Applying for a visa (long-term) is seriously a pain in the ass and in the wallet.
I haven’t had a proper/punctual lunch for the past week at the usual Buona Vista kopitiams.
Been running all over places during lunch hours to get things done…. But not that I mind actually, since it’s places like Orchard or Outram Park i.e. can eat lunch with the professional force).
I’m not even in New Zealand and am already in kneechest-high debts.
NZ Embassy in Orchard to obtain explanatory letter – $0
Police Headquarters in Outram Park to obtain clearance record – $45
Medical Checkup in Buona Vista – $160
X-ray in Mount Elizabeth – $40 (Eye candy: Priceless!!!!)
Accommodation deposit with bedpack: $410
Visa Application: $230
Meeting with supervisors: $0
Total: $885
Thank god for the 2 hour+++ lunch breaks!!!
There’s just wayyy too many things to settle! But settling things convince me that I’m really leaving this god forbidden place. Hard truth: Brain drain in Singapore a result of our government’s finest policies.
Taking away CNY week and my one month absence in April, I’d say I can start counting down to my time left on this little red dot.
I’m clearing out tons of stuff but I just can’t bear to chuck my first violin away.
The one which Ahjumma and Eric had to endure the crooning of. The one which I had played ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars On’.
So, anyone wants to have a go at learning violin? Please adopt my dear violin and take good care of it while I’m away! Includes case, bow, rosin, shoulder rest and Suzuki Method Book 1. It is a beginner’s model from Synwin. And it does sound a lot better than when I just bought it cause it’s slightly seasoned already.
P.S: You must be someone I know personally to be able to adopt it!
Thanks to Ahjumma’s recommendation, I didn’t even know Hyun Bin (see below) starred in another typical-cliche-kdrama-plot-which-I-totally-love (–> sucker -points to self-).
Typical means:
Main actor is (ultra) rich and (ultra) handsome
Main actress is (super) poor but very pretty
Wherein ‘rich’ means owning a departmental store or hotel – seriously, surely a guy who owns a NASA rocket would be hundreds of times richer than one who owns a mere hotel?!
Rich guy falls for poor girl, first
Then poor girl ends up liking rich guy but feels very sad because they know there is a big status difference between them
Rich guy’s mother is an evil witch who stops the guy from marrying poor girl
Poor girl usually has another poor (as in pitiful) guy liking her but is always one-sided
Familiar?
Heh. BUT I LIKE!!!
Because these typical shows feed the mad hunger pangs in girls like us for a pauper-to-princess fantasy. Guys like these don’t ever exist ok. In these shows they will protect the girl with all their lives, give up their fortune for them…. oh so touching.. but I seriously think the last of these guys got extinct together with the Wolly Mammoth.
Apart from the cliche-ness, it’s actually not too bad a show you know.
Synopsis:
Kim Joo-Won (Hyun-Bin) is from a wealthy family, smart and good looking. He runs the luxurious Roel Department store, which his family owns. Oska (Yoon Sang-Hyun) is a popular singer around Asia, but he doesn’t have musical talent. He is also a womanizer. Joo-Wan and Oska are also cousins and highly competitive towards each other.
On a request by Oska, Joo-Won goes to pick up actress Park Chae-Rin from a shooting set. Joo-Wan mistakes stunt woman Kil Ra-Lim (Ha Ji-Won) for Park Chae-Rim and takes stunt woman Ra-Lim to a hotel. Oska made the request in an attempt to prevent Park Chae-Rin from revealing their relationship to the press. At the hotel, Joo-Wan discovers that the woman he picked is not actress Park Chae-Rim but a stunt woman. During this time, Joo-Wan starts to experiece strong feelings for the fiesty stunt woman, even though she isn’t his type. Joo-Wan seeks out beautiful woman who comes from wealthy backgrounds so eventually she can support him. Nevertheless, Joo-Wan can’t stop thinking about Ra-Lim.
Later, Joo-Wan sneaks into an action school to watch Ra-Lim. Meanwhile, Ra-Lim tries her best to ignore Joo-Wan, because she knows Joo-Wan is on another social level from her. Nevertheless, Ra-Lim can’t help to feelings for Joo-Wan.
Yeun-Sul (Kim Sa-Rang) and Oska are ex-lovers, but they can’t forget each other. Then one day, Yeun-Sul meets Joo-Wan on a blind date. Even though Jo-Wan is clear that he doesn’t have interest in her, Yeun-Sul pursues Joo-Wan. Yeun-Sul knows Joo-Wan is Oska’s cousins and wants to use Joo-Wan to get under Oska’s skin. Yeun-Sul then manages to become the director for Oska’s next music video. The video shoot takes place on Jeju Island.
Meanwhile, stunt woman Ra-Lim is a fan of Oska’s music and wins a contest to go to Jeju Island with Oska himself. Ra-Lim also wants to take part in Oska’s music video. Joo-Won learns that Ra-Lim won the contest to spend time a romantic trip with Oska and decides to follow them to Jeju Island.
On Jeju Island, the main participants all gather. While riding bicycles in the mountains, Ra-Lim somehow gets separated from Joo-Wan and Oska. Joo-Wan frantic over Ra-Lim’s disappearance goes back to look for her. Joo-Wan is able to eventually find Ra-Lim and they then come across a mysterious restaurant in the woods named “Secret Garden”. Even more strange, the owner of “Secret Garden” seems to know Joo-Wan and Ra-Lim. The owner gives bottles of alcohol to Joo-Wan and Ra-Lim. That night, Joo-Wan and Ra-Lim drink the bottles of alcohol separately. The next morning, Joo-Wan and Ra-Lim discover that their souls have been exchanged!
Ok, body switch, so we see Freaky Friday once again. BUT there’s a slight churros twist to the body-changing part so keep watching.
Since the main actress’ character is a stunt woman, you get to see some tomb-raider actions in the show as well if you’re a fan of that genre. And she’s really pretty! Not the typical went-under-the-knife Korean doll with ultra fair skin and a weak constitution:
WAIT – The number #1 reason why I watch Secret Garden is because of Hyun Bin (玄彬)!!
He’s really damn handsome can?!?! This is what I mean by ‘GREEK GOD’!
I wonder how can anyone even stand talking to him with their eyes opened.
Hyun Bin – my favourite K-drama actor ever since I watched ‘My Name is Kim Sam Soon’ /fangirl~~
He looks kinda different from when he was acting in ‘My Name is Kim Sam Soon’ (above) huh? Not just skinnier but the face shape just doesn’t seem the same. He was already skinny when he acted in KSS, so how much skinnier can he get? Did he get plastic surgery? Hmm….
Yes… I predict I’m going to re-watch Secret Garden for at least 3 times just like how I did with ‘My Name is Kim Sam Soon’. It’s is that awesome. PLUS, Hyun Bin lent his golden voice for one of the tracks of Secret Garden:
I never knew he could sing so well!!!! This song is just so, so sad.
The show is ending soon, with the last two episodes for this weekend. Gonna be mopping in one corner of my room dealing with the last-episode syndrome again (T^T)..
A prior warning: If this post ends abruptly, it’s most likely I’ve fallen victim to the after lunch sleepy syndrome and had hit the ‘publish’ button in a desperate attempt to finish off this entry.
Never in 22 years of my life did I manage to resolve even 1/2 of my New Year resolutions list (but they are usually written on a 3 foot long scroll, font size 8 pt). Ah, screw the scrolls.
I need to take reality checks when making new year resolutions. Resolutions – “an act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action”.
75% of my new year resolutions are wishes (i.e. hoping something desirable would happen without needing me to put extra effort or subject myself to mindless torture),
To win Matthew in Mahjong everytime
To get funding enough to cover my annual school fees so I can spend a teeny bit more on shopping accommodation or something
To get enough angpao $$ this year to cover the cost of a digital camera
Get a handsome Greek God and Japanese and Korean and Singaporean for my housemates in NZ
15% are from my to-do list i.e. die also have to do it or will happen in the natural orbital course of the universe, whether or not I put in any bit of determination to do it.
To bring at least 1 TB worth of movies/dramas/anime to NZ
Vacuum pack all my winter clothes
Travel overseas before going NZ (NZ not counted) Taiwan trip, yes?? :)
Have $3000 in my bank before May
5% are plain out-of-world resolutions which may take me 900 years to accomplish, not possible unless I’m an 1000 year old Ginseng Spirit.
World peace
Stop global warming
5% are good, down-to-earth resolutions, of which 2% can be accomplished in the same year it was made,
WHICH ARE:
1. Major spring cleaning
Because of two reasons – 1) certain individuals keep harassing me to let them come my house despite it being as normal as the three little pigs’ elder brother’s concrete house; 2) nobody’s gonna clean it for the next three years x_x
Things to clear: Mainly old clothes, cds, and books.
I have got my mother’s genes of compulsive shopping disorder and my father’s genes of compulsive cleaning/throwing disorder. Not exactly good news with direct antagonistic traits running through my veins. But when I start throwing things, I don’t ever look back. Mua. ha.ha.
Rule of thumb: Whatever’s not used for the past 5 years, it will not be used for the next 50 years. So I ended up throwing away 90% of the books on the bookshelf and now my book shelf is an ‘invisible-book’ shelf.
People often end up having more junk than they can afford with the space available because they don’t throw. Everything’s either sentimental or “I’m sure I’ll use it one day“. Your first baby bottle’s sentimental, your secondary school uniform’s sentimental. Gosh, by the age of 50 you’ll need an airplane hangar to store all your stuff man.
Sure, some things are worth remembering, but if you have actually lived the moment then you can tell yourself to move on and live other waiting moments like the one you already did!
2. Be Happy!
Stress is a choice, as Tracy’s ex-PE teacher says. So is happiness :)
