the one on yummy korean with friends

an-nyo’ng-ha-se-ya?

this means “hello. how are you?” in korean.

i can literally see the text bubble on top of your heads: has missy got infected with the current korean or k-drama craze?

oh no. don’t worry.

this is about a super belated entry describing a nice evening whereby three friends went out in search of good food and entertainment.

after a long tiring search with growling stomachs covering half of the entire chinatown, we finally settled at this little korean restaurant tucked away in a quiet little corner - relatively ulu-ated part of chinatown. despite the less-than-ideal location, it was bustling and packed with customers who were slurping away at their dishes. in addition, you can hear the servers yelling orders/instructions/(or whatever they were saying) in korean throughout the restaurant.

after some observation, this joint appears to be operated by a native korean family which means that it’ll serve authentic korean fare! yay-ness!

after we’ve managed to grab a table, we eagerly flipped open the menus, only to find that it was all in korean. the only saving grace was that there were translations of the names of the dishes in simple (and i mean, really simple) english.

after trying to converse with our server with much difficulty (they don’t seemed to speak much english there), we’ve finally placed our orders.

and started waiting…..for the food to be served.

just like how the traditional korean family does it (i think), appetizers were first served to whet our appetite - not that we needed it, of course..

look, don’t they all look sooo enticing, especially the spicy cucumbers and kimchi?!

after appetizers, they proceeded to serve our main dishes. although there were only the three of us, we decided to order whatever that caught our fancy in the menu and ended up with the typical korean stone bowl rice and a modified steam-boat-y type of dish with a kimchi soup base.

the stone bowl rice might not look like it’s anything special, but we should never, ever judge a dish by its appearance.

and next up, we have…

this was sooooooooooooooooooooooo good. it was filled to the brim with various seafood, vegetables and even noodles - all soaked in good, old kimchi soup.

heavenly, i would say. i loved it.

after our orgasmic dinner, we decided to head towards vivocity - starbucks to catch up on what’s happening in our and our common friends’ lives. this was especially useful for me since i’ve missed the last major gathering…

but since we were all trigger-happy people, we naturally did not forget to indulge in a little cam-whoring.

first up, we have the…

and also featuring…

p/s: see, i’m not in black. i’ve changed. heh.

looking at all these pictures is making me want to go back to that restaurant again.

to the mates who’re seen here: can we go back again soon?

Do you know what you really want?

i’ve been giving this issue some thought for quite some time and to my utter horror, i realised that i really don’t know what i want…More specifically, i should say, i don’t know what i really want to do - something that i’m passionate in, something that i can do my whole life.

don’t get me wrong, i’m not talking about general desires such as to be successful, to be rich (for some), to be healthy etc. all these are good and fine, and a little redundant, not to say. you mean there are people who want to be a failure, poor and sick?

what i’m talking about is a specific occupation or hobby. the key word here is specific. for example, if you’ve followed the comedy series - friends, ross has always loved science, especially dinosaurs. he subsequently became a dinosaur scientist. (ermm, i can’t spell the professional word for it…heh.)

thoroughly perplexed and bent on exploring this issue further, i raised this question amongst some of my closest friends. the answers i got were surprising pretty consistent…

“don’t know…never thought that far…”

“this is a good question man!” (followed by silence…duh.)

“let me give it some thought…”

and the very classic…

“huh???”

discouraging answers, i must say. nonetheless, i shall not relent and continue my search…

***

now, on a totally unrelated note.

among my hall friends, most of us are given endearing nicknames…and on some of our trips, we came across shops that are “named” after us!

here’s one from our taiwan trip long long time ago:

this one is added to the collection from his most-recent trip:

they’ve all got their “own shops”! where’s mine?!?!!??!!?

note: i know this is a totally bo-liao post, but talking about hall days and friends cheer me up most of the time and i’m definitely in need of some pick-me-ups.

happy birthday chean!

today is that day was a very special day!

it’s chean’s birthday!

the group of us finally managed to pick a day whereby everyone is free to meet up for chean’s birthday and dinner was set to be at a particular japanese restaurant in suntec city.

having arrived earlier at the restaurant, i decided to show chean my new work toy…which reminded me that i had unfinished work waiting to be done.

look at chean’s face with glee as i stared ever-so-woefully at the ibook. evurl, tsk!

not too long after, dazzie and jun arrived. since all four of us were suffering from the growling stomachs, we decided to go ahead and refuel ourselves without cozi.

judging by the menu, the restaurant’s speciality is their katsu items. hence…

yummy!

oh yes, it’s japanese cuisine again. it’ll always be japanese cuisine when the girls decide upon the dining place, okay?!

as our food was arriving, our dearest cozi decided to make his appearance at last by walking up and down along the entrance of the restaurant. finally, we’re all gathered!

after we wasted away hours eating, catching up and gossiping about what’s-happening-to-other-common-people-we-know, we adjorned to starbucks where the guys (yes, the guys!) decided to surprise chean with a makeshift birthday cake.

warm chocolate cake with lovely chocolate sauce…how sweet, right?

the night ended much later with chatter, laughter and cam-whoring with cammie. it wasn’t a spectacular celebration…but it was one that’s filled with warmth.

if i hadn’t said it enough, happy birthday, chean! may all your wishes come true…

and also, may we have many such nights in the days ahead.

happy birthday, dazzie!

today’s another special day!

today’s dazziemon’s birthday!

happy birthday, dazziemon!

i’m so glad to have known you in my university days. starting from our days in 27 right til our last days in 24/25, we’ve created so many memories.

somehow, thinking back now, the first image that came to my mind is what happens during examination time. everytime when this awful period is around the corner, everyone starts to mug intensively and the stress level shoots straight up so much so that you can practically feel the temperature rising in the rooms.

whenever the material gets overwhelming and a mental break is in order, me and chean will sneak into dazziemon’s room and start to disturb him.

most of the times, he gets ‘beaten’ by us soundly.

- awfully good stress-busting activity. heh. -

and he always has cute biscuits in his blue cookie jar, which will be ’stunned’ by the regular visitors to his room… i especially love those tiny cookies with colourful hard icing on top? those that you could get in the traditional grocery shop displayed in huge tins?

and when my computer was down, he would allow me to play dota on his computer when he’s not around. yay!

and he’ll listen to me whine and complain, telling him incoherent things… but somehow, he manages to pierce together the underlying stories most of the time.

oh no, i’m beginning to sound like an old lady… now i know why the old folks always like to go ’想当年 …’

so… for one last time, before the clock strikes twelve, i sincerely hoped that you’ve had a smashing birthday, dazmond! and that all your wishes, hopes and dreams will come true…

love,

me.

happy birthday, ben!

this might come a little late, but nonetheless…

happy birthday, benjamin!

you’ve been a very special person…someone that had seen most of my ups and downs in these recent years. like a big brother, you’ve provided the shoulder to lean on, a listening ear and invaluable advice when i’m lost, confused or feeling down. you’ve lectured me when i couldn’t see reason or when i was plainly being stubborn, not wanting to admit my mistakes or misconceptions.

you’ve seen me at my worst, with choking sobs and a tear-stained face but yet, you still stood beside me, offering that comforting hand and mayhap, a guiding lamp when i was lost in the darkness and ugliness of my own mind.

you will always be one of those people who came into my life, and left a footprint so deep that it can never be washed away. nor do i wish for it do be washed away.

i hope you’ve enjoyed your special day.

thank you for all you’ve done for me…and for being you.

i hope we will still have many birthdays together!

love always,

me.

feeling the blues

i looked through my hall pictures all over again.

right from the time when i was a freshman…up til i was a final year senior in hall.

as i scanned through the pictures, i came across some taken during my freshman orientation.

i looked terrible them, bare-faced coupled with a horrible hairstyle. okay, not exactly horrible, but terribly o-biang, can?

although most of us looked much worse back then, but i saw the way i was smiling in the picture. it was a carefree and genuine smile that radiated joy. i smiled like i meant it and so did the rest.

looking at it brought a smile to my lips now… as i could still remember the silly things we did.

but this joy quickly turned into sorrow…as it dawned upon me that those days are gone, so far gone that i can never experience it again.

within a timespan of less than a minute, the smile died on my lips, leaving misty eyes.

i know i keep talking about my hall days, because i realize that those were the days of innocence, of being carefree, of being real.

stepping out into the working society and into my present office, going to work seemed like entering upon a battlefield. instead of artillery and swords, we have hurtful words, lousy attitudes and back-stabbing knives.

is all that really necessary? it’s not as if a million dollars is at stake, you know?

i’m so tired of listening to people bitch about one another, witnessing how people try to outdo each other through all sort of devious means, of having to look over my shoulder all the time in fear.

i’m not saying i can’t live with this. i’m not saying that i can’t deal with this realistic society.

but it just makes me so fucking tired.

i’m so tired of being realistic, of being practical, of being careful, of being cynical.

i just want to be that little girl that stays in a beautiful garden with all her good friends sometimes.

do you understand?

the one about the last one

the last person of my hall clique has just moved out of hall. that put a full stop to my previous hall life as i will no longer have any reason to go back to that place that is filled with such joyous memories.

i was chatting with one of my close hall friends, YJ, and something he said struck me very deeply.

when the 3-year course people were moving out of hall, namely people in the accountancy and business course, the remaining of our hall friends were saddened just like we were. i remembered that i had cried buckets over the thought of leaving behind my hall life. as we were packing and putting everything in boxes, i could literally see all the previous scenes of my experiences in hall right in front of my eyes. it was heartbreaking.

but just as the world continues to spin, time will not stop for you and me. i said my last goodbyes to my room and to my beloved hallmates and left the place with much lingering gaze.

a year has passed and although i still think of my hall days with much fondness and mayhap a little sadness, i’m glad to say that most of my hall friends are still bonded quite strongly and that is a strong consolation.

now, it’s their turn to pack up and leave. just like us, they did it with much sorrow…maybe lesser compared to us since there were nobody to say goodbye to, nobody to leave behind and as ridiculous as it sounds, i felt a tinge of sadness too.

for this signifies the last of our hall days and puts a stop to any possibility of us going back to hall to relive our old days.

YJ said,” when you all were leaving, all of us were sad. now that we’re leaving and although some of you have moved on for a year, you still feel so strongly the loss. that really say something about what we’ve gained here over the years, doesn’t it?”

yes, what i’ve gained in hall is priceless. living together with so many people, almost 24/7, have allowed a certain group of us to bond together…to develop that degree of friendship that is so beyond our reach sometimes.

if only i could turn back time and experience that all over again. if only.

i miss you, hall four. but more importantly, i miss the together-ness that i’ve felt when i was staying there.

goodbye and thank you for the memories.

it’s just a matter of trust

i posted this question to a friend of mine moments ago.

upon 1-10, how much do you trust me? (0-none, 10-absolute)

guess how much he rated me?

a whooppinggg 9. i’m so flattered. thank you.

***

the last week flew by so quickly, i could hardly remember what i did. i only recalled 2 of my weekday night. on one weekday night, i spent it in some relatively sleazy ktv pub, drinking with my ex-colleagues and their friends. i even learnt how to play american poker finally! yay! another night was thursday night, where i was at the old-usual hangout, wala wala.

haven’t been there for some time. the crowd hasn’t changed and neither had the music. it was quite good seeing some familiar-yet-distant faces again. but i think, the band and the hoegarden attracted me more.

somehow or rather, i’m not really in the mood to blog. tonight i can’t seem to capture my own mood. it’s floating away somewhere. i don’t really know what i’m thinking about or how i’m feeling.

something’s bothering me. i just can’t figure out what is it yet. once i’m in-tune with myself again, i will be able to know more.

***

i finally caught up with some of my other hallmates tonight, xj and jas. initially, i thought the meet-up might be awkward as we were never very close in our hall-days. however, i soon realise that it was quite fun to just catch up, to talk about our old days…and to dream about our futures.

and all was done over japanese food! yay! yummy!

***

regarding work, this industry is just so fucked up. i’m not sure if i can survive in here. even if i can, i’m quite afraid that i’ll become one of them (heaven forbid!).

nb lah.