Random Fiction with a hallyu twist

He clambered up the steps gingerly but surely, determined to reach his goal - the top of the slide. Tiny fingers gripped onto the handlebars, his bright eyes sparkling with anticipation and his mouth agaped with excitement, baring his milk teeth. The sun was beating down mercilessly on the balmy June afternoon. In spite of the elements against his odds with the beads of perspiration gathered upon his furrowed brow, he hurled himself up the next step. Almost there... he thought. His sweaty palms start to lose grip and slowly slipped away from the final hurdle. He was about to wail upon his fall when he felt a strong arm lifting his body, stopping the fall. The stranger supported his shoulders without effort, propped him back up onto the ladder and gazed into his eyes. Who is this strange Ahjussi? "Go on Youngbae, you can do it" he urged with a gentle smile and encouraging push onto his back. "Ahjussi.. you know my name?" He looked back at the stranger with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. His Umma cautioned him to be wary of strangers. But he does not fear this Ahjussi, his slight smile and gentle eyes gave him an odd sense of familiarity.
Seunghyun lightly chuckled and the corner of his eyes crinkled, which belied his usually cool and detached mien.
"Go on.." he gently spurred him on.
He switched his attention back to his goal. Climbing back to the top with a renewed ferocity. Beaming to himself.
He was giggling and clapping his hands with glee as he descended the slide with a whoosh.
He looked around for the Ahjussi but he spotted his Umma instead.
"Umma!"
He scurried towards her and collided into her legs and hugged her.
"Umma! I did it!" He gazed at her with pride and satisfaction, happiness written all over his face along with sweat and grains of sand scattered along his arms.
"Oh my sweet youngbae-ah! Umma is so proud of you!" she cooed at him and stroke his soft hair away from his face. Dabbing the dampness away from his forehead and cupid's bow; she smiled at her son and gave him a peck. She has naturally dark locks with a hint of mahogany, set against her alabaster skin. Her brown eyes were as warm as her smile. A gentle breeze lifted up wisps of her hair, as it glistened under the summer sun. Casting a warm halo around her head, she looked like an angel, a perfect being. Perfect except for the scars of her past. As she held him, she didn't noticed that a man was admiring this exchange between a mother and son from a distance.
Seunghyun glanced surreptitiously in their direction with a turmoil of emotions raging through him.
He hung his head low as he covered his eyes.
Why? Why didn't I love her back the way she loved me?
Why did I have to hurt her?
Is this the only way I can make her happy again? 
Youngbae could have called me his Appa... 
Youngbae has his eyes, his fire. But he has his Umma's sweet, genial smile.

He looked upon them and he's resting on her lap while sipping from his juicebox. Lena looking on her son and smiling with content.
He closed his eyes and a memory flashed across his mind as she gave him the same smile after placing the ring on her dainty fingers. Her smile had faded as the years went by, to be replaced by her tears and tortured screams.
He tightened his jaw and balled up his fists.
Maybe..if we could start anew? Make new memories as we build a new life together? Together with our son Youngbae. We would be a complete and happy family. I would do everything in my capacity to make it right this time, for you, and for our son.
Forgive me please.
He gathered his courage and stood up. Approaching them apprehensively. His breathed quickened and his palms moist.
Youngbae was smiling to himself then he saw Seunghyun approaching.
Casting a tall, handsome figure with his fringe sweeping across his dark eyes upon his pale skin. He could have been one of the young eligible bachelors roving around downtown Seoul with his polished looks and confident stride. But beneath this facade lies a broken man, chained to his past. A past he cannot hide. A past which he must face. He took a deep breath.
Youngbae's eyes lit up and he tugged at his mother. "Umma umma! That's the Ahjussi that helped me get up to the top. I almost fell off. " he exclaimed while pointing to Seunghyun.
Seunghyun was nervous but he smiled gently at Youngbae and winked.
Youngbae giggled at him.
Lena turned to Seunghyun and looked at him blankly.
"Ahn yong .. Son-saeng-nim.. thank you for your help! My boy is a clumsy one." she started and bowed at him.
"Ani.. he is a strong boy.. Le- " Seunghyun stopped himself and chuckled; turning towards Youngbae, patting his head.
Youngbae beamed to himself and grabbed Seunghyun's fingers. "Come play with my Ahjussi!" As he tried to drag him towards the sandbox.
Lena held back Youngbae and chided him, "No Youngbae, you have had enough playtime the whole day and you've got yourself dirty all over, it's time to head home and shower my dear."
Youngbae pouted, crossed his arms and looked down onto the floor.
Lena coaxed him, " but I will reward my dear Youngbae with your favourite ice cream."
His expression soften as he grinned and his eyes crinkled, just like the way Seunghyun's did.
Seunghyun couldn't help but broke into a smile at Youngbae. His son.
Not noticing that Lena was eyeing him with curioisty as she sensed a familiarity. He shared the same eyes as her Youngbae. Thick lashes that shield those dark orbs, emanating a sense of mystery and intensity.
Seunghyun offered his hand " I'm Seunghyun, Youngbae is a very special boy, you brought him up well."
Lena took his hand tentatively.
Her soft hands were marred by a 3 inch-long scar running lengthwise across. Seunghyun saw and a pang tugged at his chest. Resisting the urge to cupped her hands and soothe her scar, Seunghyun gazed into her eyes with emotion. Lena was slightly taken aback by his intense gaze, quickly looking away. She cleared her throat and said:
"You can call me Lena. My Youngbae-ah.. he's a handful even before he came into this world. But he is my child and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat."

Lena, my jagiya...
"Omo, I might have said too much, sorry but I do feel like I have known you somewhere before .." she trailed and furrowed her brow pensively.
Afraid that her thoughts will trigger memories of the past. Seunghyun quickly added "Oh I do stroll around this park frequently as I live around the neighborhood, you might have seen me before but we haven't actually met." He lied, every weekend, he would take a drive here to the outskirts all the way from the heart of Seoul, just to catch a glimpse of them. The forlorn man has been watching from a distance at the mother and son's bonding. He could have been a part of it. Almost.


(... to be continued) coz it's past bedtime!
Gosh ! how i love writing fiction!



This song would be apt to set the mood for the story. Enjoy!

Food for thought

If only I hunger for knowledge as much as I crave for junk food. hah!

Beautifool.

From the looks of my word-centric, lo-visual blog posts, who would have thought that I would be such a shopping and beauty junkie.
If Becky were the epitome of a certified Shopaholic.
I would indeed be a well-qualified candidate for shopaholic-anonymous.
Reason-being, i'm busy shopping- online, offline, scouring the beauty blogs for the latest hope-in-a-bottle.
Spinning the roulette on G-market (now known as Q100).
Checking-out the latest trends that I get lured into clicking 'Buy Now' but with nary a chance to show it off thanks to the extreme climate.

Let's take a peep into my latest spoils. I use the term peep because this just the tip of the iceberg-bursting-out-of-my-wardrobe.

I went for my 1st gelish manicure after learning about the hype and looking at the pretty nails on my friends. I'm not the type to fork out $ on beautifying my nails, I'd rather get my own nail-polish (which i wouldn't pay over $10 for) and DIY to less than fantastic results. Still, I'm not the manicure kind-of girl. I don't even use a nail-file! Oops =X

Anyway, I got this Gelish manicure done only because of a Groupon deal (yeah another weakness of mine haha). This was done at Tinkerbelle Far East Plaza, it was tuck away in one of the quiet corridors and the manicurists seemed more interest in everything else but my nails. It didn't turn out as I expected (I don't like squarish nails eeks i don't know why) and there was alittle too much white polish, I was looking for more of a french-manicure with a touch of glitterish-glam. She didn't exactly ask me before-hand, only that I choose from a tray of samples. And I did have to top-up $10 for this, totaling to a $35 (including soak-off).
It looks prettier in the photo though, thanks to Instagram! LOL, such a god-send.
I'm clutching a tube of Skin-food Peach Green Tea BB Cream from the Good Afternoon tea series, got it off G-market for $7+ $5 shipping thanks to a group-buy deal.
Smells pleasant with a faint whiff of peach and it's for oily skin, although the oil-control isn't anything to shout about, it was definitely a vast improvement over the Aloe Hydrating BB Cream.
Which presents quite a 
paradox since I'm comparing Apples with Oranges?

My skin is diagnosed with a chronic identity-crisis.
It's combination and acne-prone. My face oils-up in less than an hr after cleansing. But my chin, mouth area and jaw-line is prone to flaking and even peeling if i apply anything too harsh to curb the oil and zap the never-ending zits. argghhh. On top of that, I'm not desk-bound thus exposing myself to extreme dryness (indoors) and humidity and UV-rays outdoors. Masking my imperfections with makeup doesn't improve the condition of my skin either. So, I'm taking a beating here.

Hence, I'm on the perpetual pursuit of hope-in-a-bottle even if it's as real as Thor (hotness! lol)

Oh April!

I missed this eventful month all-together!
Playing.
Changing.
Pondering.
Procrastinating.
Regressing.
Don't stop.

Twinkle in the grey....

Twinkle in the grey
Lines culminate to curves
Pulsating with a spark
They all come together
A supernova.

Ponder..

...rosa! hahaha yet another random nostalgic moment hmmm :D I still recall that before Sizzler there was this salad-themed restaurant back in my younger and blissful days of ignorance. Then, salad isn't the $15 a pop of iceberg lettuce with a smattering of nuts and chilled flakes of chicken breast *brrr...which is the current trend of salad-stops/shops whatnots.
It was a all-you-can-eat of all sorts of greens with heaps of 1000 island dressing topped with croutons, oh and there's ice cream too. Well, this is all served together with your main course, of course!

This post isn't about food though, I can't help but digress into the simpler things in life. Teehee!

Hesitation and procrastination.

Why do I hesitate and procrastinate to push pen to paper and allow my creative juices flourish into prose of wit, colour and intellect?

Firstly, my handwriting is next to illegible, so pushing fingers to buttons would be more apt in this age of digital media? haha

Secondly, I could be prone to lofty delusions of grandeur of my proficiency in the words of Man.
Having said that (I hear this phrase every other day.. doh) How is anything man-made anything more than a tool that we exploit for our own convenience? I do find it irreconcilable the very concept of conferring these objects/subjects on a pedestal?

Yes, the metaphysical-dilemma bug has bit me again.
So now.
I write. (or type?)

Operation GMAT: First Wave

Analysis of an Argument

For the Analysis of an Argument task, you will need to analyze the reasoning behind a given argument and then write a critique of that argument.

• What Is Measured —
• Directions —
• Strategies —
• Scoring Guide

What Is Measured

The Analysis of an Argument task tests your ability to formulate an appropriate and constructive critique of a specific conclusion based upon a specific line of thinking.

Directions

In this section, you will be asked to write a critique of the argument presented. You are not being asked to present your own views on the subject.
Writing Your Response: Before you begin writing, take a few minutes to evaluate the argument and plan a response. Be sure to organize your ideas and develop them fully, but leave time to reread your response and make any revisions you think are necessary. You have 30 minutes to complete your response.
Evaluation of Your Response: Your essay will be given two independent ratings, one of which may be performed by an electronic system that evaluates more than 50 structural and linguistic features, including organization of ideas, syntactic variety, and topical analysis. Trained raters with backgrounds in various subject-matter areas, including management education, will also evaluate the overall quality of your thinking and writing. They will consider how well you—

• identify important features of the argument and analyze them,
• organize your analysis of the argument presented,
• provide relevant supporting reasons and examples, and
• control the elements of standard written English.

Strategies

There are several basic steps you can take to be certain that you answer the questions that are being asked.

• Ask yourself questions
  Your task is to analyze and critique a line of thinking or reasoning. Get used to asking yourself questions like the following:
  
  • What questionable assumptions might underlie the thinking?
  • What counterexamples might be raised?
  • What additional evidence might prove useful in fully and fairly evaluating the reasoning?
• Use well-developed illustrations and examples
  When discussing alternative explanations or counterexamples, introduce illustrations and examples drawn from your observations, experiences, or reading. Do not simply list examples; develop them.
  
• Make your response read like a discussion
  Your finished response to this writing task should not read like an outline. It should read like a discussion with full sentences, a coherent organizational scheme, logical transitions between points, and appropriately introduced and developed examples.

Scoring Guide

This section is designed to give you an idea how your essay will be scored. There are sample essays and answer explanations for scores of 2, 4, and 6 based on the following topic:
The following appeared in the editorial section of a monthly business newsmagazine.
“Most companies would agree that as the risk of physical injury occurring on the job increases, the wages paid to employees should also increase. Therefore, it makes financial sense for employers to make the workplace safer: they could thus reduce their payroll expenses and save money.”
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

	OUTSTANDING: 6 A 6 paper presents a cogent, well-articulated critique of the argument and demonstrates mastery of the elements of effective writing. A typical paper in this category— clearly identifies important features of the argument and analyzes them insightfully; develops ideas cogently, organizes them logically, and connects them with clear transitions; effectively supports the main points of the critique; demonstrates control of language, including diction and syntactic variety; and demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English but may have minor flaws.
	STRONG: 5 A 5 paper presents a well-developed critique of the argument and demonstrates good control of the elements of effective writing. A typical paper in this category— clearly identifies important features of the argument and analyzes them in a generally thoughtful way; develops ideas clearly, organizes them logically, and connects them with clear transitions; sensibly supports the main points of the critique; demonstrates control of language, including diction and syntactic variety; and demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English but may have minor flaws.
	ADEQUATE: 4 A 4 paper presents a competent critique of the argument and demonstrates adequate control of the elements of writing. A typical paper in this category— identifies and analyzes important features of the argument; develops and organizes ideas satisfactorily but may not connect them with transitions; supports the main points of the critique; demonstrates sufficient control of language to convey ideas with reasonable clarity; and generally follows the conventions of standard written English but may have flaws.
	LIMITED: 3 A 3 paper demonstrates some competence in analytical writing skills and in its control of the elements of writing but is plainly flawed. A typical paper in this category exhibits one or more of the following characteristics: does not identify or analyze most of the important features of the argument, although some analysis of the argument is present mainly analyzes tangential or irrelevant matters, or reasons poorly is limited in the logical development and organization of ideas offers support of little relevance and value for points of the critique does not convey meaning clearly contains occasional major errors or frequent minor errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics
	SERIOUSLY FLAWED: 2 A 2 paper demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing skills. A typical paper in this category exhibits one or more of the following characteristics: does not present a critique based on logical analysis, but may instead present the writer’s own views on the subject does not develop ideas, or is disorganized and illogical provides little, if any, relevant or reasonable support has serious and frequent problems in the use of language and in sentence structure contains numerous errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that interfere with meaning
	FUNDAMENTALLY DEFICIENT: 1 A 1 paper demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing skills. A typical paper in this category exhibits one or more of the following characteristics: provides little evidence of the ability to understand and analyze the argument provides little evidence of the ability to develop an organized response has severe and persistent errors in language and sentence structure contains a pervasive pattern of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that results in incoherence
	BLANK OR OFF TOPIC: 0 Any of the following will result in a score of “zero”: off-topic or blank response in a foreign language merely attempts to copy the topic consists only of keystroke characters