June 26, 2009
Bliss
It's been awhile since I last updated about my life - for those interested in knowing, read on. Otherwise, skip this! Work, freelance work, and paddling have been the main things that I have been preoccupied with. I haven't had the time to really sit down and write, and I've been paddling quite a bit. People who don't understand why I love outrigger canoeing think I, and my teammates, are insane to be making our way to Sentosa's Tanjong Beach on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6 to paddle. We're out of the water by 7.45am and usually I'm off the island by 8.15am. After which I head to work. Morning paddles are so refreshing and what better way to greet the start of a new day than to see the sunrise as you paddle in the sea with a fresh, cool breeze blowing against your face? Such little pleasures in life are priceless.
The trip to Korea was FANTASTIC. Loved the food, got to meet up with a friend and made some new friends. More photos will continue from the previous two entries.
Well, speaking of little pleasures in life that are priceless, I now have to mention last Tuesday 16 June. That day will always be a special day for me and will be one of the most memorable days of 2009. It's been a long while since I've had such an absolutely wonderful day and on that day I could say I was truly happy. The day started out with a morning sunrise paddle which is always lovely. Instead of having to rush off after the paddle, I lingered around in Tanjong Beach as I had taken the day off. Monoceros and I had agreed to spend the morning and afternoon as beach bums.
The paddle finished at 8.15 and so I lay on the beach and waited for monoceros to turn up. While waiting, I revelled in the quietness and tranquility of the scene that lay before me. For once, the beach was pretty much empty save for a person or two who was walking along the beach or who had come for a morning swim with a dog. Still, it was a big difference from the beach I know at the weekend. Monoceros arrived at the beach at about 9.30am. She took a dip in the water while I lay on the beach to dry off from my morning paddle. At mid-day we walked to Palawan Beach's food court for lunch and then headed back to Tanjong Beach for more beach bumming. I swear I was born to be a beach bum.
Bliss is when there's a quiet beach lying in front of you with the morning sun kissing your skin with warm rays and the morning sea breeze caressing your face. Bliss is when you lie on the beach and look up at the everchanging fluffy white clouds floating past against the backdrop of a massive blue canvas. Bliss is when you hear nothing but the sound of waves lapping up the shore. Bliss is when you're spending a weekday as a beach bum when everyone else is in the office. Bliss is when you're stretched out on the sand with a book in hand. Bliss is when your best pal is lying beside you on the beach and the both of you are talking about anything and everything, laughing and lamenting together about life, men, love, movies, music, books, tan lines, hair, fashion, etc. Read monoceros's account of the day here.
Tanjong Beach may not be the nicest beach in the world, but it is a beach that is very special to me. I've spent countless hours there because of a sport (i.e outrigger canoeing) that I love and I've forged many friendships there as well. At 3.30pm, monoceros and I finally left Tanjong Beach. When we left the beach, I had transformed myself from beach bum to lady. I was wearing a dress and a pair of green high heels and had put on make-up. I then drove myself to One 15 Marina in Sentosa Cove where an ex-classmate from junior college was going to have his marriage solemnization ceremony. There were other ex-classmates in attendance and the wedding was an elegant, simple and intimate affair with only about 40 guests - very tastefully done.
At 8pm, I found myself at Pinchos, the bar and restaurant located at 8 Rochester Park. I was there to join my teammates for pub quiz night! I love pub quizzes. I love being tested on trivia - it's the nerd in me. Yes, my brain stores all sorts of useless information. The night was filled with good conversation and lots of laughter and I felt so blessed to have such great friends. I'm not the most sociable paddler on the paddling scene, but it's enough that I have this small group of paddling pals whom I can really call my good friends.
So yes, Tuesday 16 June 2009 was a day that was filled with many wonderful moments. It was a day that I felt truly happy and blissful especially when I was at the beach. It's one of those rare days when everything goes right and nothing in the world could spoil it. Such moments in life are truly rare and it's a day I'll always look back upon with fond memories. When monoceros and I left the beach, I think a tinge of sadness and nostalgia lingered in our hearts because we were both aware that it'll be a lllllooooonnnngggg time before we get to do something like that again. Why? Well, we'll both be starting new jobs and it'll be difficult finding time to do something similar in the near future. Tanjong Beach at the weekend is just not the same as Tanjong Beach on a weekday.
And oh, one more piece of news for the friends who read this blog and whom I've failed to inform - I'm relocating to Hong Kong for work come 2 August. It was decision that was made three weeks ago and things have been progressing fast in preparation for the move. On a personal and career level, this will be a good change for me and something that has come at the right time. It's something I need at this point in my life. Wanderlust is stirring again and I could do with a change in my social scene. Career-wise, it's also time for me to move on as where I am currently isn't a place I can, or should, stay for long. As monoceros wrote in her entry, "We're horses whose thirst for life and light and landscape is too seldom slaked." Indeed, I'm a bit of a wild horse.
Like a wild horse, the restless spirit in me needs to find new pastures to run and graze upon. DimSumDolly will be continuing her adventures in Hong Kong, the land of dimsum! Hooray! Wish me luck!
June 18, 2009
Gangneung - Part 2
A few more snapshots from Gangneung...
This is the touristy Seaside Train that runs along the coast for about 1 hour 20 minutes from Gangneung to Samcheok. The day that I took it was a lovely one so it was a scenic ride down the coast. Sometimes soldiers and students wave at you from along the road as the train chugs along the tracks. :)
The middle carriage with all the hearts is supposed to be the carriage for couples. Apparently men like to propose there. That's what I read on some website anyway.
Do you believe me now?
The seats are refitted so that they are face the side and the windows are made bigger so that people have an unobstructed view of the sea. How smart! There is a running commentary by a train staff but obviously I couldn't understand a single word.
The train journey is made interesting by making passengers wave at the cameras (and then you see yourself on the monitor perched in front) and there's also Bingo! Passengers are each given a Bingo card and numbers appear on the monitor. About 30 numbers are thrown up and there is a high chance of Bingo-ing. But I wasn't so lucky. A Korean lady in her 50s sitting three seats (the one on the right in the picture) from me Bingo-ed and her prize was a bag of snacks which she very generously shared with her two friends and me!
Jeongdongjin station where a hotel in the shape of a cruise ship sits atop a hill.
Barb wire fencing stretches along the coast to prevent North Korea defectors from entering South Korea. Gangneung is in the northeast of the Korean peninsula and is close to North Korea.
Rooftops of one of villages along the coast
Pine trees along the coast - Gangneung is an area in South Korea known for its pine trees that are unique to the region.
June 16, 2009
Gangneung - Part 1
The first three days of my trip to Korea was spent in Gangneung, a seaside city in Gangwan-do province in the north east of South Korea. Here are a few snapshots from the place.
The bed in the pension (similar to a motel but that's what they call it in Korea) I was staying at. I thought I had walked into a Strawberry Shortcake cartoon. WAY too pink for my liking.
Mirror image
The curtains were made from the same cloth as the bedsheet. Pink overkill. There's a small stove, sink, and mini fridge in the room as well. The balcony outside also comes with a small grill for those inclined towards a mini BBQ.
The pension faces Gyeongpo Beach, a popular beach that Koreans go to in summer to enjoy the sun and sea.
Market in the city centre
Grains and millet for sale
Women line the streets with their fresh produce. Many old ladies were selling fruits and vegetables by the small lanes. The men were the ones selling meats.
A truck full of garlic
Couldn't quite figure out what these were, but they looked like baby eels to me. Many stalls were selling them.
Different varieties of dried fish
It's almost as if these fish are singing in unison.