Dear daddy

A blog post done up some time ago but had been staying in my drafts due to my inactivity on Blogger.
-------------------

There was this time, not too long ago, when I was really ill. It was a virus infection, and I had to vomit the entire night.

Tried hard to sleep but I ended up waking up at every one hour interval, to rush to the toilet with the urge to vomit. And it was so bad I even had to hug the toilet bowl literally because my body wouldn't puke. I would return to my bed, relieved, and fall asleep, only to wake up another hour later to repeat that cycle. That night, was horrible.

My father came home the next day and our family decided that I should visit the doctor, even though I stopped having the dreadful vomiting thing, because I was still feeling uncomfortable. I can't recall what exactly was it but it was uncomfortable to the point that I couldn't garner the energy to walk at a normal pace. The clinic was just few streets away from my house so it didn't make sense for my dad to drive so we decided to walk. I took tiny steps and paused for so many times that it took us 40min, to walk probably a distance of 400m.

I didn't think much of this back then. But this incident suddenly popped into my mind when I was in the shower (been having deep thoughts lately in the showers). It then dawned on me that my daddy, a 58 year old man then, had accompanied me to walk that 400m path for a ridiculous 40min. Of course, he did rushed me and said things along the lines of "continue walking, it's just THERE. Stop stopping" but he stopped and waited for me nevertheless.


Since young, my father has been a strict figure in the household. He was very conscious of the food we eat and I couldn't even get to eat ice cream or have iced or carbonated drinks in front of him. It was my mother and grandmother who would sneak in such guilty treats and feed them to me whenever "daddy is not home". He was the scary father whom I never had conversations with, all the way till I was in upper primary, when the school work got tougher. Lol

Things started to change. We became a lot closer and our family started to go on family trips overseas. But then the rebellion teenage years kicked in and things just kind of stopped. It got better, kind of, after we moved house.

He would drive me to school on days when I have to be early, or simply when I was feeling lazy. He would buy dinner home on weekends for the family, and had to make sure whatever he bought was to my liking or craving of the day. He would comply to my last-minute pleas for help for school related work, be it being my interviewee or coming up with inputs and ideas.

It seemed like I have made those requests while conveniently forgetting that he had to wake up earlier than usual for me in order to drive me to school, that he would have his own craving, and that he would be tired from a day's work. That he is a human, too. But he, had unconditionally fulfilled them.

Things I have taken for granted, my father had received them with patience. He has been walking with me patiently for the past 20 years of my life, not just the 400m path that day. Sorry daddy, and

Thank you, daddy. I love you.

It will be your 60th birthday next year. It sucks to realize, as a daughter, that a father is getting older and he has lesser time to spend with his child. I really regretted not treasuring every moment I had with you before, but I will make sure that I will, from now on. I want us to have no regrets.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew's passing

Below are my thoughts, written and saved on my phone since the day of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's passing. Was clearing the memory space and hence decided to post the content (edited) here:

Waking up to a loss, it's like watching the sun go down -- you know it is happening but every inch of your body is hoping that a miracle happens and the sun doesn't have to leave the sky. Typing this I can't help but look out my window. This is the Singapore that has shone under his light and wisdom. But it looks so wrong, and empty, without the presence of the one who built it all.

As a '95 liner, I was born in a comfortable Singapore. And I know that everything that we have now didn't come easy. Reasons why I am proud to be a Singaporean -- Mr Lee Kuan Yew has made them possible, and a great leader himself was one of them.

He is my idol. I always anticipated his appearance on national TV during NDPs. The cute grandfather, who is the reason why Singapore is who she is today. Some hated his grit, and I call them the foolish and the ungrateful. My grandmother said while watching the news of his passing, "He was strict. Because no one else would."

I remember a Chinese celebrity likening the global-positioning of various countries to a lucky draw. Singapore has gotten the shorter end of the stick: small land, limited natural resources, heterogeneous population with no common culture. But what has changed the game for us, was that we've got Lee Kuan Yew.

Non-Singaporeans may find it hard to empathize with this loss. Political leaders seem like people who are distant and hard-to-reach. But Mr Lee was like a grandfather to us all. Singapore is a young nation, a few months to 50. And it is this 91-year-old man who decided that he would stand up and fight for his country. He had a vision, and he made it come true. I am doing a project on Singaporean identity for one of my university modules, and one of the icons that comes to every Singaporean's mind whom I have interviewed is Lee Kuan Yew.

In my opinion, his passing brings to Singapore his last gift for the country: unity.

Just last night, I caught one of the sg50 programmes on TV, and was lamenting how it was broadcasted at an ungodly hour of 1030PM because such programmes should be shown to many.

Now, TV channels are changing their broadcast content by airing Lee Kuan Yew and/or Singapore's nation building related shows as a tribute.
If not for his death, not much attention would be given to such programmes.
It is unfortunate and sad that the fast-achieved success of a nation has resulted in the side-effect of an apathetic younger generation, and people who are taking things for granted.

It is not a lie when I say a good number of students don't sing the national anthem and recite the pledge loudly at morning assemblies every day. Some find it childish, some pointless, others, find it an embarrassment. Somehow, not singing the anthem and saying the pledge became a "cool" thing to do.
I wonder how different the students must have felt this morning. I really hope fellow Singaporeans start to take morning assemblies seriously, and not to see pledge-taking and the singing of the anthem as a mindless ritual.

Hopefully this is a wake up call for all Singaporeans, to finally find that Singaporean pride and identity in them. Some people criticise, and claim that the great economic achievement of ours are not enough to be reasons to being proud to be a Singaporean. I hope today, people remember that there is more to that. Having a such a great man as our leader, one that is globally recognised, and our common history, the things our country has undergone, etc.

It is a pity that people are now recognising this man when he is dead. But it has happened and all we can do is to keep this remembrance in our hearts and do him proud. #RememberingLeeKuanYew

I am bad with coming up with fanciful and dramatic descriptions of his achievements, and I'm sure many of you have seen posts on his contributions on social networking sites already. So I am not here to repeat that. I am here as a fellow Singaporean, a school mate that some may know to be "very patriotic", and as someone with a minority online standpoint.

He left us with a successful Singapore, and we promise to keep his envisioned Singapore and legacy going. Never be depressed, never be defeated.
========================

And some post-entry thoughts:

Watching the live broadcast of the state burial brought tears to my eyes. Scenes of Singaporeans of all age groups, and uniformed SAF, students and pilots, lining the roads along various landmarks, cheering his name, some even kneeling down, paying their final respects to Mr Lee
People often question the Singaporean identity and the Singapore spirit -- whether we possess one or not. Daily complains make it seem like Singaporeans do not give a shit about the country and all aspects of it. But this incident has demonstrated the hidden Kampong spirit in us. And I quote from a Chinese programme, "Singaporeans are kind, but they are embarrassed/paiseh to actively show it."



This is by no means an academic article.

KOREA TRIP '14 #2 - DAY 4 (SEODAEMUN PRISON HISTORY MUSEUM + BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE + INSADONG + LOTTE MART + YOU ARE HERE CAFE), DAY 5, DAY 6 (GWANGHWAMUN + GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE + NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA)

Deleted the diary app on my phone so I can't remember the exact days and the things I did and thought during the trip.
The following posts are going to be a lot more photo-heavy as a result.
:/ Arghh

I might not recall some of the stations for the places of interest, but I strongly recommend the visitkorea website for directions and more information!!

I know it's been a long time since I last blogged. Feeling very guilty because of this.
It's e-learning week now so I'm quite free
Keeping the promise, here goes..

==================

DAY4
Woke up at 8plus, prepared and left for Dongnimmun Station.

Visited the Seodaemun Prison History Museum.

It was cold, but the place was icy-white pretty.
Walked into the different buildings and read up on their history with a heavy heart.
The history, and the past activities engaged at the very place I was standing, was as chilly as the physical wind.


After exploring the grounds of the museum, we left for Bukchon Hanok Village at Anguk station that was on the same line as Dongnimmun. We stopped at namwon for a nice filling lunch on the way.

Namwon

Nice ambience to eat in

Huge spread of banchan

Left the restaurant with a satisfied tummy, and we continued to brave the cold as we walked in the direction of the hanok village, following the street signs.

Finally arrived at the village, snapped pretty pictures of the place and visited a museum along the way.

Left the place, and realised that we still had a lot of time left to spare. 

Grabbed a cup of coffee as we made our way back while stumbling into the territory of Insadong.

Though it wasn't in today's itinerary, we gave the place a shot anyway.

Losing control of our feet as they gave way to the numbing wind, we proceeded to the underground shopping center after buying a ricecake stick covered in honey for 1,000won.

Clothes were going for 5,000-10,000 won and I got a top for myself
With, still, lots of time in our hands, we decided to head to Seoul station which was nearby, and drop in the Lotte Mart to check off some of the stuff on our shopping list.

Nicely packed in a small box to save the 100won for a bag, and the earth lol. The packing process is fun too! Just choose a used carton at the area located near the cashier counters and start packing! Too much to bring back? Packing and shipping services available on the right too!

Went back to put down our shopping goods and went to the youarehere cafe which was near our place. Ordered a green tea latte (4,800won for regular size) which was not bad. The place was spacious, cosy and nicely decorated~

=======
DAY5
After a long day yesterday, we had the cup noodles that we bought at the mart the day before for lunch, and decided to just drop in the cafe nearby (Selecto cafe), while I downloaded my shows and continued on my drafts. Headed out to buy dinner home.

Had a chat with our new roommate who was from Canada. A nice and friendly lady.
Watched Return of the Superman while munching on our dinner.

Lol Manse. How to not love these adorable boys?

=======
DAY 6
It's the palace day today! Took the train to Gwanghwamun station, snapped photos under the happy sunny sky, of General Yi Sunshin, and King Sejong.

Went to the museum located at the back of the King Sejong statue and found out more about the stories behind these two men.

"I am infinite"

Then we then made our way to the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Can't explain my love for palaces.
The palace looks different dressed in white, against the majestic mountains.

After exploring the palace, we went to the Korean Folk Museum located in the Palace, and educated ourselves on the different aspects of the Korean culture and the live journeys of Koreans. It was fun to catch a bit of extra explanation from the Chinese-speaking guides as the Chinese tour groups walk by.

Found Lee Sooman among a bunch of other old records

We left the museum and continued walking the in the parameters of the palace as the sun was setting.

Some old, traditional shops (not opened)

It's as if I am looking back into the past, literally.

Kids fighting in the snow.

Time flies and we popped in to one of the restaurants in the alley near the palace.
The portion was huge, and the kimchi jeon was yummy! 5,000won each!

Ended the day by shopping at Butter, located at Hongik Univ Exit 1.

Upcoming post: DAY 7 (HONGDAE RICE BURGER SHOP, SHEEP CAFE), DAY 8 (SHOPPING AT EXPRESS BUS TERMINAL), DAY 9 (SMTOWN COEX ARTIUM), DAY 10

KOREA TRIP '14 #2 - DAY 0 (TAKING OFF), DAY 1 (EDAE), DAY 2 (HONGDAE-STYLENANDA + INCHEON-EXO ARRIVAL), DAY 3 (HONGDAE)

Drafting this in a cafe (again), deja vu. It feels good to be back in Korea, some six months later. And this time, I will attempt to complete blogging about my entire trip. (Apologising for the unfinished KOREA TRIP'14 #1 blog posts :/) This is going to be a 28-day trip, hence the pacing for our schedule will be a lot more relaxed as compared to the previous trip.
Another stark difference that can be felt upon stepping out into the open air is the cold, minus-degree temperature- something I'm experiencing for the first time.

141212-DAY 0
Had my brunch and bid my grandma goodbye. Traveled to Changi Airport in my dad's car, with JJ. En route to another independent journey and hopefully, a fun and fruitful one.
Transited at Taipei, and as we boarded the plane for Seoul, it was announced that the flight will be delayed for ~1h 40min due to some runway issue at Taoyuan Airport. Spent the time reading, and writing. It's gonna be a long, long night.

 

I was obviously bored

I was pleasantly surprised by the comfy legroom provided by Scoot Airlines, so that helped a bit in making the flight enjoyable. The time came, and we finally landed in Incheon. We are here. Staring out the window, the scene just felt surreal; I felt as if I was magically transported to The Land of the Morning Calm.

After collecting our luggage, we had to deal with one of the complications of a flight delay: getting to our place of accommodation. Due to the flight delay, we could not catch the last train from Incheon and had to spend the remaining of the night at the airport. There is a bus service at 3:50AM but we preferred arriving in Seoul at a less odd timing, via the subway. Though this appeared to be a mood-spoiler, it proved to be more of a blessing in disguise! We observed another pair of travelers who seemed to be Singaporeans arriving in Korea on the same flight, and approached them. Like this, a friendship was forged and we spent the night together. Purchased t-money from the convenience store, and a must-drink when in Korea:

Boarded the train at around 6AM after having our breakfast, and arrived in Hongdae. Said goodbye to our new friends, as we began to embark on different journeys in this foreign country.

The empty train at 6AM-ish

And the cold hit us the moment we stepped foot outside the train station.

141213- DAY 1
As someone who prefers familiarity (though I will be exploring more this time round!), we are staying at Kimchee Guesthouse (Hongdae) again for this trip. Refer to this post for a map and review.

We deposited our luggage ('cause check-in time is 3PM) and went to one of the nearest cafes (w cafe）to chill and haha, observe people.

One of my favorite picture-subject- kids

Traveled to Edae after recharging enough heat, and started our (or rather, my) shopping spree! I need to do something about this lol shopping's my guilty pleasure. Bought a 10,000won bag, envelopes and tops at artbox, 2 tops at 10,000won each, 2 pairs of lens for 40,000won, and we had our lunch at a Japanese place!

Came back to Hongdae to meet Minyoung oppa for a short while, and he said in his fluent English,  "I have a confession to make. I broke your phone. Well, just a little bit."
I spotted a pack of cigarettes in his backpack as he fiddles around it for my phone, and pointed to it, to which he gave me a sheepish look dismissively. Decided to let it slide- I wouldn't want to start another quarrel with him in Seoul haha

Went back and moved our luggage up to our room, which is on the 3rd floor this time, and a lot more spacious. We have our own toilet in our room, too.

Room at Kimchee Guesthouse (Hongdae)

Met our Korean roommate who returned while we were resting, practised my Korean as we had a little conversation. It started well with an annyeonghaseyo, which led her into thinking that I was Korean, but it all fell out thereafter. She said she has heard lots of good things about Singapore from people she know :)

We continued with our long-awaited rest and only walked out a couple of hours later for the ddeokbokki. The ahjumma was really nice and welcomed us, with a free cup of soup, and we headed back, with warmed hands and hearts.

141214 DAY 2
We left the house early as we were heading to meet my jiejie, Khim, who is here for an exchange. Bid our Korean roommate goodbye. Though we've only had brief exchanges, I'm really happy to have met you!

On our way to the station

Met Khim jie and she brought us to STYLENANDA's flagship store at Hongdae! We had our breakfast at a bakery nearby, and then I proceeded to check off my 3CE shopping list. We snapped lots of photos at the photobooth too! (It's free!)

Jiejie wanted to bring us to some rice burger shop but it closes on Sundays henceforth we went to the udon shop, which I discovered during my previous trip, for lunch, and we shopped at the h&m store that was just a block away thereafter. Guys, the sales at h&m in Korea is not to be missed! Shoes can be discounted from USD175 to just USD50! I bought a pair of pants for 15,000won.

:D

Taken with pretty Khim jie!

Stopped by innisfree to buy some glitter nail polish and the peel off base coat, and we headed back to the guesthouse with khim jiejie to rest. Left our place for the airport, and we discovered that eatyourkimchi's youarehere cafe is really near our place.

youarehere cafe

Parted ways at the station. It snowed on the way!

Oh, some of you might have questions regarding layering for the winter in Korea. I wore two layers of heattech (from Uniqlo), a top, and a coat. Sometimes you can wear an additional top if you want, but it gets really hot indoors or onboard train, even with the coat off. Wearing just a pair of tights for the legs is okay, but I would recommend wearing pants over it especially when it gets real cold. The problem is actually with the face (and maybe the ears), hands and feet. Get beanies (or even a mask if you think you need it) and a good pair of gloves. Wear thick socks or even double layer it if needed. Note that it's gonna be kinda tight on your shoes. Prepare heatpacks! Put them in your pockets, so it warms your body and hands when you stick 'em in.
One thing though, is how I don't understand why people around me always make heattech sound like a must-have because I find its bodywarming effects below expectations and not as magical as people have made it out to be.

And yup, me and Amelia went to Incheon and waited for EXO's arrival from Shenzhen. It was a rather long wait, as usual, and you have people coming up to you/other fangirls, asking who are we waiting for, which are often met with reluctant replies.

It was quite heartwarming to see (some) fangirls give up their seats to the elderly who came to wait for their (I presume) loved ones. Well, just a passing observation.

Anyway, the cue, again, is always the security guards and the group of fangirls (identifiable from their hugeass lens) who are coming from the gates. The sign for you to prepare for the next 10+ seconds of your life. Shoot, and that's the end.

They came in two batches this time, 4-4. It's funny when you don't know exactly who are the members who came out and who are the ones who have not. A rather funny detail when it comes to big groups like this. The photos I had wasn't as good as the previous time round, but it's not as if I am expecting good pics either, with the camera that I have. All for memories' sake. :)

Lol random. Apparently they sell a dumpling for 5,000, according to this pic

Brought Amelia to the everysing store in the airport (level 4) and we then left the place to have our dinner back at Hongdae. Randomly dropped in a restaurant and got sundubu jjigae, marking the end of our day.

141215 DAY 3

Haul after 2 days in Seoul

We woke up late today, at 12+PM KST. Sat at w cafe while I tried activating the E.G. sim card that I bought yesterday (from the gs25 at the airport). The weather wasn't good so we decided to stay in Hongdae. After two busy days. The data sim activated when we were heading back to the guesthouse to get my laptop (so that I can start working on my blogpost at the cafe later).

So, regarding renting wifi egg (which I did for my previous trip in May) vs purchasing an e.g. sim card for Internet access in Korea:

Where to buy: You can buy e.g. sim card at any convenience store (but note that some may run out of the cards like the gs25 near my place, while the one at the airport had a whole box of it), & the wifi egg has a counter at the arrival hall and I'm not so sure if you can rent it at telecomm outlets  

Who to buy: People who need immediate, on-the-go Internet access, and are traveling alone/in small groups for a long period of time should get the card, whereas huge groups who are traveling together all the time will find the wifi egg more worth it as one egg can be shared among 4 people hence splitting the cost of rental 

Cost: It costs 30,000won for a 1gb sim card, and 50,000 for 2gb. For the egg, you can refer to them here, and you can get coupons here for cheaper deals. You have to leave deposit as well for the wifi eggs. Also, note that you have to charge the eggs.

Reception: e.g.simcard connection gave me H+ so far, while connection given by the eggs are usually good but it doesn't work 100% of the time.  

Other factors: Duration of stay- calculate the total price for the options and opt for the cheaper one. Need for connection- wifi is available in almost all shops so unless you need internet connection on-the-go, you don't have to rent or purchase these.  A random thing that I discovered though, is that you can connect for a short period of time of about 5min to some olleh wifi services, after which they will disconnect you for not signing in. 

Note: For the eg sim card, the steps for activation are rather easy to follow, but keep in mind that they only activate the card during working hours. Do not worry when you don't receive the confirmation sms after 30min, just switch off your phone and switch it on again an hour after application, and the text notification should arrive and your data is good to go.

We had our dinner at 2lson rice and it was the best decision ever. The food is nice and the staff were friendly. One of the ahjummas speak chinese (not a surprise), and the meals vary between 6,000 to 7,000won, relative cheap for the fair amount of food they provide. They offer free refills of rice and banchan (side dishes) and the banchan combinations differ everyday! Definitely returing for more, especially when it is just a stonethrow away from Kimchee Guesthouse.

Oh, and a random thing that we discovered is that you can't opt to disable the shutter sound for the phone's basic camera app in Korea, as there is a certain law related to this apparently?

Returned to our room to discover three girls partying in it, and one of them spoke fluent English. She explained to us that she paid to escape from her parents for a few hours, and to devise a plan for her getaway with her boyfriend lol. Another good thing about living in guesthouses, is the people you meet and the stories you encounter.

Looking back, I realised day 1 and 2 were really packed and uhh.. productive, compared to day 3. All in all, I am glad I managed to involve so many people in my trip so far (AND THE DATA THAT GOT ACTIVATED TODAY OMGOOSE U HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT MADE ME SMILE ALL DAY).

Nights here over in Seoul are long and cold, and even colder without your loved ones.
(NOTE: SPAM LOTS OF MOISTURIZER, and layer your clothes.)


UPCOMING POST: DAY 4 (Seodaemun Prison History Museum, Insadong, Lotte Mart, eatyourkimchi-youarehere cafe)