Be Loyal, Not Hateful (What we really should do as a fan?)

Here's something I would like to ask you, fellow ELF. Do you love Super Junior fully? Do you consider yourself as a loyal fan? Are you willing to love Super Junior till the end? If your answer is yes, then kuddos to you. If not, then you might have to reconsider why you like Super Junior in the first place.

K-pop has been popular for so many years now and it keeps growing and growing. K-pop has changed drastically with a huge number of K-pop groups. From Shinwa to TVXQ to Super Junior to Big Bang, Girls Generation, EXO, SHINEE, Lovelyz, Red Velvet, Twice, Blackpink, Seventeen, NCT, BTS...you name it. And honestly, it is not that easy to keep up with the rapid spreading of popularity of a single group. New talents are coming ahead, and they will steal the spotlight. However, there'll always be a group of fans who remain loyal to the K-pop group of their choice.
This actually summarizes what I wanna say but I would like to elaborate so I hope you'll keep on reading. :P

We humans have hearts that are hard to understand (not biologically unless you're sick but mentally/psychologically). Our heart guide us to the things that take us by interest. Our hearts are complicated because we may have to think to choose which to support and which to leave. We all have different tastes in music. We all have different tastes in movies and books and anything else. A lot of people in this world seem to have similar interests in the latest trends. As years fly by, new trends come in and people cope up with them. However, not everyone likes keeping up with the trends because they may feel uncomfortable with them or uninterested in them. In fact, the world is endlessly changing because of the generation today.

I've come across with this vlog video from Phillip Wang from Wong Fu Productions. And his opinions on the decreasing popularity is similar to K-pop. "YouTube is constantly changing", so is K-pop (Wang, 2016). YouTube's job is to keep up with what's happening in the world year after year. And if you're a YoutTuber, it's good that you've gained popularity, but after some time, it'll fade away. You've done your best to create as many contents as you can, and if people are no longer interested in your videos, then they'll unsubscribe. And that's okay because people change. They may change their perspectives or views on your content. However, just because you're no longer popular doesn't mean you have to quit what you're doing. YouTubers post the things they love. They find a career through YouTube, and viewers find something in common with the YouTubers. If people stick with a certain channel for many years and will still keep on watching, those people are true fans. They believe in the channel and vow to support the channel.
Phillip pointed out that "you won't be popular forever"(2016). It's like a human's lifespan. We grow and grow and then we pause before we eventually will start aging. We may not be popular for a long time, but what we've given to the public will leave a mark to their lives. They will remember you, and they will thank you for inspiring them.

Wong Fu Productions channel has been a big part of my life since 2012. When a friend showed me "Strangers Again" short film, I started to watch their videos ever since. I've become their fan until today, and I'll never stop watching and liking their stuff. There's just something about their videos that has reached my heart. They really know how to tell stories about relationships and life in a visual way. Even though they have not reached to a hundred million subscribers, I will still watch their videos because I like what they do. Their channel has grown bigger and bigger for the past decade or so.

Artists become popular for a certain period of time. That's how the "evolution of entertainment" works (2016). For example, I remember when David Archuleta's time as an American Idol sensation exploded back in 2009. His hit single, "Crush" had him gain so many fans. And then, "A Little Too Not Over You" came along followed by "Something Bout Love" and a lot more. After a few years, his popularity died down. He went on a hiatus before coming back with new songs. But this time, the number of fans he has now are not as many he once had. And that's okay because he likes delivering new music to his fans today. There's still always people who still support him.

I also remember when I first got into Daughtry's music. Back in 2009, when I first repeated the song "Feels Like Tonight" on one of those dinosaur computers, I ended up looking up for more songs from the rock band. Chris Daughtry had participated in American Idol as well. I think he didn't win, but he still made good music and eventually his band's popularity escalated. Their songs has such deep, meaningful, and emotional lyrics. Even today, their new songs are just as good as before. Daughtry, too, is not so popular today. I expected to see at least half of the seats full when I attended Daughtry's concert back in summer 2015 in Vancouver. But I was wrong. That time when I went there, the whole area was full of fans! It surprised me that even though the popularity has died down, there's still a number of fans all over North America who still love Daughtry. :)

Okay, back to K-pop. You probably have noticed by now that Super Junior has lost a number of fans because of so many negative news about them and not just because of the new K-pop groups. Some are made up, some are real. Super Junior takes their own responsibility to cover up their mistakes that make the fans upset and the other people to stomp of them like "wild grass" (quote from Leeteuk). And I know that they feel bad about us protecting them. The reason why we stand up for them is because we still care for them. We choose Super Junior as our favourite K-pop group because they're the ones who attract us first. Right? So, in return, we stay by their side. And I hope we can continue doing that till the end as loyal fans. If you choose to be a loyal fan, stay that way. If you choose to leave the fandom, no one will judge you. You are a human. You make your own decisions. And we don't blame you if you leave for certain reasons. But whatever it is, don't underestimate Super Junior or even us. Because do not forget (and I mean do not ever) that Super Junior is the pillar of the Hallyu wave today. Without Super Junior, none of the latest K-pop rookies who have blossomed into rising stars won't even exist!

What kind of a fan are you if you are not hungry for new music, but hungry for gossip or criticism on Super Junior? Are you even happy to be with Super Junior just because they've done something bad? Why don't you even at least show them sympathy? It's not that they're doing things on purpose right? They are scared! I'm telling you. Scared. They're scared that we will walk away from them. And we're scared too, because we don't to see them disband. We don't want to see them leave us. News on Sungmin's marriage has gone haywire all over the online world, even until now. Don't even get me started. I seriously am done reading those "#sungminout" tweets. It's just torture! That's not just mean that sweet, bright Sungmin is released from military. It means something else. Something dark and cunning netizens hide away from us. Those people don't know Sungmin as much as we ELF do. I've been a fan for close to two years now and even though I have a lot more to know about each member in Super Junior, I know for a fact that they are trying their hardest to stay alive as a group and to preserve our SuJu+ELF relationship.

Even though Super Junior is not recognized by most young K-pop fans, even though Super Junior is looked down by a lot of people, Super Junior still strives to be the best they can be. They're still working hard filling in as many variety shows as they can, releasing as many albums as they can, holding as many concerts as they can and most importantly reminding us again and again that they won't stop. We have been working hard voting as much as we can, sharing MVs and songs as many times as we can and reminding the world again and again that Super Junior is still alive.

And from what I can see, Super Junior members do all those things not for vanity, but for enjoyment. They just love doing what they do, and that's something we all should take note. They don't take clown lessons or anything. They just like to joke around and make us laugh naturally. That is something not many entertainers can master.

Another thing that bothers me is how K-pop companies treat K-pop stars. Yes, they've trained them hard core. Yes, they're turned them into celebrities. But what irks me a lot is how they promote the groups, especially those who have been in the K-pop industry for a while. You've probably heard of the crazy things that happen to several groups this year like Wonder Girls and 2NE1 who have disbanded. I've heard that they've been active for so long and then when one of the members left, the company just called them quits. I didn't mean to say this but all K-pop companies think about is money. Comebacks are the key; however, they don't pay a lot of attention on comebacks from older stars. Like I've said before, the entertainment world changes from time to time and new stars often takes the spotlight. But after I see the way companies treat K-pop artists when it comes to promotion, I think they're seeing nothing other than raining cash. K-pop stars that have been active for more than a decade deserves attention too. They have worked super hard, yet they don't receive enough credit. I'm just saying here. I always think K-pop is different from American music and any other music genres, so I hope to see K-pop companies have a balance of respect for both old and new artists. K-pop is changing, but they probably are not aware that the fans of old K-pop groups are still as big as their coloured oceans. Shinwa, TVXQ, SuJu, Girls' Generation, Big Bang and a lot more...you all have serious fan base and I hope your companies will give you chances to promote well in your next comebacks. Equally.

Old fans may leave, but they are replaced by new fans who is intrigued by Super Junior. Even in this very second, there will be a new fan anxious about the fan club but soon she'll be welcomed with open arms by ELF all over the world. I'm just surprised and grateful that there are still teenagers who grow to love Super Junior. And you can't force someone to like Super Junior, because that's just displeasing. Anyone chooses whatever they want. We choose Super Junior, and that makes a mark in our personalities and memories. If we see Super Junior doesn't make it to the top, well, what can we do? We've tried our best and we have to accept it. However, we can fight it in upcoming opportunities.
You may be one of those people who thinks Super Junior is no longer popular...well sadly that's the truth; however, you haven't seen the real light. Super Junior still holds the status of "Kings of Hallyu". If you don't see it and you want to really know, then you should get one of us to do the explaining. ;) And there will be a long history to be told.

There will also be a group of fans who will cheer on Super Junior forever, and that is us, Everlasting Friends. :)

One day, Super Junior will be whole again. One day, Super Junior will take over the music charts. One day, another Super Junior's MV will have a hundred million views. One day, Super Junior will slay in the next comeback. One day, Super Junior will see the Pearl Sapphire Blue ocean once again. All of these will happen. You just wait and see.

Let me know what you think about popularity or fandom in the comments below! See you in the next post! And to all haters...get a life.

References
YouTube's "Problems"...What NO ONE is talking about. Dir. Phillip Wang. YouTube, 23 Dec.                 2016. Web. 30 Dec. 2016.

Words or Silicon Chips, You Just Have To Be You (inspired by Amber's "Ranting Monkey" episode)

Crystallized rain stormed down the earth.

White icing clothed around the branches

Of naked trees.

The powdery glaze crushed against my feet.

I would never forget 

This seasonal realm. 

I took this photo when I was on my way from the campus building to the bus stop. It was the second day of winter in Vancouver and everywhere was just white! I was so mesmerized by the beauty of this season that I had to Snapchat some of the perfect scenery. I'd also came up with this poetic caption. I write such captions for some of my Instagram posts not only for my followers to read what I want to say, but also for my followers to visualize what I describe about these posts. It's like reading a book. I like to invent imagery, metaphors, personification and any other poetic and descriptive phrases as a way to express myself. 

So, as you can tell, I want to share what I think about self-expression. I was inspired by one of the vlogs from Amber Liu's online series called Ranting Monkey . Amber is from a K-pop girl group called f(x) (not the mathematical formula for functions XD). I recently play her Beautiful album on repeat; her songs are incredible! I've also watched every single episode of her "Ranting Monkey" show which is about her filming about her life as a K-pop star and as a normal American-born Chinese. 

One of her vlogs (as posted above) is about self-expression. I was blown away by her definition and opinion on this topic. In fact,I think everyone should at least relate to Amber's point of view on this topic because she represents us. She speaks for the sake of our values on human life. 

One thing Amber discussed in her video that struck me the most was when she told a story of her past experience of being judged. She once argued with her friend, who had gone through plastic surgery, that it was wrong to change her facial features. However, she didn't say anything when her friend said, "Amber, if you can't have tattoos, then who do you say I can't have plastic surgery?"(KSTYLE TV, 2016). She realized that she was being "insensitive". Even myself as a viewer can totally see that her friend had made a really good point. It reminds me of a conversation I had with one of my good friends back in Malaysia. She said in our group chat whether we want to know what the thesis of her scientific experiment was. I abruptly said "no" because I wasn't interested in science. And then, she left the group chat which took me by surprise. I immediately asked her personally on what I did wrong. She told me that I have to at least hear what she wanted to say and support what she was doing. That made me realize that I was a terrible supporter...and a friend. We've been friends for so long, and that was how I treated her. I learned that I shouldn't be selfish. I guess that the more I grow apart from my friends, the more my heart will turn cold towards them. And the more I'm away from the people who support me and inspire me, the more I've changed into someone they don't even remember. We get to express ourselves in new ways as we grow older; therefore, we need to give strength to each other. 

And don't worry. My friend and I are in good terms again. ;D So are the rest of my wonderful friends.

I've jotted this quote from her vlog down on my life list, which is "something meaningless to you can mean something to somebody else". Each one of us has different beliefs, definitions, preferences, and opinions on things. If we judge or criticize on something valuable to a person, it's like you're stabbing his heart. That person finds joy and comfort in something, and if he's not supported or praised, his passion of that particular interest will drain down. Reacting negatively on someone is like killing a life. You could wreck his motivation, emotions, and even his physical health. 

Amber has tattoos that represents her themes of interests, such as "design of silicon chips" (2016). I love when she said, "If I were to have my own silicon chips, this is how I would be programmed" because "silicon chips" are like the metaphor (or should I say symbolism) of a person's life. Whatever you are now is what God has made you into. Whatever you've become is who you are. And "silicon chips" are made up of tiny little contents that help a machine to operate, just like us humans depending on our physical body to live and our soul to express our emotions and thoughts. 

So when it comes to expressing yourselves, you can do so with just anything. You can dress up all in black. You can paint your nails in every colour of the rainbow. You can turn the volume of your new favourite music full blast and dance in your room. You can write the cheesiest poem ever and attach it on the cover of your file. You can decorate your room with unicorn portraits. You can customize or create anything you want to let your creative juices flow. And no matter what you have in you or what you do, you're just being yourself. There is no one else in this world who is an exact copy of you, because you are one of a kind. 

Even when you hold two packets of coffee with your mouth and pretend to be a walrus, you're expressing yourself. XD  

And when you express yourself, people will either respect you or badmouth you. Let's face it. We all have positive people and negative people in our lives. Positive people will encourage us and support us in whatever we're doing and whatever we're aiming for. Negative people, on the other hand, will attack you with words that will break your spirits and your heart. You have the option to choose whether to be happy or to be depressed. Because if you choose to be happy of who you are, you have to be surrounded by positive people. In this way, you can motivate and inspire them as well. If you're surrounded by negative people, you won't express yourself often. And that's unhealthy. 

Love yourself before you love others. 

Respect yourself before you respect others. ;) 

Like Amber said, "life is a journey of finding yourself" (2016). When you do things that spark your passion and enthusiasm, you'll finding yourself growing and improving. You'll even get to try something new to expand your horizons. Yup! Self-expression also comes with new interests. K-pop has completely changed my music taste; I don't regret it because it defines who I am. It shapes a whole new island of personality (sounds familiar? #Disney). And I don't care if other people malign about me talking or sharing posts about K-pop (including Super Junior, the kings of K-pop yo!), because I know that there's a group of people out there (shout out to my thousands of followers on social media) who will smile and agree with what I really believe in. 

 Even though I have graduated with a Creative Writing degree, I'm still learning to improve my fiction and poetry writing skills. I still have new ideas formed into a list to be transformed into stories, and I'm finding time to write them one by one. I express myself with words for readers to see what I see. And readers may vary on what they picture in their heads, but the most important thing is that they know what I've put on paper or screen. :) 

Express yourself! I promise you it'll be the best feeling ever! 

See you in the next post! <3 

References

[KSTYLE TV] Ranting Monkey EP 13-Self Expression. Perf. Amber Liu. YouTube. 

         KSTYLE TV, 3 Nov. 2016. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

K-Pop fandom as one unity

I've been thinking of writing about this topic for a while now and now hopefully after writing this post I hope a lot of you can relate or learn something as K-pop fans. Whether you just got in K-pop or you've been a fan of it for a while, you probably have faced (or heard about) this issue , that is a fan war.

Here's what I first think of when it comes to fan wars. I hate it. It's like the online version of World War II. People would just storming down the comment section with hatred on K-pop groups aside from their favourite ones. I especially feel hurt or annoyed when I see non SuJu fans saying that Super Junior doesn't deserve to be in the nomination list on an award event or in even win in an award event. It's like they think that the K-pop group/ artist they love is the best in the world and the others have to run away or bow down before them. Yes, there are competitions but you don't have malign on the other artists who have worked as hard as your group.

In fact,  I see fan wars as a form of cyber-bullying.

I see some negative posts from fans of a certain K-pop group who criticize (more like insult) on other K-pop groups. How did this happen? Why can't they just respect one another? Just because the K-pop group have achieved something doesn't mean they're the one who should be blamed for. You can't even blame the fans because they've worked so hard voting as many times as they can to support their favourite Korean stars.
I was indeed in shock when I saw this screenshot.

There's even "black ocean" that has happened to Girls' Generation, Lovelyz, and Seventeen.
Girls' Generation talks about their infamous 'ten minute black ocean' incident
Seventeen were the victims of the notorious 'black ocean'during their 'MAMA' performance?
Lovelyz fall victim to the 'black ocean' during their performance at the Pepsi concert?

0.0 What on earth happened to these groups??? It's like a blackout! Don't you love them in the first place? Don't you want to light up your sticks till the end of the the concert? What? What the heck? D:

I mean every star in the K-pop industry has given everything they got to create new, unique and entertaining content for us to enjoy. And this is what you're giving in return? Is this what you want? Is this what they want? Both K-pop groups and fans don't deserve to be treated like this! Every one deserves a chance to win something! To get credit! To make history! Why would you create an anti fan group to destroy other talented artists? That's just immature and disrespectful! K-pop stars, young and old, have looked up to one another as role models and mentors. They like to see one another climbing to the peak and carve their names in the sky so that people can know them and cheer for them.

What's even worse is that negative criticism can hurt the celebrity himself/herself and eventually his/ her spirits will be torn apart. Bullying other fans can also turn physical. Like what happened with this poor Super Junior fan (ELF) shared online.

"I was scrolling through my twitter and someone re-shared a post about a group of EXO-l at a school who has been physically abusing ELF who said that SuJu is still standing strong in the Kpop world and that they made Kpop that big.

I am so tired of hearing & reading about ELF getting tortured" (Facebook, 2016). 

Seriously?? She's voicing out on what she believes in! She's standing her ground! Why would you beat her up? The K-pop group have good qualities and you're proud of them. Why don't you be happy for others too?

And hey! It's a 100% fact! Without Super Junior, K-pop won't even exist today!

K-POP FANS. WE HAVE TO STOP THESE KIND OF BEHAVIOUR. EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THE KOREAN STARS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THICK AND THIN WON'T BE HAPPY IF YOU TREAT OTHERS LIKE GARBAGE. 

Instead of finding out that we've lost a competition, we should be happy for the winner. We should show good sportsmanship. Like the video above when Super Junior carried Huh Gak, the soloist, and bounced him up and down happily. This is what we are missing nowadays.

I've come across a recent article on Kim Heechul and this quote touches me.

“I don’t pay attention to the number of people who like or hate me, and I will continue to show my candid nature like I have up until now,” Kim Heechul firmly stated. “I believe this is the basis of how I can bring joy to everyone" (Kang, 2016). 

Kim Heechul Talks About How He Approaches Fame + Increasing Number of Fans and Haters

Damn! That's some wise advice there! He loves doing his job and he knows he has fans who love the things he do.
Yeah! That's right! You go, Cinderella! Just be you! :D

I figure that those who start a fan war are those who are afraid of letting their favourite K-pop artists down. I mean, we all do, right? We all want the best for the Korean singers we choose to love and cheer for. But, what I mean is that those who plan a fan war are hating on other K-pop stars to the extreme. They would fight for which K-pop star(s) is the best and attack each other with spears of malice. What's next? Presenting a Korean sensation's comeback with a blanket of darkness?What happen to the colour of pride and harmony? If fan wars affect someone, what happens to the unity of K-pop stans who share their interest, passion, enthusiasm, and curiosity in Korean culture?

Instead of being cynical, we should at least say congrats to the winner. And don't be sarcastic when saying it! That celebrity has been on a rocky journey, undergoing a transformation from a clump of gas into a shining star. And if the artist you're rooting for didn't win, there's loads of opportunities ahead with the trophy waiting for him or her to have. You don't have to bad mouth about the winner.

In fact, not all people in this world choose K-pop as their kind of music. You should be blessed that you got introduced to K-pop. Whether you got to know about this music genre from friends or YouTube, you should be happy that you're welcomed to the K-pop fandom.

So, let's stop the hate. And spread love. 
Yes. Love. 

And I do not mean by cupid-shot, intimate love. I'm talking about a simple, positive gesture or attitude that puts a smile on a person's face and ease at heart.
In fact, here's a crazy idea.
Try saying "I love you" or "Saranghae" or any other languages translated from these three English words to a fan from another fan club. You may have said "I love you" before to your friends or fellow fan-mates or even to your favourite K-pop group or even your bias, but I don't think not many of you got to say "I love you" to fans of a different K-pop group or solo artist. The reason why you can do this is because those people commit their time and energy to love a person who was once a nobody. Thanks to a large group of people called fans, that person is recognized and respected in the K-pop world. That person represents Korea as hope for the future of music.
If "I love you" is a little too mushy for you, then "thank you" would be a better phrase to say to a different fan. K-pop fans should be thanked for being with the artists all this time, just like how they've thanked us fans for believing that they can achieved something.

Yeap! You say it, Shindong!

Toes curling! But hey, it does feel good!

We're humans. We're different. We have our own opinions and preferences. We choose that talent to be a part of our lives. We shouldn't be brainwashed by jealousy or anger or any other negative emotions. Because K-pop fandom is pretty intense, it is guarded by a Libra that will either balance or collapse. Let's not battle. In turn, let's celebrate. Celebrate for more things our K-pop kings and queens, princes and princesses, to come.

Cheers!

***

Works Cited

 J. (2014, March 17). Girls' Generation talk about their infamous 'ten minute Black Ocean' incident.           Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/03/girls-generation-             talk-about-their-infamous-ten-minute-black-ocean-incident 

 J. (2015, December 6). Lovelyz fall victim to the 'black ocean' during their performance at the Pepsi         Concert? Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.allkpop.com/article/2015/12/lovelyz-           fall-victim-to-the-black-ocean-during-their-performance-at-the-pepsi-concert 

 Kang, E. (2016, November 17). Kim Heechul Talks About How He Approaches Fame Increasing             Number of Fans and Haters. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from                                          
      http://www.soompi.com/2016/11/17/kim-heechul-talks-approaches-fame-increasing-number-fans-       haters/ 

 S. (2015, December 4). Seventeen were the victims of the notorious 'black ocean' during their                   'MAMA' performance? Retrieved November 20, 2016, from                                                                   http://www.allkpop.com/article/2015/12/seventeen-were-the-victims-of-the-notorious-black-               ocean-during-their-mama-performance 

[110930] Huh Gak WIN Super Junior Celebration Kyuhyun Sing Hello(Huh Gak Song) @Music              Bank [Video file]. (2011, September 30). In YouTube. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd1ejlbGrj0

Creativity in Teaching (Inspired by Yoriko Sensei and Prince EA)

“I call school to the stand and accuse him of killing creativity, individuality and being intellectually abusive.” (Spoken Word Artist "Sues School Systems in Viral Video", 2016). 

I was blown away with this Teens React video about Prince EA's "I Just Sued The School System" video. And I was blown away again when I watched the original. It was definitely an eye opener.

The school system hasn't changed. This is true. Kids are forced to learn the same subjects through hard-copy textbooks and the traditional exam concept (e.g. multiple choice and essays). And the teachers would just follow the format of using the textbooks. Even for students like me who hate subjects like math, science, history and so forth, are forced to insert information into their brains from a typical classroom setting. And in the end, those knowledge will either wither away or remain. This is just boring. Teachers need to come up with different ideas. They need to come up with their ideas.

Our brains are linked with our hearts. Every human wants to fill their minds with the things they're passionate about and they want to learn more from the things they're interested in to improve their skills and to prepare for their ambitions. They need unique ways to remember and apply what they've learnt for their ideal plans for their future. If you're a nursing student but you need an English literature prerequisite, that just makes no sense!

In fact, teachers are encouraged to explore creativity for students. They should try not to use textbooks (even though college textbooks are upgraded every year or two) and focus on new ways to make students understand about a topic or anything else. For example, my former Japanese teacher, Yoriko Sensei, ditches the Genki textbook (Japanese textbooks used in most colleges here in Canada) and encourages her students to learn new Japanese words and grammar just by asking her or be involved in conversation practices. Whenever a student asked Yoriko sensei on how to say a particular question such as "how to get there?" or "how much is a piece of candy?", she would immediately give the answer to the whole class and allow them to practice asking the question and answering it. Students in her class are inspired by the way anime characters speak, but in real life, Japanese people don't really speak like anime characters do. So instead, Yoriko Sensei is happy to teach her students the correct way of speaking specific lines.

Genki textbooks include different ways of speaking to people. For example, the second Genki textbook teaches us certain words or phrases to speak in front of people with high status or speak about people with high status. It's like another set of etiquette to talk with Japanese people. I mean, I get that Japanese speech is categorized into formal and informal speeches, but with these extras rules of speech...is just so frustrating! The Genki textbooks also include characters and we are forced to learn about the lives of the characters in the printed text. It's like the writers of the textbooks want their words to be inscribed into our minds. What are we? Zombies?

Yoriko Sensei, to my relief, changed the old teaching method. She assigned her students to draw their own manga so that they can use Japanese words and grammar to describe or tell stories about their own lives instead of using the characters' stories from the textbooks. I love that she uses art to help students to memorize and apply new Japanese words.

That is why Yoriko Sensei inspires me to create my own teaching methods when I get to teach English after I graduate. I'm thinking of using Youtube videos like vlogs from Simon And Martina's channel.

Simon and Martina 

This lovely Canadian couple has lived in Seoul for 7 years, and they have recently moved to Tokyo, Japan earlier this year. They have posted amazing videos on food, travel, K-pop, anime, games, cooking tutorials, and a whole lot more. They even got to experiment a long list of weird Asian products! In their "Eat Your Sushi" segment, they shared their stories on their days in Japan and tested their Japanese knowledge through little challenges/games. So their videos give me an idea for Yoriko's class. I wonder if she'll let me to use my idea of showing Simon and Martina's videos in her class...because I'm volunteering to help out with her class starting this Wednesday and I want to at least contribute something.

Oh! And I just remember this video posted by my favourite Malaysian Youtuber 'Jinnyboytv". It's called "The Class Clown" and this is a great example of what an unforgettable teacher is supposed to be.

The Indian teacher, who is the protagonist of this short film, drops the textbook and dresses up as historical figures (mostly Malaysian ones). This is a unique way to teach students about history! This is embarrassing, but awesome! Students like humourous teachers! Such role model can change a student's view on a subject as well! The protagonist even says, "Nowadays students may forget what they see, but they'll never forget how you make them feel" ("The Class Clown", 2012). He even asks his students to call him by his first name!

What the students won't forget the most is how the teacher shows them about something instead of how he tells them. Show instead of tell!

Anyway, I can see why teachers are valuable in this world. It's not fair that teaching is one of the world's low-paying jobs. Prince Ea said in his video that "a great teacher can reach the heart of a kid". A student's job is to be built and inspired by a teacher to be inquisitive and inventive. They need to learn things that will help prepare them for the next step of their life, i.e., college, career, intimate relationships, and family. "Students may be only 20% of the population, they are 100% for our future", and I totally agree ("I Just Sued The School System, 2016).

Schools don't teach everything so students have to learn a lot of stuff on their own. I remember my sisters talked about my grandfather telling them that you won't be applying the stuff you've learnt from school in real life because schools only teach certain things but there's still a galaxy of knowledge you have to know.

And even until now, students would still study Spartan style, especially in Asia. Cho Kyuhyun, who is my favourite member from a K-pop group called Super Junior, reflected on how much he had suffered from studying too much and being a genius in his school. Since his dad is an education representative and founder of institutions in Korea and Taiwan, Kyuhyun felt that he had to score straight A's including math. Even when he gradually struggle in math back in high school, he still tried his best to score the best mark he could obtain. And even he has become a celebrity (singer, MC, idol judge, musical performer, etc.), he still applied for a Masters degree program back in the year 2014. That was just impressive.

But what I'm saying is that every student has "different strengths [and] dreams" (Prince Ea, 2016). You can't just squeeze as many lemons as you can in one jar, because it eventually will overflow. "One size [doesn't fit] all" after all (2016). "Common core" should be abandoned and debates on whether "art or dance" is important should be forgotten (2016). It doesn't matter what interest a person has. Art or dance? They're both important! People need to express themselves through creativity to inspire others! Every field of interest is important in order for each individual to make a change.

Like he said, "if we can customize health care, cars, and Facebook pages, then it is our duty to do the same for education to upgrade and change" (2016).

Prince Ea's view on education, in my opinion, should be known by teachers today. "Every child has a gift", and we should allow them to use their talents to create something that will shape the future of this world ("Prince EA React to Teens React to The School System", 2016). We, in fact, are teachers ourselves. Teachers don't have to be from schools. Teachers can be parents and friends. We have to teach kids to have fun learning as a way for them to understand the world better and to allow them to have visions in order to craft solutions for the next generation. We wouldn't want to see them as "fish being judged by how well they can climb a tree", but as fish that can use their own abilities to survive and inspire others.

I hope you would be inspired by this post as well. I'll see you in the next post! :)


References

Chow, Andy. "Spoken Word Artist "Sues" School Systems in Viral Video." Wksu.org. N.p., 8 Oct.

           2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

I JUST SUED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM!!! Perf. Prince EA. N.p., 26 Sep 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

Japanese House Tour! Perf. Simon and Martina. Simon and Martina, 6 May 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 

           2016. 

Prince EA Reacts to TEENS REACT TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. Perf. Prince EA. N.p., 31 Oct.

           2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

TEENS REACT TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. Perf. Anahita, Darius, Makena, Sydney, Alicia,

           Bryson, Brooklin, Luis, Nora, and Eric. Fine Brothers Entertainment, 30 Oct. 2016. Web. 31

           Oct. 2016.

The Class Clown. Perf. Prakash Daniel. Jinnyboytv, 13 May 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.

The Aesthetic of Asian Culture (How K-Pop Has Influenced Me)

Aesthetic. I first approach this word not only from K-pop fan pictures on Twitter on comparing idols to food, but also from this semester's lectures and readings. But in this post, I'm not gonna talk about art itself. Instead, I'm gonna share my view on how K-pop has caused me to embrace my Asian self as well as acknowledge that Asians are now taking over the world and we need a lot more to make Asian culture noticeable.

Back when I was a kid, all I wanted was to master in English. Not anything else. Just the English language, including writing. I hated learning Chinese and Malay more than anything, because to me those languages didn't sound as beautiful as English. I was also into Japanese anime back then, and I was picky with those that interested me. Even with Malay dubs, I would still watch them because they looked interesting such as Hatsumai Boy Kanipan, Petite Princess Yucie, Super Doll Licca, Mahou Shonjo Lyrical Nanoha (these are underrated ones) and last but not least, Cardcaptor Sakura which was my absolute favourite. I watched Cantonese dramas too but that was a long time ago and the Malay subs somehow helped me with understanding the plots.

But most of all, I hated the fact that I was Chinese. And not just Malaysian Chinese, but Chinese in general. I wished that I could be white. There was one story from American Chinese author, Doretta Lau called "Little Miss International Goodwill" and the protagonist's wish of being white instead of yellow reminded me so much of my dream back when I was her 8-years-old self. I wanted to have blonde hair, blue eyes, speak English smoothly like a waterfall, and outspoken.

So now that I've been living in Canada for five years, my Mandarin and Malay have became so rusty that I find it a little hard to converse with my relatives and friends who are more comfortable with speaking Mandarin and Malay. Honestly, I feel a little guilty about it but I know that being separated away from my home country for this long turns me into who I am. A foreigner. More like an alien. XD

My dream of learning Japanese came true when I'd finally got myself in a real Basic Japanese course back in Douglas College two years ago. I was really enthusiastic in getting all of the grammar and vocab right as well as learning about Japanese culture. All those years, I thought that Japan was my dream destination to go to...until Korea came in. Once I stumbled upon Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry" music video after years of occasional listening to it and not knowing the group itself, I was immediately attracted to the members and everything they do. And after a few weeks of familiarizing myself with Super Junior, I fell head over heels in love with them. Like seriously. XD I can't blame them for being too hot, adorable, and talented at the same time.

Now that I've been their fan for more than a year, I realized that Korean entertainment has made me appreciate Asian culture. Korean stars are not just Korean. There's literally like a gigantic mix of them. From locals to Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino, even German, French, African and a lot more! (Watch Abnormal Summit, a Korean reality where people from all over the world speaks fluent Korean and talks about world issues and stuff!) And Korean star immigrants put their whole heart in learning Korean. They've made the K-pop world phenomenal. With K-pop fans' ability to communicate in other languages for international fans to understand their purposes and feelings, that's just a whole new Guinness World Record. It's cool to see that K-pop stars don't have to be Korean only. Super Junior is the world's first K-pop group to have members from overseas. Hangeng and Zhoumi from China. And also Henry Lau from Canada. And then this becomes a trend in the K-pop star formation, which is adding foreigners and training them to become a part of the Korean community. Even though Hollywood music is still big now, I think the K-pop industry is going to catch up in the future. I'm just saying. Just look at it. K-pop songs have made it to the iTunes charts, American awards like Teen Choice Awards when Super Junior became the first Korean artist group who have won back in 2015, and even Billboard! K-pop has even reached out to Hollywood celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and heck yeah the Obamas (psst...Girls Generation! Not a fan of them but still they've appeared on American television!).And don't forget Jackie Chan who visits Super Junior on set and Mike Jagger who praises on Super Junior's song "Walkin"! And since K-pop spreads all over YouTube like wildfire, more new fans will be born.

Earlier this year, I created a second Instagram account, a Vyrl account (Instagram-like app for K-pop fans), and a Twitter account dedicated to Super Junior and ELF (Super Junior fans-Everlasting Friends). And along the way, I'm involved in a whole new community. Now I've just reached 4000+ followers on Instagram, 400+ followers on Twitter, and close to 300 followers on Vyrl. I'm overjoyed to have made so many, and literally so many new friends across the globe who share the same heart-pounding and ecstatic feeling about Super Junior. As I scroll my phone for updates, post on social media every day, and squeal internally with other fans through comments and retweets, I grow to love Korean culture (surprisingly a little more than Japanese culture. Maybe it's because K-pop recent and bigger for me to be so intrigued about) and I've made a pledge to myself that I want to travel to Korea and Japan as soon as I finish my studies at Capilano University. I've got to get out of here. I guess this is what I'm gonna do. I can't just ditch my interest in both cultures. I wanna explore and experience in Korea and Japan.

Asians are now stepping up their game by showing off their skills and confidence outside of their origins. One thing that I'm super proud this year is the appearance of Asian Americans as the lead roles on television. Fresh Off The Boat and Dr. Ken are now dominating Asian entertainment history (bye bye second lead roles). And now there's "Kim's Convenience" which is Canada's first ever Asian lead drama/comedy series! I just love that Asian actors now sharing their culture on screen. Even though I see negative reviews and ratings of these shows (tsk...racism...), I'm happy to see that these shows are still ongoing.

I once think that K-pop stars are like slaves. They have to go through a long period of training. And then they'll go for debut after a year or so (or even two years or more). I remember seeing short clips or reading bios of Super Junior going through some intense, tough training. They went through thick and thin, shedding blood, sweat, and tears just to become the perfect, professional Super Junior we admire and idolize today. And then as years fly by, new K-pop groups come in and steal the spotlight from old ones. But from what I see, Super Junior is still slaying the K-pop world because of their loyal fans (shout out to all ELF! ELF unite! Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!), their 10 years (oh wait it's 11 years now) of achievement, and their down-to-earth personalities that warm hearts of other idols and TV audience.

So what I'm saying is, people in this world should appreciate what K-pop artists have done for us. They've gone through so much just to do what they love, to deliver new and exciting music for us, to represent Korea, and to enlighten our lives with a little charm (#aegyo or #killersmile) just to make our days brighter.

Learning Japanese and loving K-pop carve into a whole new me. Sometimes, I'm surprised that I've become a Korean culture enthusiast. All those time I thought I would stick to Japanese culture and English language more than anything else. But now...things change. I've learnt Japanese and now my goal is to learn Korean. Which reminds me...I need to get started before I graduate. XD I've got to get help from my younger sister who have taken Korean classes as well as online sources...or maybe I can take a Korean course? Not sure if that's gonna work because I wanna finish my Bachelor of Arts program before summer 2018. Hmm...I don't know...hopefully I can find a way to learn Korean.

The popularity of Asian culture is just beyond my expectations right now. Asian language classes are available everywhere in North America (and I guess South America, Europe, and Australia) which is pretty cool because I've seen non-Asian people who are Asian language/culture enthusiasts. Back in Japanese class, half of the class was white and black people, which was pretty interesting to see. Asian entertainment has influenced all sorts of people to be curious about the language. That's what I meant by aesthetic of Asian culture. Learning the Asian culture shapes a person's view about the world (and technically life) in a whole new way.

P.S. Sorry that I haven't post on my blog in a while! Not gonna lie...I don't like the courses I take this semester because there's just too many lectures that I have to try to stay awake to jot down as many notes as I can despite the fact that the lecturer speaks too fast or too long sentences that I can't even break them down into points. Even with the powerpoint slides uploaded in the student site, I still can't get all of the extra details/ explanation of the definition. But I'm surviving. XD See you in the next post! (Oh! And I'm still working on the pre-draft for Modern Prince sequel! Stay tuned for updates!)

Modern Prince LAST CHAPTER (Chapter 12:A Second Chance)

Chapter 11 Recap:
Craedon wished that Phelia would send him back to the story world with a smile. The couple then wrote a sentence each to complete the notebook. A portal appeared and Craedon said his goodbyes to Bobby, Jordan, and Phelia. As Phelia was about to say her last words, Madame Cyprine who was not dead yet appeared and kidnapped Craedon, escaping through the portal. Phelia went after them and found herself in Sun Yang kingdom. She was about to chase after them but they vanished up to the sun palace. As she seek help by untangling the reigns of a horse, the rider, Suk Jae decided to give her a ride up to the palace. She was then stopped by the guards, but was excused by Seul Eun herself. Seul Eun revealed her feelings of letting Joo Yoon go and was happy that he had chosen Phelia as the girl he loved. They suddenly heard noises from the prince's bedroom and found that he was under attack by Madame Cyprine. 

Modern Prince
Written By: Michele Hii
Chapter 12: A Second Chance

Craedon gripped hold onto the bind that choked his neck. His eyes widened when he saw us.
"Stay away!" Madame Cyprine roared and put out her good hand to aim a lightning bolt towards us.
"Duck!" I screamed.
"What?" Seul Eun looked at me.
"Get down!" I rephrased. She understood and we ducked away from the attack.

I watched as the witch glared furiously at him. She was holding the ball of black energy higher. Her eyes were scarlet, "Say that you'll make me your queen, or I'll brainwash you with my dark spell."
"Never!" he managed to speak, "Phelia is mine, not you!"
This made her brow furrowed even more and she clasped her other hand tight to command the bind to choke him more. I watched in horror as he looked like he was running out of oxygen.
"SAY IT! NOW!" she boomed.

I quickly scanned around the room and saw a neatly folded red and gold hanbok sandwiched between piles of silk cloths on a shelf. A thought immediately came to me, Hmm...maybe we can make her not to cast a spell on him. 
"Psst! Seul Eun!" I whispered. She looked at me darting my eyes to the shelf and nodded, seemingly understand my plan.
"You get the hanbok. I'll get some cloths." I clarified.
Seul Eun nodded again and tiptoed to the corner. Madame Cyprine was too busy to focus on Craedon who was wiggling like an earthworm, grunting as he grabbed hold on the bind to break it off.
 "It's no use, prince!" she cackled, "Good thing your girlfriend hadn't destroyed the whole crystal ball because I now still have half of my powers with me. The bind is under dark magic, only I can control it."
"Then release me!" he growled.
"Not until you make me your queen, and we can rule this kingdom together!"
"Not gonna happen!"
She squeezed her empty hand into a fist to make the bind even tighter. This time, he hooked his hands on the floor that his nails clawed on the wood. He squinted his eyes super tight, and I tried to concentrate of reaching out for the cloths without making a loud noise.

"If you don't say it now, then I'll have to make you say it." she said and raised the black orb higher.
I quickly passed a cloth to Seul Eun as she wrapped it around the bottom half of her face like a mask.
"NOW!" I signaled.
Like the speed of light, she sneaked behind the witch and spread the hanbok onto her head. She yelled in shock as she dropped the orb and yanked the long outfit off. As the ball of dark energy vanished in a poof of smoke, the bind burst off from Craedon and he inhaled gratefully.
"Oppa!" I approached in front of him and wrapped a cloth all over his nose and mouth.
"Phelia?" he muffled, "Wh...what are you doing here?"
"Not now! We have to stop Madame Cyprine once and for all!" I replied while tying the ends into a knot at the back of his head.

As I was about to put on mine, the room was polluted by the smoke. It thickened rapidly and I suddenly felt my throat was on fire.
"Phelia!" I heard him crying aloud.
I couldn't even breathe. I collapsed on my knees, holding my neck as I felt my eyes grew hot and a different soul was inserted into my body.
"Phelia! Are you okay? Phelia!" he knelt down and shook me hard. I only kept my head hanging low.

"Looks like someone's finally under my evil magic." Madame Cyprine smiled wickedly.
"Huh?" Craedon gasped.
"She has inhaled my hypnotic cloud." she explained, "She no longer the girl you know."
In that instance, my eyes turned into a shade of red and a devilish grin curled on my lips.
Wh...what's happening to me?
"Phelia...Phelia no!" Craedon's eyes widened. I looked at him sharply and suddenly pushed him against a wall with a powerful force.
Oppa! I didn't mean to! It's like my body is being controlled!
I watched him shaking away from the aches in his body. He kept calling my name, but something was blocked in my head from responding.

"Your Majesty! We have to get out of here!" I heard Seul Eun called from a corner of the room. My head swiveled to her direction like a robot and charged towards her. She gasped as I brought my right hand into a fist, aiming to punch her.
Nonononononono! Stop it! Stop it! 
I hit her left cheek as she fell onto the floor.
NOOOOOO! Seul Eun! I didn't mean to hurt you! 

The witch's cackle echoed in the room. I couldn't even fight the satanic-like aura that overcame my brain. I suddenly felt a cold shadow leaning close to my ear. Her voice sent chills to my spine, but my face remained emotionless.
"Phelia, the prince is the one to be blamed." Madame Cyprine said, "He's the one that caused your heart to ache. He makes you suffer from indecisive, childish thoughts about love."
"No! Don't listen to her, Phelia!" Craedon yelled.
"Who needs happiness when you create a man out of a messed up fiction?" she crept her bony fingers on my shoulders, "You don't love him. You only pity him."
Craedon's eyes widened in fear and shock. He held on to a chair to help himself up.
"You want to know how to make the pain in your heart go away?" she asked purposely.
"I do." I automatically replied.
NO! Don't do it! Darn it...why can't I shake this spell off??? My body isn't even listening to me!
The witch went super close to my right ear and ordered, "Kill him."
"Yes." I nodded and immediately grabbed a sword that hung from a wall.

Oh...this is bad! Drop it! Drop it! 
My body still refused to respect my inner command. I held the sword up front and charged towards him. He ducked away and grabbed the second sword from the wall.
Oh no...he did not just take the sword! Can he fight? Oppa!
My sword was immediately blocked by Craedon's blade with a loud clash.
Huh...he's a prince after all. 
I quickly released it and swung it swiftly to the other side, but his eyes caught my move like a hawk and blocked it again.

I then pretty much tried every direction I could think of like a compass to stab him, but he kept on shielding himself with his trusty stead. From my eyes, I couldn't care less of him growing tired of protecting himself from my robotic behaviour. However, from my heart, I could feel my heart being slashed into shreds of hopelessness.
"Phelia!" he finally said, "Wake up! You're under a spell!"
I can't! I feel like I've become a puppet! 
"Phelia please!" he begged, "Phelia!"
My vision suddenly seemed to clear up. "O...oppa?" I stammered.
"Finish him off!" Madame Cyprine's voice snatched me back into her wrath.
I couldn't even bear to see with my burning eyes, but my hands kept finding their way to pierce the metal at Craedon.
"Phelia!" he tried again.
My hands were shaking that my sword vibrated. He could see tears streaming down from my hypnotized eyes.
"You weak woman!" the witch noticed my wet face too and snapped her fingers. My eyes, this time, became the temperature of boiled water. I couldn't even close my eyes, and the forceful pain caused me to push his sword away from his grip. He fell down and I held my sword at a 45 degree angle, ready to strike at his chest.
No! NO! NOOOOOOOOO! 
More tears poured down. He seemed to realize that I was trying to stop myself.

"Say goodbye, prince!" Madame Cyprine guffawed.
"No! Phelia! Your Majesty!" Seul Eun screamed.
My hands trembled but I was still grasping onto the handle of the deadly weapon. He immediately grabbed his which was lying a few feet away.
"What are you waiting for?" the witch yelled, "NOW!"
He swung his sword and successfully struck mine away that I lost my grip. Both swords collapsed down. He then untied his mask, got up on his feet, pulled me close to his body and smashed his lips onto mine.

To my relief, my eyes immediately cooled down and a clump of black smoke evaporated off from my body. I gasped, breathing hard for air, and looked up, "Oppa!"
"I knew you're still here." he smiled.
I couldn't hold back from crying. I buried my head onto his sweaty shirt. He squeezed me in the teddy bear hug I thought I could never get once more.

"You fools!" the enemy hissed, "How could you..."
"Shut up!" I suddenly snapped. I faced at her sharply as my heart was beating in fury.
"You pathetic human," she squinted her eyes disgustedly, "I could have just killed you first."
"You can't kill me OR Craedon," I stated, "because we can defend ourselves with our connected feelings."
"It's called true love, you evil witch." he nodded and held my hand tight.
"Go ahead and worship your innocent tales!" she gnashed her teeth and summoned two black orbs, "I can just kill two birds with one stone."

"Oppa! The cloths!" I reminded.
We quickly wrapped our mouths and noses with our masks. She shook her head and she looked at us as if we were playing around. "Even with your faces covered, these hypnotic clouds are more powerful than before."
"Nothing can make us fall into the darkness," I stepped forward, "because our love is strong."
"Stop your blabber," she barked, "and join me."

We stood our ground, holding each other's hands securely. As I felt the fast pulse in the veins of his wrist, I could tell that he was afraid. I squeezed his hand gently, beckoning him that we would not be affected by her spell.

She was about to throw them when suddenly a bright gleam of light illuminated from the left. I quickly recognized the positive energy that radiated and turned to see Seul Eun opening the notebook. The whole thing was bursting out rays of gold, and an echo which sounded like Craedon's voice made me jump,

I want Phelia to know that she'll always be my one and only love. Forever.
Oh! And one more thing...I wish whoever who is behind all this...will no longer torture us. 

It immediately glowed like the brilliance of a sun. The pair of orbs was weakened by the light and vanished in thin air. Madame Cyprine suddenly covered her face with the collar of her cloak and screamed like a banshee. The rays pierced all over her body like spears and her skin faded into smoke. Instead of rising in the air, the smoke was absorbed right into the book like a vacuum cleaner. Her screech was so deafening that my ears were about to bleed. We stared as the last remaining skin around her face melted like wax and disappeared into the book. Seul Eun who was still grabbing onto the book hurriedly closed it.

"Is it over?" Craedon asked.
"I think so." I replied.
"Omo!" Seul Eun gasped and dropped the notebook. Her fingers shook and her eyes bulged out of their sockets.
"What? What is it?" I walked to pick it up.
"T...the cover..." she quivered.
I couldn't believe my own eyes when the melted, shocked face of Madame Cyprine was on the hardwood cover. A skull-shaped lock was also at the edge of the book.
"Oh...my..." I remarked.
Craedon who walked by, nearly missed his step when he craned his eyes to look over.

"Her face...why is it on the cover?" I exclaimed.
"Don't ask me!" Seul Eun stammered as she got back on her feet, "I was trying to help! I thought she would be trapped in there."

I quickly flipped through the pages which were completely blank. Ordinary, greyish white, fresh paper!
"The notebook has erased all of its contents, just like it's supposed to be."
"You're right."
"I guess since Madame Cyprine is the one who puts a curse on me to write on this notebook, she's the one who responsible for what she has done. So the notebook must be her prison." I predicted.
"Or deathbed." Craedon mumbled.
I giggled and gave his arm a playful squeeze, "Even her own creation despises her by shutting her down."
"So you're saying?" Seul Eun still looked confused.
"You did it, Seul Eun." I smiled, "You've sealed her. I believe she's trapped in the empty notebook forever. Serves her right for creating it for her secret plan."
The chef sighed in relief and smiled in return.

"No," Craedon said which caught me in surprise, "WE did it."
I couldn't agree more. I then walked to her and handed her the notebook, "Here."
"What?"
"You've saved us. So you should keep it."
She shook her head, "But it's your notebook, Phelia!"
"Yes, it was mine." I smiled, "But now the notebook is waiting for the next owner. You've made it emptying the pages, so now you own it."
"But I..."
I sighed and pushed it gently into her hands, "Seul Eun, I really thank you for letting me being with the prince. And you've helped me to stop the witch. I want you to keep this notebook. Protect it from damage so that no one can play with its magic."
"Can I even use it?"
"Well, the notebook still holds Madame Cyprine's corpse so her powers are trapped as well. If the book is opened or the pages are written, her powers will probably be activated. But I want you to keep it safe for everyone's safety. Is that alright?"
Seul Eun finally nodded and tucked it under her arm, "I'll lock it in a safe place."

A familiar swirl of light appeared before us and a portal flashed on the wall.
I looked at him sadly, "So...I guess..this is goodbye...for real."
"Well you can't just leave!" Seul Eun chipped in, "You can stay back for tea!"
"I'd love to, Seul Eun." I sighed, "but this is probably the last time the portal exists."
"Phelia..." Craedon held my chin up, "This is not goodbye."
I stared in surprise, "What are you talking about? You belong here! In Sun Yang! I can't just drag you back to LA! You'll disappear again and I hate seeing you suffer!"
"But Madame Cyprine is gone for good." Craedon argued calmly, "I can assure you that I won't disappear this time."
"How can you be so sure? I don't want to lose you again, but I have no choice but to let you go." I lowered my head as I broke into tears.
He quickly hugged me and kissed my head. I couldn't bear the knives that shot all over my heart.

"Phelia, can you look at me?" his lullaby voice melted in my ears. I reluctantly looked up, knowing that he hated seeing my swollen eyes.
"Aigoo! Who would make a pretty girl like you cry?" he held my face dearly.
I couldn't speak as my hiccups and sniffles were unbearable. He wiped my face before combing a part of my hair which helped me to relax in his touch.

"I don't know about you two, but I think you two should go." Seul Eun suggested.
I turned my head back and saw her smiling. "What?" I asked.
"I say you should take him with you."
"Back to the 21st century?" I exclaimed, "But..."
"Why are you so worried? Just because he's brought alive by magic doesn't mean he'll be under a spell for like ever. Besides, he needs you. And you need him."
I immediately felt his sleek fingers caressed my cheek. I looked back at him profoundly and wrapped mine to interlock with his.
"She's right." he said, "Besides, as long as I can touch you and see you every second of my life, I'll be happy living with you as long as I want to."
"Y...you really think so?" I asked.
"I really am." he replied, "Phelia, can I go back to the modern world with you? I'm sure I won't disappear this time. Everything's okay now, right?"
I thought for a minute as I studied the eager looks on their faces.

"Okay," I smiled back, "but if I see a change of colour on your skin, I'll kick you out of my house."
"Hey! You wouldn't do that, would you?" he laughed.
"Well, I just hope you're happy with your decision."
"Phelia," he sighed, "I want to be with you, that's what I've always wanted."
He was taken by surprise when I pulled him close to peck his cheek, "Let's go then."

"Wait!" Seul Eun suddenly walked by and did a 45 degree bow. We both looked at her as we didn't expect her to do so.
"Thank you. Kamsahamnida." she said.
"Seul Eun." Craedon shook his head, "It is us who should thank you."
Seul Eun stood straight again, "Still, I'm relieved that you'd decide to believe in me, after all the drama."
"Oh! I've faced a lot more drama than you!" I laughed.
"Is it because of me?" Craedon pouted.
"Let's...not talk about it right now." I patted his arm. I then threw my arms round the brave, helpful chef which made her mouth hung open.
"I thank you," I stated, "for helping us."
She hugged back, "I'm glad."

The portal seemed to be diminishing, but we managed to squeeze into it.
"Annyeong!" I shouted for one last time before watching the ancient world vanished in a glint of light.

In seconds, I found myself rolling on grass. When I stopped, I opened my eyes to see a circle of people gathered around. A couple of familiar faces got me overjoyed.
"Bobby! Jordan!" I squealed. I got up and hugged them.
"Phelia! Thank goodness you' re okay!" Jordan hugged back.
"Phew! I thought you're trapped in that notebook forever!" Bobby sighed in relief.
"Well...I'm still in one piece!" I laughed. I shortly lose my smile when four policemen approached towards us.
"Umm...did you just call the cops?" I exclaimed.
"Well, we thought you're gone for good, so we gave them a call." Bobby scratched his bald head.
"We were sucked into a whole new dimension, and you thought calling the cops would be helpful?" I shook my head, "Oh geez! You two!"
Jordan went and explained to them. They were all frowning, thinking that they came here for nothing.

"What's going on?" Craedon who came behind me stared at the crowd and the police in surprise. Bobby immediately saw him waving and almost dropped his iPhone 6. "I got this.", I stepped forward. One of them who was a little taller stopped opposite me with his arms folded. I assumed that he's the head of the squad.
"Hello, sir! How are you today?" I gave my friendliest smile.
"Fine." he humphed, "So you must be the missing girl those two guys are worried about."
"I guess I am." I nodded, "and I'm really sorry for causing you all the trouble but..."
"I don't have time for an explanation, ma'am." he put out one hand, "We're just glad that you're okay. And your boyfriend too."
I looked at Craedon. He bit his lip to restrain himself from laughing. I tried not to laugh too and faced the officer again, "Thank you, sir. We just...came back from a...wild ride somewhere outside of this world."
"Geez...not another whimsical garbage, huh?" he groaned, "We have another case to solve, so we're leaving right now. Unless you have anything else to report?"
"Nope. Not at all, sir."
"Good." he retorted and the troop followed him back to the parking lot.

We finally held our stomachs as we burst out laughing like crazy. Bobby nearly lost it; he knelt on his knees and punched his chest to stop himself from sounding like Goofy's. Jordan sneezed twice as he kept on laughing. Craedon shortly had tears trickling down as he grabbed hold onto my shoulder to keep his balance.
"Oh man!" Jordan wheezed, "Did you all see his face?"
"Don't even get me started!" Bobby shook his head as he kept on laughing.
"Oh! That reminds me!" my face lit up, "After all that happened, I have an idea for a sequel!"
The other three froze, looking gobsmacked. I giggled, enjoying looking at them got mentally slapped in their faces. "I'm just kidding!" I stuck out my tongue.
"Why you evil woman!" Craedon chuckled and wrapped his arms round my waist.
"Hey! Craedon! I thought you're going back to your throne." Bobby asked.
Craedon shrugged and rocked me happily, "My life as a human is not over yet. There's so much more for me to experience here."
"So you're saying?" Jordan asked in a hopeful tone.
"I'm staying here. With you all." he winked.
"No way!" Bobby grinned and slapped on his back, "Well, then I guess the little farewell party we did last night was useless after all."
"Hey! So what happened back there?" Jordan asked.
"I'll tell you ALL about it, boys." I giggled, "Let's go to IHOP! Breakfast is on me!"
"Oh really?" Jordan smirked, "Well how about this? Whoever is last to Phelia's car pays the bill!"
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I started sprinting.
"Hey! Not fair!" Craedon laughed and tailed after me. We raced to the parking lot and slammed our hands on the hood of my car, leaving Jordan half-squatting a few steps away.
"Thanks Jordan!" Bobby hooted as he gleefully skipped to the back seat.
"Argh!" Jordan lifted his head up, "I need a rematch!"
"We'll have a rematch next time, buddy." Craedon smiled cheekily.
We laughed and enjoyed the rest of our day, sharing every single detail of our adventure.

                                  *                              *                            *
August 28 2016

Where the hell are they??? They were supposed to have picked up the pizzas by now!
I was like the only person who guarded the potluck laid on the picnic mats. The rest of the movie staff were strolling round the lake and chatting under the afternoon sunlight. While waiting for Craedon who carpooled with Bobby and Jordan for the late pizza delivery, I scrolled through the photo gallery on my phone and noticed the latest date under five photos Craedon and I took this morning while trying out a new omelette recipe.

As I remembered the first two weeks of wackiness, I counted that it had been a year since we first met, since we knew a whole lot about each other, and since we started to find each other. I still couldn't believe that we were together for this long. Every day, we would play a round of kai bai bo
(Korean rock-paper-scissors) to see who would give a good-night kiss first before turning off the lights of our separate rooms. I know what you're thinking. Why won't we just share a room? Or a bed? Well, we're not gonna do that after we got married. :P

Anyway, whoops of happiness from the three musketeers finally dragged me away from screen time.
"You're very very very late!" I shouted while putting my hands on my hips.
"Well, nothing can be blamed just because we got stuck on a school afternoon traffic." my boyfriend giggled and stretched his hand out to give me a hug while carrying a bag of cardboard boxes with his other hand.
"Still, you three could have taken a shortcut." I teased.
"Let's just say I'm still not familiar with the roads even though I passed the road test two months ago, Jagi."  
"Can you two save your lovey-dovey chit chat later?" Jordan cut through our hug, "Our pizzas are getting cold as f***!"
"Hey! Says the jerk who can't give us a minute!" I hissed.
"Whatevs." Jordan retorted. He then snatched the bag away from Jordan and called the others.
"You know him," Bobby who came by sighed, "he hates traffic."
"Of course." I nodded.

We all gathered round the picnic spot, sharing the pizzas and homemade-cooked food. Jordan suddenly stood up which caught everyone's attention.
"First of all," he announced, "I would like to congratulate us all for winning best film of the year for our latest project 'The Sapphire Key'!"
"Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" we all pumped our fists (or pizzas in our greasy hands) in the air.
"Second of all," he continued, "I have a request from one of us. He wants to give us an important speech."
He immediately gazed at Craedon who shortly stared back while in the process of chewing a bite of pepperoni pizza. He gulped it up and cleared his throat, "Oh! Right!"
I watched in confusion as he took a few steps and turned around to face us.

"Obviously you all don't know about this but..." he started, "today is our one-year anniversary."
My mouth hung slightly open. Everyone went ooh and aah while clapping in unison. I bit my lip so that I wouldn't blush. A voice of regret screamed at the back of my head, "What the hell, Phelia! You forgot to jot it down on your phone again!"
"And...uh..." he placed his right hand on his head as he looked up in the sky, "I was thinking of planning something...extravagant but...so far I'm running out of ideas. I've been listing our ideas for this special day but all of the places I plan to reserve are fully booked so...I guess I'm stuck here."
I raised my eyebrow. Is that why he was on the phone these few days?
"Anyway...at the last minute, with the help of my two friends, Bobby Allen and Jordan Matthews," he addressed them, "I've come up with something. Phelia, can you come over here for a minute?"
Bobby and Jordan grinned as they motioned me to walk over. "What's going on?" I asked impatiently. "Just go!" they gushed. "Okay okay!" I got up and walked off the mat.

Craedon had this naughty-kid-like smile that not only made me want to laugh but also to shake him for telling me what's on his mind. As I stood in front of him, I noticed that he was hiding a decorative paper bag. He fished out a medium aquamarine box with a satin bow on top.
"F...for me?" I asked in surprise.
He nodded. His dimples look like they want to explode.
As I lift its lid, a silver necklace with a key-shaped pendant made up of an expensive-looking sapphire stone sparkled proudly before my eyes.
"Wow!" was all I could respond.
"Just like in the movie, but it's a lot smaller."
"Geez, Craedon, are you doing this just to show off?" Edith who was sitting at a far corner of the mat rolled her eyes.
"Well, I wouldn't want to exclude you all for our anniversary." Craedon chuckled, "but wait! There's more!"
"Oh boy...hooray..." Edith sulked.

He took out another box, but this time it was a silver embroidered one with a keyhole in the middle. I  noticed that the bag shrunk because of the big jewelry box.
"Phelia, can you use your key to open this?" he winked.
I traced my fingers on the necklace string before reaching the pendant. Curiosity swirled all over my head as I inserted it into the hole. Once I twisted it to the right, I slowly opened the box to see a black fountain pen and a mini square box tucked in a sea blue bed of forget-me-not flowers.

First of all, I couldn't believe that he got what I wanted. The fountain pen had my name carved in gold close to its tip and I could imagine myself writing with it already. Smooth and sophisticated black ink on paper. I could even try calligraphy art with it!
And second, I wonder what could be in that little box. It was light blue so it shouldn't be a ring box...or was it? Ring boxes are supposed to be red! Right???

I was about to say something when he took the box away from me, fished out the box of mystery, and put the big box down. Then, before I knew it, he slowly knelt down on one knee and opened it to reveal a diamond ring!

"Phelia Song Hyo Won" he blushed as he looked sincerely at me, "We've been together for a year and still counting. You're my best friend, my guide, my support, my mood boaster, and my treasure. But most of all, you're the love of my life. I've thought about this for a while now and...I think it's time to ask you a very important question..."
I covered my mouth with my hands as tears spontaneously sprung from my eyes.
"Nalang gulhun hajuleh?" he asked, "Will you marry me?"
The setting was completely still. No one made a move.
My vision was blurry that I finally blinked to let more tears wet my cheeks. I shakily nodded and replied, "Yes! A million times yes!"

He happily slid the ring through my finger. He then bounced back up and pulled me into a super tight hug. I wasn't aware that my wet face stained on the white T-shirt he bought yesterday. I was just incredibly joyful and blessed to be engaged to the guy I long to be with forever.
Okay! You got me! Oppa proposed to me was the thing I'd always wanted. ^.^ And it happened.
Fountain pen came in second. XP

The whole staff stood up, clapped, and cheered. He kissed my head which made me blush harder and I gripped hold onto his shirt. After I calmed down, we thanked them all who congratulated us with bright smiles and warm hugs. Even Bobby who got so touched cried a little and blew his nose on Jordan's pizza-stained napkin. I giggled as Jordan chased the teary-eyed bodyguard down the park.
"You owe me a new napkin, you butt hole!" he yelled.
"I'm sorryyyyyyyyyy!" Bobby yelled back, "I'm just so happy they got engaged!"
Craedon and I couldn't help giggling. We soon look into each other's eyes and glued our lips together. As I sank into the kiss, an unfamiliar voice suddenly whispered in my ear, "Time! The time!"

I gasped and pulled back. Who's that?
"Is something the matter?" Craedon looked concernedly.
"Huh?"
"My mouth tastes like onions, doesn't it?"
I shook my head and gave a little laugh, "Nope, it's not you. It's just that...I heard a voice in my head. Or was it someone just passed by to whisper."
"I didn't hear anything." he cocked his head to one side.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Never mind." I smiled, rubbing his arms, "I'm just hallucinating, I guess."

I was about to kiss him again when suddenly my left eye spotted a man dressed in a dark red hanbok standing on a branch of a tree. Like a ninja, he hopped away and leaped from tree to tree till he faded away from sight.
"Oppa!" I squealed while pointing.
"What?" he turned his head.
"I...I saw a man jumping on trees!"
"You mean a ninja?" he raised his eyebrow, "But there's no ninjas in America."
"T...that's not true!" I stammered, "I really saw him!"
He chuckled and wrapped his arms at the back of my head, "You're probably still overwhelmed by my surprise that your head starts playing tricks."
I shortly relaxed myself as he caressed my head. Maybe he's right...I didn't know what was wrong with me. Guess it was just my imagination.

As the sun made its way down to Slumberland, we sat together with the team while watching God's creation painting its last hues of colours for the day.
"Oppa," I called softly, "How are you feeling?"
"Me?" he smiled, "Haengbokhaeyo! And you?"
"I'm the happiest girl ever, because of you." I smiled back.
And that's the truth.

Sometimes I wonder what will be the obstacle that will approach to us next. But no matter what happens, we'll always have each other.



WHOA! DON'T CLOSE THE BROWSER YET!!!
Hey all! Hope you enjoy reading "Modern Prince"! So now...I have a special announcement! Drum roll please!

I'll be writing a sequel for Modern Prince! I've come up with an idea for it ever since I review through my outlines and that's why I've included a couple of clues in this last chapter. Without further due, here's a sneak peek on what the sequel will look like! 

Phelia and Craedon will be having their wedding ceremony in Seoul, South Korea! Since most of Phelia's family are still in her hometown, Phelia decided to take Craedon to experience living in Seoul for two weeks before going back to LA. Things were going well for them until the man in the dark red hanbok kidnapped them both and took them to an ancient Korean temple which was now a museum. They found the notebook which caused Seul Eun to appear. But this time, Seul Eun acted evil and aimed to kill both Phelia and Craedon. What on earth happened to her??? And why the notebook is in the 21st century once again??? Find out in Modern Prince's sequel (still thinking of the title)! :D