Had a Happy Weekend?

Sadly for many, the weekend is gone at the blink of an eye. Hope you had a happy one. If you didn't, try these Seven Habits of Very Happy People and jumpstart your week ahead ; )

Habit #1: Start Smiling and you'll feel happy too
Habit #2: Count your blessings… on a rainy day, be happy that it is only a rain and not a hurricane… when work stress is too great, think of the millions without a job or money to feed themselves
Habit #3: Hang around happy people: joy is contagious and can spread like wild fire
Habit #4: Go for a jog or workout… it relieves stress and you’ll feel much better and… lighter too; )
Habit #5: Have a kit kat… yes, I’m a chocolate lover and it always helps
Habit #6: Shop till You Drop! Just be sure you don’t burn a big hole and end up in debts…
Habit #7: Watch All About Eve and dream of Jang Dong-gun… sorry, folks, I just have to slip this in since he’s my idol

Still unhappy? Click here to see happy creatures that God created: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sandyl808/album?.dir=/9072

The Sun Reigns

Seattle overlooking Mount Olympia, June 2005

Finally, the sun awakes
Grey blanket has given way
To a bright and sunny day

The sky’s a lovely blue
Happy smile on my face
Reflects the joy from my inner space

Sunglass on my face
Happy steps spring away
Can’t wait to start the new day.

Rain Rain Go Away

'Summer' in Los Angeles, Santa Monica Beach, June 2005

A grey sky
An endless rain
The rainbow skived
The journey to work is a pain.

Along the way
Across wet streets
Weary souls trudged away
Wet brollies sheltering their feet.

The sun withers
For three solid days
What a dreadful weather
I hope it’s not here to stay.

LIFE!

Life - a fine thread
A thin line to tread
It can bloom
And chase away the gloom
Or it can snap
And leave the world a gap

Give it your best shot
And life won’t be so short
Live it freely
And it’ll reward you sweetly
Treat it with respect
And it may just be perfect

Live life like there’s no tomorrow, my friend
So that there’ll never be any regrets.

Hua Hin Beach, Thailand 2005

PS: It's been a long time since I wrote a poem. Used to compose them for my loved one. But no longer...

Moody Saturday Night

Photo of San Francisco... not black and white shot, but another wintry moody day

Chanced upon this as I was organising my travel photos for a new travel blog. Isn’t it gloomy? Surprisingly, it seems to reflect my dark mood today.

Despite living by the principle that I must be happy everyday, today just didn’t feel right. Despite baking a lovely mud cheesecake and having two good hours of tennis, I’m still feeling the blues… The Shanghai Open on TV couldn't get my attention.. maybe it's the soulful korean song that I'm listening to at the same time that's affecting my mood.

Or maybe it’s because my birthday is coming soon. It makes me sad that time seems to fly past so quickly. Maybe I've been reflecting too much and too many sad memory has surfaced.

Why am I so melancholic today? Sigh...

Hope tomorrow will be a bright and cheery day…

Where art thou? Jang Dong-gun?

I waited with abated breath for the much talked about TIME magazine where Jang Dong-gun is supposed to appear on the cover. Alas, was I disappointed when I checked out the book stores last week and it was Steve Jobs’ photo on the front cover. Since then, I have searched a couple of major bookstores and still no sign of it.

A visit to TIME Asia’s website revealed three different covers for the same issue and the one in Singapore was Steve Jobs. There was supposed to be a photo in the article but not in the issue releases here.

Sigh… here I am hoping to get first hand news on what he said during the interview. And none of his fan sites have any updates. The only possible reason is the story has been canned. Since I once an editor of a magazine, I’m not surprised that stories can be pulled out at the last minute. But not when its an interview with my idol : ( The only consolation I have is posters of The Promise is out at the train stations.

Anyway, for fellow Jang Dong-gun fans, here are the links to the TIME cover and story:

http://www.time.com/time/asia/2005/korea/korea_graphic.html
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501051114-1126763-1,00.html

Getting High on FOOD ; )

Today is an extremely haPPy day for me : )

Simply ‘cos it revolved around food.

I woke up bright and early and baked a loaf of apricot nutty bread before 9am. Had a good tennis session, followed by a very good Korean lunch @ Ju Shin Jung, off Pasir Panjang. There was a very good-looking Korean manager there too : )

And then I made my own strawberry mango jam and gingerbread boys! As I took the 'boys' out from the oven, I was wondering if they would hop off the tray and run away, just like the fairy tales I grew up with. Anyway, both are new attempts in preparation of X'mas gifts for friends… pretty proud of myself, I must say.

I’m no food connoisseur but I do live to eat. Can’t imagine what will happen if I can’t get good food. I remembered how sad I was last year when there was a shortage of eggs (‘cos of bird flu) and I couldn’t find eggs to bake my cakes and cookies!

So I always count my blessings that I have three good meals every day and I’m able to bake and cook what I want. It's sad that there are many unfortunate people at different corners of the world who have to go hungry without food.

May God bless them.

Run, Gingerbread Boys, RUN!

Winter has FINALLY Ended...

At last, I've finished watching Winter Sonata or should I say, Winter Lullaby.

My conclusion? The producer has done an excellent job in selling Korea as a winter tour destination, despite the fact that Korea is known to have very harsh winters. I'm all for going there next winter maybe it's because there's no snow where I come from. And Nami Island, where filming took place, looks big but I heard it can be covered in 3 hours by foot.

But I give the producer thumbs DOWN for the script and plot. Gosh, it's like watching people go round in circles - first A is with B, then split up, went on with C and then history repeats itself. It is also sad that the TV drama portrayed Korean men to be weak -- first time I see men cry so much! No offence to other Korean men but blame it on the scriptwriter and producer.

Still, it's only a TV drama. Glad it's all over. Now I can start watching Icing --starring my idol - Jang Dong-gun.

Winter Sonata a.k.a Winter Lullaby

Yosemite Park, US, 2004

It’s another rainy Sunday morning. I’ve been trying to focus on Winter Sonata TV drama… and it’s really tough. Thank goodness this wasn’t the first Korean TV drama that I watched or it would have been the last and I’ll never have known Jang Dong-gun.

God, I’ve never watched such a draggy TV drama… no offence to Bae Yong-Jun fans but this is the slowest sitcom I’ve ever seen. And it’s amazing I haven’t given up. Guess I’m curious about the ending.

They should have named it Winter Lullaby : )

This TV drama reminded me of my visit to the Yosemite Park in US last year (photo above). It was a six-hour drive from San Francisco but it was worth it. It was also the first time I've seen or touched snow. How I miss the States...

A Salute to Jang Dong-gun

It’s only been two weeks since my first “encounter” with heartthrob Jang Dong-gun. And in that short period, I have watched another of his TV drama – Medical Brothers and two movies – Repecharge and 2009 Lost Memories.

I was quite sad that Medical Brothers had a bad ending where the character played by JDG died. It’s hard to believe but I cried and went to work the next day with swollen eyes (yeah, I can’t stand watching people cry, they cry, I cry).

If I were to sum up the two JDG dramas I’ve watched so far, All About Eve and Medical Brothers – I would give the former an A*. I enjoyed it very much and I may just watch it a third time. Besides the character played by JDG, I also love Chae Rim’s character – she’s always so cheery, exactly what a happy gal should be!

As for his movies, I prefer 2009 Lost Memories. This is the first Korean language movie I’ve watched as I couldn’t find one in Mandarin. But I’m glad I did – it’s nice to hear JDG speak instead of hearing someone else’s voice over. He's got a nice and sexy voice : ) And even though I didn't really fancy science fiction movies, I enjoyed the plot and story. His acting was also first-class. Guess JDG’s good looks and charm must have contributed to it! But of course...

I’m now hunting high and low for his TV drama and movies. So far, I’ve combed more than 15 shops in Singapore selling CDs, VCDs & DVDs. But I’ve only managed to find Myth of a Hero and Icing, in addition to the other two movies. Friends I checked with laughed at me and said Jang Dong-gun’s passé! Especially since the rage now in Singapore is Rain and Bae Yong-Joon.

I was quite offended by such remarks cos even though he doesn’t do any TV dramas now doesn’t make him passé… can’t believe how anyone can ever say that such a gorgeous and mesmerizing actor can be passé! Personally, I admire his courage in moving away from TV dramas to go into the movie industry. Indeed, recent accolades and his recent awards have proven he is on the right track.

After reading the reviews of JDG’s past movies, I am quite impressed by the different roles that he has taken on. And it’s great knowing that this great actor is going to appear on the cover of TIME magazine – a first for the Korean film industry. Will certainly check out the book stores next week. To all the fans out there, remember to check this out!

Here are my favourite JDG websites:

1. Just Jang Dong-gun
2. Official English website

Once again, many thanks to Just Jang Dong-gun website for the use of his photo.

A Crush on Jang Dong-gun

I consider myself a modern woman, a professional who is always up to date with technology and fashion. But when it comes to entertainment, I’ve always been a laggard. So, it was not surprising that I have never watched any Korean TV dramas or movies. In fact, I used to wonder why women go goo-goo, ga-ga over Korean actors. I could never understand why people were crazy over Bae Yong-Joon whom in my opinion, looks pale and weak.

I held these views until I watched “All About Eve”. And this changed my life. It's amazing considering the fact that I didn't know even know the name of the lead actor until I searched for info on All About Eve on the Net. Of course I had never heard of Jang Dong-gun before. He was just another actor – no doubt handsome with his dovey and lovely eyes. Even my mom commented he was very “lang zai” (meaning good-looking in Cantonese). But as the character played by Jang Dong-gun developed, I was slowly getting hooked. Yep, I was getting hooked by this Mr Nice CEO, who is quiet, yet reassuring, powerful yet humble and best of all, sacrificial in his wait for his love to say ‘yes’.

I was so touched not just by his character on screen but what I read about him in real life. In fact, I must thank him making my heart live again. Having been divorced for a couple of years, I was happy and contented being single. In fact, I was resigned to the fact that I’ll probably never get married again. Guess I enjoy the many other 'loves' in my life too much and saw no need to have a long time companion.

Neither did I have the desire to look for another man. The reason is simple. I’ve been there and done that. And my heart was kindof half dead. All thanks to Jang Dong-gun for awakening the flutter in my heart again. Now, there seems to be hope that there may be a Mr Nice out there waiting for me.

But I'm not gonna bank my life on it nor pine for someone. Since I'm a strong believer of fate, I'll just leave it to fate. In the meanwhile, I'll continue to enjoy life and be happy : )

Here are three things I plan to do to make me happy:
1. Watch All About Eve for a third time
2. Buy other Jang Dong-gun’s TV dramas, movies and albums, and swoon over this gorgeous man
3. Visit Korea and hope I meet Jang Dong-gun!

What a crush for an "over-aged, forever 18 gal"!

Note: Many thanks to Just Jang Dong-gun Website for allowing me to post this photo on my blog.

To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already threeparts dead. - Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. - David Viscott

Me, Moi and Myself

Who am I? Well, I’m a simple girl with many loves in my life : )

I count jogging, tennis, yoga, baking and photography as just a few of my loves. Watching Korean TV dramas has now become my new love. Life! There are so many things to do and so little time. What with holding a full time job that often requires overtime.

Sometimes, I wish I can just strike a big lottery and retire for good so that I can pursue all my interests. But life is life. And what’s important is to make do with what we have and be happy. I remember a wise man once told me, “Whether you are happy or not, you still have to go through the day. Therefore, you might as well live the day being a happy person.” Since then, I have always reminded myself of this saying whenever I’m down.



What’s more, I live by the principle that - Life is short. We must therefore live it to the fullest and treasure every moment. Maybe witnessing the passing on of colleagues and friends, some of whom were only in their twenties, have taught me this principle in life.

Sorry for sounding morbid… certainly not the character of a happy gal : )

Last words for today --
Don’t Worry, Be Happy : )