Do the write thing

I was clearing stuff from my desk today when i stumbled upon 3 worn-out A5 sized notebooks i've tucked away for a long time. woot, my old journals. you see, i started the habit of keeping a journal way back in 1999, when i just got out of BMT and was posted to this crummy looking camp at Guillemard Road. Back then, my first thoughts were something along the lines of, "thats it, gonna have to spend the next 2 years of my life in this dump, i wonder what sort of stuff awaits me". And then I thought that it would be such a pity if i did not record what would happen to me in this next 2 years(blogging was quite unheard of back then).After all, you only go through NS once. I thought it would be an interesting idea to look back and reminiscence about it in the future, when i'm all old and wrinkly and could do with some bedtime reading.

So i went out and got a book and decided that from then on, i would keep a journal and update it with my thoughts, reflections and experiences. It was quite a religious affair for me; i would make entries regularly, or as often as i could. i remembered there was one time i even brought my journal out into the field with a ziplock bag just so i can "capture the moment". i guess i was convinced my creative juices would flow better if i'm writing about it while i'm soaking it in. Anyway, i was still making regular entries up till maybe 2004. After that, i guess i got lazy. i now make an entry about once every 3 days or so.>_<

That being said, i always wondered why speaking decent english is not a problem for most people, but typing it seems like such a major hurdle. maybe its just me, but i just can't seem to tolerate people using bad grammer when instant messenging or in online forums. i don't appreciate the pervasive use of internet lingo either. i mean, emoticons and simple expressions are fine, cos i think they add spice to a conversation, but i find it especially hard to swallow when i have to decipher messages that look like they're some colloquial leet speak. people like them, because they make the words shorter, ergo, lesser time to type. But really, how much time do u save from a few letters anyway? Is keyboard fatigue taking that big a toll on your fingers? i've always wondered about that.

Quote of the day: The pen is mightier than the sword, but collapses under the sheer weight of the internet.

Dae Han Min Gook!

Woot. It has been a while. couldn't really make any entries cos I've been in Korea the past week. for a country with the highest internet penetration rate in the world, it's kinda ironic that it sure is hard finding any computer terminals to access the net for free. managed to find one in a tourism office in the Insadong antique market area but its tough having to jostle for a turn with ten thousand other people updating their blogs so i just gave up.lol. damn, they even charge you for the plastic bags around here.

anyway Korea's a great place, friendly people, fantastic weather. u can walk for miles and not drop a sweat, makes me wonder how great it would be if we can have reservist training in Korea during the autumn.^_^ i can totally see myself coming to the Korean countryside for a holiday every June/July. tranquil surroundings, cool weather, nice scenery and not a sound at night. not really very exciting, but thats my idea of relaxing(yeah i know i very boring>_<)

anyway, these past 7 days in Korea has led to me to compile my very own Top Ten list.(don't you just love Letterman? )well, its not really a top ten list, just a list of ten things, haha.

1) They(we?) drive on the wrong side of the road.
2) Korea men are built big for Asian males.
3) Korean ladies are unbelievably beautiful.( you know those babes you see on Guess Guess Guess? you can see gals of those calibre on the streets by the bucket loads)
4) Most korean ladies have fantastic hair.(refer back to subpoint 2)
5) You are screwed big time if you can't speak Korean in Korea.
6) On the other hand, u can get away with most stuff with just "annyong haseyo" and "kamsa hamida", and then speak some English.
7) You are also screwed big time if you are allergic to kimchi.
8) You have to look really hard to find a record store in Korea. i couldnt find any in the whole of the Dongdaemon area and i am sure i looked really hard.
9) Koreans have a few Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo models that are exclusive to Korea. Korean automobiles account for more than 90% of the vehicle population in Korea. Its really hard to see a Japanese or an European marque.
10) Koreans are fantatically devoted to their national soccer team. we were still seeing entire match replays and reports of the Korea vs Costa Rica match for 4 days after the match ended. in fact, you can always see something on the Korean national team at some channel at any time of the day. Furthermore, every employee in every shop, store, toilet, etc around the country is wearing that Red "Korea Again" tee.(i got one too^^)

tada! there you have it.
anyway, now that i'm back and the trip is out of the way, i've really gotta spend my time trying to get some employment. i haven't really done much in this department for the last two months and its kinda starting to bug me.
wouldn't want to be the only one left behind though>_<.

Quote of the day: Time's a wastin'.

Good Riddance!

The day has finally arrived. Though not as dramatic as I thought it would be, considering everything happened when i clicked on the words "Examination Results" on the screen. Actually results were supposed to be announced tomorrow but everyone knows the results always comes out a day early. I thought it would be cool if its tomorrow though, cos then the date would be 06/06/06, not something you would forget in a hurry. Furthermore, i liked those numbers too as they hold some meaning to me. anyway there wasnt much theatrics, since there was only about a 2 second period of anticipation and apprehension before the results materialised before my eyes.

well, it wasnt too good and it wasnt too bad, I got all Bs. Actually, i'm relieved i got a B for the openbook paper(i know i screwed up), but kinda pissed i got Bs for the other two. oh well, no biggie i guess, considering it was sufficient in my case to just pass all papers. All As wouldnt have made a difference anyway.

The most important issue is that I can finally close the page to the longest chapter in my book. There were ups and downs(mainly downs), but i'm glad to say that i've came through, although not in the manner that i would have hoped for. I wasn't really a studious guy, but i would like to say i dint exactly slack off either. why things happened they way they did, i cannot fathom, though i believe everyting happens for a reason. its good to know these (seemingly unfortunate)series of events will only serve to make me a better and more sensible person.

anyway, now thats said and done, there is a more pressing issue at hand. I am the only person I know who still has not sent out a single job application yet. Every mother's son(or daughter) around me has at least went for one interview already and some have even had job offers. Now, i know I'm not beneath most of them in terms of ability or even resume writing talent, so if they can do it, i sure as hell can too. i hope i can at least get some replies before i fly off for Korea next Sunday. I have no idea why most people around me wants to go overseas but for the record, its a reluctant trip for me. I din't even plan the thing and i have no idea what am i supposed to do there. the only thing i know is we're going to the jewel in the palace film site, or something along the lines.

The worst thing that can happen is when some company replies to my application and can't contact me cos im not in the country; to make things worse, they can't get me cos i'm in a place where GSM don't work and i dun have a 3G phone. I have a feeling high anxiety isn't going to be enough to describe how i'm gonna feel.

anyway, nothing i can do about it, i'll worry about it when it happens.^_^
now i just need to get started on writing the next chapter of my life and for the life of me, i can't wait to see what happens next. As they say on the radio,"Good Night, and Good Luck."