reading the tea leaves. (about)

[implementing]

Name: Kim Byeol Nickname: Puer Band/Solo: Solo Journal: implementing AIM: #teareading Twitter: @xoxobyeol Age: 23 (March 3rd) Year: Senior Fraternity/Sorority/Dorms/Off-campus housing: Zeta Tau Alpha; but she lives in an apartment relatively close to campus. Major: Database Management & Administration Clubs/Sports: Cheerleading; Yonsei Computer Lab Biography:Born to a father in the United States military and a mother who dabbled in all aspects of the fashion industry, Byeol lived and had gone to school in three countries by the time she was ten. The divorce didn't take her by surprise at all, and while her father returned to New York, where he'd grown up, Byeol's mother opted to return to Seoul. Her prowess in various areas of fashion and witty attitude led to her landing a job at Vogue Korea, and Byeol got little attention from either parent from then on. She would much rather read or write or take apart her mechanical toys or wonder how computer programs worked than make friends with people who teased her for how oddly accented her Korean was. Trips to visit her father during breaks were a bit better, though no one she met could really pronounce her name, so she began to introduce herself as Puer- pronounced like 'pure' with a slightly longer r. Puberty began to affect her in her last year of middle school, and while it does tend to affect everyone differently, it affected Byeol in a way that garnered entirely too much attention. She had to go two or three sizes up in the school uniform tops just to keep them buttoned, and shopping for bras was difficult at best, even if she somehow managed to convince her mother to come along with her, rare though it was. She grew to accept herself in time, though her first year of high school was fraught with drama and bullying and declarations of love from the popular guys who hadn't given her the time of day a year before. In her second year, she tried out for and got on the cheerleading squad, though the looks of jealousy of her peers were not lost on her- she might as well use her assets to her advantage, and distract the athletes on opposing teams. She kept her grades up despite it all, got more interested in fashion, specifically vintage 40s and 50s styles, started a blog about her life and her vintage finds. When the time came to sort through her college acceptance letters, she opted for Yonsei despite having offers come in from schools in New York and London. She continued her career as a cheerleader, and while she was undecided on a major at first, she was also uncertain about which Greek house to rush for. While Sigma Kappa was interesting, she ultimately chose Zeta Tau Alpha, thinking that the overall attitude of the girls there would help her break out of her shell a bit more. Her grades took a heavy hit in her first year, and while she lightened her course load as much as she could in the years to come, and changed her major multiple times, she's finally technically a senior and majoring in something she's good at. Her blog is still up and running, more popular than ever, and she and her mother shop together at least once a month. She plans to pursue a masters in database management at Yonsei after graduation, in hopes that all of the men in her field of choice will perhaps take her seriously and not think that she's just a bimbo. Nothing wrong with bimbos, but Byeol isn't one, and that's where she takes offense.