Today Was A Good Day

Today was a good day.

My legs are sore, I'm even more confused in class than I have ever been, and my nose is still stuck.
But today was a good day.

I actually took the morning off and accompanied my friend before his flight back home. A friend of mine had been staying with me for the past 2 weeks and this morning I decided to take him to my favorite bagel place and then a cup of coffee. We just sat at the cafe, staring out toward the university campus and just chilled. We also talked pretty lightly about dealing with problems, and ended up taking photos with Cherry Blossoms which were pretty great.

Then it was off to school and sit in class while I try to figure out what vocab means what HAHA.

After school, I headed out to help my roommate get her roommate while grabbing my dance teacher one as well. Recently, I learnt that her mom was in the hospital getting treated for cancer, and since, she'd seem to have lost even more weight. Might I also add that this woman is pretty skinny, and should not be losing any more weight. Last week, I noticed how thin the back of her hands looked, and so for this week, my roommate and I decided to get her the bagel. So I did just that, and had another light conversation with the Bagel Man (the dude who owns the place), and he kinda told his employees about my dream to become and entertainer. They were all really sweet about it, but I got kinda shy about it... :/

Then dance class came. And man, do I always go into it confused as ever. We learn it TOO FAST. 2 classes and we're basically running through the dance moves. Today, we learnt yet another crazy part of song #2 even though it's only the... 3rd class. Man, teacher, teaching too fast T_T
But yeah, I think the reason why I'm so sore is because of the dance. My legs... They've actually been in pretty bad shape the last few days.. My muscles were super tight.. I think also from yesterday's sleep-in.. I slept the whole day as a result of my migraine which came to me the night before, and evolved into a full blown migraine when I was supposed to wake up for school. Even lost my appetite till the evening. I guess my REALLY needed to rest...
So today, after waking my muscles up from the dance, I can safely say, dance got me super sore.

Then, after doing my news article search for class, I headed to my student's house to teach her English. Ah, my student is such a jem. But can be quite distracted pretty easily. Even then, every time I leave, she'll always send me off and be super adorable each time. Man, I'm so grateful for that child. I need to up my game as a teacher. Need to get her excited again as things are getting more challenging for her. Go Kim, go!

After buying vegetables and explaining to the store manager why I don't want plastic bags when he asked, I told him that I wanted to save the environment and I have WAY too much at home (which I'm still figuring out HOW to use them). I got my veges, and they arrived at my home when I did! Then I made me some delicious soup and am now telling you about my day. (:

Today was definitely a good day. My muscles are working, I can still sing in the shower, even though at this point, I'm more croaking than singing, and I had some good conversations with some pretty cool peeps today. And I found out that this one dude whose videos on Youtube has made me laugh soooo much is actually a Pharmacy student & works part time at a Pharmacy, that kinda reminded me that there are some pretty humble humans out there. The fact that I can be thankful for that kinda stuff instead of worrying about where to get the means to put food on the table, is something to be thankful for.

Speaking of being thankful...

urgh. this pup's so frustratingly cute. 

I cannot wait to have my own pet/see my beloved doggy back home.

OH, I even cleaned out the junk 

that has been sitting in my computer. 

Mission accomplished, small victories, baby. 

And to you, if you're reading this, I hope that you are well, know that I still miss you and love you. 
Please have strength & hope to keep growing.

Quarter Life Goodbye

As I sit at home with my laptop and dance practice song in attempt to remember the newly learnt dance steps, I'm also gathering the bits and pieces of 2015 and putting them into the separate bins of keepsake and once overs.

2015 was a year of wow, cha(lle)nges. I see how that looks weird, allow me to rephrase:

2015 was a year of wow, challenges and change.

January: I was finally packing up to make the move to Korea to learn the language in wish of landing myself in the entertainment industry.  And well, I fulfilled that.

February: A turning point of finding myself in an emotional whirl with news of a person who apparently wasn't prepared for a relationship but had ended up getting together with a familiar face. Took a scary tummy sink and self prep-talk to stop crying over spilt milk and to actually start focusing on myself and how I can be a better person as a whole.

March: I landed myself an internship/part time job that got me involved with radio which I really enjoy despite some hiccups. Then met some really cool dudes that owned a café near me who were very welcoming

April: I learnt that despite being placed into Level 1, that it wasn't really that elementary of a class. I also got to see first hand that insecure girlfriends from Korean dramas actually exist.

May: I got to see beautiful SUA babies spread their wings and join the transition club into "the real world" and got to meet some really inspiring alumni who have been making huge strides in their lives and communities

June: I decided that having cockroaches and other insects as my roommates were not really gonna gel with me. It was also the time that I highly objected to a lot of things that had changed someone close to me. I started missing the States and the conversations I had + thought about how much of a meanie I was to some people.

July: A good friend & fellow alumna visited! I attended PRIDE, and became a one event star (the photos are stunning) I wore rainbow and was stunned by the amount of anger shown by the religious group here that all I could do was throw signs of love back at them. But very quickly I started feeling kind of alone and frustrated, I was not quite sure about how to control my thoughts or anger. It was also very hot and humid, and having to go real estate hopping seeing stuff WAY over budget was beginning to get on my nerves. And going to school with a prick was making me a passive aggressive judgmental bitch who would voice out her opinions in front of the person but could not say it to the person's face. I finally found a new place thanks to my friend who agreed to brave the heat with me.

August: I missed home a lot. And so sought comfort back home through my friends and got pretty close to one who is now my biggest confidant & supporter apart from my family. I also started admiring my dance teacher, and was building mad respect for both my Level 2 teachers who are just such amazing individuals. Real examples of inspiring women. Then I met the youngest teacher who is seriously no rookie and who blew my socks off with her teaching skills. A month of teachers man. (tearing up a little to all the beautiful individuals) Maybe it was also the fact that I had already been one (for a couple months) myself too?

September: At quarter of a century old, I learnt that ALL parents have already had pedestals for their children, no matter how shitty they are (even if their children are 6'6'' tall assholes) and teachers in general have to build a really thick skin. Respect respect, RESPECT. I've also officially moved into my new place and flew back home for a couple of days for a wedding & also to Japan to have a much much much needed reunion with my classmates. This was also the month I spent A LOT but worth every single penny/yen/won/Ringgit.

October: Home came to me and so did the cold. In the previous months I got so lonely and I must say, lost that having my dear confidant come to Korea and stay for such a long time was a paradox. It was absolutely comforting but it was also a slap in the face of how rude I am as a person sometimes. And that also became another turning point for me. I'm sorry.

November: I took part in a video contest in school and the footage was amazing (ALSO THANKS TO MY CONFIDANT you know who you are) and did not like messaging people for the sake of getting likes, comments and shares. I did not like it one bit. Neither did I like the fact that they allowed another contestant in way after the application due date. Still not sure what was up with that, but I don't think that was fair for anyone (not just me) and it was also the month that I was the poorest because I had to pay for the outstanding school fees (there was an increase) and my laptop charger had been replaced by a newer, expensive version (the original is free with the laptop purchase). Did I also mention that my student became too busy for my classes and had basically no more extra income?

December: I welcomed the last month with an addition to my bank account after winning the video contest. But that had replaced the extra school fees and the laptop charger which that was great but I also started becoming more sensitive to my surroundings as I was more aware of what I wanted in terms of characteristics (in myself). I also started Level 4 which now has become a challenge of applying all I've learnt so far in doing presentations and expressing my thoughts (like a local). And it felt like eternity but I now have another student who is wonderful, adorable and learns fast! (She's also 6 and is excited for my classes to which I am so grateful and it gets me going) I'm also reunited with my fellow SUA alumni tonight ready glide through the night, the way I cannot do any other day.

I also made a quote that I'm super proud of and shall now be my way of approaching quite a lot of things....

At the radio station we recorded our last show for 2015 and while I do not believe in New Year's Resolution, I do want to make one that I would like to carry on into the many many years to come, but
1. To learn how to get my point across without sounding like an old lady.
2. To make many more mistakes so that I can laugh at myself more with everyone regardless
3. To push through my initial intimidation when it comes to meeting someone/ talking to others
4. To continue being straightforward, no matter how awkward/painfully scary it is but to admit my wrongs when I am corrected.

I also watched the movie About Time sans distraction and that got me thinking lately.

But yes, moving on, I'd love to constantly working on those things. It won't take 1 year for a complete turnover but progress even a little is a good thing. And I strongly believe that life is a never ending practice field. We should never stop learning, practicing, and growing.

Oh and about that quote:

"Kids are adults in small bodies, and adults are kids... in BIG bodies" 





Adios 2015. Gracias por todo.
Gracias a los putos también por las problemas que me dieron. Pero adios y jodete.