Apple Samgyupsal - Korean Three Layered Pork

I was in Taman Desa a couple of weeks ago when I saw this new restaurant called Apple Samgyupsal - three layered pork belly - and told myself I must try it soon. I texted my good friend pork fan Wee Yin immediately and we made our way there today. 

Samgyupsal is Korean for 三层肉 or saam cang yuk in Cantonese. And it's grilled over a hot plate. 

First, banchan is served. The apple salad is really good.  All these are refillable. 

The beauty of this place is that it uses hot burning charcoal. 


A hot plate is placed over it. 


We ordered the Apple Platter that came with 삼겹살 samgyupsal (three layered pork belly), 항정살 hangjeongsal (pork collar), and 목살 moksal (pork neck or shoulder), 소시지 sosiji (sausage) and 떡 tteok (rice cake). 


The scissors provided weren't sharp enough in my opinion and it's a good thing they helped us. The meat are all cut into strips...

... and further grilled. Notice the apple slices...

...for wrapping. 


The weather was good alfresco but we were soon sweating in the heat. 


It was a very satisfying meal. If you would like to try it, you need to be there early. We arrived at 6:30pm and when we left at 7:30pm, people were lining up waiting for an empty table, and with the crowd they don't take reservations. 

And if you would like try 소주 soju and 막걸리 makgeolli (rice wine), they serve it too. We don't drink and I dare not try it, not yet...

Apple Samgyupsal 

22 Jalan 1/109e

Taman Desa Business Park

58100 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours: 5:00pm - 1:00am

pearlie

Sometimes we need to forget

I have been very forgetful today and it cost me quite a lot of time and resources. But what to do...it comes with getting old. 

But being forgetful is sometimes a good thing. 

Let the past be content with itself, for man needs forgetfulness as well as memory. 

~ James Stephens

The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Forgetfulness is a form of freedom. 

~ Khalil Gibran 

The only thing faster than the speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness. Good thing we have other people to help us remember. 

~ Vera Nazarian

As I am both lazy and forgetful, I can't take proper care of too many things. That's why I want to cherish properly the things I love. 

~ Marie Kondō

pearlie

Learning Mandarin - the hardest thing I've ever done

It has already been two months since I started my HSK Level 4 Chinese deck and it is tough. 

I had it easy with HSK1-3 since I'm quite familiar with most of the words and I only need to memorize and recognize the characters. 

But moving into HSK4, I am encountering words I am not familiar with. I have reduced the number of new cards per day from 30 to just 6! Every word and sentence card in Anki comes with 2 flashcards, and that means I'm only learning or reading 3 new cards per day, down from 15 with HSK1-3. 

But I'm still finding it tough. I keep forgetting some of the words.  I also keep mixing them up and I am not able to tell the difference between similar looking characters. With that, I have switched off the daily introduction of new cards. 

So I am now at zero new cards per day. And it will stay that way until I feel a bit more comfortable with it. 

I took time today to view the words in my StickyStudy list and I'm quite surprised I have actually done 179 words out of the 600 in HSK4!

I may have put them in the green bucket but I have yet to fully recognize them all. I will give myself one week to get further acquainted with them in Anki and I will evaluate and see if I will be ready to go back to my 6 new cards per day arrangement. 

Learning Mandarin is the hardest thing I've ever done but I hope I will still stick to it or the work and effort I have put in for the past 6 months would have been wasted. 

加油！

pearlie

One long day at work

It is rare these days for me to stay too late in the office but this was what I did today. 

After lunch, my boss gave me some last minute things to do. He wanted me to improve a deck of slides that he had created. 

And me being me, it has to be perfect and I spent 8 hours turning tables and text into charts and diagrams. 

It was fun, but tiring. 

And I do hope it is accurate though. I may have been too tired to notice. 

pearlie

My favourite communion song - We Hunger and Thirst by Sovereign Grace Music

We had our Lord's Supper today and I used this song for worship, one of my favourites by virtue of its lyrics and melody although it's timing is so off-beat that I can't sing it without the music score. 

We Hunger and Thirst - Sovereign Grace Music

I so love the bridge - the cup we drink, the bread we eat, reminds us you are all we need, makes us long for your wedding feast. This is exactly who we are, people belonging to God who looks forward to that day of the Lord. 

If you are interested, check it out in the Sovereign Grace Music page here where the chord, lead and score sheets are made available. May God continue to bless them as they continue to serve God with their wonderful talents. 

pearlie

A Thousand Words #208

pearlie

Thank God for Cantonese sermons

I am now progressing very slowly with my Mandarin learning at HSK level 4. It is very challenging because I am encountering words that are really very difficult. 

But amusingly, I am trying to learn them by recognizing them first in Cantonese. I am amazed that I actually know those words in Cantonese. 

I suppose the fact that I have sat through numerous Cantonese sermons when I was growing up is paying off now. 

Here are a few examples:

pearlie

A Thousand Words #208

It isn't always that I catch up with my old staff but that was I did today and it was a nice catch up with who is now a good friend. 

pearlie 

The similarities of the days of the week in different languages

I was learning the days of the week in a different language when I realised that the days of the week in most languages is based on something. 

In most of the European languages, Germanic, English, Latin and Greek:

Sunday is named after the sun, Monday the moon, Tuesday of Mars, the god of war, Wednesday of Mercury, Thursday of Jupiter, Thor or thunder, Friday of Venus, of love and beauty, and Saturday of Saturn. 

In Chinese, it is as simple as following the number of the day beginning from Monday using the word for star 星, all except for Sunday that is named after the sun 日. 

里期一 xīng qī yī

星期二 xīng qī èr

星期三 xīng qī sān

星期四 xīng qī sì

星期五 xīng qī wǔ

星期六 xīng qī liù

星期日 xīng qī rì

In Korean, the days of the week are named after nature: 

월요일 wolyoil - moon

화요일 hwayoil - fire

수요일 suyoil - water

목요일 mokyoil - wood

금요일 geumyoil - gold

토요일 toyoil - earth

일요일 ilyoil - sun

This makes memorizing so much easier especially when the words for nature are from Chinese to begin with. And it's the same in Japanese. 

But what's common across are Sunday and Monday, the sun and the moon. 

pearlie 

Being rubato in life

Crescendos and Diminuendos, Meditations for Musicians and Music Lovers

by Jack Coleman

During our choral practice every week, we have a short devotion before we begin based chapters from a book by Jack Coleman on Meditations for Musicians and Music Lovers. 

The topic picked for today was on the musical term Rubato. It means, “Robbing” or taking from the notes their strict time value by alternately hurrying, then retarding, for the purpose of expression. It should not depart so far from the tempo as to destroy the sense of rhythm.

I did not know that the rubato means to rob. And apparently it is not an easy thing to do musically and if we are not able to do it properly, its best to stick to the original tempo. 

But when applied to our lives, sometimes we may want to rob our timing and sequence of life a bit but we need to do so carefully so as not to depart so far from our tempo of life as to destroy our set sense of rhythm. And when we rob it we also need to return it like when we perform a musical part in rubato, we also need to pay it back in timing, and in the same way we need to compensate for it in life. 

I know...all very conceptual but if you think about it, may ring true in certain times of our lives. 

pearlie

A Thousand Words #207

pearlie

We began a 12-week study on the book of Job

Knowing the Bible: Job, A 12-Week Study

by Eric Ortlund 

We started our Covenant Group first meeting today doing a study on the book of Job. 

What I find intriguing about covenant groups in my church is that (1) these groups have a lifetime - it has a beginning and an end. Ours will last for 12 weeks and (2) the attendance is 100%. If anyone is not able to make it, we will need to regroup on another day where all are able to attend. With that, serious commitment is expected. And I find that a good thing. 

Our first meeting today went along very well with an introduction to what is the most difficult book in the Bible.

We also identified for ourselves what is one thing we would like to have clarified by the end of the study. For me, I would want to get into the heart and soul of Job as he suffered through the pain. What went on in his mind and heart? How did he accept what God has done? 

There will be much deep searching in each and everyone of us. 

pearlie

Battleship Island ★★★★☆

Battleship Island (2017)

I watched this with my good friend Wee Yin today and it was a good and rare movie treat, since I don't often go to the cinemas. 

It is a historical fiction about a forced labour camp in Hashima Island during the Japanese occupation period where Korean men were conscripted to work in a coal mine and women were used to "service" the Japanese men.  

The movie was about 2 hours in length and a star studded one as well with Hwang Jung Min, So Ji Sub and Song Joong Ki, not forgetting the excellent 11-year old Kim Soo An. She and Hwang Jung Min, I must say, stole the entire show. 

The movie was good but as how a reviewer has put it, which I totally agree, it is "technically accomplished, (but) narratively impoverished." (Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter)

There are parts where it is hard to watch but the scenes were very well done and executed. However, I find the plot a bit too choppy in the middle and the characters not well-developed enough. I suppose it would be hard to find enough time to develop three main characters from the three heavy weight actors. 

And about the heroes of the firm, what Wee Yin says about Korean movies was what the RogerEbert reviewer said very aptly, "The heroes of this film are, in other words, selfish, but never in a venal, or ugly way. They're human, and they do what they must to face each successive challenge they're confronted with...They are not heroes, just survivors."

The decisions and action of these characters are not what heroes are expected to do, and in this sense it does portray more a reality of what mankind really is, and it's not the ideal. 

The hardest scene for me to watch was the final part when the Japanese soldiers began to just fire to kill the Korean women, teenagers and injured men, who were merely just trying to escape. It was merciless. 

We all have our versions of dark history. It is necessary to tell them so that those who have not experienced it in their lifetime will still know it and learn from it not to repeat it. 

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

~ Jeremiah 17:9

pearlie

Which do you think is the most important of our five senses?

To me, the most important of all our five senses is sight. 

I went to the ophthalmologist today and I thought the wait was long and so I fished out my phone and started doing some writing. Halfway through, my name was called and they wanted me to do an eye test before the doctor arrived but my eyes were already affected. 

Hence, they told me to rest me eyes for ten minutes before taking it again and what a long ten minutes it was! 

I didn't know what to do with it. Everything that I wanted to do to pass the time required sight but I can't so as not to strain it. 

I realized then how important it is for us to keep our eyes healthy. I used to have perfect eyesight until recently and I did feel that the quality of my life have deteriorated somewhat. 

What more with our elevated use of devices and computers, all the more we need to be careful to take care of our eyes. 

pearlie

Talent Ecosystem Conference 2017

We were at the Talent Ecosytem Conference 2017 today. The topics covered for the conference in forum style format include:

- Defining the Future of Learning

- How to a Harness the Power of Multi-Generational Workforce

- Design Multi-Generational Employee Experience Journey for Transformation

- Future of Work: Preparing Organizations for the 21st Century Workforce

- Digital HR: Transforming the HR Delivery Model

- Build Value in Employer Branding

Having a forum format is quite a good way to go about it because it's more candid and when the forum lead is a good one, it keeps the topic interesting with the forum speakers and audience engaged. 

Here are some of my takeaway from the sessions:

- when we go digital in HR, we have to consider the digital literacy of our employees, which may be viewed by age group. And what we in HR need is simply patience.

- the Millennials need a safe environment to express their thoughts and ideas. They want a safe space for them to share their mind without the stigma when things go wrong. This is interesting because this is almost an opposite from what Gen-X would expect and behave. 

- companies who put aside their annual employee performance appraisals have brought it back. It is still useful and needed. 

- an organization who wants to build on their employee engagement experience has to start from the CEO. The CEO has to lead, no question about it. Without the CEO, you can either forget it or you leave. It won't happen without an active involvement of the CEO. 

- the HR department is sadly still being mostly regarded as a cost center, a support department when it should be a mission critical center, involved in all strategy and business undertakings of the organizations, not as an after-thought. 

- the HR department has to now be the Marketing department as well, albeit internally. It needs to build its strength in communication and service delivery. 

There is much to done. 

pearlie

See what Air Asia gave me for my birthday

I received an e-Gift voucher from Air Asia for my birthday. They called me ahem, a Big Shot and so I was really curious as to what they will offer me. 

So I filled in my details to find out. 

I wasn't expecting much since I have not been traveling at all. But what they offered was quite a joke.  Here is what they gave me:

A RM5 voucher? Haha. Are you kidding me? I am not sure whether to laugh or to cry. 

I asked several people to guess the value of the voucher and the answers I got was RM100 and RM200, which means I'm not alone in thinking this is funny. 

Seriously, I am not expecting anything at all but if they want to give me a RM5 voucher, they might as well not give me anything. It's not even enough to buy a pack of nasi lemak in the plane. 

pearlie

Steven Chow BBQ Rice @U Village

I went out for lunch with my boss and colleagues today. We went to U Village Restaurant in Sungai Wang for its barbecued pork, which is really good but without realizing what we ordered, we ended up having a meal called the Steven Chow BBQ Rice. 

I was told that it was based on a movie starring Steven Chow who made a dish with roasted honeyed barbecued pork, a sausage, a sunny side up egg, with some greens and rice. 

It was scrumptious, especially the pork. My tummy is growling right now thinking about it. 

pearlie

Photo: Chasing Food Dreams

Having confidence makes a difference in what we set out to do

I attended a meeting where a vendor was presenting a proposal but I felt it was not very well done. She seemed lacking in experience in making a presentation but it may be because of a lack of confidence as well. 

How can we be more confident in what we do? 

I find that experience count a lot and we have to believe in what we do, but I feel that the best of all, we have a faithful God who undergirds us with his presence when we do what we do with his strength and not our own. 

He is our confidence. 

And I found these sayings encouraging;

Confidence comes from discipline and training. 

~ Robert Kiyosaki

Confidence comes with maturity, being more accepting of yourself. 

~ Nicole Scherzinger

Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it. 

~ Stan Smith

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. 

~ Marie Curie

Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live. 

~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. 

~ Martin Luther

I tremble for my country when I hear of confidence expressed in me. I know too well my weakness, that our only hope is in God. 

~ Robert E. Lee

pearlie

The song you must have in your Apple Music Library

My hubby sent me this link and it was exactly what I was looking for: Buy This Song Now. It's the Best 99 Cents You'll Spend All Week. 

If you are a Apple Music user, this is for you. And since I subscribe to Apple Music, I didn't have to buy it. I have just added it to my music library. Even if you don't purchase any songs, but upload songs into your iPhone to play, this still applies to you. 

That song for me was Ed Sheeran's The A Team. I loved it but I got so sick of it I had to delete it from my library. I can now finally add it back. 

pearlie

Beethovan's Mighty 9th by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

The last time I was in Dewan Filharmonik Petronas to watch a performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra was in 2015. I got another belated birthday treat by Melissa this year. 

This time the performance was Beethovan's Mighty 9th, conducted by Naohisa Furusawa with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the MAX Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The vocals were Ranko Kurano the soprano, Kaori Kurano the mezzo soprano and our local stars Yap Jin Hin doing the tenor and Chi Hoe Mak the bass. 

The choralists were from The Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, Dithyrambic Singers and the MAX Philharmonic Chorus. 

Thanks Melissa! I enjoyed the performance tremendously. 

pearlie

I haven't had a fringe in so many, many years

I had my fringe trimmed short recently and much to my delight, I've received quite a number of good reviews about it. Some did not even recognize me!

All is great until my brother said to me today: why in the world would you cut it. It looks bad. 

Sigh...that's my brother. 

pearlie

Book Review: The Korean Mind

The Korean Mind, Understanding Contemporary Korean Culture

by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

I was looking forward to digging into this book when I laboriously finished the last book I was reading, except that I am very, very disappointed with it. 

I have only just begun reading it and I already have four reasons to stop reading but I'm still hanging on, for now.  

One, for a book that is about the culture of the Koreans, I wasn't happy that the author decided to print names in a westernized way, first name and then last name when all Korean names begin with the surname and then the given name. This really irritates me. Thankfully, there aren't many names used, so far, but when they do appear, I keep having to take note and make effort to read it in the proper Korean way. Come on, it is a book about the Korean culture! 

Two, the book presents the subject using distinctive Korean words following the Korean alphabetical order. Well and good except that it would be much easier to read if it were thematic instead. For example, I was reading the section on 암흑기 (am-heuk-gi) The Dark Period and the next section is on 아내 (a-nae) Wives: The Inside People. My mind has to take a few minutes to make an adjustment to move from thinking about the dark ages to thinking about wives. 

Three, the spelling of Korean words in this book is atrocious to say the least. The author made a mistake right at the very beginning in the first chapter when he wrote about fathers. The right spelling is 아버지 (a-beo-ji) but the author spelt it 아보지 (a-bo-ji), which is incorrect. In writing the previous paragraph above, I just found out those two words are also spelt wrongly. I have spelt it correctly above: 암흑기 instead of 암훅기 and 아내 instead of 안애. This is really unacceptable. Would you read a book in any language with multiple spelling errors? 

Four, the author is not accurate in his writing and presentation of facts. He wrote, "This was the infamous k’ou t’ou (kowtow) long associated with China. K’ou means “head,” and t’ou means “bump” or “knock”". He got it all mixed up. In actual fact, it is k'ou that means to knock or to bump and t'ou means head. What other inaccuracies are there in the book that I don't know about, which will cause me to learn the wrong things?

This is the first time I have ever come across such a badly written book, and I should abandon it already. 

pearlie

Sick too many times this year

I don't get sick that often but I've been getting the flu too many times this year. 

pearlie

Guilt and Shame Culture

I have been exposed recently to the concept of guilt and shame culture of societies and I found it both fascinating and disturbing. I am only beginning to grasp the concept and finding it quite a deep subject to consider. 

It all began when I encountered a person who is steep in the Chinese culture and I thought since I need to understand him better, I started reading a book on Confucianism (which I need to get back to as I only just read the first few pages!)

I also began reading Korean Mind: Understanding Contemporary Korean Culture by Boye Lafayette De Mente, and there is this brief section on the Shame Culture, where "The one transgression that Koreans cannot accept is being shamed."

I see that quite a lot in the few Korean dramas that I watched and being brought up in a Chinese family, I can see it prevalent in the Chinese culture as well. 

However, I am not a very Chinese person to begin with, if I can say it that way. I was not schooled or brought up strictly in the Chinese way of life. I take on a more westernized way of thinking as I exposed myself to their writings and thinking, albeit still from an Asian perspective. 

I am also brought up in a Christian family and from a very young age, I am more exposed to the concept of guilt rather than shame. 

So when I am now reading and thinking about the shame concept, I am a bit disturbed about this way of life. 

I found this an interesting article, Guilt and Shame in Chinese Culture: A Cross- Cultural Framework from the Perspective of Morality and Identity by Olwen Bedford and Hwang Kwang Kuo, National Taiwan University. 

It is a long and technical paper and it is not an easy read. But it made me realize that I am probably a hybrid of having both guilt and shame culture. 

There are many questions swimming in my head right now that I am not even able to articulate. I need more time to think this through and a lot more reading to do. 

But more importantly, does the Gospel sound different to each of these cultures, guilt and shame? 

pearlie

Picture from The Good News for Honor-Shame Culture

A Thousand Words #206

I spent the whole morning getting documents translated, passports and identity card renewed in Putrajaya and Puchong. 

pearlie 

A tapestry of prayer

I was in church today when pastor introduced some visitors from the US and he shared with the congregation how they have supported the church in prayer all these years. 

The topic of prayer has always been a mystery to me. But I take it as a commandment from God that we pray and to pray fervently, and so even if I don't understand it fully, I obey and I pray as much as I could, as best as I could, though it isn't actually as much as I wished or as well as I wished. 

When pastor told us about the prayers of our counterpart in the US, this picture came to mind:

I imagine prayer is a connection of the people of God as we pray for one another we connected with each another in the Spirit and in love. It's like weaving a tapestry of love and brotherhood across the whole world. 

We all belong to God and even if we don't pray for others, He will never forsake any of us. But yet, we are to pray for one another. We need to be connected to one another in Christ and prayer is the perfect way of doing so as we remember each other, we love each other in the Lord.

pearlie 

A good catch up with a good friend

I spent the day with a good friend visiting her at her house and she made lunch. 

Doesn't the plate of pesto spaghetti look delightful?

It was a good catching up we had and a nice one for me since it's ages since I've visited anyone at their home. I usually catch up with friends going for lunch or dinner in restaurants. 

And it has been a long time since I've had any heart to heart talk with close friends including showing anyone my secret old photos!

pearlie

Book Review: Jealousy, The Sin No One Talks About

Jealousy, The Sin No One Talks About: How to Overcome Envy & Live a Life of Freedom

by R.T. Kendall

I finally finished reading this book today and upon logging it into my Goodreads account, I noticed that the last time I completed a book was 3 months ago! I have really been slacking in my reading, but it's only because I was stuck with not a very good book that I want to finish before I started another one. 

I bought it because I needed it. It is a reality that all of us go through this and I had to admit to myself that I was going through a bad bout of jealousy. 

I went hunting for articles and books to read but they weren't many except for this one that looks more promising. I've read R.T. Kendall before but I don't like his books that much. 

And my assessment was spot on, for me at least. 

The only parts I found useful was the first and the last. I could not agree with his treatment of the subject when he wrote it from the perspective of the gospel in Gospel Jealousy, which in my opinion he belittled the gospel in doing so.  And I do not agree with his interpretation of the Cain and Abel account. 

And of the portions I found useful, he kept repeating himself. But it's good that he does conclude everything in 13 ways to overcome jealousy in the last chapter. 

Here are some excerpts of the better sections of his book:

Jealousy is an easy thing to fall into. This is because it plays into our insecurity. Like it or not, we are all insecure.

The envy described in Ecclesiastes 4:4 emerges in one of two ways (or both): (1) productive envy is the desire to outdo what has preceded you (what motivates vates athletes in the Olympics); (2) counterproductive envy is the wish (consciously or unconsciously) to make another feel envious, although God may overrule and turn this to good.

Counterproductive jealousy is what eats our souls and leaves us bitter and impoverished. It is one of Satan's favorite vehicles by which he brings us to despair and destruction.

This is why jealousy is so bad. It has the very breath of Satan in it.

...the worst thing that can happen to a man is to succeed before he is ready.

Envy is inevitable; jealousy is envy that is manifested. Envy is the thought; jealousy is the obsession. The rule of thumb: deal with envy while it is only in your thoughts. That is the best way forward.

Holy Spirit never promotes us to the level of our incompetence. We may promote ourselves, others may promote us, but not the Holy Spirit. He knows what we are good at, what we are not good at, and what the Father has called us to do. The way we guarantee we will not be promoted to the level of our incompetence is that we truly look at ourselves soberly-with ruthless honesty, knowing that we all have only a "measure" of faith. This means that each of us has a limited measure of the Holy Spirit. You do not have all of God there is. Don't let anybody tell you that you do. Only Jesus had all of God there is (Col. 1:19); only He was given the Holy Spirit without any limit (John 3:34). It is our responsibility, then, to admit humbly to our limitations. Nobody can do everything. Quit trying to do everything! Do not imitate another's ability.

We may be envious or jealous of another's anointing or calling, but if each of us comes to terms with what God has called us to do and accept it without murmuring, we may lessen the likelihood of jealousy. King Saul became jealous of David's anointing (1 Sam. 18:12). And yet, sadly, we all tend to have problems with what God has called others to do. I repeat: Jesus said that it was none of Peter's business how John would die; He replied to Peter, "What is that to you? You must follow me" (John 21:21-22, emphasis added). So it is with all of us. We may ask, "What about him? What about her? What are You asking them to do?" And God says to each of us: "None of your business-you follow Me."

The grass often looks greener on the other side of the fence, but it seldom is.

pearlie 

Pearlie, I have something to tell you

I had an interesting encounter and chat with a language partner today. I got connected with him a few days ago through www.italki.com, a language community that connects people who wants to learn languages from each other. 

Our language exchange is quite engaging so far albeit just via texting. But what's interesting was today's chat.

Midway through our conversation, he said to me, in English, "Pearlie, I have something to tell you."

My internal siren went off. Metaphoric red flags flailed wildly. 

What does he want to tell me? 

I felt worried wondering what would warrant such a serious question. And what more, it began with an address using my name. 

I imagined having this question posted to me by my parents or husband or manager. 

I'd freak out. 

I was hoping it was due to his English being a second language and that he didn't realize the weight of the question and that it was nothing but an innocent statement of wanting to tell me something. 

Thankfully, it was...phew!

It was about his encounter of connecting with a fraud in www.italki.com and how he stopped it in time and hope that I'd not put myself into any of such traps as well. 

That was when I told him how I felt when he sent me that statement and I explained why we don't say that very often, if at all. 

He was quite embarrassed and of course I told him not to worry about it. 

It was after all a direct translation from his native language and he had asked it naturally wanting to tell me something of interest. 

This really shows me how different cultures are, even on the basis of the different languages we use. The nuance of what we say in our languages is not easy to pick up. 

But it helps that we are allowed to make mistakes and learn from it. 

I have made many myself. 

pearlie

Crazy Karaoke

I haven't been to a karaoke in ages. There is a free entry pass in our U Mobile Subscriber Rewards and a few of us took the privilege and went this evening. 

If you are a U Mobile user, check this deal out in your MyUMobile app. 

I didn't get to sing much. I am not familiar with enough songs to want to sing them in public! That's why. Haha. 

These are the few that I know, beginning with...

And this one is not easy to sing. And I am bad with timing but I managed to figure it out though. 

I did try this Mandarin song but I had to use the hanyu pinyin lyrics in my Apple Music. She sings the verses too fast for me to follow the lyrics in Chinese and what more, the lyrics shown in the karaoke screen was in traditional Chinese. 

I also tried a couple of Korean songs!

Well, the craziest one we did was Abba's Dancing Queen, which was recorded but I would never ever show it to anyone, not even myself!

pearlie

Why am I drawn to sad things?

I don't know why I seem to like sad things: sad movies, sad songs, sad stories. And since I've started going Korean lately, there are many, many sad Korean movies and dramas to go round. 

They are so sad and yet I'm still consuming them. I managed to finish watching Train to Busan recently and I already told myself it's time I stop watching them. 

But I'm back to watching sad Korean dramas like Marriage Contract and Uncontrollably Fond. Why? And I knew they were sad to begin with.

And I'd feel so sad when I hear this song sung by Kim Woo Bin from the Uncontrollably Fond drama. But I find it an excellent song. Vocals wise, he does have a nice rich deep voice here now doesn't he?

Do You Know? - Kim Woo Bin

pearlie