HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

We took some big steps a year ago,
and look at us now.
Accomplishing so many things and achieving the many goals we've set for ourselves.
And I know there's no one better than you that I could have shared these experiences with.
Here's to another year!


Also, about 75% complete. It's looking awesome.
Still no regrets.
And still feeling good about it.

Here's a song by Big Bang called "Haru Haru" a translation is "Day by Day"
I fell in love with the song the first time i heard it.




Yeah, what can I say, i'm delving more into the Korean Music scene and falling out of the North American music..
something about not having access to it and all...
if only my friends could send me some good music *hint**hint* XP.

So, this Saturday, I'll be going to visit North Korea...yup, if I don't return, find a hot blonde chick and use her as part of your negotiations to get me back from the grasps of Kim Jong Il...cuz the man is so rone-ry.

I'm getting slightly sad that Shella, my wonderful Hoj, will be leaving me soon.
Next Sunday *sigh* that really sucks, but I swear, I WILL visit her at Australia *nods*
i SHALL go to Australia sooner or later.

Speaking of going to another country, in a few weeks i'll be in Malaysia..
soaking in that sweet Malaysian island sun, waters, culture, and most importantly, FOOD!
yeeeeeeee
What can I say! My kryptonite!

I'm just so glad that i've chosen this route,
instead of dying out in the land of academia..
I was so burnt out that I just could not form a decent sentence anymore.
Despite having to be surrounded by broken English or another foreign language,
my English has not disappeared as much as if I had gone through more schooling.
And what do I have now?
A passport that's been accumulating stamps from other different countries;
a puppy that is currently trying to pry one of my bras away from me;
a freezer-filled with discount ice cream;
a savings account somewhat filled with money;
an accumulation of memories and experiences;
a slowly growing wardrobe;
and so on and so forth.

I'm feeling more confident about myself and my abilities
as I continue to survive on my own, as well as being in a foreign country where I basically understand nothing around me.
I'm loving this whole exploring and experimenting thing,
and I really hope I can continue on for awhile.
And if certain situations occur, I may not be going home for an extra few months,
as I hang around Singapore for awhile,
keeping company with my wife..
although...i'm not quite sure what I would do with the sophster if that were to occur.
*meh* that's a year away.
Not as far as FC's wedding cruise that will be happening soon.
*woot* florida, here i come!!
and to see Fatman, Geek, and the whole bunch... so excited!

aites, another entry, another round.

Re: Underage Chinese Gymnasts

I'm not saying that China did cheat by using underaged gymnasts for the Olympics
nor am i disagreeing with the claims.
However, I would like to take note that while I was growing up
(being fully Chinese and all) I always looked younger than I was.

My height, weight, and physical maturity was definitely delayed for quite some time.
I don't think i got boobs until i was 15..and my height was definitely not trying to be stunted by my family and doctors,
rather quite the opposite, with all the junk i had to take and do. (I am 5"3...my tallest ever at the moment..sad sad days)
In regards to the small teeth....I have small teeth!
I have compared my teeth to the children that are losing theirs around me..and it's nearly the same size as my ADULT teeth!
....with the exception of my only 2 normal sized teeth...my two front teeth *sigh*

Sure, seeing Chinese girls next to Americans definitely would make one suspicious...
but seriously, if you put me beside an "American" girl who was of the same age as me (or even one who was significantly younger than me),
she'd tower over me too...
boobs..ass...height and all.
Hell, even last year, when I was studying for my finals..for my LAST YEAR in university..coming from the last OACs (meaning: I was 22 going on 23),
I was mistaken as a highschool student by a multiple of highschool teachers and highschool students.
They forced me into their group that was touring my campus and the only way I could get out of their grasps
was to argue and show 2 pieces of my ID that proved that I was a student of the university and my age.


In addition to the claimed physical evidence of how the Chinese gymnasts are underaged,
there are the claims of their multiple birth dates that are published on news sources and websites.
Cuz clearly, news sources and websites are reliable........
.......................
..............
.......
...
sarcasm? of course.
As a person who has competed in a few sports that do publish one's profiles online and on paper..
and a person who has been interviewed and been profiled by a multiple of news sources..
I am a multiple of ages, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and names(?!)
I must admit that these sources are not prone to being reliable sources for information.

But this is simply from my personal experience.
And it definitely does not mean that I believe that the Chinese gymnasts are not underage..
but while reading the articles and "evidence" of said issue,
alarm bells were just ringing in my head.

Either way, I'm sure there are some valid reasons,
especially since China did kick America and those other countries' arses in gymnastics..
but i'm not too sure I would really want to prove that they are underage..
to think my arse got kicked by young'uns
and sure, they'd be more flexible...
but they definitely would not be mentally mature enough to handle the pressure an Olympian must be in;
and the training that any athlete must go through.
Yet again, there are pros and cons for a young vs. mature athlete.
And I think in the end, it gives a mature, experience-filled athlete a tad more weight than an immature young athlete.

But yet again, we may never know the truth due to our skepticism towards the legitimacy of the inner workings of China

*awkward*

the hoj while wrapping me in saran wrap (for health reasons):
"you know..i can see how people can sexualize saran wrap"

me: "...........let's just hurry this up here....."




I apologize for the delayed update.
It has been busy over here with vacation and so forth.
I went to Nagoya, Japan..and it was...okay.
If anyone wants to go to Japan, I believe Osaka and/or Tokyo would be the place to be if you're on a budget.
Also, those places gives you more options to see a bunch of things within a time limit..
because public transportation is damn expensive.
And well..Japan's pretty expensive (but of course it's magnified even more if you come straight from Korea).
After, I went to Jeju Island, S.Korea.
It was okay as well. The main stuff were at Jeju-si,
while i was at the other end of the island, Segwipo.
So if anyone's going to Jeju, Jeju-si will be the place to go and stay.
Pay the extra money to stay at Jeju-si, cuz in the end, it'll save you money on travelling around the island.
In addition, Lauren and I were recommended to an awesome Indian restaurant.
When we got there, it was really busy, so we sat at the bar.
The girl beside us was eating and we inquired about the food.
We found out she's a regular customer and she recommended us the butter masala.
So we ordered that.
When we finally got our table and ate our delicious food,
I saw the girl stand up and I waved and thanked her for the excellent recommendation.
She replied by recommending us the milk tea...and dyamn
she was right again!
The milk tea was excellent, with a hint of ginger, cinnamon and another.

We also stumbled onto this awesome place where we got to dye clothes with ripe persimmons.
We got lost while trying to go there so we called her up.
She graciously picked us up from an intersection.
Her English was amazing and we found out that she used to live in New York.
She studied and graduated from Parsons Design School (the place where they film Project Runway!)
it was really cool.
She gave us a discount because we travelled so far to get to her place.
Her place was a school that was converted into a house and workplace for her designs and factory for making her persimmon dyed products.
She also taught us how to make an old school asian button out of simply tying knots on a string.
It took me alotta tries, but I eventually got it...while...surprise, surprise, Lauren, the art major, got it on her first try.
When we were about the leave, she inquired where we were going and we said that we were planning to go into Jeju-si to find some paper making place.
She had no idea where that was but said that she would soon be making errands into the city and that she'd drop us off.
She was so concerned about us that she drove us to the main tourist information place and asked for us information as to where we wanted to go.
She eventually left us once we found our destination and ride.
We also promised we'd visit her once she visits Seoul for one of her numerous exhibitions.
Man..I love it when I stumble onto great people while i'm just aimlessly going about.

My next trip shall be Jakarta, Malaysia...oooo...
although, I am slightly getting tired of asian countries, but maybe it's because I've been travelling to many places that are about the same as Seoul Korea.
So Malaysia will probably be a change of pace.

As for my present life,
When i returned to work, Shella and Double D surprised me by getting me a b-day present.
Shella got me some cool gift certificates for movie theatres and restaurants...
while double D got me an Olympics keychain of one of my favourite characters from her China trip.
I was so happy! and double D also treated me to a hot date at an indian restaurant on a Sunday.
She's so sweet :) I'm so glad she's here.
I also received numerous b-day cards and letters from friends in Canada and from other countries.
That was a great day.

As for this past weekend, I finally got what i've wanted for a long time this past saturday.
L went along with me just to make sure i'd be okay. It took about 3 hours to complete the 1st half of the session.
Melissa B dropped by and was entertained by me during the most of the session.
It was really nice of her to stick around and to visit.
She's a really cool gal. I'm very glad i met her.
But this friday, everything shall be finished.
I can't believe i did it and i have no regrets.
It's turned out better than i've expected it.
I'm pretty aware that it will make things a little harder on me and that i'll probably be judged straight off due to the explicitness of what i've done but "meh" it's not like it's something I haven't had to face before...sadly.

uhh...as for anything else, i...don't...know....
besides being a lazy arse on posting....
uhh...hoj is leaving soon.
she'll be leaving at the end of the month.
I'm going to be so sad.... :(
but i can understand why she's leaving soon.

If my readers feel any better...i talk less to my family than i post here.
Yeah, i'm a bad person, I know.
I can't help it.
I have a tendency to drift,
but the people who know me know that i'll always come back after i get everything out of my system.

Alright, I will attempt to write a better post next time.
and within a reasonable time.

bon soir