Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Last night, dear husband & I completed our 16 episode love story of Tae Woong & Bora in "Snow Queen". We did it in a span of 4 days - not bad for my husband whom this would be his virgin-maiden drama hook-up. He could not stop gushing about how great the Korean scriptwiters were & wondered how long would it be til our local drama could even reach to the standard remotely close to theirs. The ending of this drama to us, was unsatisfactory as we love the 'happy-ever-after' kind of story. But it was a good drama that's not too over-the-top although I wished it was less weepy. Truthfully, this is only my 3rd tear-jerker Korean drama that I have watched. I have always been a big fan of romantic comedies as I feel that those genres are able to make u feel good which I think should be what a good drama is all about. Nevertheless, I think I got the dear husband hooked & the onus is on me to find what to watch next that could even be close to comparable to that of "Snow Queen" - & I think the winter fashion that Bo-ra wears in the show is totally cool - love,love her knee high boots - if only it would snow in SG ;pAnd thanks to Ley, I will next watch & actually enjoy the likes of Lee Jun Ki in "Time Between Dog & Wolf". My opinion of him took a turn watching just the first 2 episodes of the drama, I think this particular sepet-boy can sure rock-it lah aka certified approved watchable .... & I almost forgot how 'girly' he looked in 'My Girl'.
My body have been aching the past few days thanks to the onset of flurry of activities on Sunday. Given this not so young nubile body of mine, the body is merely reacting to the sudden return of competitive playing against the younger, more active players. Me & my posse of netball mummies participated in the Captain's Ball competition organised by Merak at Assyakirin Mosque & whaddaya know these ahjummas triumphed & emerged champion for the game. Not bad considering we were back from 7 mth hiatus of competitive match playing. And we were surprisingly not out of breath after each match - I think the sessions at the gym does wonders for your stamina & we can certainly attest to that.
After a quick change, by noon we scooted off to the east to celebrate my niece, lil 'Boo' Hana's 1st birthday celebration. She was one happy kid basking in all the attention & successfully went through the traditional rite of passage also gone through by Amira - having changed into not less than 4 costumes/gowns for the event courtesy of her Nani.
The next few days after, I was on a high, always looking forward to our nightly k-drama Marathon with Tae woong & Bo-ra. Its amazing how into the show my husband was that I was even chided for questioning Tae woong's knowledge of Mathematics formula in the show - I mean he IS after all just playing acting the genius - thats how defensive he got of his 'friend' :p
Lets see if I can get him to get hooked on my next drama conquest....
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Last night we finally paid a visit to Dani, the new little addition to our STSS conglomerate of offsprings. Mummy Fazilah & little Dani is doing well & it is wonderful warm feeling to finally see all my fellow saint sisters settling down in our various roles as mummies & wives after going through an amazing 24 years of friendship with them. Amirul & Amira was as usual excited being with the lil one - which I cant help but feel like they are perhaps sending somewhat kind of 'signal' to me ;p Perhaps much consideration shall be in the 'pipeworks' ahead...Earlier today, I spend a good 6 hours with my Oppa - nope, not the telly version but my real-life Oppa as we sat and spent the whole afternoon following the life of Tae Woong & Bo-ra in "Snow Queen". I was surprised that he actually sat & really showed genuine interest in my love of K-Drama - perhaps wanting to see what is it that gets his lady hooked day & night, and also perhaps the drama incorporated his topics of interests like boxing & maths geniuses. At least I don't feel too bad while I indulged hours after hours of my attention to them. Of late he have been a fan of local TCS8 dramas, catching the re-runs of old dramas aired at 11pm, even following faithfully the "La Femme" & now "Beach,Ball, Babes" series, which I think he is not too proud to brag about. But nevertheless, it was a great day as I get to kill 2 birds with one stone - enjoy my K-drama & spending precious time with my all-time favourite oppa sans the sepet eyes that is...:)
Monday, July 21, 2008
*smiles* I just completed 16 hours of "Mawang". It was wonderful to see Joo Ji Hoon, playing 'out-of-character' clearly entering into the foray of serious acting,a far-cry from the blue-blood Prince he was in "Goong".Despite this being just his 2nd acting stint, he did pretty well I must say. His character in this drama was a pretty intense one and he really shined through, especially in the final few episodes.Mawang aka The Devil is a revenge drama that delves into darker crimes, with a bit more shades of gray in terms of “evil” and “good”. There’s a devil inside every one of us, but the difference is the levels of control that we maintain over that devil. The main characters of The Devil are tormented by their demons, and together they play a dangerous cat and mouse game, one in which many lives are at stake, and just might eventually bring down judgment upon the sinners.
“the tragic event of their childhood entwined the fates between two men and a woman who has an ability in psychometry into a love triangle. psychometry is a form of extra-sensory perception wherein a psychic holds an object in his or her hands in order to obtain information about the object or its owner. joo ji hoon 주지훈 is lawyer oh seung ho 오승호 who is destined to meet police detective, kang oh soo (played by uhm tae woong 엄태웅). shin min ah 신민아 is seo hae in 서해인, a 25-year old mysterious librarian with an ability in psychometry. she is at the level of being diagnosed with amnesia/sleeping disorder and she tends to be in full concentration when she becomes too absorbed/focus into something. kang oh soo who is from a rich family, had accidentally caused oh seung ho to lose his older brother and mom when they were young. oh seung ho later grows up to be a lawyer who seeks revenge on kang oh soo who is now a police detective. oh seung ho and seo hae in will have feelings for each other while kang oh soo has a one sided love for seo hae in.”
And the soundtrack is a killer - no sappy, sacharine-sweet, gushy sweet love songs but more on the lines of Galasso with some like the feel of Sting - The moody, classical overtones and even brooding ballads are intriguing. Worth listening in loops. love it, love it....
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Over the weekend, I met up with my lovely ladies once again to feast & chat. The theme chosen was mediteranean & each of us brought over food with middle eastern flavour. I was in one of my 'rajin' mood & ended up bringing 3 types of food, the all-time fav Chix & Cheese toast for the kids, Meditaranean salad - which I think was quite a success given my first attempt & herbed Pita. The rest brought Nasi Turkey, kebabs & Taboulleh to fill the table. Tiramisu was the dessert for the day. Along with Arabic music in the background it was once again a fun-filled night for me with them. Padiss was a great hostess with the mostest, together with Shir, Ann & Siti we sure did bring the house down together of course with the 12 kids or so constantly running amok at the background... We are already throwing ideas for our next meet-up & if all goes well, it would be Annyeong Haseyo with all of them :))
Its good to note that its 3rd time lucky for me when I drove all the way to Punggol in 30 min!! the husband's sticky notes on the street directory is a gigantic help of course.
On a better note(or not) I just completed watching & mulling over 24 episodes of "Goong". I must say that Joo Ji Hoon has found himself a big fan in this 'ahjumma'. I know, I know, I am a bit late in this K-drama bandwagon, given that I just watched the series now even though it was aired in 2006. And I know, I know its getting a bit lame & old to be swooning of young Korean actors & actresses but they are great I'm telling you. It also starred the wonderful Yoon Eun Hye who I have to say made me a big fan of her since I saw her in 'Coffee Prince'. I first saw her playing the role of a tomboy in CP,& it was great to see her in all her beautiful natural feminine glory. "Princess Hours" as it is also known is a rom-com just like Coffee Prince but it was set around a palace and introduced me to the whole world of Korean royalty & monarchy - a very enriching & fascinating experience I should say. I'm trying to steer myself away from the too-romantic dramas for now - after awhile the storyline do become predictable although it still is ever-so-addictive. Next in line for my on-going K-Drama obsession is a psycho-drama. I just started watching the first few episodes of "The Devil" & I immediately fell in love with the drama as the cinematography & mood setting is totally different from the normal k-dramas that I've seen so far. The opening credits itself is wonderful & Joo Ji Hoon as the lead role is of course a big bonus too :)
On the school front, everything is slowly becoming a regular routine & for the next 3 weeks, I will take up another class at Shuqun on top of the 2 current ones at Fuhua. Timewise would be perfect as it is slotted in between my lessons at Fuhua & extra moolah is always a good idea.
And I'm gritting my teeth as The Ellen Show has stopped airing since last week - there goes my daily evening funny fix - thankfully there's always my K-Dramas to save the day :)
Monday, July 07, 2008
Yesterday I hit the Singapore expressways alone, again. I was headed to Haliza's sister's wedding at Woodlands & since the husband & son just got back from their Sunday morning soccer, I decided to spare them from further 'tire-some misery' of having to attend the wedding & brought just Mira instead.So there we were, mother & daughter, decked out in peach lace finery with matching shoes & handbags when we started our journey. All was well right until I was supposed to exit the KJE. I missed the Woodlands exit - darn these exits (why can't I just get it right!!) - & ended up all the way to Lim Chu Kang. I have been to the farms at the far end so therefore the road looked very familiar & I know this is definitely NOT the way to Woodlands. Also bugged by the fact that Rima was waiting for me & I am already 15 minutes late, I made an exit at Jurong & hit the PIE again, but now instead of hitting the same route again to attempt to make it right & end up making the mistake twice(knowing me!), I chose the all-familiar Teck Whye - Bt Panjang route & go through the old Woodlands Road instead. Yes, we did reach our destination safe & sound, nevermind the countless irritated & annoyed lorry drivers whom their lanes I have to cut through. & I also missed the chance to meet-up with Rima ;(
I suppose there is a mild progression this time round & on the way back home, I did finally hit the PIE but of course with just just a mini-slip-up, by making an early exit at Bt Panjang instead of the Dairy Farm Road. But hey, we did come back in one piece & the car is unscathed & the most important thing is that my 30 min journey is now only 'extended' by an hour instead of the dreaded 2 :)) PLUS we got ourselves a cheery 'welcome back home brigade' in the form of cousins Wawan & Shireen all the way from the 6th floor kitchen window....;p
Saturday, July 05, 2008
We brought the kids to Disney Naturally,the first ever Disney-themed eatery outside of Disneyland at Anchorpoint. Naturally, everything here is decked out in the full flavors of Disney. life-sized statues of Mickey, Donald and Goofy greeted us at the entrance of this 1,400 square foot restaurant. The kids were also enticed to wash your their at the giant mickey’s hand wash basin before dining.All the chairs here are baby blue and shaped like Mickey’s head and the mickey-shaped things here are not limited to just the chairs…
…the pizzas & buns are mickey-shaped too! There are 6 different kinds of pizza and they are cutely-named like Mickey’s Classic, Daisy’s Garden & Donald’s Legend just to name a few.
The Minnie’s Secret pizza was just about right for two not-so-hungry people. It comes with toppings of cajun chicken, tomato and mushroom. while the taste isn’t exactly that memorable, what is unique about it (other than its distinctive shape) is that spinach bits have been sneakily hidden in its crust.it’s a healthy treat especially suitable for kids that dislike vegetables. in fact, we didn’t even realise there was spinach until we read the menu more carefully ;p
Despite the small menu, it is certainly packed with healthy goodness with colorful little square booklets at every table serve to inform diners about the nutritional value of all menu items.
For drinks, they serve the usual juices, as well as icy fruit blends. I think most people would go for the fruit blends which, again, sport very colorful names like 'Goofy’s Favorite', 'Winnie’s Rainforest' & 'Prince Charming’s kiss'. Its good to note that these fruit blends have no sugar added, and stands true to Disney Naturally’s philosophy of promoting healthy eating.
While enjoying our cute disney-themed meal, the kids get to watch movies at the same time featuring popular titles including 'Finding Nemo' and even the more recent 'Ratatouille.' They show different movies each day of the week so do the check out the movie schedule displayed at the storefront.
Amirul & Amira were kept busy while waiting for their food with game sheets that are available at every table allowing them to engage in some fun activities such as crossword puzzles and quizzes. There are also mickey-shaped computer terminals for children to surf the Disney website and play Disney games.
I bet my last Disney dollar that this certainly wont be our last visit here - anyone care to join us for yummy Disney's Mac & Cheese ??
PS: The eatery is situated at Anchorpoint which also happen to be an outlet mall or 'store-outlet haven' if u ask me .Some of the outlet stores which offer heavily discounted goods are Charles & Keith, G2000, Pedro, Giordano ,Billabong & Club Marc - how convenient is that ?? ;p
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Its been 3 days since the start of the 2nd term. Its been 3 days since I started yet another cycle of CyberArt lessons. This term I play 'digital art-teacher' to students of Fuhua SS & Shuqun SS. Unlike last term I not only just take up 1 but 3 different courses to teach 3 different groups of students: Digital Art - Poster, Cyber Art-T-shirt Design & Claymation. I am more excited as it would be my first time training the kids Claymation using Stop Motion. Even though on paper the schdeule looks really tight & taxing, the company have been nice enough to fit all lessons in the mornings & all 3 courses interweave each other - as such I would always be back home by 2 & the longest teaching hour I would have to do is just 3 hours. This term is also more relaxing as I have the assistance of another trainer, Stephanie, instead of yelling & conducting the lessons with 40 students alone. On a lil wee bit negative side, the lessons are conducted in the art room, therefore no air-con, being the brat that I am it does get hot & sweaty at times. Some of the classes were reduced to 20 students only, so much better for us, on top of that, I have the help of 2 more school teachers who are around to render any help which we may need - and so far it has been smooth sailing. I love the atmosphere conducting the lessons in the art room as it constantly reminds me of my days where I would spend many school hours in the art room - times which I remembered I loved a lot. And being around acrylic & easels does bring back fond memories of school days :)It was fun to teach with Stephanie again as it was more than 2 years since we conducted lessons together & its not so lonely in between lessons too.
Other than the teaching bit, I've been keeping my Macbook warm & busy with freelance design work too. Over the last 2 mths I've done several company logos & currently working on a website for a spa - Alhamdulillah...the wheel is turning slowly but surely.
Now that its already the 2nd half of the year, I wont be surprised that time will just whiz pass by in a jiffy. There are still so much things that I have yet to do but at the same time, there are unexpected twists & events that take precedence but in turn does affect me in a positive way.
The kids are doing well & ok. Amirul will back hitting the books preparing yet another 'study-battle' with daddy dearest. Amira is learning way too fast than I can catch on but I am grateful that I am around & able to oversee & witness these changes in her.
I havent been hitting the gym as often as I would love too & I can just feel those 'jiggly-bits' crying for dire attention. With teaching schedule falling into routine I hope I can squeeze in regular weekly time with my other school-mummies on the threadmill.
Over the last 2 months or so, I can safely say I have watched a good deal number of K-drama series more than anyone could over watched in a year. Among those that I strongly have affection for & left an impact on me ie I watched some of the episodes MORE than ONCE, are '9 Ends 2 Outs','Que Sera Sera'- love Eric Mun in it & 'Goong S'- love Se7en in it. I've certainly known more Korean words than I could ever imagine & can recognise the Hallyu heroes & heroines of K-Drama - how sad & quirky is that?? As of today, I have yet to decide which K-Drama to hit next.
All in all, the 2nd half of the year so far have been kind to me & I have no complaints whatsoever. Lets hope it'll continue travelling this path for me - Insyaallah :)