Looking back at 2006

Jumping on the ‘hallyu’ bandwagon
This is the year I really discovered Korean dramas. I blame Jewel in the Palace. Previously I had watched Beautiful Days (sparking a huge crush on Lee Byung Hun) and followed Autumn in My Heart , but it wasn’t until this year’s broadcast of Jewel in the Palace on Channel U that got me started. From Jewel in the Palace, it was an easy hop, skip and jump to My Lovely Sam Soon, and after that, there was no looking back as I continued on my quest to find more fluffy romantic comedies like Goong, Full House*, Delightful Girl – Chun Hyang and now Wonderful Life and My Love Patzzi. (I have made a brief foray into the Taiwanese drama Smiling Pasta, but am of the opinion that the actors are cuter and the acting more believable in Korea).

The Korean obsession isn’t just limited to dramas, but has also extended to their skincare brands. I was previously using Shiseido and Shu Uemura, but the prices are a little expensive, and I’ve found that Korean labels like Laneige are more affordable. I have also discovered Skin Food recently, and am just absolutely taken by their yummy-sounding products, like their ginseng & royal jelly face masks and rice shimmer powder.

* Can I just say I have a crush on Full House actor/singer Rain? I didn’t use to think he was that hot, but after watching him dance in his music videos, I’m a total convert to his body. Thankfully, my obsession is not large enough for me to spend hundreds on tickets to his concert. Phew!

Buying more online
This is mainly because I started working for an Internet company early last year, and that means I spend a lot, and I mean A LOT of time online. This was driven home recently when one of my friends said to me during my birthday party that I could be relied on to be always on MSN messenger. I always like to say that it is an occupational hazard to be regularly surfing the ‘Net, but in truth, I’m just too greedy and weak-willed to stop myself from clicking on the ‘Buy’ button. I think my spending online has jumped threefold this year, and I am pretty sure half of my fashion-related buys now come from the Web.

Gym bunnying
I have never been a gym person, always preferring outdoor activities for exercise. In the past, I flirted with roller-blading, rock climbing, tennis, touch rugby and ultimate frisbee, but none really stuck. I still like any of those activities, and would gladly pick them up again provided I can find the right partners. But with everyone being so busy, it’s hard to find people to play with on a regular basis. Since a California Fitness gym recently opened near where I live, I got suckered into buying a one year’s membership at the gym and signing up for some personal training sessions one evening on my way back home from work. Since I was already paying this amount every month, I figured the only way to make the most out of it was to go as regularly as I could. I was really enjoying the hip-hop classes, but have stopped since because the instructor I like doesn’t teach at my gym. Right now, the activity du jour seems to be the Boxercise class. While my weight doesn’t seem to have dipped much, I think I have become more toned overall (go me!). It’s still a goal to lose that extra 5 kg.

Blogging less
I think you would have noticed this one, and for those who have hung on in dear hopes of seeing a new post everyday, I thank you for your perseverance! Rest assured that I have big hopes of resurrecting ShooStories and plans for meatier posts in between the fluffy fashion posts, since I now have a brand new camera wire for my Sony and thus have no more lame excuses to post pictures (One of my friends pointed out that I didn’t need a wire, and that I could have just gone to Sim Lim to buy a card reader, but oh well).

And now for a quick list of what caught my fancy in 2006:

Music
I Don’t Feel Like Dancing, Scissor Sisters
I’m so dorky, everytime I get to the part where Jake Shears sings “clap your hands”, I have to clap my hands too. *clap clap*

Free Way, Rain
Catchy happy head-bopping pop, and it amuses me that Rain can’t pronounce ‘ride’, calling it ‘lide’ instead. Tee hee.

SexyBack, Justin Timberlake
It took some getting used to, like his other songs, but once I got it, it wouldn’t stop playing in my head!

The Solid Rock, 4Him
I love harmonies!

Books
South of the Border, West of the Sun, Haruki Murakami
Not as outright weird as his other books, this was one of his softer and more romantic works.

The Ballad of Lee Cotton, Christopher Wilson
Quirky and eccentric, and while heavy issues brought up could have been entered into with more depth, it was still an easy and enjoyable read, with a very engaging style.

Marley & Me, John Grogan
Reading it brought back fond memories of the antics my own dog got up to when he was still alive. It was the perfect book to take along on my holiday to Japan.

Movies
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
It’s all about Johnny. Don’t care about nancy boy Orly or Pouty McPout Keira. But what drove me crazy throughout the movie was that voodoo woman - I couldn’t understand a single word she said!

The Devil Wears Prada
I felt so much glee watching Meryl Streep torture a whiny girl (but to be fair, Anne Hathaway did her best with this unlikeable character), but the true star was the fashion. I want all those outfits!

Singapore Dreaming
One of the better made local films. The acting was excellent, and I really felt for the characters. So paining!