2/28/10

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise

Annyeong everyone,

Unfortunately this idiom doesn't apply to me. Ever since I was 12 I've had trouble sleeping. I've absolutely no problem with waking up though; I always wake up at 10 to 6 am. ALWAYS. No matter if it's the weekend or a holiday. I might stay in bed longer, but I'll always be doing something. Reading, thinking, daydreaming. Anything but sleeping.
It's just my biological clock, can't help it. But sleeping, now that's the real problem. It takes several hours for me to fall asleep, even when I'm dead tired. I've tried to make myself physically tired, didn't work. I've tried listening to music, didn't work. It even makes it worse.
You see, even when I'm not listening to music, there's always a song playing in my head. Even if I'm busy with other things, there's always a song playing through my mind on repeat. I can't seem to stop it, merely change the song. OTL

I've even tried to empty my mind - which I'm no good at, I fail miserably at meditating - but all that happens is this: I try to force my thoughts out by thinking things like "Stop" or "Go away!" or "Don't think". However this only makes things more difficult. That one thought becomes the only thought in my head. And it repeats itself on and on and on. Something like this: "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" "Don't think" X 100000000000000000 into infinity.

I think my sleeping problems come from my over-active brain. I'm always thinking or brooding or daydreaming or picturing. My brain is always busy. So I usually go to bed around 8 pm (yeah I know, early) to give my body the rest it needs, but I'll be staring at the ceiling for hours, fantasizing away until I finally fall asleep. Yet I'm never tired when I wake up. What's up with that?

Curse ya faulty brain! Kekeke, I'm just kidding. Even though my brain is always working and making me daydream, even when I'm watching tv or listen to music - which means I'm living my life zoned out completely ^0^ - I'm content. That's just the way I am and how I work. 
Besides, my over-active brain has given me a lot of advantages too. It has given me my own imaginary realm of wonder from which I get inspiration for my novels and provides me with an escape from the real world when I need a break. My brain has given me the capacity and ability to be open to, love and understand cultures/languages other than mine and given me a special interest I will treasure for the rest of my life.
Maybe my brain is wired differently compared to others, but that doesn't make it any better or worse. Just different. Unique. And we should all treasure our uniqueness, right?  

Uniqueness hwaiting!! Special interest gambare!! Repeated music in my head hwaiting!!

Sayonara mina!

2/27/10

The time is now!

Annyeong everyone,

I wasn't going to post today but to quote Lee Hyori: "The time is now!" I should't postpone if I don't have to. Today I finally finished IRIS and though it was epic, the ending was very sad. I heard there is going to be a season two, but I have no idea how they want to pull that one of. Most of the important characters are dead. But who knows? It might be another epic drama.

I also went to my aunt and my cousins. I might have told you about it already; they've got an American bulldog puppy. He is the cutest thing ever! He was so enthusiastic and happy to meet us! He was very eager to play with us and cuddle with us, kekeke.
I had my doubts about him at first, but not anymore. I do hope he calms down a little when he's older and bigger, because he's already very strong! He almost pulled my arm off!

Oh! I totally forgot! Yesterday I watched a movie called Ip Man, about Chinese martial arts and the history of China. Too bad it had poorly translated subtitles..I hardly had any inkling of what was going on! I understood the dialogue alright, but the Chinese writings weren't translated. Anyways, I would strongly suggest it. Great movie.

Sayonara mina!

2/21/10

Slush reading, Seuss style

Annyeong everyone,

I just found this on the internet and thought I'd share it with you:
http://www.jimchines.com/2009/09/slush-reading/
Hope you enjoy it!

Sayonara mina

2/19/10

12 days of fleshing out characters

Annyeong everone *^o^*

Well, I'm not really going to be fleshing out characters: one per day seems pretty slow to me, kekeke. But yeah, I'm STILL working on them non-stop.
And the worst part is: when I finished one and begin to work on another, I suddenly get these brilliant ideas for the former! It's like I'm not getting any further and keep working on the same character over and over and over again. It's driving me crazy!! ToT
Anyhow, the plotting isn't going so well either. I have the basic plan in my head and the beginning on paper and now I'm stuck. I know what I want, but I just can't jot it down. But jotting it down is very important, because I have an unreliable memory. I sometimes  forget something 2 seconds after it's been told. I even have times when I walk into the kitchen/my room/any other place in the house and then realize I forgot what I was going to do. (EPIC FAIL)
That's why it's important for me to write ideas down or record them.

Well, I'm sure my head gets unstuck after a while and I'll be able to plot out my entire novel on paper or the computer. I'll probably write it down first anyways and then type it all out on the computer...And I'll probably hit my head against my imaginary wall for giving myself extra work.
Ah well....story of my life. OTL

Sayonara mina!

2/18/10

Happy birthday Changmin!

Annyeong everyone,

Today is the 22nd birthday (or 23rd in Korea) of the funniest maknae in the Korean entertainment business! I hope you have a wonderful day and I wish you good health and happiness for all the years to come, Changminnie!








I've always liked Changmin, even when Junsu stole his cute image, kekeke. He's witty, smart and serious all at the same time. Changmin usually doesn't say that much, but when he does, he's just as funny as JaeJoong. He has the greatest comebacks!
He's often described as a young boy with old man's brain...and it's often been said that I have an old mind as well. Let's just take that as a compliment, Max. Put all your worries behind you and have a great day! You deserve it.


Watch their debut song to see him still being cute:


Sayonara mina

2/15/10

Just a QuickE!

Annyeong everyone,

I watched DBSK's newly released drama Dating on Earth. I think it's actually a lot better than their banjun dramas, because there's more drama. But SME totally ruined the thing by editing out vital scenes! You should really watch the scenes that were cut out, becaue if you've seen those, the story suddenly makes a lot more sense!
All in all, a fun drama to watch. =D

Sayonara mina!

2/14/10

Adoption is when a child grew in its mommy's heart instead of her tummy

Annyeong everyone,

Now, everyone who 'knows' me - and with knowing I actually mean: has had a deep and meaningful conversation with - knows I've always wanted to adopt. Ever since I was young and knew the meaning of adoption, I wanted to do it. It's become a dream for me, an ambition (just like emigration, because I ain't staying here!!!). I'm only 18 while I'm writing this, so technically I shouldn't be thinking of having children at all (only the way of 'making' them) but I've caught myself often daydreaming and worrying about my future adoptive children.

My reason for adoption? Why not give an orphan the love/care he or she needs? Why overpopulate the world even more when there are so many parentless children who need your love and affection? Now I'm not saying you shouldn't have children of your own, but that's not the only possibility to create a family.
Ever since I was little I began searching for information on adoption (mostly through English sites though) and I think I have an good idea what it's gonna be like.
Of course, you never know what it will BE like until you experience it.

I want to adopt Asia...specificly Japan, South-Korea and in a lesser sense China. Why? Because I think when you from adopt, you should always teach your children about their culture. I happen to know a bit more about the cultures of Japan and South-Korea. I want to adopt from China for a number of other reasons: one being that my ancerstors came from China.
I realize that it's going to be blaringly obvious for everyone to see that my future adoptive kids are adopted, but should that matter?
To illustrate what I'm talking about, I'll explain my heritage. I'm a mix of a lot of races, but I guess you could classify me as black. I'm not a big fan of being called black, because my hair is black and my skin brown, but that's beside the point. Those who don't care about my descent: please, scroll on down!

My blood comes from:

~ China --> my ancestors from my mom's side appearantly. This doesn't show in my appearance at all, though when I tell my friends about my ancestory they often mention the eyes. My eyes however aren't slanted, they're almond shaped. Angelina Jolie also has almond shaped eyes...get my point? Nothing Asian about that. I do have to mention that I'm the only one in my family that is SO fascinated by Asia and it's culture. My niece often jokingly calls me an alien. I also feel more connected with the Asian culture than any of the other cultures my blood/birth links me to. I'm especially proud of my surname: Tjong Ayong.

~ Suriname (Surinam) --> Everyone who knows a little about Suriname, knows there are a lot of different cultures and races present there. A lot of  Surinamese people are mixed. As am I. Eveyone of my family is Surinamese, but they also have other ancestory. My mother's Surinamese side has its roots in China. If you want to know more about Suriname, please look it up, don't ask me. I hardly know anything about Suriname, I can't even understand/speak/read/write the language. Is that a bad thing? Maybe. My mom has often said I should be more interested in my heritage, but isn't the Asian culture part of my heritage too? Okay, I'm more interested in Japan and South-Korea...let's move on, shall we?

~ Java --> My father's side. An island belonging to Indonesia, please correct me if I'm wrong. I really don't know much about Java, but I want to learn more. It lies in Southeast Asia (maybe that's another reason why I love Asia so much).

~ India --> My father's side. I also don't know as much about India as I should. Only that it's in the south of Asia. I've watched a few Bollywood movies (hated them) but I don't think that's representative for it's culture. I know cows are holy...That's pretty cool.

~ The Netherlands --> Born and raised here! Still being "raised" here XD. Born in Amsterdam, lived there for 7 years. There is an article about Dutch customs and etiquette: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_customs_and_etiquette . Some things are true, some somewhat, some not. But I found it quite entertaining. I've read a couple of discussions on the internet about how the Dutch are insanely rude and how the country's going to pot. This isn't true (not for all Dutch people anyways). If you want me to adress these aspects, let me know. I'll give you my two cents.

We also have some Indian (read Native American) blood in the family, but let's not go there right now. I'm totally clueless about anyways.

~~~~~~~Back to the topic of adoption:

I can see myself adopting children from firstborns to toddlers. I wouldn't consider teenagers if it were my 'first' child, because I wouldn't be experienced enough for that.  However I just read somewhere that South-Korea is trying to reduce the percentage of transracial/transcultural adoptions. And that they want to put a full stop on it in 2012. And I hear adopting in Japan is frowned upon. I don't know if I should be worried or not.

Two things about adoption are bothering me though:

1) The fact that adopting seems to have become a trend. Everyone is doing it nowadays. It's the celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Madonna who have made it so popular. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but when people start adoption only because famous people are doing it and it's IN, that's when it becomes dangerous. People don't really think about the consequences any more. You need to adopt because you want to and have wanted to for a long time, not because the Rich and Famous are doing it!

2) Renaming those kids. I believe that if you adopt you should try to maintain their birthname, or at least give them a name in their own language. If their birthname is completely pronounceable, keep it. If it isn't, try to change it to a similar name in the same language, or one with the same meaning. IF, and I emphasise IF, you change the name; give the kid a cool name. Don't give them a totally Dutch or American or whatever country your from name. Just don't. A name is part of one's identity. Don't change a name like Seul Gi (pronounceable) into Kitty.
For the love of [insert prefered deity here] DON'T. And please, don't give them names that will invite bullying from everyone from children to adults. You don't name your kid 'Pilot Inspector'  unless you want him to be bullied. Don't you think your kids will hate you when you give them a name like Pixie, AudioVisual or Chemical reaction? Don't give them car brand names, don't name them after your dog and don't give them 57 middle names! JUST DON'T!

Well, that was my rant about adoption. If there are like-minded people out there of my age, drop me a comment. I'd like to have a deep and meaningful conversation with you, if possible.

Sayonara mina!

2/10/10

Out of my mind

Annyeong everyone,

The strangest thing happened to me yesterday! The only reason I'm writing about this now, is because yesterday I had not the time nor the mindset to write about that strange and awful event.

I had a lecture about trends in the media which was going to take up 3 hours. Now there's nothing wrong with that except for the fact that the building we were in has no tables so you have to use your own lap as one, and that seriously comprimises your handwriting.
Well, my handwriting is horrible and unreadable to anyone but me anyways, so maybe I shouldn't complain. But that's beside the point.

I was sitting, all ready to learn and all that, when IT happened. I don't know what it was or how to call it. ( Sensory overload, instant brain malfunction??) It took me by surprise. Let me explain what happend: I was trying to concentrate on the teacher - which was already a hard job because she kept stopping in mid-sentence and starting over again - but for some reason I couldn't.
The people behind me were talking, the people next to me were talking, the people in front of me were talking; everyone everywhere was talking. A problem? Usually not, it's kinda normal.

Yesterday, however, I couldn't filter the sounds. Trying to focus only on what the teacher was saying became impossible. Thinking became impossible. Suddenly I couldn't filter out ANY sound. And then, in a last desperate attempt to avoid me going mental, my brain just shut down. Leaving me in a state of sheer confusion.
I left the lecture early and just concentrated on my music and nothing else while going home. When I came home, my mom was playing music and to my ears it sounded terrible loud. She then started talking to me and I realized I wasn't able to filter out the music while she talked. I almost slipped back into a shutdown. I begged my mom to turn off the music.

Weird aye? A little creepy too.

I've always had problems with sound. My little sister and my mom tend to turn on sound (TV, radio etc) very loud. At least to me. I'm always asking them to turn the noise down. That's one of the reasons I don't like going out. There are too many (loud) sounds: the music, the people talking to each other, people talking to me, people who sing along with the music. It's hell.
That and the flickering lights. Concerts are easier - not that I go to concerts frequently - because I only have to concentrate on the music. When I focus on one thing only, everything else disappears. But it's not like I can't multitask. Heavens no! I'm a champion at multitasking if I may say so myself.
I'm afraid of thunder and lightening, but it's the thunder that has the scariest impact on me, while I know that thunder is harmless and lightening could actually kill you. I just have issues with sounds. Especially when they're loud.  

Well, let's just hope something like this never happens to me again,

Sayonara, mina

2/8/10

Chinese words of wisdom

Annyeong everyone,

Now...I can't speak, understand, write or read Chinese. But I remember we used to have this little book at home filled with Chinese words of wisdom...translated to Dutch of course.

I'd like to share it with you, so I'll translate the Dutch translation of the Chinese into English. Yeah I know 0.o

"If there is a fly on the forehead of your friend, do not remove it with an axe."

Seriously...that's what it said. I think it's inspirational...sorta...kinda...

Anyways, we should follow that advice!

Sayonara, mina!

2/7/10

Dogbreeders, wake up and do something!

Annyeong everyone...

Just a link I wanted to post, to make people aware of the problems many dogbreeds face these days.
It's a very touching BBC documentary and shows just how selfish and ignorant humans can be when it concerns dogs.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=44215931

I would say enjoy...but I doubt you will.

Sayonara mina

Top dog

Annyeong everyone,

I love dogs. Not all dogs of course, only the ones who still remotely look like wolves. Why? Because I love wolves. But let's keep my love for those wise and beautiful creatures for another post. I got the idea for this post when my aunt announced she has bought a American bulldog pup. I'm really curious how he is (because I'm not a fan of bulldogs at all). We're probably going to visit him in two weeks or so.

So, wolflike dogs. Which breeds have what it requires to be "wolflike"? Well, the smaller breeds obviously don't qualify. A Poodle or a Terrier doesn't doesn't even look like a wolf anymore. (Some Poodles don't even look like dogs anymore...poor animals) BTW: I'm listing these wolflike breeds randomly and I'm only commenting elaborately on the first breed.

The 1st breed (and my personal favourite!!!) is the wolfhound. You have two different breeds of wolfhounds: the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and the Saarlooswolfhond (Saarloos Wolfhound).

                                                             Czechoslovakian Wolfdog:  


Saarloos wolfhond:


Now, my favourite of the two is the Saarloos, mainly because it looks a little bit more wolfish than the Czech. I would like to own a Saarloos or two when I'm older. Maybe a Czech too, though a Czech still retains more doggish behaviour. I've heard the Czech is much like a German Shepard in nature.
I'm trying to find as much info on these two as possible, but because they're both a relative 'new' breed, there's not that much information.  The Saarloos is a Dutch breed and is mostly seen in The Netherlands and Germany...but I haven't actually seen them on the street yet. The Saarloos has a very reserved personalities and will sonner flee than fight.

The 2nd breed is the Alaskan Malamute:

                          
Has a broader face than a wolf....but still

The 3rd breed is the Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael):

Still has a bit of wolflike features, don't you think?

The 4th breed is the Berger Blanc Suisse:
The puppy is so cute!

The 5th breed is the German Shepherd:
Doglike, yes. Wolflike...more so than others...

The 6th breed is the Greenland Dog:
Northern breeds often tend to look more wolflike.

The 7th breed is the Seppala Siberian Sleddog:
Looks a bit like a husky, right?

The 8th breed is the Shiba Inu:
Yeah...remember what I said about small breeds...wel this one's pretty small too.

The 9th breed is the Shikoku:
Yay, a Japanese breed like the Shiba Inu!

The 10th breed is the Siberian Husky:
There's no way this one isn't on my list!

The 11th breed is the Tamaskan Dog:
Wow...these look so much like wolves!


Well that was it for now, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment!

Sayonara mina

A Late Happy Birthday Yunho

Annyeong everyone,


To my shame I must admit I forgot to blog about U-know Yunho's birthday. My (lame) excuse is that yesterday I had a lot to do for school. So to redeem myself, I will blog about his birthday today. It's a day late, I know, but at least I'm doing it.




So a very late HAPPY BIRTHDAY U-KNOW YUNHO!







He's turned 24 (or 25 in Korea) and that is a cause for celebration. I hope you have a wonderful day and I wish you good health and happiness for all the years to come, Yunho!


It's hard to believe he's still so young! Well...he's older than I am (me being 18) but still. For such a young man, he has displayed great leadership qualities and I'm proud of him. I don't think DBSK would have been the same DBSK I love if one of the other members had been the leader.
Even though he has a manly personality and oozes leadership, he also has a very playful childlike side. Anyone who can combine cuteness with manliness is a genius. 
I hope you put your worries and troubles behind you, Yunho and enjoy 2010 a little bit more.

See for yourself just how amazing the DBSK boys are!!

2/5/10

Leopard can't change its spots

Annyeong everyone,

Leopard can't change its spots. That is sooo true. At least it is for me. Change - in any way - is hard for me. Whether it's a change of hairstyle, change of colour or a change in setting. I'm a bit of a slob, so I tend to leave things on my bedroom floor (though I stack it up neatly). My mom is like the most neat person you will ever meet and we often have words because of my sloppiness; though I think I'm still pretty neat when I'm being sloppy.
Sometimes she'd clean up my room (a big NO-NO for me) and I'd go ballistic inside my head, because I couldn't find anything anymore. I'd be in a state of sheer panic because nothing was the way I'd left it and I wouldn't calm down until I had put everything back the way it was. Much to the annoyance of my mother.
This actually happened a number of times until she finally realized that she isn't allowed to change anything in my room.
My room is my own and if something isn't right, I feel all weird and I have to put it back the way it was. I need order, even the sloppy kind. I NEED to know where everything is.

Another problem for me is when someone I know changes their appearance in a way. This could be a haircut, a new haircolour, growing a mustache, you get the point. When I get used to something, for instance the way someone looks, that becomes a permanent image. So when people change, to me...it's like they're not them anymore. They're someone else. I really need time to adjust my image of who and what that person is. The same goes for myself. I have had the same hairstyle my entire life.
I don't get bored with it, it doesn't get old. It's me. I remember a time when I was about to turn 14 and my mom cut my hair. I was astounded and I didn't feel like myself for a couple of days.
The hairstyle hadn't even changed; it was just a bit shorter. And yet I couldn't get myself to like it, I still look back at pictures and videos of that time and hate it.

But the biggest problem with me is that when something has become routine for me (I rely heavily on routine) I can't change it anymore. Example: My week is always split up in cetain segments (excluding school, work etc). Monday I watch the newest episode of One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist, Tuesday or Wednesday I watch the newest episode of House, Thursday I don't necessarily have anything to watch and Friday I read  the newest manga/manhwa chapters of Naruto, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Skip Beat, The breaker, The One etc. This is a normal week for me. I usually squeeze in some Korean dramas during my spare time, but I don't have a scedule for that.
Sometimes manga writers take a week off. So there's no One Piece or Naruto. This is hard for me, because it's my routine to watch the newest episode/read the newest chapter. I NEED to watch/read something which has to do with those manga/anime. So usually I go watch an old episode or four, to calm myself down.
I also have difficulties to change myself or things that I do. I have a habit of brushing my teeth while in the shower but my mom is always complaining that this is wasting water.
In a way I agree and I try to stop doing this. However, the moment I get in the shower I've already put the toothbrush in my mouth and I've started brushing. I just can't stop it because I'm unaware of it. I'm doing it automaticly.

So change in itself is very hard for me, but I need to learn to adjust faster. Or it might become a big problem in the future.

Sayonara mina

2/3/10

Gay is okay

Annyeong everyone,

I always wonder why certain people are so narrow-minded? Why do some guys look at others who are a little bit more feminine and call them gay? First of all: why is being gay so offensive? I don't get it. I'm a heterosexual myself, but I have gay friends and I don't see why certain people are so offended by their entire existence? Why do people think you CHOOSE to be gay? And why is it so important whether you're gay or straight? Seriously, why care about someone else's sexual preferences? (unless their preferences are underage, unwilling boys/girls...or animals...that I can understand)
I don't think there's anything wrong with gay people.

I don't understand why guys who are more in touch with their feminine side immediately will be called gay, by probably the majority of  "straight" guys. Western guys and girls (obviously not all of them) usually aren't very comfortable with Korean and Japanese celebrities, because of their high voices, longer hair, feminine faces and feminie behaviour.
They instantly label them as gay...for no reason. Their sense of style and behaviour is different from ours, but that doesn't neccesarily make them bad or gay....AND THERE'S NOTHING BAD ABOUT BEING GAY OR BI.
A lot of k-pop fans would like their stars to make it big in America...but they're afraid their idols will be judged unfairly.

I'd just like people to look past the looks of others, and concentrate on their talents  and personality first! Seriously, people have to grow up and don't be so superficial! This is the 21st century for goodness sake! And stop using the words gay/bi as an insult, because you're not insulting that person, you're insulting your own intellect and your parents who didn't raise an idiot.

Sayonara mina