Ok, so I've finally got down to blogging at my Wordpress blog and it's a very very personal entry so I've password-protected it. Email me at eunjin.clara@gmail.com or leave a comment here if you wish to continue following me and read my private entries at Wordpress! I might be blogging at my Wordpress blog all the way until I leave Korea. I really like this blog with my pretty layout that I've used for so long but not being able to privatise certain entries is irritating. There are things that I want to share with the blog readers who have been following me for so long and yet, I don't want my thoughts to be so public so I have decided that Wordpress works for me.
http://eunjinclarainkorea.wordpress.com/
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
1 week left. 6 months left.
I miss my brother so much.
I miss all the times we'd go out to some place in Seoul and explore and do the stuff that we both like doing e.g. shopping, eating at nice places, taking photos, etc.
I've finally realised that I've been alone for far too long.
I've always been a loner, enjoying the solitude and just being able to do what I want on my own.
Having all the time in the world to myself only.
Walking around Sinchon and Edae areas alone after holing myself up in my room all day, listing to songs on my Spotify playlist and walking around the beauty counters in Hyundai Department Store. This is me.
It's difficult to find friends with the same interests here and even if we do, they're busy with their other friends and their own friends. I'm all alone here, I have all the time in the world when I don't have to work or have school commitments to deal with.
Indeed, blood is thicker than water.
Now what have I turned this blog into :'(
I never meant for this blog to be so personal.
Ok, one more week left for my internship and then it's back to the last semester in Yonsei for me.
6 months left in Seoul/Korea.
I'm no longer a full-time student/유학생 here. I'm an exchange student with just 6 months in Korea.
I'll make the best of every day or moment (if possible).
I miss all the times we'd go out to some place in Seoul and explore and do the stuff that we both like doing e.g. shopping, eating at nice places, taking photos, etc.
I've finally realised that I've been alone for far too long.
I've always been a loner, enjoying the solitude and just being able to do what I want on my own.
Having all the time in the world to myself only.
Walking around Sinchon and Edae areas alone after holing myself up in my room all day, listing to songs on my Spotify playlist and walking around the beauty counters in Hyundai Department Store. This is me.
It's difficult to find friends with the same interests here and even if we do, they're busy with their other friends and their own friends. I'm all alone here, I have all the time in the world when I don't have to work or have school commitments to deal with.
Indeed, blood is thicker than water.
Now what have I turned this blog into :'(
I never meant for this blog to be so personal.
Ok, one more week left for my internship and then it's back to the last semester in Yonsei for me.
6 months left in Seoul/Korea.
I'm no longer a full-time student/유학생 here. I'm an exchange student with just 6 months in Korea.
I'll make the best of every day or moment (if possible).
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
On bandages
There was one day when I had lunch with my colleagues and after eating in the staff food court, we went to the 13th floor relaxation area to chit chat. And we somehow started talking about foreigners who come to Korea for plastic surgery.
My colleagues were saying that it's so weird to see all these foreigners walking around Gangnam area with their bandages on their noses and all. I was shocked when I heard that because I heard that most Korean girls who do PS do that, especially in Gangnam, so foreigners think it's normal/common/alright to do likewise post-surgery (this is what I heard/read in blogs; I don't really go to Gangnam often because it's too far- yeah even though it's just a bus ride away). And then it was my colleagues' turn to be shocked because they said that Koreans don't do that...the people walking around with the bandages are foreigners. Hahahaha I guess when you're wrapped up in bandages and all, no one can tell whether you're a foreigner or Korean unless you start talking.
My colleagues were saying that it's so weird to see all these foreigners walking around Gangnam area with their bandages on their noses and all. I was shocked when I heard that because I heard that most Korean girls who do PS do that, especially in Gangnam, so foreigners think it's normal/common/alright to do likewise post-surgery (this is what I heard/read in blogs; I don't really go to Gangnam often because it's too far- yeah even though it's just a bus ride away). And then it was my colleagues' turn to be shocked because they said that Koreans don't do that...the people walking around with the bandages are foreigners. Hahahaha I guess when you're wrapped up in bandages and all, no one can tell whether you're a foreigner or Korean unless you start talking.
Friday, August 15, 2014
At a crossroad again
Slightly more than 2 years ago, I was at this crossroad but I chose to escape by applying for the scholarship and coming to Korea.
But escaping doesn't solve the problem. And now, I'm back at the same crossroad again, just that the circumstances are a bit different.
What to do after I graduate in February???
I'm really glad to be interning in a great department (which doesn't even hire fresh graduates to start with) with a possibility of having my contract extended into a part time job for the next 2 months (though this is not confirmed yet and I kinda want to enjoy my last semester as a student...) in Korea's biggest cosmetics company. The food here is great (free lunch every day) and the people here are really nice. But...this department is definitely not for me when I graduate because I don't really know business Korean and my Korean's not that fantastic (definitely not as good as it was more than a year ago when I was studying Korean full time). I can only help for market research, that's it. Then, there's the global marketing department for the different brands. But $$$ is an issue...I have an opportunity cost. I'm here in Korea studying when all my peers have already worked for more than 2 years and are earning decent salaries. I don't mind if I were a fresh graduate but not if I were a MBA graduate and earning that amount...
And then there's the question of whether I'm going back to Singapore or staying in Korea.
For now, I'm leaning towards returning to Singapore.
Ahhhhhh I have to decide but I can't!!! Hopefully, by early November, I'll have my answer.
Public holiday tomorrow and Labour Day (only for my company) next Friday. 2 Fridays off in a row, wheee!!!!! And then I'll just have 1 more week of internship left before it's back to school for the last time.
How did time pass so fast?!?!?!?
In about 2 weeks' time, it'll be my 2nd anniversary here in Korea. Soon, I'll be having my farewell party with my fellow KGSP friends since my program is 1.5 years while theirs is 2 years.
Time to sleep and wake up late too finally!!!!
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Happy birthday Singapore!
From the time I arrived in Korea in August 2012, I haven't really felt homesick.
But this time, after spending slightly more than a month with my brother here in Korea, I am homesick.
I've just sent him off at the airport and it was a struggle to put on a brave front and not cry in public.
The past few weeks with him were one of the best times I've had in Korea.
With friends here, there are things that you can't do together because you may not share the same interests or spending habits (not saying I'm rich or anything; on the contrary, I'm always in a financial crisis but there are times when I just want to spend some money on that ONE time just for experience sake). My brother and I are really close and we share very similar interests. Like even when I'm shopping, he'll stay in the boutique with me (ok, only when I ask him to, if not he'd just stand outside) and give me shopping advice.
Thanks to my brother, I've pretty done almost everything I've always wanted to do in Korea and it was nice to be able to do them with him and not alone. Now, we're just waiting for our Winter adventure :)
I'm currently still interning but after 3 weeks, I'll be freeeeeee!
Unfortunately, I'll have no break and school will start the week after.
Nevertheless, I'm only taking like 7.5 credits this semester as compared to 18 last semester so life will be so much easier.
Once I'm done with my internship, I might revamp this blog or move to Wordpress where I can selectively lock entries. I'll resume work on this travel blog for the remaining few months of my stay in Korea.
Previously, I thought I could work here for 2 years after graduating in February. But lately, I've been missing Singapore and most importantly, my family. Furthermore, each time a relative or friend comes to visit me and then return to Singapore, I get sadder and sadder with each farewell. I don't think my poor heart can take so many farewells! We'll see but for now, I'm leaning towards a "returning to Singapore" stance. But who knows, things might change over the course of the next few months. Maybe my company might hire me for a full-time position? Ok fat hope and I still can't decide whether to stay here in Korea or to return.
Korea's a beautiful country but I'm a Singaporean at heart. There are cultural differences and some of which, I can't tolerate. Things like personal space. There's a newcomer in my department. She's Korean but spent 10 years in the States for her education and she concurred with me about people not having a sense of personal space here. So it's not just me who feels this way!!!!!! Even a Korean herself.
Happy birthday Singapore. I'll be home for good soon and I'm looking forward to that (except the heat).
But this time, after spending slightly more than a month with my brother here in Korea, I am homesick.
I've just sent him off at the airport and it was a struggle to put on a brave front and not cry in public.
The past few weeks with him were one of the best times I've had in Korea.
With friends here, there are things that you can't do together because you may not share the same interests or spending habits (not saying I'm rich or anything; on the contrary, I'm always in a financial crisis but there are times when I just want to spend some money on that ONE time just for experience sake). My brother and I are really close and we share very similar interests. Like even when I'm shopping, he'll stay in the boutique with me (ok, only when I ask him to, if not he'd just stand outside) and give me shopping advice.
Thanks to my brother, I've pretty done almost everything I've always wanted to do in Korea and it was nice to be able to do them with him and not alone. Now, we're just waiting for our Winter adventure :)
I'm currently still interning but after 3 weeks, I'll be freeeeeee!
Unfortunately, I'll have no break and school will start the week after.
Nevertheless, I'm only taking like 7.5 credits this semester as compared to 18 last semester so life will be so much easier.
Once I'm done with my internship, I might revamp this blog or move to Wordpress where I can selectively lock entries. I'll resume work on this travel blog for the remaining few months of my stay in Korea.
Previously, I thought I could work here for 2 years after graduating in February. But lately, I've been missing Singapore and most importantly, my family. Furthermore, each time a relative or friend comes to visit me and then return to Singapore, I get sadder and sadder with each farewell. I don't think my poor heart can take so many farewells! We'll see but for now, I'm leaning towards a "returning to Singapore" stance. But who knows, things might change over the course of the next few months. Maybe my company might hire me for a full-time position? Ok fat hope and I still can't decide whether to stay here in Korea or to return.
Korea's a beautiful country but I'm a Singaporean at heart. There are cultural differences and some of which, I can't tolerate. Things like personal space. There's a newcomer in my department. She's Korean but spent 10 years in the States for her education and she concurred with me about people not having a sense of personal space here. So it's not just me who feels this way!!!!!! Even a Korean herself.
Happy birthday Singapore. I'll be home for good soon and I'm looking forward to that (except the heat).
Monday, July 14, 2014
Yet another rant but I really can't stand that YISS angmoh girl.
It was just her luck that she arrived when I had just loaded my clothes into 2 washing machines and the others were occupied. And then I used 2 dryers for 2 rounds each.
She asked me why I couldn't put all my clothes into 1 dryer since some of them would have been dried from the 1st round. This was after the fact that I had already told her that I haven't done my laundry for more than 3 weeks. Do you know how much clothes that I haven't washed in 3 weeks add up to?! I freakingly need more than 1 washing machine and 1 dryer because I have to split the HUGE pile of clothes into two?!
And as a YISS student, she doesn't have to leave her room by 7.30am every weekday morning for work and only come back after 7pm or so. My brother is only here for a month or so too so I have been going out and spending time with him right after work and during the weekend. So much so that I don't really rest after my internship everyday or during the weekend. I'm not complaining, I'm so happy that my brother is here and I treasure every single minute with him and so, I've been putting off washing my clothes every single day until the internal alarm in me to wash my clothes has been ringing non-stop inside my head for the last few days. So today, I left work on the dot at 6pm to rush back just to wash my clothes. I know YISS classes end by 6pm and she didn't have to take a bus back to the dorm just to wash her clothes.
And if you want others to be nice to you, be nice to them first. Don't speak to me in that voice/tone of yours. I've been here for almost a year, I know how the washing machines work and I know how to do my laundry with those washing machines and dryers. And during the past 1 year or so, my clothes were never dried from just 1 round in the dryer.
Throughout the 2 years I've spent here, I've changed a lot. For the worse actually. It's not just the Koreans, it's just people I've encountered here, both Koreans and foreigners. I guess my stubborn nature and character is to blame too but lately, a lot of people have been pissing me off. Not having a sense of personal space, being inconsiderate, being a hypocrite/fake, etc. I've had enough. I'm so glad that I don't have to see most of my classmates for this month and next month. I really need a break from them. Ok, I exaggerated, I don't want to meet a few people, not most of my classmates. 1 person has no 눈치 at all and then there are the cheaters.
I would like to think that I'm a nice person by nature. Until I'm provoked. And you don't mess with me. I'm sorry but I don't have the grace to forgive and forget easily. I treat you nicely and I expect you to treat me nicely too. But sadly, the world doesn't work this way.
Actually, all I really want from people is consistency. And I believe that I always try to be consistent in terms of my behavior too. If I say I don't like it and I'm against it, I don't go with the tide you know...suck up to some others and the likes? If I don't like you, I probably won't like you for the rest of my life until we can reconcile or one of us gives in and apologises first. But that's me, consistent till the very end. I don't like...talk to you just to get a favour and then give you the cold shoulder again? Or say hi to you in front of a selected group of people and then ignore you when it's just the 2 of us? I'd rather you just ignore or not talk to me at all than to keep up with the pretense and fakeness in front of a selected group of audience. Please be more consistent in terms of your behavior :)
It was just her luck that she arrived when I had just loaded my clothes into 2 washing machines and the others were occupied. And then I used 2 dryers for 2 rounds each.
She asked me why I couldn't put all my clothes into 1 dryer since some of them would have been dried from the 1st round. This was after the fact that I had already told her that I haven't done my laundry for more than 3 weeks. Do you know how much clothes that I haven't washed in 3 weeks add up to?! I freakingly need more than 1 washing machine and 1 dryer because I have to split the HUGE pile of clothes into two?!
And as a YISS student, she doesn't have to leave her room by 7.30am every weekday morning for work and only come back after 7pm or so. My brother is only here for a month or so too so I have been going out and spending time with him right after work and during the weekend. So much so that I don't really rest after my internship everyday or during the weekend. I'm not complaining, I'm so happy that my brother is here and I treasure every single minute with him and so, I've been putting off washing my clothes every single day until the internal alarm in me to wash my clothes has been ringing non-stop inside my head for the last few days. So today, I left work on the dot at 6pm to rush back just to wash my clothes. I know YISS classes end by 6pm and she didn't have to take a bus back to the dorm just to wash her clothes.
And if you want others to be nice to you, be nice to them first. Don't speak to me in that voice/tone of yours. I've been here for almost a year, I know how the washing machines work and I know how to do my laundry with those washing machines and dryers. And during the past 1 year or so, my clothes were never dried from just 1 round in the dryer.
Throughout the 2 years I've spent here, I've changed a lot. For the worse actually. It's not just the Koreans, it's just people I've encountered here, both Koreans and foreigners. I guess my stubborn nature and character is to blame too but lately, a lot of people have been pissing me off. Not having a sense of personal space, being inconsiderate, being a hypocrite/fake, etc. I've had enough. I'm so glad that I don't have to see most of my classmates for this month and next month. I really need a break from them. Ok, I exaggerated, I don't want to meet a few people, not most of my classmates. 1 person has no 눈치 at all and then there are the cheaters.
I would like to think that I'm a nice person by nature. Until I'm provoked. And you don't mess with me. I'm sorry but I don't have the grace to forgive and forget easily. I treat you nicely and I expect you to treat me nicely too. But sadly, the world doesn't work this way.
Actually, all I really want from people is consistency. And I believe that I always try to be consistent in terms of my behavior too. If I say I don't like it and I'm against it, I don't go with the tide you know...suck up to some others and the likes? If I don't like you, I probably won't like you for the rest of my life until we can reconcile or one of us gives in and apologises first. But that's me, consistent till the very end. I don't like...talk to you just to get a favour and then give you the cold shoulder again? Or say hi to you in front of a selected group of people and then ignore you when it's just the 2 of us? I'd rather you just ignore or not talk to me at all than to keep up with the pretense and fakeness in front of a selected group of audience. Please be more consistent in terms of your behavior :)
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Life's good
My brother has been here for more than a week.
It's been so surreal with him around!
I've been alone for so many months and now he's here!
We had an epic Jeju trip and I need to blog and share about the trip. It was my 4th time there but this was the most luxurious trip^^ I feel bad about spending so much but it was a much needed getaway. I was so drained during the semester!
Today was the 2nd day of my dream internship. I can't believe my luck and how blessed I am to be able to enter this department and be given a project that I'm so passionate about. I mean which internship allows you to surf the net and read makeup blogs to find out about the star products in the industry during working hours? And throughout the day, I hear colleagues and staff from other departments in my office talking about Innisfree, Sulwhasoo, Etude House, Hera, Laneige, etc. So so so dream-like. I even met the VP of the company in the lift today and he says my name is beautiful^^
I've heard so much about working in a Korean company that I was so scared yesterday before the start of my internship. But my colleagues are so nice, especially my 2 bosses who are so nice and kind to me and my colleagues who bring me down to the staff cafeteria for lunch everyday and chase me to go home at 6pm sharp and told me that I don't need to use 눈치 here. The staff cafeteria is like a food court in a shopping mall with very delicious food and the best part? It's free for staff^^ In the office, I have a range of O'Sulloc tea bags to choose from too. And yesterday, I had my first 회식. It was a senior associate's farewell dinner cum my welcome dinner. To discourage employees from staying out too late during 회식 and from going for many rounds (2차, 3차, 등), the company's credit card can only be used till 9pm. And today, a colleague messaged me on our company chat messenger to tell me that there's 30% discount for staff in the Aritaum shop in the basement.
This internship is kinda like my 1st internship with the Call Centre in UOB with wonderful and supportive bosses and colleagues and autonomy to determine the direction of my own project.
It's been so surreal with him around!
I've been alone for so many months and now he's here!
We had an epic Jeju trip and I need to blog and share about the trip. It was my 4th time there but this was the most luxurious trip^^ I feel bad about spending so much but it was a much needed getaway. I was so drained during the semester!
Today was the 2nd day of my dream internship. I can't believe my luck and how blessed I am to be able to enter this department and be given a project that I'm so passionate about. I mean which internship allows you to surf the net and read makeup blogs to find out about the star products in the industry during working hours? And throughout the day, I hear colleagues and staff from other departments in my office talking about Innisfree, Sulwhasoo, Etude House, Hera, Laneige, etc. So so so dream-like. I even met the VP of the company in the lift today and he says my name is beautiful^^
I've heard so much about working in a Korean company that I was so scared yesterday before the start of my internship. But my colleagues are so nice, especially my 2 bosses who are so nice and kind to me and my colleagues who bring me down to the staff cafeteria for lunch everyday and chase me to go home at 6pm sharp and told me that I don't need to use 눈치 here. The staff cafeteria is like a food court in a shopping mall with very delicious food and the best part? It's free for staff^^ In the office, I have a range of O'Sulloc tea bags to choose from too. And yesterday, I had my first 회식. It was a senior associate's farewell dinner cum my welcome dinner. To discourage employees from staying out too late during 회식 and from going for many rounds (2차, 3차, 등), the company's credit card can only be used till 9pm. And today, a colleague messaged me on our company chat messenger to tell me that there's 30% discount for staff in the Aritaum shop in the basement.
This internship is kinda like my 1st internship with the Call Centre in UOB with wonderful and supportive bosses and colleagues and autonomy to determine the direction of my own project.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Firsts
This year is really, a year of many firsts.
I had my first interview conducted entirely in Korean for a scholarship in Feb.
I went for my first overseas case competition in Shanghai in March.
I just had my first phone interview for a summer internship in JP Morgan Seoul in Korean.
I need to study Korean again, but I'm so overwhelmed with my other modules for this semester.
Less than a year more to go!
I had my first interview conducted entirely in Korean for a scholarship in Feb.
I went for my first overseas case competition in Shanghai in March.
I just had my first phone interview for a summer internship in JP Morgan Seoul in Korean.
I need to study Korean again, but I'm so overwhelmed with my other modules for this semester.
Less than a year more to go!
Friday, May 2, 2014
Dramaland
The last 4 days have been nothing but drama, in a good and bad way!
Mon and Tues were like a dream, something I'd talked about casually once or twice but never dreamt that a wish/whimsical thought would turn into reality, albeit only for a very short while. What a whirlwind of events. A pity it was so short though! Sometimes, you have to be careful of what you wish for.
Wed was a day of stress because of last minute prep for a presentation yesterday and having a group of drunk Korean guys in their 30s talk to me on the phone because a corporate MBA senior had his high sch reunion and I don't know how his friends ended up seeing my KT profile and called me. Having to deal with such a prank call in Korean is not exactly very nice. And I thought that his friends were his CMBA classmates so I was extremely polite to them despite knowing the nature of the call. Argh.
Thurs had me fearing for my life and regretting how I've been as a person and how I should rid myself of my weaknesses. Recently, my bad side seems to have surfaced a lot and I have to rein it in. My impatience, lack of tolerance for incompetency (I know it's not like I'm very competent myself. I know I should just shut up and reflect on myself as a person before talking about others. I'm trying and I hope that after letting this out, I'll really change!!!) and dislike for people who leech off others and not grow a backbone of their own, etc. I think I should shut my mouth or don't make my feelings so obvious for others to read. That's what happens when you open yourself up. Last semester, I kinda closed myself. But this semester, maybe I opened up a little too much.
At least, I'll have a nice time from now till next Wed and hopefully, the weather will be good!
Time and time again, I've come to realize that drama only happens in my life when I'm in the motherland of dramas. Oh Korea.
And last semester, I thought that it would be my busiest semester and life would get better soon. When Module 1 started this semester, it was worse than before and I thought when Module 2 comes, my life will REALLY get better. BUT NO. It just got worse with the start of Module 2 this week. But really, during Fall semester this year, I will only be taking 7.5 credits, instead of the 18 that I'm taking now. So then, I should be able to finally relax and enjoy my last few months as a student studying in Korea before I get consumed into the workforce next year.
Now I have to finish my essay on public holidays in Singapore for my scholarship class and then start on all the readings due next week. Life of a full time MBA student, oh my poor eyes.
Mon and Tues were like a dream, something I'd talked about casually once or twice but never dreamt that a wish/whimsical thought would turn into reality, albeit only for a very short while. What a whirlwind of events. A pity it was so short though! Sometimes, you have to be careful of what you wish for.
Wed was a day of stress because of last minute prep for a presentation yesterday and having a group of drunk Korean guys in their 30s talk to me on the phone because a corporate MBA senior had his high sch reunion and I don't know how his friends ended up seeing my KT profile and called me. Having to deal with such a prank call in Korean is not exactly very nice. And I thought that his friends were his CMBA classmates so I was extremely polite to them despite knowing the nature of the call. Argh.
Thurs had me fearing for my life and regretting how I've been as a person and how I should rid myself of my weaknesses. Recently, my bad side seems to have surfaced a lot and I have to rein it in. My impatience, lack of tolerance for incompetency (I know it's not like I'm very competent myself. I know I should just shut up and reflect on myself as a person before talking about others. I'm trying and I hope that after letting this out, I'll really change!!!) and dislike for people who leech off others and not grow a backbone of their own, etc. I think I should shut my mouth or don't make my feelings so obvious for others to read. That's what happens when you open yourself up. Last semester, I kinda closed myself. But this semester, maybe I opened up a little too much.
At least, I'll have a nice time from now till next Wed and hopefully, the weather will be good!
Time and time again, I've come to realize that drama only happens in my life when I'm in the motherland of dramas. Oh Korea.
And last semester, I thought that it would be my busiest semester and life would get better soon. When Module 1 started this semester, it was worse than before and I thought when Module 2 comes, my life will REALLY get better. BUT NO. It just got worse with the start of Module 2 this week. But really, during Fall semester this year, I will only be taking 7.5 credits, instead of the 18 that I'm taking now. So then, I should be able to finally relax and enjoy my last few months as a student studying in Korea before I get consumed into the workforce next year.
Now I have to finish my essay on public holidays in Singapore for my scholarship class and then start on all the readings due next week. Life of a full time MBA student, oh my poor eyes.
Friday, March 28, 2014
On a mission for the best resume photo
I have an extremely low tolerance for heat :(
I was the only one in wherever I was today walking around with half my faux leather jacket on me and half of my sleeveless top exposed with my open toe wedges.Even so, I was perspiring most of the time and I felt even hotter than ever looking at the people around me wearing sweaters and coats.
It’s time to bring my summer paper fan around.
It’s quite sad how spring and autumn are disappearing.
Just 2 weeks ago, it was still pretty chilly and I was wearing a new wool coat I got from Gmarket.
Now, it’s so warm in the day…today, it hit 22.3 deg C!
Anyway, I feel really accomplished today :)
Finally, I’ve completed something that has been on my “Things To Do in Korea” list for the longest time and that is…
GETTING MY HAIR STYLED AT JUNO HAIR AND HAVING A GOOD RESUME PHOTO TAKEN
It took me so long to get this done!
I would like to say that I just didn’t have the time to do so but after talking to a CMBA guy last Tuesday during our Post-Welcoming Party party, he said it’s not about not having the time to do anything; it’s about not making the time to do whatever one has to do.
So back to my day:
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| the only reason why I love spring: flora and fauna. not loving the increase in temperature though |
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| Not the one in the same building as Adidas. It’s on the opposite side. |
I like it that Soyou recommended the cheaper one to me instead of the more expensive one that most employees like to do to their customers because she knows how I feel about my hair weighing me down and it’s really like a blanket around my neck. The more expensive one is of course better in terms of the benefits for the hair but it also makes my hair heavier which I don’t want.
I also had my hair trimmed a little. A haircut at Juno costs 25,000KRW.
In addition, I told Soyou that I was going to have my resume photo taken after my hair appointment so she styled my hair with a flat iron for a cleaner and more professional look :)
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| Reading my negotiations case while having the treatment done |
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| Complimentary bread with peanut butter jam and wet tissues provided |
This is my 3rd time at Juno Hair. The 1st time was January 2013 in Seomyeon, Busan and the 2nd time was 2 weeks ago in this Myeongdong branch. I’m very satisfied with the customer service here and the quality of the hair services I have received. So I decided to sign up as a member! Signing up as a member is free and you receive 10% off for hair services excluding treatment. On top of that, I received 6,000KRW worth of gift vouchers. The 10% discount can be used on the very day that you sign up for the membership. Juno Hair is definitely on the pricey side and I’ll think twice before getting my hair permed here because I always get my hair permed in Edae area for less. But for haircuts, dry (wash and blow) and styling, I think it’s alright to pay slightly more for the service and some pampering. And Soyou always walks me to the entrance from the 3rd floor all the way to the 1st floor after the end of my appointment with her.
Juno Hair Myeongdong Salon #1- highly recommended!
It’s better to make an appointment before going: 02-756-3141 준오헤어 명동 1호점
My stylist: Soyou 소유
The next thing I knew, I found myself sitting beside the female staff in the studio (maybe the photographer’s wife?) as she showed me the shots and allowed me to choose the one that I preferred before working her magic. At first, I thought she would just show me the shots as I had requested and then I would go off for 2 hours and come back. But she started doing the photoshopping in front of me and while I was telling her the areas that I wanted to be adjusted, I felt that I might be preventing her from doing her job properly by being there so I was going to leave when the both of them (the photographer and the lady) told me to stay and make whatever requests I have for the photoshopping because they wanted me to have a photo that I’ll finally be satisfied with!!!!!
OMG, so nice and sweet of them…so instead of coming back 2 hours later, I sat beside the lady as she weaved her magic and gave me virtual plastic surgery, acceding to all my requests with regards to the photoshopping. 1 hour later, the photos were printed and I’M SO HAPPY. MISSION COMPLETED!
So anyway, I’m very happy today because my mission was completed successfully and I strongly recommend this studio for your resume photo. In fact, if you’re here in Korea for a holiday, you could set aside time to get your hair done at a hair salon and then have a nice resume (or even passport) photo taken on the same day.
Let me show you the recent photos I have had taken:
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| At a photo studio in Anam (near Korea University) in late 2010 and early 2011. |
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| 2013: studio in Seomyeon Busan (my passport photo now ㅠㅜㅜㅜ) || studio in Ulsan (my student ID photo…total ajumma) |
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| “Professional” resume photo taking in NUS Biz Sch 2011? || the recommended photo studio in Yonsei University Dec 2013 |
And today’s products:
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| Ok, I’ve been beautified but I would like to think that this is a more accurate representation of what I look like |
Last errand for the day was buying a book I need for my Negotiations class’ final term project at Kyobo Bookstore in Gangnam before I returned to Sinchon.
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| Love Kyobo! If the bookstore has stock for the book you want, you can click on the “print” button and you get a printout of the location of your book :) |
Monday, March 10, 2014
Due to the last minute work for the case competition, I ended up with a backlog again and somehow, China doesn’t like me.
#1. I had very bad motion sickness from the flight there. 1st time in my life!!!!! So I was KO for Day 1.
#2. My phone’s LCD screen protector which sat nicely on my phone for the past 1.5 years fell out.
#3. The photo printing on my Casetagram phone cover peeled out in quite a number of spots.
#4. My luggage was damaged on the return back to Korea. There’s a big hole and 3 long crack lines.
#5. I couldn’t really connect to the internet with my Macbook for some strange reason and the wifi in my hotel room didn’t work smoothly and well for me.
I missed Korea.
Now I have to catch up with school and clear my backlog of blog entries.
The cycle begins again.
#1. I had very bad motion sickness from the flight there. 1st time in my life!!!!! So I was KO for Day 1.
#2. My phone’s LCD screen protector which sat nicely on my phone for the past 1.5 years fell out.
#3. The photo printing on my Casetagram phone cover peeled out in quite a number of spots.
#4. My luggage was damaged on the return back to Korea. There’s a big hole and 3 long crack lines.
#5. I couldn’t really connect to the internet with my Macbook for some strange reason and the wifi in my hotel room didn’t work smoothly and well for me.
I missed Korea.
Now I have to catch up with school and clear my backlog of blog entries.
The cycle begins again.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
3. Open House
Wow, so I went for our program’s Open House to share about life here in business school and right after the event was over, my class president came over to tell us that the school gave us money in appreciation for our efforts so…it was free dinner for each of us!!!! The budget was pretty generous so we decided on Outback Steakhouse, which I’ve always wanted to try.
I’m glad that I didn’t have to pay for the meal myself because it isn’t cheap and to me, now that I’ve tried it, I probably won’t be back another time unless someone’s paying for me haha. I eat to live. I only return to a restaurant or eatery many times if it’s cheap with decent food or for the ambience. I’m more of an ambience person which means that sometimes, I’d rather spend more just for the ambience. Which leads me to the point that I’m being tempted to go to Namhae with Jeannie and Yong Kang next month because Jeannie dangled the carrot of a free dinner at Hilton Hotel.
Anyway, I better get back to my case again. I’ve really really realised that I’m a last-minute person and that I only go into full steam the day before something’s due and I go into a panic mode. Friday’s coming soon!!!!!
I’ll update this entry and my past entries with photos when I’m done with this case competition!
And on Monday, there’ll be an info session for Hyundai’s MBA Case Competition. This semester’s gonna be a busy one and maintaining my GPA is going to be real tough :’(
OH YES! I received a wonderful SMS this morning. I got my 2nd scholarship for this year. I’m on a roll :)
I’m glad that I didn’t have to pay for the meal myself because it isn’t cheap and to me, now that I’ve tried it, I probably won’t be back another time unless someone’s paying for me haha. I eat to live. I only return to a restaurant or eatery many times if it’s cheap with decent food or for the ambience. I’m more of an ambience person which means that sometimes, I’d rather spend more just for the ambience. Which leads me to the point that I’m being tempted to go to Namhae with Jeannie and Yong Kang next month because Jeannie dangled the carrot of a free dinner at Hilton Hotel.
Anyway, I better get back to my case again. I’ve really really realised that I’m a last-minute person and that I only go into full steam the day before something’s due and I go into a panic mode. Friday’s coming soon!!!!!
I’ll update this entry and my past entries with photos when I’m done with this case competition!
And on Monday, there’ll be an info session for Hyundai’s MBA Case Competition. This semester’s gonna be a busy one and maintaining my GPA is going to be real tough :’(
OH YES! I received a wonderful SMS this morning. I got my 2nd scholarship for this year. I’m on a roll :)
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
2. 1st real day of classes
We had our team meeting for the case competition today.
And then, 6 hours of classes!
But given that this week is the first week, it’s basically introduction and we ended early for Investments, went for dinner together (love going out as a big group) before going back to the 2nd floor lounge to work on the case. Ahhhhhhhh everything’s in a mess. My brain’s in a mess. I need to organise everything but it’s so difficult. I hate this period. The pressure in my brain’s building up. Can’t wait for Saturday to be over! For that 12 minutes to be over.
And then, 6 hours of classes!
But given that this week is the first week, it’s basically introduction and we ended early for Investments, went for dinner together (love going out as a big group) before going back to the 2nd floor lounge to work on the case. Ahhhhhhhh everything’s in a mess. My brain’s in a mess. I need to organise everything but it’s so difficult. I hate this period. The pressure in my brain’s building up. Can’t wait for Saturday to be over! For that 12 minutes to be over.
Monday, March 3, 2014
1. First day of Spring Semester
I can’t wait for this week to be over.
The stress really is building up!!!!!
Friday’s coming :(
After much hesitation today, I went for Korean class.
I’m still thinking whether to drop it because I can only take a maximum of 18 credits this semester and some of my classmates are maxing it to 18 without taking any language classes. With my Korean class, it means I have 18.5 credits and I can’t add the Negotiations class.
Shall go for the Negotiations class on Thursday to see if it’s worthwhile dropping my Korean class. This week, many people are shopping haha.
Anyway, the other reason why I don’t want to take Korean class this semester is because it’s on a Monday, when I have no other classes. When it’s my free day, I want to keep it free. Every time I go for a class, I’m terribly unproductive after that so the day is pretty much wasted for me. So I want it to be on Tues/Wed/Thurs. But James is right too, I’m a full-time MBA student, not a part-time student so why am I complaining about having to go for class on a Monday when I live on campus?? But I just want it free… a WHOLE day free to do whatever I want.
Anyway, today’s Korean class was about 다문화 가정 multi-cultural families, which was the topic for the volunteering project that I had to come up with for yesterday’s scholarship interview, so I had a lot to talk about it. Halfway during class, 선생님 asked me if I had any 고정 관념 fixed perceptions before I came to Korea and then after talking for awhile, I realised that I do have. And also, I talked about how I’ve been increasingly feeling about Korea. Lately, I’ve been talking to others about this a lot.
I love Korea. I do. And I still love studying the Korean language though it takes up time and it’s hard juggling the demands of a full-time MBA program and studying a language. But things are just not the same as they were when I was on exchange at Korea University. Then, I was a tourist for 6 months. Now, I’m living here for a longer time. I don’t feel like a tourist anymore and hence, there isn’t much to talk about my life here unless I go out. Here, I’m alone most of the time. Of course I have friends here but everyone’s busy with their own lives and their own lifestyles. There’s no Jeannie here whom I hung out with all the time when we were on exchange and had similar goals for the 6 months that we had here. So I would say it’s the people who really make or break things for you in a foreign country. I like Seoul, but I love Busan, or rather, the time I was there with my fellow scholars. There, we were all living in the dorm together, and going for Korean class everyday together, with nothing much to do after class. Here in Seoul, everyone leads different lives. In Seoul, I walk around Myeongdong, Cheonggyecheon and Edae/Sinchon area a lot. ALONE. I spend my time in department stores and window-shopping. In Busan, I would have taken a bus down to Gwangan to sit in a cafe and just watch the sea or go to Spaland in Centum City if I were alone. I could always go out with my roommate, Valentina or my Korean class classmates too. I miss Busan a lot. If I were to stay in Korea next time, I would buy a nice and pretty apartment by Gwangan or Haeundae.
Another thing is that when I was an exchange student here for only 6 months, I saw only the nice side of Korea. Now that I’ve been here for about 1.5 years, I’ve seen things that I don’t like and I’ve learnt more about the culture here that I don’t like. Of course, maybe it’s the same in Singapore too but I have not come across such situations in Singapore before so to me, Singapore’s better in the relative sense. This being a public space makes it difficult for me to reveal much but last year, I was really disappointed in a few events that really woke me up from my Korean dream and made me really happy to be back in Singapore this year. This is probably the most truthful entry I’ve ever written in this blog about my feelings about Korea for this stay back in Korea. I know that I’m studying here with the Korean people’s tax money and I know there are many people who wish that they got the scholarship that I have. I am grateful. I truly am. In fact, I was really angry when I heard about some fellow scholars who gave up the scholarship because they denied others of the chance that they had.
I’m doing well in school and I’ve been really involved with my school’s activities and I’m even representing my school for a competition. If I do get the additional scholarship that I interviewed for yesterday, I hope that I can contribute back to the Korean society with the volunteering work that I will be doing for the next 9 months. But nothing will erase the fact that I was very disappointed last year, had my heart broken a few times (I’m still attached to H btw, but I’m referring to many things)- mainly because I had set my expectations too high. And this 2.5 years here is not a 6 month exchange program. You’re here for a longer period of time, and you see more things. It’s nice to come here for a holiday but when it’s not your holiday, it’s a different story altogether. I know that there are many Singaporeans out there who have their own Korean dreams. I was one of them. But I felt let down in some ways. But of course, you need the bad days for you to appreciate the good days and the good times better. All these only make me a stronger person and I must admit that I’ve grown a lot over the past 1.5 years, especially last year!
The most important thing that I have to decide for this year is whether I will continue to work in Korea for about 2 years after I graduate or to return to Singapore. The deciding factor will be my summer internship experience. I have heard a lot about the working culture here in Korea and it scares me. But of course, I cannot judge much since I have not experienced it yet so I will have to decide after August.
Even though I had class today, tomorrow’s the start of my business classes. Need to maintain, if not, improve my GPA!!!
The stress really is building up!!!!!
Friday’s coming :(
After much hesitation today, I went for Korean class.
I’m still thinking whether to drop it because I can only take a maximum of 18 credits this semester and some of my classmates are maxing it to 18 without taking any language classes. With my Korean class, it means I have 18.5 credits and I can’t add the Negotiations class.
Shall go for the Negotiations class on Thursday to see if it’s worthwhile dropping my Korean class. This week, many people are shopping haha.
Anyway, the other reason why I don’t want to take Korean class this semester is because it’s on a Monday, when I have no other classes. When it’s my free day, I want to keep it free. Every time I go for a class, I’m terribly unproductive after that so the day is pretty much wasted for me. So I want it to be on Tues/Wed/Thurs. But James is right too, I’m a full-time MBA student, not a part-time student so why am I complaining about having to go for class on a Monday when I live on campus?? But I just want it free… a WHOLE day free to do whatever I want.
Anyway, today’s Korean class was about 다문화 가정 multi-cultural families, which was the topic for the volunteering project that I had to come up with for yesterday’s scholarship interview, so I had a lot to talk about it. Halfway during class, 선생님 asked me if I had any 고정 관념 fixed perceptions before I came to Korea and then after talking for awhile, I realised that I do have. And also, I talked about how I’ve been increasingly feeling about Korea. Lately, I’ve been talking to others about this a lot.
I love Korea. I do. And I still love studying the Korean language though it takes up time and it’s hard juggling the demands of a full-time MBA program and studying a language. But things are just not the same as they were when I was on exchange at Korea University. Then, I was a tourist for 6 months. Now, I’m living here for a longer time. I don’t feel like a tourist anymore and hence, there isn’t much to talk about my life here unless I go out. Here, I’m alone most of the time. Of course I have friends here but everyone’s busy with their own lives and their own lifestyles. There’s no Jeannie here whom I hung out with all the time when we were on exchange and had similar goals for the 6 months that we had here. So I would say it’s the people who really make or break things for you in a foreign country. I like Seoul, but I love Busan, or rather, the time I was there with my fellow scholars. There, we were all living in the dorm together, and going for Korean class everyday together, with nothing much to do after class. Here in Seoul, everyone leads different lives. In Seoul, I walk around Myeongdong, Cheonggyecheon and Edae/Sinchon area a lot. ALONE. I spend my time in department stores and window-shopping. In Busan, I would have taken a bus down to Gwangan to sit in a cafe and just watch the sea or go to Spaland in Centum City if I were alone. I could always go out with my roommate, Valentina or my Korean class classmates too. I miss Busan a lot. If I were to stay in Korea next time, I would buy a nice and pretty apartment by Gwangan or Haeundae.
Another thing is that when I was an exchange student here for only 6 months, I saw only the nice side of Korea. Now that I’ve been here for about 1.5 years, I’ve seen things that I don’t like and I’ve learnt more about the culture here that I don’t like. Of course, maybe it’s the same in Singapore too but I have not come across such situations in Singapore before so to me, Singapore’s better in the relative sense. This being a public space makes it difficult for me to reveal much but last year, I was really disappointed in a few events that really woke me up from my Korean dream and made me really happy to be back in Singapore this year. This is probably the most truthful entry I’ve ever written in this blog about my feelings about Korea for this stay back in Korea. I know that I’m studying here with the Korean people’s tax money and I know there are many people who wish that they got the scholarship that I have. I am grateful. I truly am. In fact, I was really angry when I heard about some fellow scholars who gave up the scholarship because they denied others of the chance that they had.
I’m doing well in school and I’ve been really involved with my school’s activities and I’m even representing my school for a competition. If I do get the additional scholarship that I interviewed for yesterday, I hope that I can contribute back to the Korean society with the volunteering work that I will be doing for the next 9 months. But nothing will erase the fact that I was very disappointed last year, had my heart broken a few times (I’m still attached to H btw, but I’m referring to many things)- mainly because I had set my expectations too high. And this 2.5 years here is not a 6 month exchange program. You’re here for a longer period of time, and you see more things. It’s nice to come here for a holiday but when it’s not your holiday, it’s a different story altogether. I know that there are many Singaporeans out there who have their own Korean dreams. I was one of them. But I felt let down in some ways. But of course, you need the bad days for you to appreciate the good days and the good times better. All these only make me a stronger person and I must admit that I’ve grown a lot over the past 1.5 years, especially last year!
The most important thing that I have to decide for this year is whether I will continue to work in Korea for about 2 years after I graduate or to return to Singapore. The deciding factor will be my summer internship experience. I have heard a lot about the working culture here in Korea and it scares me. But of course, I cannot judge much since I have not experienced it yet so I will have to decide after August.
Even though I had class today, tomorrow’s the start of my business classes. Need to maintain, if not, improve my GPA!!!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Last few days before school starts!
I am so involved with my school now that I feel like I’m back in primary school. That was the time that I did the most for my school. And then, my involvement decreased over the years to nothing in university.
On Monday, I met up with my team members for our Hult competition and then with a professor and a consultant in the late afternoon for more discussions.
Yesterday, I attended a ACCSB reaccreditation session with 3 male classmates of mine, 2 Corporate MBA and 2 Executive MBA seniors and we each got a 16GB thumb drive after that in appreciation for our time.
Today, I met up with Moo and Timo over lunch to discuss what to present during our sharing session for our Global MBA’s Open House next Wednesday.
Next Friday, I’ll be off to Shanghai for my first case competition!
Anyway I finally went to the DFS in Myeongdong today!!!! I’ve been itching to shop for a long time and the damage was pretty bad but then again, it’ll just spur me on to ace everything again next semester to get more $$$?
When I was at the YSL Beauty counter, the Korean girls there were all asking for Jeon Ji Hyun’s character’s lip colour in You Who Came from the Star 별에서 온 그 대, which has been so popular that it’s OOS.
It’s amazing how beauty products fly off the shelves thanks to a popular drama. Wonderful product placement!
Read HERE.
Ok, I should sleep early for once. I’ve been sleeping after 3am and waking up at 11am for the past few days.
On Monday, I met up with my team members for our Hult competition and then with a professor and a consultant in the late afternoon for more discussions.
Yesterday, I attended a ACCSB reaccreditation session with 3 male classmates of mine, 2 Corporate MBA and 2 Executive MBA seniors and we each got a 16GB thumb drive after that in appreciation for our time.
Today, I met up with Moo and Timo over lunch to discuss what to present during our sharing session for our Global MBA’s Open House next Wednesday.
Next Friday, I’ll be off to Shanghai for my first case competition!
Anyway I finally went to the DFS in Myeongdong today!!!! I’ve been itching to shop for a long time and the damage was pretty bad but then again, it’ll just spur me on to ace everything again next semester to get more $$$?
When I was at the YSL Beauty counter, the Korean girls there were all asking for Jeon Ji Hyun’s character’s lip colour in You Who Came from the Star 별에서 온 그 대, which has been so popular that it’s OOS.
It’s amazing how beauty products fly off the shelves thanks to a popular drama. Wonderful product placement!
Read HERE.
Ok, I should sleep early for once. I’ve been sleeping after 3am and waking up at 11am for the past few days.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Thank you, Prof Lee
"Life is full of uncertainties and you should never take anybody or anything for granted."
Last week, this message/cliche phrase really hit home.
A few lessons before Winter Term 1 ended, a The Korea Times reporter interviewed my group and observed us during our group meeting. 2 weeks later, the article was published.
But this article was posted the day before my birthday, and also, the day before my professor (in the above picture) passed away.
The day I turned 25, my prof passed away at the age of 55.
His passing was a real shock to all of us who had taken his Marketing Research class during the 1st two weeks of January. No one saw this coming. It was so sudden.
Even though it was my 2nd time taking a Marketing Research class, I enjoyed this class more than the other one in KU.
Thank you, Prof Lee.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Back home!
Hello from Singapore!
I’m back for CNY :)
It’s been really nice back home. I never expected to miss home so much because I’ve always wanted to live overseas. But this time round, it was different. And I feel so happy to be with my family and being able to meet up with my girlfriends, and Yong Kang of course :) The weather has been perfect too! If only it’ll stay like this forever!
I’m back for CNY :)
It’s been really nice back home. I never expected to miss home so much because I’ve always wanted to live overseas. But this time round, it was different. And I feel so happy to be with my family and being able to meet up with my girlfriends, and Yong Kang of course :) The weather has been perfect too! If only it’ll stay like this forever!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Packing woes
So my luggage is 99% full. And I haven’t even put any of my clothes in!!!!
It’s like…full of gifts.
It’s like…full of gifts.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Why oh why
Today, I slept from 1.30pm-7.30pm after class and lunch.
I never ever sleep during the day unless…
I am sick.
And I am sick twice in a month!!!!!!
Normally, 29 deg C in my room = being in a 찜질방 but today, I felt cold.
So irritated. Now I don’t even have the strength to do much :(
I never ever sleep during the day unless…
I am sick.
And I am sick twice in a month!!!!!!
Normally, 29 deg C in my room = being in a 찜질방 but today, I felt cold.
So irritated. Now I don’t even have the strength to do much :(
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
TWG Korea
More than 6 months later, I’m still stuck in a dilemma. Whether to continue blogging on a daily basis and whether to make my blog more public, leave it as it is or to make it private. Some things never change.
But reading others’ blogs on Korea made me miss the old days of what my blog used to be and what it could do for others too.
Anyway, my 4 year old Macbook died on 31 Dec 2013 but was resurrected on 6 Jan 2014 thanks to James. Don’t ask me how I could have just sat aside and do nothing until my laptop refused to start up with just 25MB of free space left -.- Alright, my photos took up the most space…photos that have been sitting in folders waiting for me to edit them and upload them and blog about them.
I’ve since cleared enough space so that the total count as of now is 78GB.
Which means I should start blogging again regularly. But the thing is that for days when I don’t do much, there are not many pictures or exciting things to share, so they’re not quite worth me blogging because I’m sure you don’t want to read about my boring life. But for days when I do exciting stuff like taking a short trip out of Seoul, etc, I take soooooo many pictures that it’s a horror just thinking about the photos and things I want to share on my blog and then my plans to blog about them never materialise. And if I have a few consecutive exciting days, I accumulate a backlog that I don’t want to think about or sit in my room just clearing them when I should be out.
When will I ever make up my mind about what I want to do with you, dear blog??????????
Anyway, today was the start of the 2nd half of my winter semester and I’m just taking Emerging Markets: BRICs but I wish Marketing Research was held for 4 weeks instead 2. I had a great group and the class was…slack, which I want, after slogging it out for the last semester.
Some people returned to school for the 2nd half. Some of them…whom I have issues with, which perhaps, I’ll talk about in due time. Or maybe not, since I don’t want to be sued for defamation by anyone or any institution. But the only thing I really have to say to them is: they have no one to blame but themselves. And yes, rules are meant to be broken. BUT NOT ALL. There are certain rules that can’t be broken. Like NO CHEATING, in whatever form, in the relationship/friendship world or the academia world, etc. I mean getting a good job because of connections, to some people, may be deemed as “cheating” but it isn’t a morally wrong thing to do. But then, whether cheating is defined as morally wrong or acceptable is viewed differently by different individuals. I said I’ll talk about this in due time right? But you see, everything comes out. And everything has come out of my mouth for the past few weeks, so much so that if someone asks me how my MBA program is here, I have to pause for awhile, think about what to say and exercise self-restraint before replying them because some other stuff might come out from my mouth instead. What’s done has been done, you can never reverse the clock and go back in time. It’s how we move on from here. But how???
Ok, tomorrow, I hope that I’ll gain closure from this incident. It’s been on my mind for almost a month and I’m so sick of it that I don’t want to talk about it anymore. But I know that when I’m back in Singapore at the end of the month and I meet my friends to catch up on life, it’ll all come out again. ARGH. Self-control, Clara. Move on!!!
On a more positive note, I’ve exciting news to share: I’m going to Shanghai in March for 3 days!!!
It’s both a good and bad news. The good is that it’s the first time I’m representing my school (and maybe Korea) in a business competition held overseas. The bad is that my winter vacation will kinda disappear and I have to really prepare for this! But first of all, I need to settle the flight and hotel reservations first before the competition organisers can confirm our advancement into the Regional Finals. And I think we have to work on our team dynamics too…it’s Shibei and I, together with 2 Korean seniors who are doing their PHds here. Girl power!
Where was I? Right, I was talking about BRICs. After class, I had lunch with Hyunjin, Inkyung unni and Andy before going to Cheongdamdong with Hyunjin for….
TWG!!!!!
It’s my favourite tea salon in Singapore and just last week, I was commenting to my Marketing Research group that I really miss TWG and I showed pics of the salons in Singapore to them. Then, during the weekend when I rotted in my room, I googled TWG Korea and lo and behold, there’s one in Seoul now!!! Hyunjin said that it only opened recently so I guess I can’t be blamed for not knowing about this earlier right?
So yup, we went there for tea :) And it’s actually diagonally across Ugg Boots’ flagship store! Why didn’t I see it when I went to Uggs 1 month ago????
I felt like I was home after stepping into the salon. Even the music was the same.
I didn’t know that it was only 2.30pm when we placed our order and the waiter didn’t allow us to order the afternoon tea set (from 3-6pm) initially but he relented after awhile.
***ok, I’ll TRY to edit this post with pics ASAP!
But reading others’ blogs on Korea made me miss the old days of what my blog used to be and what it could do for others too.
Anyway, my 4 year old Macbook died on 31 Dec 2013 but was resurrected on 6 Jan 2014 thanks to James. Don’t ask me how I could have just sat aside and do nothing until my laptop refused to start up with just 25MB of free space left -.- Alright, my photos took up the most space…photos that have been sitting in folders waiting for me to edit them and upload them and blog about them.
I’ve since cleared enough space so that the total count as of now is 78GB.
Which means I should start blogging again regularly. But the thing is that for days when I don’t do much, there are not many pictures or exciting things to share, so they’re not quite worth me blogging because I’m sure you don’t want to read about my boring life. But for days when I do exciting stuff like taking a short trip out of Seoul, etc, I take soooooo many pictures that it’s a horror just thinking about the photos and things I want to share on my blog and then my plans to blog about them never materialise. And if I have a few consecutive exciting days, I accumulate a backlog that I don’t want to think about or sit in my room just clearing them when I should be out.
When will I ever make up my mind about what I want to do with you, dear blog??????????
Anyway, today was the start of the 2nd half of my winter semester and I’m just taking Emerging Markets: BRICs but I wish Marketing Research was held for 4 weeks instead 2. I had a great group and the class was…slack, which I want, after slogging it out for the last semester.
Some people returned to school for the 2nd half. Some of them…whom I have issues with, which perhaps, I’ll talk about in due time. Or maybe not, since I don’t want to be sued for defamation by anyone or any institution. But the only thing I really have to say to them is: they have no one to blame but themselves. And yes, rules are meant to be broken. BUT NOT ALL. There are certain rules that can’t be broken. Like NO CHEATING, in whatever form, in the relationship/friendship world or the academia world, etc. I mean getting a good job because of connections, to some people, may be deemed as “cheating” but it isn’t a morally wrong thing to do. But then, whether cheating is defined as morally wrong or acceptable is viewed differently by different individuals. I said I’ll talk about this in due time right? But you see, everything comes out. And everything has come out of my mouth for the past few weeks, so much so that if someone asks me how my MBA program is here, I have to pause for awhile, think about what to say and exercise self-restraint before replying them because some other stuff might come out from my mouth instead. What’s done has been done, you can never reverse the clock and go back in time. It’s how we move on from here. But how???
Ok, tomorrow, I hope that I’ll gain closure from this incident. It’s been on my mind for almost a month and I’m so sick of it that I don’t want to talk about it anymore. But I know that when I’m back in Singapore at the end of the month and I meet my friends to catch up on life, it’ll all come out again. ARGH. Self-control, Clara. Move on!!!
On a more positive note, I’ve exciting news to share: I’m going to Shanghai in March for 3 days!!!
It’s both a good and bad news. The good is that it’s the first time I’m representing my school (and maybe Korea) in a business competition held overseas. The bad is that my winter vacation will kinda disappear and I have to really prepare for this! But first of all, I need to settle the flight and hotel reservations first before the competition organisers can confirm our advancement into the Regional Finals. And I think we have to work on our team dynamics too…it’s Shibei and I, together with 2 Korean seniors who are doing their PHds here. Girl power!
Where was I? Right, I was talking about BRICs. After class, I had lunch with Hyunjin, Inkyung unni and Andy before going to Cheongdamdong with Hyunjin for….
TWG!!!!!
It’s my favourite tea salon in Singapore and just last week, I was commenting to my Marketing Research group that I really miss TWG and I showed pics of the salons in Singapore to them. Then, during the weekend when I rotted in my room, I googled TWG Korea and lo and behold, there’s one in Seoul now!!! Hyunjin said that it only opened recently so I guess I can’t be blamed for not knowing about this earlier right?
So yup, we went there for tea :) And it’s actually diagonally across Ugg Boots’ flagship store! Why didn’t I see it when I went to Uggs 1 month ago????
I felt like I was home after stepping into the salon. Even the music was the same.
I didn’t know that it was only 2.30pm when we placed our order and the waiter didn’t allow us to order the afternoon tea set (from 3-6pm) initially but he relented after awhile.
***ok, I’ll TRY to edit this post with pics ASAP!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Hair disaster.
OMG Major hair disaster. Probably the worst visit to a hair salon ever :(
I will pay more for Juno Hair the next time.
For now, I can only hope that it'll be better after I wash my hair in 2 days' time.
CRAP.
And my router isn't working either so I have to sit in the common room to use the internet.
I need my laptop to work again soon too because I can't remember my SK global house housing account password which is saved in my laptop and now I can't apply for spring semester extension.
I really wonder how this year will turn out since these things are already happening to me at the start ㅠㅜ
On a side note, went to Lotte World yesterday!
I will pay more for Juno Hair the next time.
For now, I can only hope that it'll be better after I wash my hair in 2 days' time.
CRAP.
And my router isn't working either so I have to sit in the common room to use the internet.
I need my laptop to work again soon too because I can't remember my SK global house housing account password which is saved in my laptop and now I can't apply for spring semester extension.
I really wonder how this year will turn out since these things are already happening to me at the start ㅠㅜ
On a side note, went to Lotte World yesterday!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Hello 2014!
Happy new year! It's a brand new year, a brand new start. A time for resolutions to be made.
But then, I never really follow them so I shan't make many this year. And I shan't expect too much too. But one thing's for sure though, is that I'll give my best!
Back in 2011, my countdown for 2012 was really special. I was staying at Hyatt Hotel in Taipei, right beside Taipei 101 and I stood outside the hotel in my sleepwear with my cousin and watched the fireworks display. 2012 turned out to be my best year in a long time: graduating with second upper class (a feat for me considering how my CAP was always under 4.00), getting the Korean Government scholarship and coming back to Korea and meeting someone very special here.
In 2012, my countdown for 2013 was quite special too because I spent the night at Busan Nat. Uni area with the special one, on an eating spree. But 2013 proved to be a very trying year for me. I was stressed because of many things and one of the saddest things was not blogging here on a daily basis anymore. I am still undecided on what to do and I might consider moving back to Wordpress where I can lock particular entries so that I don't have to worry so much about how some people are judging me by what I do and buy. No no, I'm not talking about a stalker. I don't have a stalker haha. But they are people whom I know personally, and people with whom I don't want to share my life in Korea with. Give me a break, please! Must you go report whatever I do to my parents and judge me???????
I guess the recent incident on FB was my fault but does that mean that I can't even say what I want, within reasonable limits? Those who know me know that I talk a lot and I need to talk. Oh wells.
And then there was the parental objection to my relationship but we'll see about this...only time will tell too and things are so uncertain now too. This year will be a year of uncertainties, just like 2012, because I need to decide what I am going to do after I graduate. AND my relationship wasn't a stable one in 2013.
In 2013, I also moved up to Seoul and entered Yonsei to do my Global MBA. I'm doing well in school now which is just so weird. People think I'm the top student in class and all which is also very weird. I've been at the bottom of my schools (secondary school and junior college) and an average student in NUS that seeing my scores now is like a dream. My lowest grade is 1 A-; I have 1 A-, 4 As and 4 A+s and my GPA is 4.13/4.3 for the 9 classes I took in Fall. Yeah, 9 classes. I had only 5 modules every semester in NUS and here I took a total of 9 classes + 1 Korean class for my Fall semester. That's why I was so tired during the last half of the year that all plans to resume blogging on a regular basis was scrapped. It's been a long while since I took on any form of responsibility in school but I am the treasurer for my class committee and I might be the treasurer for the Yonsei MBA student committee this year too. Maybe. I actually won our internal business case competition with my team and applied for the Hult Prize competition too, no idea whether we'd even get in but the thing is that I applied for it, when I didn't even do much in uni. And I'm liking the new me now. Actually, this was the old me last time but I faded and now, the old me is returning and I'm feeling powerful^^
And then I had to deal with cheating and other moral dilemma issues. So many things happened in 2013 and I think my heart broke a few times for many different reasons. I was so stressed too. I think it was a year of trial. God was testing me.
So my countdown for 2014 was the simplest in a long while. I didn't do anything special. I celebrated by taking a shower after packing and cleaning up my room. Yeah, washed away the sins from the previous year. And I'm now doing my laundry. Oh yeah and just before midnight, my 3 yr old Macbook Pro went into coma. The disk was full and I tried to delete files but it didn't even allow me to do so!!! I did a forced shut down and now, it gives me a white screen with my cursor after starting up :( Thank goodness I have my Air here but it doesn't have a port for my internet cable and I'm now sucking data off my data plan :(
But the special one cheered me up when he Skyped me with a cake to virtually celebrate the new year with me^^
Ok, the reason why I talked about my countdown for previous years is because I tried to determine if there's a correlation between how I started the new year off and how the year turned out. I should stop overthinking and overanalysing things.
So here are my resolutions for the new year:
1. Balanced lifestyle- regular exercise and healthy diet. I'll be a quarter-century old in 26 days' time!
2. Be the best student because this is my last year as a student i.e. make the most of my student life
3. Stop spending so much money
4. Be nicer and less mean to some people
When I was younger, there was a year when my resolution was not to say the word "stupid" to my brother but I promptly said it more than 5 times on 1 Jan. Oh wells. Maybe I should go out later and walk out to buy mandarin oranges and strawberries. Feeling a little miserable and sad and lonely in my room now.
But then, I never really follow them so I shan't make many this year. And I shan't expect too much too. But one thing's for sure though, is that I'll give my best!
Back in 2011, my countdown for 2012 was really special. I was staying at Hyatt Hotel in Taipei, right beside Taipei 101 and I stood outside the hotel in my sleepwear with my cousin and watched the fireworks display. 2012 turned out to be my best year in a long time: graduating with second upper class (a feat for me considering how my CAP was always under 4.00), getting the Korean Government scholarship and coming back to Korea and meeting someone very special here.
In 2012, my countdown for 2013 was quite special too because I spent the night at Busan Nat. Uni area with the special one, on an eating spree. But 2013 proved to be a very trying year for me. I was stressed because of many things and one of the saddest things was not blogging here on a daily basis anymore. I am still undecided on what to do and I might consider moving back to Wordpress where I can lock particular entries so that I don't have to worry so much about how some people are judging me by what I do and buy. No no, I'm not talking about a stalker. I don't have a stalker haha. But they are people whom I know personally, and people with whom I don't want to share my life in Korea with. Give me a break, please! Must you go report whatever I do to my parents and judge me???????
I guess the recent incident on FB was my fault but does that mean that I can't even say what I want, within reasonable limits? Those who know me know that I talk a lot and I need to talk. Oh wells.
And then there was the parental objection to my relationship but we'll see about this...only time will tell too and things are so uncertain now too. This year will be a year of uncertainties, just like 2012, because I need to decide what I am going to do after I graduate. AND my relationship wasn't a stable one in 2013.
In 2013, I also moved up to Seoul and entered Yonsei to do my Global MBA. I'm doing well in school now which is just so weird. People think I'm the top student in class and all which is also very weird. I've been at the bottom of my schools (secondary school and junior college) and an average student in NUS that seeing my scores now is like a dream. My lowest grade is 1 A-; I have 1 A-, 4 As and 4 A+s and my GPA is 4.13/4.3 for the 9 classes I took in Fall. Yeah, 9 classes. I had only 5 modules every semester in NUS and here I took a total of 9 classes + 1 Korean class for my Fall semester. That's why I was so tired during the last half of the year that all plans to resume blogging on a regular basis was scrapped. It's been a long while since I took on any form of responsibility in school but I am the treasurer for my class committee and I might be the treasurer for the Yonsei MBA student committee this year too. Maybe. I actually won our internal business case competition with my team and applied for the Hult Prize competition too, no idea whether we'd even get in but the thing is that I applied for it, when I didn't even do much in uni. And I'm liking the new me now. Actually, this was the old me last time but I faded and now, the old me is returning and I'm feeling powerful^^
And then I had to deal with cheating and other moral dilemma issues. So many things happened in 2013 and I think my heart broke a few times for many different reasons. I was so stressed too. I think it was a year of trial. God was testing me.
So my countdown for 2014 was the simplest in a long while. I didn't do anything special. I celebrated by taking a shower after packing and cleaning up my room. Yeah, washed away the sins from the previous year. And I'm now doing my laundry. Oh yeah and just before midnight, my 3 yr old Macbook Pro went into coma. The disk was full and I tried to delete files but it didn't even allow me to do so!!! I did a forced shut down and now, it gives me a white screen with my cursor after starting up :( Thank goodness I have my Air here but it doesn't have a port for my internet cable and I'm now sucking data off my data plan :(
But the special one cheered me up when he Skyped me with a cake to virtually celebrate the new year with me^^
Ok, the reason why I talked about my countdown for previous years is because I tried to determine if there's a correlation between how I started the new year off and how the year turned out. I should stop overthinking and overanalysing things.
So here are my resolutions for the new year:
1. Balanced lifestyle- regular exercise and healthy diet. I'll be a quarter-century old in 26 days' time!
2. Be the best student because this is my last year as a student i.e. make the most of my student life
3. Stop spending so much money
4. Be nicer and less mean to some people
When I was younger, there was a year when my resolution was not to say the word "stupid" to my brother but I promptly said it more than 5 times on 1 Jan. Oh wells. Maybe I should go out later and walk out to buy mandarin oranges and strawberries. Feeling a little miserable and sad and lonely in my room now.
Formspring
