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.

when busy get crazy

from today till next weekend:

4 WEDDINGS AND HAPPENINGS
1. i have two weddings to attend
2. guide two couples thru their wedding planning/program
3. design a wedding invite and lots of prep for another wedding

COLLEGE
4. webpage design: convert at least 3 pages of my artwork to dreamweaver
5. 1 minute flash video: suppose to complete all my frames. 20 frame per second means 1200 frames (faint!)

WORK
6. half a magazine to do
7. proposal for a coffee table book
8. 3 other small jobs to follow up

FRIENDS
9. 2 different friends from singapore that i really want to meet up

---
sorry, there are just so many thing... i need to list it down to decide which to do first. the funny thing is, none of it is a chore. i am looking forward to do all of it, i only wish i have more than a week to do all this. now BREATHE.

commitment

u know how guys always accuse of not being able to stay in a decent relationship for long. sometimes i wonder is it us or them. i wonder if we over read those signs or they are in denial of those fact.

read more.

cigar, baileys and some music

this valentines, i spend the night with these ppl...

these are just some of the boys from the cell i had been faithfully attending. forgive us if we all look like AA group. we r all fella ragamuffins in the pursuit of righteousness.

when we are not drinking and puffing... we are all really nice ppl. these really sweet boys actually prepared dinner for us girls that night. they started at the market at 8am and when on preparing till 7.30pm, you wont believe how much food they prepared.



yum yum... cigar chocolate.

happy valentines day

you have shop all the malls for weeks and still cannot find that gift. dont try, boys are boys. a gift is a gift to them. they wont care you walk the whole singapore to find that present. they wont care you burn a hole in your wallet for it. do one of this instead, they will not complain no matter how bad the final outcome look. plus... they will be so proud of you because they cant imagine themselves coming down to doing this paperwork it.

zipangu

---
they dont have as wide variety but the quality of their food is superb--talk about fresh. plus all the above already made me walked away really really full. the most important point though is... i have 50% discount card. anyone want to buy me lunch? :)

a true story

there is something so beautiful about each of our story, that no great writer can churn out except for the one true Author. that shouldnt surprise you why so many of my favourites are based on true stories.


(1999)


(2000)


(2002)


(2005)


(2008)


movies like these make something in my heart ticks. it is the when fact--that one person can really make a difference--and reality kiss. i believe it is a combination of the price of integrity, the perseverance of the rejected, the unswerving faith and hope. yes, it does mean i wet my whole shirt watching them.

do you believe we exist for so much more? do you actually believe each of us have a story the world is waiting to hear?

i miss planning weddings

i miss planning weddings.

it is about running my fingers through those pretty heavy white satin gowns, seeing the bride-to-be fit nicely in it. all about choosing the theme, the cards--the papers and envelopes, the flowers and deco, the wedding flavours, seeing everything fall nicely in place in that ballroom, the rehearsals, the guest list, the final outcome of it, the couple walking down the aisle and them walking back to their room that night. tired but very satisfying.

my girl is back

my cutie girl is back.


her parents have very small eyes, looking at their photos she thought smiling-till-you-cant-see-your-eyes is the way to go. reminds me of dejelly




so happen, my boy is staying over at my place for the weekend. so i arranged a play date. they started with a shy "hi" and ended with a big hug. oh yahh plus the unending names calling session "bye, char-lotte", "bye, sam-uel", "bye-bye, char-lotte"...

how ru feeling today?

my next project's moodboard -- vintage and grunge mood

stages of life

Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody.

He spent the next forty years learning he was nobody.

He spent the last forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.


D.L. Moody


---
i thought i knew it all. i thought i know how to love God, master my work and figure this thing call relationship. the funny thing about it, the more i learn, then more i realise how much i do not know. today im in a position of weakness, not trying to be humble. almost embarrass to say this but seriously... i cant get anything right in my life.

what do teens ask nowadays?

juno: I'm losing my faith in humanity.
dad: Think you can narrow it down for me?
juno: I guess I wonder sometimes if people ever stay together for good.
dad: You mean like couples?
juno: Yeah, like people in love.

money can't buy love

there is this myth that the more extravagant your wedding day and guest list is, the lower the chance of divorce. it is said that couple that made their vow in the midst of many witnesses feel a greater responsibility to sustain their marriage.

hollywood celebrities took it really seriously. with wedding gown that cost more than a regular wedding in malaysia (i havent even convert the exchange rates), flowers that can buy two houses in pj (after converting it should come out to about 6 houses), and yes it shouldnt surprise you they burn-away 150,000 on fireworks.

but looks like the thread is strong enough to keep the dress together but not the marriage, not only that, the most expensive wedding in hollywood seems to be one of the shortest living marriage. 40 percent of the couples from that list ultimately split.

my best wishes to my two most beloved couples Beckham-Victoria and Tom-Katie. may your friendship last and may you both spur each other towards strong family and marriage.

same beginning, different ending

two boys born on the same day, met their girl under the same scenario and both relationship took a different path. have you ever wonder where your relationship will land at if you had done it differently? if you had shared more, if things had not been left like that, if things had been less complicated. the worst had hit on them again and again. which i dont see it as a tragedy, it only makes the ending so much more meaningful. a line in the lyrics struck me how often in relationship we beat around the bush and end up at the same place. there is something about perseverance in relationship, achievements and dreams that never fail to wet my eyes.

am never a fan of tvb series, they suck big time especially in the romance department. for that simple fact their relationship are normally so surface, i barely feel chemistry between the couple most of the time. i did the usual thing passing by my big living room to get to my room, but this time i stopped there. i didnt just stop there, i stayed up till 6am that day itself. probably because of the japan snowy white backdrop, maybe because of the two sweet couples too. i couldnt stop, it is like i want to know what happen after he makes the call, after he leaves that voice mail, after she drops that note. rumours has it that kevin and niki had been in a relationship, i hope that is not true since i dont like the "had been". i hope that the chemistry in that movie is actually real and not just mere acting. yah... hope... because it is just rare to see such sweetness. you just have to see the way they hold each other. it makes you go "awww..."

james and cissie's wedding

i was recruited last minute to just help lindy cordinate the wedding and liaise all her deco. i like their venue though it is quite far way. the place is so serene :)

new year resolution

i dont normally have a habit of setting resolutions. but i come to realise i fail to achieve much the last few years. so here is just a random list-of-things-i-want-to-attain this year.

1. reactivate the phone line with God. do devotion daily and start journaling once more
2. copy notes during church service again
3. start reading again. would like to begin with completing odyssey and tale of two cities from last year
4. run twice a week (after i buy my shoes)
5. go for at least one beach and another city holiday
6. watch more movies
7. do better in college
8. work harder, earn more money
9. save my targeted amount
10. stay carefree

---
several of my spa beauticians told me the last few days that i have high tolerance for pain. maybe because to me, physical pain is always more bearable than emotional pain. at least that was how i comfort myself the other day when i had a very bad stomach ache due to diarrhoea. it was so painful, the worst i ever felt, i started tearing and curling up myself. amidst that i had a conversation with HIM:
cy: God this is the most terrible pain i ever had... can u take it away.
GOD: you mean more painful than heartache?
cy: ohhh yahh... no, that is worst. suddenly i think this is more bearable. put me to sleep and make me well after i wake up, i've got loads of work to finish up. (i took some pills, doss off and really woke up well)