Wildflower

Was walking back from the market today with Arman, taking in the pleasure of the rain and I spotted one of my favourite flowers by the side of these steps.



I don't know its name exactly but its the one you find growing wild at pavements everywhere. Nas and I used to pick them on our way to school during our TPJC days. We'd grab a bunch while attempting a mad dash from the bus stop to get there in time and escape the sharp eyes of either Mrs. Chao or Mr. Reynolds. We'd carry them around throughout the day till they wilted.

It's just the simple splendour of them. Small, prettily sweet.



And I made Arman model it for me hee hee.



It was a beautiful day.

MNIKSS Part 2

EPISODE 2 - SHALL WE DATE?

Cable Car Conversation

SS: I want to get married.

JH: Why?

SS: You really have to ask me that?

JH: Sure. Do I know you well? How else am I supposed to know why you want to get married?

SS: You’re riding a boat across the Pacific. It’s scary crossing it alone. And it’s much faster when two people row the boat.

Sam-Soon Getting Drunk

JH: Say it. So tell me about your dream guy. I’ll find someone for you.

SS: What? My dream guy? You think you can fool me again? But if you’re that curious, I can tell you. My dream guy…well…he should have a stable job and be able to bring me his pay-check every month.

JH: That’s too broad. Be a bit more specific.

SS: Ummm…a good kisser.

JH: You are an old seductive fox. What else?

SS: Smart aleck…stop laughing. And… a guy I can proudly introduce to my mother and sister as my boyfriend; someone that will proudly introduce me to his friends and parents as his girlfriend. That doesn’t sound that difficult. If it’s like this, I’ll be satisfied.

JH: It’s very easy.

SS: You are just a child. Do you know how difficult that is? That’s really, really, really difficult. Do you know why? Well because he never did, he never revealed my existence and never showed me to anyone.

JH: It’s easier to cheat on you that way.

EPISODE 3 - PLEASE TEACH ME HOW TO WRITE A LOVE CONTRACT

Sam-Soon (Monologue on bus)
You’re not mature. I never thought that all the promises he made to me would be empty lies. Would it be easier for me now if he hadn’t made so many promises? Even though I know how baseless his talk is, I hate myself for still wanting to believe his words. I hate myself for still wavering at his meaningless glances and gestures; for dwelling upon it like this. It seems that when you lose love, you lose all confidence in yourself.

Sam-Soon telling Na-sajang how much she 'loves' Jin-Hun
There’s a female novelist, she writes all throughout the night and puts her writing on her husband’s desk at the break of dawn. When her husband wakes up, he reads it before leaving for work. In short, he’s the first person to read her work every morning. I want Jin-Hun to be the first person to taste my cake. I want to bake the most delicious cake in the world and I want Jin-Hun to be the first person to taste it. That’s how much I love him.

Jin-Hun telling his mother why he 'likes' Sam-Soon
She’s much better than all the other women you introduced me to. She invests in her dreams with the money she earns. She’s not like the brainless girls who buy designer clothes with their daddies’ credit cards. And she knows where she stands. She knows exactly what she has to do and what she will do in the future. She has sound ideals and values and is very smart.

EPISODE 4 - OVER THE RAINBOW

100th Day declaration to Sam-soon
In this wide and big space, on a star called earth, you and I met. It has been a hundred days since you came to me. Thank you for coming to save me.

Jin-Hun on his girlfriend
She’s not pretty. To be frank she’s really not that pretty. She’s just decent looking. She’s 30 and a bit chubby. But being chubby isn’t that bad. There’s a soft feeling like marshmellow when you hug her. She’s the third daughter of a rice cake baker. Her father passed away and her mother makes small loans in the market. She has a professional job and she wants to get married soon. And she is quick at noticing things and knows her place well. I really like that about her. Here she comes. Let me introduce my girlfriend. This is Kim Sam-Soon. She is going to become one of our country’s greatest patissier.

Conversation in the train
JH: What kind of man is Min Hyun-Woo?

SS: Why are you asking?

JH: If things don’t go well with Chae-Ree, she’ll start getting on my case again.

SS: So Hyun-Woo should be a good guy for your benefit? I don’t know.

JH: You don’t know? You dated him for 3 years.

SS: Were you sure you knew your girlfriend? Why? Did I violate the fourth clause again? People see things the way they want to. They interpret things the way they want to. That’s why we can never really know the kind of person they really are.

JH: The rosy picture seems to have lasted longer for you. It normally wears off after 2 years.

SS: It wears off?

Conversation at the platform
SS: So you are taking that bastard’s side?

JH: I don’t understand you more than I understand him.

SS: Me? Why?

JH: You experienced for yourself how funny and light love is and still, you easily fool yourself into believing that love exists and you depend on it.

SS: Who is taking what easily? I have never taken love easily. When I start, I contemplate when it should start and when it ends, I do the same. I’m serious whenever I start love and it’s the same for me when it ends too. Whether my body overflows with hormones or whether they dry up, I’m always honest with my feelings and sincere with the other person. I’m sincere.

Sam-Soon (Monologue)
The body asked the heart one day, “The doctor makes me better when I’m not feeling well but who treats you when you’re ill?” And so the heart answered, “I have to heal by myself. Is it because of that when someone is hurt, they have their own special way of healing it? People drink, sing, get angry, cry, talk to friends, going on trips with friends, run marathons or the worst way, just ignoring it.” My way of making myself feel better is to bake cookies and cakes at the break of dawn like right now. When my father suddenly passed away, when my passionate love died out, when I was insulted I come to the kitchen and baked a cake and I was healed by the smell of the baking cake. There can’t be a sweeter way of making your self feel better than this.

My Name is Kim Sam Soon (Ne Irum-meun Kim Sam Soon)

Summary From Wikipedia
The story revolves around a 30 year old girl called Kim Sam Soon, single and overweight, who is the third daughter of a rice mill owner. She doesn't have a college degree although she is a patissier with a Le Cordon Bleu certification. Her main passion and skills are in baking, as she does not have much of a social life, dreams of changing her name (Sam Soon is considered a very old-fashioned and embarrassing name) and owning a shop of her own.

After her breakup with her boyfriend, she managed to land herself in a big French restaurant working as a patiesseur for a rude and angsty 27-year-old man called Hyun Jin Hun. Both were in bad terms ever since they set eyes on each other. But one day, Sam Soon finds herself in need of 50 million won to pay for her house. She agrees to be Jin Hun's girlfriend for that amount. During their pretend dating they slowly become more affectionate with each other.

When things seem to go accordingly, Jin Hun's ex-girlfriend, Yoo Hee-Jin, enters the scene and life for Sam Soon starts getting much worse. Jin Hun then realizes that he is happier with Sam Soon and can't stop thinking about her. He confesses his love to her after she tells him that she hates people who don't confess their feelings towards the person they like.

Hee Jin asks Jin Hun to accompany her on her return to the United States. Sam Soon allows him to go but he does not return within the promised duration. He soon arrives, and they find out that he has been sending postcards to the wrong address. Sam Soon and Jin Hun attempt to get pregnant, in order to make Jin Heon's mother to allow their marriage. The plan fails, but they remain together even though unsure of what lies in the future for their relationship.

My Thoughts
I've raved about this drama in a previous entry so all I'll say is I LOVE THIS DRAMA TO BITS. I've taken down quite a lot of things and will put them up over these next few days. I liked the 'realism' in the story and the script-writing is very smart and poignant. This drama also uses songs (English & Korean) that fit every scene where they are played. Again smart drama-making to me.

EPISODE 1 - LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATE BONBONS

Sam-Soon (Monologue in toilet cubicle)
There was once a time when I felt that the world revolved around me. I felt like I was walking on air and my stomach would always be filled with butterflies, my heart always pounding. I liked that feeling. It was euphoria for me; to be able to love. It was as if our love filled up to the skies. One man gave me such happiness and then took it away. I’m not crying because I lost him. It’s because of love; the thing that once was burning is now lost and gone. It’s because I can no longer feel love. I’m crying because I lost faith in love. I’m crying because I have come to realise that perhaps love doesn’t have much meaning at all.

Jin-Hun’s Advice
If a man comes with another woman on a day like this then the game is over. Next time don’t confront him and ask for an explanation. Just give him a good kick in the shins and end it. There’re plenty of men out in the world and they’re all pretty much the same. Of course, the same goes for women as well.

Sam-Soon
There are three things in the world that speak a universal language.
Music, art and food.


Sam-Soon at the Pastry Testing
A box of chocolates carries a person’s life. Have you seen the movie “Forest Gump? In the movie, Forest’s mum liked to say ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ Things change according to the choices that you make. Things change a lot.

Were the choices you made good up to now?

No. Some were nice but some were not. But there’s nothing I can do about that. The box is mine and I have to eat all the chocolates in it. The only difference is how and when I will get to eat each one. But I think I have changed over time. I used to try anything before but now I hesitate before choosing a chocolate but I’m quite picky now. Now I know that some have bitter rum inside. If I have a wish; that would be that I’ve already eaten all the bitter rum chocolates during the past 30 years and that there aren’t any left.

Love Letter

Summary From Wikipedia
As a young orphan, Lee Woo-jin/Andrea received horrible treatment while growing up under his aunt. When his uncle comes back from Italy, his uncle a priest decides to raise him. Eun-ha another orphan is brought to the cathedral as well. Although initially antagonistic to Woo-Jin, the 2 becomes inseparable friends. At the end of high school, Eun-ha is about to confess her feelings for Andrea however Andrea tells her of his dreams to become a priest.

Andrea and Eun-ha leave the cathedral to attend college. Andrea meets Jung Woo-Jin and the two become close friends. Jung Woo Jin falls in love with Eun-ha but she rebuffs his attentions. The love triangles causes hurt and pain for all 3 friends. It is brought to a climax where Andrea writes Eun-ha a love letter but Jung Woo-Jin destroys the love letter without Eun-Ha reading it.

Andrea returns from the seminary but has not taken his final vows of priesthood. Eun-ha develops a heart condition and before the final operation makes Andrea promise to fulfil his dreams to become a priest. After the operation Eun-ha slips into a coma. Jung Woo-Jin is finally able to escape the love triangle and Andrea takes his vow to become a priest. Eun-ha awakens from the coma and Andrea agrees to take care of her.

My Thoughts
I saw this drama a couple of years back and I was drawn to it because of the theme and the lead actors: Cho Hyun Jae (Andrea) & Soo Ae (Eun-Ha) Hyun Jae was new then and I found his clean good looks very appealing. I loved Soo Ae's sultry voice and her crying scenes were believable and heart-wrenching. I was confused about the ending though. I took it to mean that their love was to remain pure and platonic but it was kind of unrealistic to me or maybe I'm just jaded.

This quote below is from a scene where Eun-Ha already reconciled herself to the idea that Andrea was going to study to be a priest. He was hanging laundry at the roof-top of the house they rented out near the university. She said this with tears falling down her cheeks.

Promise me that you'll stay by my side even when you've become a priest. I want you to hear all my confessions. I want you to absolve all my sins. I want you to pray for me every time.

And if I do get married in the future, I want you to conduct the ceremony. I want my child to be baptised by you. If one day I should die, when I die, I want you to conduct the funeral.

I want you to hold my hand always. Always stay by my side. Promise me. Promise me that you'll always have a place in your heart for me.

Never, ever desert me.

Worthy Quotes and Conversations

Everyone knows I am a Korean Drama freak. Well my insanity or inanity if you'd rather call it that, is going to be upped a level. I've decided to put up what I call K-Drama-isms.

"ism - A suffix indicating an act, a process, the result of an act or a process, a state of being, a characteristic (as a theory, doctrine, idiom, etc.)"

Ok that's me trying to make them seem somewhat intellectual and hence credible. They're basically quotes and written down conversations from dramas that I deem worthy of note. They're the English subs of course. But I hope the meaning has not been lost in the translation. Not too much of ot anyway.

Don't know whether they bring any wisdom with them but I hope they will, in some small measure or at least touch your heart as they did mine. Kudos to the writers!!!

Right prepare for the on-slaught.

Jazzman

Went for the Harry Connick Jr concert last night at the Esplanade Theatre. I could only afford balcony seats so I could hardly see him. But it was a rich hour and a half for me. He paid tribute to New Orleans blues. I was so thankful that they were kind of standards that I knew.

But I love him best for his ballads. His interpretation of 'When I Fall in Love' was so emotive. I could feel it so. I teared. He finished with 'It Had To Be You' another favourite of mine.

Throughout, he was as always playful and entertaining when he spoke to the crowd. I pity or perhaps envy the guy in the white leather suit sitting in the front row. Harry actually went down to see him.

I've been a fan since my secondary school days. It's the smooth tone of his voice that draws me to him. Some people like to compare him to Buble but I would pick Harry if I had to make a choice.

I need me a piano playing jazzman. Ok I'd take a saxaphone playing one as well.

This vid is one of my all-time fave songs from him. It was for the soundtrack of 'One Fine Day', a remake of 'This Guy's In Love With You'. I never imagined it could sound so sexy. Well this IS Harry.

Piaget, Erikson & Vygotsky

No, they're not my ang moh boyfriends...sadly. They are long dead theorists on Child Development.

Renewed my ties with them yesterday in a ONE WHOLE DAY workshop. A whole Saturday spent revisiting theories I learnt in Psych 101 eons ago. (Brought back memories of NUS lecture halls) I can't complain since I requested for such workshops in my feedback last year.

I was able to follow the session I guess. It was an information overload. Loads of reading and articles were given. Tough week ahead ploughing through them.

Funny how theories go. I don't think I should look at each theory in isolation. The conclusion I came to was that in looking at child development theories and how I would apply them in my working with the kids this year and in my planning, I would look at the salient features of each and apply them accordingly.

The constructivist theory that children learn from a hands-on, active and self-seeking approach where teachers are facilitators as well as Vygotsky's idea of teachers as encouragers, where we help scaffold their learning experiences.

Does that make sense?