One universal thing about ALL parents is : they worry. Sometimes, unnecessarily incessantly.
I really like the hostel alot. It's evident that a lot of thoughts have gone into the designing of it; even in the little things. The hairdryer. The bed lamp. The mirror. The comfortable beds and bedsheets. And yet another recommendable things about the wonderful hostel is that there is free outgoing international calls (thanks to Skype phone!).
Out of the 15d14n, I called home ~60 - 70% of the time. Apart from the usual Asian greetings (你吃饱了吗？ Have you ate yet? What did you eat? Where did you go yesterday? Where did you go today? Where are you going tomorrow? Did you enjoy yourself?) which is totally fine by me, the conversation would somehow - without fail - wind up in the parents repeating the same old things; just like a broken recorder. Sleep early. Don't sleep too late. Take care of your money. Take care of your wallet. Don't lose your passport. Don't lose your cash. Don't lose your credit cards. Don't lose your camera. Don't lose anything valuable. Keep your lockers locked because you're sharing rooms with others. Eat more. Eat proper meals. Take care of yourself.
Of course, I replied to each of their (heavily-repeated) well-meaning nags affirmatively and reassuringly, sometimes even nodding occasionally - because I conveniently forgot that it's a phone conversation. And whenever they remind me of eating proper meals, it feels so ironic.
Truth be told, I realise I eat more nutritiously and healthily overseas than I do back home. Usually, back in the home country, I would skip breakfast in favour of more sleep (or, at best, have a slice of bread + nutella spread for a quick breakfast). Half of the time - especially when it's working period - I would skip lunch as well. Dinner is the only reliable meal - because the lovely Dad prepares home-cooked dinner most of the time.
Obviously, I'm not an ideal example of what one would call a good dietary habit. At times, I skip meals more often than I have them. Some people live to eat, while some others eat to live. And, admittedly, I'm more prone to being one of the latter.
Perhaps it's the escape from the hectic work lifestyle, or maybe it's the healthy dietary habits of the Korean culture; but strangely, I devote more attention and care to what I put into the mouth (especially breakfast!) when overseas.
I've always felt the food here is too heavy-laden, especially for breakfast or brunch. Where on earth does one eat Nasi Lemak or Mee Sotong for the first meal of the day? Only here in Singapore, I guess.
In contrast, during the 2 weeks away from work and the home country, a typical daily breakfast would be 2 sunny side-ups (eggs are provided by the hostel for breakfast), some cherry tomatoes, a banana, and a bottle of banana milk. Fruits and milk and eggs. What a healthy breakfast!
And I thoroughly enjoyed it, in an indescribable way! Making my own breakfast - sprinkling lotsa pepper over the sunny side-ups because I like peppers. Doing up the dishes after that. Mingling and interacting with others in the Common Room, while slowly enjoying each and every morsel of food, without the small pesky voice at the back of the head screaming irritatingly, "Hurry, hurry hurry!! Time's running out! You need to reach the workplace and sing Mari Kita soon! QUICK, QUICK, QUICK~!!!!!", or "Oh my gosh!!! You've only 10 minutes left! The next lesson is going to start soon! Quick, quick! HURRY~!!!!!". It kills the appetite.
The freedom. The independence. I like it. Even though at times I feel homesick because I miss Tofu, family, and the local food.
And whenever the parents nagged to take care of myself and eat properly when overseas, there's this little muse bubbling mischievously inside of me. There's this flirty temptation to really show them how well I'm eating when overseas, as well as how well I CAN take care of myself. But I just have no idea how to put it nicely across. Haha... If I can just say, "Hey, Dad, Mum! Don't worry! I'M EATING HEALTHIER THAN YOU!!! I'm eating healthy and nutritious food almost every morning! DON'T WORRY!!!" But even so, I guess, it won't change a thing. It is in every parents' nature to worry. And we can't blame them for it!
Maybe, years down the road, when I become a parent myself someday, I'll find myself giggling at this post entry!
I really like the hostel alot. It's evident that a lot of thoughts have gone into the designing of it; even in the little things. The hairdryer. The bed lamp. The mirror. The comfortable beds and bedsheets. And yet another recommendable things about the wonderful hostel is that there is free outgoing international calls (thanks to Skype phone!).
Out of the 15d14n, I called home ~60 - 70% of the time. Apart from the usual Asian greetings (你吃饱了吗？ Have you ate yet? What did you eat? Where did you go yesterday? Where did you go today? Where are you going tomorrow? Did you enjoy yourself?) which is totally fine by me, the conversation would somehow - without fail - wind up in the parents repeating the same old things; just like a broken recorder. Sleep early. Don't sleep too late. Take care of your money. Take care of your wallet. Don't lose your passport. Don't lose your cash. Don't lose your credit cards. Don't lose your camera. Don't lose anything valuable. Keep your lockers locked because you're sharing rooms with others. Eat more. Eat proper meals. Take care of yourself.
Of course, I replied to each of their (heavily-repeated) well-meaning nags affirmatively and reassuringly, sometimes even nodding occasionally - because I conveniently forgot that it's a phone conversation. And whenever they remind me of eating proper meals, it feels so ironic.
Truth be told, I realise I eat more nutritiously and healthily overseas than I do back home. Usually, back in the home country, I would skip breakfast in favour of more sleep (or, at best, have a slice of bread + nutella spread for a quick breakfast). Half of the time - especially when it's working period - I would skip lunch as well. Dinner is the only reliable meal - because the lovely Dad prepares home-cooked dinner most of the time.
Obviously, I'm not an ideal example of what one would call a good dietary habit. At times, I skip meals more often than I have them. Some people live to eat, while some others eat to live. And, admittedly, I'm more prone to being one of the latter.
Perhaps it's the escape from the hectic work lifestyle, or maybe it's the healthy dietary habits of the Korean culture; but strangely, I devote more attention and care to what I put into the mouth (especially breakfast!) when overseas.
I've always felt the food here is too heavy-laden, especially for breakfast or brunch. Where on earth does one eat Nasi Lemak or Mee Sotong for the first meal of the day? Only here in Singapore, I guess.
In contrast, during the 2 weeks away from work and the home country, a typical daily breakfast would be 2 sunny side-ups (eggs are provided by the hostel for breakfast), some cherry tomatoes, a banana, and a bottle of banana milk. Fruits and milk and eggs. What a healthy breakfast!
And I thoroughly enjoyed it, in an indescribable way! Making my own breakfast - sprinkling lotsa pepper over the sunny side-ups because I like peppers. Doing up the dishes after that. Mingling and interacting with others in the Common Room, while slowly enjoying each and every morsel of food, without the small pesky voice at the back of the head screaming irritatingly, "Hurry, hurry hurry!! Time's running out! You need to reach the workplace and sing Mari Kita soon! QUICK, QUICK, QUICK~!!!!!", or "Oh my gosh!!! You've only 10 minutes left! The next lesson is going to start soon! Quick, quick! HURRY~!!!!!". It kills the appetite.
The freedom. The independence. I like it. Even though at times I feel homesick because I miss Tofu, family, and the local food.
And whenever the parents nagged to take care of myself and eat properly when overseas, there's this little muse bubbling mischievously inside of me. There's this flirty temptation to really show them how well I'm eating when overseas, as well as how well I CAN take care of myself. But I just have no idea how to put it nicely across. Haha... If I can just say, "Hey, Dad, Mum! Don't worry! I'M EATING HEALTHIER THAN YOU!!! I'm eating healthy and nutritious food almost every morning! DON'T WORRY!!!" But even so, I guess, it won't change a thing. It is in every parents' nature to worry. And we can't blame them for it!
Maybe, years down the road, when I become a parent myself someday, I'll find myself giggling at this post entry!
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