My Sister, Jessica Jung

This is a story about my sister, Jessica. My sister was so mean to me when I was little. It was just so unfair how she always towers over me and looking down at me with her evil smirk. She was so mean that she always took what’s mine, like my toys, my clothes and my coloring books. Worst yet, she even took my bottle which was my most precious item at the time and drank the milk till the last drop. She was such a meanie older sister.

I hated her for about an hour for it. Even though she was huge and mean, I just can’t bring myself to hate her for too long. Because whenever I cried, she cried too and soon it became a crying contest between us two. And I usually lost the contest and stopped crying first, because she would hug me and kiss my cheeks.

We always do everything together. Now that I think about it, she just liked to drag me around like her little sidekick so that she could bosses me around. But I did enjoy being her little sidekick. And the time I spent with her was a huge part of the reason why I had such a happy childhood.

I was still young when I was picked to join an entertainment company, and the whole thing scared me. I cried when I saw the cameras, and I cried harder when the strange old man tried to talk to me. I was so shy back then. That was when our parents offered them my sister instead. My sister stepped forward, and she didn’t hesitate to agree to be a trainee and took my place, because I was still too young back then. So she decided to enter the unknown world of entertainment because of me, and to be by my side. In other words, she was like Katniss to Prim.

As time passed by, we both grew a little older every day and every year. And thanks to the amount of milk I drank, I eventually became taller than my sister. She’s a dwarf compared to me.

My sister was so passionate in making her dream came true and soon her dream became my dream too. Seeing her working hard every day was such an inspiration to me and it made me want to work hard as well.

She became busier as she rises up to be one of the most successful in the nation and even Asia. We spent less time together and I realized how much I missed my meanie sister.

When I first debuted, she was there to support me. I was quickly labeled as her little sister everywhere I go. She taught me all the things she knows and watched me grow, either making mistakes or making my moments. She stood by me and defended me when the current became fierce. She put umbrella over me to protect me from the sun, even though I’m taller than her. And when I was finally able to stand on my own, she watched over me with a proud smile that now replacing that mischievous smirk.

As time goes by, my sister continues to chase her dreams. And soon she made her other dream came true, which was starting her own business. I’ve seen that look in her eyes before, the same one when she was practicing her dance or belting out her sweet voices; that fire and passion that was bubbling from within her. She found a few people she trusted and then begin writing the next chapter of her career. Although she was busy, she tried her best to manage everything.

She became very successful, and I was also dragged along into her playground. And so this little sidekick got some success of her own as well.

But we can never predict what will happen next. We thought we had it all planned out but we forgot that He is the planner of us all.

The ladder that my sister climbed so hard through the years suddenly crumbled under her feet within seconds. She didn’t even realize when the ladder begins to rot from the inside. She thought everything was fine, and that the ladder was going to support her weight till she reached the top. Maybe she fell because she carried too much weight, or maybe the ladder itself had broken apart, but things just happen that way. My sister fell down hard to the ground. And then everything changed.

It hurts me so much seeing her in pain. Though she kept telling people she was fine and that it was okay to fall sometimes, I know it was all just another layer of her thin mask.

I wish people knew how fragile she was. She cried when it was only us two in the room, and I usually cried even before she does. We would hug and none of us told each other to stop, because I can only stop crying if she stopped first.

But my sister is no ordinary sister. She is cool and great and would win the World Sister Championship if there ever is one. She picked up the pieces and moved on. She said to me it was okay to begin again and told me to be strong. It was funny because I was supposed to tell her to be strong instead. She smiled at me like nothing happened and soon we were dancing and laughing in the living room like nothing else matters.

I guess it’s true that nothing else matters. As long as we both know that we’re always going to be there for each other, I believe we can take on whatever hurdles the life throws at us.

Maybe things are hard for her right now, but it’s okay because this time, I will protect her.

jungsis2

 

 

by aienbest

Happy 27th Birthday Jessica Jung!

We’ll always be with you. We got your back.

#AlwayswithJessicaJung

#HappyJessDay

Seoul Backpacking Day 5 – Apgujeong, SM Entertainment, Legally Blonde, Dinner With Kim Family

Our day 5 begin lazily, mostly because of the hectic schedule we had the past week. We head out to Apgujeong to experience the Korean rich people culture. Lol.

When we get there, the atmosphere was so different from the other side of the river. The buildings are new and the people were wearing more fashionable clothes. And then we found the infamous ‘plastic surgery’ road. It wasn’t hard to find because the whole street was lined up with plastic surgery clinics! There were 5 storey buildings and there were 5 different clinics or more in one building. And there were so many buildings I lost count. If you’re looking for getting some job done, lol you’ll be spoilt for choice.

We wander around as I wanted to visit SM Ent building since we were there. We got on a taxi since we didn’t know the way and shyly asked the driver to get us there. Lol idk why but it feels embarrassing to go to SM Ent building as if we’re sasaeng fans. But I just want to visit like visiting a historic monument. haha.

While we were in the cab, I saw a young woman came out from a nearby clinic. Not sure if she just got her face done or she’s there for a follow up, but almost her whole face was bandaged, leaving only eyes and mouth visible. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to be honest and it was hard to take that image of my mind even until now.

The taxi driver dropped us at SM Ent building and I take photos lol.

We left SM Ent through the new Apgujeongrodeo subway line and boy I was surprised. The underground walkway to the subway was luxurious unlike the subway we’ve been before.

It was still too early to go to COEX for another Legally Blonde so we decided to go to Itaewon for lunch. We had more Bunggeoppangs and Turkish Kebab also Hotteok yum!

And then it was time for another play for lovely Jessica Jung’s Legally Blonde Musical. No other Girls’ Generation members visited the play this time. The play was fun like usual. One who watched can tell how much Jessica enjoys playing her part as Elle Woods and performing with the whole team. Her smile was radiant and she was so cheerful making everyone laugh with her witty lines. I fell for Jessica all over again. Like I said before, she’s amazing.

They gave orange juice at the end of the musical

After the musical, we rushed back to Myeongdong to meet up with the Kim family. Mr. Kim met with my sister through work and now his whole family already familiar with us. Their family drove all the way from Gwangju to meet with us. We were lost in Myeongdong lol. We can’t find Lotte Department Store even though we went there before. So while navigating through the crowd with the aid of a kind couple, we saw people filming, presidential candidates giving speeches and also this SNSD giant board.

When we finally met them, Mr. Kim treated us to lunch at Saffron Restaurant at Ibis Ambassador Hotel just across from Lotte. It’s my first time eating Arabic food and I love it! Gosh it’s probably the best meal I had while we were there.

Mr. Kim’s daughters were as usual, the eldest one who looks like After School Uee was so prim and proper while the younger one was being a princess and demanding this and that. Lol. I spoke Malay with her and she spoke Korean to me but idk how we managed to communicate. Haha.

Ahwon latching onto her father while our Princess Shiwon waits

After dinner, they treat us to coffee and then gave us presents each awww. It was handmade Korean dolls in traditional outfit and the boxes were hugeee. We’re not sure how to take it home lol.

After parting with the Kims, which the wife even shed tears as we said goodbye, (lol she said Koreans like to cry) we head down to Myeongdong for last minute shopping. We had a lot of fun hahaha.

The next day we woke up early in the morning to catch the shuttle bus to airport as our flight was around 9am. We managed not to exceed the maximum weight with our luggage yay. We checked in early and even have the time to get our tax refund.

Bye Bye Dalkom!

Everysing inside the departure hall

The flight soon take off and we’re headed back to Malaysia. But I already miss Seoul and it’s people.

I’ll probably going there again this year. ^^

 

Seoul Backpacking Day 2 – Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, Legally Blonde, YoonKrys Surprise

12/12/12

We start our morning with hot toasts and instant coffee! We woke up a bit late that morning because of the soreness of our body from day one adventure.

We took subway and we didn’t get lost this time and managed to get to Gyeongbukgung Palace around 10:00am. The palace is AMAZING. It’s like you’re being sucked in time to the Joseon Dynasty like in the saeguk dramas on TV. It’s not just one building, but its acres of land with loads of beautiful buildings in one place. When we got there, there were a lot of teenagers visiting the palace so it got a bit chaotic with naughty boys jumping around and girls chatting loudly. Later we learned that the palace open to students for free for a period of time. There were guided tours in English and the earliest one was on 11:00am so we were right on schedule. We waited for around 15 minutes and join the tour. There were around 20 people in our group.  There were Malaysians too. Yay, lol happy to see fellow countrymen.

I learned a lot about the history of the palace, but I can only focus for so long lol. It got boring after a while listening to the guide and my toes were almost frozen. I realized then that my sneakers are not enough to endure the cold.

There are stories for each of the mini statues

Built without a single nail

The tour ended about 1 hour later and we parted from the group. We move to the National Palace Museum to heat up and rest lol. It’s in the same area as the palace. There were 3 halls, each focusing on different era of the history of Korea.

Apparently that was a bed

We lost track of time in the palace and we left at 2:00pm. So we managed to watch the Changing Guard Ceremony at the main entrance.

The Royal Changing Guard Ceremony

Next we walk around the beautiful Gwanghamun Square just outside the palace gate. There were two giant statues at the square, one is King Sejong and another one is Admiral Yi (I think). While we were walking we saw crowds and people giving out speeches enthusiastically. Police were guarding the area and media were also present. Later I learned that they were campaigns for the presidential election.

Not sure what these people were doing

We were looking for the largest bookstore there, Kyobo Bookstore and were walking around aimlessly looking for building that we saw on Running Man episode (LOL). There were so many buildings and we don’t have all day (plus we were starving), so we decided to go to the subway and move to Myeongdong for lunch.

But in the subway, we found the way to Kyobo Bookstore. ^^

But at the bookstore, it wasn’t books that I bought. LOL. I happily shop for I AM DVD, Despicable Me Korean DVD and KARA Solo Collection. The KARA one was on sale. o/

Next we hurriedly went back to Myeongdong for two reasons, first we want to eat at a halal restaurant and secondly we have to buy winter boots for Nami Island trip the next day. We got there around 4pm and I managed to drop by Banilla Co. and Innisfree to shop for more cosmetics. And then we found the restaurant by chance! Haha, we were lucky. ^^

We went to Agra Restaurant, which is a popular chain Indian restaurant in Seoul that serves halal and vegetarian menu. One thing though, we didn’t expect the place to be so… classy. Lol. We had their lunch set, which consists of rice, curry with cheese, salad, roti naan and vegetables all for only 9,900krw. Their naan bread and cheese curry was so delicious I can still remember the taste.

Before moving to the next destination we stop by SPAO to buy boots and Harvard shirts that were on sale. The boots were only 45,000krw per pair and they’re pretty! The price there is very reasonable.

Next stop, COEX!

We arrived there around 7.00am and the place was pretty empty. There were rice wreaths mostly for Jessica lined nicely along the floor. I bought Legally Blonde merchandises for me and my friends because they were pretty cheap. The posters were only 1,000krw each!

From Malaysia!

Merchandise booth

My sister isn’t watching the musical (because she thinks it’s a waste of money) and she decided to wait for me at the bench in front of the hall entrance and read. This later became the best decision she made. I told her to keep an eye for other Soshi members who might turn up. We both guessed that it might be Yoona who come, that is if anyone turn up at all. My sister fave Soshi member is Yoona after all.

I went in myself and sat at my seat, next to a nice ahjusshi who also came alone. When I was settling myself at my seat, suddenly people were cheering. I looked up and saw two people walking to their seats and noticed that it was Yoona. I was sitting at the opposite side of Yoona, sadly. So I only saw her from afar. Then I noticed a hyper girl sitting beside her. The girl was trying to cover her face with her scarf as she laughed, and it was none other than Krystal Jung.

The show starts a few minutes after 8:00pm with a cheerful dance number by Elle Woods’s friends. And then Jessica appeared and the crowd was cheering.

The musical was so fun to watch, it was funny and entertaining with lovable characters and witty lines all throughout. You will fall for the arrogant Warner who dumped Elle, though he was kind of a douche but he was cute. And then there was the shy Emmet who always dresses plainly but always there for Elle. And who can forget the vibrant hairstylist Paulette who became Elle’s shoulder to cry on during her time at Harvard. And also Kyle, the delivery guy from PedEx who wears tight clothes all the time.

But Elle was the best. I have never seen Jessica being so committed with something. And her performance through this musical proved to me that she’s not a lazy girl people accuse her to be. She’s amazing.

After the musical ended my sister boasted to me that she saw Yoona up close. They passed by her 4 times! She tried to chase her the first time like others lol but she was blocked by the manager. She decided to use another tactic, which was to act like she don’t care but hid the camera with her. It worked and Yoona and Krystal walked past her so leisurely and the managers didn’t see her as a threat lol.

We went back to Chungmuro station, feeling happy and content. But then there was a problem. We forgot which exit to take. And at a station there were around 8-9 exits. If you took the wrong exit you will get lost. We were lost. LOL. It was late, cold and dark and we were wandering with our shopping bags. Luckily we found a taxi driver, though he refused to drive us or even talk to us, I managed to ask him in my broken hangul and luckily he understood.  He pointed us a way and we finally found our guesthouse. o/

Next is day three, to Nami Island the fairy tale land!