The Multi-tasking Bug-Eyed Intern and Crappy Blogger

Photo taken from my Instagram

I'm a word smith and a digital marketing intern who recently got addicted to caffeine.

Okay put the daily mug of coffee aside - actually I do have a more specific job and its amazingly rewarding
(if you ignore the failing eyesight part) but because of company ethics - and I REALLY love my company, I'm not going to disseminate anything into the digital fortress - not if I can help it :)

This is the THIRD week of my internship and I can't say I'm not doing what I love everyday - indeed, I just keep writing, keep thinking, keep creating and researching until I'm indefinitely saturated with fashion, style and beauty terms. It's a monstrous galore and I still find myself lacking. BUT the feeling of seeing my works getting publish is awe-so-fantabulous.

I have a pretty different persona when I write for editorials - the witty bit comes out much naturally than I originally expected of myself - but still, if you have 10 deadlines to meet every single working day,  it's not a surprise that one would soon turn into a bug-eyed digital geek from staring at blogs, boutiques, documents and more documents for hours straight.

For real, I'm not going to brag too much about my work because it would sound pointlessly narcissistic - let's just settle with the notion that I'm a crappy blogger who blogs at unearthly hours (like now, it's 1:30 a.m. Singapore time) because she only has less than 5 waking hours awake at home before the working cycle repeats.

Check this out, listen to the lyrics and hear the tragic cries of young undergraduates who refuse to be fettered by cubicles and shoe-box offices. Not quite close, but it's almost the #storyofmylife when I'm itching to go for a run or just chill at home.

When I graduate, I'll probably be returning to this wonderful, youthful and dynamic company for a career - or end up being a photojournalist or magazine writer instead (I'm still not going to give up on my novel). Because writing is thinking and I can't live without pushing my brains forward a little, every single day.

OH, did I mention multi-task? I have a piece of theory from the foggy scenes of a CNM lecture a long time ago - there is not much correlation between age per say and the ability to multitask. The trick is believing you're able to juggle all the digital gizmos and still be able to eat-sleep-run-walk-mug and do all sorts of stunts - and that includes filling your schedule up to the BRIM and still have the guts to squeeze in a thing or two at the very last minute.

Indeed, I'm a polychronic person who's a fool when it comes to multi-tasking - just look at the amount of things I actually imagine I can hold in both hands:

1. Internship: Mon-Fri, 9Hrs 
2. Short Film Production: Sat, half-a-day
3. This crazy notion design a clothing collection for my Faculty RAG.
4. SEP admin-work, loads of shit that should be fun, but because of arduously SLOW communication process, it's not fun anymore. People can't be so unhelpful - maybe because the staff ain't getting any rest when the students are supposedly "slacking".
5. Exchange Scholarship/Bursary.

These are the official stuff - but I have in mind a whole lot of other things to do:

1. Daily work out - POP pilates or Victoria's Secret ab workouts - whatever, I'll give a resounding NO to muffins.
2. Daily read on the painfully slow transport home (you'll totally get it if you're a Singaporean). Vogue Paris, Vanity Fair, London Fashion, National Geo and News - I'll speed read through the Flipboard yummies and drink them all in. Latent memory should be of use at some point of time in the future.
3. Guitar/Keyboard/Ukelele - Music IS life.
4. Blog, Tumblr
5. Needle Felt crafts
6. Watch: Running Man, Barefoot Friends, WGM, Once Upon a Time, Game of Thrones. 
7. Write my novel. 

Sighs, ain't nobody got time for that. 

Last Minute Compilation of Research

I would've gone insane if not for my dear Mom, she did SO MUCH FOR ME.

*slap-myself-in-the-face* I can't believe any of these are real, I'm really going to KOREA!!! HAHA, just today, I received an email from AirChina saying there are changes to my flight and I swear, I thought some disaster was boiling in the cauldron! Fortunately, there's only a push-forward of flight by like- 10mins? Phew, chill.

I'm seriously overwhelmed by all the stuff that's happening - whatsapp, twitter, skype, FB, Line and now Kakao talk??? HAHA, I LOVE MY FRIENDS but technology can really suck you dry of Time if you are not careful. Sometimes, I prefer to live life the old-school way, like making my own travel journal <3

Yes, I shall post it here once it's done! Gosh, I realise I have to bring Mackie to Seoul, cos GAPs and module-stuff will be on going while we're in Korea? I'm chucking away all my dreams for psych now, and looking forward to majoring in CNM with a few other friends :) Next semester will be another to remember - how I wish I can be a uni student forever ~ 

Anyway, it's time to print some discount COUPONS from VisitKorea, I'm gonna keep a separate envelope for all the coupons + receipts + tickets <3

Lastly, I need more MONEHHHHH, I'll bleed dry from shopping in Korea, seriously :P

My novel is on hiatus again, but I'm sure I'll return a better author before commencing my other round of revision! 

P.S: I FINALLY GOT AN EVENSTAR (plus the Heart of the Ocean) !!! <33333 I'm going to wear the Evenstar to Korea, to remind myself of a brand new future :)

Soul Searching before Seoul Searching

I'm here to do a little soul searching, you might not know me, but who cares? I have thoughts and I'll just write it here and then.

I'm sitting before my little com (Mackie) right on the favourite spot of my little home (my writing desk) before a wall-ful of pictures. Pictures of quotes, pictures of words, pictures of people I know and pictures taken by people I wish I could know. This wall may be filled with a messy collage of movie tickets, still life and landscapes but at least it is messed up with things I love. And sometimes I wish time could just stop, like the Narnia clock right before me, stuck at 8.40pm when it's already 12:09AM.

Five intense days came and went and I would often ask myself could I have done more? This five days gave me so many first-s that it seems almost ridiculous to count them.

For the umpteenth time I felt a surge of adrenaline telling me there's not enough time in Life, especially when you are spending it with people you love and people who love you in return.

Life is FRIGGIN short, and I swear I will not regret what I say so make the best out of it, make the most of it, make things happen, see your life unfold by doing the things you love.

Life only happens when you do those things. Things that make your eyes crinkle with smile, things that make the corners of your lips turn up.
Life only happens once, and make it a point to see it at least once a day or maybe once a week or even once a month.

Because Life only happens when you're not measuring it by the number of things you get but when you suddenly realise you have so many things that even a life-time of currency can't exchange for.

Updates, Jostling June

Hi everyone (well, no one's reading this anyway, more like - hi Li'az!) I'm currently on a hiatus for my Seoul research (the travel date is coming real soon and I'm short on info!), but there are updates every now and then:

Because I'm such a lazy blogger, I shall jot things down in point form:
1. On Seoul:
I forgot to post, but I did manage to book a hostel for my trip! Check it out (Hongdae JK House) on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HongdaeJKHouse, it's really marvelous + it is new and probably sparkling clean. The owner seems pretty friendly as well, no advance payment, just a word of promise and I nailed the deal :)

Hongdae JK House is pretty near Hong Dae's 3D art house too Trickeye Museum (Seogyo Plaza B2, 357-1, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-838, South Korea) - that means I don't have to fly all the way to Jeju island for its 3D Art Museum!

These are some reviews of Trickeye:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g294197-d2203080-Reviews-Trickeye_Museum-Seoul.html

2. On college and work: 
Well, this is supposedly my 3-month holiday but I'm splurging all the time on mugging for my placement test (a pain in the ass, really). I received last semesters' results today via sms- and my CAP sort of improved by a few decimal points. As for my Korean grade, it was a little disappointing but I'm glad it wasn't a C. Enough of school, let's talk about work! I'm grabbing all the opportunities for exotic jobs and I'm currently holding two :) The first is a part time at Intercruises for the Royal Carribean and coming up this Thursday I have a job at Sarang, the Korean restaurant at Orchard Central. Hope all would be well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


3. On BOOKS and WRITING!: 
I've been reading A Song of Ice and Fire in my free time (on the bus and train while hopping from place to place, Singapore is really overcrowded.) and while listening to awesome soundtracks, I write when I should be sleeping. I'm still trying to revise a few tricky chapters! Words are flying everywhere.

Advice for myself: clear that block like a plumber and let the words flow. 

The annual book fair at Suntec City Convention Hall just gets smaller and smaller every year. I'm utterly disappointed by the amount of books they have (an the number of major book stores collapsing)! Back in the good old days the place would be a paradise filled with screaming kids hugging books (not assessment books). And now, the place just gives you goosebumps because there just isn't enough human to warm the place up. Geez. The booth for Times was like a lighthouse. I managed to buy a good book and thanks to my lovely cousin, I ordered even more books online (free shipping) from NOQ store.

I'll be getting my hands on Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle and Alexander Lloyd's Chronicles of Prydain soon, finally! Eeeeek!!! *dancing around the house* Gosh, I've been looking all over Singapore for Howl's Moving Castle, and they only appear in libraries.

4. On movies: 
Dark Shadows was very-Tim-Burton-ish and of course, I watched it because it's a Johnny Depp + Tim Burton film.

Nothing beats Hunger Games though, haha (unless you are watching Hunger Games for the second time or third time.)(You'll most likely watch it objectively until the muttations part).

Snow White and the Huntsman's coming out on May 31st! I've been waiting so long for it - I mean, I can't wait to watch the Queen, just look at the mirror and the milk bath...I'm not a Stewart fan, I shall not comment, but I do love the suit and amour (and probably the plaits).

And the best is saved for the last, I've been waiting for years for The Hobbit! ( I re-watch LOTR every year and yes, I tear every time.) Peter Jackson is back again! :D *fireworks* (I saw Peter Jackson's production video a year ago) I was hoping Orlando and Elijah Wood's coming back but I'm not sure---are they? But from the trailer, Ian Mckellen, Cate Blanchett and Andy Serkis' definitely back on set, cheers for the crew! I was that into LOTR  - even my mom know's what "my precious" mean. She didn't watch a single movie haha.

Anyway, the ranting's over! Have a lovely day ahead dear readers. (If you happen to stumble over my blog, that is.)

Quote of the day: "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." - Thomas Alva Edison

I guess this applies to writing as well.

Minds are Like Parachutes

Anonymous:  ''Minds are like parachutes, they only function when they are open.'' 

The Wandering Quill *scratches the paper*: "Minds are like wings too, we only Fly when they soar."

-oO0Oo-

Li'az peered over the edge of her balloon, a surge of vertigo welling up in her...

And then she fell. Free falling, her center of gravity rolling all over her insides as she tumbled through the clouds...The wind was a beast, it was roaring into her ears, so loud ...

It has been a while since I wrote, I'm three quarters done with Book I and half-way through it's revision. Well, it's in need of a huge revision because I've been experiencing  a switch of world view ever since I entered college. Perhaps this is the ultimate price I have to pay for Knowledge - because the world I've created is more than half as complicated as this one, yet this world I'm living in is less than half as action packed and magickal as the one I'm creating. 

The Price of Knowledge - as I often call - means my world, including the worlds I've created will no longer be the same again.  

For as a writer, I don't think I'll ever be the same again. It's not a sad thing, really, because I've finally found something that I believed I didn't have so many years ago when I started thinking about writing- a perspective on the workings of a real world, a world with people who don't just sit on rainbows and chew on cotton candies. 

How in the world did George Orwell imagined Animal Farm? What about the discrimination the Muggles and Muggle-born folks faced in the world of J.K. Rowling? Why about the history of Hunger Games? 

It's not hard to imagine why, because this is how our world works too - but it doesn't mean it's not wrong. Are there instances when you are not happy? If you are not happy, does that mean something is wrong? 

If I keep searching for happiness, does that mean I'm individualistic and self-absorbed? But what if Individualism is a term painted by the Reductionists - by condemning individuals for all the sins in the world,  "It is the individuals that are greedy, it is the individuals who lack self-control, it is the individuals who are lazy - that is why they have no right to protest about their state of poverty.", by blaming individuals, and self-absorbing the blame - are we ignoring the wrong things that lie in the workings of our world?

Well, this is nothing against anyone. I'm just trying to say if you are looking for something that you can't find in yourself, while trying to work on a novel, look around you for inspirations.

Writers do not add in these imperfections for fun - yes, these imperfections serve as fuel for plots to run smoothly with twists, but writers certainly do not write to drag their readers in and leave them stranded in the cruel twists. Writers write best when they incorporate their lives in what they write, and certainly they (some or most?) hope that despite all the cruel twists, there's still a hope for readers to invest in. 

You can imagine a world full of rainbows and cotton candies.

But these are boring (depends on your audience :)

The Owl and Her Quill

I just can't sleep! It's 2.45am and I'm awake with Mackie on my lap - it's my laptop, in case you are wondering what-the-hell Mackie is. Typing in the dark with only 2 mini lamps I stuck above my bed (with blue tac) is a serious and tricky business.

Anyway, I think I'm the worst blogger ever but it's okay, I'm still writing and I'll keep writing, because one day, I'll get my book published - and when I mean publish, I mean PUBLISHED! If you are from my country (or any other part of the world when people just smile at you when you tell them your dream), and you have a dream like me - the odds are you'll be writing out of place.

But that doesn't mean you can't write.
That does not mean you can't dream a dream that is out of place in a capitalist, paper chasing society.
You will write, despite  all odds.
You will write, because - sometimes there are things you just have to do. Sometimes, there are things that no one except yourself can take away from you.

Why am I saying this? Because now, on this night that I just can't sleep, I'm doing what I always felt comfortable doing - thinking. again and again about life. I mean, while I don't have a religion (don't be surprised), I do believe there is meaning in life.

And words make my life meaningful.
Stories make it beautiful.

I have maps of places in my stories pasted all over my wall, I have characters that make me cry when I write  about them, I have created languages, people, empires, creatures, new technology with just words -  and I realised I want to be published not because I want to get published -  I enjoy writing so much that I don't mind going through all the pain/pleasure just to get a hold on the book(s) that I wanted so badly to read but no one wrote. I want to let all those dreamers out there know "It's possible, despite all odds."

If you ever met people who dismissed your dream like it's a crossed eyed fly,
Let them laugh.
Because that's probably what they are good at and what they always do.
But when you have a dream, you do more than just that.
When you have a dream, you understand why it can't hurt to dream BIGGER.
When you have a dream, you live, you love, you laugh. (Of course there is more than the 3 Ls)
When you have a dream, no one can put you down, because deep down inside there is a voice fighting to be heard, and I swear as long as you never stop trying, it will never become hoarse- all the time the voice is inside you practicing, it will only come out stronger by the time you let it flow.

The biggest myth in our society is probably one about equality.
Well, the truth is this society is not equal.
But to me, the biggest mistake one can make is not to give it a try despite life's imperfections.

Post Hunger Games

I've been so absorbed in the Hunger Games trilogy these few days that I literally can't really go through the motion of my mundane chores (study, rest, eat, shower, sleep) without thinking about it. It's really the-story-I -need-now given the current sociological perspective I have (sociologists will know what I'm trying to say - this society is artificial, loaded with social constructs that people created and happily forgotten.).

Adding on to that, there's the soundtrack to keep the feel of things going.

This may sound silly but if you'd read a really good book before, you'll roughly empathise with me, especially if you are a budding writer who tries to capture every little detail or emotion in words that can't seem to materialise.

Not just that - you'll only understand what I'm going through if you are a liberal arts student (ex-pure science student who got a whole bunch of A's but decide for a change.) who finally see the society for what it really is, and what it is not. I doubt I can truly express my current agony/ relief /anxiety about the turn-out of my education.

In the past, I'll just nod and say "yeah we need to study and get good grades, find a good job, support my parents, viola." (hello, as if we are born to think that way - no, we are actually socialised to speak that way)(don't pity me, because I'm no longer that naive kid who goes around crying because of an arbitrary grade that reflects nothing about the person's talents or real ability) - but now, if you indeed do ask the same question again, I'll definitely explain my previous answer in a completely different (sociological) perspective (so if you happen to be in college, please do take a module on sociology for fun).

And adding on to that I'll say "Education is a luxury that not every student who's attempting to get themselves educated will understand."

Like Panem, our world is artificial (not in the sci-fi way)
Like Panem,

Knowledge is Power.

There is a reason why some people just hate people like Katniss - but if you do think like her, I salute you, because it's the rule breakers who are the heralders of change.
Disclaimer *just for laughs*: (Herald-er is not a legitimate word, but languages are alive because they change.)(Things that don't change are usually relics in museums.)(Sorry, got carried away with the linguistic stuff I read in school.)

I realised I'm suppose to write about my trip to Korea! But heck, anything goes on this blog (for) now because I have no updates except that THE SUBSIDIES WERE GRANTED!!! (hopefully they keep their words)(I have immense distrust when it comes to such things, because some people just don't understand why a tiny subsidy can mean a WORLD to people who are tight on budget)


Anyway, if you happen to have any comments, feelings or dis-feelings, do feel free to write them below, I'll be more than happy to read + reply them.
***I was tempted to write I'll-be-more-than-happy-to-entertain-you but on second thought, I don't really entertain people with my writing unless I'm writing a novel (which I shall one day publish)(hard to think of a pen name though - would anyone care to look at a novel authored by someone called LI'AZ TEIRA?)
**Anyway, Good Night and Good Luck

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favour

(sorry, can't resist saying it in Effie Trinket's voice.)

2.04am

Using your 3G phone in 한국!

Li'az was diligently shouldering over her avalanche of workload when she heard someone calling her name. Crawling out from underneath the mountain of books, she dragged herself into light and wondered out loud.

"Mom?"

.:o0O0o:.

Thanks to my lovely 어머니 who is more diligent than me when it comes to researching about such things, I got another piece of good news to share!

Not long ago, tourists can't really use their hand phones in Korea, they would either have to rent one at approximately $3/day; $1/min- or buy one like the locals. Even the locals themselves do not have a SIM like we do, and that's why you see them throwing the entire hand phone away when they decide to switch phones (because the no. is pre-installed into the phone itself)! (if the info. I get is reliable) 

But now, we can basically buy a prepaid SIM card at some local store and insert it into our 3G phone! Here's the link (sorry, it's entirely in Chinese and I've no idea how to get the info in English ><):

http://www.hostelseoulkorea.com/在韓國使用自己3g電話-買prepaid-simcard/

Oh here's an English link!:

http://www.hostelseoulkorea.com/travel-blog/

Quoting from the kind blogger who posted the original content for people to share:

***(Credit goes to the original author)

" I’m writing this to share with people who might have the same question as I did.
KT Olleh (or Korea Media rules) has changed since January 2011, you can read about it here.

Venue: KT Olleh Square at Gwang Hwa Mun (Gwang Hwa Mun Station, Line 5, Exit 2)
[Note: or any GLOBAL KT OLLEH outlets] But KT Olleh Square is recommended because they are like the main branch and they have English-speaking staff.

What do you need to bring:
1. Passport (Very Important) and yes, you can get it with just your passport. (Insist that you can, give the staff the webpage from their own website. Don’t let them push you to another outlet.)

2. Your phone (Make sure that the phone is already in use in Korea). Your phone must also not be LOCKED (i.e. You can remove your SIM card from your phone)

3. Make sure you have your IMEI and Serial number of your phone. (I know iPhone has it in the phone settings, so there’s easy. Other phones, please make sure you have these information handy.)

4. Cash (Foreign credit cards are not accepted.)

Cost: 5,500KRW for the SIM card.
Top-up starts from 2000KRW.

A top-up of 10,000KRW should last you for a week.Please go before 6pm, in fact go early. The processing takes some time BUT it shouldn’t take a day.
NOTE: The SIM card/number would only be valid for 3 months. If you are going to stay in Korea for more than 3 months, you would have to go to the shop to validate your visa so you can continue using the number beyond 3 months."

Adding on here's some more info from the first link:

• Incoming call: free 
• Outgoing call: W4.8/Second
• Short texts: W22 ; 
• Long texts: (>80 words): W33
• International call: 00727 + 852(country code, eg: HK) + TEL : W395/Minutes

" 如果你韓文不錯的話，去任何一個KT service centre都可以買得到
不然的話，個人強烈建議去以下這兩間，因為有職員會講中、英文
(1) 光化門 :Line 5 Exit2, 轉右就可以看到olleh square
(2) 弘大: line 2, Exit 9對面
準備事項:
1. 3G手機(2G不行)，不支援韓文字體的話，訊息會變成怪獸字~~
2. 電話的IMEI no
3. 護照
KT的”免費英語服務熱線” : 0161583
可以查詢simcard的餘額
如果只是send text msg的話，一個W33, W5000/W33 = 151個msg
哇！ TaebaK! "

I shall end it here, thanks to the kind bloggers who shared the info, I have lesser things to worry now! 안녕! :) - 12:01AM

The Little Globe Trotter Book: Preparing for The Journey Ahead

And then she picked up her Wandering Quill and laid it over the thick leather-bound diary, wondering if she should ink her thoughts upon the yellow pages that smelt of love and a very old library...

The day was young and clouds were waltzing across the vast azure. In the distant horizon a flock of birds were leaving the woods for another world beyond the village of Little Arlms. She thought she almost saw something like dragon among the empires of clouds, just a little above the Southern dust road.

Li'az leaned her brown head against the sturdy oak and sighed as a White Rabbit nudged at her ankle. 

"I wonder when it'll be my turn, lil' Miss Rabbit." Li'az tapped on its pink nose and set the little furry creature upon her lap. It started licking the edges of her old diary. "You like it? It's a travel book for a globe trotter. I plan to be one- and I guess I'm still planning."

-oO0Oo-

Alright, I admit this is way too cheesy for a university student but this is a start! I'm keeping the posts as simple as I can without boring people out of their wits. You see, I'm the little girl above, her pen name's Li'az. This is her little virtual Globe Trotter's Book (I'm narrating it) and here she is, scribbling furiously with a big, furry, Wandering Quill with an old Ink Pot pouting at her. 

The point here is, Li'az REALLY WANTS to get out of her little village of Little Arlms and she has NO idea what-the-hey is happening. The truth is she hadn't walked further than the sunflower field of her village. The scarecrow with a pumpkin head seems to tell her that the world beyond the dusty road is as empty as its head and as crocked as its pumpkin smile.

So one day she discovered an old book in her attic (knocking her head against the ceiling)(causing a family of spiders to perform an emergency evacuation as well.) And voila! That was her adventure book!

She decided to prepare herself for the journey ahead and in came an old Ink Pot thrusting out its glass belly. Then, she saw in the corner of the sun bathed room an ancient feather duster. 

"What a poor relic!" she exclaimed. To her amazement, it emitted a HUGE sneeze that was far from glamourous... (Ink Pot's ink almost curdled.) and when the dust finally settled, a smile tugged at Li'az's lips. 

The Wandering Quill.

And then their journey began.

-oO0Oo-

Okay I believe I'm happy with the introduction. This pretty sums up my adrenaline for writing out-of-the-world stuff when I'm blogging. (After all, that's what I usually do when I write a book) And this is my little Adventure Blog to prepare me for my journey ahead ---my FIRST ever educational exchange abroad! To Korea Yonsei University! 

Oh man, I guess I'm the relic here - yes it's my first time going on an exchange - this explains the serene little village and the sunflower field with an ignorant scarecrow yea? 

Boy, I'm excited but there's a high possibility that in my excitement I'll forget all about blogging. So keep the fingers crossed! 

-Lots of love, Li'az