Went to 광주 for KPMC and work as the kifu recorder there. We were planning to stay there for only 2 nights but because there were no more bus seats, we have to go back to the hotel for 1 more day. At first I was worried about this part time job because most of my friends decided last min not to go due to some salary unhappiness and only 1 korean I know from my school is going. Even though the rest of the part timer were from my school, I have never seen them before because they were either in NS or taking school breaks.

Have been sleeping for only 2 hours every night for the past 3 days but these 3 days were really memorable. I got to know new korean friends and even though is just 3 days, it felt like I have known them for so long. The experience this time was totally different from last year mainly because of my slight improvement in korean language. One of my biggest regret is not having to work hard enough to study more korean before I attend myongji, so I have decided to continue studying korean even when I graduate so that I can keep in contact with the friends I made in korea. These 3 days were definitely one of the best memories I have in my Korea stay.

Ok, now to the "bad memory" of this trip. We were playing cards on the last night and because there were no GO stones, we have to use snacks as chips and halfway through a drunk senior suddenly came into our room. The next 2 hours were the most torturing 2 hours in the whole trip. First, he started eating our chips and we couldnt do anything about it because his "rank" (age) is is 2 or 3 years higher than me and the rest of my korean friends were 2 to 4 years younger than me. Then he started giving "lectures" to everyone and because he was drunk he keep repeating the stuff he said, like he asked me which year I am currently now at least 3 times. The worst part is the 1 shot drink. There were no beer at that time so we used water instead and I felt like I was back in my army tekong days where we were forced to bottles up every few hours. This drunk senior keep offering us cups after cups of water and is impossible to reject him. After the 3rd cup, I felt like vomiting on him.

Personally I think that this is the "dark side" of korean culture. As age is authority, people younger cant do much but to obey almost everything the senior say. If this drunk senior incident happen in Singapore I think we will most probably force him to vomit out our chips and then kick him out of the room, hahaha.

In the game theory class today, prof nam intro the game Checkers to us. When I was in Singapore, I remembered seeing people playing this game especially in front of malay barber shop or sometimes in coffee shop. Even though I have seen quite a few times, I wasnt curious about the rules at all because it looks too "simple".

The game turned out more interesting than i thought and I was really having fun playing it. It reminds me of the time when I first started GO. Sad to say that if is not for today's game, I would have forgotten that I once having this kind of "feelings" for GO. I guess the reason why I was really enjoying playing Checkers is because there was "freedom", I could play anywhere I want. In GO, of course I can play anywhere I want but when you have reach a certain level (eg.1dan), you will get to know more knowledge about the game and this will restrict you from playing as freely as a beginner. And the fear of losing to someone weaker than you adds stress to every game you play. Still I hope I can find back the motivation and passion to improve more.

I was surprised when prof nam told us that the most popular game in korea now (korean version of bejeweled) was created by a student from myongji!

Few days back, I decided not to renew the website of GOSHOP when the web host have expired. It was quite a sad moment for me cause my sis put in quite an effort when making the site and I didnt managed to take one last good look before it was terminated by the web host. I learnt a lot through this experience, be it business area or when dealing with baduk player. I did not regret making this decision of setting up GO SHOP. To be honest, I was a bit sad and disappointed when some of my closer friends in swa did not buy any stuff from the shop. Is not about the money I want to earn from them, if is for money I would not have started this. Is about the kind of support friends give to a seller and even if they get the cheapest stuff, it would be very much appreciated. To a seller, this kind of support means a lot. Last year before going back singapore for vacation, I remember asking munyi on fb what I can get for her in Korea and she replied "dont really need anything but I wan to get your tumbler". When I saw her reply I was really touched and I know I will never forget this. Another incident which upset me was the removal of the shop link from swa site. I did not pay a single cent to swa for putting up the link and is perfectly reasonable if they want to remove it but I was upset that no one tells me they are going to remove it when everyone in the exco knows me. I understand they replaced it with the tygem link but when I look at the next link, "world go oza 2008", a link which expired 4 years ago and is still hanging there makes me feel hormones unbalance. 

Of course I am no longer upset since all these had long pass. 

Went dinner with the prof assistant and the masters students because they wanted to have a belated birthday dinner with me. The topic that we talked about during dinner was quite interesting and it once again let me understand more about korean culture.

The most unexpected topic is plastic surgery. I am surprise that even koreans asked if korea ps is really that famous and popular because this seems to be a well known fact to everyone. And I was told that the reason to go through ps is to have a better chance in job interview or prevent getting bullied in school for being "ugly". Indeed, first impression is too important in Korea. This reminds me that is so difficult to spot fat people in Korea, especially in university.

Personally I think ps is ok because if going through ps can make a person happier or make someone gain confident and as long as you dont get addicted to "changing of face", what harm does it brings? As people get more exposed to dramas and good looking people, I believe that this "first impression trend" will start to develop in other asian countries too, even in singapore.

Like few weeks back when I met my sis friend (5 years younger than me), they were looking for insoles or boots which will make them look taller and they all use facial products. When I was at their age I would never imagine myself putting facial products and who on earth will try to wear insole at the age of 20 in singapore? Times change.

During the dinner, I also asked how koreans have such great complexion. And they say is "all money" because some koreans may spend a lot on facial shop and cosmetics. And when I look at the complexion of those people telling me this, is so good... 설마..

 Brought a group of chinese exchange students and teachers from wuhan to seoul today for one final shopping before they leave tomorrow. After today's experience, I wonder why have I been complaining about friends who can really shop in my previous post. Seriously they are nothing compared to this group of people. They are so scary... they can shop inside this small nature republic shop for more than half an hour and I dunno what they are trying to do when they have walked around the shop for more than 10 rounds. Impressive.
I asked one of the student when they started looking tired..

me: 你的老师不累吗？
student: （无奈的表情）她是搞体育的。。。

hahahaha!! I really find her answer funny. If is not for the official dinner with the Koreans professors, they would have continue roaming around and I think I will most probably need to get a wheelchair.

I was so afraid that they choose the typical red and spicy korean food for the dinner but it turned out to be international buffet!! This is definitely one of the best meal I had in Korea.

I saw something weird in one of the sushi. Is it the latest trend in the sushi world to put these color sprinkles on sushi? I think if the traditional japanese sushi master sees this, he will most probably chop off the hand of the chef who made this.

As I was enjoying choosing the buffet food, I suddenly saw this in one of the corner and I was like WTF!! why is there a memorial service here. Then when i read the banner it wrote "happy birthday". I was totally stunned because this scene look exactly like memorial service in the US, how can it be birthday?? Anyway is good to know that we share the same birthday. haha.

After dinner our professor and the professor from wuhan university sign some exchange program agreement and I thought this kind of scene only appear in tv or in news. I actually felt amazed to see the actual thing, hahaha!!

Happy 25th Birthday!! It took me a few seconds to remember my actual age because I have been so used to the korean age system for the past 1 and a half years and sometimes i actually forget my real age, haha.

Having 25 years of experience on earth, I have learnt many things, met good and bad people, been to countries that my parents have not been before, tasted food that others may not have. If you ask whether I am a happy person now, I would say yes. But if I were to answer this question 2 or 3 years back, I would most probably say no. Is always never enough for people, we just want more but I have learnt that we should slow down our pace and look around us, appreciate and treasure what you have now because they wont be there forever. And stop complaining about everything because there are people who are in a worst situation compared to you.

25 years old will be my last year studying in school. I know very well that I am not a study person and I am really grateful that I managed to pass all my major exams especially my poly exams. I see myself as more of a creative, think out of the box, not following the norm person and because of this people may see me as being unrealistic. To me the word unrealistic means a different mindset or perspective. 10 years ago, if someone were to say that he will come out with touch screen phone and it will be smaller and thinner than any other phone (at that time) , people will say that he is siao and being unrealistic. But because of this unrealistic idea, it brought us changes.

5 years from now and I will be 30. Where will this unrealistic brain of mine brings me to?

I was on the bus one day and I suddenly realize that I am a descendant of people who survived the WW2, the WW1, the china revolution, the Qing, Ming, Yuan dynasty (too many to list), the 3 kingdom period etc. Is impressive how my ancestor managed to survive all those terrible wars and fighting. Even though I was born in Singapore, my grandfather was from China so if I have a chance, I would like to go to his hometown and know more about my "blood line".

5 years ago on my birthday, I received a call in bugis clubhouse telling me that one of my taekwaondo friend pass away in an car accident. He was my first friend I know to have pass away. Looking at his memorial youtube video brings back so much memories of taekwondo life and reminds how cheerful and kind a person he is.

Ah Wee, I hope you are in a better place now. Rest in peace.

I am so dead. I woke up late for my class again, 1 more time and I will be in deep shit. Time to get my fourth alarm clock.

It was only until today that I realize google map is such a useful tool! I was using it to explore Singapore and I am no longer homesick! haha. I am so fascinated by it. Ok, I know, i am a bit outdated haha. Use google map to explore the area we are going to stay in london and the exterior of the hotel looks so disappointing. Pictures in hotel website are indeed deceiving. I hope the room wont be that bad.

I finally give up on J.K Rowling's latest book. I think I wasnt even halfway through. I tried my best to read it but I end up dozing off almost 99% of the time. I want to sell this big bloody bulky book, anyone interested? haha 

Mahjong session in class tmr! I read up the Korean rule abit and is quite different from SG's version. The biggest difference is that they dont use the bamboo suit and the minimum "tai" to win is 2 points. Hand is getting itchy!!

K.Will - Please Don't... [MV] [HD] [Eng Sub]

My sis was asking me to watch this MV. She said it was funny but even after watching halfway through I still have no idea where is the funny part, I thought she said is funny because the guy in this MV is the lead in reply 1997 too. But when I finish watching this MV I literally open my mouth wide open. Is so impressive how they can make a twist in less than 4 mins.

I thinking I am losing my passion for shopping. Went to myeongdong and another big mall near my place (not really near, 45mins) and I actually felt bored. The urged to buy stuff is no longer there maybe because of the autumn/winter wear they are selling now. There goes one of my hobby in Korea.

Today is a really crazy day for me because I dragged a total of 35kg of stuff up my bukit timah hill university 2 times!! With the cold weather and everyone wearing long sleeves I think I am the only one sweating like a dog in my school. Anyway the reason for all these torture is because I am starting to send my stuff back to Singapore before the boxes in my school post office runs out. But when on earth did I buy this much amount of books? Before I came to Korea, my mum was telling me that her biggest nightmare is me buying too many GO books in Korea, man.. she is indeed my mum, knows me really well. But I think more than half of it are gifts from friends.

When I reach the post office, I was sweating so much that the staff pass me a box of tissue and ask if I want the air con temperature to be lowered haha. And after squeezing all my stuff into a box, the weighing scale gave a loud ring and went haywire The staff then told me that overseas package only allow a maximum of 30kg and my was way beyond 30kg. This means that I have to repack my books into 2 boxes and it will be more expensive!! I think my mum is going to scream when she receives them next week.

While I was packing my stuff, I saw the gifts my sis and friends gave me when they sent me off at the airport. This one was done by my sis and I remembered that I cried when I read it on the plane. It was really touching and it shows that my sis really grew up, not the crazy mad women I knew with the objective of destroying my room anymore. These 2 years she did much better than I thought and even got such a great job, I am really proud of her.

A 2011 handmade calender made by my secondary school friend huishan. I was really surprised by this because she did this despite her busy schedule and I think people at my age wont really bother doing handmade stuff anymore. She even wrote "future note" for every month where I should open up those notes and read them when I reach a different month.

How can I not mention the gift I receive my buddy wenjun. When I open up the first page and I saw 2 of his swa name card, I thought it was just 2 name cards so I didnt really flip through and put it back to my bag. One year later in Korea, I decided to re-read all these gifts and when I came upon wen jun's gift again, I "accidentally " flip through and I saw...

HIS HIDDEN MESSAGES!! Hahahaha I remembered I stunned for like 10 seconds when I saw that there were writings behind the name cards. Thanks friend for the surprise hahaha.

I got this from my poly buddies. When I saw the box packaging, I knew immediately that it is a container for GO stones from kino bookstore and I was expecting it to be the cheap plastic kind. When I open the box on the plane and saw the inner wood grain on the cover, my mouth was literally wide open. Because I have seen this exact same one few years back and it cost 220SGD! I really wanna thank them for being so supportive of my passion for GO and my decision for the 2 years korea studies.

And now less than 3 months to graduation.

Time is one scary monster :(

If there is one thing interesting about the baduk history homework , it would be the deep relationship between GO and the Nazi during the world war.

Is surprising that GO was involved in politics.

I was watching the US presidential debate last week and it turns out more interesting than I thought. Is impressive how they sound so convincing about their future plans when no one knows if they will really work, haha. Watching this kind of debate teaches you how to bullshit your way through and how to avoid answering directly to a specific question. Cant wait to watch the vice presidential debate in 2 days time!

In the party yesterday, a korean asked me if the word shut up is a rude word and my 25 years of human experience tells him it is. Tony a Canadian who was beside us immediately said that shut up is not a rude word and is used very commonly in his country. I have no idea if he is trying to attract attention or try to prove that he is a english native speaker. And I asked him "really? how is shut up not a rude word?" And this is his reply

"in school teachers scream shut up to noisy students" and he carry on insisting his logic.

which teacher on planet earth wont shout shut up to crazy kids unless that teacher is a monk. I really hate this kind of argument and if is not wanting the korean to learn the wrong thing, I wont bother continuing the conversation with him.

Just came back from a crazy drinking party. Soju mix with beer is really a powerful drink, I dont know how koreans can drink so many cups of them. Playing drinking games with koreans is a big disadvantage for foreigners because of the language and because of it i have to 1 shot two full cups of soju mix with beer. The main problem is not the taste but the stomach because you feel very bloated. Immediately after the second cup I can feel the giddiness in my head.

I have never been drunk before and I am really curious how it feels but after seeing what drunk people are capable of, i am worried. haha.

Forget to mention the reason for this drinking party. Our department won champion for the women soccer and we even won the sports department. When we were against the sports department we were given 2 points as handicap but in the end the result was 4-0 for us. Our main star player is chaelim, I dunno what is she doing in baduk depatment, she should be in sports department instead, a waste of her talent haha.

Met this korean who I knew in thai u go 2 years ago. He is serving army now and he came back for the party. I am surprised that he still remembers me because most go player I met before seems to have problem remembering people, haha. He told me that he is a very good friend of mikyung and is so amazing that I have met so many koreans who are really good friends with mikyung. There was once mikyung bought a tumbler from me and asked me to mail to one of her best male friend ( i have no idea who he was cause mk din tell me his name) and after like 1 year I then realize I know that person too haha. The baduk world is indeed small. Is just sad to think that this might be our last meeting since I will be going back sg and he will be in the army.

I have to finish 2 baduk history assignments tmr, hope I can complete them.

Hope I am not writing crap after drinking so much.

If there is K-pop group that I like, I think it would be FT-Island. Even though I have no idea how many members are there in the group and I dont even know their names, I really like their songs. The first song in my playlist now is a song from their latest album and I like the chorus part a lot.

Talked to long sheng past few days on fb and it brings back so much NS memories. I think I am quite fortunate to be posted to that particular unit because I learnt a lot from my boss and met many good friends. I can never forget how we can end up arguing regarding the air-con temperature because a group of us (mainly me) thinks that the air con temperature should be at 24 (which is already very cold) while another group wants it to be at 18 as they have this fantasy of making our office into Genting Highland. Miss the days where we stay in to play games, having night run around the camp, having our swimming and tanning session during lunch break, talking cock with ST staff etc.

 Many people may envy me because my vocation was admin so to them it means I could slack in air-con office all day long. But the fact is everyday I either see how "dirty" office politics is or I have to face office politics myself and this really enlightened me that EQ is so important in the working world and how fake the working world can be. The sad story is that school never teach us this thing call EQ and we can only learn it through observation and experience.

Went for a hair cut today and this routine never fail to surprise me. I went to the place where I had my 2 previous cut and today I was expecting the same person to do the cutting for me. When I reach, the assistant who was previously doing the washing and drying of hair guided me to my seat and asked me how do I want my hair to be cut. Then he suddenly took out a scissors and started cutting.

I am like, omg... when did he get promoted? And is obvious that he is quite green because of the way he grab the hair, hold the scissors, the strange cutting positions etc. If anyone there could hear my thoughts, he would be hearing me screaming throughout the cut. I am now considering if I should go back to the same place for my next cut.

Tomorrow is a public holiday again. Sleep :)

Met up with my sis's friends today and brought them around myeongdong and dongdaemun. Young people really have so much energy, I have never walk so long and so much around myeongdong. At first I was quite worry about the generation gap because we are like 5 years difference but everything turned out better than I expected. Looking at them makes me wonder what was I doing when I was 20, sadly i dont have much memories of it. In the past when people know that I am 6 or 7 years younger than them, they will tell me that being young is good and I always dont understand why would they say such stuff. Now that when I look at my sis's friends, I finally understand how they feel.

My sis and her friends were in the same primary, secondary and even poly, something I am so amazed and envious of. They told me how scary my sis was when she was in her primary school and how she bullied them. muhahaha! I find it so interesting to hear about my sis from another perspective because is impossible to know all these even though we are siblings living in the same house.

I was talking to 승재 on kkt yesterday and he intro this movie call bestkid, saying that is a very nice show. So I went to google it but I cant find this movie at all. He say is a show by jackie chan so i went to search bestkid in korean search engine and the movie turns out to be The Karate Kid... Is so rare that the korean name is so different from english one cause normally it sounds almost exactly the same.

Speaking of jackie chan I am surprised that his korean name is 성룡. Someone was asking me about him in korean and I thought 성룡 is some kind of food, hahaha. And all the koreans I met thought that he is from China. Not just jackie chan but all hong kong stars haha.

Today is 추석 and there are more shops out there which are open than I thought. I was still planning to have my meals in convenience stall.

Heard from a friend that zx quit GO. I was really shocked because he is known to be so hardcore in GO, someone I thought who will never quit this game even at knifepoint. I still remember the stuff he wrote in my farewell card almost 2 years ago, having the vision of creating a better GO environment. The reason he quit was even more shocking for me. The zx I know seems to change so much that is unbelievable for me. I feel as if I lost a friend and swa will be so different without his presence. Nothing stays forever. Treasure every moment and make good memories out of it.