I was super frantic when I saw Lea Salonga’s first musical performance held in Seoul Cultural and Arts Center (Concert Hall) last June 16th with the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra.

The first half showcased nine beautiful Disney Classics which included a fun moment when a volunteer was asked to sing ‘A Whole New World’ with Lea. Well, Little Mermaid’s  ‘Part Of Your World’ was my favorite.

The second half’s repertoir was focused on Broadway that really demonstrated Lea’s amazing singing abilities. Her rendition of Miss Saigon’s ‘I’d Give My Life For You’ and Les Miserables’ ‘ I Dreamed A Dream’ and ‘On My Own’  left everyone with goosebumps. Super!!!

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                                            On My Own            

                               And now I’m all alone again                     

                          No where to turn, no one to go to.

                          Without a hope, without a friend,

                            Without a face to say hello to.

                               But now the night is near,

                           and I can make believe he’s here. 

                            Sometimes I walk alone at night

                           When everybody else is sleeping

                           I think of him and then I’m happy

                            With the company I’m keeping.

                                 The city goes to bed,

                            And I can live inside my head.

                                         On my own

                               Pretending he’s beside me

                       All alone, I walk with him till morning.

                      Without him, I feel his arms around me

                      And when I lose my way I close my eyes

                                  And he has found me.

                   In the rain the pavement shines like silver.

                        All the lights are misty in the river.

                 In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight

                And all I see is him and me forever and forever.

                          And I know it’s only in my mind

                   That I’m talking to myself and not to him

                      And although, I know that he is blind

                          Still I say, there’s a way for us.

                      I love him, but when the night is over

                         He is gone, the river’s just a river

                   Without him the world around me changes

                       The trees are bare and everywhere

                         The streets are full of strangers.

                      I love him but every day I’m learning

                      All my life I’ve only been pretending,

                    Without me his world will go on turning

                          A world that’s full of happiness

                            That I have never known !

                                       I love him

                                       I love him

                                       I love him

                                 But only on my own.

( In this song, Eponine expresses her unrequited love for Marius, and how she dreams of being at his side but knows his love is for Cosette and not for her.)

       " Love is the foolishness of men, and the wisdom of God!"

Perky….that’s it! I am feeling perky today….and that is tantamount to saying, "Go get blogging, girl!"

I know, I know. I have been hibernating for months and I have been in a hiatus. There are numerous reasons for this. One of them is: my father-in-law’s sick. He has gastric (stomach) cancer and was assigned to receive surgery alone ~~~ minus chemotherapy (insert a feeling of relief here). He is recovering right now but everyone in the family finds it really difficult to deal with his mood swings. He is under medication and I would like to ask all of you to please pray for him.

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Well, I am back from the dead. I will not allow myself to be woozy….uh-uh….not today. My mind is perfectly back to tell you stories.

After I got home from work today, I did some "pa-housewife-effect" chores. I emptied the laundry hamper, ironed some shirts, washed the dishes, and cleaned all the rooms with the help of my old but not-so-noisy vacuum cleaner. My hub, against all odds, decided not to join his high school friends in an ‘all-men’s night-out.’ I was already expecting that….praying and hoping for that….and the Lord heard my prayer, and the result: he kept his promise of buying his kids and me a very delicious dinner. We had some nice-tasting beef and vegetable ’shabu-shabu.’ We were so full that we decided to take a walk and enjoyed the cool air outside while enjoying nice cups of coffee dispensed from the restaurant’s vending machine.We went home ~~~ my kids had pillow fights and I had a movie marathon until 12 midnight while I filled my tummy with assorted snacks that I took from our kitchen cupboard. My eyes almost popped out after running two films. Not just that! I had a chat with my former high school friend until….uuuummm….(blank)….Was that terrible of me? One thing for sure: I felt so happy to the nth power. I reminisced those good old times in high school. It was like stepping into a past life with everything in black and white.

Well, well…since the mattresses, blankets, and pillows were scattered everywhere in the living room, we decided to sleep there…and "my dreams filled my heart with all the melodies of love".

I don’t know, but it felt really good when the morning sun drifted on my body as I lay slumped with my two pillows, and of course with my kids and my hub beside me. I pulled myself up to take a shower, then get dressed, and by 9 in the morning, I made some sandwiches for breakfast. Lunch was easy. My mom-in-law prepared her specialty and we all enjoyed the whole noon together.

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I was still in a briskly cheerful mood this afternoon….and yes, it’s above level 9….and climbing! CLIMBING! Since my kids had a swell time with their NintendoDS ~~~ Woojin playing Super Mario Bros and Yuna playing one of those Pokemon game series ~~~ I uploaded a couple of pictures and do some tweaking in my Friendster profile. I was also gravitated to sending glittery text to my Friendster buddies.

All in all….it was a wonderful weekend. The cheerful mood isn’t gone yet. No questions asked. Dreamy…. very, very dreamy….   

PAHABOL:

My friends and I are going to watch Lea Salonga’s concert at 8 o’clock pm tomorrow. She’s performing in Seoul and I am really excited to join her many, many fans here in Korea. And guess what? I decided to cancel all my late afternoon classes. Yeheeeyyy!

I have vowed to make The Year of the Mouse a blissful, "just sliding into a warm bubble bath" kind of year —- stress-free —- and try to live each day as if it were my last …… because one it will be.

I began to understand more about how stress affects me as an individual ~~~~ and so I came up with my own list of helping to ease the tensions. Here’s a rundown of it:

          1. Go to the gym every morning. This year, I promise I will not waste my time and money for nothing. There’s the right gym equipment for me there and some nutritional advice to help me achieve my physique and sporting goals. I should learn to focus on the feel-good feeling that I get after a day’s workout.

          2. Spend more time with my kids. Time flies. I don’t want to find myself looking back, then amazed at how quickly time went, and realizing I missed something very very special. My husband and I have promised to set aside time for Woo-Jin and Yu-Na ~~~ dinner hour, trips, homework time and a Play Station or Nintendo DS game in the evening.

          3. Reread some great books on my shelf and find new great ones to finish. I never liked Virgil’s Aeneid, Dante’s Divine Comedy and even Beowulf. I’ve read them in college and I thought I don’t need them anymore. Not exactly! I would love to expose and curl up myself to out-of-this-world philosophies again …. and just put the rest of the world at bay. I will shop for new books that could take me to exotic places and fill my eyes with tears and make me laugh so loud. This can really take me out of the turmoil of a stressful situation.

          4. Get the pleasure of Beach Vacations. Beach therapy is how I thought of it the last time I was supine on a lounge chair planted in the sand of Pattaya Islands and Beaches. I was in seventh heaven then! And so for my vacation plans ~~~ they will definitely have a beach element. Next month, my family and I are going to the Philippines. Fortunately, those cool and shady cabanas with easy access to the sand and the sea are already in our itinerary.

          5. Go table-hopping at least twice (or more  he-he-he) a month. Oooh, I just so love new flavors! I would surely indulge myself in search for authentic, too-good-to-be-true or quintessential dishes. There are always new restaurants out there that could bring me the flavors of the wide world home. How I would love to find the best in town ~~~ bite by bite.

          6. Have leisurely strolls with friends…shopping or (just) window-shopping, hiking, bar-hopping, karaoke and a lot more. It’s always fun to go out with friends. We could also find activities or hobbies which are absorbing and enjoyable.

          7. Sleep early and instead of counting the sheep …. I will try to count my blessings. This strategy takes practice but  then I should believe ~~~ it is well worth the effort.

          8. Turn all my melodrama into a mellow-drama. Life isn’t an extravagantly theatrical play in which action and plot predominate. So I have decided to change the channel to a more peaceful station to avoid blowing things out of proportion. No more tears!

          9. Spend more time blogging ~~ Instead of keeping my thoughts just to myself, I will definitely post them. They can be useful to myself as well as to others.

           I guess that’s it! I just hope that each day of the year ahead will bring us all happiness and good cheer. Happy New Year to all!         

Last Monday, while trading free time for some make-up classes, the first snowfall in Suwon fell. I pressed my hazard lights …. moved closer to the side of the road …. and stopped driving for a while. I decided to stay inside the car and enjoyed watching those tiny white flakes gently fall …. then spread …. and melt on my car’s windshield.

I felt the cold spells that night and thought that I should have followed my mom-in-law’s lead ~~~ to stay warm with those toasty mittens and fluffy mufflers. My heart skipped a bit and a smile came next.

"Tomorrow is going to be a nice day," I snapped to myself. Despite the puddles and the season’s normal temperatures below zero, I am sure that tomorrow will never be a mundane day.

I turned the CD player on, my headlights off and decided to give my husband a call. He said that he’s on his way and begged if I could wait for him at the bus stop. While waiting for him, I gazed in awe watching the tiny white star shape designs fall and slightly cover my car. The music is in harmony …. then I began to see things from a different perspective.

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It all started a month ago when I got myself in a tricky situation. It saddened me greatly. I thought I had already lost a special friend. She is very special! I could pour my woes to her and confide to her of worldly and personal matters (spiritual sometimes). However, I noticed that too much of a good thing can eventually cause tiffs. Spending too much time with someone can be overwhelming …. and people who are always together can end up annoying each other.

We met by chance, a couple of times, for fleeting moments. There was this awkward silence and on catching sight of each other ~~ I froze up! Though burning with curiosity of what went wrong, I could not even pluck the courage to ask her for a talk.  How I wished we could just rekindle our relationship by casting away our preconceived ideas. It’s difficult, though. I woke up most of the time not feeling or looking my best. I wasn’t sure how much longer  I could hang on and I always felt like shouting, " That’s not right and I will never, never stand for it!" I believe that it is okay to be forceful sometimes. I tried to look back …. sorted out exactly what I was feeling for I never really want to hang on to this strange feeling anymore. Then, it clearly went to me …. that people change …. and I can’t expect everybody around me to be any different. We are all in search of a true relationship. I know I haven’t lived enough to know that there is no such thing as a "perfect person," but I know that there is such thing as relationship where strengths compliment each others weakness.

It is time to face the music. Why slink away from all those nagging issues? I will never ever lie down again and beg the earth to swallow me up for there are always people out there …. willing to walk along with me and accept me for who I am.

A very dear friend told me to just let go of my emotional baggage …. and it helped! I am happy to say that I had already gotten over this pique …. finally !!!

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Well, it was still snowing but the flakes didn’t stick around long. It got colder and the crisp cold feeling gave my nose a pinch. Then, a knock on my car’s door surprised me. It was my husband. His smile warmed my heart and whispered that we should just go home ~~~ enjoy our music, snuggle with our kids and stay cozy in our room.

It’s winter! A season that represents a humble heart in warming others. A season when we can all reshape our cold hearts ……..

" If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."  - Josh Billings -

A very intriguing country with wide-array of myriad attractions, dazzling shopping, cosmopolitan nightlife, fascinating culture and delicious dining, The Kingdom of Thailand is simply ~~~~ sensational.

We arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on the east-bound Bangna Trat Highway in Bang Phli District of Bangkok at around 9 pm on Friday. It was so humid but the genuine smiles of the Thai people gave me an assurance that this country is an alluring treasure trove of magical moments and unique cultural adventures.  Our journey began with a beautiful welcome Lei from Bi, our tour guide.

During an all-inclusive three-night and five-day stay, we experienced almost everything from learning how to trek an elephant, truly relaxed with traditional Thai herbal body and foot massage in the privacy of our own teakwood suites and enjoyed an epicurean escape of Thai,Chinese, Korean and French cuisine. We visited several theme parks, too  ~~~ Mini Siam, Nongnooch Tropical Garden, Elephant Village and Sri Racha Tiger Zoo. Pattaya has become synonymous with the county’s sex industry and this aspect of the city can’t be denied. The thriving nightlife with no shortage of bars, clubs and restaurants to visit after hours are everywhere. Not only that, the gays we saw at Tiffany Show are really gorgeous. This proves that Pattaya is one of the most tolerant and gay friendly places in Asia.

These days a new generation of luxury accommodations is letting travellers experience the country’s cuisine, culture, and beauty like never before. Before heading to Pattaya, we stayed at Novotel Bangna Hotel. The room wasn’t that spectacular but wellness and cultural immersion define our experience. Then we stayed at Long Beach Garden Hotel and Spa in Pattaya for two nights.

Here, we definitely enjoyed Thai’s distinctive specialties served family style with an assortment  of dishes. Furthermore, the ingredients are superb! So too is the fish and seafood selection. Not to forget the MK Suki Restaurant, where we had the popular suki (similar to shabu shabu) and The Ramayana Restaurant in Bangkok, where we had our last day meal of the tour ~~ wow, it offers such cooking across the board, or such range of cuisines: Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, French and Cambodian. Thai food is beloved the world over, however nothing compares with enjoying this delightfully fresh and varied cuisine right in Thailand.

  We headed down the south coast from Bangkok to Pattaya. The number one draw to this place is its more than 2 miles of beach that border the city. We chartered a boat to Ko Lan Group of Islands and spend the whole morning with a couple of exciting activities ~~~ sea walking and jet skiing. Our group rented some deckchairs and just relaxed on the beach while we savor the tastes of freshly picked coconuts and mangosteens. This is a very popular destination for new exciting hotels and resorts as well as surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and exploring.

At night, we enjoyed "nuat paen boran" or traditional Thai massage from professionally accredited massage therapists. Spending 2 hours having my muscles slightly pushed and pulled and relaxed was an invigorating experience and it totally eradicated all the aches and pains I got from travelling and sitting on long bus journeys. This is one experience one should certainly indulge in.

THE CHARMS OF BANGKOK

We ended our adventure through Bangkok with a mesmerizing boat trip down the scenic Chao Phraya River also known as "Venice of the East." It was interesting to see the floating village along the river and the market vendors on boats while they sell their goods to passers-by.

Rattanakosin Island on the eastern shore, is the city’s historical and cultural heart. We visited here The Grand Palace which includes Wat Phra Kaeo, the nation’s most revered Buddhist shrine, called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Bangkok is a shopping paradise where you’ll find designer shops, unique markets, and colorful street vendors.

Here’s a rundown of the few stuffs I got: a small red purse, green tiger balm, Dior Detective Chic Eye Palette, bags from Charles and Keith, silver rings from CK, a Fossil watch for my hubby, dried pineapples and mangoes, cosmetic (powdered white pearls), chocolate, and some cute Thai souvenirs for my friends.

Every moment of this tour was a lush and still-life that makes me wonder: Can I ever go back to Thai ?

Sawadee ka !

Tick…tock…tick…tock…

It is almost 1 in the morning …. thank God ….I’m done with this chunk of work in front of me before going on my trip to "The Land of Smiles" ~~~ Thailand. My flight would be at 5:30 in the afternoon tomorrow and I am glad the "packing" is sooo over.

For the next five days, Silvia will be my natural companion for this Bangkok and Pattaya adventure. Both of us would love to experience excitement with some jet-setting sensibility in mind on this trip. Here, a look at a few of my travel essentials

          ㅇ  To sleep comfortably on any foreign bed, I like to wear my sky-blue cotton pajamas which I picked up from Carrefour a year ago. They go well with a plain white Hanes shirt and they just make every hotel room feel like home.

          ㅇ   I would love to keep my papers in order with my purple travel wallet from Paco Rabanne. There’s something delightfully refined about stowing tickets, bills and papers inside this sleek case designed for seamless passage.

          ㅇ   Whenever I travel, my skin becomes dry. I swear by Sisleya Global Anti-Age and Daily Line Reducer. They help me stay hydrated…regardless of the climate. There is such a thing as shopping fate. I got this travel kit ~~ for free :)                                          

          ㅇ   I will bring my red sandals from Merrell and my shoes from Bana Bana. They are very comfortable and stylish. Well, I would love to pound and navigate Bangkok’s pavement with some stiletto heels but …I would hate to see myself clinging to Silvia’s arm just after a 2-hour walk

          ㅇ   I keep my life organized in my Starbucks 2007 agenda. It’s a gift from my lovely sister ~ Ruth ~ …. Since I can make changes easily, I prefer it to anything electronic.

          ㅇ   My Beanpole shirts and Diesel and Levis denim jeans work for every occasion…. I can fold them easily and don’t wrinkle at all….comfy, right?

          ㅇ   There’s plenty to do in Thai’s sanctuary of sun. So, Sisley’s Broad Spectrum Sunscreen (Colorless), my cap and sunglasses will help me beat the heat while I spend sunshine-filled days with my friend…while we both barrel down the hotel’s waterslides or just walk above the clouds

          ㅇ   My swimsuit…of course (well, I got me a tunic to cover the … uummmm … bulges!)

          ㅇ   To capture every moment, my Sony digital camera will definitely go with me.

          ㅇ   And all these stuffs will go in my sturdy and spacious  luggage.

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Blogging has to take a backseat this week while I try to catch up with offline life. Promise to be back online next week. See you then….my fellow blogeuse. Will miss ya!

"I’m a girl!"                                                                        

Annette, a fellow blogger, made me smile after reading this catchy expression in her previous post. I thought I could also share my personal indulgences and some of my biggest love…. because…. "I’m a girl, too!"

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I’m a fan of BIG purses…bag binge? Yupp! I can definitely carry my life in them. And everybody else’s too. I adore duffel and weekender bags because of their several interior compartments and their side pockets. For parties, I can just carry my trendy blue and white Kate Spade purse.

Guess, Esprit, Liz Claiborne and Kate Spade…love ‘em! They’re always with me.

My satchel, top-zip and purses from Finno, Nicole and Bally need some washing

What’s in my bag?  My Starbucks 2007 Planner, car key, car remote, LG-Cyon Mobile Phone, Neutrogena Hand Cream, Electronic Dictionary, Face Powder, Staedler Pen, wallet from Replay (got this on sale at Shangri-La’s…only for P600) and my make-up pouch (well, it has a lip gloss, a scent-case, blush, Vichy Oligo 25 Yeux, lip brush, lip liner and a couple of thin liners).

This is fun! Gina, Len, Rose and Annette ~~~ a million "Thanks!" I can’t wait to read AJ’s, MJ’s and Menchu’s "What’s In MY Bag" entries

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Prime Time ~~~ well, watches are right in sync ~~~ whether from patent leather to pearls or vibrant colors to wood trims. Leather bands in  black, white and red are ineffably chic, adding elegance to anything you choose to pair them with. Don’t you just love Swatch watches? Yum! Fossil, Guess, Diesel and Armani have the power to electrify any monochromatic look. Tissot? Got to save some to have one

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Pssst!  Aging doesn’t have to hit us like uuumm…what ~~ a runaway train! There are nifty ways to look our best. Let’s keep aglow when we’re on the go.  I tone and moisturize my skin before applying make-up and after cleansing at night. "Celebrate our differences and find pride in our uniqueness." ( Laura Mercier)

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We could light up our skin that seems lit-from-within. There are beauty essentials that we have to have. Choose the right color for your skin tone and you’ll surely have glowing faces!  Chanel Double Perfection Makeup and SK Compact Powder are good in every season. I also adore Bobby Brown’s long-wear gel eyeliner. Mac products are yum, too! I use its Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15, Spice Lip Pencil and Viva Glam Matte Lipstick. My lip gloss is always there with me.   

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I use a lot of silver!  I find Morellato’s and Swatch blings creative craftmanship in their pieces. They are definitely frugal finds for under $100.

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Sweet sweet fragrances…. I guess every girl on this planet loves perfumes. My favorite ~~~ D&G’s Light Blue, Issey Miyake’s L’eau D’ Issey and Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea….. I call them….. my personal notes

I’m addicted to buying plain shirts and jeans. I also get myself a pair of shoes or peep-toe pumps whenever there’s something extra in the budget Well, slingbacks and suede flats are adorable, too. I love movies. DVD’s ? They’re in my list, too. Some of my favorites are Pretty Woman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Dave, Braveheart and T2. I’ve seen them too many times to count………. I have so much more to share………… How ’bout you?

"Let’s go!" With his easel, watercolor, paintbrushes and a couple of clear hardboard paper, Woojin excitedly called to everybody. He has to paint "something" for an art contest in school and he thought "The Yeon Pond" near our place would be a perfect subject for his work. He chose the perfect spot when we arrived at the place.

The Yeon Pond is just outside the Hwa-Seong Fortress. The landscape has been there since the 1590’s. With a very old watchtower behind the pond, it stands as a model for bringing history ~~ alive and vibrant ~~into the 21st century.

(that bench between those beauiful weeping willows reminds me of my dad. he used to sit and hang out there in the morning.)

While Woojin was working on his piece, several groups of tourists stormed the place. Some of them were professional photographers from Japan and most were visitors from other countries who came here to explore the country’s incomparable history.

The tour was over…I thought. Surprisingly though, their guide led them to the store around the corner. What is special about this tiny urban store? It isn’t a picture of urban perfection. Well, I know it’s surrounded by a placid pond, a burbling stream where young boys and girls can play in the summer and..and ..what else?  Searching for answers to my questions, I went inside the store to purchase bottles of drinks for Woojin and Yuna. Inside, the scene is even quainter: an assortment of wines and liquors (mind you.. they’re displayed with sophistication), a basket of colorful shoelaces and bands, the latest copy of Cosmopolitan and lots of special stuff for sale. The place provides one-stop-shopping for people looking to pick up just about anything ~~ dried and fresh fruits, snacks and cookies, refreshing traditional Korean drinks, disposable underwear and even scurrilous gossip! And the most important thing … the owner is so amicable … I heard he even tells his visitors where to go or not to go.  I should say it’s also an information booth Well, the store’s atmosphere is close and intimate, yet not confining. I smiled… it definitely responds to its customers’ needs. Now, I know why………

Went back to see Woojin’s progress in his work. It took me just twenty minutes to spy on the store but then his sketch is almost finished. A little help from me…then we finally took off.

Here’s my little boy’s craft:

(I made some changes in the title. MJ, my dear friend…suggested a couple of good titles. She’s right! Why didn’t I even think about my little boy’s work Thanks, MJ!

His eyes were teary while watching a documentary film about the "Twilight Zone" on Discovery Channel that night when I picked up my kids from the day’s work. I pretended not seeing him wipe those tears away.

The many stories about his struggles and endurance against lots of incredible odds came to me like a flash of light. That caused strange shivers down my spines.

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The "awakening" of his struggle to be himself came quick early in his childhood. When he was prepared enough to leave his isolated and destitute homeland, he and his older brother crossed the heavily mined DMZ or the 38th parallel, leaving their ‘abonnim’ (father), ‘omonnim’ (mother), and ‘dong-saeng-deul’ (siblings) behind. That wasn’t easy for them. They were separated for several years and both lived difficult lives in this new found "home."  He then served the South Korean Military for three years.

In 1989, hopes fueled in his heart when he learned that dozens of relatives from the North, who have had no communication since the war, were allowed to cross the border for four-day reunions. He hoped to see and to hug his parents and siblings, and so he formally dressed up ~~~ choosing his best set of suit in the closet. Along with his wife and three kids, he went to Seoul to check all the lists of names of those who were able to come. Thinking that he had overlooked any familiar names, I heard that he checked each list once…then twice…then… his eldest son held him tightly and told him that they should just leave the place and try next time. He returned home ~~ shattered ~~ with his heart ripped apart. I heard that he didn’t come out of his room ’til the next morning.

Two years ago, at 78, his older brother passed away. I saw that same sadness in his eyes. He hoped that his ‘family’ was there to see how both of them have made it through all those struggles and hardships. On one family gathering, I overheard him saying that he had lost his hopes of seeing his family again. And the worst thing he uttered… accepting that they had all finally reached their fate in a both maximally notorious and practically invisible nation.

My father-in-law is turning 79 next year. He had already fulfilled his dreams for his family. He has three loving children ~~ Jung-Hee, Ki-Sung and my husband… Mun-Seong. His children were his strength and hopes in living his life meaningfully. And his two great grandchildren ~~ Woojin and Yuna ~~~ continuously make him smile even on a weary day. And my mother-in-law…who is always there…through thick and thin…are all his wealth to keep when he leaves this world of chaos and forgetting all his memories from that place we think about …. without ever quite visualizing.

I really don’t know how it is like living in a country ruled by terror, violence, and propaganda, in thrall to a fascist cult of personality surrounding his former "Dear Leader"  Kim Il-Sung. I don’t know what it is like living in the most empty streets and deserted museums and even at crowded stadium events, as joyless as they are strange. My father-in-law does.This may sound dramatic to you but not to the Korean people. And I just hope, that when that "time" comes, he has already found peace in his heart .