South Korea, Arrival: Incheon - Ansan - Seongnam

     Here I'm writing what I've promised you restizens earlier, days in the life in South Korea. This happened last year when I got my scholarship in The Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) which is located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi province. There were two students from my university who actually got picked by the AKS, me and Ayum. Ayum was from Korean Literature Department ("was" because she's graduated and at the moment is working in Samsung Electronics). The grantees of this program mostly majored Korean Literature, only less than 5 students majored other studies (including me). There were 28 grantees from around the world in total. Early warning: this post is gonna be kinda long because I actually had a very long yet exciting day even in the first day I arrived in South Korea. Thank you for staying still~^^

***

Incheon

me at Incheon airport (excuse my bed face)

     After the not-so-long flight from Kuala Lumpur (6 hours), me and Ayum finally touched down in Incheon airport. As you see at the picture above, it was around 8AM. We were sleeping like beggars at the plane since our flight departure was at 2AM ㅠㅜ Once we arrived we were like, "oh so this is one of the best airports in the world... definitely deserves the title!" Everything is so fancy, well-managed, and sophisticated in Incheon (well compared to the airports in my country lol). We were picked up by Jinho (read: Jino) oppa (was a student of Hanseo University). We talked a lot inside the car whilst our car passing thru Incheon bridge. As a Korean, Jinho oppa speaks good English. Maybe that's why he could pass his pilot academy. My Korean ability was not so good that time, so meeting Koreans who speak English was such a relief.

     This might be personal, but there was this sweet moment when Jinho oppa asked, "you wanna listen to any song?" then Ayum answered, "어떤 노래도 괜찮아요 (any song is alright)," since we couldn't think of any song in head due to tiredness. Jinho oppa started to scroll down his playlist and then Seoul Song was played. Omg Jinho oppa got so much sense! Once I stepped my feet onto the Land of Morning Calm, the first song I listened to was a nice song that describes dynamic Seoul very well. Frankly, I'd never listened to that song before, but now every time Seoul Song is heard somewhere my brains abruptly think of that sweet moment.

it was raining in the infamous Incheon Bridge

Ansan

     Jinho oppa lives in chilly Ansan. A little trivia about this city, it lies south of Seoul, not so far from Incheon. But since our university is in Seongnam, it's nearer if we go from Incheon to Seongnam thru Ansan.

Incheon - Ansan - Seoul - Seongnam all in one map

      Jinho oppa is Ayum's friend who was an exchanged student in our university. He is now a pilot of Asiana Airlines. He was sooo nice, spent his time to pick us up, brought us to his house and meeting his parents, bought us lunch in Ashley, and brought us to watch movies in CGV. Couldn't ask for more ㅜㅠ His kindness was over the top. His family was superb! His mom was sooo pretty!!! This is not a compliment, this is a fact~ xD

     Unfortunately Jinho oppa couldn't accompany us to watch the movie due to his class schedule. He asked his younger brother Jinkyu to "substitute his presence" though! xD So me, Ayum, and Jinkyu headed to a mall in Ansan. Jinkyu also showed us his campus (Hanyang University) in the middle of journey to the mall. Oh btw, Jinkyu is two years younger than me and Ayum, so we banmal-ed* him. Lol.

CGV (and a slight of Jinkyu's face xD)

      We lined up for the ticket but the movie started in 2 hours so we decided to grab some lunch in Ashley. Ashley is a very nice restaurant (one of my favorites!) in South Korea. Its franchises are spread all over South Korea, I guess. If not, then probably only around Gyeonggi province.

Ashley!

     After loaded my belly with delicious food in Ashley, we went back to CGV to watch the movie and spent couple hours there until Jinkyu ringed us saying that he needed to do alba (part-time working) so his relative would pick us up in CGV. We waited in CGV lounge around half hour until a guy with plain white tee and wide smile approached us. This guy was none other than Seungyong oppa, our other angel. He was the one who then drove us all the way to Seongnam.

Ps. in case you restizens are curious on what movie that we watched that time, this is the answer...

The Amazing Spiderman ticket

Pps. it was kinda weird because that was technically the first time of me watching an English-spoken movie with Korean subtitle in a huge screen.

Seongnam

     The stupidest thing we've done when we were in South Korea was we forgot to change our USDs to KRWs because we had no time. Everything was in hurry. We wanted to change it once we arrived in Incheon but that was Saturday so most of money changers were closed. That led us to get treated by everyone and made us feel so bad for them. Even when we arrived in our university, we were so worn out and hungry. It was 9PM when we were planning to borrow some money to Shoghik, a participant from Armenia (whom I got close even before the program started), but I guess Seungyong oppa saw the hungry faces and pitied us (what a shame ㅜㅜ) so he offered us to grab dinner with him.

ddalkkalbi for the first dinner

    We had tasty dalkkalbi near our university and nice chitchat time. I learned that Seungyong oppa is a very shy yet sweet guy. He talked a little but smiled a lot! xD We headed back to the dorm and handed some gifts for Seungyong oppa before he drove back to Ansan. He looked so happy that he couldn't stop thanking us. This guy is so cute~^^

*banmal: casual/informal ways of speaking like you would with a friend or those younger than you

***

     So yeah that was how my first day in South Korea, more or less. I think it was the most intense first day you restizens ever read. Lol. This post only talked about the first day, based on the duration I've spent my life in South Korea, means I still have gazilion stories to write. Please anticipate it a lot!^^*

Jin (진) - Gone (너만 없다) Lyric 가사 [Hangeul/Romanji/English Translation]

Since I put effort to translate this lyric, please credit me if you want to put this lyric translation everywhere and don't hesitate to correct me if you think there's an error with this lyric. That'd mean the world to me :-) Thank you! xx

Jin
(soooo pretty omg! *0*)

Hangeul

기억이 머물다간 그 자리에
손 끝에 남아있는 온기에도
니가 있다 있다
너의 향기
너의 얼굴

제발 날 봐 날 봐봐 날 봐봐
나 이렇게 널 느껴 널 느껴 널 느껴
애써 잡은 말투

애써 잡은 미소
애써 잡은 넌데

우리 함께 있던 그 공간에
내가 널 닮아가던 그 순간에
빗속을 그냥 걸어도 너무 좋았던 니가 없다 니가 없다
어떻게 나 혼자서 널 지우고 살아

함께 걸어가던 그 시간에
그렇게 만들어가던 추억까지도 미련까지도
머문 자리에 난 서 있다
너무 그리워

날 봐봐 날 봐봐 날 봐봐
나 아직도 널 느껴 널 느껴 널 느껴
겨우 닮은 말투
겨우 닮은 미소
겨우 닮은 넌데

우리 함께 있던 그 공간에
내가 널 닮아가던 그 순간에
빗속을 그냥 걸어도 너무 좋았던 니가 없다 니가 없다
어떻게 나 혼자서 널 지우고 살아
너무 그리워

겨우 허락된 너의 이름 지울 수 없어
너만이 부른 나의 이름이 여기 잠자고 있어

우리 함께 있던 그 공간에

함께 걸었어야 할 시간에
나 혼자 붙잡고 있어 우리 미래도
나의 바램도 멈춘 자리에
나 서있고 너만 없다


Romanji

gieogi meomuldagan geu jarie
son kkeute namainneun ongiedo
niga itda itda
neoui hyanggi
neoui eolgul

jebal nal bwa nal bwabwa nal bwabwa
na ireohke neol neukkyeo neol neukkyeo neol neukkyeo
aesseo jabeun maltu
aesseo jabeun miso
aesseo jabeun neonde

uri hamkke itdeon geu gonggane
naega neol dalmagadeon geu sungane
bissogeul geunyang georeodo neomu johatdeon niga eobda niga eobda
eotteoke na honjaseo neol jiugo sara

hamkke georeogadeon geu sigane
geureoke mandeureogadeon chueokkkajido miryeonkkajido
meomun jarie nan seo itda
neomu geuriwo

nal bwabwa nal bwabwa nal bwabwa
na ajikdo neol neukkyeo neukkyeo neol neukkyeo
gyeou dalmeun maltu
gyeou dalmeun miso
gyeou dalmeun neonde

uri hamkke itdeon geu gonggane
naega neol dalmagadeon geu sungane
bissogeul geunyang georeodo neomu johatdeon niga eobda niga eobda
eotteoke na honjaseo neol jiugo sara
neomu geuriwo

gyeou heorakdoin neoui ireum jiul su eobso
neomani bureun naui ireumi yeogi jamjago isseo

uri hamkke itdeon geu gonggane

hamkke georeogaya hal geu sigane

na honja butjabgo isseo uri miraedo 

naui baraemdo meomchun jarie
na seoitgo neoman eobda

English

Memory stays in that place
And the warmth that remains at the tip of the hands
There's you, there
Your scent
Your face

Please look at me, look at me, look at me

Like this I feel you, feel you, feel you
Your tone that's hard to catch
Your smile that's hard to catch
You that's hard to catch

In that place where we were there
At that time when I came to resemble you
You who just really liked to walk in the rain is not here, is not here
How do I live alone while erasing you

That time when we walked together
Like that we went to make memories and feelings
I'm staying at that place, standing
I really miss you

Look at me, look at me, look at me
I still feel you, feel you, feel you
Your tone that barely resembles
Your smile that barely resembles
You who barely resemble

In that place when we were together
At that time when I came to resemble you
You who just really liked to walk in the rain is not here, is not here
How do I live alone while erasing you
I really miss you

I can't erase your name that I barely allowed to say
My name that only you call, is sleeping here

In that place when we were together

That time when we had to walk together
I'm alone holding our future
My hope also stops at its place
I'm standing here, only you're not.

Korean lyric: melOn

Hangeul & English translation: Resty Armenia

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Basic Make Up!

My first post about beauty! Haha.

     So actually I've been learning to put some make ups on my beautiful (what's with the hate haha I'm trying to be thankful for what I have, okay? lol) face. Make ups that I put on usually is very very light to the point that people barely see that I put it on. But you still can see the difference between my bare face and my face with make ups.

bare faced Resty

Resty with make up on

     Can you restizens tell the difference? Yes, right. It's mainly on the eyes area. I'm getting better at applying the eye make ups. I only use simple/basic materials like eye brows pencil, eye liner, mascara, dark eye shadow, and pencil liner. All the products are from Etude House from South Korea because I've tested them when I was visiting that country. Other products I use are usually South Korean brands, like The Face Shop, Skin Food, Nature Republic, Tony Moly, Missha, and Holika Holika. Beside, the products mostly have the same concept, which is natural beauty. That's why people barely see the difference between me before and after applying make ups.

        I've been planning to post about the product reviews as well in the future, so anticipate it a lot!^^

New page is on the way!

It's been a while since my last post... sorry... ㅠ_ㅜ but anyway I've just graduated so I have plenty times in hands! I'm going to post more. Oh and I see the pattern that people visit my blog for mostly the lyric and ASEAN or South Korea stuff. Should I post about them more? Well oh well since my beloved restizens got all the AEC 2015 and Hallyu hypes, I promise you fellas to post about em more, happy now? Hehehehe.

And!!! One more thing, I'm going to add pages section just so you could find the section easier.
Look at the top, under the header please. Tadaaa!!! There are pages!!! Which basically consist of:

BRAINS

mostly shit I write regarding my interest of study, recent issues, book review, movie review, and sometimes lyrics

BEAUTY

since I'm now a woman (well shut up?) I think I can write some shit related to make ups and more shit about looks and fashion or whatevs

BEHAVIOR

fun trivial shit, traveling experiences, translations, lyrics, random shit that popped up out of nowhere

Sounds good? no? well I don't care this is my blog anyway lol. Thank you so much for those who anticipate, visit, read shit I write. I love you marvelous restizens! Mwah!

Potential Impacts of ASEAN Community 2015 To The ASEAN Youth

Asean Economic Community 2015

ASEAN Leaders have pledged a commitment to build ASEAN Economic Community 2015 that is aimed to fasten the development of Southeast Asian countries. It’s an important huge step for ASEAN countries that, mostly, are still developing. However, there is one point that needs to be underlined for an archipelago nation like Indonesia, an equitable development. There is no use of penetrating into global market system if there only some parts of this archipelago are developed while other parts remained under-developed.

On the ASEAN Economic Community blue print, it’s stated four main goals; to build one market and production basis in ASEAN, to improve the economic competitiveness among ASEAN countries, to reduce the economic gap among members, and to fasten ASEAN economic integration to the global economic. To achieve those main goals stated above, ASEAN countries will facilitate the free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and labor in ASEAN area.

In the other hand, ASEAN countries have significant amounts of youth population. Youth is the history narration of world’s glories. What is a nation without youth, without the youth contributing, without conscious youth who love their country? There would be no history of Indonesia, there would be no French Revolution, and there would be no struggle to uphold the truth.

Through the existence of ASEAN Economic Community 2015, there will be impacts that are potentially happened during the process of achieving the main goals related to younger generation. First, the competition of youth and students to get involved into the process of achieving the main goals of ASEAN Economic Community 2015 in national and international levels will be increasing. It is also related to the fact that ASEAN countries’ ranks (except Singapore) on Global Competitiveness Index are not high enough in the past five years. Second, since ASEAN countries will later facilitate the free flow of labors, there will potentially be a lot of ASEAN young people working in another country within the Southeast Asia area, which also means the competitiveness to find a good job is no more in national level. Therefore, the participation of youth in the productive workforce and the fresh-values indeed needs to be improved as a way of preparing ourselves for the global market.

In the education sector, more and more universities in Southeast Asia have been inching up to the best 100 universities in the world, such as National University of Singapore, which, along with University of Gadjah Mada and Chulalongkorn University, has the best education quality assurance system among ASEAN universities. Hopefully these universities can be the examples and will lead other universities to improve their quality, and hence more ASEAN students could compete in the world level. During The 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Leaders also agreed to prepare ASEAN youth for regional leadership and to increase the competitiveness of the peoples of Southeast Asia through education. All these things are made to get ASEAN youth well prepared and get used to “global market atmosphere”.

In the future, ASEAN youth will take the responsibility of the development of their own nation without pulling out their own identity through their own culture since, stick to the fact, ASEAN countries have abundant cultures and resources that have to be kept for the sake of the next generation. If all the points mentioned are executed by ASEAN youth, leading the world in couple more years is no more impossible for ASEAN countries.

Seo In Guk (서인국) Feat. Swings (스윙스) - Time Machine Lyric 가사 [Hangeul/Romanji/English Translation]

Since I put effort to translate this lyric, please credit me if you want to put this lyric translation everywhere and don't hesitate to correct me if you think there's an error with this lyric. That'd mean the world to me :-) Thank you! xx

Seo Inguk
(Gugi baby why so cute??? *0*)

Hangeul

Ayo, This is for the… Heart broken people,
People who wanna ride a time machine,
Swings and Mr. 서인국
Now turn off the lights

Hey!

화창하게 맑은 날에도
슬픈 네 눈이 보여
언제나 매일 우린 찌푸리며 티격태격

깨져버린 유리잔처럼
날카로운 말들을 뱉어
이미 다친 맘엔 반창고도 듣질 않아

*그때로 돌아가 우리 다시 시작한다면
같은 실순 안 할 텐데

이대로 우리 처음 시작했던 그날 그 길로
다시 돌아가고 싶어

**이게 웬일인걸 난 네가 부담스러워
우리의 풋풋하던 만남도 설레이던 걸음도

이럼 안되는 걸 널 사랑하는 일이
하루하루 피곤해져 누가 두통약 좀 처방해줘

Time Machine (x6)

돌아오는 기념일에도
단념한 표정이 보여
다른 연인들은 속삭이며 알콩달콩해

우리와는 너무 먼 얘기
이별이 다가온 건지
벌써 몇 시간째 투덜대는 말투잖아

* Repeat

** Repeat

Time Machine (x6)

Swings, Uh!
정말 지겨워, 한숨만 나와 헤어지지고? 그저 웃지 하하
근데 손은 안 떼져, 왜일까? 너가 전화하지 않길 바래, 매일 밤
서로의 사생활을 인정해야 했어 폰을 맨날 확인해 그만해 좀
니가 유학이나 갔음 해 가끔은 인생은 노래래 우린 서로에게 잡음 뿐 (말이 안 통해 우린, 알아?)

Time Machine (x6)

(That’s how I feel) Time Machine


Romanji

Ayo, This is for the… Heart broken people,
People who wanna ride a time machine,
Swings and Mr. Seo In Guk
Now turn off the lights

Hey!

hwachanghage malgeun naredo
seulpeun ne nuni boyeo
eonjena maeil urin jjipurimyeo tigyeoktaegyeok

kkaejyeobeorin yurijancheoreom
nalkaroun maldeureul baeteo
imi dachin mamen banchanggodo deutjil anha

*geuttaero doraga uri dasi sijakhandamyeon
gateun silsun an hal tende

idaero uri cheoeum sijakhaetdeon geunal geu gillo
dasi doragago sipeo

**ige weniringeol nan nega budamseureowo
uriui putputadeon mannamdo seolleideon georeumdo

ireom andoeneun geol neol saranghaneun iri
haruharu pigonhaejyeo nuga dutongyak jom cheobanghaejwo

Time Machine (x6)

doraoneun ginyeomiredo
dannyeomhan pyojeongi boyeo
dareun yeonindeureun soksagimyeo alkongdalkonghae

uriwaneun neomu meon yaegi
ibyeori dagaon geonji
beolsseo myeot siganjjae tudeoldaeneun maltujanha

* Repeat

** Repeat

Time Machine (x6)

Swings, Uh!
jeongmal jigyeowo, hansumman nawa heeojijigo? geujeo utji haha
geunde soneun an ttejyeo, waeilkka? neoga jeonhwahaji ankil barae, maeil bam
seoroui sasaenghwareul injeonghaeya haesseo poneul maennal hwaginhae geumanhae jom
niga yuhagina gasseum hae gakkeumeun insaengeun noraerae urin seoroege jabeum ppun (mari an tonghae urin, ara?)

Time Machine (x6)

(That’s how I feel) Time Machine

English

Even on a clear sunny days
I see your sad eyes
Everyday always we frown and fight

Like broken glass
We split out sharp words
Bandages don't work on our already broken hearts

If I could go back and start over
I wouldn't make the same mistake

To that street that time when we first began
I want to go back

What is this, I feel uncomfortable
Our fresh meeting and heart fluttering walks

It must not be like this, loving you
Everyday is tiresome somebody prescribe me a painkiller

Time Machine (x6)

On our anniversary
I see your face has given up
Other couples whisper happily

This is all a distant story
I wonder if the end has came
It's hours already that you mutter


* Repeat

** Repeat

Time Machine (x6)

Swings, Uh!
Really sick and tired, and the break up with me just sigh? Just laugh haha
But I don't take hands off it, wonder why? I hope you don't call, every night
Had to acknowledge each other's privacy
Always check the phone, just stop it a bit
You learn or be gone
Sometimes life is a song, we seeing each other is the only noise (we can't talk, you know?)

Korean lyric: melOn

Hangeul & English translation: Resty Armenia

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The Hidden Transcript: Let’s Start The Revolution!

“The borderless of this country and advance of globalization rapidly makes interdependency among the country…”

Shabab Libya

Not a quite long time ago, when the issue about Libya’s War was hotly reported on every mass media all over the world, I logged in to my Facebook and got an event invitation from one of a friend who lives in Libya. It was subjected, “Bring Gaddafis’s Government Down Already!” A second later, another invitation was coming. It was from another friend from Egypt, with the same kind of subject. Both of those invitations were written: “Don’t worry, comrades. We’re not forcing you to go to Libya and join our rebellion movement. However, by just clicking “Attending” button, it’s the same like you’re fully supporting everything that we, Libyan youth, will do to save our country. Let’s start the revolution!” as the event description. I was spontaneously clicking the “Attending” button. I felt like standing in their troops to get Gaddafi’s government fallen off the office. I felt like I was literally Libyan youth. In addition, Gaddafi was on trending topic on Twitter that made people questioned, “What did Gaddafi do in the country he leads until his name skyrocketed up on trending topic?” The rebellion movement of Libyan youth is called Shabab Libya. You can visit their revolutionary page here

I immediately thought of Jean Baudrillard’s concept about simulacrum space, which means a space that full of duplication and recycle of many different kind of world’s fragments (in the figure of commodity) in the same space and time, for example, being directly updated with the actual news or what’s hot in London (Yasraf Amir Piliang, 1998). Now, everyone can fully and completely watch and feel the world by consuming television, internet, and social networks. They keep us being updated on everything. Internet is the greatest media to get into simulacrum space. Internet and its social networks can connect us with every single person in the whole world, with no worry about how far the distance is. I could have a discussion via Skype with my best friend who lives in Vancouver City, Canada, about the high tax in Canada to the latest issue like The Royal Wedding as if the world is being folded between us.

The power of Libyan youth was triggered by the formerly youth revolution in Tunisia and Egypt. They combined that simulacrum space concept with James Scott’s concept about the “hidden transcript”. On one of Scott’s book, Dominant and the Arts of Resistance: The Hidden Transcript of Subordinate Groups (1990). He uses the term public transcript to describe the open public interactions between dominators and oppressed and the term-hidden transcript for the critique of power that goes on offstage, which power holders do not see or hear (James C. Scott, 1993). The hidden transcript concept is usually used by the oppressed. It was emerged by a critique about the conventional revolution, such as Labor Revolution and French Revolution. On that concept, an oppressed should constantly do efforts to get what they want. But these days, the effect of this concept is usually stronger than the public transcript or the conventional one, like mass demo.

An awesome Libyan fella

My friends in Libya were having political crisis in their country and wanting to end it up with a revolution. They didn’t want to do a foregone conventional revolution because they were smart enough to think about asymmetric war between them, as oppressed who didn’t have any military power, and the government’s military as dominators. Libyan youth smartly used discussion forums on the internet to collect and to gain their power because they knew that if they gave any bad comment or critique explicitly over Gaddafi’s government, Gaddafi’s executors or military commandos would kidnap them and put them into the prison in the middle of the night.

In this 20th century, older people usually consider us, the youth, as hedonic or consumptive generation, generally. But if we think of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt, that judgment seems so wrong. Youth still has a big concern about their country. They have their own way to express it. Youth has been transforming day by day. In the early 19th century, we had Labor Revolution in Russia and French Revolution. In 1945, Indonesian youth had to fight against the colonial just to get our freedom, our independence as a nation. In the recent days, youth seems really into new technology when they want to express their concern about their country. Not because they are too lazy to be conventional, but the new technology is what they consume everyday. They can support their country and they can express their opinion through popular media, like social networks and discussion forums on the internet.

The conventional revolution that is really explicit like what happened in the World War I and II between capitalism and socialism is no more relevant and interesting. The non-conventional wars, or like what James Scott’s called as “hidden transcript” such as intelligent war, information war, economical war, communication war, and cultural war, are the popular ones and mostly being used by both dominators and oppressed, for example the United States of America to spread their domination over the world.

Youth is the history narration of world’s glories. Numerous splendid stories of civilization’s turnover were said that youth was the key of it. Youth is a shield of world’s alteration. Youth potential is like dynamite. The youth formed the backbone of a civilization. What is a nation without youth, without the youth to contribute, without a conscious youth who love their country? There will be no history of Indonesia, there will be no French Revolution, and there would be no struggle to uphold the truth. With all respect to the role of older people (even older people are the guides of the younger generation to finds its star), nobleness value in youth suggests a glimmer of hope for this nation to rise up, to defend the homeland and nation, to realize the national security of the country, and to raise the country from the abyss of adversity.

Inference
The hidden transcript of the Libyan youth in making new movement through modern and popular social media is the example of youth role on inventing the world peace, especially on their own country. They use Facebook, Twitter, discussion forum on the internet to express their support and concern over their country’s government crisis. Their way to express their support to their country represents the role of the youth in the whole world on contributing themselves for their own country. Youth power is still unbeatable.