Comics in Korea 2

I meant to upload last week, but I got lazy. I have no idea how many people read my blog, but apologies.

So regarding #journalismhungergames, here's where I am right now:

Since I've been lazy with uploading, the test results for Round 3 will come in tomorrow, so there is a chance I don't make it and not be in the mood to draw anymore. Intense!

And here I am, trying to be a journalist where you handle more news. Flawless logic!

Colors are my lifelong obsession and I care about them a lot.

(For the record, I look okay in vivid hues + cooler tones.)

When many of my friends taught English in Japan and craved cheese, I thought, "But surely it can't be that bad? Japanese food is delicious and I'm sure they have cheese there too!"

But no, now I understand. I understand so much. Please give me cheese.

On the other hand, if you're a fruit-lover, you'd be very happy. Unless you like tropical fruit, that is...

I still don't know how "Korean people" are supposed to look like.

But wait, that's not all!

Since the company in question requires writing actual news articles in English in a non-English speaking country, it's not really surprising that most people who have made the cut so far are Western-educated and have impressive class privilege records. But it's all very intimidating!

I got the sizing of the longer strips a bit off, but can't undo the error, sorry! At least they're all legible!

I may or may not upload another comic depending on the situation, but timing-wise, this is probably the last one I will upload in Korea!

Comics in Korea 1

I'm in Korea to take the journalist test for this one job position. In case my Facebook post was unclear, this is what I have to go through for the following weeks:

Yes, it's intense.
I passed round 1 and took the written exam for round 2 a few days ago. Results will be posted some time next week.
Is it worth all this? I don't know, but I do know I would like to have the job, so go through all this I shall.

In order to forget the anxiety keep myself entertained in my down time, I drew comics. Whoo still uploading paper comics like an analog caveman! I seriously need a tablet.

(For the record, I can eat most foods now. My stomach got better.)

Will this be my only comic update? Will I pass the second round? Only time will tell!

The Silly Story of How I got a Gazillion Eyeshadows

(There are so many things I could technically write about. Like my impending J-school graduation, my really fucking uncertain future, or the state of the world, both good and the bad. But I'm writing about something else, something much more frivolous. Because this is my "diary" to babble about the mundane and useless, the stupid thoughts and whimsical musings. The stupid things that keep me sane amidst all the uncertainties and world tragedies and the fact that I don't even have a job or an internship yet. Help. So write about stupid fluff I shall.)

*

I recently re-visited my second blog post (effectively my first "real" blog post) of buying my first eyeshadow in 2010, at the grand old age of nineteen.

Oh, how young I was. How naive.

It's 2014 now, and the amount of makeup I possess has exponentially exploded. Literally exponentially, if I were to draw a chart.

And because me writing posts after re-visiting my almost dead blog is apparently a thing now, here is how I got to own a gazillion eyeshadows.

*

High school:

As the 5-10 of you who read my stuff are aware, I did not give a crap about my appearance at all.

Yes, I had a short experimental phase in 10th grade when I showed up in school with girly clothes and gaudy necklaces and sparkly pink lip gloss. But that was a phase. Most of the time I just did. not. care.

But even still, I never HATED makeup. I did own a few items, which were gifted to me by my girlier friends... I just never used it. I assumed that I'd eventually figure it out when I was "old enough" (i.e. some time before 30).

College:

When I went to college, I owned a BB cream and two lip glosses from Korea (2/3 were gifts from mom). I eventually bought black eyeliner and black mascara out of some sort of obligation, but I barely used them.

And then I got my first eyeshadow from Sephora.

Goddamn this was expensive. I had no concept of "low-end" or "high-end" stuff.
I also ruined the entire thing after dropping + trying to revive it.
RIP first eyeshadow.

So I just started to mindlessly slather color on my eyes because "I'm a grown up now and I'm supposed to, I guess", but one day, I randomly put them on in a way that was... actually flattering.

After coming up with a few more looks that suited my face with just three colors, a wonderful and terrible realization struck me:

EYESHADOWS ARE COLORED PENCILS FOR EYES.

This was both wonderful and terrible because I REALLY like colorful things. I just lose my shit over the visible light spectrum.

I also had an unhealthy colored pencil/crayon obsession as a child. I was that kid who owned the Crayola Crayons 96 colors set. I always packed my colored pencils with me when I travelled.

My precious.

So this realization was something akin to re-awakening a drug habit.

South Korea, enabler of addiction:

So while that was going on, I went to Korea for three summers in a row.

And if you aren't aware of it, let me tell you: SOUTH KOREA IS THE LAND OF MAKEUP.

Four makeup stores, all lined up next to each other.
Myeongdong, stahp

I don't know when this happened exactly, but my country somehow learned to make awesome makeup over the last few years, and now tourists flock to Myeongdong to shop until they drop.

So there is:
1) A never-ending supply of makeup
2) Cute and tantalizing packaging, as per many Asian countries
3) CHEAP ALTERNATIVES. I swear, their low-end (i.e. "drugstore") brands perform just as well as the super expensive eyeshadow I got in Sephora. I have no reason to buy the expensive stuff anymore.

The entire country is an enabler for a massive makeup addiction.
I bought so many colorful eyeshadows. Matte, shimmery, glitter, nothing scared me anymore, everything was pretty and I was a happy magpie.

Result:

And that is how I got a gazillion eyeshadows. I now have a gazillion eyeliners and quite a few lipsticks as well. (But no blush/bronzer/highlighter, I found I'm just not interested). As a former tomboy-ish nerd, it's kind of hilarious how things ended up.

The first few times I was getting eyeshadow, I almost felt a sense of guilt - like I was losing myself to an "inner bimbo" (don't laugh). I have been plain and unkempt and makeup-less for so long, that through a mix of insecurity and defensiveness, almost felt proud of that fact, like I was above all the silly female things and somehow that made me a better person than anyone else.

Which is, of course, bullshit.

But I probably would have felt that way for much longer if I did not mentally equate eyeshadow with colored pencils that one day. How "feminine" or "un-feminine" you are doesn't even matter. You just do you, however you want, and that's all you really need.

Oh hi there.

I'm at the J-school, at 1:30 A.M.

I need to go home and sleep now but I somehow wanted to write on my blog, for the first time in forever~

J-school is really hectic. Like, really really hectic. Every day is another day full of things to do and long-term assignments to work on and future stories to write about.

And on top of that, having to apply for internships. And keep getting rejected.

Basically, I am at my happiest when I sleep. And I say this with no exaggeration of any sort.

Some things that happened in my life:

1) Upon looking at my past blog posts, I realized that I only set foot in Central Park ONCE since coming here for grad school! In fact, I've been around more parts of New York during my internship than now. That's how much of a life I don't have. *sobs*

2) Watched Frozen. Twice. I loved it. The songs are stuck in my head.

3) I thought I liked radio. And while I do, I realized while working on video that what I ACTUALLY liked was editing. Shooting and production and everything is a chore, but editing is just so. much. fun. It's like creating magic from your hands!

4) J-school is also great at testing your self-esteem. Which I don't have much of at the moment. Hooray!

5) I wonder if things will look up after Video 1/Career Expo/Master's Project is over.

6) But I don't want J-school to end that quickly. We only have three months left now as it is. One year is such a short time.

7) I wish I can stay in New York. But that would entail getting accepted to an internship/fellowship in this area. *Crosses fingers* I just... I just want a stable job, really.

8) And here I thought the end of my undergraduate years were tumultuous. As whatever happens by the end of J-school will actually shape up the start of my "real life in real world", I am more anxious than ever.

And before I lose myself in existential angst... gonna recycle my Wolverine blog post and leave!

Christmas Eve babbles!

Jesus Christ, I've left the blog dead pretty much since I left for grad school.

Indeed it has been a crazy five months; journalism school is busy, stressful, nerve-wrecking, yet it's been a mostly enjoyable experience. I'm just glad I'm still here enjoying the ride and not regretting my decision.

That being said, I am also very glad to have come back home for the holidays. This was a much-needed break, and I missed Prague, I missed home, I missed home food, and I missed a whole lot of things.

Here's a few things that happened in the last five months, in lists (not a listicle!):

1) Arrived in New York in the most dramatic way possible. Never again. I also learned that going to the ER via ambulance costs a shit-ton, unless the airport calls 911, in which case it's free. Health care is... interesting in the US.

2) Learned how to use a DSLR (and take better photos) and make short audio clips. I feel like a more versatile person now. (That being said, my photos are still very average.)

3) Learned how to write articles better. Which was difficult at first because everyone kept saying I sounded too dry.

4) Nothing is more flattering(?) and simultaneously soul-crushing than hearing the words "You have the potential to do better" - on one hand, I guess people think highly of you, but on the other hand... "better"? How do you know if I can do better? What if this is all I've got and you're overestimating me? I worked really hard on this but it's sub-par? Is this a passive-aggressive way of saying I suck?

5) Found that New York is so much bigger and more diverse than I'd have imagined (and I love it.)

6) The amount of work you get assigned in the J-school seems to depend on the professors you're assigned to. Some people have already done so much, while others had it a bit more easily. I'd say I'm on the latter (even though I have also pulled all-nighters and cried and threw things on the wall in frustration.) I have mixed feelings about this: on one hand, I envy the ones who went through all sorts of hell because they'll emerge at the end as some sort of steroid-fueled super journalists who can handle any shit thrown at them. On the other hand, I appreciated having my sanity (relatively) intact.

Grad school: when having less work makes you just as nervous as having more work.

7) Partied a lot, more than I ever did in my life (in my standards. The amount I've partied is still laughably low for a 23-year-old person.)

8) Had my Halloween costume photographed on the New York Observer! http://observer.com/2013/11/oh-my-ghoul-witches-and-weirdos-flock-to-halloween-parade/#slide3 I'm not a person who gets the spotlight often, so it was fascinating to have people recognize me and shout "It's Princess Bubblegum!"

9) Got my driver's license. (though this happened last week.) I had a bit of trouble getting the hang of driving in the summer, but when i tried again after I came back I was pretty good at it. It might be because if I failed now, I pretty much don't have a good time to try again. Ah, desperation.

It's Christmas eve, and no snow in sight. Seems like it will be sunny today though, which is nice since Prague winters get cloudy and foggy a lot.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Upon starting Journalism school.

Today is my last day before I leave for New York tomorrow.

It's also the last day of my responsibility-free bum life I've had for seven months.

And given the circumstances, it's also probably the last time I live in Prague full-time. Of course I'll visit during holidays as long as my parents are here, but it'll probably never be longer than several weeks/months anymore.

I was expecting to feel wistful, but right now all I feel is vague anxiety.

Maybe I'm too distracted by immediate things to feel wistful - there was an INSANE heat wave today, and there's last-minute packing and weighing our gigantic luggage, wondering if they'll all fit in the New York taxicabs when I get there.

There's also the intense all-day orientation session for three whole days (seriously, why?) and mom and I have been brainstorming on how to use what little time left to get settled in.

Of course, it also means the beginning of new, exciting things - the start of graduate school, the start of a new campus life in a University that I was quite lucky to get in to, the start of new friends, and a serious training in a profession I plan to pursue.

The biggest emotion I feel out of this clusterfuck, though, is the anxiety of having to shoulder responsibility after largely being free of it for seven months, the end of "childhood".

Technically, I have not been a child in years so this sounds a bit silly, but I meant childhood in the sense of being responsibility-free.

After one year in grad school (which will teach me the basics of my future job so I don't feel like a "student" that much), I'll get a job; not an internship or a part-time job or anything, but a REAL job, one which I am expected to support myself with.

With the economy and everything, I can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the notion of beginning a fully adult life.

But I suppose when the time comes, I'll end up going through life okay.
Sorry if the post sounded like it was rambling. You know how 3AM blog posts are like.

Poland Day 7-10: Golf, Rain, and cray cray neighbors, etc

(btw, this is my 100th blog post! Hooray for not abandoning my blog yet!)

Day 7-8: Golf

In the weekend, the family went golfing.

To be quite honest, I didn't really want to play golf. I'm not a big sports person to begin with (the only sports I even like playing is Tennis and Kendo), and walking under the burning heat to follow around a tiny ball wasn't really my idea of fun.

But I was also aware that complaining about not wanting to play golf is a First World Problem. ESPECIALLY for Korean people, because only the uber-rich are able to play golf in a proper golf course in South Korea. (My family would not be able to afford going to a golf course if they lived in Korea):

Spoiled as fuuuuuuuck.

So I went and stayed quiet.

Because I never really played golf before, I took an hour-long lesson on Saturday. After that, I tagged along my parents and brother (who learned it last year and therefore can play) playing actual golf and acted as a caddie.

Fresh-squeezed orange juice! It was delicious.

OH HAI.

This part of the course looked pretty. The other parts... ehh.

I saw a cat in the golf course.

AND A FOX!

All in all, it was a very okay experience. It didn't rock, it didn't suck, it was OKAY.
Seems like this will be happening every weekend, so I might as well as get used to it.

Day 9-10: Rain

If last week was the week of hellish road-melting heat, this week seems to be the week of cold and rain. How can the weather be so drastically different this week?! One moment I was slathering sunscreen in T-shirts and shorts, next I'm wearing long pants and a raincoat!

Here's a video I took from dad's car, to show you how much it's raining:

More photos of rain:

Day 8-9: Cray cray neighbors

So... we live on the second floor of an apartment.
And the neighbors living on the first floor are a bit crazy.

Apparently it all started last year, my parents explained, when the cleaning lady accidentally broke the plumbing (exactly how, I'm not sure), resulting in water leaking downstairs.

Explanations were attempted, but failed due to language barrier. The downstairs neighbor (a father and daughter; the father owns this building) then proceeded to just cut off water in dad's apartment. The plumbing was fixed and the water restored, but apparently they held a grudge from that incident.

After golf, we came back to the house and was greeted by this taped on the door:

We have not left the front door of the apartment building open (it gets left open sometimes), but after the water leaking, apparently they thought we were responsible for any sort of mishaps in the apartment, because we were the only house with this sign taped on the door.

And yesterday, after the family came back from eating dinner out, we were greeted with this taped on the door.

Dude, what the fuck?!

May I emphasize that this year, we haven't done anything to the neighbors, even accidentally? The only thing we even say to other residents is a "hello" and nothing more.

(Also, if the water leakage happened a year ago, why put passive-aggressive signs on the door now? Doesn't make sense.)

We're just living our lives and not interacting with anyone else in the entire building, and we get stuff like this posted on our door?!

My brother was quite annoyed and tried to do something about it, but mom had advised him to not do anything - "It's best to leave crazy people alone and not provoke them," she said. "Who knows, they might even call the police if we try to argue with them."


Day 10: Shady cleaning lady, part 2

Today (Tuesday), I was supposed to have another golf lesson, but was cancelled due to the rain. Mom and I went to Starbucks again to read and chat.

Coffee and reading is nice.

We had lunch afterwards and made our way back home earlier than usual.

And when we got back home, the cleaning lady was still there.

With her boyfriend. Who was sitting on our chair and watching television.

The cleaning lady looked kind of flustered, muttered something under her breath, and the two of them left without cleaning dad's bedroom. Mom later found that some of her coffee mix was missing. And there were cigarette ashes in the toilet bowl, and bath towels were washed with the bathroom foot rugs. Again.

Shady as fuck, confirmed.

We did tell dad to find another hired help already, but he's not really that quick in handling matters sometimes. We shall see.

Day 10: Choco

Okay, here's trying to end this blog on a more cheerful note.

We went to the Korean store today, and guess who's back in the store?

The Korean store.

Choco!

PLZ LOOK AT CAMERA CHOCO.

The store owner didn't want to leave Choco alone at home, so she brought Choco and her puppies in the second floor of the store, away from the first floor area but still close to her. Granted, Choco didn't/couldn't come down from the stairs, but I was glad to see her again. We even heard the puppies squealing upstairs!

Sleepy dog.

I hope I can see the puppies too before I leave. The puppies would be okay with outside exposure after a month, I believe.