Escaping.....For Real!

A couple of weekends ago, my friends and I took some time off our hectic life and went for a quick getaway. We planned for this trip right after we went back from South Korea earlier this year. The destination was almost out of the blue and we thought that we should just give it a go.


So, our destination was the state of Penang, locally known as Pulau Pinang (Penang Island).


Upon our arrival at Georgetown, Penang from the airport, we went straight to our guesthouse called The 80's Guesthouse. The bus driver was thoughtful enough to stop the bus right in front of the lane where our guesthouse was located and he even briefly yet clearly explained that we needed to simply walk along the lane until we found our place. And that was exactly what we did. After checking in, we rested a bit and walked around the areas nearby. At one point, we thought about renting bicycles to cycle around freely (and safely) but since we were looking for specific locations, walking seemed to be more fitting. In the evening, we went to one of the cafes near our guesthouse to enjoy some late night desserts and drinks.


The next day, we kicked off the morning by having a breakfast at our guesthouse's common area and then made our way to a bus stop nearby. We hopped onto bus #101 to Teluk Bahang. When we reached Escape Adventure Theme Park, we were amazed and excited at what the park has to offer. Okay, I can't speak for all of us, but at least I know that I was amazed and excited.


I'm telling you, every activity that we did at the park symbolised how living life is. I'm not even kidding. You'll see how as you read further. So, to me, I intuitively summed up our whole adventure on that day as a representation of life. Or am I the only one who sees it that way? Hmm...


The first activity that we did was pretty easy (relatively). Oh, I have a piece of advice - always warm up properly before doing anything physical even if it's just for fun, especially when what you're about to do actively involves your limbs or abdomen. We gradually became more determined and daring as we tried out more activities despite the heat and eventual exhaustion.


Below are my explanations on how the things that we did that day represented life.




When we're at the bottom, just about to start our climb, we take a glance at what's up there and admire the idea of being at the top. At the same time, we ponder and strategise how we will go through everything that's on our way up. Those things can either be obstacles that make it harder and slower for us to go up, or stepping stones that we can use to give ourselves a push upward. While climbing up, we try to juggle between being time-efficient and not letting go unnecessarily even when we're tired.






When we're at the top, or on our way there, it's a good idea to let loose and take a leap of faith. In other words, just jump! What's scary about this is when you're at the top, just looking way, way down can send chills down your spine. Have you ever thought of this, at one of the high points of your life - "Why should I allow myself to go all the way down after coming such a long way up?" I'll tell you why. It's to keep you grounded. Don't get too caught up by the high's of life that you end up forgetting your roots.






In order to enjoy the thrilling part of life, we normally need to work hard for it. We usually need to go through hills of learning experiences. This can exhaust us as time goes by but whether we realise it or not, it also strengthens us. Once we've earned our fun time, we better make sure that we enjoy it after all.






As we journey through life, there will be stages when what we do, or about to do, is especially important and we definitely don't want to mess it up. However, those particular stages of our life can intensify into something so nerve-wracking that we start to question "Should I go on or back off?" Even when we're well equipped with all that we need, the path that we see in front of us might seem surreal. All that's left for us to do is to go forward but our doubts often keep us frozen. Once we've gathered the courage to move forward, we can instantly enjoy the journey.




After we were done with Escape, we dropped by at Batu Ferringhi beach to try out parasailing. I'm glad that we did!







As we made our way back to our guesthouse, another one of our friends surprised us by showing up at the guesthouse! Most of us were pretty convinced that she wouldn't be able to join us. After washing up and resting, we went out to have a meal and hunt for some of the street arts in Georgetown, Penang. When it got darker, we were still strolling around. It suddenly rained and the rain got heavier. My friends and I momentarily stayed under the roof of one of the shop lots. Then, we decided to bravely (and carefully) run through the rain, from one building block to another, and so on. We eventually reached our guesthouse and washed up. Before heading to bed, we went to another cafe, again, for some desserts and drinks.


We ended our short little vacation the next day, looking forward to seeing each other again soon.




(Photo credits to all who snapped and shared them)

posted from Bloggeroid

posted from Bloggeroid

How My Mind Works

Not too long ago, I took a few minutes of my weekend evening to do something that many of us often choose not to do but are in need of. What could it be, you might ask? I took a little time to understand myself better. For real! To be more specific, I took a test (or quiz, some may call it) to see my current natural tendencies when I think or perceive. In shorter and hopefully simpler term, I took a test of rationality.


The one that I took was created and analysed by clearerthinking.org.


This organisation identifies your mind's strengths and weaknesses based on your impulsive answers on 21 of their scenario-based questions.


Background of the Test

This test is based on a variety of studies from cognitive science and behavioral economics, with a particular emphasis on cognitive biases. Fortunately, you can learn to make better decisions by honing your skills. Please note: rationality and IQ are not the same. Even people of exceptionally high IQ are routinely affected by cognitive biases, and fall for common decision-making traps.


My Result Summary

Your reasoning style is skeptic.

Skeptics are just that — skeptical. Not only do they question new information that they receive from others, but they also tend to treat their own thoughts and ideas with some suspision. They tend to focus this critical perspective on the present, allowing their views to develop as they come across more information. Approximately 5% of the populace are skeptics.

You treat new information and ideas with caution and skepticism. Spurious arguments rarely fool or confuse you, and your beliefs are based on foundations of hard logic. You possess a fine-tuned BS detector.


You are reflective.

You dislike jumping to conclusions quickly. You’re adept at reflecting on your own thoughts. When it looks like your intuitions might be leading you astray, you don’t have a problem overriding them — instead, you take the time to re-evaluate the situation and figure out the wisest course of action.


You are subjective.

People and stories interest you more than facts and figures do; you focus on the essence of ideas over the details. Your mind is more qualitative than quantitative. This trait lets you focus on the big picture over the nitty-gritty.


You are carefree.

You tend to live in the moment. You don’t waste a lot of emotional energy fretting about the future. Instead, you focus on getting the most out of life right now.



Onto my reasoning strengths and weaknesses, it was concluded that I particularly have three strong reasoning skills, three normal-level reasoning skills, and one weak reasoning skill.


My Strong Reasoning Skills: -

(i) I am not especially susceptible to the Sunk Cost Fallacy.

This means that I do not find it too difficult to decide whether something is worth pursuing or continuing.


(ii) I rarely repeat my mistakes more than once.

I am relatively comfortable with frankly reflecting how and why I make the mistakes that I do.


(iii) I can see through tricky or deceptive arguments.

This trait makes someone a good debater, writer, or thinker.


My Normal-Level Reasoning Skills: -

(i) I can generate multiple explanations for uncertain situations.


(ii) I understand how evidence should affect how confident I am of my theory.


(iii) I can normally estimate the monetary value of my time.


My Weak Reasoning Skill: -

(i) I have a sharp tendency to underestimate the time and resources my projects require.

This is also known as the Planning Fallacy, one of the most common and best-documented cognitive biases. This means that, thankfully, cognitive scientists have developed tactics to overcome this!


So, now I'm pretty sure that since I know my mind better, I can more confidently utilise my brain power for great outcomes.


Tests like this one do not ultimately decide what kind of a person you will become. They are, however, useful peer-reviewed tools for us to have an idea on how we naturally think, and eventually, how we act.


With this, my brain and I are ready to take over embrace the world around us.

posted from Bloggeroid

Our Story - Malaysian Girls, Korean Spring (April-May 2015)

[Video #1] Places We Visited
View Video, http://s1220.photobucket.com/user/lalatheb2uty/media/Mobile%20Uploads/PhotoGrid_Video_1431969107090_zpsevg2mcqh.mp4.html

[Video #2] Moments We Cherish
View Video, http://s1220.photobucket.com/user/lalatheb2uty/media/Mobile%20Uploads/PhotoGrid_Video_1432043433937_zpslbxnvqpe.mp4.html



In April, I went on a much-anticipated trip to South Korea with 7 friends - Za, JC, Intan, Adik, Yana, Syera, and Maya. Before the trip, JC was the only one I had known for some time and had met a number of times. I met Syera once, with JC and other friends, during a meet-up. Adik and I had been interacting via social media. As for the other 4, the airport was our first ever meeting place.

I had been wanting to step my foot on the land of South Korea for quite some time but back then, I couldn't seem to find the appropriate time and resources.



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-2015.04.24-

Seoul - Myeongdong; Yeoeuido (KBS building); Cheongdamdong (Cube Entertainment; JYP Entertainment)



Upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, Seoul, after about 7 hours flight, the first thing we searched for was the oh-so-needed WiFi. We managed to connect to the airport's public WiFi and immediately updated our families and friends on our arrival. I was still as excited about being in Korea as I was excited about going to Korea earlier on, but my excitement was rather internal and wasn't outwardly shown much, possibly due to a slight jetlag. Anyhow, I was very happy to be where I was.

Our van-taxi brought us from the airport to our guesthouse, SoNyeo SiDae Hostel (Girls' Generation Hostel), located in Euljiro. The driver called us "말레이시아 소녀시대" (Girls' Generation Malaysia) and we had laid-back chatters along the journey.

After checking in, all of us walked to Myeongdong to get our pre-purchased Korean sim cards. JC and I bought ours so that we had an easy way to communicate with each other in case we needed to. We stopped by at a seafood shop at one of the lanes in Myeongdong street to have a meal.

We then headed to the nearest train station to make our way to Yeoeuido. Before reaching the station, we stopped by at one of the convenience stores to buy T-Money cards (Korea's reloadable public transportation card) for those of us who didn't have any yet. At Yeoeuido, we walked to Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) building to see our luck in catching a glimpse of artistes or celebrities entering and exiting the building for recordings or meetings. At that time, KBS 'Music Bank' was being recorded, so, like several other fans who gathered there, we were hoping to be lucky enough to see any Korean singers with our own eyes. We saw quite a number of back-up dancers and staff members going into and out of the building. As we were goofing around with each other while waiting, an entourage walked towards the entrance from one of the gates. It was girl group EXID. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tKxvkDDzD ] I also caught a glimpse of singer Jinu Sean, gagman Lee Jonghun and gagman Lee Changho (KBS 'Gag Concert - Last Health Boys').

Before going back to our guesthouse, we paid a visit to Cheongdamdong to have a look at a few entertainment agencies' buildings. We saw Cube Entertainment's office building and studio cafe, as well as JYP Entertainment's older and current buildings.

-2015.04.25-

Seoul - Jongnogu (Gwanghwamun); Samcheongdong; Hyeohyeondong (Namsan Tower); Yeonnamdong (Hongdae)



We kickstarted our day by putting on our traditional costumes that we intentionally brought from our home country, Malaysia. Ahead of our trip, we talked about how nice it would be to wear our traditional outfits while visiting Korean palaces, as a simple cultural exchanging gesture. I was wearing my Bidayuh (one of the native races in Sarawak, Borneo part of Malaysia) costume and my friends were wearing different types of Malay garments including baju kurung, baju kebaya, jubah, and so on. We purchased entrance tickets to the palaces in Jongnogu area, along with tour tickets to the Secret Garden. Before our tour to the Secret Garden started, we spent the time walking inside a couple of the palaces' areas. Other visitors noticed our presence and the different garments that we were wearing. Some of them took the chance to take photos of us and with us. Some even talked to us. After our Secret Garden tour, we met JC's Korean friend, who brought us to a Korean eatery shop in Samcheongdong area for lunch. We then headed to Gwanghwamun Square to experience more of Korean culture. My friends and I wore Korean royalty costumes, which were provided for free, and snapped a few photos.

In the evening, we made our way to Hyeohyeondong to get to Namsan Tower. We took the cable car to get close to the top of the hill. We had a look at NSeoul Tower and the famous clutters of love locks up-close. At night, the view of Seoul city from Namsan Tower's viewing platform was mesmerising. It almost felt like my heart stopped beating for a quick second when I was looking down at the city's sight.

After Namsan Tower, we headed to Hongdae in Yeonnamdong to meet up with another one of JC's Korean friends. She brought us to one of the cafes at Hongdae Street for some drinks. It was already night time but of course, I ordered caffeine-filled mocha with cream. After having a chat and finishing our drinks, we strolled along Hongdae Street to see a few performances. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tSy0YDDzV ] We were so caught up in the exciting and energetic dance performances that we almost lost track of time. The 8 of us rushed to the train station to head back to our guesthouse. Since the train we were on was among the last trains, it stopped a few stations away from our intended station. So, we continued our journey back to our guesthouse in Euljiro by foot.

-2015.04.26-

Chuncheon - Gangwondo; Namiseom | Seoul - Dongdaemun



The next day, we took a relatively long train ride towards Chuncheon. We got out at Gimyujeong Station, Gangwondo to get to the rail-bike place. For about an hour, we dilly-dallied at that place and ate some seaweed rice balls and sandwiches that were prepared by our 언니s earlier on. We then made our way to Gapyeong Station by train to go to our next destination - Nami Island. At Gapyeong Station, we took the bus to Nami Island entrance. Once we got our tickets, we hopped onto the ferry to Nami Island. Nami Island has panoramic sights and a relaxing atmosphere, fitting for families, couples, and friends. Before getting off the island, we grabbed some coffee or smoothies upon my request. Thanks for understanding my coffee-addict needs, girls! We then got off Nami Island by ferry and took the bus back to Gapyeong Station to get back to Seoul city.

By the way, Mr. Jo, if you can see this, please identify yourself and report to any of my friends or me. Thank you. [ Related - http://pspage2nd.blogspot.com/2015/05/blog-post.html ]

We paid a visit to Dongdaemun area to have a look at the things being sold there and to have a meal at a grilled fish shop. Some of us bought some things at the shops by the streets and the underground shops.

Once reaching our guesthouse, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I decided to buy some drinks and ice-cream at the 7-Eleven convenience store across the road. We ended up sitting outside of the store, having our drinks and ice-cream there for about an hour or so before calling it a day.

-2015.04.27-

Yongin - Gyeonggido (Everland)



Everland was our main destination for this day. We traveled by trains, subway and upper rail, to Gyeonggido. We then took a bus shuttle to Everland Theme Park. At the sight of the theme park's entrance gates, we felt like the fun-loving little kids inside of us came out bit by bit. Well, at least for me, it felt that way. There were many photo-worthy spots at Everland Theme Park, inside and outside. After entering the theme park, we munched some food that we prepared beforehand at one of the resting spots inside the theme park. One of the interesting things about Korea's theme park is that although there are cafes, restaurants, and stalls inside the theme park, visitors are also encouraged to pack up their own food and eat at the designated tables or spots prepared by the theme park. After eating, we made our way to the animals area. The animals were so adorable. I remember how the penguins kept on diving into the water and swam towards visitors' direction as if asking us "What's up?". We watched a couple of shows - sea lions' show and various animals' treasure island show. After the shows, our group separated into 2 - one group went to Zootopia to see more animals up-close, another group went to the rides' area to try out a few rides. I was with the group that tried out rides. We queued to ride on one of the roller-coasters. Our next ride was also a roller-coaster ride but this one was a longer, higher, more sought after, wooden-based roller-coaster called T-Express. Queueing took about 2 hours. Once we got on the ride, we felt both nervous and excited. Indeed, the ride was quick and exhilarating. I'm so glad we stayed patient and queued along. We then met up with the others and went back to the train station by shuttle bus.

Before heading back to our guesthouse in Euljiro, we stopped by at Myeongdae to have a delicious, satisfying meal. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2tSy0YDDzV ] Again, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I closed up our eventful day by hanging out outside of the 7-Eleven convenience store near our guesthouse.

-2015.04.28-

Seoul - Gwangjang Market | Jeonju - Jeonju Hanok Village



On this day, we got ready to leave Seoul and travel to Jeonju. Before catching our train ride to Jeonju, we had a quick stroll and stopped by at Gwangjang Market. The market was filled with shops and stalls selling food, snacks, accessories, and clothes. My friends got particularly attracted to the silk/cotton pieces of clothes sold there and bought quite a number of them.

When it was time, we went back to Euljiro to catch taxis to Yongsan Station. At Yongsan Station, we took the train to Jeonju. Upon reaching beautiful and calming Jeonju, it was drizzling and we took taxis to our next stay, Jeonju Hanok Village. The daughter of our hanok guesthouse's owner greeted us at our drop-off point and led us to the guesthouse. Inside Jeonju Hanok Village, I was delighted by aesthetic beauty of every traditional structure and decoration that could be seen. Our hanok room was the biggest one in the particular guesthouse that we were in. It had a second-floor indoor verandah that could fit 4 of us. It became the beds area for Adik, Syera, Maya, and me. To our surprise, our guesthouse owner generously prepared bibimbap for the 8 of us. After enjoying our bibimbap, we took a stroll inside the hanok village area. At the end of the day, we stopped by at a cafe nearby to chat and have some coffee and teas.

-2015.04.29-

Jeonju - Nambu Market; Pyeonghwa Middle School



The next day, we had an appointment with Kim언니, a teacher at Pyeonghwa Middle School. Before our appointment, we had a wholesome breakfast, prepared by our guesthouse owner, and went on a morning walk at Nambu Market and the areas nearby. The 8 of us were wearing our Malaysian traditional costumes, as pre-decided. I, again, was wearing my Bidayuh outfit. The locals who were there noticed us and greeted us by smiling and saying "안녕하세요!" (Hello!), "예쁘다.." (How pretty..), "좋다.." (Nice..). We greeted them back along the way. Some locals even greeted us in English and Malay (and Thai Language, "Sawadeekap.."). When it was time, we made our way to Pyeonghwa Middle School by taxis. Kim언니 greeted us and brought us for a little tour around the school. Her students called out "Hello!", "Hi!", "How are you?", and so on when they saw us. One student even wittily greeted us in Indian Language, "Namaste..". Snacks were prepared for us. Kim언니 and one of her students were curious about my friends who were wearing hijab and wondered how it would feel like. We let them experienced how it felt like by using my scarf and Syera's shawl. Before we left the school, Kim언니 and her colleague, Mr. Song, taught us to make Hanji Mirror (Paper Mirror). We then taught them how to play congkak, one of Malaysian traditional games. We even gave Kim언니 a congkak as a gift.

Kim언니 and Mr. Song brought us to a bibimbap buffet restaurant for dinner. Mr. Song's friend, Mr. Lee, joined us for dinner. After indulging in bibimbap, we were sent back and had some desserts, patbingsu (shaved ice red bean) at a cafe inside Jeonju Hanok Village.

-2015.04.30-

Busan - Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Street; Jagalchi Market



After breakfast, we left Jeonju and headed to Busan by bus. While on the bus ride, I was indirectly introduced to a can of coffee, which turned out to be very tasty to my liking. When we reached Busan, we brought our bags and took taxis to our guesthouse in Busan, Popcorn Hostel (Busan Station branch). Our guesthouse's manager has a pet dog named Penny. I was excited to see Penny and played with her while my friends settled down inside our dormitory-style room. (Now I miss Penny. ㅠㅠ)

We walked around the nearby areas up to Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Street. A lot of stalls were selling food, clothes, and accessories. We took the train and continued to walk to Jagalchi Market. We were amazed at the variety of fresh seafood creatures on display for sale. After having a good look at different stalls, we decided to pick some seafood to buy and eat as our dinner at the eating area of the market. [ Video - https://instagram.com/p/2uyGtlDD4E ]

Before calling it a day, Maya and I asked Adik and Syera if they would like to get some milk or coffee drinks from one of the convenience stores at the area. They agreed and the 4 of us walked along the streets and found a convenience store. We bought what we wanted (Mine were cans of coffee that I discovered on the Jeonju-Busan bus and loved ever since, a chocolate, and a red bean fish-shaped bun ice cream.) and indulged in those snacks at our guesthouse's rooftop.

-2015.05.01-

Busan - Haeundae Beach; Busan Tower



The next day, JC wasn't feeling well, so she rested in the room for a while. The rest of us headed to Haeundae by train to get to the beach area. When we reached the beach area, I couldn't help but smile at how beautiful and tranquilising the scenery was. We snapped some scenic photos and strolled around the area. Our growling stomachs led us to a shop, where we enjoyed some delicious delicacies, including fish dishes and Korean pancake.

As we changed line at one of the train stations, we stopped a while to rest and searched for potential tourist spots to visit while we were there. We decided to just walk along to see the area and at one point, we saw a tower - Busan Tower. We wasn't sure exactly how to get to the tower area but we kept walking while checkin out the tower from a distance. Eventually, we reached the base of the hill where the tower is located. We walked up the hill to have a closer look at Busan Tower.

On our way back to our guesthouse, we came across a mall centre as well as an underground shopping centre. Apa lagi.. We stopped by at some shops and bought some things, especially those on sale.

-2015.05.02-

Busan - Taejongdae; Nampodong



Before noon, we queued at the bus stop to get on the hop-on-hop-off Busan City Tour Bus to Taejongdae. While on the bus, we got to see refreshing Busan City. Some of us were not fully awake yet and slept through the bus ride. When we reached Taejongdae, half of us went in and the other zombie-feeling half went to a coffee shop to have some drinks and eat some pastry. I was with the zombie-feeling half. I absolutely love the coffee in South Korea.

We hopped on the bus again to go back. At one of the stops, we walked along and separated into 2 groups - one group of 5 made their way to colourful Gamcheon Village, and the other group of 3 went to Nampodong Street, initially for a casual stroll and window shopping, but ended up buying a bunch of items on sale. Yes, I was with the group of 3. I'm telling you, we simply had to go ahead and shop there. You would too, I believe. On our way back from Nampodong, we stopped by at an Indian Cuisine shop to have a meal.

In the evening, Za언니, Adik, Syera, Maya, and I walked to search for a desserts shop. We ended up entering a coffee shop to enjoy some patbingsu (shaved ice red bean). When we were back at our guesthouse, we cooked some Maggi instant noodles that we brought from Malaysia and (very much) enjoyed the hot noodles at the chilly rooftop of our guesthouse.

-2015.05.03-

Busan



It was our last day in Busan (and in South Korea), so I was feeling a little solemn. I'm pretty sure my friends felt the same too. Guess what? Busan weather felt the same too as it was raining in the morning. We had several hours left before the taxis picked us up from our guesthouse, so took the train and had a walk to the area nearby. Some of us bought a few more items. At the guesthouse, we snapped some goodbye photos among ourselves and with one of the managers of the guesthouse. A few of us left some post-it messages at the guesthouse.

The taxis arrived and brought us to Gimhae International Airport. We bid goodbye and promised ourselves to visit again sooner or later.

Yes, we must visit again!
다음에 또 만나요!

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Little Chatters & Gestures

About a week ago, I made my way to South Korea with 7 of my friends. I had been anticipating the trip for quite some time. Now I can say for sure that I loved it!

This post isn't going to be about that wonderful trip, though. I'm saving that for another post (soon, hopefully).
In this post, I'll be mentioning about some of the little occurrences, involving chatters and gestures from the people I bumped into, as I'm intending to re-live those simple yet precious moments.

KL-to-Seoul Flight
As our plane took off and we were on our way to Seoul, South Korea, the flight attendants were distributing immigration declaration forms to non-Korean passengers to enable us to fill them up while on the flight. A flight attendant was approaching my row and she momentarily stopped distributing the forms as she asked me, "Are you Korean?" just to be sure because only non-Koreans needed the forms. I just smiled like a sheep and replied "No.". I then had a quick look at myself to figure out what made her think that I might be Korean. I answered myself, "Must be my charm spirit..". I was slightly flattered but also puzzled.

Inside the Van from Incheon International Airport, Seoul
The van driver who drove us to our hostel in Seoul was friendly and chatty. Since there were 8 of us girls and we were heading to Girls' Generation Hostel in Euljiro, he called us 말레이시아 소녀시대 (Girls' Generation Malaysia). When he said that out, we went haywire inside the van. Sye proclaimed that she was Yoona, the others took a moment to think who they represented in SNSD (Girls' Generation), someone claimed that Za언니 was Yuri, and someone else blurted out that I was the one who was (is) dating EXO-K's Baekhyun, referring to Taeyeon. While they were at it, my mind was still lingering on the coincidental fact that we indeed seemed like our own version of SNSD and that we were going to stay at Girls' Generation Hostel while in Seoul.

Malaysian Attires at Korean Palaces
We made our way to Gwanghwamun area to visit some of the palaces and the Secret Garden there. All 8 of us wore our traditional attires. I was wearing my traditional Bidayuh costume. It was quite a mesmerising experience as we learned about Korean historical culture and at the same time, we somehow promoted Malaysia by what we were wearing. Like many tourists do, we snapped photos here and there. Other visitors stopped and took photos of us as well, indubitably because of the variety of attires that we were wearing.

♥Army Guy♥ at Gapyeong Station, Gyeonggi-do
From the moment we touched down, my dear friend Sye had been mumbling about how nice it would be if we could meet some Korean army guys (either actual army members or those in 2-year military service, whichever). Deep down, I couldn't agree more. They just generally seem so....cunning, you know. So, after our journey back from Nami Island, we proceeded to commute by train from Gapyeong Station. As we exited the bus and walked towards the train station, there was a cute guy in his army uniform walking in the opposite direction. Some of us (including me) started to feel flustered for no clear reason, so J언니 boldly called out the cute guy and asked if it was okay to take some photos together. He said yes and I was like ♥o♥. Sye and Ya were getting ready next to him. My feet had their own mind and childishly ran next to him too (Thank you for doing that, childish feet!). 2 of our 언니's were ready to snap a few photos. Before that, I asked that cute guy "How old are you?" out of curiosity and after J언니 suggested me to ask. He adorably replied "Twenty-three" in what sounded like perfectly fluent English to me. I responded (in Korean, I don't know why), "아...누나이에요." (Ah...I'm a nuna.), which is true because I'm about 3 years older than him. Once we were done taking photos, we thanked him and bid farewell. I regretted not asking for his SNS ID's if he has any. Inside the train on our way back, Sye looked at the photos we took and 'complained' at how close I was with him in the photos. I didn't notice and didn't mean to be that close, okay. But I'm secretly glad that we were quite close, actually. I just stood there and posed naturally. Sye couldn't get over it at that time and cropped one of the photos, focusing on just the cute guy and me. After she saved the cropped photo, she found out that the original photo was overwrittened. It was a devastating yet funny moment. I couldn't contain my laughter, so I laughed inside the train till my feet couldn't stand any longer and I squatted down till I calmed down. Oh man, it was really funny!

Coffee Love at First Sight
To commute from Jeonju to Busan, the 8 of us took the bus. When we reached Jeonju Bus Station, we bought our tickets and roamed around the station while waiting for our bus to arrive. Some of us noticed that there was an army guy in the same station and later on, we found out that he was going to get on the same bus as we were. After loading our bags inside the bus' luggage compartment, we entered the bus and went to our pre-designated seats. To my surprise, the seat next to me belonged to the army guy, with the aisle in between us. I noticed that he was drinking a yellow can of coffee. I didn't get the name of the coffee at that time but later on, I figured out that it was Georgia Max coffee. I whispered to May, who sat next to me, telling her about the coffee that the guy was drinking. She blatantly replied to me, "Minum kopi, tidur jugak." (Even after drinking coffee, he still sleeps.), which was quite a witty comment, I must say. True enough, he was taking naps throughout the journey but he was probably just casually resting. When we reached Busan, we checked in at our hostel and walked around the area. 솔B언니 and I stopped by at a convenience store to buy some coffee as our energy booster. I found myself searching for the same coffee that I saw on the bus earlier on. Something inside me kept telling me to give it a try. I gleefully found that particular can of coffee based on the colours and design of the can since I didn't know the name of the coffee at that time. So, I bought it and had a drink. I loved it! I let Sye have a sip and she loved it too! Ever since, I had been buying the coffee on daily basis while in Korea. (Now I really miss it. ㅠㅠ)

★Army Guy★ at Haeundae, Busan
We took the subway train and exited at Haeundae Station to pay a visit to the beach. It was pretty bright and sunny that morning. As we walked the streets and crossed the roads towards Haeundae Beach, a young guy in his army uniform (again?!) caught my eyes. It was quite a normal thing to see over there but this particular guy caught my attention because it seemed that he was roaming around the area with a friend, searching for a specific place. Before I noticed that he and his friend were searching for something, we happened to cross the same road. Our first interaction was when I looked to my left to see if there was any incoming vehicle, as I noticed a glance of an individual looking towards my direction. I slowly tilted my head up since I was looking downward because of the sunlight and in an instance, I caught the eyes of the army guy. I still can't figure out why but my eyes were fixed on him for a few seconds and he was looking back before I finally looked away and kept walking with my friends. I honestly don't understand why I stared longer than normal. I just did. Now that I think of it, it sounds like a short scene from one of the dramas on TV. After enjoying our time at Haeundae Beach and the area nearby, my friends and I had our lunch and headed back to the station to go back to our hostel. On our way, we came across the same army guy and his friend, walking from our opposite direction. I told my friends that it was the exact same guy and we tried our best to remain calm and cool as our paths crossed. I didn't turn my head to look at him (which was hard for me) but according to one of my friends, he looked towards our direction as we were walking. So, he must have remembered me us.

KL-to-Kuching Flight
The next morning after arriving in KL, Malaysia from Busan, South Korea, I took a flight to go back to my hometown for a while. After finishing my meal, the flight attendant was collecting garbage to be thrown away. I handed over my finished meal and he took it while saying "감사합니다~" (Thank you~). I simply exchanged smiles with him and replied "네.." (Yes..). His Korean pronounciation was pretty good, I could tell. At that time, I was wearing my red Korea T-shirt, which most likely gave away the clue that I just came back from Korea or that I might be Korean, in any way.


All in all, I found that the little chatters and gestures really matter in order to make up meaningful and memorable experiences.

여러분, 고맙다고 사랑한다!

posted from Bloggeroid

Appreciate

I'm now officially 25.

As much as I agree that "age is just a number" in some occasions, there are certain things that we gain only once we get older. One of them is being able to see things more clearly in a wider perspective.

So, this year, instead of being celebratorial, I intend to honour the day I was born by being appreciative.
Before that, have you checked out my birthday message that I prepared out of the blue?
Here you go!


I'm grateful to many people and for many things in my life. However, these are the top things I'm grateful for in particular from the period of my 24th birthday to my 25th.

1) The chance to complete my tertiary education



A special shout-out to my former professors, lecturers, tutors, and faculty staff members for their guidance and support~ I won't forget you all.

2) Getting to kick start my career



I've been learning valuable and interesting things day by day. I hope to keep improving.

3) Having meals and drinks everyday



Most days, I eat moderately so that I'll benefit from it financially and health-wise. However, there are days when I indulge in more 'glorious' food than usual.

4) The ability to move about



I'm telling you, walking and making use of public transportation are advantageous. It may feel a little tiring when you're not used to it yet, but in time, you'll benefit from it in several different ways. Hot weather? Sunblock, cap, sunglasses.. Rain? Umbrella, raincoat.. Haze? Mask, plain water.. Muscle soreness? Warm up, comfy footwear.. Might be late? Get ready early, plan your journey.. Security? Prepare a potential defence 'weapon', stay alert.. What more excuses do you have?

5) Technological devices



In this millennium, a lot of us can't live without our devices. I'm not helplessly dependent on technology, but I appreciate the convenience and possibilities that it offers.

6) The things I gain



Money isn't everything, but it's still very important. It represents materialistic value of things. To balance that, why not add holistic value to it by, perhaps, paying it forward and helping out those in need every now and then?

7) Being me



Most of all, I appreciate every opportunity I get to do things my way and try to be amazing at it. I may stumble along the way, but that's no big deal.

Best wishes to me!
Best wishes to you!
Best wishes to all!
God bless..

posted from Bloggeroid

My Fangirl Journey (90's to Present)

You might have heard of the term "fangirl" before. As straight-forward as the term suggests, it refers to a female who is a devoted supporter of a particular singer, dancer, actor, or celebrity. The male equivalent to it is known as "fanboy", although the number of fangirls always overshadow the number of fanboys. Nevertheless, fanboys are as significant as fangirls (though I personally think that fanboys are a little more precious and admirable).

Being a 'truly true' fangirl or fanboy is no child's play, let me tell you that. It has to happen voluntarily and naturally without being forced by peer pressure or trend. You need to feel it first before you can show it through your words and actions. It's different than a mere celebrity crush. Trust me, I've been living as a fangirl since the 90's. Happily, of course. :)

Here, today, I'm going to briefly share with you my journey as a fangirl so far.
Before that, please take note that being a fangirl or fanboy doesn't define our professional life (involving our education, career, etc.). It also isn't exactly our personal life (revolving around our connection with our family, friends, ourselves, etc.). The way I see it, being a fangirl or fanboy should have a category of its own. Seriously. Until we can come up with a brilliant name for it, let's call it fandom life, shall we?

90's onwards: Westlife (British Pop)



Westlife was the first group that I became a fangirl of. The group officially disbanded not too long ago but I'm glad that I got to be part of their fandom. It was their blend of vocals that captured me when I first listened to one of their songs. In the group, a few of them have strong, powerful vocals, fitting for main vocals in any song. The others have gentle, unique vocals, suitably perfecting a whole song with their harmony and enhancements. Westlife did a lot of cover versions of popular songs, originally sung by other singers. Some appeared to disapprove this, claiming that they should do more original songs. However, it never really bothered me because Westlife did the cover songs justice by delivering them in their best abilities and bringing the songs back to life. Plus, it's not like they did those cover versions without consent and proper crediting.

The top 3 cover songs that I enjoy the most are 'Butterfly Kisses', 'I'll Be Loving You Forever', and 'What About Now'. As for Westlife's original songs, my top 3 favourites are 'I Lay My Love On You', 'Every Little Thing You Do', and 'I Promise You That'.
[Let me tell you this. I'm TERRIBLE at narrowing my favourite songs to just 3 songs, but I need to.]

2007 onwards: The Click 5 (American Pop)



The Click 5 was the first band that I really like. The original 5 members learned music and practised together in Boston prior to their debut. I remember their sleek, clean-cut, tuxedo-wearing image from their debut album that caught my attention. Around the time of the band's debut, a local magazine at my place organised a contest with the band's debut CD as the prize. I joined the contest, which required participants to submit a participation form found inside the magazine's latest issue, and a few names would be randomly chosen as winners. I was one of the lucky winners! But before the contest winners were revealed, I bought The Click 5's CD from a music store since I fell in love with the band's songs. So, I have 2 copies of the same CD!
Quite briefly after the band debuted, the main vocalist had to leave the band, which broke my young heart into pieces. ㅠㅠ I even blogged about it as my first ever blog post on my old, no-longer-functional blog site, as pictured above. I managed to keep myself okay and welcomed the new main vocalist. Eric, the original frontman of the band, has a tender, melodious vocal, whereas Kyle, the new frontman, has a sharp, funky vocal. That made the band felt different when Eric left but they were still awesome as a band.

My top 3 favourite songs by The Click 5 are 'Just The Girl', 'Say Goodnight', and 'When I'm Gone'.

2008 onwards: Jonas Brothers (American Pop) & McFly (British Pop)



Yes, I was one of the young souls who adored the Jonas Brothers when they were at the beginning of their career as singers. The idea of brothers being together in a band, combined with the talents that the brothers all have, was simply irresistible. Enough said..

My top 3 Jonas Brother's songs are 'When You Look Me In The Eyes', 'Hold On', and 'Just Friends'.

Then, I also discovered an amazing British band known as McFly. Boy, they're incredible! Normally, a band has one frontman or main vocalist. It's different with this band - they have two! The two main vocalists have different vocal strengths, enabling them to complement each other in their songs. Now that I think of it, Tom (McFly) is kind of like Eric (The Click 5), while Danny (McFly) is kind of like Kyle (The Click 5), vocals-wise. But unlike the case of The Click 5, where one main vocalist had to replace the other, McFly can go on with both of their wonderful main vocalists.

Out of all McFly's songs, my top 3 favourites are 'All About You', 'I'll Be Okay', and 'Sorry's Not Good Enough'.

2009 onwards: Arashi (Japanese Pop)



I knew Arashi pretty late. I figured out about them almost ten years after the group's debut. It was probably because J-pop has always been a little more reserved when it comes to promoting overseas. Only a few years ago, J-pop has really started to explore more options to go global. Good for them! Before liking J-pop (the music), I grew fond of Japan through J-dramas and J-movies. All five members of Arashi have always been quite active as actors too, alongside their career as singers. It was through Arashi's youngest member, MatsuJun's drama, '花より 団子' (Hana Yori Dango; Boys Over Flowers) that I was introduced to Arashi, who sang the theme song of the drama. In fact, Arashi sang the theme songs for all two series of the drama and the movie finale. It didn't take me long to dig through Arashi's songs for the past years and I liked what I found. So, I became a fan quite instantly.

The top 3 Arashi's songs that I love the most are 'Hero', '瞳の 中の Galaxy' (Hitomi No Naka No Galaxy; The Galaxy Inside Your Eyes'), and '明日の 極端' (Ashita No Kyoku; Memories of Tomorrow).

2010 onwards: BEAST (Korean Pop)



At this point of time, BEAST members are the kings of my heart. They just are! To be very honest, I never wanted to become involved in anything K-pop-related because I felt intimidated and unsure of how 'healthy' it would be to be part of something that mainstream. I refused to give K-pop a chance, not even a tiny little glance. I would arrogantly say to myself "Walk away, Pris~ It's not worth it." How silly of me.. LOL So, how did I fall head over heels for BEAST? It seemed to me that it happened by accident, or how I like to call it, by destiny. It was my freshman year in university and I was having my lunch break by myself in a mall because I felt like driving out of campus for that two-hour break. After having my meal, I stopped by at a music store. In the promoted section right in front of the counter, something quite bulky caught my eyes. I picked it up and that was the start of my B2UTY-destiny fulfilment. I bought it, which turned out to be BEAST's second mini album with a T-shirt, and listened to the CD in the car as I drove back to campus. There are many great things that I can say about BEAST, but I would be exhausted by the time I finish talking (or typing) about them. To sum it up, I love how talented, loving, and humble the members are. Thank you for everything, BEAST!

If I had to choose my top 3 BEAST's songs, they would most likely be 'Oasis', 'You', and '니가 보고싶어지면' (Niga Bogoshipeojimyeon; When I Miss You).

2012 onwards: BTOB (Korean Pop)



BTOB is the latest (and hopefully the last) added group that I'm really a fangirl of. After BEAST, I vowed to myself that I might not be able to divide my support and attention any further. True enough, BEAST is irreplacable to me. But because of BEAST, I had the chance to get to know BTOB even before BTOB officially debuted. BTOB is BEAST's junior group, under the same entertainment agency. I freely checked out BTOB because at first glance, some of the members reminded me of BEAST, visually and as a first impression. Now, I love the group because they are not only multi-talented, but interesting when all seven personalities collide.

The top 3 songs by BTOB that I enjoy the most are 'Wow', '뛰뛰빵빵' (Dwi Dwi Bang Bang; Beep Beep), and '킅난 건 가요' (Keutnan Geon Gayo; Is It The End).


Alright!
That's my fangirl journey so far.

posted from Bloggeroid

Personal Financial Management, My Way

Whenever mom reminds me to manage my finance well now that I'm working professionally, I always jokingly answer "I know, I know. I'm a Finance graduate, remember?". ㅋㅋㅋ

As much as it's true that I'm indeed a Finance graduate from the dearly missed Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), the truth is, it doesn't matter what major someone took in university, or whether or not someone has graduated from any tertiary institution. We ALL need a proper personal financial plan. By planning and managing our finance well, we can rest assure that our daily necessities will be attainable and accessible. Once we get what we need, we can touch on what we want or desire.

There's no denying that the cost of living is getting higher and our liabilities can easily overshadow our assets these days. Therefore, it's not a petty matter at all when we talk about personal financial management.

I'm aware that every individual has his or her own way or method. As long as your way works fine for your lifestyle, by all means, go for it.

Here's my way of managing my personal finance.
First, I set up my principle, which outlines my focus when it comes to managing my own finance. My principle is to make sure that I abide by these two 'rules' - (i) to keep my priorities straight, and (ii) to practise some discipline in my spending.
If I ever feel lost, unsure, or tempted, I take a moment to think about those two 'rules'.

So, every month when I receive my salary, I utilise it in a pre-determined flow.
The flow may slightly change in the future as my circumstances may evolve, but for now, here's the flow.
(1) Receive salary -- (2) Pay mandatory expenses -- (3) Save -- (4) Buy gifts for family and pets -- (5) Do charity -- (6) Reward myself

(1) Receive salary
- I won't specify exactly how much I get paid per month, but I'll just state that my starting basic salary as an employee of an international financial institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is somewhere in between MYR 2,000 to 3,000 per month.
- Every month, a tiny percentage of my salary automatically goes to my Employee Pension Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) fund.

(2) Pay mandatory expenses
- My mandatory monthly expenses include rental (RM450, combined with utilities and residential association), public transportation (RM50 reload of transportation card), daily meals (RM450, including occasional purchase of Gloria Jean's coffee, or Starbucks coffee, or Secret Recipe desserts), mobile phone reload (RM60 for normal calling, texting, and mobile internet subscription) grocery shopping (RM150, usually at ISETAN Food Market or 99 Speedmart), and healthcare/ beauty shopping (RM100, usually at Watson's).

(3) Save
- For now, I allocate at least RM100 for my bank's saving account.
- I allocate another RM150 for my Amanah Saham Bumiputra (ASB) account, a trust fund for Bumiputra Malaysians.

(4) Buy gifts for family and pets
- Mom always tells me to focus on myself, especially since I'm rather new at this whole working adult notion, but every now and then, I like to get a little something for those back home when I have the chance.
- Plus, it helps to feed my burning passion for shopping.

(5) Do charity
- I believe in "paying it forward", where we do something nice for others, not because we feel obliged to, but because we simply want to.
- As of now, I'm particularly supporting World Vision (www.worldvision.com.my) through their Sponsor A Child programme and Education fund.
- I also support Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (www.facebook.com/MalaysianDogsDeserveBetter).

(6) Reward myself
- Needless to say, this is my favourite part. However, I always make sure that it's the LAST one in line. This way, I can truly enjoy every moment without feeling uncertain or guilty.
- My favourite ways of rewarding myself include shopping for outfits, watching movies at the cinema, café-hopping, getting my hair treated or done at the salon, or going for a karaoke session. (I have more care-free and fun activities to add on the list, to be frank. LOL)
- Aside from the above-listed activities, I also reward myself by going for a trip. This requires a mid-or-long term kind of planning, especially for overseas destination.

So, there you go!
I shall monitor and enhance my personal financial management as time goes by because I want to have a balance between being stable and flexible.

More than anything, I really really really hope that everyone realises the need to properly manage one's finance, regardless of how much we earn and how many dependents we have. Work something out and don't stress out. Let's not take this lightly, alright?

posted from Bloggeroid