Bits and Pieces of my Trips

Traveling to unfamiliar places and meeting new people gives me a sense of freedom. I may be always smiling, but my heart may not always speak the same. :)

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Shinhwa.....I love the big boys...

I am so busy to even update my blog..:( Should I go to KL for Shinhwa? In my heart, it's a 50 precent chance that I might go. I am looking at going to Seoul in August again for their real concert. Shinhwa... The only idol group or men in the world that makes me so crazy like this.

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3rd Day at Seoul with Wendy - Bau House/Cheer Up Mr. Kim's filming site

I planned to visit the filming site of Cheer Up Mr. Kim today; which is where Kim Taepyung stays, and also the playground in front of his house. I had actually also wanted to visit the place where Tae Pyung would visit to play baseball when he's feeling down, but I think the place had closed down, however I'm not exactly sure; shall find out more during my next trip..if there is one. :) We started the day with chajangmyun. I always wanted to try chajangmyun in Seoul. It is a kind of Chinese cusine, but I see it appear so often in Korean dramas and also a common food for many celebrities. I had eaten chajangmyun before in Singapore, I am sure the taste in Seoul will be slightly different. There's this Chinese restaurant near where we stayed, so conveniently we went in for our first meal of the day.

How much more haggard can I look? Sign~my rashes are not making things better at all. When can I ever see my clear skin again. Jesus help me. Although it was our first meal of the day, we were not exactly hungry, so we ordered one bowl to share. It was a great decision cause the portion was huge; both of us could not finish the whole thing.

The taste of the noodles was alright. It would not be something I crave for or having a desire to eat again. In fact, I did not really like it. The chajangmyun in Singapore is more delicious, or maybe I need to try other places again. After eating, we proceeded to the Bau House at Hapjeong. During my previous visit, the dogs did not like me. Not one of them tried to get close to me, I was kind of getting used to the fact that I am not popular among animals (even my hamster hates me), but at the same time, I was feeling down and rejected too. People were saying animals do have an instinct, what kind of person do I portray to them? So we came to Bau House, there were a few new faces which I did not see the previous time. I was looking at the dogs wagging their tails as we entered...Awww~~They were all so adorable.

To my surprise, I appeal to some dogs better this time around. This grey dog actually followed me and stayed at my table for a long time. I had finally broken the curse of being unpopular with animals, though my hamster still hates me.

That's my doggie right there! Other than pretty dogs like the golden retriever or husky, I really love a silly looking dog like a pug, bulldogs or this kind of shabby grey dog; looking at them makes me laugh. ^^ Some doggies trying to give me a kiss. I will take them happily. One black dog in the cafe hates me; he hit my hand away as I was touching his head. :(  He hit real hard. T.T

After a merry time at Bau House, we headed down to filming site for Cheer Up Mr. Kim. On the way, we stopped by at this Caffe Bene for some rest; apparently this is a filming location for some KBS drama too. I was wondering if Cheer Up Mr. Kim had been here before, since it's quite near to Taepyung's house.

We order a toast with some drinks, and relaxed for a while. The toast in Korea is delicious, we couldn't get enough of it. There are a lot of nice cafes in Seoul. My Korean friend told me people will quit their job to open a cafe, and they can usually survive well. I think the coffee culture is pretty well develop in Seoul.

We continued our journey feeling full and satisfied; Wendy was walking slightly slower as her legs began to hurt a bit. We took our time and started taking pictures along the streets, it was then I saw a bus with a crew carrying some filming equipments down the bus. My heart was thinking "Cannot be...I had never been so lucky..it could be other dramas filming near hongdae". Then I heard Wendy trying to read the Korean words on the bus window "미...스...터...미...스...터..." I shouted "미스터김!!!!!" Oh My God! Oh My God!!! Oh My God!!!

OH MY GOD!!!! I was jumping with JOY!! I started snapping pictures of the bus; the bus driver then did some hand gestures asking whether I was taking his pictures, I did a heart sign back to him. He was humored and signal me to go to him. He spoke to me in Korean; asking if I am from Japan, I replied I am from Singapore. Then he said in English ... "Tonight....7.30pm....inside" pointing to the direction of the filming site. GOSH!!! Thank you bus uncle! I was really so thankful, I could not stop saying thank you. Then I got all excited like a primary school girl. I may not always been this lucky, but I know that day I was blessed!!!! Thank you Jesus! My prayers had been answered! It's still a long way to 7.30pm, so we chilled at a cafe near to the location.  It's a lovely place looping enjoyable jazz music. We assume the owner to be a musician himself as we saw an electric guitar inside.

Finally I get to see Dongwan Oppa. <3 <3<3 As I was walking to the playground, I saw Dongwan Oppa walking happily with his two female assistants to the apartment. I saw the REAL MAN! He looked like he was in a great mood, and he wasn't as small as I would expect; in fact he looked EXACTLY THE SAME. I asked one of the crew if we could see him after the filming, as I came all the way from Singapore, the man just kept quiet with a helpless expression. I thought I don't want to trouble him anymore; I am going to be a well-behave fan. I stood there for 2 hours plus watching him working hard for the drama. It was a scene with his real mother from the drama. It's not easy as the weather was very cold; they were filming an outdoor scene and it's in the neighborhood with the public walking around and doing exercise in the playground, so if there are any little noises from them, the shooting would have to start over again. So to avoid distraction, I did not even try to snap pictures of him, so I did not have any pictures of him. :( It's a bit sad, but I don't want to be a fan that cause trouble; supporting someone can be as simple as keeping still and be invisible. I don't know how to describe the feelings I had, it's like he's right in front of me, so real...and yet so unreal; he's walking around, smiling, laughing, grabbing a jacket to keep warm occasionally; most importantly he looked healthy and happy. :) I felt so blessed, I hoped Dongwan Oppa stayed blessed always.

Poor Wendy, she was already dressing up like a bandit, and still feeling cold. Thank you for staying out with me darling. <3

There's a church near the filming site. :) No matter what, thank you Lord Jesus. Though I still don't know how to love you, but thank you for loving me.

I was sitting at this swing that he had sat before. :) Oh..feeling so blessed.

I took this picture when they were adjusting for new lightings. Dongwan Oppa was inside at this point.

After filming, Dongwan Oppa bowed humbly and say thanks to all of us and walked back to his car swiftly with his manager and his two female assistants. If I knew I would get to see him, I would have bought my present for him along; at least I could pass to him before he left. There's so much thanks I wanted to tell him; how he had inspired my life, how he made me want to be better. :) Dongwan Oppa fighting!! You are not that short. A man like you, you are the tallest in my eyes. <3

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Gapyeong City Bus Tour - Time Schedule PDF and Details

Download the PDF version here Official Website: www.gptour.go.kr

Gapyeong Attractions Circle Bus (8 times a day) Gapyeong Terminal (가평터미널) ↔ Jaraseom Island (자라섬) ↔ Gapyeong Station (가평역) ↔ Namiseom Island (남이섬) ↔ Petite France (쁘띠프랑스) ↔ Cheongpyeong Terminal (청평터미널) ↔ Cheongpyeong Station (청평역) ↔ The Garden of Morning Calm  ☞ Fare: Adults (ages over 19) 5,000 won, Children (ages 3-19) 3,000 won Buy the bus ticket from bus driver. Visitor can freely get on and off the bus as many times as they want by showing their ticket.

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2nd Day in Seoul with Wendy - Morning Calm/Nami Island

Wendy wanted to relax, and she love Jang Keun Suk, so we decide to visit the Morning Calm Garden to unwind ourselves. I was really looking forward to see the flowers, and ready to let them amaze me for one more time. :) It was a cold day. The temperature was going at -6 degrees; although I had experienced -20 during December this year in Seoul, I did not expect March to be so cold. It was a ride of about 1hr 20min by subway to the Cheongpyeong Station , as we were walking out of the station, I could see snow; it's not a good sign, as I was not wearing enough, and had conveniently left my gloves back at the hotel. How smart was I?

It was so cold that I used the hand dryer to warm myself.

We took the Gapyeong City Bus, which cost 5000won per head; it's a whole day bus ticket. Although I love to visit some other places like the Cheongpyeong Lake and Jaraseom Island, but got to leave it for next time.

We need our vegetables, and thought of wrapping gimbap and seaweed inside for better taste. It was delicious. We met a a girl from Taiwan who was boarding the same bus as us; we found out she love Jang Keun Suk too and was there to visit the Morning Calm Garden and Petite France for

We met a a girl from Taiwan who was boarding the same bus as us; we found out she love Jang Keun Suk too and was there to visit the Morning Calm Garden and Petite France for JKS's drama filming sites, 3 of us then started chatting away. Later on, the bus guide told us as it's snowing, he would be bringing us to two locations in the Morning Calm Garden, which is the Morning Calm gallery and also the history hall, then after we can proceed on our own.

We arrived at the Morning Calm Garden, and was dazed to see not one flower in sight; it's all wintering trees and fallen leaves all around. Then we figured out that's the reason why the tour guide wanted us to go to the gallery. -_-

The tour guide is a funny man. He told us the reason for bringing us to the gallery first, was to make sure we had a good impression of this garden, that it's actually a beautiful place, provided we came on the right season. When we were all in the gallery, he kept saying "Oh beautiful...take picture!", and so we all did, snapping pictures of the Oh so beautiful morning calm garden pictures; as I was snapping away, I was laughing inside as well. This is another result of not planning enough ahead.

Funny tourguide and us. We exchange emails, and promised to keep in touch. After the history hall, 3 of us proceeded, with the hope of finding some decent places to take some pictures.

We had a short rest and some tea time at Morning Coffee. The place was so cozy. We were chatting so much with one another that we almost missed the 3.30pm bus. Qiao Huang and both of us went on separate as she's going to visit Petite France. Both of us slept for a while before arriving at Nami Island. The island was snowing...a bit. The place looked...not as romantic as last December when I came. I hope Wendy can find time in the future with her husband during autumn or winter to visit this place again. The weather in March is not doing justice to the beauty of the places we visited today.

We were walking around, took some silly pictures and even shot a stupid video. Wendy would always have some random ideas for pictures and videos that I could not visualize, but I will always go along with her creativity. It's fun to have a spontaneous person with you during travel.

The picture above was an idea from one ajumma who took her photo before us. We thought it's a brilliant idea, thus this picture was born under the hands of Wendy. Thank you Wendy for this lovely picture with my forever Bae Yong Joon-Sama. I thought we look rather alike here. :) We managed to catch the last boat, sadly we missed the last bus back to Cheongpyeong Station. It's weird as we were right on time, but the bus did not wait and drove away from in front of our eyes. It was very hard to get a cab in this place. The taxi stand was empty, and all the cabs were on call. We saw this Korean couple waiting at the cab stand; we asked if four of us could share a cab together and they agreed. Not long after, a cab came by and drove us to the Gapyeong bus terminal. When we were on the cab, the driver asked if we knew how to speak Korean. I used some hand gestures and implied I speak only a little. Then I started saying the few lines of Korean which I had been practicing many times. It's a few sentences for inviting someone out to watch a movie together. I practiced them hard, so when I get to see Kim Dongwan, I will say them fluently asked him out for a movie date. The cab uncle was rather amused, and started telling me he could not go out with me, because he's married with 2 kids. Then he started rambling really fast, I could not make what he was saying exactly, all I could do was kept nodding.

I didn't know what we were thinking; we bought a bus ticket to take us from Gapyeong bus terminal to Cheongpyeong bus terminal; where we should have bought a bus ticket to bring us back to somewhere nearer to Jongno-Samga. I guess people do silly things when they're cold and too hungry to think right. But it's my first time buying a bus ticket for a ride from the bus terminal, so I will take it as a new experience. Finally we got to the Cheongpyeong bus terminal, and decided to settle our dinner here; I don't know about Wendy, but I was hungry. We went to a humble restaurant, and I had my first Daen Jang Chigae; it was very tasty.

The lady at the restaurant then guided us the way to walk to Cheongpyeong Subway Station. It's a good 10min walk although the weather was getting quite chilly.

I had my first bread from Paris Croissant too; some chocolate cream roll, which taste comforting. Finally after a long day, we got back to the hotel. :)

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Lavinia Hotel at Anguk/Jongno-Samga

Actually I had a long post on this hotel, which I accidentally deleted yesterday. Right now I had to rewrite this whole thing; rewriting is a chore; so...here it goes. This is my 5th time to Korea. Many of my friends thought that I had a boyfriend in Korea, as I am visiting this country rather frequently for the past 2 years. I do not know when I will get tired of visiting this lovely country; I hope that day will never come. Anyway I am visiting Seoul with my friend Wendy; despite the mountains of work to be done, we decide to chunk everything aside for this trip. The 2 of us had a little business together, which has managed to finally earn enough profit for this retreat. Both of us could not resist the charm of Kpop music and dramas, so Korea will be naturally be our first choice for this retreat.

We checked in our luggage at 17kg and 17.2kg respectively. It is considered heavy right? As we are waiting at the boarding gate, there was this lady who came over to do a survey with us about Changi Airport, after which she gave us a pen as a token of appreciation. It's a timely gift as Wendy realised the pen she brought along ran out of ink. This time around, it's a straight 6 hours flight via Singapore Airlines, and I thank Lord Jesus for it. A few times, I would want to save that few hundred bucks and choose to travel by Cathay or China Air with a transit, which will take me about 10-12 hours. Though transiting is not as tiring as many would thought, but a straight flight to Korea will always be better.

The best thing about Singapore Airlines would be the abundance of choices for the entertainment programs. I wanted to sleep through the journey, as it is a midnight flight, but the movies were too alluring. I was flipping through the pages and spotted Shinhwa Broadcast in the program list, but it's not an episode that I want to re-watch; finally I settled with "Life of Pi"; which left me with only 4 hours to rest before reaching Seoul.

We took the Incheon Airport line, did a transit to Jongno-Samga.

Address:     6F, 30-1, Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Jongno-Gu Seoul, 110-340 Korea, South 서울특별시 종로구 익선동 30-1 6층 , 종로구 (서울특별시, 110-340) Phone:     [phone] We are staying at Lavinia Hotel this time. Although Shinchon Guesthouse is my first choice for accommodation, it's fully booked during our period of stay. Wendy did some research and settled for Lavinia Hotel, there were a lot of good reviews about it too; we can't wait to settle down.

There are several ways to get to this hotel; it is a 2-3min walk from both Anguk and Jongno-Samga station. But if you are checking in on the first day with your luggage and such, taking the airport bus #6011 will be the best choice. It will cost 10,000won and the journey takes about 1hr 10min. You can have a good nap in the bus; hassle free. The bus stop will be near the Changdeok Palace, upon arrival, you can then take a good 2-3min stroll down to the hotel as shown in the map. More information about airport bus here. We took the subway to Jongno-Samga with the intention of walking to the hotel from the station, was a huge mistake; there were no lifts or escalator up to the ground level. The sight of pulling a 17kg luggage up the stairs is not a pretty sight. Luckily, one of the staff who works at the station helped us carry the luggage up. This is the result of not doing enough research before coming; lesson learnt.

I am glad that checking in was a breeze. We arrived at about 9am at the hotel, the sweet lady in charge Vicky was kind enough to allow an early check in at no charge; other hotels will usually implement a half day charge. Our room was clean and tastefully decorated with 2 beds, a basic washroom and a balcony.

The room was near to perfect; expect later during the stay I realise the hotel do not provide/replenish towels automatically outside our room daily; if we want clean towels, we would have to ask. However we would usually go out very early in the morning, and return very late in the night, it's quite hard for us to bump into them, and I do not want to wake them up just for clean towels. There's no tissue and water heater in the room too, just one in the common rest room for all to share. If one of rooms decide to keep the water heater for themselves, the others would have to go to other floors to boil water, which was what we did. Another thing that I realise is, the floors are not heated up in the night, which Shinchon Guesthouse would practise during cold seasons. The above all is not a must, but simple touches will make the stay for tourists like us more comfortable.

The common resting room on each floor will include facilities like washing machine, PC with internet, coffee making machine and water heater. This place is overall pleasant to stay, but given a choice Shinchon Guesthouse is still my favourite; not just because of the facilities, but also for the love of Ewha Woman University shopping street. This stay in Lavinia Hotel cost us about $40SDG per head per night. Lastly, this is my bed; with a colour I'm most proud of. ^^

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Day One in Seoul with Wendy

After some rest in the hotel, Wendy and I realise we really need some food. I suggested chicken to her for our late lunch. As expected, I am bringing her to Chicken Mania, to support the food that Shinhwa endorsed. I grabbed one of those waffle you find commonly in subway stations. It's a simple waffle with whipped cream and honey. The taste is light and refreshing. My sisters and I will always eat them when we come to Korea, we call it "the taste of childhood". I wish Singapore has waffles made this way along our streets or bakery stores.

Shortly after, we arrived at Chicken Mania. It looked like there's no one in there. The lights were quite dim inside, I almost thought it has closed down for the day. When I open the door, there's one lady staff who greeted us and brought us to a table. I asked her if she still has the Shinhwa calendars or cards, she said everything had been given away. I was slightly disappointed but this is good in a way, as it can imply Shinhwa is doing well enough? :)

The food was enjoyable, but as usual the serving is too huge, we asked for takeout and hope to reheat for breakfast tomorrow. After which, we went to the E-Mart in Yongsan to do some grocery shopping to last us for 7 days. We brought some organic lettuce, tuna cans, fruits,cereal, seaweed and water; mostly for our breakfast.

I really love this brand of Chocopie, but I resisted it successfully. We went back to the hotel to keep the stuff we bought, then after I had one of the most delicious dubu jjigae in my life. We got into this humble restaurant randomly. The weather was getting even colder in the night, so Wendy and I wanted something soupy and spicy. As we entered the restaurant, there were two cute ajummanims who greeted us. They do not speak English, and lucky "tofu" sounds like "dobu", and they figured out almost instantly what we wanted.

The taste is very charming. Most of the dubu jjigae that I had before were mostly spicy and salty. The soup is very favourful, there's spicy, sweet, sesame oil, salty; the golden mushroom and tofu were very tasty too. The food was so good that Wendy and I stopped talking altogether and kept eating. This pot of dubu jjigae cost 10000won.

"Cheer up Mr. Kim" was showing on TV too. Hello Tae Pyung...:) The ajummanims thought the both of us was from Japan. It's been a while since anyone thought that I came from Japan, most Koreans will think that I came from China. It felt good for a change.

The 2 adorable ajummanims. Thank you for such a delicious meal. On a side note, my face was so dry that it's so hard to smile for a good picture. It's like...so stiff...:( It was getting close to 10pm. We tried our luck to shop at Dongdaemun, and luckily the big shopping malls were still open, and we managed to get some nice accessories. This is the end of Day One.

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Korea Trip Ended...

I want to go to the Shinhwa forest, but I got to the wrong forest and took tons of pictures thinking I may be at the right place...silly me...so sad right now I went to Born Bar which Kim Dongwan's friend open, and it was close on a Saturday night...:( This trip.... Signz~

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Planning my itinerary to Korea on from 19th - 25th Mar 2013. Although I will not be able to watch Shinhwa's concert..I will still try to enjoy myself to the max. Hoping to visit the Shinhwa forest as well. Hope my friend who's traveling with me can accommodate my fangirl itinerary. Counting down...:)

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Going to Korea again...

Looking forward to the end of March, and I will step into the land of kimchi again. :)

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Quick Stroll at Ewha Woman University

The Ewha Womans University is "Korea’s first educational institute for women. It was founded in 1886 by Mary F. Scranton, an American missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The school’s name “Ewha” was bestowed by Emperor Gojong (the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty, 1863~1907). The three virtues Ewha promotes are truth, goodness, and beauty. As of now, the university has 18 graduate schools, 11 colleges with 65 departments, and several research institutes." 

Dongwan had his first and farewell concert in one of the auditoriums in Ewha Woman University as well. >< I had heard that this school is very pretty, and insisted a quick stroll in the school compound before we head our way to the airport. It's going to be very rush, so we were careful not to lose our way there and back.

Some court for games I think. But of course, it's covered with white snow.

The picture is a bit crooked. I remembered the colours were beautiful to my eyes. The school was beautiful. I guess it will portray another kind of beauty in autumn, where the colour of the leaves starts changing. It did feel kind of romantic standing in the school compound then; and the thought of having a boy-girl relationship with a school mate here will be quite innocent and lovely. Silly fantasies anyway...><

I didn't read up about this statue man. I have no idea...

That brick house behind is part of a school? So wonderful

Charming colours

Exquisite Structure How would it be like to be studying in such a school? Would I be a student who may find schooling more enjoyable? Anyway...time to go back to the hostel, and get ready to return to Singapore.

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Stalking Jang Geun Suk at Lotte World

Stalking sounds wrong and pervert-like.  I think I ran out of better adjectives to describe this event of ours. The story was Jang Geun Suk had a dinner party with his Korean fans, it's only open to Korean fans with Korean ID. Even if you have some good money to spare (like my 2nd sister who happens to have some spare cash, and is fan of Jang Geun Suk), and is willing to purchase the remaining tickets ( the dinner party is not sold out), they will not sell it to you. However knowing this man will definately be somewhere in this premise, we decide to give a shot to wait at the event venue, in the light of getting a glimpse of this Hallyu Star.

We grabbed our lunch at the food court of Lotte World. It's hard to get a seat though.

Our meal. The food we had in Seoul was never too disappointing. I missed the taste of the dumplings on the right of this picture. We thought it would taste like the Chinese style 葱油饼, they look similar but the taste is somewhat different; though the fillings are also similar, I can associate this taste to Korea rightaway. The fillings are mostly vegetables, they have several different fillings, some with just vegetables, and some kimchi with some meat which is also a bit spicy. I wish I can have some right now.

I don't know what came to me, I used an empty Soju bottle as our water bottle for the day. As we managed to finish the bottle of Soju this morning (it took us 3 days?), so I thought the bottle is quite pretty, I filled it up with drinking water and put it in my bag. So as we were having our meal, I took out the bottle from my bag and started drinking from it. That caught a lot of attention from people around, one lady's face was especially exaggerating; I think it's very funny, and almost wanted to take a picture of her. But I couldn't blame them, even if you wanted to drink soju in the food court openly, you will drink it from a small cup, I was drinking mouthfuls straight from the bottle. After the meal, we went to determine the location of the dinner party. It was not hard to find, the poster of Jang Geun Suk was in many places of the lobby.

So his face was obvious to spot. The event was on the 3rd floor of the hotel, in some ballroom. There were fans from China and Japan as well. I knew we had the same motive of stalking Jang Geun Suk. Stalking an idol is somewhat exciting, but very time consuming. The truth is, I won't even know if I will even see that idol in the end, anything can happen, being a passionate fan is a kind of unrequited love.

It's about 2 hours to the event, and many were already gathering around. There were a lot of Jang Geun Suk's posters on the walls outside the event ballroom. There was a screen showing some pictures of him with a weird image. My sister said he loved bizarre dressing. I think his image is a bit like Micheal Jackson. Since there were still time before the real thing, we would hang around at Lotte World abit and come back after. We did some window shopping, brought some items from Lotte Duty Free, and went to the Star Avenue as Super Junior should already be in the window display.

This was so disappointing. I looked at the display of other celebrities, as a Suju's supporter, I am saying with a heavy heart, they had the worst display. It was really with zero percent sincerity and effort. I didn't even feel like snapping a picture, although I still did.

The handprints of Suju. I though Yesung's hands were suppose to be the smallest, but Donghae's hands were just as small, in fact it's my size. Is it really his hand print? I doubt.

After the Star Avenue, we had some nice bread for lunch.

...took a failed pic at the lobby.

...and back to waiting again...><

That's his clothes...we think... We chose the area where there were the most securities to wait, with the idea that the securities must be there for a good reason. My sister then saw the bodyguard who was always with Jang Geun Suk, she said "His bodyguard is here", then out of a sudden, Jang Geun Suk appeared!! He appeared so fast, we were caught off guard, and was murmuring "Oh My God". I guess Jang Geun Suk heard us, and he waved at our direction with his usual smirk. He was so close to us, like right in front of us. My youngest sister was star struck. My 2nd sister managed to snap a pic of him, it was blur, but great effort! I was happy that our efforts paid off.

The man with the skinny long legs! Jang Geun Suk! We stayed till the end of dinner party, hoping to get another glimpse of him before he leave. But the security was pretty tight and rigid this time around. We only got to a wave from him from far far away. Anyway...mission accomplished! :) The Ong Sisters Zzang~~~~

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

This was never in our itinerary, it seems that we ran out of places to go. It would be very nice to be strolling in the palace and taking pictures, but the weather was too much to handle. I did not take much pictures with my face exposed, as I was feeling too cold, and had to cover my whole face to keep warm. Getting to Gyeongbokgung is very simple. Take the subway to Gyeongbokgung Palace Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 5, and you will find your way. If you want a English tour guide, there are student volunteers tour guides who offer their service for free, keep a lookout for their banners.

3 tickets...of course :)

It felt very good looking at the mountains. Mountains in different places seem to have their own character and forms. Pretty amazing.

We caught these guys walking in.

We spotted one cute guy. Although it was really cold, our eyes were still sharp. He was wearing a beanie, I thought he looks like the “Western version” of Dongwan, my sister said he looked a bit like Wentworth Miller. Subtly, I went closer to him, and pretend to take a picture.

This one is clearer. He looks much cuter in person. I am not a stalker, just want to keep track of memorable stuff.

We had our faces covered 99% of the time. We decided to visit selected landmarks in the palace, as the weather was close to unbearable. Are all Singaporeans as weak as us? Other people seem to be coping well. The first landmark will be the Geoncheonggun. This place served as a separate palace for King Gojong and his consort, and is considered a palace within a palace. It is here that the Empress Myeongsong was assassinated in 1895. I read about the beautiful lotus flower we could find in the pond, but in winter, there was only white snow. I thought it’s beautiful in another way too.

I looked like an assassin, flasher or some gag man. Haha. I know I had mentioned a zillion times, it’s very cold. I want a picture with my face too. But this is quite cute. ^^

The second landmark was the Gyeonghoeru (Pavillion). “Its architecture is so highly prized for its aesthetic qualities that it once appeared on the Korean 10,000 won banknote. The pavilion is situated on an artificial island in the middle of a rectangular lake with three stone bridges stretching out to the palace grounds, an arrangement which illustrates the way in which traditional Korean architectural style blends simplicity and splendor.” There was suppose to be a beautiful lake too, but yeah..it’s all whites around. I love the palace of Korea. I had visited a few, they’re not huge as the forbidden city, but they are self contained, and wholesome. If the weather was more bearable, I would have stay much longer for a good stroll.

I took several shots of this bird, it stayed still like a boss. Are birds lazy to shun away from people during winter, or the birds in Korea are slightly different than those in Singapore? Even the squirrels in Nami Island would pose for a good picture, those in Singapore would run away as soon as they sense a human approaching. Oh ya…birds are really fat and cute during winter. Yeah..they are all cutie fat fat. :)

My sister got my attention on this tree. The colours were amazing. The tree looked so vibrant and alive. It's full of persimmon, it's all comfort food for the birds during winter. I wish I can get my hands on one of those and taste it.

Spot that fluffy bird on the persimmon tree.

We found our zodiac signs. Now I realise, we are all farm animals.

I tried writing "I love DW" on the snow floor. I wanted to make it nice, but...guess it did not turn out as easy as I thought.

My last picture in Gyeongbokgung. My lips were so dry, I could barely smile. I salute this man beside me, it was really cold. I enjoyed my morning in this place, if only...yeah...:)

[jovialog-blog]

Random Shopping at Times Square and Ewha University St (Seoul)

Shopping is not my thing. We were planning to shop for the whole day today, it was not hard, and Time Square is really huge.

Breakfast was good. But we didn't know that we had to clear our dishes from the table ourselves. So as we were about to walk out from the foodcourt, someone called us back to clear the plates. It was pretty embarrassing, but I guess that's the way we learn sometimes.

I got caught up the “rooftop prince” craze during mid 2012, and the actors in the drama were wearing these cute NII T-shirts. So I thought I would want to purchase one of those when I visit Seoul in June, sadly we did not make it, I don’t want to appear too dramatic, but it was an upsetting moment for me. So it’s cool that I got to visit one of the NII outlets this time around.

The Prince and his joker gang. Lots of fond memories and laughter from this drama. Thank you for the happy times then. We bought one sweater and was given 2 free posters. The sales assistant asked who do I like among JYJ, I answered, “Park Yoochun”. She then looked for the posters of Yoochun for me, however I think she was a bit lost of which poster belongs to who, so she passed one Yoochun’s poster, and one of Jaejoong’s poster. ><

The E Mart actually sells pets. Animals have the ability to brighten up my day. Anyway, the rabbit was not moving for a long time, it’s really cute to look at though.  

There were a lot of "Thomas" at the E-Mart. Naturally, "Thomas Kim" came to my mind. I got to stop thinking of this guy so often. ><

The noodle cup sample is so little and cute, and it tasted great too.

Our trolleys looked cool. I heard from my sisters that Baidu Bar for DBSK helped Park Yoochun advertise his new drama on the trolley of E Mart.

Our lunch. The staff at the counter asked whether we want “Ketchup or Chilli sauce”. Then we replied, “Both”. Then she was like “뭐야?!” Hahaha, her face was like in shock, I wanted to laugh out so much, but no, it was rude to do right? We walked the whole of Time Square, Lotte, Shinsegae, spent a good amount of time in one of the gift shops in there as well. So E-Mart and gift shop rules. We got back home and wanted to take a walk in our neighbourhood, the Ewha University Shopping Street. My sister said people do come over here to shop and hang around. So we unloaded ourselves in the hostel, and decided to take a good stroll around. The weather was so cold. I regretted taking off one of my thermal wear. It’s barely 9pm at night, and most of the shops in the malls were already closed. Luckily, the street was still alive.

It’s a lovely street. Not huge, but it had almost everything you will need. All the cafes, the shops, the fashion, the cosmetic shops. But it was too cold, and yes, I wore a beanie again, not too proud of it though. I began to feel that beanie are only for male, or people with really good looking features. Anyway, I loved strolling in the street, and I was feeling at peace and happy.

There were so many cafes in this little street. Everyone of them looked alluring.

I felt the shops gave a sense of romance. Well…

Cute…:)

There’s a cat cafe here too. We found a restaurant called “Noodle Box”. There was a banner outside the restaurant with DBSK faces, as we couldn’t read Korean, so we assumed this idol group had recommended the restaurant in some variety show. My youngest sister is/was a fan of DBSK. Although her feelings for them had faded with the splitting of the group, she was still quite thrilled to see DBSK’s related restaurant.

If I remembered correctly, she order a Mee-Goreng takeout. The food was good, but it was a little spicy for me. That, ended my day.

[jovialog-blog]

Directions to Gaepan(개판) open by Minwoo of Shinhwa

After the chicken at Kyochon, we went to "Angel and Us" next to the Super Junior Kona Beans to chill, and also tap on the wireless internet to check for some information for tomorrow's trip. I was craving for some coffee and a good dessert, preferably a tiramisu cake again. Angel and Us Coffee is everywhere in Seoul, but that was my first time visiting it.

Angel and Us in Apgujeong. There were cups with celebrity photos attached to them. This place was apparently one of the shooting sites for jaejoong's japan drama. The cafes in Seoul always felt nicer, maybe because it's winter, cafes gave a sense of warm and comfort. The cafe were getting the deco ready for Christmas then.

After the transformation at Trick Eye Museum, I became an angel here again. But the wings were too high. ><

The lady who served us had really a good vibe and smile. Sadly, there wasn't tiramisu cake, but it's waffle again. It's delicious. But the coffee didn't taste so good. Somehow after the waffle and coffee, we felt very full. It would be a very long story to how we got to Gaepan, but the bottom line is, we got there safely, unexpectedly by foot. It's about 5-6pm when we arrive at Gaepan, there's only one table of customers. I guess the dinner crowd wasn't here yet. There was this girl who tends the restaurant. She gave us a menu in Korean, then we let out a blur face unknowingly, then she uttered two words: "중국", then we were like "Yes yes yes....><"  So she went and brought us a menu in Mandarin.

We did not take this picture. It's a picture from the satellite. As my camera battery went flat altogether. We did not have a picture of the restaurant signboard. >< I've heard that Shinhwa members would dropby once in while, mostly late in the night. So I won't get to see them as we need to head back early. But it's still good, to come to a restaurant open by Shinhwa is cool. :)

As we were all not hungry, we ordered a pork's tofu stew which was delicious, but it's slight on the spicy side. It came with brown rice, so healthier concept by Minwoo. It cost us...I think 18000won.

There was a projector screen in the restaurant, and it's Hyesung at Music Bank...I think...><

Gaepan was getting ready for Christmas too. The crowd started pouring in gradually. There were a lot of pretty ladies, they are slim, long hair, fair, small face; very pretty. Some of them smoke though, so it makes them look less pretty. So if Minwoo were to dropby tonight, I thought this would be a good view for him. Directions to Gaepan(게판5분전) Address: 서울 강남구 신사동 647-4 1층/ Tel: [phone]

Shinhwa in Gaepan, I did not bump into these cool guys. If you do, give them a big bear hug and a friendly kiss on the cheeks for me.

I had indicated the names of the resturants and shops which you may pass by if you should follow this map. However do take note that some of the places might already been closed down or relocated, so follow closely to the routes of the map is the best way to go, the names provided is just acting as a guide for you. There are also other ways to get to Gaepan, this is the route I thought would safest to share. :) Hope you get to bump into the legendary cool funny Shinhwa.

1. Get out from Apgujeongrodeo Subway exit 5 and Walk straight. 2. Continue to walk straight 3. As you are walking, you should see a Canon building beside you 4. When you reach the first road, Soju Tec should be beside you and Tom and Tom Coffee on the other side of the road, cross over and continue to walk straight

5. When you reach the 2nd road, Standard Chartered Bank should be beside you and Paris Baguette on the other side of the road, cross over and continue to walk straight 6. When you reach the 3rd road, U Square should be beside you and The Flower Cafe on the other side of the road, DO NOT CROSS OVER, turn in and and continue to walk straight. 7. You should pass by "Thai Yoga Massage" and "At Home" at the first road of this path. Keep walking straight 8. You should pass by "Shopaholic" at the 2nd road of this path. Keep walking straight

9. You should pass by "WESC" and "Henry Beguelin" at the 3rd road of this path. Keep walking straight ahead 10. You should pass by "Look Optical" and "Gallery O'Clock" at the 3rd road of this path. Keep walking straight ahead 11. When you reach the end of this path, make a right turn in and keep walk straight. Keep a lookout for Gaepan, it's just a few shops away. 12. Can you see my little yellow circle in picture 12? There's Gaepan right there. If I am too long-winded, it's just I don't know other way to give better directions. Anyway.. Good luck people. :)

[jovialog-blog]

This post has nothing to do with traveling, however I need my moment to congrat this man for winning the KBS Awards 2012 “Male Excellence Award” tonight. He ended 2012 with a blast! I know he will be even better in 2013. Congrats Dongwan! You deserve this award so much. You are my inspiration. :) God bless you. 

[jovialog-blog]

DMZ, the line that stands in between

I knew this place could be visited sometime time ago, I never thought I will visit it one day, as I had never wanted to get involve in tensions from history, as a fact, the story is still ongoing today. North and South Korea are still divided. The hope of Korea coming together as one is the dream of many Koreans. We woke up very early, as we had to report at  Camp Kim USO at 7am. It's too early.

The sky was still dark. The weather is freezing. The 2 jokers walking, why do I find them so amusing?

Only about 5% of the tourists visiting are Asians, which includes us. There is a dress code for this tour. Initially when I heard dress code, I asked my sister if a wig is allowed, and that sounded totally bimbotic.

Cost of the tour: $80USD per head (about SDG$110) -->07:30 : Departure from Camp Kim USO -->09:00 : After an informative video at Camp Bonifas and a presentation by a member of the U.S. military 20 Minute Briefing at JSA Visitor Center and then tour to the JSA area (Freedom house, Conference room,Bridge of no return and point of Ax murder) -->11:20 : DMZ Theater, The Third infiltration Tunnel -->13:00 : Lunch at the Korean Restaurant during DMZ tour -->13:40 : Dora observatory and Dorasan Station -->14:00 : Departure to Camp Kim USO --> 15:30 : Arrive at Camp Kim USO

My view on the bus. It was snowing heavily. The snow was so huge that the Incheon Airport flights had to be cancelled, as the snow could not be clear away in time for the planes to land safely. It was about a 2 and half hours ride to Camp Bonifas. The military officer who briefed us on the bus is an American, from Texas. He was speaking so quickly, and with a strong accent, in fact he was not biting much into the words, we had some difficulty trying to figure out he was saying.  We were given instructions to only take pictures from certain direction, as it is an army base camp, some details are meant to be enclosed. There were also instructions for us to not smile, speak or respond to officers from the North.

The young officer briefing us about the history and functions of the places which we would be visiting later. He mentioned it's his second time "doing this thing", and it would be helpful if we turn off our flash while taking pictures as it would be distracting for him.

I pitied the officers, it was really cold. The first location to visit was the JSA Area (Joint Security Area). I had watched a few episodes of Lee Sueng Gi's drama "The King 2 Hearts", and I was impressed by the settings of the drama, it look just like the real thing.

We were standing in front of these blue houses, and listening to the officer. He was telling us what are these houses built for, and some jokes of the North and South Korean military, but I was too cold to catch what he was saying the whole time.

Spot the North Korean soldier which I circled out in orange. We wanted to take a closer shoot, but that's the max our camera took us. We also had our chance to take picture with one of the ROK (The Republic of Korea Armed Forces) soldiers in the conference room. Initially when I went in the house, I thought they were statues. They looked still and....hard. The next location would be "the Bridge of No Return". The name of the location sounds heavy to me. "The Bridge of No Return"  was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War in 1953. The name originates from the claim that many war prisoners captured by the United States did not wish to return home. The prisoners were brought to the bridge and given the choice to remain in the country of their captivity or cross over to the other country. However, if they chose to cross the bridge, they would never be allowed to return. (quoted from wikipedia)

We were not allowed to go near the bridge, so we could only take picture from afar, up in the hill. It was snowing vigorously.  The "Point of Ax murder" took place near the area too, but I wasn't too sure where was it.

This looks like a still cut from a military movie

We managed to capture this in the bus. This place looks chilly and sad. After these location, we bid farewell to the officer and made our way to the museum.

The truth was, we had little time to read into details. So we snapped down everything on the wall for reading after.

It's disappointing at the Dora Observatory. This observatory looks across the Demilitarized Zone. It is the part of South Korea closest to the North. We can catch a rare glimpse of the reclusive North Korean state through these binoculars. Sounds interesting. But the snow was too huge, so we could see nothing. Just snow. T.T

The 3rd tunnel is "a massive North Korean-dug tunnel which was planned as a pathway for invasion to the South if war had erupted and it had not been discovered." This tunnel is a very real thing that reminds us the tension between the North and the South Korea. Four tunnels had been found to be, and South Koreans believe there are about 20 more tunnels yet to be discovered.

The tour guide shared with us how South Korea discovered the tunnel by using the technology of water pressure, it's all very interesting, but it's a very real thing that the world is not at peace. I live in Singapore, a small robbery case is consider huge; most people in the world thinks we are "too safe", maybe so, but there's nothing wrong with it as well. I do not understand why would people want war and death. Well...I will stop here. The tour guide warned us of the tedious climb in the 3rd tunnel. We were also asked not to take pictures inside. Each of us was given a safety hat to wear, I thought it was cute. But when we entered the tunnel, I realized the safety hat is necessary, as the ceiling of the tunnel is quite low, most foreigners would need to bend down most of the time to walk, but I am short, so it's easier on me, but still my sisters and I knocked our heads a few times in the tunnel despite having this height "advantage". I survived the climb, it was manageable. My 2nd sister also died. But we survived. It was an experience. :)

We bought these at the gift shop to replenish our energy after the climb. The chocolate taste much better than we thought, we couldn't stop eating. Water is refreshing. Everything's good. ^^

We proceeded to the DMZ Theater, and learn more about the history of DMZ, and also the wildlife that had been found in DMZ borders over the years, I read one article and they called it "The accidental paradise of the DMZ". Indeed, the animals that were shown in the video were amazing. There is one face whom I had never seen in my life, it looks like some animals that will only appear in Harry Porter or Lord of the Rings, it looked magical. The picture of the boar on the right hand corner had been found with missing leg, which reminded us the threats of the mines in DMZ is also very real. Poor boar. :( Our tour group managed to spot some deers on our way to lunch. It's a pity we could not get a good shot of it. The deers were beautiful, and they looked different from the ones we had seen in zoo. Somehow they looked wiser and magical too. I hope they will be careful with the mines.

Animals...watch out for these. So it's lunch time. We did not order lunch from the restaurant here, as my sister researched that the food here taste quite bad, so we brought our own. But the way I looked, the food looks delicious, as compared to mine.><

Alright, they were delicious too. That's a chicken can in the picture, it's not tuna. I can never find chicken can in Singapore. I tried to google it, and the results will always be "cat's food", "dog's food" -_-

The last location that we visit before heading back is the Dorasan Station. This "is a railway station situated on the Gyeongui Line, which once connected North and South Korea." There were some sensitive issues, as per wikipedia freight trains began traveling north past Dorasan Station into North Korea, taking materials to the Kaesong Industrial Region, and returning with finished goods. It was scheduled to make one 16-kilometer (9.9 mi) trip every weekday. However, on December 1, 2008, the North Korean government closed the border crossing, after accusing South Korea of a confrontational policy."

The station is now completely shut down and now mostly used for tourist visits. The tour guide spoke of an accident that happened between a 16 year old North Korea army boy who shot a 52 South Korea lady dead as well, which I thought was link to the closure of the station. But, there was nothing mentioned anywhere, was I dreaming?

It was so empty, that it felt sad

It was very cold. Poor soldier. Fighting. :)

We got ourselves a train ticket, which cannot not be use.:) That is the end of the DMZ tour. As heavy as history takes me this story is still continuing today. It's a tour that I would recommend for those who love Korea, as you will see this country in a new light. On a side note, I really like the tour guide. She speaks her mind about her views on the South, and use big words like "Bast*rds", and "Son of a g*n*, I am not encouraging anything, I just felt it takes character to say things like that especially to foreigners. I wanted to take a picture with her, but I don't know what got into me, I was actually shy to ask her. The tour guide end the tour with this movie on the bus. :)

[jovialog-blog]

Directions to Legandary Shinhwa Kyochon Chicken

Shinhwa endorsed the fried chicken chain Kyochon a few years ago, and ended up opening a Kyochon chicken franchise restaurant in Rodeo Street in Apgujeong. I just re-watched their commercial for Kyochon Chicken, the one with all of them rubbing their bodies and looking kind of sexy version; Shinhwa is the best example for any idol groups out there that a man can be sexy, charming and crappy at the same time.

My favourite big boy in Shinhwa, Mr Kim Dong Wan. This chicken restaurant is not new to Shinhwa fans, but I am a new fan, and I was excited to go. Some said the restaurant is not own by Shinhwa, they were just advertising for it, it does make sense cause Shinhwa is now endorsing another chicken restaurant (Chicken Mania). Whatever it is, it's all still good with me, I am there for the handprints and pictures anyway. :) It was snowing quite a bit as we were walking to this restaurant, luckily the place was not hard to locate. The place is neat and nice, the best thing is; people cannot smoke inside. I remembered someone smoking in Chicken Mania when we were there, and it made my dinner less enjoyable. So no surprise that Shinhwa's posters and handprints are hanging on the walls. :)

Light reflection is annoying. Furthermore, I think my camera had been through too much in the morning at DMZ, the pictures that were taken in the noon were all blur.

It's very quiet. There were only 2 other tables besides us. One table was 2 female from Japan. They kept looking at us, or rather at me. Hey ladies, are you looking at my wig? If you are, it's not nice to keep staring. It's a REAL WIG alright? I do not fancy unnecessary attention, so I want to smile back at them when they look at me again. Miraculously after I had my eye contact and smile at them, they stopped looking altogether.

Time to order some chicken. Hey, the menu is in Korean. Luckily for us, there's a TV on the wall showing the menu with English wordings. We stared at the TV for a while, and got our order ready.

The chicken came at last. It was delicious, but my 2nd sister and I preferred Chicken Mania, my youngest sister like Kyochon better. This is the first time that we felt the portion is a bit too little in Seoul. Was it that our appetite got bigger?

There was not enough to eat. T.T

Hello Suju. :)

We could not touch the hand prints on the wall. So I could only go this far. >< Already, so much for my fan-girl-ing affair. *Shy* If you want to go to Kyochon, we thank God for the new Apgujeong Rodeo Subway, as the walking distance is lesser as compared to walking from the Apgujeong Station last time. :) Directions to Shinhwa Kyochon Chicken Restaurant Address: 서울 특별시 강남구 신사  동 640-5대 성빌덩1층1호, [phone]

1. Get out from Apgujeong Rodeo Subway Exit 6 and walk straight. You will see a while H&M building, cross over and walk straight 2. When you reach the U-Square shop, you will see a Paris Croissant on the other side of the road, cross over and walk straight 3. When you reach the Hana Bank, cross over to the side of the Hasung fnd, do not go straight, make a turn in and walk on the same side of the lane. 4. When you reach starbucks, you should see a watch shop infront, cross over and walk straight. Keep a lookout for Kyochon, as it's just a few shops away. 5. Arrive.

The snow was beautiful. It's snowing everyday. We would try to walk around and do some window shopping before we head down to Lee Minwoo's Gaepan. Pray that we won't get lost in such a weather.