seoul korea: day3 namsan and myeon-dong

my lunch, nissin noodles. i just went in to one of this small korean restaurant near my hotel.


im suppose to take a bus from here to seoul tower, but then i took the wrong turn and stumbled into this very nice namsan architectural place. i like traveling alone, i have no fix itinerary to follow so im going in there.


ohh, look! there is this glass house next to it. meaning from the roof top you can lie down there to see stars at night. forgive me, i have a thing for glass house.


i can see that dude with a big slr struggling with the imperfection of my camera. "one more", he insisted.


this place reminds me of the edo-tokyo architectural museum. but this is a small version of it, im going to a very big one on my last day.




i always think that you only see flowers like this in the outskirt of korea. oh no... it is all over. but what i do not expect is my mickeymouse camera can take such a nice shot :)


if you do not believe me that the win is strong, you see for yourself, the whole tent fell apart.


it feels like you can see the tower from almost everywhere in town. im heading there next.


so i shall take yellow bus no2 and it should bring me right to the top of the hill. meantime let me show you the view of from the street. girls here can leave the house just wearing a thin stockings like this, oh wait the students here dont even need stockings.


oooh gosh, i got cheated. the bus dont bring me right to the doorstep of seoul tower. i actually need to climb this very steep hill. so now how, go back down with the bus or climb this??? it is so dark and i dont even see the end of it.


this funny fat korean dude is running left to right in front of me. he is panting like mad, making weird sounds like oooohh... aiyahhhh... i think he is trying to workout. very entertaining like some korean games show, hahah.. ohh... finally i see the tower. maybe i should call this dude to take a photo for me, i know he needed the excuse to stop and rest.


wahh, im finally up here. look at the nice beautiful road i conquered.


ladies and gentleman, "presenting to you seoul tower". this is where they recorded quite a few episodes of the famous series of "my lovely sam soon".


but you know what, i have no time to go in. so let's forget about going in since i can see the whole city view from out here. and i am taking the cable car down. hehe... nice. this place is seriously a perfect place for paktoh-ing. i like.


why the rush, yah because im meeting my cousin in town for dinner. shabu shabu time.


loads of meat...


and this is my favourite. some fish cake thing with melting cheese inside... aggghhh. i finished the whole plate of that.


myeon-dong shopping area to me is like the shibuya shopping area in tokyo. with loads of big brands like 3 floors of forever 21 but it is not cheaper than kl. my cousin said it is cheaper than singapore though.


and yes 3 floors of starbucks too.

more photos of day3 here.

who i met
so in the cable car, these two blokes were conversing very loudly in english. i cannot help but automatically started eavesdropping the whole conversation. after we come out of the cable car, the korean guy told his friend "it is only a 15 minutes walk down to myeon-dong". that really got my attention and i unashamedly approached him.
cy: hey, did i hear you say, you know the way down? can i follow you guys down?

fortunately i did, i dont think i can make my way down myself. so they introduced themselves and all. they know each other when studying in the states. woki (spelled like that i supposed) is playing tour guide to his friend jack (if i remember correctly) and his family. they even get free accommodation from him. that is nice. they also went to jeju island where i wish i have time to go. but this is the more dramatic part, jack is from malaysia and he stays in pj. what?? of all the place in the world. so my cousin spend the rest of the night teasing me saying this must be fate. whatever if he is cuter i will think of that as fate, probably cant even sleep thinking about it. but it is nice talking to them nevertheless.

seoul korea: day2 cheonggyecheon river and insa-dong

1. cheonggyecheon river, dongdaemun station





a lot of ppl hangout in this place, just that probably it is a bit cold now. still i found a couple jumping across the river on these stones, taking photos and laughing all the way. there on cloud nine, it seems like love kept them warm. like how the movie shopaholic puts it, "love is like a butter melting on a hot toast" (warm)


i have to be in the photo right. so i ask that very lovely couple to take for me.


yes after the many attempts of trying to take a photo for myself. i come to conclusion that i do not have the talent of cam whoring, like anna. i gave up, my hand is freezing... i cannot feel the button anymore. so i just take the palace le.




one thing i found out, all asian countries - tokyo, hongkong, bangkok - we all have one thing in common: traffic jams.


so that you dont get confuse at the subway. just learn these two signs. yellow sign "way out" is to get out of the place. thereafter you have 6-8 exits, so if you do your prep and find out earlier exactly which exit is nearest to your destination, that will be good. you dont want to come out on the opposite of the road. the rest of the arrow is for transfer to another line. there are about 30 or more interchange and 8 subway lines. so there is no one way, just use a route that requires the less interchange. as for me, i use back the same few interchange so that i can close my eyes and still know which side to take. i have to say by the second to third day, i was already reading a book. it does mean ive got pretty good at it :)


2. insa-dong

i found mina, she is a korean church friend from malaysia. she went back for good half a year ago. she is my kind tour guide for the night.


this thing is hot and nice especially under such cold weather. RECOMMENDED!


according to mina, there are a few stores selling this thread looking sweet thingin, but this is the first shop here and known to be the best. i dont understand why they have screenshot of movies with them eating this sweet all over. does that provoke ppl to buy? hehe maybe.




this building has shops that sell a lot of handmade items. i think the price is quite reasonable especially things like pretty journals and all. accessories is a bit pricey when i compare it with bangkok, so i didnt get any.


in order for korea to be as romantic as portrayed in those korean movies, they have to have a lot of dreamy things like this. a piece of art for them to write their wishes. and this one below, translated by mina says: "by 14 february next year i want get attached"
*DISCLAIMER: i didnt write that.



she brought me to one this very authentic korean house for dinner. very nice ambience, thus very expensive meal as well. yes i mean very expensive for one platter of food. W80,000, like rm200 plus.



on our way back to the subway station, we saw a massive crowd surrounding a store. the queue looks like one of those jco doughtnuts queue (or longer). 30% storewide for all beauty products. as if their beauty products is not already 1/3 our price. of course i joined the craze.

more photos of day2 here.

who i met
usually in malaysia, lift puts us in a very weird position. we either look down to the ground or look up to the figures up there to check which floor we are to avoid striking eyes contact with anyone. somehow when im on holiday it seems like it is a place where conversation begins.
x: you are here for a holiday?
cy: yah...
x: nice. im here for work, i'll grab a quick breakfast and go. you enjoy your day.

seoul korea: day1 dongguk university

it is a midnight flight and i fell asleep almost immediately since i was pretty tired. it was when i woke up, that i start thinking straight. one week ago, my cousin reminded me she is leaving for korea for work. she asked again if i would like to join her -- free accommodation and dinners. 3 days later, i actually bought the ticket with nothing plan. and here i am. i cannot believe it, im on the plane. ahhha... i am going to korea. i took a midnight flight and i will be arriving in seoul before my cousin. the moon kissing the morning sun is exactly how i felt in my heart, muakkkk... excited.


did i ever say this, that i am determine to make sure i visit every starbucks in the country i go to. yes, it says a lot. it does say that i am actually more interested to visit metropolitan cities. unlike most ppl who love to escape from the city when they travel. i like to be lost in another city, where transportation is all well planned for me, allowing me to merge so freely into the cultural and ppl. contrary going to the rural area, looking supreme and villages looking at my small camera as if im some posh fella which-im-not doesnt entice me. nor am i good with outskirts public toilets or showering by the river. lastly i never like the idea of oozing my heart with compassion and doing nothing about it. my point is: i just love the city. i love to see ppl just like me busy-catching-the-train after work, walking-hand-in-hand with their lovers, kids running around, teenagers just having the time-of-their-life. knowing that im among them observing, and no one will probably notice i exist -- makes me wonder how many ppl like this exist in our life. enjoyed having the best excuse in the world to stop a cute guy to ask for direction. despite the language barrier, i find comfort somehow in ppl not understanding me not due to the gap between people.

enough said, this is my trip.


yeoksam, this is the train station closest to me. i use this subway every day. not difficult at all, almost similar to those in spore just probably more lines and 30 more interchange. very much clearer than the one in tokyo. at least i never get on the wrong train. on the third day, i can even read my book and travel as if im one of the local.

1. jangchung-dan park

supyo bridge





2. some park around the area.
i was a bit disappointed with that park because there is really not much there, my walk up the the korean national theatre is not even worth the mention. later i found a stairs, the stairs is so steep and i really have no idea what is ahead. i took the step of faith, climbed up and found another park, the name which i-do-not-even-know. but it is pretty up there.



now, that is a great piece of architecture and you will be seeing a lot of that the next few days. and there is a park behind.


look at this statue. it is the first of the many piece art i see in this park. and it was not exactly a comforting way to start off this trip because it reminded me that i am all alone (im not sure this trip or in this pilgrimage). at least they have each other to keep them warm.




stairs...


and more stairs. before i walked down, i was thinking twice. do you think, i can get out of this place from this route. should be, right?.... no it dont... so i had to climb back up. it was freezing and there is no one around. not a single soul. i was wondering, if i faint climbing this stairs. i will probably die here in the cold. it was getting dark and no one will know im here.

i was kinda lost in this park. but it is not a waste of time. find out what i found:

A. those typical house in korean series... but i really dunno what is this uncle doing on his rooftop.



B. hotel shila's open air restaurant, it looks like a perfect small wedding venue.


C. a perfect view of seoul tower from the park.

more photos of day1 here.

when i was about to leave the place, it started to snow... (just a little...) it is pretty. i didnt take any photo since it is my first day and i took for granted thinking i might see that the next few days. little do i know, that is rare. must be the snow, it washed away my loneliness, i was very glad i had the luxury of going for another holiday. God somehow has his way of making me feel special when i think otherwise. it was indeed a very special welcome gift.

---

my very first meaty meal, korean bbq. yum.

who i met
in my hotel's lift and i actually initiated the conversation
cy: where did u get that (referring to his coffee).
x: oohh... down the street, in fact if you like starbucks there is just one right outside our hotel.
cy: really, i would love that.

a long while, after that. passing by the lobby to my room
x: hey, got your coffee
cy: ... (how does this pilot guy know i've got coffee. then it registered it was the guy in the lift. sorry im really bad with caucasion's face). ohh yahh...
x: somehow u just need to grab one of those to start of the day, yah.
cy: yahh :), you are leaving already?
x: yah, we always stay here
cy: really, it is a nice place. anyway nice meeting you

*anna rina said somehow ppl talk to you a lot when you travel alone, i think that is true. this column is dedicated for that.

random

yes, it is getting crazy... and im not thinking straight. with assurance from some friends and help of a travel agent. i decide to buy a ticket for next monday to one of this country. yes. very random indeed. i havent pack my bags, change my money or plan my itinerary. plus i have loads of submission to do on monday morning.

a series of unfortunate events

1. one of those weekend, i had loads of work to do. so i thought working at starbucks will be a good idea. at least the coffee and not working next to a bed will be helpful. there i go, didnt mind a bit going all the way to a further starbucks because i prefer to work in a more quiet place. happily i bought my iced latte... chose my table near a sit with a plug, changing table making sure it is balance. taking out my laptop... "oh no, i forgotten my mouse and wacom. it is ok. forget all about completing my work. change of plans, i should at least do some research for my project." to find out that i actually forgotten my charger too and so happen my battery was running low. right, i left that place in a short half an hour. went home, guess what i saw my bed and i slept. there goes the sunday i was trying to be efficient.

2. apple invention is really smart. i always believe so. to avoid ppl tripping over my charger wire and dragging my laptop along they had created this magnetic part to my battery wire. i find that really convenient, so most of the time instead of removing the plug head, i removed this magnetic side. because of this convenience, it had coz me many times to forget my charger. despite leaving and having to rush back to this destination to collect it back, im more than thankful to complain. at least i do not need to buy another charger which will probably cost me more than the petrol and time needed.

that day, i was rushing home after class to reply an email and a rush job for my client. i was glad my class finished early. about 5ish just before the the jam hit the area. once i stepped home, i quickly unpacked my laptop and mouse. i reached inside to my bag... "gosh where is my charger." i panicked. "oh no, where is my charger? i must have left it in my college library." i quickly rushed back to my car, rushed back to college, rushed back to the library, not to find anything. i called home to ask my mum to check, she said "your white plug... isnt it on your table next to your laptop." i was speechless. i unpacked so fast, i actually already taken it out. but i dont remember doing it at all. all i did was panicked and search the bag all over again twice. i didnt even bother to look around though it was all within my view. i felt so stupid because by that time i left college the second time, i was trapped in a jam of the peak hour and it was too late to catch my client.

3. it is submission day the next day, so i worked thru the night till probably 4ish in the morning. someone sms me in the morning about 9. i was pleased to reply her, in fact thankful she smsed if not i will be way too late for my class. so i jumped off my bed. packed my things and left for college. it is a 9.30am replacement class. "why is it, i dont see anyone around?" tried to reach out for my phone to call my other classmates but i cant find it in my bag. must be i forgotten my phone in that rush. still no one appears. so i went to the office to look for my lecturer. he said "the class is in the afternoon, not morning." the intended replacement was morning but everyone cant make it so the change of date and time, yes i actually remembered after that i was informed but i mixed it up. im sleepy, i could have sleep a few more hours. but it is ok, i will not go home. i will go to buckie to troubleshoot my flash project. when i payed for my latte, i found my hp. it was there afterall.

4. i keep reminding the new girl in the office, "dont forget to do it in the new size yah" (our magazine have just change their measurements, so we need to redo all the pages template). everything went really well. i was careful to duplicate all the template to the latest size. a day after that i found out that i had done my cover in the wrong size. im so sorry... they redo it because i was in class. they were very forgiving and merciful. they kinda just informed me, didnt even raise a voice.

5. i was a bit late for class so i ended up parking at a spot i normally refuse to park, knowing that this spot is the favourite double parking spot. but u see im late, beggar cant be chooser, right? so i just parked. of course im right, i've got double parked. but what i do not expect is the double parking is so massive that not one but three cars double parked me. so i honked and i waited. no one come. i walked around these three cars and i found out, one kind soul who is probably a student like jelly-used-to-be-and-does wrote "sorry, i have to double park your car. call me at 017 XXX XXX". at this point, i remembered... i left my phone at home. this time for real.

then i went to curve to do some stuff, it was about 6pm so the jam already hit the area. i wanted to go to sunway so i took the bangsar route towards NPE. im not exactly sure how to get to NPE from bangsar but how hard can it get right? but just to be sure, i will make a call to my friend. just right at this point... all three friends i called decided not to pick up. so i passed bangsar, passed maybank... thinking of doing the u-turn when this one particular person that picked up do not exactly know how to lead me from that side, insisting i should go back to towards the mosque side... so i ended up towards the museum... but lucky i saw the damansara sign i turned back to jalan duta. oh no... i've got myself in another heavier jam than nkve. later ppl start calling me back to tell me i was right, i should have make that u-turn. so the smart me... when all the way past damansara, and bangsar again... and maybank, and u-turn and all the rest till i finally reached sunway. the total time is about the same as if i've taken nkve straight in the first place.

---
am i unlucky? nope, in fact i was very grateful out of most of the incidents. am i complaining and cursing it is a spiritual attack. nah, i dont think the devil is free for me. so why am i listing all these things down. because it suddenly dawn on me these sleeping late, coffee and rush rush is not really helping me. all of a sudden, it reminds me of those ppl that doesnt have a sense of urgency. i used to be very agitated by them. "how can they still move so slowly when they are late." now i think of them wise. the last few days, despite the rush... i packed my bag very slowly and carefully. i told myself going back to get things doesnt help me save time. on a highsight, i think i have master all this nonsense. im not even upset about it anymore. nevertheless, i intend to end this shit. yes, anna... trust me, less coffee... sleep early. dont start getting clumsy like me :)

DISCLAIMER: my life is not that bad, im just compiling my clumsiness. the rest of the hours was fun, like the weddings, the birthdays, even the bit about baby sitting the twins while my mum is away. and yes, i actually enjoyed my assignments, got to know a few fun ppl the last week, and found the soft yogurt ice cream i discovered in spore. life has it fair share of sweet and sour.

paying attention to sound

am learning to insert sound to my flash animation now. this is when i learn to pay attention in the beauty of sound. it is really nice isnt it. i have watched this before, and again, but i am not bored of it yet.

a heart dont break even

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in
Cos I got time while she got freedom
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even

Her best days will be some of my worst
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven... even... no

What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you,
And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're ok
I'm falling to pieces, yeah,
I'm falling to pieces

They say bad things happen for a reason
But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding
Cos she's moved on while I'm still grieving
And when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven even... no

What am I gonna to do when the best part of me was always you,
And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're ok
I'm falling to pieces, yeah,
I'm falling to pieces, yeah,
I'm falling to pieces
(One still in love while the other ones leaving)
I'm falling to pieces
(Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)

Oh you got his heart and my heart and none of the pain
You took your suitcase, I took the blame.
Now I'm try'na make sense of what little remains ooh
Cos you left me with no love and no love to my name.

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing
Just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in
Cos I got time while she got freedom
Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break
No it don't break
No it don't break even no

What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you and
What am I suppose to say when I'm all choked up that you're ok
(Oh glad your okay now)
I'm falling to pieces yeah
(Oh I'm glad your okay)
I'm falling to pieces yeah
(One still in love while the other ones leaving)
I'm falling to pieces
(Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)

Oh it don't break even no
Oh it don't break even no
Oh it don't break even no

---
what else can say, no one will disagree that it never break even. watch the music video here. catchy tune besides the meaning.

faith of a child

every night samuel and sara will follow their mum to pray this prayer:
"i pray for daddy, mummy, samuel and sara. in jesus name. amen"

one brilliant night, sara added:
"i pray for daddy, mummy, samuel and sara... and baby oranges (she meant the small mandarin oranges she discovered during CNY). in jesus name. amen"

so samuel was inspired, he also added:
"i pray for daddy, mummy, samuel and sara... and cucumber and carrot. in jesus name. amen"

---
the next morning, her grandma bought a box of baby oranges to their place without the knowledge of their prayers. apparently it is one of carrefour discounted item.

three lessons from prayers of the two-year-old:
1. you do not need to teach a child to ask, we are born self centred
2. prayer of a child can move mountains
3. some prayers are not answered because we do not know what we ask for. for eg: samuel came to my place for lunch, we gave him carrot and he doesnt want it. it was in his prayer prolly because it was the few name of food he knows.