Random Gab from the Everyday

스피카 SPICA - Right Here

2012-02-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

FINALLY!!! A Korean girl group where every member can sing... with no weak links!

OK Go - Needing/Getting - Official Video

2012-02-06T02:24:00.000-08:00

Yay~!!

Flash Fans: 2012 Budweiser Official Big Game Commercial

2012-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Kristen Bell's Sloth Meltdown

2012-02-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

I LOVE THIS!!!!! Kristen Bell is so cute~!

Blogger Android app

2012-01-28T21:05:00.001-08:00

Finally downloaded the Blogger Android app, so hopefully I'll make more of an effort to blog this way! :-)

Anyway, someone wants to say hi... He thought it would be a good idea to jump into an empty waste paper basket.. Silly rabbit :-)

La de da

2012-01-23T21:21:00.001-08:00

Blogger looks different today. Cool.

[Indie2Go#062] 어반자카파, Urban Zakapa "그날에 우리" "나비" "봄을 그리다"

2012-01-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

The more I learn...

2011-12-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

... the more I realize I don't know much.

single life~

2011-11-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Replay All Day

2011-09-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

JYJ - Get Out

JYJ - In Heaven

Brown Eyed Girls - Sixth Sense

Brown Eyed Girls - Hot Shot

What's on rotation? Aziatix~

2011-08-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Looooove these guys!!!!!!!

Slippin' Away

Go

Cold (Fraktal Blazin' Remix)

Please support these guys by purchasing their album Nocturnal on itunes.

I WANT!

2011-07-28T20:13:00.001-07:00

Sleepy.... but still smiley

2011-07-15T00:36:00.001-07:00

What a cutie~ ^^

Miniature Awesomeness~

2011-07-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

o.O

Standing Egg

2011-06-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

Another non-Kpop Korean band favorite... Standing Egg

ft. Han So Hyun

Mate

2011-06-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

I can't remember if I've shared this band Mate with all of you... one of my favorites. In any case, their performances from Yoo Hee Yeol's Sketchbook.. too good not to share. It's Korean..but it's not kpop. ^^

If you're not interested in watching the whole video, at least watch the part when they sing Yeah ^^

"Mommy won't kill you anymore"

2011-06-19T18:06:00.003-07:00

This is really too cute not to share~!

Helen's Convocation

2011-06-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today, my younger sister had her university convocation... time really flies! <3

Korea's Got Talent - Sung Bong Choi

2011-06-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

I had to share this... but looking at the view count, looks like a lot of other ppl did too~
I got teary eyed watching this... Just <3

Kim Hyun Joong - Break Down ft. Double K MV

2011-06-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

KHJ leader.. <3

The End of an Era...

2011-05-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

... if 2 years can be considered an era ;)

Last Friday was the last day of work for the co-coordinator of a project that I've been working on for the past 2 years. It's so weird to think that for the next 2, I'll be working on it with someone new. Many who've witnessed or experienced working with us have called us the perfect team - his good cop to my bad cop. We are polar opposites in terms of our approaches, but in the weirdest way, it worked for us in our line of work.

I'll give a little bit of back story before I move onto the part about how I feel about the situation right now.

Matt and I both started as project coordinators of a youth project at the organization I work for. Both of us were fairly green in this area, with Matt having had past experience helping out with recently arrived Karen refugees as part of different organization and myself doing admin work for the organization we're currently with. We never had any sort of formal experience coordinating programs nor did we have much experience working with community leaders.

With little training but a lot of guidance from our wonderful mentor(s), we learned so much about the world around us, as well as things we never knew about ourselves. I think that given we were both starting with so little experience, it made it easier for us to work with each other despite being so different. Neither of us knew more or less than the other in terms of how to deal with difficult situations in the communities, but we learned how to do so at the same time.

As I told him on Friday, I'm full of mixed feelings about his departure, but I wish him the best with everything and hope we can keep in touch. Like most people that have worked for our organization, he'll come back sooner or later~ :) Have fun in all you do!

Ripley

2011-05-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

For anyone that's interested in watching Ripley with English subs, you can catch it on the Viki site! Enjoy!

Amazing Fan Video..

2011-05-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

I did not create this video... but I thought it was too good not to share~ ^^ The song that was chosen is so appropriate as well given all the stuff they've been going through as a result of the lawsuit. For anyone that's interested in finding out more about JYJ situation, you can find an abundant amount of information at The JYJ Files.

BGM: Dima Bilan - Believe Me

Even when the thunder and storm begins
I'll be standing stong like a tree in the wind
Nothing is gonna move this mountain or change my direction
I'm falling off the sky and I'm all alone
The courage that's inside is gonna break my fall
Nothing is gonna dim my light within
But if I keep going on it will never be impossible
Not today.

Cause I got something to believe in
As long as I'm breathing
There is not a limit to what I can dream
Cause I got something to believe in
Mission to keep climbing
Nothing else can stop me if I just believe
And I believe in me.

Even when the world tries to pull me down
Tell me that I can't... try to turn me around
I wont let them put my fire out
But if I keep going on it will never be impossible
Not today

Cause I got something to believe in
As long as I'm breathing
There is not a limit to what I can dream
Cause I got something to believe in
Mission to keep climbing
Nothing else can stop me if I just believe
And I believe in me

I can do it all, open every door
Turn unthinkable to reality
You see I can do it all and more

Believing as long as I'm breathing
There is no limit to what I can dream
Believing mission to keep climbing
Nothing else can stop me if I just believe
And I believe in me.

Catching up ^^

2011-05-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Was definitely fun seeing Mayna while I was in Vancouver. ^^ Good times catching up!

More from "Miss Ripley"

2011-05-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

BTS - Shooting of the official poster

Miss Ripley - 2nd Trailer

JYJ Concert in Vancouver

2011-05-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie... I'm having withdrawal after this concert... JYJ was really damn amazing... and the energy at Rogers Arena... explosive... Thank you so much for making Canada a part of your tour <3

Here are a few FANCAMs I took for everyone to enjoy. Will write more about the concert later!

EMPTY

BE THE ONE

CHAJATTA / FOUND YOU (From Sungkyunkwan Scandal Soundtrack)

NINE

MISSION

GET OUT (New Song)

YOU ARE (New Song)

IN HEAVEN (New Song)

Enjoy~ <3

Counting down to "Ripley"

2011-05-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Love the cast combination and anticipating this drama...

but... <3 Yoochun to most.. haha :P

Beast - Rainy Days

2011-05-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

This song really is TOO good not to post~ <3

Jaejoong Solos~

2011-05-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Wish I could post the Tokyo Dome version of Maze and his cover of For You by Im Jae Bum, but alas, Avex has taken down pretty much every last audio file down. Anyways~ <3

The Bully Project - Trailer

2011-04-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

taking a work break~

2011-04-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

*^^*

Ok.. I had to post this... well.. just because.. :D

2011-04-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Full credits go to Siunohan @ youtube for making this amazing concert teaser. Ahhhh so excited for the Vancouver showww!!!

K.Will - Present

2011-04-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

Was watching We Got Married's new couples Won Joon & So Hyun (whom I looooove) and was reminded of how much I loved the song K.Will sang for them at their (fake) wedding reception. Here's the video. :)

And yes, sorry to bore you all with my youtube videos... haha.. I guess I haven't been inspired to write much lately. Sorry~

Great Collabo - Yo Yo Ma ft. dancing by Lil Buck

2011-04-16T16:58:00.001-07:00

Had to share~

Heaven's Postman

2011-04-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

<3 JaeJoong & Han Hyo Joo

Go Ethnics Go?!

2011-04-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share. :) Through my work... I've met more than a handful of people that feel this way when another election cycle rolls around. Make your vote count.

JYJ...

2011-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

See you in Vancouver in May~ :D

Multicultural Youth Celebration

2011-04-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my blog, you'd know that I've been working with an amazing group of people over the past couple of years. In December, our project had our first celebration in which all the different communities came and showcased their talent and what they have been working on in their programs. Today we had our second event. I'm truly blessed to be working with the people that I do. Here are a few pictures. :)

Our Karen youth preparing decorations for the event

2 members of the Sudanese intercultural group getting everything ready...

Setting up...

2 youth from our group Global Effects getting the balloon displays ready

Me and Matt looking not so flattering, but having lots of fun.

The gym filling up...

My lovely co-worker and her 2 children maning the registration table.

New Youth Edmonton :)

Our 2 MCs for the afternoon/evening.

Global Effects skit/video presentation

Arbre de Vie

Iraqi/Kurdish community

DInner time :)

What's on the menu? Eritrean/Ethiopian, Kurdish/Iraqi, Colombian, and Karen food!!

Karen community youth bamboo dance

Sudanese Intercultural/Intertribal group

Eritrean/Ethiopian group dance

Wrap up!

For those of you who haven't seen this one yet...

2011-04-09T00:11:00.001-07:00

This kid is so darn cute!

Attenborough: Amazing DIY Orangutans - BBC Earth

2011-03-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

My sister showed me this clip from a documentary she was watching yesterday... Amazing!

FAO Schwartz Toys in New York City

2011-03-11T00:19:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures while perusing FAO Schwartz... I find the Barbie foosball table particularly fascinating... along with the creepy babies and doll heads on sticks.

BIGBANG - TONIGHT M/V (Original Version)

2011-03-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Spending some time with my Great Grandmother...

2011-03-02T00:48:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, I spent the last 10 days in New York to visit family - mainly to visit my great grandmother. She's 105 this year, but still as energetic as ever. Her memory has gone a little, but is still willing to strike up a conversation with anyone that's willing to listen (even though most of us don't understand the dialect she uses half the time).

All in all it was a great visit. We were able to take her out for dim sum twice over the 10 days and she seemed to really enjoy getting out of the seniors' facility. I hope to be able to visit her more often over the next few years, as she is getting older and realistically speaking her time is short.

For the longest time I never put family as a top 5 priority in my life. Over the past 2 years, the bond between has grown increasingly - something I would have never imagined 5 or 6 years ago. With a clear mind now, I can really say that we all need to learn to value our family while they're still around and still healthy.

Well.. enough of my preachy preachy stuff. I'll post a few more pictures from my trip later on.

Trips on the way..

2011-02-07T23:05:00.001-08:00

That's all I'm going to say :D

A moment of fangirl-ism

2011-01-31T23:57:00.000-08:00

I had to post this because... just cause... :D :D :D
Korean musical 'Tears of Heaven' featuring Junsu (TVXQ5 / JYJ)

Wish I could catch this in person... but seeing as how 10000 tickets sold in less than 5 mins... and 4500 sold in less than 2.5 mins.. even if I was in Korea, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get my hands on any... The fans are craaazy~!

But anyways... yay for Junsu!!! :D I don't think I'll ever get too old for this.. haha

Cuuuute~

2011-01-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow We Got Married 2... The song Yonghwa wrote for Seohyun~ Too cute!

Dramas of the moment...

2011-01-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I've been all about Korean dramas for the past while... watched quite a few in a short span of months and currently.. I'm all caught up in the Secret Garden wave... and watching episodes of Giant which recently just finished airing on SBS...

I've got to say.. it makes a huge difference when you get veteran actors/actresses into roles that they seem to give to just about anyone these days...

Besides Baker King: Kim Tak Goo & Sungkyunkwan Scandal (my Yoochunnie) ... I'm pretty sure Giant is my pick for drama of 2010, in terms of it's ability to keep me hooked.

Here's an MV with clips from the drama (early years)... <3 Kim Bum Soo

Pretty Kitties~

2011-01-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

A few photos of my favorite feline friends~ :D

Aren't they all lovely??? :D

Congratulations Pauline & Todd!! 01012011

2011-01-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

Truly a beautiful wedding filled with love and happiness!

Christmas Break Photo Post

2011-01-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, our family was lucky enough to be joined by my aunt and friends from China. I can quite honestly say that this was the busiest holiday season we've had in a while. Luckily for us (and them), all of us had extended breaks, so we were able to celebrate to the fullest. Here are some pictures. (All photos are shot with a Canon G11 and are pre-processed because I'm lazy) :).

Hope you all had a good holidays~!

Goodbye Facebook, Re-opened Blog.

2010-12-31T21:32:00.000-08:00

As the title states, I've finally put an end (for now) to countless hours wasted on Facebook. I guess in the future, if there's anything worth sharing, it'll be posted on here or Twitter.

3 more months till the end of my contract. I can't believe how quickly 2 years have come and gone. I remember how I felt when I first took my position and how overwhelming it was. That feeling hasn't gone away, but the ways I've learned to deal with it has helped me immensely in my day to day life.

More decisions to come. Do I stay and further pursue work in this field and continue monitoring the growth of the children and youth I've been working with, or do I go a new path and see what else this world has to offer?

I've tossed out many ideas over the past year on my blog, but I guess as always I'll never actually know or make a decision until March rolls around.

No regrets.

On another notes, HAPPY NEW YEAR from me and Nicole~ :)

Out of the Darkness: An Evening with K'naan

2010-12-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

Wonderful event. K'naan spoke with eloquence and honesty and was surprisingly humble. It was such a treat to listen to him speak about the challenges and difficulties he experienced when he arrived in Canada as a young refugee. Anyways, not going to say much about it. Video coming soon.

Celebrating Yvonne's Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the U of A

2010-11-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

The ED for the organization I work for was recently honored with an honorary doctorate for her hard work and dedication over the years in the area of human rights for immigrant and refugee communities in Edmonton. It's been a pleasure to work with and learn from Yvonne. I'm pretty sure I'll never meet someone as compassionate and humble as she is. Without going too much in depth, I'll leave it at that. Here are some photos from a few celebratory events.

I've been so lucky and blessed to have worked for over 2 years with all these people I now consider my family... ~

A few photos from my trip to Salmon Arm

2010-11-07T01:06:00.000-07:00

Went to see the Salmon Run at Adam River then headed over to Mission Hill, but got there too late... so instead hit up Quails Gate. Came home with 2 lovely bottles of wine. :)

Plans may have taken a turn...

2010-11-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

As most of you may know, my contract for work is up in March.. and ~~I don't plan on extending~~ I won't be extending it.. My original intentions behind this was to head back to South Korea and perhaps spend another year or so there. This plan may be delayed or may not happen at all because I am slowly being swayed to take another path.

I'm thinking of doing an extended volunteering stint somewhere in South East Asia, then head over to Africa. At the moment, nothing is set in stone, but I'm hoping I can get something set up before my contract is through. Some of my contacts have old colleagues who have now set up agencies overseas that require volunteers, so I suppose it's nice to know that if I want to find a place that is reliable and safe to work for, that those options are open.

Who knows where I'm going to end up next year... and to be honest.. I'm kind of happy about that.

He makes me smile~

2010-11-02T20:55:00.001-07:00

Just Cuz... <3 him

apologies..

2010-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

... just read over my last post and realized all the grammatical errors and awkward sentences... i apologize for not reading over my blog posts before posting... but at the moment i can't be bothered to go and edit it.. haha

Rox

Everyday is something different..

2010-10-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

... yet I can't ever seem to blog. what's that all about?

my work has been all over the place. i've been inspired by the youth i work with day-after-day, being given a lesson on history, strength, and resiliency that has been more valuable than any of the books i've ever read in school, yet i can't gather my thoughts for long enough to put it into a coherent blog post without a million tangents. in this post i'll try to sum up the past year and a half as best as i can without getting too wordy. i thought i should share some of the things i've seen and learned over the past year to offer a glimpse into how some youth and community members from the most vulnerable communities have gone through so much, yet have such an abundance of hope and ambition that could inspire even the best of us.

since the beginning of this project, i never imagined that this project would be affecting so many people in such a positive light. to be honest, i (and my co-coordinator) never really feel like i'm doing much at all - given that i spend most of our time in meetings, writing reports, crunching numbers, and all that administrative goodness. the project's main focus is on supporting grassroots initiatives (in areas of academic support, arts, recreation, leadership training) that each community finds would be beneficial for the youth in their community. the youth/community leaders come up with the ideas and i do my best to support them in running it by providing resources and helping them find things they need - whether they need help with space, volunteers, equipment, etc.

while i don't get to do much front line work (i do however get to help run a homework club with the afghani and turkish community though ^^ ), i am extremely lucky because i can drop in and do program visits whenever i like and meet with the youth leaders frequently to hear about their progress. i've seen a lot of changes over this short period of time, a large portion of it positive although there have been some bumps along the way. I've realized that community work will forever be a learning process, but i think that just makes my work that much more exciting.

speaking of positives... i've seen youth that were greatly behind in formal education, be given an opportunity to keep up with their schooling simply because they have support to help them get their homework done and study. i've seen the love some members of ethnic communities have for others by being a strong role model and mentor to youth, despite being in school, working a FT job, and looking after a little one. i've seen youth come up with their own initiatives to educate young women in their communities about the possibilities in Canada and how to adapt and take charge of the opportunities they didn't have back home. i've seen youth become so passionate with the joy of music and art that they are always looking for ways to spread that joy with others that are in need of it. i've seen youth take it upon themselves to come up with innovative ways to educate others about the dangers of drugs and the drug trade and its impact on other countries around the world. and these are only a few of the many things i've seen over this short year.

all the writing in the world could never sum up my feelings of how proud i am of these youth and their drive and passion despite so much adversity. it saddens me whenever i see news in the press of how some of the most vulnerable youth in our society have turned to criminal activity in order to support their families whom are struggling to adapt to a new life in a new country. but there's hope. i've seen it. and if you take the time to look at the positive things that are happening around you, you will too.

Not a video post.

2010-09-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone. Left you all hanging for a while. I've been super busy over the last few weeks with some preparation for an event that took place on Wednesday, and that's why I've sort of been M.I.A. for the last little while. The seniors' forum went quite well by the way, so at least all my hard work paid off!! Woohoo!! Now I have to catch up on all the work that DIDN'T get done during that time.. :(

Anyways, planning on getting a new laptop and once I do that, I promise I'll work on a new layout for this blog and get my store up and running.

Sorry, gotta cut this short. Will be back~ Later!

Going through a Kpop kick again..

2010-08-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

.. if you haven't noticed already. haha.. here's a few more videos for you to enjoy... 2 new ones.. and a live performance by G-dragon that I love.

FT Island - Love Love Love

Big Bang - Beautiful Hangover

G-Dragon - A Boy

Options.

2010-08-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

That picture is pretty much how I feel right now. :s

How many options is too many options? I like having the freedom to decide on how I'd like to move forward with my life, but sometimes I wish it was simpler than that. There's so many things I need to consider before choosing one option over another, such as what do I value more in my life - my sanity, my happiness, or my potential to make money.

I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there...

I'll Be There - Taeyang

2010-08-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the new MV featuring one of the songs from Taeyang's upcoming international album~

Taeyang performing I'll Be There on Inkigayo comeback stage~

Too much drama...

2010-08-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

I'm talkin' about Korean dramas.

Personal Preference

I swear my trip to Asia has totally turned my life upside-down.. meaning.. I don't really have one right now.. haha.. I took a long break from Korean dramas (since before I actually lived in Korea), however over a span of less than 3 months... I've watched Iris, Coffee Prince, Boys Over Flowers, Oh My Lady, Personal Preference, Smile You, Stars Falling from the Sky, You're Beautiful, Coffee House, Will it Snow at Christmas, Bad Guy, Goong (Princess Hours), and currently watching Loving You a Thousand Times (I think that means I'm currently on my 13th drama.. of which has 55 episodes). Of course I left out the Korean TV shows and variety programs, but maannnn.... how many hours is that of me sitting in front of my computer screen? I need a new hobby.

Anyways.. I honestly recommend all of those mentioned above... Usually 3 or 4 episodes in, if I don't like it I don't continue...

Any other suggestions?

What's On My Mind...

2010-08-10T02:26:00.000-07:00

.. Not much over the last little while.

My life currently consists of work and vegging out, which I much prefer these days rather than engaging myself in any unnecessary and/or run-of-the-mill, mind-numbing conversation. Just FYI.. I'm not depressed or anything... just haven't had anything I felt was worth talking about... So please don't concern yourself. :)

The one thing that periodically pops up into my head is the thought of packing away everything into two suitcases at the end of April next year. I'm planning on leaving Edmonton for an extended period of time, if not forever. I suppose it's more than just packing 'things', but things I'm accustomed to, the comforts of home, friends, family, and basically these past couple of years worth of memories. I've already managed to do it once already, but somehow this time feels different.

Still more than half a year to go, but I'm already starting to put pen to paper.

Eminem ft. Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie

2010-08-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

While I love the song and the original concept behind the video, it seems that rather than informing and condemning domestic violence... there seems to be a certain element of glamorization of the issue. There's nothing beautiful or serene about this topic and while this video is very powerful in terms of imagery and intended message, the end result is really quite disappointing.

A friendly reminder...

2010-08-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family.Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines,cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed- interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home.Choose your friends. Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing spirit- crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life...But why would I want to do a thing like that?

John Hodge ~ Trainspotting

Minor Preview...

2010-07-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

As some of you may already know, I'll be opening up an online shop real soon consisting of new stock (dresses, scarves, skirts, tops), vintage stock, and some gently worn items from yours truly. Here's just a quick peek into a small number of items that will be sold.

Music

2010-07-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

<3

FT Island - Treasure (Japanese)

Wonder Girls - 2 Different Tears (Korean Version)

Super Junior - No Other

Enjoy!

Thankful

2010-07-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

Don't know how my life would be without you. <3

Flat Stanley

2010-07-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

For all of you that are wondering, hat's Flat Stanley in the middle of the picture hanging out with the rest of the staff on the bulletin board at the MCHB office.

My co-worker recently introduced me to this popular little guy when she brought him by the office. Her nephew (who lives in Calgary) and his class took part in the Flat Stanley Project and this little guy was sent in the mail. Basically, what the project is about is kids send their little Flat Stanley in the mail to different parts of the world and have him photographed in different locations. After Edmonton, he's headed somewhere in Africa.

I didn't realize what a big phenomenon this was until I googled him and saw him and his brothers photographed at the White House and with various celebrities and people from all over the world.

In any case, thought I would share him with the rest of you and let you know that he made it safe to Edmonton.

Small notes.

2010-07-21T00:46:00.000-07:00

Dream.
Never sell yourself short.
Live with purpose.
Make things happen.
Don't wait.
Make a difference.
Be thankful.
Smile often.
Make amends.
Stand out.
Do good.
Be humble.

Recovery

2010-07-03T11:13:00.000-07:00

Eminem - Not Afraid

While always controversial, there is no denying that Eminem is a lyrical genius. I am truly amazed and inspired by every ounce of himself that he pours into his work even though sometimes I don't agree with the message. His new album Recovery has proven to me yet again that sometimes our greatest works and accomplishments are inspired and driven by adversities in our lives.

Give it a listen.

For the sake of filling space...

2010-07-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

Longtime no write. I always write that I'll be more consistent with my posting, but for some reason I can never follow through. I make every attempt to make a post, but after about 2 sentences, I lose my train of thought and patience.

Well, just a brief update on what's been going on with me since getting home I guess. Work and Korean Dramas. That's pretty much my life in a nutshell. Summer camps start next week and my coworkers and I are hoping for the best and hoping that everything falls in line. I suppose an element of running good programming is a bit of luck.

Other than all the planning around that, I've been filling up the rest of my time with Korean Dramas. I've watched Iris, Coffee Prince, Boys Over Flowers, Oh My Lady, and Personal Taste since coming back to Canada... which is not even 3 weeks yet. I recommend all of those dramas btw. :S I know, I'm all about the excess.

Anyways, thinking about how to redecorate my room today. Any ideas?

Quick updates

2010-05-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Before I take the time to write up a full length post, I thought I would give a brief overview as to what I've done since arriving in Macau and thereafter.

Basically, in Macau I've just seen a lot of family and my mom's old classmates and had really good food. Love the food here. Done some sightseeing, but seeing as how I made a week long trip here in 2008 during Lunar New Year.. there wasn't a whole lot that was new since then.

On Wednesday, we headed to Shenzhen for a couple of days to take in some of the sights and go shopping. My dad's very good friend has a house over there and was kind enough to host us as well as offer the services of his chauffeur which was really nice of him and helped us get around quite easily. We also got to enjoy the company of his 5 little schnauzers... sooooo cute!!

On Friday, we headed to Guangzhou, the birthplace of my mother, did more shopping as well as saw the childhood home of my grandparents and my mom's home in her early years before going to Macau with my great grandmother. We also saw Sun Yat Sen's commemorative building/museum.

After all of that, we headed back to Macau today on a bus ride that opened my eyes to the level of development that's taking place right across China. I saw it last year when I made my way through some of the eastern parts (Beijing, Shanghai, Wu Xi, Nanjing, etc.) and also on a greater level in the Southern cities.

Anyways, so much for a short post. Will have pictures to follow!

Overdue update: Hong Kong recap

2010-05-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been too diligent with the updates. I apologize to those who DO in fact frequent my blog. I'm currently in Macau, but I thought I would talk a little about my week in Hong Kong. I didn't have consistent internet access there and therefore didn't get the opportunity to update my blog.

Now... where do I start? We arrived in Hong Kong on the 14th of May... checked in at our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui and got a good night's rest. Something that didn't really happen in Korea seeing as the last few days involved Dave and Johnny going above and beyond trying to help me get all of my insurance settlement settled... which in fact.. in the final few hours before leaving Korea eventually got settled. Thanks guys. Truly grateful for everything the both of you did for me during my stay and after my accident.

Anyways, back to the trip. I can't even remember what I did on which days, but I do know that my trip involved (besides walking around the Tsim Sha Tsui area) a trip to Victoria Peak, Tai Mo Shan, Stanley, Ngong Ping Cable Car, Po Lin Monastery, the big Buddah monument, Ladies Market, several trips to a Chinese doctor to get my dislocated elbow popped back in, and a couple trips to Lan Kwai Fong. I'm sure I'm missing somethings, but my memory also seems to take a vacation when I'm away.

It was nice to see a couple of friends (Jon and Cavan) I haven't seen in a while and meet some new ones. I also got to have lunch with my mom's classmates from elementary, junior high, and high school and it was so great to see how close so many of them have remained.

I'm hoping the updates will come more frequently here from Macau and wherever else I end up in the next 2 1/2 weeks. I can't believe so much of my vacation has already evaporated. In any case, here are some photos for you to enjoy.

Playing catch-up

2010-05-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone.. haven't posted anything in a little while, but let me assure you that a whole lot has happened since my last post. I don't even know where to begin. haha

Well, I guess I'll start off by talking about the trip to the island that didn't happen. Dave, Johnny and I boarded a ferry in Pohang to head to Uelleong-do. We thought that surely because we made the detour to Pohang from Donghae that we would be able to board a ferry that would take us to the island regardless of a little bit of waves. Boy were we wrong. We were about 3/4 of the way there before the crew decided we were going to turn back due to the choppy waters. Motion sickness ensued. Johnny and I were lucky that we were able to hold it in, but Dave was not so lucky. 90 minutes in a bathroom stall vomiting, with a nose-bleed and covered in sweat isn't exactly smooth sailing. After we docked in Pohang once again, we decided to just hang out by the beach. The weather was comfortable and just what the doctor ordered. It was a nice day and we weren't going to let the bad memories of the ferry ride ruin our day. We ended up wandering a bit at night, got some really good Jim Dak and just hung out at the motel.

The next day we headed to Gyeong-ju. Lovely city and would definitely visit again. So much natural and historical beauty. We arrived quite early in the day and decided to rent some bikes to cycle around town. Definitely a great way to travel around the city and I recommend it. We visited a park that was filled with yellow flowers, and made our way to the observatory, a Korean national treasure. After that, we decided to cycle to the Bulguksa temple. It was an hour bike ride and not long before arriving there, I just ran out steam and remembered we hadn't eaten yet. We had a quick snack at the little tea/coffee shop before entering the temple and then we were on our way. It is definitely a beautiful and peaceful temple, and I wish we had more time to visit the Grotto, but it was nice to see nonetheless.

After the temple, we were going to head back to the city. Unfortunately for me, I got into a little accident involving a car running into me while I was cycling on the road. Everything all happened pretty quickly and after a quick trip in the ambulance, and xrays at the hospital, I was just happy that my injuries weren't as serious as they could have been. By this time, it was already quite late and we decided to go for dinner. Let me tell you before I move on, I really don't know how I would have been if I didn't have Johnny and Dave advocating for me and just being there to support and care for me. Being in a foreign place (although I had lived here for a year a few years back), the fear is amplified if something goes wrong, but they made sure I was well taken care of. In a way, all the events that happened during this trip made me realize how fortunate I am to have such good friends and people in my life. I feel closer to them.

Anyways, I digress.

After returning to Seoul the next day, Dave and I hopped on the subway and were on our way back to his apartment. Pretty happy to be back in Seoul. That is, until I realized I left my wallet on the subway. Had to cancel my credit cards and I was out 300 bucks, but I was lucky to have kept some money at my friend's place which really helped.

All in all it's been an interesting past few days, and it's really helped me learn a lot about myself and about life. I'm a lot more grateful for things in my life. Friends, family, love, happiness.

I suppose that's enough for today as far as updates go, but my next post will include more on the Toppoki (dokbokki) festival here in Seoul as well as some stories involving catching up with friends.

Take care for now!

In South Korea...and happy.

2010-05-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've arrived safely and am now in the coastal city of Pohang. We're taking a ferry to Ul long today and hopefully the weather is nice enough tomorrow to take the cruise to Dok-do tomorrow. 2 full days in trainsit already.. and a few more to come. :) It's been nice though.

Been really nice catching up with my friends Dave and Johnny again. It's been 2 years since I've seen them.. and yet it still feels so comfortable to hang out... like I just saw them last week. Anyways.. I have 2 minutes left on my internet..more pictures and blog updates when I return to Seoul.

:)

Canon G11 vs s90...

2010-04-30T00:42:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Korea on Monday morning and I just have one question. The G11 or the s90? I'll be lugging my DSLR with me on this trip (simply because I don't have the time or patience to go price shopping for these cameras here in Canada), but there is a good possibility that I'll be hitting up Yongsan or Namdaemun to pick one of these up.

So, for those of you who can give me your experiences with your cameras (if you have either of these), please comment! Thanks!!

7 more days!

2010-04-27T00:12:00.000-07:00

The FINAL stretch is here. I am off to Korea in 7 days! I can't believe the end of April is here and it really has crept up on me in the most uninviting ways. I'm totally thrilled to be getting on a plane to visit friends and a country I've missed SOOOO much, but the mountain of work that's waiting for me to complete before I leave is unfathomable.

It really is my fault for leaving everything till the last minute. I had such a solid plan to get everything done mid-April so I wouldn't have the weight on my shoulders at this point of the month. I should have known better. hah.

Besides a major report I need to complete by the end of the week, I need to iron out some numbers so that everything balances, file my taxes (I know, I know.. SO last minute... and this is for 2008 and 2009 >.<), probably a few things I'm forgetting, and who knows what else.

Anyways, back to my trip. Korea isn't the only place I'm going. I'm off to Asia for 6 weeks and besides Seoul, Hong Kong, and Macau, my venture into China hasn't really been planned yet. Going to Shenzhen for sure, but besides that nothing is set in stone. Any suggestions? I'm thinking mostly the Southern parts of China.

Ok, enough procrastinating for now.

DACE 2010

2010-04-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

SS2010

FW2010

Love the complete package! Posted these on my Facebook a few weeks ago and thought I would post them here too! <3

Unrealized Potential

2010-04-23T19:34:00.001-07:00

photo from Strength of Heart via we heart it

To me, there is really nothing quite as sad as seeing amazingly talented and gifted people, weighed down by an overwhelming amount of apathy and an underwhelming amount of drive.

She & Him - In The Sun

2010-04-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Love Zooey Deschanel's style!

Thinking of things to write on my blog

2010-04-10T17:46:00.001-07:00

For someone that constantly has something on my mind, I find it incredibly difficult to find things to write about. I'm not really sure if it's the lack of focus or what, but when I try to put words to the keyboard, I draw a blank. Seeing as I love pretty much anything under the sun, what would you like to see?

We all find our way... somehow.

2010-04-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Live your life... and let others live theirs.

38 days away~

2010-03-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on. A little over a month till I'm heading back to Korea, and boy am I excited. There's still a lot of work to do here on the home front, but that hasn't affected my excitement (might even be considered a distraction ;p).

It's been almost 2 years since I completed my contract in Korea, yet I very often find myself thinking about the life changing year I spent over there. Lots has gone on in 2 years since I left as well, but my experiences in Korea definitely influenced those decisions. 6 countries later (Cuba, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, China - I guess the USA too, but that doesn't really count), and here I am heading back to the country that helped to kick off my adventures.

I'll be staying with my friend Dave (George Bailey Sees the World!), whom I am also extremely excited about catching up with. Despite the fact that he's only a city three hours away from me, I haven't been lucky in catching him the past couple of times he has visited home.

I'm also pretty excited about seeing some of my other friends I made in Korea. For some reason, I feel connected with those friends in a different way than I am with the ones I have here. It'll be great seeing everyone and finding out what's changed since I left.

It goes without saying that I'm also pretty excited about the food. I love Korean food - the seafood, kimchi with every meal, Korean BBQ, soups, street food. Yes, pretty much everything! Hopefully I won't put on much poundage before I get home, since I'll also be having the amazing food in Hong Kong, Macau, and a few other places in China as well.

There are a million other things I can blog about that I'm really looking forward to, but I won't bore you with any of those details. I'll have more stories to share with you all during my trip. Pictures as well. :)

Travel

2010-03-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've been anywhere exotic... so I thought I would share a few of my favorite shots from my travels. I'm happily heading to Asia again in May, and I'll be sure to have more to share with all of you. :)

What's on my mind..

2010-03-10T20:22:00.001-08:00

Fiscal year end is upon us and I am busy (along with my co-coordinator) tying up loose ends before final and year end reports are due in the next few weeks. Needless to say it's a busy time at work, but I can't seem to stay 100% focused.

I'm excited about numerous things that will be coming up real soon (i.e. the end of this project, someone special coming to visit, and my return to Asia for a month and a bit) - all of which take me away from actually getting any sort of work done.

Anyone have any pointers on helping me get my mind focused? ANYONE??

Happy Chinese New Year!!!!!!!

2010-02-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

The year of the Tiger.

This is the first year I've been home for Chinese New Year for a while. Last year was spent in Colombia, the previous year in Macau (wonderful celebrations there), but I must say, there is nothing quite like spending Chinese New Year in Edmonton with my family to ring in the lunar new year.

We're having a big dinner party tonight with family friends and it should be a good one. My mom's prepared a lot of delicious food. It's such a good excuse to bring everyone together.

In any case, good luck, good health, prosperity, and happiness to everyone!!!

The Noisettes - Atticus

2009-12-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

to kill a mockingbird
is to silence the song
that seduces you
why?
'cause you need that desire in your heart to survive
and you need that burning fire in your soul to know
you're still alive
so catch me when I fall
or did I dive at your delight?

in my heart I can fly
and I cannot disguise my love
there is no time
and I wouldn't know how
constellations tonight
are so fiercesomely bright, my love
I have no fear
I am Atticus now

remember what I lost like hot coals in my hand from days gone by
like Pandora adored the euphoria as her heart raced
like love lost you've got to try even in vain
feels like you'll go insane
but you're the hardest instrument that I've ever had to play

in my heart I can fly
and I cannot disguise my love
there is no time
and I wouldn't know how to
constellations tonight
are so fiercesomely bright, my love
I have no fear
I am Atticus now

so why don't we fall into the waves?
can't you see how my heart yearns to misbehave?

in my heart I can fly
and I cannot disguise my love
there is no time to
and I wouldn't know how
constellations tonight
are so fiercesomely bright, my love
I have no fear left
'cause I am Atticus now

so why don't we fall into the waves?
can't you see how my heart yearns to misbehave?

All I want for Christmas...

2009-12-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

... is to spend it with the ones I love.

It's going to be great to see family and friends this holiday season.

Want to job shadow for a day?

2009-12-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Serious question.

I really wish more of my friends understood what I do for work. Maybe if they knew what my work entails, they'd understand that it's not terrible for me to "live to work". I can't sum it up in one word, one sentence, or two or three for that matter. I thought my job in Korea was multi-faceted - R&D, HR, director and video editor for online classes, substitute teacher - but in reality, nothing really compares to the work I'm doing right now.

I'm a youth projects coordinator and community support worker that works with 9 immigrant and refugee communities (Afghani, Azerbaijani, Colombian, Eritrean/Ethiopian, Iraqi, Karen (from Burma), Kurdish, Somali, Sudanese). I work with youth and community leaders to develop culturally appropriate out-of-school programming (i.e., homework clubs, heritage language classes, etc.), deal with logistical and budgetary issues, sit at different tables to make sure grassroots initiatives are given a voice, and link important and often unseen community work to mainstream agencies and funders.

While my work sounds all nice and fluffy in that perfectly packaged description, it's both the little things and the complexities that come along with the job that really make my work worth all the time and effort. Ok, maybe not so much the complexities, but anytime there's diversity, conflicts and complications also exist. It's stressful, but at the end of the day I'm fine with that. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Moving on.

Perhaps the single most rewarding thing about my work is that in working with some of the youth more closely and hearing their personal stories - their strength, resilience, and sunny optimism (despite extremely difficult circumstances) has motivated and inspired me to do better, be better, and believe that positive change is only an arms length away.

So, in a nutshell, that's what I do. The offer's still on the table, by the way.

Noah & The Whale <3

2009-11-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

Worth the watch....

2009-10-04T13:40:00.001-07:00

Blood Coltan

Patrick Watson gives me the goosebumps.

2009-09-20T02:21:00.000-07:00

I love this.

Barney! Barney!

2009-08-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

feeling kind of strange lately...

2009-08-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

... my heart is still in asia... there's really no other place i'd rather be.

i have a good job here.. doing what i've always wanted to do... getting the experience to go further in my field... but how can i truly be fully committed to doing my best at my work when i can't even enjoy the place that i'm in.

i don't know what to do...

korea's like an old lover that just doesn't know how to leave me alone..

Blog time.

2009-05-21T00:14:00.001-07:00

Shanghai felt like a long ways away a couple months ago. But now that the day is here in roughly a day... I find myself unprepared and I haven't even started packing yet. Haven't really thought about what I want to see.. or what to expect really.. but super excited to go.

Although it's only a short little 2 week trip... I think it'll be worth the long ass plane ride... haha... and traveling with my mother will definitely be interesting..

In any case.. I should probably sleep...

Blog more tomorrow. :)

Father's Day Walk/Run for Prostate Cancer

2009-05-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys.. just wanted to post this here... to let you all know that I'm taking part this year. I'm looking for sponsors and any donation is welcome. Thank you soooo much!!! <3

On, Sunday, June 21st, 2009, I will be helping to put an end to prostate cancer by participating in the Safeway Father's Day Walk/Run.

Prostate cancer is the number one cancer threat to Canadian men. The threat of Prostate Cancer for men is far greater than is commonly known - 1 in 7 men are diagnosed, and this is expected to rise to 1 in 4 within a decade. By taking part in this annual event, I am doing my part to raise funds that will support research, awareness and education of prostate cancer. By taking part in this annual event, I am doing my part to raise funds that will support research into the disease.

Please support me by making a secure online donation. Click on the link below:

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2192615

For more information about the Safeway Father's Day Walk/Run, this important cause or how YOU can participate in the Safeway Father's Day Walk/Run, please visit us at www.fathersdayrun.ca

Thanks again for helping to put an end to prostate cancer!

Going to see Patrick Watson on the 16th!!!!!!!! :D

2009-05-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Cinematic Orchestra ft. Patrick Watson - To Build A Home

I love this song and can't wait for the concert! :D

Test!!!

2009-05-05T22:10:00.001-07:00

Just testing to see if I can post blog entries via my bb!
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network