TOPIK

Wow, I should really blog more regularly. My last post was in November? I can't remember how I used to blog every single day on Livejournal anymore. How did I do that? Maybe it's because there wasn't microblogging sites (Twitter, etc) in the past.

Anyway, I signed up for the 34th TOPIK Exam yesterday. TOPIK is the Test of Proficiency in Korean, and I've been thinking of signing up for years. I've been learning Korean since 2009 (on and off though), and I want to know where my standard is. This year's TOPIK is on 20th April, so I have about 2 months to prepare. I also signed up for the TOPIK prep class my language school is holding, so let's hope it does some good!

If anyone has taken TOPIK before, can you share your experience with me? Like - what should I expect on exam day, or anything I should look out for. I'm so nervous!!

And I know Cheryl and I haven't been updating Seoulidarity... We have a couple of drafts but we are both too caught up by our individual commitments. I'll go through the posts during the weekends; hope I'll clear some posts :)

On a different note, I am missing Seoul wayyyyy too much :c

猫。

When I was in Korea last August, I witnessed a death of a kitten.

My friend and I had just gotten out of the guesthouse, and were discussing how nice the weather was, when I spotted a kitten running under a stationary car on the road. I remembered telling my friend to look, and when the traffic light turned green, the both of us screamed. The kitty, freaked out, started dashing around the road, trying to avoid moving cars. At one point, it hooked itself onto a bus, but fell off. By then, my friend and I were already at the pedestrian crossing, and was hoping the red light will come on soon so we can grab it off the road. A passing car behind swerved and managed to avoid the little thing, but the one behind ran right over it. My heart stopped; I can't remember if I screamed. 

The kitten was lying in the middle of the road, with body spasms. The light was still red, and cars were still driving pass. Amazingly, or not, no other car ran over the poor thing, but I couldn't get to it. The road was too busy. I could see the life leaving it, and I was close to tears. My hands were cold.

When the traffic light finally turned red, and the pedestrian light turned green, I ran to the little one, which wasn't twitching anymore. Picking it up and holding it in my arms, I checked for signs of living. 

I couldn't feel its heartbeat anymore, and its gums were white. But I wasn't sure, and I wanted to get help, but we didn't know if there was an animal clinic nearby. I checked again, and we were sure it was dead. We left it under a bush because we didn't know what to do. 

Later that night, we saw an animal clinic about 5 minutes from where we were. Maybe we could have saved it.

It has been about 3 months, and I still think about it. I love animals so much and it sucks to witness one's death. Tonight is one of the nights I think about it. And I just want to pen it down. 

SUMMER IN SEOUL PT. 2

Am back from my trip to Seoul. The past 11 days have been hot, tiring, and fun. I definitely explored a lot, but unfortunately, didn't take much pictures. I don't think I will be able to blog about my trip in details, but I do have some places to recommend! Stay tuned. :)

Meanwhile, my going-to-school-anxiety is back. 3 more days before the start of yet another 4 months of school. 

Second Home

I've been missing in action for so long. 

School's been torturing me, but the trimester is finally coming to an end. When I first started college seven months ago, I couldn't understand why they don't allow taking more than three modules per trimester. I only took two modules last trimester and I thought it was quite manageable. Taking three this time round, and I swear I don't know what the hell I am doing most of the time. Every week is spent rushing assignments. Am very glad I am down with two assignments to hand up, but I barely have time to revise before exam starts. Sigh.

BUT, I am definitely going to pull through because I am heading "back home" in a month's time!! SUMMER IN SEOUL PART 2 COMING UP YO. I won't be there for an entire month like last year, and neither would I be studying there though. I'll be there for 11 days. So I'm hoping to spend more time exploring places I've never went, and visiting my favourite places!!! I. Cannot. Wait.

Also, my sister and I decided to start up a blog. It will be a platform for us to blog about Korea, Korean culture, food, etc! Nothing's up yet since we are all busy with assignments, but here's the link - SEOULIDARITY. If I don't update it soon, I'll update it with my seoul travelogue when I return! 많이 사랑해주세용~ ^_^♡  

You could have been my four leaf clover

I just got back from Europe a few days ago, and am planning on rotting away what's left of my semester break. I'm not sure if I wanna blog about my trip because I can hardly remember the places I visited, and I don't have that many photos taken. Maybe just a post to summarise my trip. Come to think about it, I haven't completed my Seoul (Jan 2013) travelogue either. 

While I was very much accustomed to school by the time my semester break started (about two weeks ago), I am back to the dark hole of dreading school again. School is just too out of my comfort zone that I just wanna keep away from it. The anxiety I experience just by thinking of it, keeps me up at night, with racing heartbeat and difficulty in breathing. I know it probably isn't that bad as to categorise it under an anxiety disorder, but it is honestly quite tiring to coax myself to sleep on such nights. There are a lot of things I can dissociate myself with; I can tell myself to look/think about it and feel numb, but not this one.

School talk aside, there are a whole bunch of things on my mind recently. I am struggling to live, struggling to feel alive. But of course, this is just another period of me being me, and I shall be fine soon.

"When he lay beside me with his dog-breath sighs, it was if he was saying, Give me your sadness. 

I will take it, as much as you need. If it kills us both, so be it. I am here."

 - Luis Carlos Montalvan, Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him

喜喜

"How foolish it is to think that we love only with our hearts. 

The heart is just an organ with a job to do, a quota to fill."

1st December 2012, 

It felt like just a couple of days ago when we were at my place discussing about my cousin's wedding but a year has already passed. 

Woke up really early and went to the cousin's place, where we had breakfast, talked, waited. Half of the afternoon was already gone when the bride and groom made a trip back to the bride's place (Chinese wedding tradition). 

 Dress, Mango / Bag, Rebecca Mink Off / Socks, Eight Seconds

Shoes, FEP / Rings, Everywhere

Excuse my messy room T_T

Actually planned to have the waist of the dress altered because it is too loose, but my mom refused to do it.

I named this the Wedding of the Year. Extremely happy for the couple!! Congratulations once again! ^^ 

"When I love, I don't want to love with a blood-pumping machine. 
I want to love with every inch of my body.

I will love you with my knees and my fingertips. With my elbows and my collarbones. 

With my freckles and my knuckles, my wrinkles and my scars.

And I will love you with all the spaces in between."

My babies

The cuzzies' dog has been having rashes for quite awhile now so they finally asked me to make an appointment at the animal clinic I used to work at. Took the chance to visit my old colleages! ^^

Feed Me, why you become so fat??!? Hahaha. I only managed to take pix of Feed Me because Blondie & Newton were in the op room, and there was a consultation going on. 

Caught up with the boss and ex-colleagues. To be honest, I thought they wouldn't even remember me. After all, I left after just two months. Was very glad that they not only remembered me, but also what I've said before. Maybe I am just too sentimental, but I was super touched when my boss said she was wondering how I was doing the other day, and that she was glad I'm gonna study something I am interested in. 

I sometimes think back and feel guilty for quitting even after she said she think I could get use to the job. I love the job, no doubt; and I don't regret accepting it. A childhood dream - realised, yet I ruined it in 2 months. If there is anything I regret doing this year, it will definitely be quitting this job. 

Anyway, I told my boss once I get my uni timetable, I will call the clinic up to arrange to drop by some day as a volunteer. I can't wait!! >w< 

My pen & I

My friends used to say I look like toto-chan when I had short hair a few years back.

Now I look like my pen with permed short hair. Hahahaha. 

Had a short 'bonding' session with le momsie, elder sis and younger bro the other day before meeting the girls for dinner and desserts at Scoops & Slices after. Nice, hidden place. Loved their banana chocolate ice cream!!  

 

Top, F21 / Bottoms, New Look / Bag, Zara

Been putting in more effort to dress up even though I am only going to work because I look like an auntie if I don't bother dolling myself up a little. As much as I adore my current hairstyle, I can't deny that my wardrobe doesn't really match it and I look really old in some clothes TnT 

& yup..... I'm kinda addicted to editing my photos like mad. Also neglecting the camera I have at home.

Wanted to capture the layer of red I did for the under layer of my hair (lol does this make sense). I guess it's not that visible after all.

& what I normally do to kill time at work. Not kidding when I say I spent most of my money on Starbucks these days. Needa cut down on ze coffee. On another note, the teh from Toast Box is pretty good:3

머리가 짧아요 이제 ㅋㅋ

YAY/NAY?

Cut my long locks (of 2 years) yesterday. Had no idea how I want my hair to be other than short. So when my hair stylist asked, I told him to do anything he had in mind. Just short. So he did my hair without me knowing how it was going to turn out. Exciting hahaha. Though I did worry a little halfway through because I don't know if I'd regret the next day.

Anyway, kinda happy with the cut in the end! My first time perming my hair. I have some red dyed at the bottom but it's mostly covered unless I tie my hair up. Glad that was done because this hair makes me look so feminine. The red kinda gives me a fiercer look,as said by my hair stylist lol.