Fatigue

I've been feeling too tired to even eat these days.. Staring at the computer (or the thought of it) makes me nauseous now.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

Nothing to do with Chinese New Year...

But they make me happy so in the post, they go!

It's late and I need to sleep so more pictures, fewer words.

CNY pasar malam at Jurong West - a must-visit every year.

Monkeys!

Love these colourful fluffy furry stick decorations - still remember how I used to decorate the house with them (twisting them into flowers and hanging them around)!

Mum had to "force" me to go shopping for new CNY clothes this year and I came across these adorable (but also horribly overpriced) cheongsams. Cute? Definitely! Worth $189? 'ell no.

I totally loved the cute eggy design though :3

Next up, the mandatory Chinese New Year haircut (to usher in luck for the new year)...

(which ended disastrously, as usual)

Hairstylists are my mortal enemies. 

It really is that difficult to cut a straight line, isn't it? 

If not, I don't see why my fringe gets messed up every. single. larking. time.

Nomnom..

On a happier note, got my salted egg potato chips from Irvins (www.irvinsaltedegg.com)! The chips aren't as tasty as I thought they would be because well, salted egg = goodness, anyone (unfortunately, the snack's unpopular at home) but it's a refreshing change from the usual CNY goodies.

The day before CNY eve..

Our yearly tradition - Chinatown visit! 

(we braved the crowds and the rain!)

Chinatown (and CNY) feels different without my grandmother and this is probably the time of the year when I find myself missing her the most. I hope you're happy wherever you are.,

CNY eve..

CNY Reunion Dinner at the uncle's place

Prawns. Super lot of prawns.

Penguins wanted to join in the fun.. so we let them, heh.

CNY isn't complete without a temple visit and some praying so..

Gongxi, Gongxi, Gongxifacai!

Then off we went to River Angbao! I haven't been there since I was a kid so I really enjoyed the experience (: the bonus was of course, getting to see "Ah Long" (played by Ryan Lian) from <Long, Long Time Ago> hahahaha I think I took more photographs of the dude than the CNY lanterns combined (sheepish laugh)!

Had dinner at Marina Square first- check out those cheeky monkeys!

Most of my River Angbao pictures are in my camera so those will come later!

Monkey see, Monkey Do!

Day 7 of CNY: 人日 (aka 人人的生日!)

捞鱼生啊！发啊！HUAT AH!

응답하라 1988: 一個人的快樂

PS: The wedding post has got to wait because.. writer's block >< so I'll post on more recent events in the meantime first!

응답하라 1988 ❤

I've been watching the third installment in the Reply 1988 series and I simply love and adore it so much. I will leave it to drama recapper, girlfriday from Dramabeans, to sum up why the drama is receiving copious amounts of love and support from a significant portion of its domestic audience and myself: 

"1988 is truly an ensemble piece that focuses on family first. The episodes are primarily about the love between parent and child, siblings, or neighbors... 1988, in contrast, is about the warmth of a community that shares its burdens and its joys with one another, and how they come to form one large family. (And of course 1994 is a mix of both, by bringing a group of outsiders together under one roof as they transition into adulthood.) 1988 is less about growing up in the eighties and more about growing up on one street, though the nostalgia is in the fact that communities like that just don’t exist anymore. At the center of that is the truly enviable friendship between three ajummas, who trust each other with their hardships and share what little they have. And in a dramaland where it’s becoming increasingly difficult to meet anyone in the middle class, it’s always refreshing to get a slice of the normal pie. I love how true to life and homey the depiction of everyday life is on this street: The moms share food as an extension of their love, and their warmth quite literally gets passed down to the next generation. Proximity is all it takes, but that’s often all it really takes for lifelong friendships to form in real life."

The Kim Family

There is so much to be learnt (from the drama) about family, friendship, love (in all forms and types), community and really, about people in general. I was especially heartened to see that the writers devoted an episode each to the mothers and fathers of the show.. and gave these oft-neglected characters their own stories and character development, going beyond the typical portrayal of them as someone's parent and nothing more. When we're growing up and preoccupied  (for some, self-indulgent even) with self-discovery and finding our way in life, it is sometimes too easy to forget that apart from their roles as parents, parents too are someone's precious son or daughter, someone's beloved grandchild, someone's sibling (and the list goes on) and if we cast even all that aside, they are individuals - just like you and me - with similar dreams, aspirations and ambitions. They are as human as we are, as vulnerable as the people they seek to protect (strong as they may seem) and as fallible and flawed as everyone else. No one is born to be a parent and the sad truth (that many of us may struggle to accept) is that some people will simply never truly step up to the challenge and learn how to be a good, responsible parent to their children. It is a depressing reality, more so for their children, but that's just how it is. We may not find the strength to accept such a reality but the very least we could do (as children) is to step into their shoes and try seeing the world from their perspectives. In this sense, Reply 1988 is a timely and poignant reminder for children/youths, in their transition to adults, to grow out of the burdensome and sometimes irksome sense of entitlement they feel they have and understand what it really means to love and respect their parents. Oh, and did I mention that the casting for the parents were perfect? They shone so warmly and brightly, I think they're going to stay in the hearts of many for a long while to come.

"Dads don’t automatically become dads the moment you’re born because it was my first time being a dad" - Sung Dong Il

 

"When true love manifests, it doesn’t allow one to be concerned over one’s pride and causes one to cast it aside. That is why mothers are strong." - Sung Bo Ra

It helps that I enjoy shows set in the 80s and 90s very, very much - boy, I'm totally diggin the 80s fashion - because of the nostalgia and longing for certain things long past our time and generation..

A time without cellphones and computers but an age filled with friendship and love.

I've been recommending the drama left, right and centre but sadly, it appears that no one's interested in joining me on the Reply train :( which is a huge bummer.. and real disappointing to be honest (sigh). I'm only recommending it because it's so ridiculously goooood and well, good things have to be shared (hahah someone should have seen me when I was recommending "Our Times" to my junior college friends - I was so excited and all). I've been receiving such warm and positive feelings from the drama and I really believe that it's something worth sharing with the people who matter to me because everyone should get a slice of this pie of happiness! ^^ Watching it would also help draw us closer because the drama suddenly transforms into a collective experience where we reflect on ourselves, our passing youths and our lives together. Alas, no one has taken me up on the offer.

Part of the reason why I think I was so happy in Seoul is because I was surrounded by people who understood, appreciated and loved the Korean culture, be it the language, food, music, country etc. It is so, so important to have people who enjoy the same things as oneself, to engage in those activities together, to share the same feelings because this is when one truly feels alive. Back here, it's been a solo adventure thus far and a pretty lonely one at that. What good is it to have all the fantastic dramas, songs, movies etc in the world when one has no one to share it with? Imagine being a football fan in a family which knows zilch about ball sports, or an aspiring hiphop rapper in a family which looks down on that genre of music - it's not going to be of much fun.

                          Friendship goals.                        Cute lil Jinjoo and her ever reliable big bro

Would anyone like to hop on the Reply train?

Dongryung, Jungpal, Deoksun, Sunwoo, Taekki

"I could not return to my youth or that street either. Time always flows. Everything passes by and ages. That might be why youth is beautiful. Because it shines, blindingly bright at a brilliant short moment. But you can never go back (to it). A time when many tears was shed – like my youth." - Deok Sun