On Work

Many people in this day and age would probably agree that staying in the same job for too long is not necessarily a good thing. In the past, people would consider it a success when a person stayed in a job for a long time and maybe even retired in the same job one started out with. 

I think it was a tough choice for me when it was time for me to move on from my first workplace after more than 5 years. I was already too comfortable and knew most of the people at my workplace. However, after leaving and starting work at another place, I realised, I should have left sooner. I do not regret my decisions, my journey did lead me to where I want to be today. I would recommend my juniors though, to keep an open mind and maybe not stay in a place for too long. 

I stayed on at the same workplace mainly due to not knowing what I wanted to do and I thought it was safer staying in a place I was familiar with. After exploring new places and trying out new things, you will come to understand what you are most interested in doing. It might be the same goal as when you first started out working or it might change. 

As a new journey is about to begin, again. I started to look back on when I first started work and the journey I took. It was not an easy journey with loads of ups and downs, but I do not regret anything. Do I know what will happen in the future? Will I stay in my next job for a longer time? I have no idea, I hope that I will be able to learn and grow, and hopefully enjoy my next workplace enough to stay there for a few more years. 

Just a quick update and a record to look back to in the future. 

Stay safe and healthy everyone ♥ 

Doom at your Service 어느 날 우리집 현관으로 멸망이 들어왔다 | Review

I’ve recently had the time to watch dramas aired in the past years, dramas that I’ve wanted to watch but didn’t have time to. “Doom at your service” was a drama that I had on my “plan to watch” list for the longest time. Wanted to watch it last year but it wasn’t completed and as I waited, I continued to forget about it as newer dramas aired. 

So, finally, I’ve had the time to watch it. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead, continue reading at your own risk.

Thirty-Nine 서른, 아홉 | Review

It's been a while since I last posted! I've been watching a lot of dramas and have not been able to catch up with writing the reviews. Not to worry! I'll get down to writing the reviews... soon... 

I wanted to do a weekly update of this drama but in the end, I couldn’t keep up with that frequent posting schedule. So, I’m here to write a review after watching the whole drama. 

WARNING: Spoilers ahead, continue reading at your own risk.

Forecasting Love and Weather 기상청 사람들: 사내연애 잔혹사 편 EP 1 - 8 | Review

Before I begin a new drama, let me get these thoughts out of the way. I’m basically breaking all of my own norms by starting on another ongoing drama. I’ve started on Forecasting Love and Weather as it was showing on Netflix. I saw some clips and it looked good. 

I shall briefly write about my thought for the first 8 episodes while waiting for the rest of the episodes to air. 

SPOILER WARNING

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics | Review

I haven’t been that into sunblock until I discovered more moles growing on my face and concluded it could be due to sun exposure after watching videos on Youtube. At that time, I didn’t see the need for sunblock and just went out bare faced, especially when I was lazy to put on any makeup. 

The first sunblock I started using was the Krave Beauty Beet the Sun, I repurchased this product and used it for quite a while (product has since been discontinued, hoping for a new sunblock from Krave soon). The next sunblock I’ve purchased is the Biore Light Up Essence (read review here). Now, I'm using the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics.  

I found out about this product as I saw some influencers and Youtubers recommending it. It looked pretty good and seemed quite affordable so I decided to buy it to try. 

Read on to find out more. 

Thirty-Nine 서른, 아홉 Episode 1 & 2 | Review

I’m starting on a new drama and I’m going to try to do an episode or 2 episode update instead of my usual whole drama review. I’m not sure how it’ll go but let’s give it a shot! 

This drama is currently ongoing and airing 2 episodes a week on Netflix. Hopefully, I can be patient and wait for the next week's episodes. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead, continue reading at your own risk. 

Somi XOXO | Review

It's long overdue but finally, I'm writing my thoughts on Somi's XOXO! 

I’m not sure if I’ve written reviews for Somi's songs in the past but I’ve been a fan since her debut… maybe even before her debut if you count I.O.I.  

 

When she made her solo debut, I was excited, and I was pleasantly surprised. Birthday was a great song!  

 

After Birthday, her next few comebacks all did well too, considering that she has a comeback only once a year.  

 

Out of her title tracks, Birthday, What you waiting for, Dumb Dumb and XOXO, I like XOXO the most. I think it's great that she has a say in the making of her songs and Music Videos. 

Here are my thoughts on her latest comeback! 

Our Beloved Summer 그 해 우리는 | Review

So, I've completed another drama! I didn’t expect to finish this drama that quickly, considering I started it only on Monday and I tend to watch Korean dramas slower than Chinese dramas (I watch Chinese dramas sped up hehe). 

I’m glad I waited for this drama to complete airing before starting on it. I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if I had to wait days to watch the next episode. Watching it back to back like what I did (I basically binge-watch most of my dramas, do not like waiting), provided a fuller picture of the storyline. I liked that it was on Netflix, the autoplay feature makes drama-watching life easier. 

You could probably also say that a new year’s resolution would be to write a review of dramas when I just completed it so it’s fresh in my mind. However, that also may mean the review may not have any structure and just me writing whatever thought I had when I finished the drama. 

Without further ado… here’s the review on Our Beloved Summer. 

Warning: Spoilers ahead, continue reading at your own risk. 

Crush 原来我很爱你 | Review

I finished this drama yesterday and I haven’t really formed concrete thoughts about it yet. Overall, though, I'd say it wasn’t very pleased with the whole outcome of the drama and if I had to give it a rating, it’d be 6.5/10. 

Those who have been reading my drama reviews (thank you if you do ♥), would probably know that I'm quite accepting of dramas with not-so-good plots if they have a happy ending or well-concluded ending.  

This drama did not leave viewers hanging BUT... yes, the BUT... I feel they could’ve done so much better with the plot. It had so much potential... 

I'm not sure how coherent this review is going to be but if you watched this drama and would like to hear my thoughts, please keep reading and join in the discussion.  

Warning: This post may contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not wish to continue reading.  

Original Sprout Miracle Detangler | Review

I don’t think I've written about any hair product before. To be honest, I don’t really fuss or do much with my hair. I used to get perms once yearly but I haven’t gotten a perm done since 2020. I’d probably explore dyeing my hair a different colour next but nothing too drastic.  

What are my thoughts on this product? 

Girls Planet 999 & Kep1er Songs | Review

It’s been a while since Girls Planet 999 ended and we are gearing up for Kep1er’s debut. I told myself, after Produce 48, I will not get so invested in another survival programme just because it was too sad watching the girls get eliminated from Produce 48. But… I got started on Girls Planet 999 from the first episode and I followed it closely every week. Lol.  

It was the whole scene with Choi Yujin and Fu Yaning that got me curious and once I started watching, there was no turning back...

Goodbye 2021, Welcome 2022

What have I been up to in 2021? 

It’s just customary to post something at the beginning of a new year to summarise and reflect on the past year. Once again, 2021, has been eventful. 

When I wrote the “Hello 2021” post at the beginning of the year, there were so many uncertainties mostly about Covid and what we were going to expect in the upcoming year was just, well, pretty much unknown. As I’m writing this post at the end of 2021, I don’t think things changed very much… it’s still a big unknown. 

Thankfully, with the vaccine and more people getting vaccinated, we see safety measures getting relaxed and people are starting to travel again. Things are slowly returning to normal but definitely not the same normal as pre-covid days. It’s the new normal. Everyone had to adapted… everyone adapted and we made it through another year. Good job to everyone! 

So here are some of my highlights of 2021.

#1 Staycations 

Another year or staycations instead of being able to travel. The first staycation happened during Phase 2A and basically, during that period, we couldn’t dine out. It was a different type of holiday but it was still better than nothing. 

The second staycation of the year was at MBS for 5 days. It was a proper break. During that time, I got to visit different places and do different things that I don’t normally do. There are quite a few things I’ve not done and places around the country that I’ve not seen. It was good to be able to take time off for a full break. 

#2 Changing Jobs 

This is the main reason why I was able to take a full break. After working at this preschool for a year or so, I decided to move on and try something new. I may write another post on the challenges of being a preschool teacher some other time. 

This new job is a little outside of what I’ve been doing the past 7 years but it’s equally if not even more rewarding. Plus, I get more time on hand, compared to feeling stressed out and have no time to do anything but work. It’s been about 3 months and I feel quite satisfied with what I’m doing now. 

#3 Vaccination 

I’m putting this down as a significant event because at that point in time I was looking forward to them developing a vaccine and hoping that everything could return to normal one day. Although, there were many concerns regarding getting vaccinated, getting Covid was probably more risky than getting vaccinated. Of course, by now, we would know that getting vaccinated isn’t 100% protection against Covid but it protects us from getting the full symptoms of Covid. 

With vaccination, it also started Vaccinated Travel Lanes and by November, quite a few countries opened their gates to travellers. Hopefully, we’ll get to travel sometime next year. Korea, here I come? Or Japan? 

What are my plans for 2022? 

Currently, my only plans are to get my new workplace more publicity, and of course, I’m really hoping to travel somewhere. I foresee these two plans will be able to keep me busy for the whole year. 

I hope that everyone had a good 2021 and will continue to stay safe in 2022. 

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha 갯마을 차차차 | Review

Once again late to the drama party by waiting for all the episodes of this drama to air before I started watching. However, this time, I managed to catch up with everyone else. I started watching this when episode 15 aired and completed it the day after the final episode 16 aired. So, I’m not that late to this drama party 🎉 but by the time this post goes up, it may be quite late.   

I did get some spoilers from those K-pop news sites and that almost made me decide not to watch the drama. I’m glad I decided to start watching drama.  

Warning: This post may contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not wish to continue reading. 

Stray Kids 24 to 25 | Review

It’s almost Christmas again 🎄 What’s Christmas without music right?  

Years ago, Christmas was a time for K-pop Christmas albums to drop. Lately, there have not been many Christmas albums. As such, I don’t think I've come across another Christmas song that I liked as much as EXO’s Miracles of December (2013) until Stray Kids’ Christmas EveL album came out this year.  

Here’s me trying to stay objective about this album as a new Stay ◡̈  

Bioré UV Light Up Essence | Review

I haven’t been a big fan of using sunblock until recent years after learning that exposure to sun can cause additional skin problems like break outs, more moles and maybe even skin cancer in the long run. Since then, it has been an aim of mine to find a good sunblock.

The previous sunblock I was using was good but it was being discontinued due to a discrepancy in the SPF rating. I still had quite a bit left but after testing, the SPF wasn’t as high as stated which means I wasn’t getting that much protection… So I had to find another alternative sunblock fast. 

After looking around for a while, this Biore UV Light Up Essence sunblock kept popping up on my timeline. Plus, it was pretty affordable, ranging from $16 - $19. It also has SPF50+ PA++++. 

My thoughts on this product…

My Fated Boy 我的邻居长不大 | Review

I have been into watching more Chinese dramas as compared to Korean dramas recently. I find that Chinese dramas, most of the time, are pretty predictable and thus, lighthearted. 

Lately, the Chinese dramas I’ve watched have somewhat similar storylines. Rather cliche storylines but not complaining as it makes it something easy to watch. 

Like every cliche or predictable drama that I’ve watched, I still end up watching them just to find out how the story unfolds. Even the most cliche dramas can end up cringe-worthy.

Warning: This post may contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not wish to continue reading. 

True Beauty 여신강림 | Review

It’s been a while since I’ve written a drama review! I’ve been busy with work and have been putting off drama watching and using the time to sleep and rest instead.

First off, I love the webtoon that this drama is based on. I started reading the webtoon during “Circuit Breaker” last year and I was hooked from the first episode! When I heard they were making it into a drama, I was a little skeptical. How were they going to turn someone ugly into someone pretty? 

As the webtoon is still ongoing I wasn’t sure what to expect with the drama. They definitely wouldn’t be able to follow the original webtoon since the storyline has yet to be complete. So I began watching wanting to find out how different it would be. 

Warning: This post may contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not wish to continue reading. 

BTS Permission to Dance | Review

It's been a long time since I've liked any song as much as this song! This song has been a constant earworm and played on repeat since it was released. I even got the kids at work hooked onto this song from the constant singing and using this song to wake them up from naps. 

What exactly do I like about this song? 

Taeyeon U R | Review

I haven't really been writing about new song recommendations much recently because I've been listening to the same songs over and over again. Occasionally, I do get hooked on a new song or fall in love with a song I've heard before. 

In this case, this song isn't a new song but I don't think I've heard it till a few months ago but even then, I didn't think I'd love it until now. It's been quite a persistent earworm and I've been wanting to sing it during my online k-sessions. 

I Cannot Hug You 无法拥抱的你 | Review

I watched this drama some time ago and began on this drama review then but paused and didn't continue it for awhile. So here goes nothing! 

Over time, I've added more and more dramas to my "plan to watch" list on mydramalist and the list got really long. Thus far, I did drop a few dramas but most of the dramas I've watched in the recent months have not disappointed! Except maybe a web drama that I just completed... I'll save this for another post.  

For some strange reason, I actually started watching this from the beginning and not somewhere in the middle like what I normally do. Halfway through, I realised that this drama was 32 episodes only because there were 2 seasons! I wasn't complaining though, as the plot was really interesting and I wanted to see how it would play out. 

Warning: This post may contain spoilers so if you have not watched the drama, you may not wish to continue reading.