Final Countdown: 2 days.

Shiok, the feeling to know that today is gonna be my last day in Daejeon makes me extra boosted for my Movie and Society exam in the morning. Wah lau eh, the exam is like only 5 questions, each question 20 marks, but non-essay style; just pure definitions. Piang eh. I finished the exam early, then go for early lunch, then chiong back to Hwaam dormitory to pack up my stuffs and check out!! The feeling is so "SONG".

I came back and put my barang barang in Mr Jungil Lee's office, then went to my final Intro to Communication lecture where Miss Lee gave us back our scripts and our total final score was imprinted on the scripts. I got a whooping 97/100!! Thank God I did well. Miss Lee also treated us to Holly Cafe coffee since it will be our last meeting.

Time flies and we had to return for the farewell party for the exchange students (which is me!!). We meet up with the undergrads, as well as the grads and post-grads students and had a jolly good time eating and taking photos and chatting. I took quite a lot with everybody and suddenly, I don't feel like leaving @ all. I mean, friendship and bonds have been forged, no matter how sucky it is, they still remain a memory in me and I am gonna miss this bunch of coolios when I am gone *uGh*

So with a mixed feeling, San-In and I left for Gangnam in Seoul. We took a 2 hour bus ride to the station and a grueling 20 minutes walk to his house (trust me, the walk to his house is like a maze). We left our stuff @ his place, then went to Gangnam area to find Fen, Euwin and Chris. We met them @ this coffee joint, which I forgotten what is the name liao, then walk to a beer place to have fried chicken and beer and soju. Do you know how much good it felt to be hanging around your own people and chatting the same frequency as them. Finally, I feel so alive. We catch up on all the things we missed on each other's life while we are in Korea and share all our funny experiences throughout our stay. Due to the late timing and meeting tomorrow, we had to leave early. However, as we parted ways, San-In brought me to go clubbing @ this place called Noise Basement. It is ultra funky and hip and dirrrty as well. When I go into the club, I only have 1 objective in mind - just dance. I saw so many drunk innocent girls waiting to be preyed on and I feel really sorry for them. The guys are merciless and they will stop @ nothing to get what they want; some don't even dance, they just scout the area for drunk ladies and then get their hands all over them. I feel so sick, but San-In told me it is normal; like what the?? We danced till we got ultra sweaty, then ciao back to his house. I tell you ah, the taxi driver no give face one. His house damn near to the club but they don't wanna fetch you. They rather fetch those going to far places!! We waited 20 minutes in the cold before this kind uncle came along and fetched us home.

Do You Know That...
Despite the biting cold weather in winter, girls will alway have the strong will and strength to wear mini skirts with a pair of legging!! Welcome to the fashion world of Korea!

Final Countdown: 3 days.

Today is major day for me - 2 major exams but I am glad to have said I conquered it with confidence (not that I know I will do well, but I know where does my confidence comes from).

1 more paper to go, but not so important, but still I will give my best to do well definitely and have no regrets (like what my capt in KR says, "Nobody who gave his best ever regretted it."). How true indeed.

My next exam, Movie and Society will be my final lap before heading to Seoul for a real good, no frill holiday!! And the thing is, this subject has no mid term but only 1 term paper and the enitre semester lecture is only 37 slides worth (ultra pathetic).

Everybody seem to be finishing their exams and I got this paper tomorrow. Cui~ Luckily Akmal and Fawaz treat me eat Pizza Manna for the last time (ever). Now I feel so sad, like don't want to go leh, but then I have to go, so bo pian, must leave my buddies behind. Parting is always the hardest especially when friendship and bonds are forged.

I will never forget you guys. Please don't forget me too. Remember the noise and the "This looks good" motto man!! Take care buddies.

Do You Know That...
A plastic bag @ a Korean supermarket cost 5 cents equivalent to Singapore currency. Hmm, a step in going green or pure greed for moolah? You decide.

The Final Countdown: 4 days.

Today nothing special though... Mugging for the big day tomorrow...

Do You Know That...
If you meet a girl and subsequently become her boyfriend, you must give her a rose on the 100th of your anniversary. Aww!! Pocket spoiler!! *lol*

The Final Countdown: 5 days.

Today weather is starting to get a lil better and I started my day with an Isaac's Toast MVP Burger!! Nice-si. That was accompanied by a cuppa caramel latte from Vero Espresso (cheapest place for students to get coffee). I went to school after lunchie to study Game Theory; to be honest, I read the entire chapters for at least 2 times liao and this is my 3rd go (can't believe I am so hardworking right?). Bo pian, the culture here sucks to the maximum spider and when you got nothing to do in school, this is what you become - a mug machine!! Muahaha!!

I met Emilie and Anne and we agreed to go Shabu-Shabu for dinner @ 6:30pm. Umm, the dinner was so good and I reckon it would be my last time trying it.

It was a pretty short day though since time flies real quick when I am mugging and before I knew it, I am going home. Anyway, time to watch Heroes liao. Enjoy~



Do You Know That...
Koreans have 2 different ways of counting numbers - 1 is purely for monetary related matter; while the other is mainly for anything else that are non monetary related.

The Final Countdown: 6 days.

Shiok, today the temperature rises a little bit and the cold is not as biting as last weekend. I woke up @ 2 plus and washed up, then I realized I have to carry Matthew's and my barang barang to the post office cuz I am mailing them back to Singapore, to reduce my lugguage weight. Man, those stuffs are really heavy and I look like a kukubird carrying so much things around.

Then, I was held up @ the post office cuz the dum dum Matthew never pick up his phone and I have to send it back to my own address zZz. And oh, I finally have my watch repaired @ Expo Core. Power, now I can wear my watch and Daddy sends me some allowance to last me till end of the month. Everything is going smoothly.

I went for my first cuppa Caramel Latte @ the place where Emma brought me, then slowly track back to ICU to do my mugging. Hmm, I read through all the lecture slides for Intro to Multimedia (ICE2312) and I submitted all my projects for the semester. Now I feel the weight slowly being lifted off my chest. I just have to concentrate on the last 3 papers and then I will be set to go to Seoul for my final 2 days!!

Life is so good, but the guys back home started IHG training liao. Siao eh, I must faster go back and join them.

Do You Know That...
In Korea dining, it is difficult to eat alone because the restaurants are mostly catered for group dining and so you cannot order food for 1 person. Hmm, I pity the loneliness person living in Korea because eating is such a chore!!

The Final Countdown: 7 days.

Today I had very little sleep cuz I watched Arsenal match last night. Heng we won *lol* So I went to church (for probably the last time in Daejeon). Hmm, they all threw me a mini partay and the pastor gave me a present before bidding me farewell. I am so gonna miss you guys @ Sae Ro Nam church :) See you guys soon (I hope).

I went to visit Pem after the party and brought her some cake. Now I see she can sit up and like got more freedom of movements, I feel happy for her progress. I chat with her a while and this is probably my last time seeing her before I head back to sunny island Singapore. Get well soon!!

I then chiong down to E-Mart (man, it is a great store) and got some socks cuz my socks are tearing apart and a shoe stick that helps to put ur feet comfortably into the shoes + a pair of shoe soles for my current gonna-be-cui Converse. I went to check out Galleria and grab my new pair of fresh Converse shoes from there. Now I put on my new pairs of toe socks (those glove-like socks) and put on my new Converse and walk proudly and happily. I am not retiring the old pair since I need it to play takraw and street soccer :)

Later I chilled a little @ Starbucks and now is X'mas season, which means the Toffee Nut flavoured latte is back!! I have waited for a year since 2007 to get this. I thought they discontinued this flavour cuz it taste really good @ the same price. Man, I am in love with Starbucks all over again. It gave me no reasons to turn to other coffee joints!! I did some self study for Game Theory until 6pm before taking the bus back to ICU. Oh, later we gonna go to this Algerian restaurant that I went earlier when I was in Daejeon - Ali Baba.

Amin took us to the restaurant in his car and we met Malaz and Enazi there, together with Dennis and Muugii and some other friends from the States - Janet, Lora and Lynette. We had really good appetizer and main course (Lamb Shoulder with Yellow Rice and Potatoes), but unfortunately, for big bottomless pit like me, I am never full. But it was fun just to sit down and chat and not think about school work. I like this kinda life

Do You Know That...
Koreans add a year to their age e.g. if I am born in 1985, I am 23 in Western system but 24 in Korean system. This is because they believe that the moment you are born, you are already one year old. Hmm?

The Final Countdown: 8 days.

The day has come for me to present my project on OpenGL (Graphics Library). Since everyone was unprepared, the T.A told me to go first. So I obeyed and went up to do my presentation. I try to relax the mood as best as possible and the work the crowd a little bit since they look like they just recovered from coma. The presentation was fine and I presented all my points clearly and demonstrated on how does 3D modeling work (since the whole part I am already well-versed in CG lecture in NUS, as well as CA lecture in ICU). As usual, there are lotsa questions which I managed to answered back in a very steady and fluent manner and apparently, my answers are well received. The T.A wants me to use my project for next semester as 1 of the laboratory homework. Awesome dude!!

Now I have gotta meet Travis and Kevin cuz they wanna buy me lunch as farewell. Man, these 2 American guys really crack me up for the longest time in Korea. No matter what we talked about, they will subconsciously link it to the American Economic stuffs and start ranting @ how bad situation is right now. As the ignorant Singaporean guy, I just have to listen and eat my food as I listen cuz I have no clue of what is going on exactly *lol* But darn, we had minced pork with tofu and kimchi stew + this dessert that tasted ultra horrible to me. But it was a good time to spend with my buddies before leaving. We head on to Tous Le Jour (a Delifrance style store) where we had real authentic western dessert - hot Latte with a Mocha Scone. Nice~ Time flies and we parted ways, but it will be the last time I will be seeing Travis because I won't be attending church next Sunday and he is leaving for Seoul for the week. See you Travis, always will be missed. But I will see Kevin tomorrow so no goodbye yet haha.

I got a call from Annie and San-In and we are supposed to dine out with the exchange peepz @ Time World. I quickly chiong down to E-Mart and purchase my beanie + this really cheap winter jacket (since weather is really getting cold, like below freezing point) and went strai8 after to meet them.

We had a different style of Shabu Shabu today and it tasted good. Obviously, the moolah we forked out is also "good" man. Annie invited her siblings to join us - an elder brother and a younger sister. We met up @ Coffee Bean and got ourselves some caramel latte (thanks Annie, you rock!!).

We had a good chat and realized they were all born in the States *lol* ABK - American Born Koreans!! That is how cool lah!! Good times usually fly really fast, don't know why. We parted ways with them as the French girls took a cab back to dormitory and San-In, Muugii and me took the other back to ICU.

It was a wonderful day, as far as I am concerned. 3 more exams and I am done. Let's go!

Do You Know That...
In Korea, you cannot pour your own drinks. The opposite parties must do that for you and the same goes for you to others. Weirdo or respectful?