Walking through A Creek Near Home

It's early in the morning when I decided to take a stroll along the creek just around the corner of where I live.  

A river runs through it...A creek runs through it. Equipped with a jogging track, this is a good way to spend some time enjoying the spare time. 

Apartments dotted either side of the creek which only emphasizes the urban-feel of the neighborhood. 

Had I walked pass this creek bank a week earlier, I would've enjoyed it even more since lots of flowers must've bloomed by then. 

A typical spectacle everywhere in Seoul. Even under a bridge like this, there are free-to-use sport equipment for everyone to make the best of their time. 

But, some flowers were still visible for me to explore. And those are right under the highway above. 

So, literally..I was walking along the path of the creek OR walking under the toll-road above. 

A serene and calm morning accompanying me for about 1-hour long walk...back home.  

These are the hallmarks or highlights of what I've been doing in the morning on my way back home after taking the kids to school.

#Aha Moment: Save this Precious Picture

A cloudy morning walking through campus on my way to class.

Got a glimpse of this too-good-to-ignore spectacle.

Spring comes and passes us by so quickly that we tend to take everything for granted. 

So, while it lasts..and while I could savor the colorful bless of the nature...

a quick snapshot of this section of park at my campus WON'T waste my time.

Instead, I will always be able to treasure this #Aha Moment for good.

Regional Election is Coming On ITS way...

The eye-blaring and eye-blasting banners hung everywhere we go in every nook and cranny of the city. Well, the election for regional representatives is coming its way in Korea. On May 30th to 31st..any eligible voter could just turn up at the ballot booth to cast their vote. So, here is a view I took right in front of campus...to show that even campus is fully loaded with banners of  wanna-be.

But, what I like the most about all of the democratic fiesta is how the discourses on politics are written or made in such a way to 'attract' the voters:

"여러분의 소중한 한 표 새정치의 중심이 됩니다"

(Your precious vote is the center of new politics) hmmm..

"우리의 소중한 한 표로"

'Through our precious vote...'

기권 NO, 투표 YES

Abstain NO, Vote YES.

Or..in Indonesian language...we're so accustomed to the phrases like:

GOLPUT NO, COBLOS YES

or..we could even see: some phrases using the latest trendy catchphrase of the famous Advertisement:

투표하는 당신! 잘 ~ 생겼다! 

"You who votes! Gooood Looking!"

etc.....Selamat berpesta demokrasi, ya, Korea!

#Aha moment: Yongmasan Waterfall

Just walking pass the area when we had 1-hour left before the Friday prayer started. I thought that this artificial waterfall would not operate until May.

But..boy..we're so lucky that it was operated for a trial that day. 

So...we were lucky to be there that day. 

#Aha Moment: Pacheon + Makkeoli

We just finished our conversation class....and to celebrate the last meeting, we ended up 'spending' time at a nearby pacheon restaurant that surely served makkeoli as well. 

#aha moment: 막걸리 + 파전!!!

#Aha Moment: What a Huge Poster It Was.

Was walking out of the cinema after the screening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier... 

and encountered this huge poster of 캡틴 아메리카 hung on the lift-hole of IFC Mall. 

Yes, Korea was one of the major markets outside US for wide release of Hollywood movies. I didn't know why..but I guess..it's simply because of the big market share that this country has for foreign movies, esp. those of Hollywood. 

#aha moment.

Jajan Teruuuusssss ^0^

Kalo nggak sama mamanya...ya sama papanya. jan...jan...kalo enggak es krim yo...lotteria..kalo enggak Baskin Robbins ya...pokoke men..es krim maning...es krim maning. ^^ 

Kakean jajan tenan cah loro iki. Lha piye coba....wis dipengeng ora kene. lha bapak karo embok-e juga seneng jajan kalo lagi jalan-jalan. ^^ 

Yo wis...asalkan kalian senang...dan sadar bahwa jajan itu nggak setiap hari. ^^.

boleh seminggu sekali..itu pun harus pake kartu diskon lho ya. lek ora ya jebol :)

Arirang Concert

Not many pictures that I took during the Concert last month, March 21 since it was prohibited to take any pictures during the show. It was during an intermission. 

Got some invitation for as many as 30 of my friends. We went to the National Gugak Center of Korea to watch the Arirang: The Soul of Korea Concert. 

Hosted by Senior Public Diplomacy Group, MOFA, this concert was to cater the need of Korean people and foreigners alike in embracing 'Arirang'.

Thanks to our friend, Nong, who were kind enough to share the pictures she took on the encore or the last performance. 

What I like most about the show...?  

how all of the artists mingled and took turns to either sing or play the instruments-which was quite impressive. They sure had some high-energy pumped up.

Aha Moment!

We're having a light lunch @ Lotteria when we encountered this sentence!

"Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds that true friend is his wife. 

Okay..that may be true. But, considering the fact that not all customers to Lotteria are married couples...ㅋㅋㅋ I wonder as to whether this sentence accommodates most people's happiness.

#just saying.

#aha moment.

Little B'Day Surprise for Eyra

Yesterday, she was making these two cupcakes out of play-doh which for me...was quite amazingly palatable and looks so edible.^^ 

She really has a knack for this kind of delicate-stuff making. A colorfully-designed cupcake. And..while she's busy making this... 

Freya, her sister, was asking me to take her to the store to buy some presents for her sister. She insisted on buying something for her sister..and even..she forced me to wrap the gifts on the spot...not to let her sister know what she'd bought. 

As Eyra was asleep, we decorated the sofa. 

and invite most of her plush-toy friends to the party. 

Happy Birthday, Eyra.

Lotte's Rooftop Garden & Little Zoo

There are so many ways that a department shop can do to entice customers to keep coming back to its store.

One of them is by building a free-entrance to the rooftop garden specially designed for its customers. 

On Sunday, April 13, 2014. We took the kids to a nearby mall..not to do shopping but to let them explore what it had to offer on its rooftop garden. 

Well...who would've thought that this rooftop ..perched on the 9th floor or 10th floor (since it's on the top of 9th floor) ...could make any child smile from ear to ear? 

They could feed ducks freely to their heart's content.:) literally. 

Or...running to dodge the sprinkles!!! 

or..again...feeding the ducks. 

or..again..feeding the ducks.:^0^ 

and this is what the roof-top garden looks like. Nothing much to see..but sure it accommodates people's need to change the life-pace in the crowded city like Seoul. 

#I let the kids sit on the rocking chair..while someone helped them out...swinging it.^^ THank you, Mr. 

A Short Visit to Cheongnyangi

We're passing through the thoroughfare in front of the Cheongnyangni Station which turned out to be full of alluring flowers. Spring time spirit apparently adorned the plaza. 

Just couldn't get enough of the flowers. 

I know they're designed that way but..who cares when all that it did for onlookers was beyond expectation? It soothed the sore-eyes:)

As for the kids, again and again..they always had time to play around with what they could come up with. 

The cheerfulness of the kids and the colorful display of flowers....seemed to compensate for the hazy smog and the not-that-bright-day that day! 

Open bazaar with not-that-cheap-stuffs at the station plaza ..characterized by mostly the cone-shaped white tents...became one of the blaring facades that day. 

#Airport limousine bus-stop @ Cheongnyangni that we used to take when we're going to the airport (...before we moved to our present address, of course)