SCHOOOOOOOL…

…has started! The new semester has begun and I’m already feeling stress for my Korean class. I’m taking an advanced class, actually the highest level, so the teacher uses Korean like 95% of the time. And that’s also the amount of % I can understand which is fortunate. This class has also more pros like Koreans who grew up in Aus and people who have lived in Korea for a period of time. But that’s a good challenge for me… it’ll drive me to study harder!

This semester I’m only taking one Korean class while the rest of my classes are part of my Asian Studies major. I’m taking Issues in Contemporary Asia, Research for Asian Studies and Asian Studies project.

Asian Studies project has only 4 classes throughout the semester because it’s individual project that requires us to write report and do presentation. Reminds me of FYP in poly. :/ Good thing is we can choose our own topics related to Asia. Grand! :D

So my timetable is pretty slack:

Monday 10-12pm
Tues 12-1pm
Thurs 12-2, 3-5pm

Well, on the topic of A. He has gone back to Korea on Sunday night. He went back on such a good timing- the night just before school starts. School helps to get my mind off him so that I won’t miss him too much. And the days when he went to Syd/Melb has also helped me become mentally stronger.

I realised I didn’t blog much about him, so I guess you guys don’t really know much about him (except for LY and KH). It’s kind of difficult for me to blog about him and the stuff we did together because it was all too lovely to be put into words. ^^ I reckon it would be so much better if you guys meet him in person.

The next time we meet will be during our next school holidays in dec/jan.

I miss him…

It’s Friday

…and that means a few things-

1) He’s coming back from his Syd/Melb trip this evening.

2) We (A and I) are going to Moreton Island for our last vacation this weekend.

3) A is going back to Korea in 2 days.

4) 2nd semester of 2010 is starting in 3 days.

5) I am feeling a mixed of emotions.

After so long…

I’m finally free enough to blog. It’s been busy busy busy ever since the last day of exams. I could not find the time to sit down and blog until now… until now, when A is away on a 4-day vacation in Sydney/Melbourne.

The past month in a nutshell:

Two besties, LY and KH, came over to Brisbane for about 12 days. Together with A, the 4 of us spent all those days travelling around Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast. Everyday, from early morning till late at night. We went to so many places, probably all the tourist attractions in Brisbane and GC. We even rented a car for two days- 30% of the time I drove while A drove for the rest of the time. I was pretty scared while driving because it has been 6 months since I last drove and I’m not very experienced, plus Aussie roads are so different from SG’s. ><”

Photos have been uploaded by LY in FB.

I love this photo! Lol~

 

Had so much fun with them~

After LY and KH left, I was pretty sad because of the sudden emptiness I felt. But of course, with A’s company, I felt better. We spent all our time together… plus, most of my friends in Brisbane went back to their home country. So I was only left with A~ not that I mind. :P

But… he’s going back to Korea soon… :’(

Go Reds~!!

You guys have to see my dinner today:

It’s bulgogi (bbq beef), kimchi and one of my favourite Korean soup dish, 육게장 yuk-ge-jang! (Spicy beef soup)

 
The soup is cooked by A’s friend (who is also his roommate). Home-made yuk-ge-jang, how awesome is that?!

The bulgogi was also given to me by the same friend. He actually gave me a whole box of marinated bulgogi which can probably last me a week or so. It’s too much actually. ><

I’m always heavily pampered when I visit A’s place. He’ll cooked for me, his friend will cook for me, and what do I do? I just sit there and be served. Well I do help out with the dishes but I still feel too pampered by them.

Anyways, World Cup season! Everyone’s going nuts over this tournament! On the day of the match between Korea and Greece, my friends, A and I watched the match at this open restaurant in the middle of the city. ALL the Korean restaurants broadcasting the match are fully booked so we had to settle for an Aussie restaurant that regularly broadcasts World Cup matches. It wasn’t so bad. Many Koreans were at the restaurants too… probably also the ones who couldn’t find any other place to watch the match.

Watching a Korea match with Koreans is soooo different. You can feel the intensity, the awesome atmosphere and the pride for their national team. They would burst out in loud cheers when a goal was scored then followed by the national cheer, “대한민국!” (dae-han-min-guk!) *clapclapclapclapclap* Not only when a goal was scored, Koreans would clap whenever the Korean goalie saved a goal from being scored. The Korean team  really did well that night, they were really alert, many good saves by the goalie and the national soccer hero, Park Ji Sung who scored the 2nd goal swiftly. So good.

 

Some of you might have seen my photos in fb. After the victorious match, Koreans in the city were cheering and dancing. You can hear the cheers from different corners of the city. It’s crazy! Haha. We joined the crowd in cheering as well. ^^

That same day in the afternoon, A and I went cycling! :D It felt good to cycle again after so long but my leg ached a little after that. Understandable since I haven’t hit the gym for some time. :x

Exclusive photo once again~ I hate wearing the helmets, seriously. It flattens my hair but it’s illegal to cycle without a helmet.

Completion

…not of my assignments but of reading “The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time”. After saying good-bye to A this evening, I went to one of the quietest foodcourt in the city and decided to finish the book right there. I just sat there for about an hour reading the book because I always like being alone and having to sit there reading alone gave me a peaceful feeling. Even though it was peak hour during dinner time, the foodcourt was still rather empty and that’s why I chose that place, plus it kept me away from the cold outside.

I felt so accomplished after reading the book! A refreshing feeling because I haven’t read in a long time. I love the book! After closing the book, I looked at it and thought, “too bad this isn’t mine and that I have to return it.” To the library.

It’s weird how once you start reading a book, you would want to keep reading even when you’ve finished with it. I’ve just moved on to another book but I think this time I’m going to spend more time completing it since this is exam period and I still have got assignments not done.

That’s the book I bought a few weeks ago and just started after finishing “The Curious Incident…”

I didn’t buy it because of the title although it was definitely the one that caught my attention. LOL. I bought it because the story seems interesting enough and it’s only $7aud.

Oh. This is just random, but today I saw one of A’s female co-workers and was stunned by her beauty! She’s Korean (all of A’s co-workers are) and she was so pretty…. I don’t know how he can like me when he’s surrounded by pretty girls.

The End…

And there we have it. The last day of classes for Semester 1, 2010. Once again, typical words for this- HOW TIME FLIES!! It’s half of 2010 already! Just one more semester to go and it’ll be LONG vacation which means HOME. :D Oh how I look forward to that…

This semester has definitely been a super KOREAN-fied one as all my courses are part of the Korean Major. And that’s all really really good. But next semester I have to focus more on the Asian Studies Major… which means toning down the Korean stuff. However, I would definitely try to take at least one Korean course next year to keep my knowledge of the language intact!

Anyway, less of the future more of the present, right now preparations for exams are on its way. Except that I still have a couple of assignments to complete and fret not, the deadline is on the last day of exams! :D

Last day of exams is also the day LY is going to arrive in Brisbane! My goodness, exciting times are coming ahead! Follow by KH who is coming 2 days after her. I have to start planning an itinerary for them. Revision week, I promise. :P

When by myself…

 
Recently, I started reading “The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time”. I’m sure most of you would have heard of this title before since it’s quite a famous novel. The book is very interesting and engaging to read. It is written in the view point of a 15 yr old who has Asperger’s Syndrome, which is very intriguing! It’s not everyday that we get to come across people with autism much less understand what they’re trying to express. So having able to read in the view point of someone who is psychologically different is quite fascinating. I’m into 3/4 of the book after just two days and I think that’s quite something considering how long I have not read a complete novel in so long. :P

Today, while crossing one of the streets in Brisbane city, I came across an old lady driver in a car, which was about to exit from a carpark, smoking. Her cigarette caught my eye because it wasn’t just any cigarette. It was a cigarette in a cigarette holder- just like the one Cruella Deville in 101 Dalmations always smokes from (photo below).

 
Initially I didn’t know what it was called, so just according to my observation, which is a metal tube holding a cigarette, I googled “cigarette holder” and I was right! At least to Wikipedia. :P

So, for awhile I just stared at the old lady smoking from the cigarette holder. Seeing something new in person for the first time usually leads me to staring at it for a few seconds and what went through my head was, “woah, it’s not only seen on TV/movies!”