turks which lasted 9 months and killed more than 10,000 ANZAC troops. For their bravery, mateship, and sacrifice, Australia commemorates 25th April as ANZAC Day - a day that celebrates not just that very spirit and to acknowledge the service of ANZAC veterans but also to recognize the service that personnel from all services contributes to present-day nation building, especially those who had served Australia in times of war.

I'd Just returned from the ANZAC Day dawn service at the Australian War Memorial. Ceremonially speaking, ANZAC day starts at 5:30 am, which was the approximate time the Gallipoli campaign began, with the dawn service. According to ABC, this year's ceremony was attended by "tens of thousands". There was indeed a lot of people but I had absolutely no idea it was THAT many. No wonder the guy beside me commented, "You don't even see that many people at a game in Canberra." Amongst the crowd was Kevin Rudd. Another thing I'd not expect as he was at the National Ceremony (which starts at 10:15 am) last year.

The dawn service was an extremely solemn ceremony - flags flew at half-mast, servicemen and women attended in their ceremonial attire, floodlights were switched off, "candle" torches were "lit", heads bowed and the occasional sobbing could be heard. Somewhere in the midst of the service, I saw the wife of the guy beside me taking out pieces of tissue. I've heard various people spoken about the price of peace, from the ex-United States Secretary of Defense, William Perry to ex-Iranian President, H.E. Dr Seyed Mohammad Khatami to ex-tutor of Kim II-Sung and Kim Jung-II, Dr Kim Hyun-Sik, to 森健太廊's (Mori Kentaro) mother-in-law, a witness of World War II. Listening to personal accounts required my imagination but attending today's dawn service allowed me to witness yet another facet to the meaning of "the price of peace". As a student majoring in security studies, I find that extremely important. Especially if I were to go into a relevant line of work... It's really "lest we forget"...

Zzzz... I'm going to bed now. If I still have energy, then perhaps I might return to the Australian War Memorial and lay a poppy on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier.

p.s. With regards to the previous post, I'm glad I made some mistakes... proves I is not that オタク (otaku). and just to reinforce that, I had to use wiki to recall some of the names of the characters. But I'm quite disappointed in not being able to spot Chi though. :(

ラーメン万歳！

2009-04-25T01:53:00.007+10:00

Besides having supper at a 屋台 (yatai) in 福岡 (Fukuoka), one of the other must tries in 福岡 is 博多ラーメン (Hakata Ramen) or 豚骨ラーメン (Tonkotsu Ramen). Essentially this is a pork-bone broth Ramen so the soup is cloudy and fairly white as compared to the other variants like 醤油ラーメン (Shoyu Ramen) or みそラーメン (Miso Ramen). The "whitest" (and perhaps oldest variant) is 塩ラーメン (Shio Ramen). 博多ラーメン, like how お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki) and たこ焼き (Takoyaki) are local delights of 大阪 (Osaka), is not only popular in the south but is enjoyed all over Japan.

I've personally tried it at a 屋台 (my attempt of killing 2 birds with one stone) and needless to say, it's absolutely delicious! The entire experience of eating at a 屋台 was so exhilarating that I took 2 shots of it and none of them turn out well. This is the better of the 2:

And I had it at this 屋台 near 天神駅 (Tenjin Station) in 博多 (Hakata):

The 天神駅 vicinity is filled with plenty of 屋台 so you can take your pick. It's easy to tell which are the good ones judging by either, the amount of customers that it has or the number of people queuing to get a seat. Oh apparently there are seasons which the 屋台 operates. So you have to go at the right time of the year. (FYI, I went in December.)

Anyway, there's no need for Singaporeans to fly up north just to get a taste of this variant of ラーメン. Come October this year, you my fellow countrymen (and women) can try 博多ラーメン right smack in the middle of Orchard Road at the Mandarin Gallery. This is because 一風堂 (Ippudo) Ramen is opening up a branch in Singapore! (Thanks to lainy for the news!)

My first encounter with 一風堂 (believe it or not) is not in Japan but rather, in New York, New York. Every time when I'm at St Marks Place, I'd definitely pass by the store but for one reason or another, I never ventured in. When Elaine told me about this yesterday (or was it the day before?), the name was so familiar and I asked if it's near NYU and bingo! I've got it right. I'm not boasting about my photographic memory but rather, how much an impression a store can make just by walking pass it. I've not tried it so I can't tell you about the quality but judging for the images on this page, I think it's definitely worth a try. Heck, If I'm in Singapore, I'd definitely go and wack it. :)

And who says that when we, overseas Singaporeans, are not in Singapore, we're not updated about the developments in Singapore?

The ultimate OTAKU test

2009-04-24T21:46:00.005+10:00

Chanced upon this while I was surfing for a new wallpaper...

How many of the above girls do you recognize?

Let's see...
Narusegawa Naru from Love Hina
Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa & Kaname Chidori from Full Metal Panic!
Kinamoto Sakura & Daidouji Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura
Suzumiya Haruhi, Asahina Mikuru & Nagato Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
C.C. & Kallen Stadtfeld from Code Geass
Yin from Darker than BLACK
Rosette Christopher from Chrono Crusade
Tokiha Mai, Kuga Natsuki & Minagi Mikoto from Mai HiMe
Sumeragi Lee Noriega & Nena Trinity from Gundam 00
Kusanagi Motoko from Ghost in the Shell
Izumi Konata, Hiragi Kanami, Hiragi Tsukasa & Takara Miyuki from Lucky Star
Ayanami Rei & Asuka Langley from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Kuchigi Rukia, Inoue Orihime & Matsumoto Rangiku from Bleach
Tsukamoto Tenma, Harima Kenjim & Karasuma Ōji from School Rumble

WAH... I IS オタク sial.

In other news...

I cooked Beef Rendang today. ^_^

It's the first time I've cook it and just in case you're wondering... No, I didn't cook this from scratch. I did it all with the help of Prima Taste's Rendang mix. Just like it's cousin, Laksa mix, the end product smells and taste like the real thing.

But I did make something from scratch though...

TADA! Linguine carbonara! Recipe taken from here. (Thanks to Belinda who introduced the site to me.) Everything's the same 'cept I used REAL bacon and 2 egg yolks instead. This is actually version 3.0 and I realized that 2 egg yolks actually taste better.

Come Sunday, I'm going to try Pan-fried Snapper with wasabi dressing. Once again, I'm going to modify this dish and use a different fish instead. Maybe Salmon... And I'd need a side to go with it 'cos just fish alone isn't going to fill my stomach. Sweet Potato Rosti sounds good though. Hmmm... Will post pictures if I remember and if its successful.

A satisfying trip... (Part 3)

2009-04-22T01:54:00.002+10:00

So yep, the final word on the trip...

All in all it was a very productive trip as I managed to:
1. cut hair
2. meet Jiaqi
3. eat authentic Korean BBQ
4. hang out with the 学芸館 (Gakugeikan) kids
5. make new Japanese friend
6. hang out with Kathryn
7. find out about a new ramen store
8. catch an amazing dance performance at Sydney Opera House
9. visit the very scenic Manly beach
10. make new friends studying in Melbourne.

Hence I'm extremely pleased with myself ~~despite the fact that some unpleasant incidents which I will not mention in public did occur~~.

I guess the highlight was really catching up with Nana, Patty and Daniel. (Jiaqi, I still love you ok?) Like what I told them, it was like officially closing the 学芸館 chapter of our friendship and starting on another brand new one. Really... Coming from a teacher's perspective (though I never felt like one and even if I was, I was GTO), there's this sense of accomplishment as you see these kids learning from their experience and moving on with their lives. It makes me feel like, "Yes, I've done my job" kinda feeling. Ah! I know! It's like seeing the fruits of your labor! Also, I guess just being with them brings back the warm, cosy memories of Japan, which I so sorely miss. In other words, seeing them is as good as going back to Japan. Plus they're all so adorable lah. Oh and it was so nice to have Kathryn joining us 'cos I really enjoyed her company. She was such good sport the entire day. Not to mention how fun it is to tease her. *evil grin* Aiyah anyway, I think I can go on and on... But you get my drift right?

Then again, perhaps this is also really a very different trip for me and it's my 1st trip in like 2 years. The usual trips is always we must go eat this, go there buy that... Very routine. In this trip, despite not going to my usual bakery to buy egg tart and not going to DFO to shop like crazy, I actually felt more like I'm on holiday. This time round, we didn't purposely splurge on food as well. Everything was normal, but different. So yep, that's good.

I certainly look forward to my next trip in July with Belinda and hopefully I'd be able to see the kids again. <3

The question of distance...

2009-04-21T02:42:00.004+10:00

I was watching 初恋限定 (Hatsukoi Limited) and in the 2nd episode, this middle school boy,財津衛 (Zaitsu Mamoru) likes his high school neighbor, 山本岬 (Yamamoto Misaki), who by the way I think is the most attractive girl in the anime.

Guess which one is she? Oh wait. I digressed didn't I?

So yes, he likes his next door neighbor yet hates the fact that they are neighbors. That got me thinking... Is it better that she's nearer by your side or far away in another continent? Once again, it's based on 2 extremes isn't it? But I guess sometimes life is such. It's one or the other. Something in the middle would be perfect and life is never perfect. Hence the question of distance...

I guess me being someone who likes the cold because it's easier to find warmth, then if we equates that to the question of distance, then perhaps I'd prefer someone who's further away since absence makes the heart grows fonder. But at the same time, I'm also one who needs that physical intimacy... Argh. This is getting too much for my sleepy head to take. Time to go to bed! By the way, the correct answer is the first girl from the left. ;) Nights!

Confessions of a L33T haxor

2009-04-20T23:56:00.003+10:00

I tell you, if I continue playing around with my Mac stuff, I'd have to rename this blog soon.

That's right. I'd just hacked my DVD drive. So now instead of being limited to changing my region code 5 times, I have a region free DVD drive instead. Isn't that awesome?

Quantum of Solace here I come!!!

p.s. If you own a Mac too and want to do it, the files are here. Find the corresponding file for the model of your DVD drive, download it, read the "Readme" file and then run the relevant application. A fairly fool proof step-by-step instruction can be found here.

Caution: Try it at your own risk and I'm not going to be responsible for anything. But if you do succeed, let me know! =)

More about that girl in my dream...

2009-04-19T23:49:00.003+10:00

Actually... Let me take this opportunity while we're still on this note to elaborate more about this special girl...

For a period of time, I actually felt like a girl - I was being wooed. Whether if that's her intention or not, I'm wasn't sure but from my perspective, I did felt like she was (in my own words), "making me fall in love with her." Over time, I felt more and more into her.

However, one big hurdle I face every time I want to get to know her more is our lack of chemistry. I don't know if it's just me and my fear of opening up to her or that we really don't have much things to talk about. Not to mention our social circle completely doesn't overlap.

So naturally, I don't invest much and I dare not hope for that happy ending, especially not when our friendship's at stake.

Yet after this dream, my heart seems to beat differently. Even as I'm typing this entry, my mind is all about her and something tells me that she's got the potential to overwrite history.

You know what? I think I'm just being affect by my dream and this is all but a passing phase. I'd write more again if this doesn't go away in a week. :)

日有所思，夜有所梦

2009-04-19T22:42:00.002+10:00

I dreamt of a special someone last night. (Don't worry guys, it's NOT Vera.) It was such a vivid dream...

You stood there, just spacing out and I approached you from the back. I don't know what made me do it but I hugged you. You turned around and returned the hug. I could smell the scent of your hair and I could almost feel the warmth of your body. It was such a special feeling. We didn't say much but I knew we were a couple. We held hands as we walked and shared many intimate moments together.

Everything was so real! Everything felt so right - from the way our palms fitted when we held hands, to your natural scent to even how your head would fit on my shoulder... It was something which I thought only Vera could give but there you were, lying next to me... I actually felt I was in love.

French philosopher, René Descartes once wrote, "Je pense, donc je suis" - "I think, therefore I am". That being said, if my dream is a fragment of my thought, does that mean it is a part of my existence? i.e., A reality? I don't know. All I know is that amidst everything, we're too far apart for the dream to become a reality...
...
...
...
Sigh...
I guess there's a reason why it's just a dream...

A satisfying trip... (Part 2)

2009-04-18T22:21:00.014+10:00

Day 3 started very late because day 2 ended at like 4+ am. Maybe even 5-ish since Kathryn bunked in with us and we chatted a bit before sleeping... So we woke up at like 11 and both Eugene and Meliza were so hungry and I felt so guilty. :( First on the list was to proceed to Sydney Fish Market to wack seafood. Unlike Melbourne girls, Canberra boys are very (and I mean VERY) deprived of seafood. So we wack 1 normal seafood platter, 1 grilled seafood platter and 2 huge portions of salmon sashimi. I was so damn full after that lah! After the heavy lunch, we returned back to city and separated cos Eugene and his new-gf need time together. So they went to shop while Yu Ying and I went back to our service apartment before proceeding to QVB to have afternoon tea.

Cake and my skinny flat white for afternoon tea... This is what a holiday should be.

Because we're going for a dance performance at the Sydney Opera House later, I had to go back to change into a shirt and good thing I did because I caught one of the most beautiful sunsets in the trip. (The other was over Darling Harbor while I was in the subway with Kathryn on day 2.)

Dinner was at the famous Pancakes on the Rocks at where else, The Rocks lah! Given the heavy lunch and afternoon tea, Yu Ying and I were very full so we decided to share instead. Here's what we had.
Yuying and mine shared this Hot 'N' Troppo...

Eugene and Meliza had this Blueberry Heaven.

After that was the highlight of the day, Push, at the Sydney Opera House. OMGG, there's a reason why Push is so acclaimed! It was sooo good! There were 4 segments in the 1.5 hour performance - Solo, Shift, Two and of course, Push. The first three were solo acts by either Sylvie or Russell and they paired up in the finale, Push. I wish I can go into details what each segment was about but without pictorial aid and insufficient technical knowledge, I can't give a good solid review. In any case, the entire performance was so worth the $40 I paid! The choreography is good, the music is good, the venue is (of course) good and even the lighting is good. If Push ever comes to Singapore in the future, I confirm will go catch it again man.

Day 4, which is also the last day, was spent on Manly beach. I keep thinking I've been there before but when I actually got there, I didn't find the place familiar in any sense at all. That brings us to the question, "which was the beach that I went to the other time?" Anyway, I digressed. We took a ferry from Sydney Harbor to get to Manly beach. Lucky me, I had the Sydney concession sticker on my ANU student card so I paid half of what the Melbourne girls had to pay. :) The ferry ride took 30 mins but it was a fairly scenic ride. (The following photos were taken on both the going and return leg of the ride.)

Lucky for us, the weather was excellent - sunny with a breeze and Manly is indeed quite a nice place. Kudos to Yu Ying for suggesting it!

As you could probably tell, lunch was beer-battered Fish & Chips for me and I had dessert too! Can't remember the name of the dessert but it's Italian and very yummy. It's like a spin-off of a donut with cheese stuffing.

Going back was a bit of a rush but we did manage to take one last group photo together...

I have tons of comments for this trip but let me sort them out first and then I'd write one last concluding entry on the trip k? But in short, it was a very good trip b'cos I'd accomplished most of the items I'd set out to do and I didn't shop at all! All the money was spent on transportation, food and accommodation. I'm so proud of myself! :)

A satisfying trip... (Part 1)

2009-04-18T20:07:00.010+10:00

WARNING: LONG ENTRY

Went to Sydney over the last 4 days. Let me count... Okay, it's at least my eighth time there (and that's not including the times I enter/exit aussie land). Hence, I had no expectations of that place. Instead, I made preparations to make sure it's not "Just another Sydney trip".

First on the itinerary was to hang out with Jiaqi. I've not met her like since... err... before I left for 岡山 (Okayama)? Yes. That time I was still wooing Florence. Ha. Time really flies huh... So yes, I caught up with Jiaqi after my long-awaited and well-deserved haircut. For those who are interested, haircut was done at DJ's on Sussex Street. The staff are all Asian and the Shanghainese girl who washed my hair was really cute! Okay.

Back to the topic.. So Jiaqi brought us to this Korean BBQ restaurant on Pitt Street called, O Bal Tan.

Yep, this is the treasure that's situated at a back alley on Pitt Street.

You see, Eugene wanted to go to Seoul-Ria for Korean BBQ initially and I violently objected against it because not only that's part of my "usual Sydney routine" but also because I've been warned by my Korean friends not to go there (for reasons that are too lengthly to be elaborated here). Jiaqi's bf's Korean and she also didn't agree to us going to Seoul-Ria for a variety of reasons. ANYWAY... Jiaqi brought up to O Bal Tan and I must say it's the best Korean BBQ I've been to so far. I've been to the one which Bae Yong-joon went (as told to me by my Korean friend) and I think it pales in comparison to O Bal Tan. The winning factor, O Bal Tan's use of conventional charcoal instead of using a electric plate. Heck, not even the ones I went to in Dempsey or Seoul used charcoal. Plus, the portion was huge, the seasoning for the meat were thorough and the ambience felt very authentic. Enough said. I like! Unfortunately I don't have the photos of the dinner right now... And I just remembered... "JIAQI, WE FORGOT TO TAKE PICHER AGAIN!"

The next day was dedicated to my lovely kids from 学芸館 (Gakugeikan). Morning was spent having authentic Hong Kong breakfast with Kathryn and Yu Ying at Superbowl. Thereafter, Kathryn and I hung out a bit before heading to meet up with Nana, George and 大樹さん (Daiki). Daiki's a exchange student from Osaka and currently doing Year 11 (高校二年生) at Gosford Highs School. He's currently staying with a vegetarian host
family and have since lost 7-9 kg. And he's a rugby player some more! So poor thing right? So in an effort to beef him up, Nana brought us to this ramen place near Paddy's market. I can't remember the name of the place but it was staffed by Japanese waitresses. Damn authentic can? The portion was huge and everything was reasonably priced.

My ラーメン, 海鮮丼 (ramen, kaisen-don) meal.

Nana's オムリース (Omu Rice).

Back to Daiki, it was later in the evening that we realized that we have an important thing in common - we both like 相武紗季 (Aibu Saki)! Hahaha... It was such a funny incident. We were taking プリクラ (neo-prints) and he pointed to this ah-lian looking girl on some poster and asked if I that kind of girl...

D: Do you like this kind of girl?
Me: No. Do you?
D: No.
Me: But I like Aibu Saki.
D: *Enthusiastically* Me too!
*Hugs*
Me: Hahaha...

That brotherly hug was the foundation of our friendship, which was built on the love for 相武紗季. It's just so funny. Unfortunately he couldn't join us for dinner though. Dinner was at Patty's grandma's restaurant in North Sydney. I can't exactly remember the name of the restaurant but I knew we took a train to St Leonard's and walked to Crowsnest. Crowsnest is quite an amazing place. There's plenty of stuff to eat. I remember Rus' uncle brought us there for Chinese food before and Patty's grandma's Vietnamese restaurant is not bad so I'm guessing there's quite a bit of good food there. It's a bit like Serangoon Gardens or Holland Village or Siglap, where there's a cluster of various food outlets. After dinner, we proceeded to have Gelato at Bravo Trattoria and Gelato Bar Restaurant. One thing I learnt there, if you're getting the 16 scoops set, be sure to choose it yourself if not there's bound to be some yucky flavors.

From left: Daniel, Samuel, me, Nana, Natalie (Patty's cousin) & Patty!

From left: Kanako, Hayato and me! (Both of them are from 学芸館.)

The kids had to catch their transport back so kathryn and I went back to the city and accompanied Yu Ying to return her DVD and, have dinner! It was roughly 10pm by then. Poor Yu Ying was alone all day and didn't have anybody to accompany her for a meal. Because of the time, we didn't have many choices left so Yu Ying had to settle for Superbowl (again). She had e-fu noodles while Kathryn and I shared a bowl of Wonton soup. I'm telling you, don't see her small small one, that girl can really eat man! The night ended with a KTV session at my usual K Square. We sang till 3am and gosh, we were so drained. But at the very least, I think we all had fun. I did, 'cos it was such an eventful day!

Next post, Day 3 & 4...

I how fucking miss Japan can?!

2009-04-13T21:25:00.003+10:00

"Didn't I see that somewhere?"
Yes, you've seen that before alright, as my status on FB.

It's been like this for a while. Actually, ever since my return to this wretched place. And remember how I'd always say that God has a weird sense of humor? Well, for my Japanese class, I'm supposed create a presentation on the topic, "日本と私" (Japan and I). 「．．．どうして日本のことに興味(きょうみ)を持ったかなど。」("... Why is there a sustained interest in Japanese stuff.") These are the exact instructions for the presentation. In other words, I'm supposed to give a presentation on my relationship with Japan...

SIAL LAH! WHERE TO START?!

Was it the influence of...
... looking at the photos of my dad's first trip to Japan while I was a kid?
... browsing through the Japanese language books he'd bought?
... 超時空要塞マコロス as my first encounter with anime?
... the memories of watching 機動警察パトレイバー as a kid with my sister?
... playing with my dad's Japanese colleague's kids?
... the introduction to 鉄板焼き (Teppanyaki) by my dad?
... the frequent shopping trips to ヤオハン (Yaohan), 大丸 (Daimaru) and 伊勢丹 (Isetan) as a kid?
... 紀伊国屋 (Kinokuniya) while shopping at Liang Court's 大丸?
... Japanese Candy Toys and ガシャポン (Gashapon) while wondering around supermarkets as a kid?
... being a fan of SPEED as a teenager?
... discovering Japanese fashion during my poly days?
... rediscovering anime while reviewing for Playworks?
... discovering 焼酎 (Shochu) while celebrating my sister's 20th birthday at さつま?
... learning Japanese as my language major in uni?
... making my own Japanese friends?
... actually going to Japan, working there and experiencing the Japanese way of life there?
Or simply perhaps my 紅線 leads to Japan?

I don't know.

All I know is that I'm in love with Japan, much more than New York. If Japan is my wife, then New York is my mistress ~~and Singapore is my sister hahaha~~. But seriously... I really really love Japan and no words can explain how much I miss it! <3

First attempt at making お好み焼き

2009-04-11T22:30:00.001+10:00

Ta-da! My first attempt at making お好み焼き (okonomiyaki). As you can tell, I don't have the sauce and relevant toppings yet. That's because I wasn't confident of making it, hence not sure if I should invest yet. After today's relative success, I think it's all green to buy 'em. 

-- 自分のiPhoneから発送する

Review of the 1st half of this semester

2009-04-10T14:40:00.005+10:00

! Japanese exam, 1 book review on the Meiji Restoration and 1 presentation on MILF later, I'm finally done with the first half of the semester. The deferment I took really freshened me up and although I'm delaying my graduation, I'm not regretting it. Having been away from school for a while really gave this semester a brand new start. I was able to put my past away and I think I am so much more motivated to do well this semester. After all, this is my final year here at ANU.

However, being my final year here has its own stress as well. The last chance to score and attempt at entering honors, coupled with the fact that I ought to do well because I'm under-loading this year really stresses me out sometimes. On top of that, I think I really need to pick up some pace to stay on track for the next half of the semester.

Next up, 1 essay on Meiji Japan, 1 essay on Maritime Security, 1 presentation paper, 1 group presentation in Japanese and 1 solo presentation in Japanese. Let's see how the rest of this semester goes...