sleeping-awake.net

The LRT is the Manila Light Rail Transit System. Wikipedia says it’s the first metro system in Southeast Asia. I sometimes read “LRT” as “lert”, just because. I began riding it regularly when I was in uni, and I presently use it almost daily. I like the LRT because it’s the fastest way to get around - Metro Manila has the worst traffic. Still, there are times when I’d rather not take the LRT, and here are my top ten reasons why.

10. Being in a crowded train next to someone with BO.
I don’t think this needs any further explanation.

9. Guys who sneak into the section reserved for females.
Dude, what part of “female area” don’t you understand??

8. Kids that won’t shut up.
I hate kids, especially noisy and whiny ones who I’m stuck with until I get off. Yes, I did say I hate kids. Sue me.

7. People who play music loudly with their cellphones or MP3 players.
These people seem to think that they’re doing others a favor by providing some sort of entertainment. Unfortunately, they’re just being annoying. Use earphones, people, and keep your horrible music to yourselves.

6. People who lean on you. Literally.
This has happened to me only once so far, but it was hella annoying. There I was, minding my own business, when I suddenly realized that the woman next to me was leaning on me for balance. I was supporting almost her entire body weight! What the hell. I’m not a wall, lady. So I stepped away from her and she nearly fell over. Haha!

5. People who push to get onto the train.
Don’t these people realize that pushing is just going to cause everyone to take longer to get onto the train? Why can’t we just board the train in an orderly, civilized manner?

4. People who get on the train before letting people who are getting off get off.
Also people who block the train doorway. Once I had to push a lady aside because she didn’t seem to understand that before she could get on, I had to get off first, and that she was in my way. I didn’t push her with much force, though. She easily “swung open” like a door.

3. Waiting for a train that takes forever to arrive.
Where is that train??

2. Bag checks.
Due to previous bombings, passengers are required to have their bags checked at the station entrances. I know it’s a security measure, but all it does is slow things down and create a long queue, especially for busy stations. Do the security guards even know what they’re looking for? They merely poke their sticks in your bag and give the contents a once-over. Dangerous items could be hidden at the bottom, or in other compartments, and they’d never see them. The LRT should use X-ray machines instead, just like the Shanghai Maglev Train does, but I don’t think the LRT has the budget for them.

And finally… (Drum roll, please.)

1. People who wrap themselves around the poles.
Seriously, some people can be very, very inconsiderate. I’ve seen people who make like boa constrictors and simply will not let go of the poles (for reasons I cannot come up with), even if other people are trying to hold onto “their” pole for balance. Yes, it’s theirs, and no, you don’t exist.

This is weird. Right now there’s a guy going around the office offering credit card accounts. He’s approaching every person in the workplace one by one, and he tried his sales talk on me just a while ago.

Sometimes I can be a really indecisive person and not know what I want. But this time I’m very much certain that I don’t need another credit card. I don’t want it. I’m not interested. My mind’s already made up even before he opened his mouth. And though I just said that I can be indecisive, I can also be very stubborn. Go figure.

But I wasn’t going to be rude, so I let him talk. Then I declined politely. Of course he didn’t go away and tried persuading me again. He asked me some questions about my current card, like which bank I’m with, how long I’ve been using their services, etc. And I did answer his questions. Then he tried to get me to fill out a form, and whenever I’d refuse he’d say things like the card’s not yet approved anyway, just give it a try, he can leave the form and come back for it, etc. He even said that my current card has hidden charges. OK. Whatever.

He wasn’t exactly in-your-face pushy, but he wasn’t going to go away easily either. Eventually I just turned back to my monitor and thanked him. I may have come across as a bitch, but at that point my patience was wearing thin. I felt a little bad at first, but now that I look back on it, why should I feel bad? I mean, how many times did I shake my head and say no politely? I even said thank you. I know he’s just doing his job. But I really don’t need another card.

Just some online fun. How many countries can you name in five minutes? What about colors? Give the following a go to find out.

55

32

My answers can be viewed after the cut.

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Eep. I once again did poorly last month. I only finished Superstitious by R. L. Stine and started The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis.

Previously:
January
February
March

Photo source: Mnet.com

Ten days ago, I said I was a “former crazed K-pop fangirl“. I think that one particular word will be dropped from that phrase pretty soon. I can feel it. Guess which one?

Like I said before, every now and then I dig up my old K-pop MP3s whenever I miss listening to them. But never did I think about getting into the whole scene again. I thought I was done with K-pop. I thought it was just a phase.

But I guess the crazed K-pop fangirl in me never really went away, and now, after more or less five years of hibernation, she wants out again. And all this started with a seemingly innocent longing for the old days. Then it was followed by a seemingly innocent curiosity of checking up on my favorite artists, to see what they’ve been up to lately.

Between that entry ten days ago and today, I have listened to old and new K-pop songs, watched old and new MVs, looked at pictures of Korean celebs, read up on some of the latest on Korean show business, and joined a couple of Korean pop culture-related forums (one of which I was once a member of eons ago). Not only that, I’ve also discovered some very addictive Korean game shows! Aah~

So yes, I am slowly being sucked back into the world of Korean pop culture. I’m trying not to get too excited, because being a crazy obsessed addicted fangirl is time-consuming. And I’m trying to be a responsible adult here and not mess up my priorities. Ha.

Oh yeah, this morning I dreamt about Super Junior and Lee Jae Won (pictured above), which caused me to wake up late. *smacks forehead* How weird is that. I’ve only heard a couple of SuJu songs, I don’t even know all the members’ names, yet I had a dream about them. Dreaming about Lee Jae Won, on the other hand, is more understandable, as I’ve been a fan since about 1999.

Anyway, I’ve decided to start keeping tabs on Korean pop culture once more, but I must remember to keep some self-control. Must not get too crazy. Just a little.

So this past Tuesday I turned 23. o_O

I only have one thing to say: YIKES!!

I didn’t always respond to my birthday like this. But, as the years went on, my reactions have changed.

Kid years: “Yay! Party! Presents!”
Teen years: “Cool, I’m now __teen!”
Twenties: “Noooo!”

Yeah. =/ I don’t exactly hate getting older - after all, there’s really nothing I can do about it. But I don’t like it, either. I feel that time is going by a little too quickly for me. I’m in no hurry to grow up.

Anyway, Tuesday was also Earth Day. Ironically, I generated more waste. Since it is er, customary at our workplace to treat everyone on one’s birthday, I brought “veggie happy meals” for my coworkers. The food was put in disposable starchware containers, which are more environment friendly, but still, waste is waste. (To my coworkers: Not that I’m saying I shouldn’t have treated you! Haha.)

Of course, I can’t be talking about all this food without posting some pictures. My mom did all the cooking by the way, because I’m a slow one and I had to get ready for work.

Mock chicken in the foreground. Vegetarian meatballs in the background.

Marble taters! They weren’t cooked in this picture yet.

Mock chicken and vegetarian meatballs again, with vegetarian sausages.

That’s all, folks! This old lady is going to bed. Haha.

Photo source: kiss-ent.com

These past coupla days I’ve been listening to Click-B and watching their videos again and again. Click-B’s a music group from South Korea. (That’s them up there.) Yes, I was an obsessed (to put it mildly) K-pop (Korean pop music) fangirl during my late high school and early uni years. And no, I’m not ashamed to admit it. Those were good times, and I enjoy looking back on them every now and then. Sometimes I’d miss those days, and I’d dig up my old K-pop MP3s - which is what happened recently.

How did I get into K-pop? If I remember correctly, my classmate Mojo is the one to thank. She told me about another music group, H.O.T., and from then on, I was hooked. Well, not exactly. I was a little reluctant at first, for I had seen one of H.O.T.’s videos before (We are the Future), and I didn’t like it. Haha. I thought the band members looked weird. But I decided to give them another try, and they ended up being my favorite Korean group. Each member of H.O.T. is talented in his own way, and while they looked like an ordinary boy band, they later on wrote their own songs and also sang about topics such as war, the youth, and the disabled. Imagine how sad I was when they disbanded in 2001. The former members now have solo careers, and that’s great, but it’s just not the same. I miss H.O.T.!

So how obsessed was I? Some examples:

• I have two original H.O.T. albums, and along with the CDs came postcard-sized calendars featuring the band members. I had them laminated, and I put them up inside my closet doors. They’re still there.
• Back when I didn’t have a PC yet, I’d ask a friend to look for H.O.T. stuff online for me.
• When I had my own PC, I’d download K-pop MP3s and videos, frequent a K-pop forum, and save a ton of Korean artists’ pictures onto my computer. Too bad I don’t have the pictures and videos anymore, my PC got formatted accidentally. But that’s another story.
• I printed out pictures and interviews of H.O.T., and some lyrics of different artists, and put them neatly in a binder folder, which I brought every day to school. Haha!
• Arirang became my favorite channel. I’d watch Show Music Tank and Pops in Seoul religiously. I even recorded some episodes, if I knew that my favorite artists were going to be on. I think I still have the VHS tapes. Haha.
• My friends and I would talk - no, gush about our favorite artists all the time.
• I had dreams about some of my favorite artists.
• And because I got into K-pop, I became more curious about the Korean culture. I studied the Korean language mainly by watching Let’s Speak Korean. I learned how to read and write Hangul, and some language basics. While I can still read and write Hangul, right now I can only remember a few Korean words and phrases. I still have my dictionary and notes though. =P
• And as I learned more about the Korean culture, the more it fascinated me, and the more I wanted to become Korean. But not anymore, I’m pretty happy with being Chinese.

There’s probably more weird stuff I did that I can’t recall right now. But yeah, I shall now conclude this (unintentionally long) entry by bidding you farewell in Korean. An nyung!

Last year I wrote about getting myself into shape this year… And I must admit, I’m not doing so well. It’s just easier to become lazy. Then pause. Then eventually stop altogether. Especially when you’re just exercising at home, which was what I was doing.

So I decided to adopt a sport/activity outside the house. I wanted to join a yoga class, but all the studios are so far from home. I love table tennis and can play at the nearby YMCA, but I don’t really have anyone to play with me regularly. And forget signing up for a gym - gym memberships are pretty costly (the good ones). And they’re also far from home.

And then it dawned on me - swimming! It’s a good workout, I can do it by myself, and the local YMCA’s just a few minutes away. And it’s summer now, so it’s perfect. I already started last week. I’m no swimmer though - I haven’t swam “properly” in about a year, so naturally I’m rusty. But that won’t deter me, I know I just need practice. Then I’ll be as good as Beibei here! =P

Photo source: Beijing 2008 Official Site

Which I forgot to include in my post about my trip to China, so here they are.

Whilst bargain shopping in Beijing.
My bro wanted to buy some magnets to give as souvenirs to his friends. At the first stall we approached, the girl tending shop said that they were 45 yuan apiece. Uh, are you kidding? No, thank you. As we were walking away, the girl asked, “How much do you want for it?” We didn’t bother haggling and just went off. Guess what we saw in the stall right next to the first one? Yep, the same magnets. Bro got them for 5 yuan each.

In our Shanghai hotel lobby.
To make a long story short, the receptionist referred to me and my bro as “two little kids”. That’s what she really said, in Chinese. My bro and I are 18 and 22, respectively, and she didn’t even call us “two teenagers” or “two young people”. She really said “two little kids”. It was pretty funny.

Whilst shopping at Yu Yuan Bazaar. I was looking to have a Chinese name seal made.
Girl tending shop: 170 yuan, write your name in Chinese.
Me: 50 yuan.
Girl: No, no.
After I haggled for a bit, we started to walk away - there were other shops selling seals anyway.
Girl: (chases after us and latches onto my arm, trying to pull me back) OK, 50, write your name in Chinese. 50!
Me: No.
Mom: We’ll come back, thank you.
Girl: (still pulling at me) 50 yuan. OK, 40!
Me: No.
Girl: (still holding on) OK, 30!
Me: No, thank you.
Girl: (finally lets go) *insert Chinese cuss words here*
Got my name seal at a different shop for 25 yuan. Haha, that was a fun experience.

At Yu Yuan Garden.
Tour Guide: If you clap your hands, the fishes will come to you and look for food. (claps a few times)
Dad: Really now. (starts clapping)
Me and Bro: Oh cool. (joins in the clapping)
Soon enough, the koi fishes - like a bazillion of them - start swimming toward us. But unfortunately we didn’t have any food for them.
Bro: (waving his arms) Oh no, go back! We don’t have any food, we were just kidding! We’re sorry, go back! Go back!

Believe you me, there’s more where they came from!

Wasn’t able to keep up last month, I only finished Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis and started Superstitious by R. L. Stine. Meh.

Previously:
January
February