kicking off august with a bang

Been crazy busy at work last week with the setting up of our magazine community, so here's a quick update of what August has been like so far:

 Saw the derp lord, who was in town promoting his new movie:

Dove headlong into a book sale:

Met up with old friends:

 Got into the mood for the nation's 50th anniversary:

Then joined 200,000 people around the bay area to watch the National Day Parade:

The weather was breezy and cool - perfect for a parade.

The grounds were hella muddy where we were, but who cared really?

A nation built with love becomes a home. Happy 50th, Singapore. Thank you for everything you have given us. #sg50 #happybirthdaysingapore #recordturnout #broughtmetotears

A photo posted by Joyce Chua (@jcxw2590) on Aug 9, 2015 at 5:53am PDT

  

The Black Knights - or, as my friend Melissa put it, the lead guitarists of the Singapore Armed Forces.

The crowd was definitely left gaping in awe.

What's a parade without some fireworks to top it off?

It was one of those you-had-to-be-there kind of moments. Having so many people around you singing along to the National Day songs you learned (way back) in school, the camaraderie and feeling of togetherness was so palpable I couldn't help but tear up. I had already gotten emotional at this video tribute to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew earlier on:


But when everyone sang along to the NDP classic, Home, in unison the floodgates broke loose. I sang with tears streaming down my face, and found that I wasn't the only one. This girl my age next to me was in the same state. It's funny how emotional you become, standing in the midst of such an outpouring of love and pride and gratitude for a country.



 How has YOUR August been so far? :0)

when not writing, I am planning an itinerary

It's mid-December already?! How did THAT happen? Where did 2014 go??

Donghae is as amazed as I am. Except consternation looks better on his pretty face.

It's always as the year wears on that you get more disillusioned. Not only did I not accomplish any of my goals, I'm falling behind on my word count. Why, Joyce, WHY. Procrastination is a terrible colour on you. All those time you were waiting for the muse to strike - keeping unnecessarily busy with creating playlists for your stories, decorating your room, looking for new music, and reading (mean and scary) reviews on Goodreads - you could have plowed through your sucky writing and found a way through your manuscript.

It was around this time last year that I started on Neverland, and I'm STILL writing it, STILL haven't written its ending even for the first draft.

Don't judge me, Siwon!

It's one thing to write at your own pace, and another to put off writing it because you're afraid you'll fail again like you had the first two times (Neverland is at Draft 3 now).

Good thing for good books in the meantime.

*

Also, I'm planning for a trip back to Korea next spring!!

Truth is, I'm a travel noob. I've never travelled free-and-easy before. It's just easier to have travel agencies plan everything nicely for you. But I really want to learn how to plan a trip from scratch, get around on my own, and explore places I wouldn't get to see on a package tour. Everyone I know travel on their own in their twenties. I mean, what better time to do that, right?

And where better to visit than the land of K-pop? Yes, I have become a legit fangirl and I'm not going to be ashamed about it. So I like K-pop, I enjoyed Korea the last time I was there, and now I'm going to make this spring 2015 trip happen.

Donghae approves, obviously

But there are so many sites for flight and accommodation deals and so many places I want to visit and things to take note of (public holidays, for instance - you do not want to jump into the fray at train stations or the airport), transport preparations (e.g. buying train tickets beforehand) that quite frankly I'm getting inundated by it all.

So if you have any tips on flights, accommodation, places of interest, and getting around (we're planning to travel around Seoul, Busan and Jeju), do share! All help will be greatly appreciated by this travel noob :0)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

24 Things About Turning 24

(Or, A Frivolous Post on Discoveries Made At 24)

((Or, What My 24-year-old Self Will Tell My 18-year-old Self))


1. You will never stop looking for stories.

2. Or loving them.

3. It's okay to go all out with pink, even if people give you this look



And this




4. You still won't know what you're really good at.

5. But you know what you will keep doing even if you're not paid for it.

6. You will learn that you are not supposed to wash away toner.


7. You will still hate wearing heels.




8. Your Facebook feed will be filled with your friends getting engaged/married/pregnant.


9. Meanwhile, you're just like



And




10. There is nothing wrong with reading Young Adult fiction even though you're technically a New Adult.

Don't ever be a book snob.


11. There are books that will move you

 

12. And shake you to your very core

13. And books you wish you'd written

14. You will face rejection. Lots of it.



But you will keep trying. Because you want it that badly.


15. It pays to take a shot and put your work out there. You never know when it might get published.

16. The only way to get anywhere near published is by sitting your ass down and finishing that novel.




17. A long swim makes everything better.


18. Graduation ceremony is important to the people who saw you through to that point.



So take it seriously!


19. You don't like being lonely. You just like being alone.


20. Sometimes it's better to cut your losses and move on to better things.




21. Don't regret or be embarrassed by the things that make you happy.

22. When you stop obsessing, things fall into place.




23. People can be nice to you if you open up to them.


24. You still don't have shit figured out.