Suray's World

VIVALDI PARK RESORT

2012-02-12T17:14:00.001+09:00

Vivaldi Park, the name itself seems to boast a wondrous world of musical journey whenever someone steps into it.

And it does.

I was there last week with my family for swimming and skiing.
Yes, despite the fact that this is a cold winter, the resort offers its guest endless arrays of entertainment and family recreation in one huge spot: Vivaldi Daemyung Resort.
Just 2 hour ride from Seoul, the vast and sophisticated resort indeed made our winter holiday a special one. We stayed in a family-size room where all of the amenities we can have are all prepared there.

Thanks to the Minister of Sports, Culture, and Tourism of Korea, we could enjoy the amenities on their complimentary.
It was marvelous.

the OCean World where my family took a dip in a warm swimming pool and indoor water park was....breathtakingly huge. The kids loved it soooo much.
As for me, I was glued in the memorable and hard-to-forget ski experience. Skiing for a tropical man like me is something that is wildly enchanting.
It was, indeed.
Seemed to be intriguingly challenged as to whether I would be able to nail it, but it turned out to be just fine. and hopla...I found it amusingly captivating and....better yet......intoxicating. I wanted to do some more.

Nami Island, Korea

2012-02-12T16:50:00.001+09:00

Finally, made it to Nami island that people have been talking about for years, especially for those who've come to visit Korea for their first time, and moreover for those who've succumbed themselves to once-a-popular Korean drama-Winter Sonata, back in the early years of the 2000s.

Amazing, right? But, things that struck me most were how the seemingly nothing-to-explore small island of Nami has changed drastically into a tourist spot that Korea needs to boast its image of tourism?

Well, one thing for sure, it is a well and worth-waiting and visiting island to begin with, especially for those who want to experience different kinds of weathers in Korea (famous for its 4 seasons' wonders).

Been in Korea for about almost 5 months seems to be a good reason for us to visit the island.
and hopla.....here we were.
we've made it.
the winter made it even more tastier and memorable for us to explore the island.
--

Welcome to Naminara Republic!!!
that was the first impressive statement or eye-opening slogan that caught my attention.
Even, the ticket booth was rendered to as.....immigration and visa office.^^
But...this is one of the best ways of promoting an island that's been exponentially visited by millions of tourists from other countries, especially from S.E. Asian countries (lately).

--Do I want to go there again? You Bet, I would....since it'll bring about different nuance in Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
Can't wait for this.^^

2012-01-19T16:17:00.001+09:00

Do you remember what happened on July 7th, 2011? Korea won a bid to host the Winter Olympic game in Pyeongchang. It was a huge triumph made of relentless challenge, support from whole nation and wish that moved IOC members.

<People excited about being selected as a host of Winter Olympic Game> (Source: Yonhapnews)

On Feb 9th, 2018, Pyeongchang will draw a lot of attention from globe. Koreans as well as foreigners will gather around the sites or in front of TV. Expecially for those who are on the sites will spend some extra time on looking around the area before opening the game. What are the attractions in Pyeongchang that we can introduce? Here they are.

Daegwanryeong Ranch

Daegwanryeong, the entrance of Taebaek mountains, is well known for sheep ranches, plantation over high mountains and ski resorts. Ranches are as much exotic as Swiss and Austria because it is not easy to see ranches over high mountains. Samyang and Yangtae ranches are the popular ones, however, they are slightly different.

Let’s go to Samyang ranch first. Take Yeongdong highway to Gangreung and exit at Heuinggye IC. Then, make a left turn, and pass a three-way intersection. Go straight and turn right at the next corner. Keep driving 8 more kilometers.

Samyang ranch is the largest one in Asia, located 1,140 meters high from sea level and 1,983 square meters in size. The ranch runs shuttle bus, which is nonstop to the peak. However when coming down, you can get off at either of four stops and take a walk. Shuttle bus doesn’t run in winter. Admission fee is 7,000 won for adult and 5,000 won for children. There are milk cow, sheep, Tajo, rabbit and goat in the ranch. Among them, the flock of milk cow and sheep are the ‘best’. The perfect season for visiting is spring and summer when they are all outside. If you visit in winter you’ll see them in their cages.

On the side way to the peak, there is a windmill electric generator complex. It looks simple but ‘literally’ generates 67% of whole electricity in Gangreung. There are TV drama sets and movie sets such as trees shown in the movie, Love Story. A fish called Hwangtae Deokjang is very well known. If you walk down from the top, you can’t miss anything special.

(Source: Korea Tourism Organization)

Next, let’s move on to Yangtae ranch. It is located 805 meters high and 200,000 square meters in size. Land size is just 1/100 of Samyang ranch but it is as famous as Samyang ranch. Although it is smaller than that, it is way more comfortable to take a walk the whole area, watching sheeps. It is also close from Samyang ranch, which is just 12 kilometers away, so you can stop by after another. The sheep goes back in their indoor cage at 4 so you’d better manage your time to see them.

You can feed any animal in Samyang ranch but in Yangtae ranch you can only feed sheep because as you can see from the word ‘Yangtae’, which means ‘the flock of sheep’, they have only sheep. Instead, there is no admission fee in Yangtae ranch. There is only feeding fee, 3,500 won for adult and 3,000 won for children.

<A child feeding sheep> (Source: Korea Tourism Organization)

Unlike Samyang ranch, there is no shuttle bus in Yangtae ranch. It is long enough to take a walk and look around. You will find a bigger hut at the top of the hill, which was on the movie, ‘A man who has gone to Mars’.

By the way, you don’t have to worry about getting bitten when feeding hay to milk cow and sheep. They don’t have upper teeth so feed them freely.

Past, Present and Future in First Road in Woljeong Temple

If you have some knowledge of Korean history, you might recognize the Octagonal nine-story pagoda in Woljeong Temple was built in the early years of Goryeo dynasty. It is regarded as one of the greatest heritage in Korean history and the one that made its temple known throughout Korea. As Woljeong temple is a temple of name established in Ohdae mountain by Buddist monk Jajangyulsa, a number of people have visited the temple. If you want to visit here, take a bus at East Seoul bus terminal to Jinbu suburban bus terminal. Then take a bus toward Woljeong temple. If you drive, get on the Central express highway, and move over to the Yeongdong express highway. After you come off the highway at Jinbu IC, you are almost there.

(Source: Korea Tourism Organization)

In addition, Fir tree road also attracts tourists. The road has become known after it appeared in a mobile phone ads. It has become a ‘must’ go place in Pyeongchang now. Just typing ‘firs’ on the internet search engine, you’ll find Ohdae mountain firs forest. You’ll be overwhelmed with the forest with a full of fir trees. Firs are vulnerable to pollution, so it’s not easy to see them in cities. That makes them truly valuable.

<Tree first or road first> (Source: Korea Tourism Organization)

To enter Firs road, you should get into Woljeong temple. With admission fee 3,000 won, you will find pavilions and octagonal nine story pagoda. Passing by pine trees at entrance gate of walk road, you will face firs road. Flowing stream will satisfy your all senses.

Fir trees grow by 40 meters high and 1.5 meters round. Firs here have grown to the highest. They don’t stretch out their branches very much so you can still find the pieces of sky and stream through them. Road is as straight forward as trees stand upright. You will feel more comfortable with them.

Sometimes, when you take a walk along the street with a deep thought, you might see a monk coming from the opposite side of you. Just greet him, slightly nodding your head with holding your hands together. It is a courtesy for you to greet first because you are visiting a temple.

Iljoomoon, which is a main gate of the temple, stands at the end of the fir tree road with a height of 800 meters. Mostly those who have no business here just go back the way they came. A writer inspired by the road said, “After walking a while, I got to Iljoomoon. I felt a present. As I turn back up the road, the road until just now was a past. I walk to the future from now.”

As the visitors have to walk on the same road when going back, so the expression! above sounds really fit.

The Home of Herb Scents, Herbnara

Everywhere in Pyeongchang is just nice for taking photos. One of the best photo zones is Herbnara. There are only herbs, not flower trees, however, it can be the most favorable photo zone.

For directions, after Myenon IC through Yeongdong express highway from Seoul, you’ll get to the area around Phynix park and Heungjeong valley. Well, from Gangreung, you should pass through Jangpyeong IC and get to Bongpyeong-myeon and Heungjeong valley. Admission fee is 7,000 won in summer and 5,000 won in winter. Infants with family are free of charge and a group of infants is 3,000 won regardless of the number of them. Herbnara opens at 9 and closes at 6. Latest entry is 4:30, so don’t be late!

When you pass by the ticket both after a bridge in valley, you will see welcoming signboard, written “Home of scents, Herbnara”. Amazed at hand paintings, you’ll enter the medieval age style of garden. The farm consists of eight themes. The first theme you will meet is a medieval garden. There are mini windmills, fountains and sculptures. They are very well harmonized with structures in the garden. You will definitely regret if you forget to bring either of digital camera or mobile phone camera.

<Fountain of Herbnara> (Source: Korea Tourism Organization)

After medieval garden, you’ll meet with Shakespeare garden following Cottage garden, Butterfly garden and Rock garden. If you move forward, you’ll get to a palette garden which is full of colorful flowers. If you turn back, you will see children’s garden. Suddenly you’ll feel the herbal scents while taking a look. Smell the herbal scents, they will refresh yourself.

<Signboard providing fun and knowledge> (Source: Korea Tourism Organization)

Well, do you want to taste the herb? A restaurant named Jajaknamujib add herb in every food. They serve herbal tea, which makes you feel purified as well. They also have herbal ice cream, herbal bread and herbal jam.

There are still many things to do. You can learn the use of herb and herbal products in herbal museum and herbal crafts room. In the hope of multiple culture center Pyeonggang garden runs Turkish museum which shows Turkish crafts. You can watch Korean old animation in animation forest of animation museum. Once in a while, if you are lucky enough, you will see some concerts held by Lee munsae, Noh yeongshim, and Lee ruma on starlight stage in an open-air theater. The music which covers the whole garden will touch your ears and refresh your mind.

Did you enjoy the attractions of Pyeongchang Olympic city so far? We hope that Pyeongchang could be remembered not only just an Olympic city but a city which is beautiful and entitled enough to host the Olympic game.

Global Technology and Korea for 2012 Gartner, known as an IT research and advisory firm, announces a notable ‘technology’ every year. It has introduced ten potential strategic technologies every October. The uprising technologies in 2012 were announced in Symposium/ IT Expo 2001, Orlando Florida. Gartner’s “Technologies for 2012 (Source: Yonhapnews) The top ten strategic technologies for 2012 include Media Tablets and Beyond, Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces, Contextual and Social User Experience, Internet of Things, App Stores and Marketplaces, Next-Generation Analytics, Big Data, In-Memory Computing, Extreme Low-Energy Servers, and Cloud Computing. There was a huge change in the list. The cloud computing which ranked first last year has dropped to 10th. Amid rising interests on developing effective energy-saving technologies, such as low energy servers, green IT and so on, Gartner expressed his interests in the effective use of energy. Let’s find out some of the technologies that drew his attention. Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces Over the last 20 years, the user interface (UI)has changed a lot. Since the development of media tablets, UI has adopted the ‘touch’ function from ‘click’ function. Gartner predicted that’mouse’ and ‘keyboard’ applications that needed ‘click’ will be changed into the ‘touch’ applications. He added that applications will become more and more mobile-friendly solutions. (Source: Yonhapnews) That means the applications will be simpler easier to use in mobile devices. In addition, Gartner analyzed that a variety of applications with voice and motion recognition function will be shown up soon. At this moment, many companies are developinging the applications for a variety of mobile gadgets and technologies fitting into the gadgets. Low-Energy Consuming Servers Efficient use of energy has always been an issue to all companies. Gartner has mentioned the importance of technologies related to ‘Green IT’ in ‘Strategic Technologies for 2010’. Once again, he mentioned energy efficiency in detail with Low-Energy Consuming servers for 2012. The more important the technology related to analysis becomes, the higher the frequency of using servers becomes. Fortunately, the technology that is not only low energy-consuming but also effective has emerged. Gartner said it is possible to do the 30 times or more processes. Moreover, the energy efficiency and speeding up the process is expected since the burden of the server would decrease as well. Gartner predicts low energy sever technology is likely to increase. Korea’s Technology in 2012 (Source: Yonhapnews) Well, then, how about the prospect of Korea’s technologies this year? Let’s take a look. Growing Interest in the Third Platform After the mainframe and client server era, a new platform, so-called ‘third platform’ is dominating IT field. New platform era based on development of mobile market, introduction to cloud service, SNS and big data technology, has begun, like a new platform era emerged on a 20 to 25 year cycle. The awareness on this matter will be expanded in 2012. Expand the Use of Multi-Client Devices Now, the era of multi-client devices has started. The supply of smartphone has already surpassed over desktop and laptop computer in terms of number. Multi-client environment is expected to be common as mobile devices in both shipments and expenditures would take over PC market in 2012. This change will prompt the change of application market including lead of control and OS through boosting private and cooperative market. It seems that mobile technology is the biggest issue nowadays. Maybe in near future, smartphones will replace PC. What kind of new technologies will emerge this year? It’s exciting.

2012-01-19T16:13:00.000+09:00

Gartner, known as an IT research and advisory firm, announces a notable ‘technology’ every year. It has introduced ten potential strategic technologies every October. The uprising technologies in 2012 were announced in Symposium/ IT Expo 2001, Orlando Florida.

Gartner’s “Technologies for 2012

<Tourists looking at mobile road app> (Source: Yonhapnews)

The top ten strategic technologies for 2012 include Media Tablets and Beyond, Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces, Contextual and Social User Experience, Internet of Things, App Stores and Marketplaces, Next-Generation Analytics, Big Data, In-Memory Computing, Extreme Low-Energy Servers, and Cloud Computing. There was a huge change in the list. The cloud computing which ranked first last year has dropped to 10th.
Amid rising interests on developing effective energy-saving technologies, such as low energy servers, green IT and so on, Gartner expressed his interests in the effective use of energy. Let’s find out some of the technologies that drew his attention.

Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces

Over the last 20 years, the user interface (UI)has changed a lot. Since the development of media tablets, UI has adopted the ‘touch’ function from ‘click’ function. Gartner predicted that’mouse’ and ‘keyboard’ applications that needed ‘click’ will be changed into the ‘touch’ applications. He added that applications will become more and more mobile-friendly solutions.

<Business meeting with tablets> (Source: Yonhapnews)

That means the applications will be simpler easier to use in mobile devices. In addition, Gartner analyzed that a variety of applications with voice and motion recognition function will be shown up soon. At this moment, many companies are developinging the applications for a variety of mobile gadgets and technologies fitting into the gadgets.

Low-Energy Consuming Servers

Efficient use of energy has always been an issue to all companies. Gartner has mentioned the importance of technologies related to ‘Green IT’ in ‘Strategic Technologies for 2010’. Once again, he mentioned energy efficiency in detail with Low-Energy Consuming servers for 2012.

The more important the technology related to analysis becomes, the higher the frequency of using servers becomes. Fortunately, the technology that is not only low energy-consuming but also effective has emerged. Gartner said it is possible to do the 30 times or more processes. Moreover, the energy efficiency and speeding up the process is expected since the burden of the server would decrease as well. Gartner predicts low energy sever technology is likely to increase.

Korea’s Technology in 2012

(Source: Yonhapnews)

Well, then, how about the prospect of Korea’s technologies this year? Let’s take a look.

Growing Interest in the Third Platform

After the mainframe and client server era, a new platform, so-called ‘third platform’ is dominating IT field. New platform era based on development of mobile market, introduction to cloud service, SNS and big data technology, has begun, like a new platform era emerged on a 20 to 25 year cycle. The awareness on this matter will be expanded in 2012.

Expand the Use of Multi-Client Devices

Now, the era of multi-client devices has started. The supply of smartphone has already surpassed over desktop and laptop computer in terms of number. Multi-client environment is expected to be common as mobile devices in both shipments and expenditures would take over PC market in 2012. This change will prompt the change of application market including lead of control and OS through boosting private and cooperative market.

It seems that mobile technology is the biggest issue nowadays. Maybe in near future, smartphones will replace PC. What kind of new technologies will emerge this year? It’s exciting.

A Dinner with Ilya's Parents

2012-01-16T06:56:00.000+09:00

I've been wanting to post this entry for quite some time since I did enjoy the time when the parents of my pal right here in Korea invited me to have dinner with them. So, it was Ilya's parents' special visit to Korea that made it even more meaningful. Ilya--my friend and kind-of-my-younger-brother from Kazakhstan --had been so busy the week his parents visited him in Korea last December (2011).

We had this special dinner at a Chinese restaurant just around the block near our campus.
I remembered vividly that it was a chilly and windy night of December. But, the warmth of the dinner and especially Ilya's parents and auntie made it worthwhile for me to remember the occasion.
One thing I treasured: they even ordered just a special food for me since they'd known (thanks to Ilya) that I happened to be a vegetarian.
.....
Some of our friends were also invited in the dinner: Aigerim, Yelena, Aizhan (three of them from Kazakhstan), and Taekcho (from China).
The best part: it was such a wonderful occasion since it was (surprise...surprise) a customary (is it?) in Kazakhstan to bring along some present to their guests. Wow what a treat.

I mean...I got this whole bunch of candies and fruits from Kazakhstan...that I would not have tasted, had I not known these friends of mine. Amazing, right?
(more pictures and stories of these colorful candies later on^^ my other entry).

Another thing that I want to keep in mind was the fact that both of Ilya's parents did invite us to their homeland should we have a chance of going there. Why not. It would be such a great trip should I be able to realize this dream of going to Ilya's country--someday. Fingers crossed? ^^. Some say dreams do come true, right?

some of the unthinkable pictures on candies

2012-01-16T06:51:00.000+09:00

well, for me, to be frank.....
opening up a box of candies or chocolates that surely come from other countries indeed gave me a jittery of excitement of what it has to offer or what it stores inside the box.

like what happened this time.
these candies and chocolates were freshly plucked out of the presents that Ilya's parents gave me.
Wow....could never believe it myself.
I mean...just look at the pairing wrappings that surely made to outlandish the sheer difference of excitement of just biting these simple looking chocolate-wrapped wafers. Yes, mostly they were wafers but--with the slight twitch of chocolate as the condiments.....
....the wafers turned to be one of the yummiest candies I've ever tasted.

They look so cool or too nice to open up and eat^^

Dinner @ Korean Restaurant

2012-01-05T22:44:00.000+09:00

A sumtuous meal was deliberatelylaid out before our eyes. Well, for my wife and kids who are yet nottoo-well-accustomed to eating the whole package of Korean food, the experiencewas somewhat a great deal...too good to resist. We went into this 하늘과 바다 (haneulgwa bada) ‘sky and beach’ restaurant. Well, I did not know exactly as to why itwas named this way.

The pointwas...the food was delicious. We ordered 양념 돌솥비빔밥 yangnyeom dolseotbibimbap with the whole set of side dishes. Since it is called yangnyeom ‘nutritions’the food is surely full of nutritious ingredients. And it was. Even the sidedishes were a vast arrays of any imaginable feast we could get right here. Ofcourse, kimchi was included.

The bestpart of having a meal in any Koreanrestaurant is its free service of any additional side dishes that we eat. Wewon’t be charged of any side dishes that we eat no matter how much or how manytimes we ask the owner to keep refilling them. Great!

Since Ilove the sesame oil fried sprouts, kimchi, and tofu, I kept asking the ajumma or the eonnie or any restaurant owner to keep them refilled.^^

Namdaemun and Namsan Tower

2012-01-05T22:38:00.002+09:00

Although the title of this entryis Namdaemun and Namsan Tower, I just want to jot down about the time when wewere in the surrounding areas where Namdaemun and Namsan Tower were.

We were actually near Namdaemunand near Namsan Tower (a bit far actually, but it was visible). From Shinsagae Department Store—a place wherewe were heading—we got out of the building and the whole Namdaemun vicinitiesand its Seoul Tower were visible.

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TheNamsan Tower was actually a bit far off from the area, but for those who justwant to chip into the area, they could just take off at Namdaemun station(Hoeyon station) and take the Tower as their background in taking pictures—justlike what we did there. By doing so, the whole areas were visible.

The busystreets near Namdaemun and its vicinities were part of the whole things toenjoy. But, since it was Winter, for tropical people like us.....the wind couldbe a downside since we just wanted to be in a hurry so as to skip being frozenand went straight shopping in the market....instead of enjoying the surroundingareas adjacent to Namdaemun Market.

Taking the family out in Winter

2012-01-05T22:37:00.000+09:00

Actually, I should have put thisentry earlier but since I did not write anything about it yet, I might as well put it now. So, the picturestell about the time when were taking a stroll along the university in oneWinter morning.

I guess it was Saturday. All of us were dressed up or wrapped up(?) in Winter clothes that wecould think of so as we did not feel the shivering cold weather. Luckily, it was a bright sunny Saturday morning.

To capture the moment before goingstraight into the subway, we were passing by the main building of our campus.Oh....we live in a house right behind the campus so every time we go outsomewhere, we have no other choices but to pass the whole campus right into itsentrance before heading towards the Metro station.

My kidsbecome so accustomed to playing and passing by the campus yard be it in a broaddaylight or night.

Korean gwaja or snacks

2012-01-05T22:29:00.000+09:00

We bought some of these Koreansnacks that we did not know before.Ghana coco pie, corn chips, butter coconutchips, PEPERO J,cereal, strawberry cereal chips, and many others not visible there.

We caneat most of them. Most of them? Yes....because the particular coco pie was notsomething that we can eat since it contains gelatin from pig. So, it was a goodthing that we knew it now. Some of our friends did not know it before so beforeconsuming any gwaja, we should check the ingridients contained in the product.I was lucky to be able to read Hangeul otherwise it would hard to imagine whatto eat here. The good thing about most gwaja in Korea was that(although...sadly speaking—they are mostly written in Korean alphabet ‘hangeul’)theyprovide ample information of what the ingredients were. In fact, most of themeven show where they come from. Nice, right? So, the next time we buy something(any food) we’d always make sure that no pig or pork or any gelatin-likeingredients were inside or contained in them. I do hope that this informationwould be of help for others, too. Especially for any Muslims who concern aboutthe halal labeling of the food—which is a rare case, yet.

A reflection of serenity in one early Winter afternoon (at my HUFS)

2012-01-05T22:26:00.000+09:00

I think it was the first week ofWinter. I remembered the temperature was about 7 Celcius or so. The wind wasblowing a bit hard. The barren trees were as if left stranded without any warmembrace from the leaves that left them staggering in the chilly day of oneWinter afternoon.

I was passing by the main buildingwhen I saw no one was around. Oh, yes....it was Sunday. No one was seeneverywhere...I bet it was sooo chilly for some.

I kinda liked it since it did givea postcard-like image of the university main building. The sky was bright bluewith no traces of any single cloud visible. It was --- I think--- breathtakingly stunning.

I am gladthat I did take the snap of the moment to capture it into my memory so as Iwill alwasy remember and be able to share it with others how beautiful a singleday could be when we just stand and sit and calm ourselves down to contemplatethe beauty. In this case, the black-looking barren tree in the picture tells itall. It was as if it was ready to welcome the bright Winter it has been waitingfor....

House warming or jibteri

2012-01-05T22:22:00.000+09:00

It is a Korean culture to invitefriends and relatives to one’s newly built or rented house or homeJSo, we did, too.

We invited some friends to comeover and have the food that we prepared and see where we live. Most of themwere my friends from other countries who happened to be studying in Korea. As the pictures show, our friends Laos(Changmi), Ghana (Felix), Uzbekistan (Jobirson), Japan (Chika & Akane),Kazakhtan (Ilya), Cambodia (Borey), China ( Arin & Iwol), Algeria (Maya),Indonesia (Wawan), and our family. Others were also coming afterwards to havedinner with us.

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The housedid become warm since lots of us came and sat together in one place. I thoughtthat the house was big enough to hold all of our friends...but....then....itfelt like so small...but that was the whole point. Being one in a two-roomhouse would make the house warm.

La Fonte Spaghetti

2012-01-05T22:18:00.000+09:00

What is a house warming partywithout food? To tease and to sum up the culmination of what we were strivingfor....we prepared spaghetti for our friends. It is not that spaghetti is ourdaily staple or anything, it was just that one of my wife’s signature disheswas spaghetti. So, spaghetti it was.

The fact that making spaghetti hasbeen in her niche, it was not a difficult task to prepare to cook somespaghetti for as many as 20 people. Orwas it?

I was or we were so oblivious ofthe fact that during winter time......the price of tomatoes in Korea wassky-rocketting. Not many people eat tomatoes since these fruits(?) wereexpensive. I was oblivious that they were....so...despite the fact thattomatoes were soooooooooooo expensive, we did not know or best to say----wewere unaware of it.

We bought as many as 7 kiloes oftomatoes or so. ^^. To make it worse, we did not just buy them in one place, soI had to go back and forth from E-Mart, Jinro Mart, a store near our house, andanother store and another store just to find some tomatoes. No wonder that somepeople were staring at me when I was ‘ransacking’ some kilos of tomatoes intothe shopping bag. They must’ve thought that I might be crazy to buy lots oftomatoes.

One ajeossi in one store even asked me as to why I needed some tomatoesin this chilling winter....^^

Ok, another thing that I wanted tojot down here was the simplest fact that the La Fonte spaghetti that we boughtturned out to be our beloved spaghetti from Indonesia. Oh, it was imported intoKorean market for foreigners right here. Wow...that was amazing.

In front of the house

2011-12-30T20:23:00.000+09:00

On our way out from the frontyard of our home sweet home in Imundong, Korea. The 30-minute preparation every time we go out is hinted on the thick jackets with its pheriperal outfits that go along with them. It is Winter: the simplest reason as to why we dress up like this.

The house visage does indicate one of the major characteristics of Korean houses; especially the one for rents. The red bricks dotted the houses’ visage. We love the house since it has a relatively wide open frontyard where our daughters can play or ride on their bikes in Summer ( a long time to wait, eh).

Blocks from Toys R Us

2011-12-30T20:21:00.000+09:00

One of the presents that our daughters had in Korea. The Blocks.

The party for the girls was not over yet. They were so excited of having been able to play the stacks and builds.

Look at their faces when they opened up the boxes of treasures.

It was actually almost midnight, but the excitement that they had really overpowered their tiredness(?). All of kinds of imaginable shapes and things they could build were already in their minds.

At times they seem to have no feeling of being tired or bored of trying to build up new things. Good exercise, I guess.

Cheongnyangni at Night

2011-12-30T20:11:00.002+09:00

We did not know that we spent almost half a day there. No, I mean...a few hours from late in the afternoon until early in the evening. That was the reason as to why we could see how Cheongnyangni looked like at night.

As for the other occassion whenever we go out, we also took the time to capture the moment. This time, Wawan—our friend—managed to be inside our picture .

The lighted xmas tree did shine up daringly in the midst of the crowd. Even some LED lights displays on the high wall of the store added up the Winter season’s atmosphere in the vicinity. The wind was blowing hard that time, the freezing temperature was also meagerly zipping through the loops in our not-that-thick jackets...^^

Been fun being there, though.

So Tired of Shopping

2011-12-30T20:10:00.001+09:00

In a good sense. Freya and Eyra had to undergo such a tremendous ‘ordeal’ of having to be with their parents who were busy taking their time off to shop. I know that it must be so tiresome and boring for them to be inside the mall without having nothing to do...but just tagging along their parents. (Of course, there were times when they were soooo excited of finding a new playground where they could spend some time there in da midst of our shopping spree).

But, the feeling of being here in the first days and having to do some out-shopping must have been so exhausting for them. Wefelt sorry for them, for sure, but they had to be with us.
So sleepy were they....that they just fell asleep inside the cart, especially Eyra. As for Freya, she just fell asleep so soundly on the bench while we were waiting for the line at the cashier.
I think this Dept. Store is the easiest to get with and the nearest to our home.

Cheongnyangni at Daylight

2011-12-30T20:08:00.000+09:00

It was the maiden trip to Lotte Mart and Lotte Dept. Store and its Toys R Us Store at Cheongnyangni station—which was just about 15 minute ride by Metro from our home. The first day out for the family afterwards was.....taking them to the nearest Mall—apart from sightseeing, it was also meant to do shopping on the house utensils: especially those we need to fill up the house...^^. We did buy some stuffs there. It was good that we found what we needed there.

The kids loved the first trip in Seoul despite the fact that it was freezingly cold for tropical people like us. ^^. But hey...it was fun to have this one Day out. The big Pine xmas tree stood up right in front of the dept. store highlighted the spirit of being there. Well, the nuance itself was enough to make us feel that Winter season did set in in the neighborhood. With the bright yellow and orange winter jackets that our daughters were wearing, we were like smoothering the spots on the vast lane of the yard where the tree stood. The huge black hole or ( I’m sure what that was) whatever-it-might-be was another center point that attracted our attention. Till now..I do not know what that was.
Lots of pics were taken. Most ( all ) of them were taken by our dearest friend, Wawan who accompanied us along the way.

The First Korean Food: Deolseot Bipimbab

2011-12-30T20:05:00.000+09:00

Since we had yet any tools to cook, we got no choice but to go outside and had something for dinner. The only thing that came to my mind was deolseot bipimbab –my favorite food. It was a good thing that I have a regular place to go whenever I want to have this specialties.

The ajumma at this siktang has been sooo nice and generous to me that I never skip any deolseot bipimbab at her place whenever I have this appetite for this one. This is something that I treasure most.
So, I took my family, along with Seonhee and Wawan to have late-lunch together. The kids loved it soo much. It was a good choice since the veggies were a lot and the banchan or side dishes were also thoroughly good.
Eyra and Freya did love it. It was good to know that they could enjoy their first Korean

Being home for the first time...: house warming

2011-12-30T20:03:00.000+09:00

Our family was greet by our friends who have been so helpful and dear to us. Wawan, Min Seonhee, and Cha Heeran or our Yuliana sonsaengnim were the first friends to greeted us at home.

It was a relived feeling to have such lovely friends like them. Wawan helped us by managing the first dinner for us.

Once again...we did not have time or better yet...we had not dared ourselves to try any Korean food since it was our first time (at least to my wife and the kids).

So, Wawan ordered Seoul Cheeze Pizza..^^ (another Koreanized western food). It is the pizza near our campus . We eat a lot—to be truthful. ^^. It is relatively inexpensive and delicious. ^^. And...they have veggie pizza and cheeze pizza and potato pizza that we love.

Anyway...the first house-warming was held on Dec. 10, 2011...simply because our friends were ready to help us there. Good, eh?
Then, after our friends bid goodbyes for our first night in Seoul.....my kids continued their night-time snacking before going to bedJ ^^...well, another left-over pizza, then......

I still vividly remembered the first time they enjoyed their time with their Daddy in Korea....^^.
And what’s more: Eyra just loved meeting with her new friends.....lots of dolls that I had prepared for them. She just loves them.

Lotteria for Lunch

2011-12-30T19:59:00.000+09:00

It was actually lunch time and yet we had not had anything to eat...
So, the only thing that I had come to get familiarized myself with is....Lotteria. Since we were still at Seoul Station, the best thing to do was getting into Lotteria ...which turned out to be so crowded during lunch hour. Then, I noticed that Lotteria offered a special discounted price for lunch menu. Oh...I see.

That’s why lots of people were jammed sitting on almost all seats available and visible there. The only way to get any seat was just patiently waiting for any customers who’d finished their lunch. It paid off...after 10 minutes or so we managed to secure seats for us to enjoy our Shrimph burgers. The kids loved the french fries.
I know...I know...it was the first day in Kore

a...and yet...we had not Korean traditional menus for the family...instead it was Korean-style westernized burger^^....well..at least it was Korean brand^^.

Or .....that was not the exact reason as to why we ate there.....first, I came there often. Second, it was fast (fast foodJ), third: we needed to skip time...and fourth....hey....it turned out to be a good dealJ ^^.

The first train (a.k.a. AREX & Metro) ride in Seoul

2011-12-30T19:56:00.002+09:00

I planned to pick up my family via AREX since it was cheaper than that of taking the Limousine Bus. Apart fromt that, I also wanted to make sure that my family could enjoy the best of their time even from their first day of arrival in Korea....i.e. by taking the train back to Seoul.

Eyra and Freya were so excited as they could see the first glimpse of what Korea was like through the windows of the AREX ...of course ...before the train subduing itself into the underground tunnel that would make it categorized into Metro or subway(back then).

Anyway...the trip to Seoul by AREX and Metro turned out to be just fine...^^
After getting off at the Seoul Station where we had to transfer to Imundong where we live, a diorama of a city with its trains operated by KORAIL caught the attention of my kids.

So, we stopped there and let them enjoy their first enthusiasm of being in Seoul....despite the freezing winter breeze. They liked it, though.

Family Reunion in Korea

2011-12-30T19:52:00.000+09:00

The topic of today is the arrival of my family that I had been waiting for. Finally, it was December 10, 2011: the day when my family came to Korea.

I just could not wait to meet the angels: Eyra and Freya: my daughters who (I’m sure) missed me as well.

I prepared for the day with lots of preparations. One thing for sure: the two-room house that we rent was ready right before they came. In fact, I moved into the new home the night before they came to Korea.

OK...shortly speaking: I woke up early to go to Incheon International Airport (IAA) by AREX (Airport Express) from Seoul Station. I thought it was one of the best highlights that Seoul has to offer for all of the world travellers.

From Seoul station, it took only 50 minutes or so to the IAA. In the wee early hour, I managed to arrive at the airport just in time to meet my family. I was happy as well as nervous for having to wait for their arrival. It was like a feeling of having to meet them for the first time.
Anyhow...the information board at the arrival hall finally showed that the Garuda Flight from Jakarta had just landed safely. I was ecstatic. Could not wait to meet my family. After for about 45 minutes of waiting.....after their landing....I finally managed to see and meet them again after 3 months. ^^

I could see the surprised and can-not-believe look on my daughters’ faces as they were running towards me. Their expressions were like....”So, it IS true that Daddy is IN Korea just like Mommy told us.” Funny, eh? Well, I mean...for the past three months...the only way we connected to each other was through phone, internet, or Skype-ing.

So, it was like too-good-to-be-true kind of feeling.
Being united again....was so deliberately .....freshly ....indescribably....soothing.
Ok...then..came the hugging and kisses moment.....ignoring the fact that we were in the midst of others. But.....it was unplanned for.
Then...came the time when we had to keep up with one another. My angels never let their hands off me as soon as we met...right until we got ourselves to Seoul by AREX again.

In between, we managed to take some pictures as tokens of memories of their arrival to Korea. At that time, IAA was already decked with the Season’s best greetings and nuance and atmosphere. X-mas was everywhere...or should I say... the Winter festivities were alreay there as if to meet and greet all of the travellers who came to Korea during this Winter.
All in all...it was such a great day....one thing for sure..because I met my family again....^^

Edible Snowman and Sock

2011-12-20T20:04:00.000+09:00

Since I got to make sure that the kids love their time to the best of their heart's content...
I got to think of any ways of anything that would go with this.
So, the other night...we had a chance to have dinner with one of the professors from HUFS.

Afterwards, the kids got another present from the professor, i.e. Donuts.

Well, since it was Christmas time...(well...approaching)...the only thing that surely captured the atmosphere is Xmas...and I never thought that the business really is...into this season's.

Even the Donuts' shapes.

So, edible donut in the imaginable shapes of snowman, socks, pine trees were all that matters.

They looked too good to eat...but we did eat them eventually.

My daughters loved it soo much. At least..that was their dinner.

the warm and cozy room of our two-room home sweet home added the warmth in the midst of Winter in Korea....with some pieces of donuts on hands...ready to be rolled up into the mouth....^^

Two Families on the Go

2011-12-20T19:58:00.000+09:00

We were taking the Metro from Namdaemun on our way back home to Imundong when we bumped into a family of six from Malaysia who turned out to be having their Winter vacation in Korea. Wow what a coincidence. We felt like brothers already since we came from Southeast Asia. What struck me most when we met them was the fact that the family of six came to Korea for their Winter vacation to see the snow...but unfortunately..they did not see any, yet.

We chatted along the way on the Seoul Metro and got a chance to exchange address and promised to keep in touch.

I was touched by the fact that they did enjoy having their one-week trip in Korea.

and...what's more interesting than that....was the fact that they brought up 70% of the family members. (I mean: two stayed home due to their jobs back home). But.....the idea of having a trip for the whole family to Korea was more than intriguing for me.

Before saying goodbye..we managed to take a picture as a token of memory at the Dongdaemun Station.

It's been a while since I last blogged it out

2011-12-20T19:41:00.001+09:00

I think it's been two-week off season for me:) I mean..I've been so busy preparing for the last term's exam on Korean languaage as well as my preparation to welcome my family to live in Korea during my 4-year study here. What a hectic (but hey..it's a wonderful one) life here.
I have been busy moving out from the dorm to our two-room house near campus.
I was lucky to have such friendly friends who helped me out when I got to move into the new house.
The thing is....
there have been so many things going around me in my campus that I got to make sure I can keep up with them.
I got sooooo many stuffs to tell on the blog but yet...to do so.
so....guess I'd better wait till I got some time off...afterall...I just started my 5 level term in Korean language. I mean....I can't believe it myself that now I AM having my 5 level of Korean class. Really?
I'd better check and re-check as to whether I AM capable of being at this level.
So...the only way to find it out is by taking a TOPIK test next year on January 29.
Already registered myself.
Got to prepare for it.
And...Hope for the best.
Ok...my friends and fellows out there...pls. wait for more blogs and entries on my site.
I am sorry for not checking this out often lately.
But I do promise to keep posting more stories on Korea and my life around it.....sooooooon.
till then..enjoy reading my previous blogs.
It's been like minus 10 degrees lately in Seoul (especially)...and I love it....^^ (really?) brrrrrrrrrr

Night Shopping

2011-12-06T23:50:00.001+09:00

It was meant to be a usual night-out for dinner--nothing else.
What was supposed to be a dinner-then-go-straight-home occasion turned into a prolonged night of shopping. Not to our nearby E-Mart--where we mostly go.....BUT to a 20-minute-ride-by-metro shopping center called HOME PLUS at Yongdo station.

On the way back home...

It was supposed to be me and Wawan having dinner.
Then....Ilya, my friend from Kazakhstan, reminded me as to whether I wanted to go to E-mart for daily shopping.
As I had also a plan of going out for buying some stuffs, I asked him out to go to Homeplus, instead. Afterall, I've been meaning to ask Wawan to go there as I had promised him some weeks ago. ^^
So, here we were.
Three of us were walking down to the Metro station when someone we knew showed up walking towards us. It was Elmira.

Since she was actually not in the mood of going back to the dorm--well, she kinda like to stay out for some more shopping....as I learned, so...she decided to join us.
---off we went to Home Plus....thinking that it was like weekend. Well, in fact...we ARE in the midst of holiday.

After 20 minute ride from our campus, we got there at about 8 pm. Since the store opens 24 hours, it did not matter what time we got there as it'd be open as usual.
We started our shopping journey from the food and fresh market section where we encountered lots of discounted foodstuffs. We bought some potato crisps and other stuffs.
Then..we went to fashion and toys section where we spent most of our time. We were like zoomed into the labyrinth of endless temptations since Winter fashion was on sale. Wawan, Ilya, and Elmira were undoubtedly tempted to buy some for themselves. As for me, I bought some gloves for my daughters.
let's highlight what we bought: Emmi could not decide which one to choose to buy, as to whether the red sweater or the blue one. She ended up buying BOTH:) *chuckles*

on our way back home. hwajangsil? ^^ (it's a toilet)

Ilya bought this dog-shaped pencil-case where he put his three little mice that he bought into it. So, instead of mice eating cat, he made a funny rendition of mice eating dog:)
As for Wawan, he could not decide as to what kind of sweater to buy--just like what Emmi was experiencing. But, he bought one in the end-the better one.

Then....we went to the 2nd floor where electronic section was. We checked out the prices of rice cooker, camera, television set, toaster, mixer, and others that we might need to buy later on.
The time flew so fast that we had to rush home since it was already 11 pm.
As a token of our memories of doing some midnight shopping, we took some pictures as posted on this entry.

Jobir's Birthday

2011-12-03T11:34:00.001+09:00

I was walking down the backyard of the main building at HUFS when I spotted a familiar figure hurrying up towards the building. It was Jobir--my friend. He was unusually cloaked in a suit like he was going to have some job interview.

(note: the picture does not correspond to the story cos it was taken right after the birthday bash, actually)

Indeed, he DID have an interview for the final exam. But, it turned out that that was not the reason as to why he was wearing a formal attire. It was his birthday. :)

Wow..that was nicely cool.
So, I got his invitation to come over for his birthday bash.
---

The class (I mean...the exam's over)...and I got back to my room only to find another message reminding me of Jobir's birthday. We were going to Mr. Pizza.

--Jobir, Maya, Felix, Wawan, Polina, and some
other friends were ready to have the party. Since it was colder than the day before, we dressed up in winter jacket....only to find that the birthday boy stood up distinctively wearing his suit.

I think that was a good decision of him to wear one since he looks cool in it. It compliments him.

So, we're having this good pizza.: a large cheese pizza and a potato sweet pizza.
In short, after a quick break .....

and off...we started the party by digging into the delicious pizza.

So, Jobir...Happy Birtday.
May All of the wishes come true.
Amiiin.

Gyeongbokgung with a twist

2011-12-01T22:41:00.001+09:00

With a twist?
Yes, it's the second time* ever that I deliberately went to a museum in Korea within 3 months since my arrival here. I used to love going to museums...but lately I do not have time.
So, today I DID go to a museum on my own will.
The simplest reason was not that I wanted to go there in the first place....but simply because it was so cold outside. ^^
But...hey...it turned out that....the chilling weather outside had done something good to me.
The situation had somewhat played a major part in intriguing me or in luring me into going inside the museum.

...what museum was it?

It was The National Palace Museum of Korea which is located just at the left side of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Or, if we arrive from exit number 5 from the subway station, the museum is the first building that would greet us.
So, what was so interesting about this museum? A LOT!
I think a lot is a relative term, but I meant it. I did not expect to see such a rare collection of Joseon Dynasty in one place like this one. And what's more: It's all FREE. Yes, It is so unbelievable. How could such a majestic museum provides free admission to all visitors. Well, I bet it has quite a lot of support from the government, I suppose.
OK, enough said.
Back to the museum...
The first thing that caught my attention was the huuuge painting of the whole area of the former Gyeongbokgung in its glory days. It was absolutely huge.
Then...as I was walking on the first floor...something on the underground floor captured my attention. It was two classic cars being displayed...I loved them.

I like its rear-end:)

I think I like its silvery red-brick color.

I like its horn and its protruding headlights.

I felt like watching the car on TITANIC where Rose and ......(see the point? I should've learned about the history but then...some MOVIE came to my mind:) oh, swell..

But...hey..that did not stop me from learning what kind of cars being displayed there...
I learned that they were the vehicles used by the Empress Sunjeong. They were called limousine back then. Made by UK's Daimler in 1914 (?). 7 seats, 4 cylinders, 20 horsepower engine, lacquered wood for its body; considered to be oldest surviving car in Korea.This car is also useful for the study of Korean automobile under the Japanese imperialism. In fact, it is also considered to be one of the three remaining models in the world. Beat that!
* the first time was when I visited the National Museum of Science in Daejeon.

A Nightmarish Final Exam = Gyeongbokgung? What?

2011-12-01T22:15:00.001+09:00

I was petrified by the reflection of today's examination paper that I had to face. I did not like it:) Well, it was so difficult that I could not even remember what the questions were. AHA. It never occurred to me that I found it a bit hard. Well, I tried very hard to churn into what the questions were all about...but...they seemed to be so vaguely obscure in my mind.
The Listening test.......gosh........
The grammar test.........OMG ........
The reading test.........oh, swell........
Despite the fact that I felt a bit distressed out of it....I had this little weeny confidence that I might...(once again...MIGHT...) get about 80% correct.
What?
how come that...I felt this miserable when at the same time I was kinda confident enough to have answered 80% of the questions correctly.
It means..simply...that I was not sure as to what I had to say about the exam...^^ I just crossed my fingers that I got them correct. I did MY BEST.
....................
I was so stressed out that I was going out to Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul to soothe myself down....^^

Look at this dishelved namja stranded in the midst of Joseon Dinasty Palace in Seoul. Irrespective of the fact that he was somewhat dishelved...he still managed to pose for a picture. AHA.

AHA.......again.
This is the picturesque Gyeonghoeru Pavilion or the Royal Banquet Hall with the lotus pond surrounding it. It was so serene this afternoon that I felt like I forgot what I had just been through today.

AHA.
It was a good thing that I decided to go here.

Tom Sawyer on today's Google Doodle

2011-11-30T23:41:00.001+09:00

Oh...today is Mark Twain's birthday? Mark Twain or least known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens....(never heard of it, I bet)....

is that the reason Google posted the portrayal of Tom Sawyer's being grounded or punished by painting Aunt Polly's fence. If I am not mistaken, he was punished because he had a fight with a boy from St. Louis (?). In the picture, Tom got some help from his fellow friend, Ben.

Anyway..it is worth-saving so I want to write something about it on my blog.....lest..the picture's gone....soon by tomorrow with different doodle's theme.
This picture reminds me of the time when I got to read Mark Twain's book at my college. ^^

기말 시험......드디오....

2011-11-30T15:08:00.001+09:00

기말 시험이 오고 있다. 4급 공부가 시작하던 때가 엊그제 같은데 시험 날이 벌써 코앞에 있다. 속상한 느낌이 있는데 열심히 복습해야 하지 뭐. 이렇게 준비를 해야 할 학생들이 너나할 것 없이 1급부터 6급 학생이라면 어쩔 수 없이 시험을 봐야 하겠다.

Spending A Day in Petite France, Korea

2011-11-29T23:25:00.001+09:00

One of the highlights that one should not miss when visiting the La Petite France (or 쁘띠 프랑스 in Korean) is the Marionette show. I think this is a daily show for any travelers or visitors to this place. I did not expect to see this kind of show right here, so when I found out about it, I was like...wow...cool....! It drew lots of people since it is simply interesting to watch. It was a good decision of me to start filming the marionette being moved about and moved around corresponding to the music.

It was good thing to know that the men behind or above (?) the marionette are professional in their careers. I could judge from the way they handled the movements of the marionette. Irresistibly stunning.

If asked as to whether I would want to go there again and check out what the place had in store.....I would say...Why Not.
Bring it On!

I guess...coming back again there in Spring time would also be a nice plan.

Exploring & Traveling with friends

2011-11-29T23:04:00.001+09:00

Traveling in Korea by car with friends. What better way to explore the wonder of this natural beauty but by car. Of course, traveling with train with all of its advantages would give different taste of experiences. But, traveling by car would give more advantages like....stopping over some place nice....stopping over again...to take pictures....stopping over again in some place we think nice to take a rest...stopping over again to have some snacks.....etc etc.
So, I am blessed to have Korean friends who ask me to go around Seoul and its surrounding areas. Well, so far...it was our first trip together. And..I hope that we will have some more exciting trips along the way when I live in Korea.
Apart from studying, exploring Korea by traveling to other parts of the country would surely help me appreciate this country. I know..it takes time and MONEY....but....I do hope that I can manage both world (study and travel) wisely.
I cannot just stay at home........
I got to travel and explore...........

Awesome Closing Ceremony of 2011 SEA Games

2011-11-29T22:31:00.001+09:00

One of best moments in the series of Sea Games extravaganza in Palembang, South Sumatra was the opening and closing ceremony of the event. Who would forget the remarkable fireworks on display that mesmerized the spectators as well as the live-coverage viewers across Southeast Asia. Well, I won't.

I think this is one of the memorable fireworks on display on par with that of the Olympic games:) I may be too exaggerating^.^ But, I mean...who would have thought that Palembang city could boast itself as one of the successful host of this magnitude?
I think people would now remember Palembang in South Sumatra as the memorable host of 26th Sea Games in Southeast Asia.
And..for that....I want to congratulate all of the parties involved in this event.
Bravo Palembang. Bravo Indonesia. Bravo Southeast Asian Countries and Bravo ASEAN.
People of ASEAN must have been proud of what they have achieved so far.
I am glad that this SEA GAMES did indeed bring about the unity of ASEAN countries.

Road Tunnels in Korea

2011-11-29T17:04:00.001+09:00

One of the first impressions that one may have on their first trip to Korea is.....how immensely visible the love of Korean people (or more precisely: their engineers) towards digging underground tunnels or dashing into the rocky mountain or hilly areas, instead of going around or circling around it. :) Well, yes..it is true.
I could never be able to catch up how many road tunnels I had to go through...the last time I went to Chuncheon.

I did not have the slightest idea of taking any picture or let alone recording it. I mean..I was busy talking with my friends on the car when I realized that we were just passing tunnels over tunnels without ever knowing where it may end up....so...I grabbed my phone and started capturing the moment. ^^
I just want to have a bit of memoirs of how it was.
* It may look so cheesy for some. Well, as for me...taking pictures or recording every moment when we least expect it.....is an integral part of the trip itself.
I'm glad I taped it...so I can share it with others....and at least...as for me...it indeed is a memoir in its simplest form.

A reminiscence of Chuncheon ...

2011-11-29T16:28:00.001+09:00

Still another recollection of what I'd felt when I was in Chuncheon dam.
I think I would never be bored of posting and recollecting what I'd experienced when I visited this place.
Judging from what I saw...I have already made a plan of coming back there when the snow has covered all of the mountainous area surrounding this beautifully landscaped lake...
I could barely imagine what it may look like during Winter when the snow blankets those mountains....or hills...or whatever they are. ^^

One thing for sure...it will surely be giving me an ethereal impression of being in an other worldly landscape.

Even with this picture, I could never stop imagining it as the naturally wondrous sites as those in Scotland. ^^ :) I may sound to boisterous?

I've never been to Scotland myself...but I just saw it on pictures...
.....but....believe me...when I was right here in Chuncheon dam...I felt like being in one of those Scotland's lakes. Interesting, eh?

Guava Harvest time

2011-11-29T16:07:00.001+09:00

It was another weekend for the kids back home. While I was also on my weekend right here in Korea during the shivering cold weather in Winter, my kids were having the warm weather:) What a different world it is.
I saw through the pictures of my wife's Picasa's blog that the whole family was going to a village where they could just buy as many guavas as they like--with much more cheaper price than that at the market. I am sure that they would never waste any chance of eating guavas.

Here they are.

As seen in the picture, Freya with her lamb toy was carrying a plastic-wrapped guava as soon as it was freshly picked from the tree. So was her elder sister, Eyra also with her lamb toy.

I bet they did have a great time 'harvesting' the guava. Hmm I wish I could just have one of those....
looks so yummy.

Tintin: at CGV world cup stadium

2011-11-28T19:10:00.001+09:00

I was waiting for my friends who was watching the Korea-Saudi Arabia soccer game at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Since I was not into soccer, I tried to make the best of my waiting time by checking out what the Stadium had to offer. Well, it has a CGV cineplex. I think it cool.
So, off I went inside the theater only to find that I had to go out sooner, otherwise...I would end up myself watching movie---since I am a movie freak myself. It was a good thing that I could just catch up the yet-to-be release movies like Tintin: The Adventure of the Unicorn (?) I hope I get the title correct. So, here I was..
capturing the moving images projected on the huge wall at one side of the theater...
Well, I thought it was one of the coolest ways to attract as many viewers as possible of what they have to anticipate in the coming weeks.
Oh, the interactive menus were also projected on the wall that people could play along what the movie has in store...
Look at the people in front of the projection...
they were busy enjoying the interactive menus...themselves.
As for me.....nope..I might as well shoot (capture) the moment like this.

3급 친구들을 만남

2011-11-28T18:16:00.001+09:00

This term has yet to be over.

me and Ullan

Yet, we decided to have lunch altogether along with our beloved teacher from the previous term when we were still at level 3. Usually, we would have this kind so-called 'lunch party' or whatsoever it is.....at the end of each term as soon as we have our 'graduation' day. But, today....I found it a bit odd yet...satisfyingly feel-good moment indeed.

ready for some ...get set....

Well, yes....most of us--except Eva--chipped in. ^^
Let's see....where we went today.
I vaguely remember where we were for lunch, today. But, I still vividly remember that it was just around our campus corner. I was informed that our friends had been there.
All of us came up to have the samgyeobsal 삼겹살 that surely I could not eat since it was grilled pork.
Me and Ullan had no other choices but to order something we love: dwenjang chike. 된장찌개(?)
It was lucky that the banchan were great, simply because it offered some nice tofu with its Korean touch of eatery.

I had like....3 courses of tofu since I kept asking the ajumma to give me more...^^ well, that was the only dish that I could eat.....
Indeed, been a great day today....meeting our friends of previous term.
Funny, eh?
I would not even have started thinking about having this kind of lunch-meeting with my very own present classmates....while I just did it with my friends.
OK. the thing was.....our feeling of being one and being re-united again was somewhat differently necessary.
We will never change the time we used to have for anything.
Some of our friends -- as I learned along the way -- would not continue up to level 5.....which means that they are about to leave Korea.
Ah..that's why...we had this lunch!
Oh....I like wearing the blue APRON with a CASS on it. ^0^

Snuppy

2011-11-28T01:53:00.001+09:00

Snuppy or Seoul National University Puppy. The first successfully cloned dog in the world.

Finally I met him face to face:)
I mean....I learned all about it from the articles, news, internet news since ---like 5 years ago or so.
But, never have I had a chance to finally see it in a flesh.
So, yesterday (Nov. 26, 2011), we had a chance to meet Dr. Yuda Fibrianta-- a researcher from UGM who happened to be one of the scientists--the only one from Indonesia--who turned out to be one of the men behind the success of Snuppy program.

Well, not many people may have known this little fact.
We went there to meet Dr. Yudha..and thanks to his professor who had kindly allowed us and given us permission to meet and see Snuppy in a flesh.
It was a good thing to know that Snuppy is getting just fine in his 6th birthday (?)
It was so cold that we did not take long before we wrapped up our visit to SNU to meet Dr. Yuda and Snuppy.
Once again..this has been one of the best highlights of what I did on weekend in Seoul.
Not only that I could meet up with my friends up there in SNU but I could also learn more about the cloning-related stuffs....though it is...frankly speaking....harder than I thought (a.k.a. beyond my imagination). but, hey...the trip was worth it.

Namu Geuneul Park 나무 그늘 Park

2011-11-28T01:22:00.001+09:00

Nasi Goreng ...and its simply fresh salad

It is a name of a restaurant specializing in a fusion food combining Korean food and those of Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesian food.

with Ms Lia, and
Mrs. Park (the owner of the restaurant)

So, I went there for some occasion.
It was actually a too-good-to-be-true kind of chance since I was actually accompanying Ms. Lia in search of a human-related or human interest program.

ready to dig in.....

I do not need to tell what it is but the thing is.....
I had a greaat time being one of the informants
for the program.
like this one..
I would never have known it existed, had I not become a friend in need for Mbak Lia's program.

three sets of nasi goreng on the menu for us

So, shortly speaking, this so-called restaurant serves dosirak or bento or lunch box or any meal box ready to be made ....made to order....^^
the food is delicious since the cooks are from Indonesia and from Korea.
Even some cooks have had some experiences of working at Hyatt Hotel.

the front facade of the restaurant

Yesterday (November 26, 2011), I went to two of the restaurants at Gangnam area in Seoul.
Nasi goreng.....yippiee....it's spicy sea food fried rice...with the touch of Indonesian flavor.
It does indeed taste different from the Korean fried rice or bokgeumbab.
It is simply dazzlingly delicious.

the decorative touches of the restaurant

And..I also learned that some Korean artists
living in Gangnam area also love this fried rice...and other Indonesian-food inspired lunch box.
I loved it.
So, in case anyone wonder where to go.....
just simply click the following site: www.foodstyling.co.kr

Another restaurant: the headquarter

You will find arrays of meals.
Check out the star food. ^^
But, the site is in Korean, but for those who cannot read Korea's Hangeul...pls. enjoy the picture of the meal being offered there.

HUFS's Got Talent 2011

2011-11-26T00:38:00.001+09:00

November 25, 2011 was the day that some of our friends had been waiting for. They were those who were participating in the campus-style Got Talent show.
I got to tape some of the shows since I thought it was fun.

Since three of our classmates participated in the competition, I did not want to miss the chance of seeing them perform.

Apart from enjoying the hilarious performances from 11 contestants and 3 guest performers, I did also enjoy the Minerva complex auditorium--which is located underground of the main building. It was huge.

I never expected it to be that huge considering the vast amount of space being used.
The sophisticated-looking auditorium and its peripheral functions just looked so cool.
OK, back to the competition.
Singing Korean songs, English songs, K-Pop cover dance, taekwondo, free style dance, cheer leading were mashed up in the contest.

The hilarious French Girl with its medley of K-Pop ..plus Beyonce's "Put A Ring On It" topped the first prize...

...while my classmate--Yeryeong from Taiwan--secured her second place with her 'Baby, Baby Good Bye' from Miss A's song.

Well, it was a truly worth-watching event.
But, unfortunately I could not see it until the program over since I got to attend the 8p.m. class. ^^
Anyhow, it has been a refreshing and nice night.

At the Winter Dawn

2011-11-25T08:20:00.001+09:00

Winter Dawn?

I think it's too late to call it ' Winter Dawn' coz the pictures themselves did not somewhat reflect the weeny breezy dawn that it may suggest.
Instead, the pictures show the bright color of Winter (minus the snow, of course).
So, what I mean by the 'dawn' of the winter is exactly what it is. Minus the snow, the winter sets in Korea in the midst of November.

The light pale blue sky mesmerized the windy day...
The barren leaves and trees were left stranded as if...
no one would ever care....

But....

the wisdom of winter tales are about to embrace
another story of what nature has in store
for them
to be...

We were lucky to be take a bit of any chance to capture the moment...
otherwise we might just pass it by...

Petite France again

2011-11-25T01:37:00.001+09:00

C4UMB8UTZABA

Eerie feeling in the midst of cloudy day

2011-11-24T19:24:00.001+09:00

The cloudy day.
the misty afternoon.
The tranquil surface of Chuncheon lake.
the sound of calm water beneath...
The gloomy day....

it was like another world...

but then....what were the car and the boat doing in this picture? ^^
It would've been nice should they be not there...
or would it?

I guess I could not say that...because it boosted the image of the lake itself...it gave a kind of perception on how wide and majestic the lake was...
oh well....

Wintering Autumn (?)

2011-11-24T19:14:00.001+09:00

These pictures were taken when we were just about to leave Dumulmeori--yes, it's still in the same place that I've been talking about in my previous blog. We were leaving the place when a deserted set of chairs and a table under the shades of trees was visible. It just caught my attention since the heaps of fallen leaves from Autumn were just left stranded and untouched. I think it was meant to be that way so as to make it look natural as it could be. And it did.

Of course, we did not waste another golden moment of immortalizing the moment, the venue, the people a.k.a. ourselves inside the frames.

With the same angle and pose, we took turn to sit on the same chair and faced the camera that clicked and captured the moment.

The different color of Winter jacket we wore did give different effect into how the picture came up. And here are the results. I think Wawan in his brown jacket indeed went well with the background color; while Seonhee's red jacket gave somewhat a contrasting vivid color. As for me: it looked like I was invisible in the midst of Wintering Autumn....

Banana tree 'pohon pisang' in Winter Korea

2011-11-23T23:42:00.001+09:00

The Banana tree in Korea....and even much more better...it IS in Winter. Well, I am not kidding. I was actually walking towards the famous dumulmeori when a huge glass-house or vinyl house (to be precise) caught my attention.
It was winter, indeed.
As soon I got into this so-called glass-house, I was greeted by the warmest and familiar smell of tropical garden. Isn't that cool?
And what shocked me even more was the banana tree that just stood right in front of my eyes....could not believe it.
I thought that any banana trees would never be able to survive the harsh weather of Korea especially during winter time.
But, it turned out to be wrong.

Here We were...
we took a shade under the banana tree leaves. It was perpetually perplexed by how this could be achieved in such an intact condition. I mean, come on...it was sooo cold outside, and yet...lots of tropical trees and flowers were just happily springing up and growing up tall.

The green leaves with their familiar smell really got my fullest attention that day.

Look at the colorful flowers that dotted the whole place. It would not be enough to be just sitting around the place, for it offered a lot of plants and flowers and bushes to see and feel and yes....smell.

Could not stop myself from storing all of the images into my digital camera...

The banana tree I saw and felt in Korea is surely gonna be remembered as one of the best highlights of our trip that day.
Oh, what's more interesting than that...was that...it was all free of charge to be in that place. People are welcome to be there anytime they like.
I guess I'd like to thank anyone who dedicated their time and money and their integrity to run this place...
Simply loved it.
Do not mind coming back there again someday.

The silhouette of Color in Dumulmeori

2011-11-23T13:52:00.001+09:00

This is the tree that has been drawing people's attention to come to Dumulmeori in the first place. As for me, it looks nothing spectacular, but then....things starts to change if we take a closer look at the tree and its surrounding.

First, I got to convince myself that it might be worth-visiting since I did not see anything else there. But, I was wrong. It turned out that this place had its own unique characteristics that -- I think --- others do not have, i.e. its being the center of attention in the seemingly ordinary looking picturesque environment there. The trees succumbed to insects or decaying old age so much that one of once-used-to-be hole or crack inside the tree looked to be --gladly--evenly shaped and filled with other materials to prevent it from being neglected. It now has become a kind of monumental memoir of once famous TV drama in Korea.

Another thing that I would remember always was...the skies. It was breathtakingly pale blue with scrapping clouds scattered over it. As if some canvases glued all together the palettes of the afternoon skies....(whatever it meant:)

The last scene of the day. The silhouette of Winter drenched tree and skies...

Dumulmeori 두물머리

2011-11-21T19:54:00.001+09:00

두물머리 Well, I did not know anything about this place, had my acquaintance--ms. Cha--introduced me to this place. She asked me to take ride to this place since she wanted to share what she knew...
She's been here like...many times..

Dumulmeori is just one-hour ride from Seoul.
The reason why it has become so famous is simply because the biggest tree in the area was once used to be the place for a shooting venue of once a popular TV drama 첫사랑 'First Love'.

(tree??? the tree is on my next /previous entry)

I did not dig into more on this story. I guess it's enough for me to know that Japanese tourists flocked to this place as soon as the drama hit their homes.

Even, people in the surrounding area where this famous tree lives did not think that their home would be one of the most sought-after places in Korea, especially for those who are into photography.

Now, this place is packed and jammed with people, especially in the wee hour of dawn..and during sunset.
I think I know why.
I was there last week during sunset...and it was one of best sunsets I had so far.
I mean....I've been living in Seoul where I never see the sunrise and sunset. ( I admit it). Never. :)

The high rise buildings that dot the skylines of Seoul hamper people from seeing the wonder and magic of everyday life.
So, I found it breathtaking and kinda felt blessed to be able to see the sunset...right here in this place called Dumulneori.

La Petite France 쁘띠 프랑스 (part 3)

2011-11-21T19:10:00.001+09:00

All I could remember when I entered one of the houses in La Petite France was the images of France painted on the paintings hung on the walls of the houses. Oh, not only that I found such paintings on canvas, but I also found them painted on the wall itself. The vast arrays of paintings depicting lives in France cities and rural areas were available.
Since I did not know if I would go back here again...I might as well take some pictures...again...as usual.
Here are what I saw....

Cafes....
Yes...the uniquely ever-present significant symbol of France.
The pictures and the buildings....
all mashed-up into one unique atmosphere....i.e. France...
(Oh, come on...Suray....you wrote it like you've been to France...:) ^^

The figurines are displayed deliberately in front of the painting....DOES it blend in?
I don't think so.

This must be a famous intersection or golden triangle in France.. Is it in Paris? I do not know for sure.
Baroque?
Renaissance?
(what am I talking about?) I don't know..those two words just popped out of my head...*

Another look at how people in France (wait..is it Paris? ) hmmm gosh I wish I knew at least something about France so that I do not just rambling about what I'm writing down here...
somebody help me, please...

I hope I can go to Paris someday....^^

Wait....!
Is it the same picture with a horse figurine I just posted earlier? Naaa...I don't think so.
Well, then...if that's the case..that means that France cities look similar, then.
Well, of course for someone who's never been there like me.
Cafes? yes, I see them.

This picture is actually a painting on the wall. I admire the way the painter recreated the snowy winter in--I guess--one of the rural area somewhere...in France...Just look at how the snow is captured simply by dotting the painting. It gives me a kind of simply calming feeling....

Now...this one also done me in.:) ^^ I mean, I was speechless by the simplicity of this painting. The different shades of blue and white palette are simply pasted into it. The snow-covered roofs of the houses, the warmly-lit houses inside ...all in all gives a warm feeling of Winter. Oh, I just love this painting...

This one, I guess, is a family gathering during Summer. This painting looks like an art of dadaism. (?) I could be wrong, though. But, the deliberately shaped portrayal of people in the painting does show it. Otherwise, it was just a work of a child. But, I doubt it.
Still, it is a nice work of arts.

Now...what am I doing in here?
I thought this entry is only about paintings. ^^
Well, I might as well put it since the background of this picture.....tells something about how varied the France lives being captured in each one of the porcelain behind me.^^

La Petite France 쁘띠 프랑스 (part 2)

2011-11-21T16:44:00.001+09:00

Then, came the time when I *scrutinized* each one of the houses being offered inside this Little France.

I felt like I was a GIANT overlooking the little world inside the glass...

Cool miniatures of France cities.....

I was amazed by both the original and made-up brick a brack...tic a tac of France-related trivia and stuffs.

I wonder if there are still some cities like this one in France.....I hope I can go to France someday...

It was a good thing to be there with lots of friends so as to make it like a good time in itself; though it indeed was. And would it be nice to be with friends again...in France...

Ok, just look at the intricately and ornately modeled mini-houses....
so cute.....^^

These ones were figurines (?) ...statues (?)...porcelain (?) of what France life was back then in the 18th or 19th Centuries...(once again I was just assuming)

Back to the trivia and stuffs that I saw..

I found these cute little dolls (but actually there were some harsh and roughly-looking dolls that I dared not to take pictures of)..^^

This one--I guess--is a daily entertainment that people used to have back then when there were no TV, Ipad, DVD, radio, internet....^^ so, they had this dance ball accompanied with live music from piano.....

I bumped into old toys being displayed with price tags on them.....which were beyond my belief....for they were so darn expensive.

It looks like it costs more than 200,000 Won. Oh, Come on...........^^. But, for an avid toy collector...it might be that reasonably expensive....Oh, well...

Oh, I should have put this picture at the start of this entry....anyway...I think this is another portrayal of France city life...back then....

The small figurines boosted the lively imaged of the model houses

This one, too. I should've posted it earlier.
Ok...these ones are for sale. I think they originated from France. ...freshly...deliberately packaged and sent from France.^^

I might as well take some pictures as a souvenir.....instead of buying them...?????

La Petite France 쁘띠 프랑스

2011-11-21T16:21:00.001+09:00

Kampung Prancis a.k.a. 쁘띠 프랑스 a.k.a. Little France a..k.a. La Petite France in Korea. Yes, I was there last week with a bunch of my friends.

Well, had it not been due to Ms. Cha's suggestion of going there, I would not have known that it ever existed:)

It turned out to be quite an interesting place to visit. Well, for some it might be too boisterous to have this so-called made-up or fake France atmosphere in Korean land.

.... But, hey....I would not have believed it myself till I was there.
I was a bit skeptical at first.

But then...the atmosphere, the weather, the architectural design, the shows, the landscape surrounding the place were more than enough to melt my heart and kept me captivated for half day.

Well, yes..I spent like 5 hours there. It was worth-it.
The ticket was 8,000 Won. A bit expensive for a small place like that...at first....but then....from what I got...it was a reasonable price.

I loved the lightly colored rooftops and walls of the houses. The street in front of the houses also intersected with one another that mimicked (maybe) one of the so many villages in France. (hmmm I dunno coz I've never been to the real France before).

The houses were attached in such a way that it made them easy to access from all directions. The wild bushes dotted the place naturally (or carefully planted that way)...

The most important thing was that...I felt like I was not in Korea for it zapped me like a blitzkrieg snatch from my slumber.

I mean...I've been in Seoul a.k.a. Korea...for the last two months and saw nothing but Korea-themed or real Korea atmosphere.....until I went to this place.

So I did not waste any chance of not taking as many pictures as I could. Even, I would not want to miss the deserted alley in front of the houses--which later on...I learned that it was a home stay or hotels for any one who might want to stay there.

Even, the small stuffs that I thought I might never have a chance of finding again...in Seoul....did not escape from my attention.
All in all, I loved it.
Just look at the cloudy sky overlooking the village...it was marvelous.

Chuncheon (part 2)

2011-11-20T13:12:00.001+09:00

Along the way, there were so many things to see. Since I was the one who kept insisting on dropping by at certain places to take pictures, I managed to take some pictures in places that I think most people did not go. Like the one right here.

I did not know where it was...But I guess it was one kilometer away from the main gate to the Chuncheon dam. I kinda liked it.

I did not mind plunging myself into the wet swampy area just to take these pictures.

Actually, the real scenery was way much amazing than this. This phone camera did not do any justice to its natural beauty.

But, at least...the most important thing was that I could just express what I wanted to say and see in Korean language during the whole day long.

The scenery was breathtaking. Once again, it would've been just like an ordinary place, had we taken the trip in Summer. Not, that I do not like Summer.

I just thought that Summer would be just as hot and fine as the weather I had back home. So, It was a good feeling to be able to find seemingly ordinary looking place which turned out to be quite amazing to be there in the first place.

I loved the sunshine that broke into the cloud and made its way into the simmering light of the afternoon sky. Who would not want to be here?
Well, there may be some...But...
this one really got me

춘천댐 (ChunCheon Dam)

2011-11-20T12:56:00.001+09:00

It was Saturday and the only thing that came up to my mind was the excitement of being able to take a ride on a car for the first time in Korea. I mean....I do not drive. :) Subway is the most convenient transportation for me to get around the city. But, when it comes to going out of Seoul, bus or train has always been the option. Driving by myself? I do not own any car here...let alone driving one.

the first shot I took

So, It was a great opportunity when my good acquaintance offered me (along with other friends) a chance to see the Seoul vicinity by her car. It was an offer too irresistible to turn down....^^
Well, since that meant that I would be able to get around the places easily.

dropped off from the car, took pictures....^^

we could just park along the lake-side and enjoy the view

OK. The first stop: Chuncheon dam. The first time ever, I saw it in Korea. Funny, eh?
Well, I just want to say that it was one of the best days ever.
I loved taking a ride along the way since it meant that I could expand my horizon of what out of Seoul looks like.

the cloudy skies perpetuated the eerie atmosphere

The exhilarating feeling set in as soon as I got a chance to see what the dam looked like.
Supposed I'd gone there in summer, I would not have felt this excited. Well, this is Winter.
It was the first week of winter.
The scenery --added with the cloudy and eerie skies-- did capture my attention.

I simply loved the simple fact that it was such a great time being outdoor with eerily laid-out spaces and hills beyond the lake.
The picture-taking time last long enough for me to dwell into and delve into the realm of this cool-breeze of air over the lake.......^^

A home sweet home to be

2011-11-15T20:06:00.001+09:00

To Be?
well, yes...because I will or precisely my family is going to live there starting from December, next month.
Finally, I booked a house in Seoul. Gosh...it IS so DARN expensive to rent a house in Seoul. The system itself is a bit complicated for any foreigners who might get their first exposure to its renting system--so to speak. Let's see: the so-called jeonse, wolse, etc etc....not to mention the gwallibi and etc etc. oh oh oh. what in the name of ......are those.:)
Anyway...I finally decided my mind to take this two-room house, not that big ...but spacious enough for me to live with my wife and two daughters....
It is just a 3-minute walk to campus!
It is relatively accessible with good neighborhood--I presume...and I hope I am right.
It is equipped with kitchen set (it got to be), the bathroom (it must have one), two rooms (for sure), a refrigerator--an additional advantage:), a washing machine (this one, too), one wardrobe (ok), and heating system (it MUST have one..or else:), and ...one thing for sure...it is like love at first sight.

I've been like going around the neighborhood searching for the right place to stay for like almost a month or so.
Then....it was the last house that I looked into..and it was like zapped me into it. I kinda like it.
A bit expensive....:( But...seeing the fact that it IS so close to campus and it is relatively clean.....made me decide what I should take this one.
So, today...I made a 2-year contract to live there.

Thanks to Ms. Choi from One-Stop Global Service...I got a chance to choose from a list of houses that matches my taste.
Bismillahirrohmanirrohim...I hope that this will be a good start of having a good life in here with my family. I just want to study and learn and to live and to have fun with my family.

Harry Potter can sing?

2011-11-14T23:24:00.001+09:00

Nope.
I could not help but notice that what I am seeing is in fact Daniel Radcliff a.k.a. Harry Potter or wait....am I watching Harry Potter singing? Well, I could not tell. ^^
One thing for sure, either one definitely can sing. And he can sing pretty well.
No wonder that after Daniel said good bye to his HP-alter ego..^^ (now I know who's singing:), he would have a bright career ahead of him. Who would've guessed that this used-to-be so adorable child star has turned into a man of multi-talent.
I just could not believe it myself when I first realize that it IS Daniel....in his rendition of Broadway's How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

He nailed it.

Together We Will Shine @ SEA GAMES 2011 Opening Ceremony

2011-11-14T21:25:00.001+09:00

I think the song pretty much sums up what Southeast Asian countries can achieve together in the United ASEAN. Kudos to Yovie who created this beautiful song which is also sung beautifully by the three Southeast Asian's so-called Divas: KC Conception (the Philippines); Jaclyn Victor (Malaysia), and Agnes Monica (Indonesia).
Good job!
oh, and I loved the SPIDERCAM that moves about and moves around the whole stadium to capture the moment. But, too bad...the singers' faces are not clearly closed-up:) ^^.
All in all, it is the best opening ceremony ever--with minor setbacks, of course.
after all...nothing's perfect.

NPH: Neil Patrick Harris

2011-11-14T20:08:00.001+09:00

I don't know why I am crazy about NPH. I remembered growing up by watching Doogie Howser, M.D. on TVRI. Gosh, it was such a long time ago. I still remembered the signature end credit of the show's diary typed on a computer screen.
Recollecting the time when I used to watch such an old-nostalgic TV show I grew up with...is indeed a recollection of my own impediment with its ups and down in my early childhood. The fact that I grew up with the star I saw on TV did not necessarily imply any similarities...but then..what strikes me the most was that...it was an odd feeling that I used to feel when I saw the Doogie Howser years ago...

the feeling of ''I thought I knew it"

the feeling of "I thought I'd expected it to be this way"

the notion of "Oh, I knew it"

and..now that I know where the NPH's life leads its way...and how it never fails to mesmerize me in a way he first came up in Doogie Howser....is simply amazingly unbelievable.
I mean...he ends up in Broadway shows and lately in the hit TV series ' How I Met Your Mother' and stuffs. But, what I love about him is his poignantly witty performances in every scene and show he's been for the last few years.
This is for example: the time when he uses his wittiness and awesomeness in rendering the opening number at the 2011's Tony Award & his duet with Hugh Jackman!
These two videos do sum up his latest achievement in the industry. Simply love it. could never ask more for a better one...^^

Ansan Trip (again)

2011-11-14T19:41:00.001+09:00

This was the second time that I went to Ansan--a 1-hour-5- minute-trip from Seoul by Metro. Indeed, a tiring trip as it was, still it never failed to lure me out of my den in Seoul to crawl away from the bustling life in Seoul to a seemingly not-Seoul-like outskirt town of Ansan...simply to have a taste of --nothing else than--Indonesian food, since of course there are numerous Indonesian restaurants that dotted the streets there.

Maya, Jobirson, Felix, Wawan got Lost in the Market

This time around....I was lucky enough to have Wawan and other friends of mine: Felix (Ghana), Jobirson ( Uzbekistan), and Maya (Algeria). They agreed to go along with us since they wanted to have another taste of food. So, we went to Barokah restaurant (again) where we ordered rendang (the number one food in CNN food survey:)......hmmm Felix and Jobir loved it so much that they wanted to order the same dish again....., then we also had sate, nasi kuning, ayam bakar, tahu isi (that they loved so much) and of course....Teh Botol Sosro. ^^.
After doing some prayer at the Mosque, we had time to do some shopping. Ansan is notorious for its cheap stuffs, especially those of second-hand stuffs.
Well, we did do some shopping like crazy.
Maya, in particular, was so delved into the world of vegetables as she loves making salad. She found her heaven there since the prices were so way cheaper than those in Seoul.
We 'ransacked' shop after shop to find the bargain stuffs!!!

winter coat and two fluffy dolls

I had this winter coat for my wife, and also a big fluffy doll for my daughter.
Then, since it was about 4 in the evening, we got to catch the train to Seoul.
Oh, I managed to meet my colleague (Chrisna) with her husband, too.
Then, off we went to Seoul by Metro.
Before going....we took time to take a token of memoir in front of Ansan station.

Warbler to Warbler

2011-11-13T22:57:00.001+09:00

What a nerve!
That's exactly what came to my mind when I noticed the outspoken Sebastian who flirted with Blaine. ^^
Anyway...I don't mind that.

I just want to-- once again-- point out that I love this particular scene simply (really? no other reason, Suray?^^ ) because of the camera's switching back and forth between Blaine, Sebastian, Rachel, and Santana in such a way that it makes it looks sooo cool. I think this is by far the best camera directing(?) so far in the history of Glee...^^.
I just love the way it intertwines the story line with the West Side Story's song 'A Boy Like That'
OK. just can't get enough of this scene..^^

Another pizza, eh?

2011-11-13T00:26:00.001+09:00

Got kinda bored (hmmm I dunno as to whether 'bored' is the right word for it) of having to eat instant rice--the one that I have to put in the microwave before consuming. Yep, that IS the kind of food that I consume almost everyday right here in Seoul. It is all simply because we are not allowed to cook our own food:) well, I understand that it is for the good reasons like avoiding any irresponsible persons from setting fire to the dorm out of their clumsiness or ignorance. So, the management might as well prohibit any cooking activities.
OK ..back to my entry...
Since it's been like two months since I got in Seoul...and get myself accustomed to consume instant food, today I felt like wanting to have something else....
But...no matter how hard I tried to think of what to eat...
my brain seemed not to cooperate...^^
Instead of having the so-called slow food like healthy Korean food that I like such as bibimbap or anything with tofu in it......, I talked myself out of the blue.....to have a pizza.

Yes....it was pizza for lunch.
Since the last time I bought one ...I remembered not being able to eat it all up by myself...I asked Wawan to split the bill. It turned out that he found it OK, too.
OK then...off we went to the same pizza place that I went to the previous week.
Only this time, I did not order veggie pizza, instead we had potato pizza with cheese, mozzarella, onion, garlic, paprika, sweet corn, mushrooms, and of course...the potato on it. ( I guessed there must be some other ingredients..that I simply do not know of).
Then...'tis a good lunch indeed. It was a good thing that we could have different kind of lunch.
OK...enough for today.

Awesome Opening Ceremony of SEA Games 2011

2011-11-12T22:27:00.001+09:00

SEA Games (South East Asian Games) 2011 has now been officially opened in Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia.
I was awed by the spectacular opening ceremony on November 11, 2011 (11-11-11).

Thanks to YouTube, I can watch it online. I never thought that the city of Palembang did their best to outperform the previous opening ceremonies of SEA games. I think this is by far the best opening ceremony ever. The use of technology to boost the rendition of cultural highlights of Indonesia did steal the show. And..yes...the spectacular fireworks on display prior and after the opening ceremony was also something that not to be missed.

I mean...actually..I did not expect it to be like that in the first place...I thought that it would be just another passing and easy-to-forget opening ceremony like in the previous events...but...it was all beyond my expectation....for a city like Palembang, this is the biggest achievement indeed.
I am sure that all of my fellow Indonesians and I think other friends from other South East Asian countries may share the same opinion. Well, at least this is my humble opinion.

The computer generated images and simulation portrayed and projected onto the field as well as the gilded and sparkle-dazzle lights on all imaginable corners of the stadium were also the eye-catching renderings of what it had to offer.
All in all...it was all worth-it.
The hard works of the whole committee was like a paid-off work.
It was simply splendid.
I just hoped that the closing ceremony would top it off, too.^^

---actually..there is one thing that cringed me....i.e. the light up event of the torch..it was a odd...that the flame did go off even before Susi managed to throw the stick she was carrying. I assumed it was just a kind of act, then. I know that it must be hard to hit the target....so, why did not she just push the button or something....so this kind of 'cheesy' thing did not happen. ^^

- an another thing...: I hope that the opening ceremony that I am sure used lots of money....did not hamper any other things that should be done to make it into a successful event in SEA history. Well, I am sure that the committee have done their best and they are now.
Ok, let's hope for the best and the success of this SEA Games 2011.

(ㅃ... ㅃ...로 데이) Pepero Day

2011-11-12T09:24:00.001+09:00

OK. It's only in Korea--that's the good part.
Why? because I don't think the world is ready for another Valentine Day-like kind of day.....
One is enough. ^^

All kinds of Pepero in all imaginable sizes, shapes, and tastes

I mean, come on.....those celebrating Pepero Day without having the slightest idea that it would surely swoon huge amount of bucks into the pocket of Pepero's manufacturer are silly.^^ I am sure that no matter how much people right here in Korea celebrate this 11-11-11 (the so-called Millenium Pepero Day), it is just another kind of day as usual.
I only noticed no other things but a consumption-driven frenzy-ness that lured into the mind of people......sadly .....or interestingly....I was one of them simply because I had no other choices but to be IN the circle...^^
So, November 11 is a special day for Koreans (not all--please mind it) since it is a kind of day where people irrespective of their age throng the shops to buy the chocolate filled sticks or chocolate crusted sticks or any other wafer-like sticks with their additional flavor to boost the visage. All in all, they are just chocolate sticks that from what I learned was originally originated in Japan with its Pocky snack. Well, it turned out that Japanese do not even have Pocky Day.:)
It only happens right here that since its first introduction to the market back in 1983, the so-called stick-day or Pepero Day gained its momentum back in 1994 when --legend has it--that some girls in high school somewhere in Busan started circling the snacks to be given away to their friends as a token of friendship.

a closer look into the 'products'

Well, since then...and still I did not know it all came around---the hyper-hyped Pepero Day seized its momentum in Korea up to the present. Especially, this year's celebration marks its unique date at its core: 11 -11-11. Even, a company that makes the humongous-ly popular Pepero snack has launched a campaign ad sorting thing like 'Millenium Antenna' where people are encouraged to put two Pepero sticks and place them near their both ears so as to imitate the shapes of antenna. Well, whatever that is....I think this is just another campaign or ad to boost the sales of this already highly hyped Pepero snacks.

Oh, swell....whatever the fuss going on all around it....
All I could see for the past week has been nothing than the lines up of beautifully wrapped and eye-catching shapes of Pepero in all imaginable sizes and colors in many department stores or convenient stores in my neighborhood. I bet...it happens across the country. ^^

Oh, swell...whatever the fuss going on all around it...
I got myself intrigued into having the dip into what it felt like.^^
aha...
well, I could not have just slipped away from the class where all of my friends were all ready to give in exchange of another Pepero. What I mean was that....most of my friends in the class (and later on I also acknowledged that all classes experienced the same thing) brought about Pepero in all kinds of shapes and tastes......^^ and the best and silliest part was that.....I bought one Pepero myself....just in case everyone in the class.......did give me some Pepero.
And....It DID happen.
As soon as I got into my class.....I was greeted by my friend who just deliberately gave me a box of Pepero........while saying....Happy Pepero Day.
Gosh.....I could not do anything but to play along...and grinned:)
Ok...after all...it was yummy. I love the one with almond on it.:) HAHAHAHAHA.
Now, see?
This is what happened.
No matter how hard I tried not to get myself involved in this kind of Pepero-stuff day....I was into it myself. Unconsciously...or was it..consciously....I dragged myself into the DAY and taking a chance to EVEN take some pictures out of it.
Oh well.........These are what happened when you said you tried to avoid something and ended up being one of them..^^This is me in one of Korea's made-up modern-day celebration: PEPERO DAY.

Glee: The First Time : The Best episode ever up to now...in Season 3.

2011-11-10T16:25:00.000+09:00

I Love Glee. I do.
Never have I been his excited of being one of the fans in Glee-nophenon.
I remembered setting my eyes for the first time into Glee...
And...now I have never missed a single episode.
Now...it comes down to the season 3, 5th episode....which really took my breath away...^^

I think I owed this to the directing skills of Bradley Buecker who managed to unfold the stories in different ways.
I love the way he uses the West Side Story's songs to interlude...to tell...to knit...to portray the stories in the episode.
Even I love the intricately and cunning intro into the new Warbler's Sebastian who seems to be so douchy and charmingly intimidating.....and he could jeopardize the whole world of Kurt&Blaine's.
I think lots of people might just want to give him a punch on his face...for being so blatantly hitting on Blaine.
.....
Gosh I do not know where to start...but......this episode is so intense...
All of the characters mainly the main characters...got their part....so well done..that I sometimes almost forget that this is Glee which used to be so easy-going and light in story telling....
but this time....some depths into the realms of each characters did show up and left marks on me at least.
Even, Michael Chang's visage did tell something how passionate he is in dancing or acting.....
and...most of all....coach Beiste's heart-wrenching scene ever....I can't wait to see where this will lead in more episodes to come...

Now....back to the 'The First Time's suggestively sex or promiscuity hinted on the episode.....
I am not into promiscuity or something. In fact, I kind of disagree of this so-called 'coming of age' story of the main characters in having their first time...(Rachel & Finn)...and (Blaine & Kurt).
Wow..or fortunately..it was a good thing that the scenes are modestly portrayed. The positive and negative effects of what to ponder and think before doing it....are all put into the episodes. I think Glee just wants the audience to judge it by themselves...

West Side Story's "When Love Comes" pretty much sums it up...

I think since I cannot just write in order..I just write it based on what I remembered....might as well....telling what I admired most.
1. First, I think the 'Up Town Girl' was OK. It's been such a long time since the last time any Warblers were portrayed in Glee. Although I think the song kinda ozzeed out or way off from the theme of the episode, I remembered the way the new character--Sebastian--is introduced. From the first scene, it was so obvious that he was hitting on Blaine. He dared himself to outspokenly say that he's been looking for this legendary Blaine. He said something like....:)
"So, you're a legend at Dalton. Don't be modest. I don't know who this Blaine guy is...But apparently he's a sex on a stick and sings like a dream. So, sex that I missed, though.'

WHAT? who the heck he is....that he just.....said that:) aha..

I felt like wanting to hit him on the face...:)
Never have I been this so involved in the TV drama like this...(I think I have put myself into trouble....:)

Now comes the best part....
The episode 5 started to captivate me...once again because of the directing or the angle of the camera...that was sooooo different from the previous episodes.

When Sebastian is trying to hit on Blaine...by asking...."Why did you leave Dalton? were you bored of all the preppies around here or is it that you broke too many hearts here to stay?"

Blaine is flabbergasted and dumbfounded numb.
Then...the camera zoooomed into the back of Sebastion and suddenly Rachel and Santana sings the background song of West Side Story's 'A Boy Like That' in such an endearing way to portray the clumsiness that Blaine had....
Gosh, I cannot get enough of the way it is directed...
just simply love it.

## Gosh...how could someone who just met other for the first time said something like that...otherwise he had something in his mind. Even he got some nerves to do it...despite ..or against the odds of knowingly that Blaine got a boyfriend.
wow...that's harsh.
Sometimes I wonder...why Glee has to introduce this new character.....^^

2. Second. Coach Beiste's subplot is something that should be praised, too in this episode. I think on this episode she did steal the show. It was the first time that she got someone she was interested in. The way the story unfolded was also a nice one, too. It was clear how she has been holding this up to the moment..... She is so great in capturing...the sad moment of her heart. so touching...^^
cannot wait to see how it is going, too

3. Rachel and Finn's gonna-be first time was also awkwardly funny. I think it shows how Finn really like or love Rachel. He's been kinda calm and patient enough to do whatever Rachel's been asking him to do..even...on wait or abstinence from sex...until this episode.

4. The scene where Kurt met Karofsky in a bar was also a memorable scene since it kinda shows how they have grown into respecting each other.
5. Finn's desperate realization that life was more than just football and singing..was also a good or realistic portrayal that was about time to show up. It sort of showed that Finn was matured to be a man.

Oh.....Santana's voice is so distinctively captivating....^^in this episode. She sings 'A Boy Like That' and 'America' that really sums up her true characteristics in the best vocal ever....

I think the end of the episode with Blaine's and Rachel's rendition of 'One Hand, One Heart'
'with this ring, I thee wed...
with this ring, I thee we....
while the camera zooming out...into the worlds of Rachel's and Kurt's with their partners....
once again..fortunately..it was calmly and modestly...portrayed.

Eyra Learning Hangeul

2011-11-09T01:43:00.001+09:00

It has been a month or so since Eyra started learning Hangeul or Korean alphabets. She is going to Korea to meet me this coming December or in January. I do not know when...but it's just that she needs to be prepared. After all, we are planning to send her to the local school in Korea where she will be able to mingle and befriend and learn and get exposed to Korean life and culture. I know that it might be hard for her since she has not had any previous experiences of what Korea is. But, time will tell since she is a kind of eager to learn and know more about it.

So, she kinda likes it.
She keeps learning how to read and write in Korean.
Adi, my colleague back home, is the one who teaches Korean to Eyra.
Hope she will be able to make the most and the best out of it.
**Oh, the colorful studying desk that she is using is a gift box set from Susu Bendera:) We've been collecting the receipts of the milk purchases we made for the past one year.....^^. It's free in the sense...that we did not have to buy for it.

Eid Mubarak in Jogja

2011-11-09T01:36:00.000+09:00

I just learned that my daughters did go to the Mosque where the celebration of Eid Mubarak or Eid ul Adha was held. From the pictures that my wife sent me, I could see that they enjoyed looking at the sheep and cows. Well, the sheep and cows are the symbols of sacrifices that Muslim do. The meat from the cows and sheep are to be given to the poor and those in need.
Back to the pictures:

I bet Eyra and Freya's Mom kinda wanted them to take these pics.
I found it funny to see the them carrying their Shaun the Sheep dolls.......^^
I wonder what Freya might have thought of this situation...^^

I just love the way they are so innocently in the festivities....^^

티끌 모아 태산

2011-11-07T19:45:00.000+09:00

A blacksmith

What in the world all of a sudden I want to write an entry about this blacksmith?
Well, I was at Korean Folk Village last Friday and took this picture of a blacksmith. As soon as I read the sign that says 대장간 'blacksmith', my head zoomed into the a Korean story about it.
It all started with a proverb that says 티끌 모아 태산 which means 'dust collected into Tae Mountain'-- a mountain in China that used to gain such an endearing and enormous affection from Korean people in the past, for its beauty and mystery(?).
Should I translate it longer, it means that even the seemingly useless dust can be something of greatness when collected through time.
So, the story goes something like this: There used to be 9 year old boy who happened to play at a local blacksmith in his village only to find that he found a piece of chunk of metal to be something of interest. He collected this small piece of chunk every time he passed by the blacksmith that he made his father angry for it meant nothing more than wasting time. He should've studied. On the other hand, his mother--being so understanding of his being a kid--just smiled at him and told him that seemingly useless piece of junk could be of something useful some day.
Time passed.

The blacksmith got bankrupt due to his flaw of reckless behavior.
He became a homeless who had nothing more than just a piece of clothes he put on.

Time went by until the story of a blacksmith turned homeless reached the ears of the boy.

Out of the blue, the seemingly naive boy came up and met the blacksmith and told him that he felt sorry for having collected the small piece of junk all this time. Unknowingly to his innocence, he thought that he was the one who might have caused the blacksmith's failure.

Unknowingly to the boy, the blacksmith-turned-homeless suddenly bent on his knees and swore to the boy that he would never live his life recklessly any longer.
With the boy's collected pieces of junks, the homeless started his life again as a blacksmith.

Thus came an old proverb that says 티끌 모아 태산 'even trivial stuffs can be of great importance when they are collected endearingly over time'

Pizza Time

2011-11-07T19:20:00.002+09:00

What's the buzz word for today in my head? Pizza.

What's the fuzz about it? Fiesta.
Well, I just want to pamper myself with something that I want to eat today.
It's my second time: ordering a pizza of my fave at this pizza house.
It's near, cheap, and all veggies:) That's just what I like about it.
Seoul Cheese Pizza or how it is called is a small pizza house right at the back of my language institute.
A 1 minute jump away from the class.
Oh I remembered having this pizza last semester. Right. It was when I was in the previous class.

Ok. back to today's story.
I just got finished having my class where the teacher asked each student about the midterm result. Since it was an achievement for me ......for having got a good mark (at least to my --beyond--expectation)..I thought of having to pamper or treat myself with something. So, Pizza just popped out my head...and there I was. I was zooming into this pizza house and ordered the vegetable pizza.
For about 15 minutes or so of waiting, finally the pizza that I ordered just oozed out of the kitchen. ^^
Nicely wrapped with a red ribbon on it, I was bringing it to my room where I had my sumptuous lunch ever. (Does it mean that I never had one before?;) oooooooooohhhhhh
well, you see...I got to live properly in the sense that I cannot just use the money recklessly....even for a 6,000 Won pizza...I got to wait for something this good to happen...:) ^^
I will always be thankful and cherish the day when I could just eat whatever I want to have.
As a student on a scholarship, I could not just use the money at the expense of my daily necessities. So, that includes being able to constrain or to restrain myself from eating expensive food.
As a student on a foreign land, I got to make myself aware that I cannot just throw myself into the seemingly edible and affordable food--where the fact says the opposite.
That is why...I was so happy to have this pizza that I was saving it for my dinner....:) ^^. sounds pathetic....well, not for those who understand how a foreign student must cope with the budget adjustment of their own.
Once again,....I was sooo happy to be able to eat this pizza.

oh, back to my story at the pizza house;
while I was waiting for my pizza, I got this idea of capturing the interior of this humble pizza house.
then...
even before eating it, I took my time to take some shots of this pizza.
oh....it looks so nice.
Thank You God. Alhamdulillah for having blessed me with a chance to be able to eat pizza.
^^

Idul Adha (Eid Mubarak) 2011

2011-11-06T23:14:00.005+09:00

Got up at around 6 and took a shower.

even the consulate office was turned into a prayer venue...since lots of people did come to celebrate the occasion

So cold.

It was raining.

6 degrees Celcius.

That was what I learned.

It was Idul Adha, Hari Raya Haji, Eid Mubarak...

Instead of going to the Mosque at Itaewon, Wawan, Jobirson, and I went to Indonesian Embassy at Youido.

aning and me

Pak Yuda, Jobirson, me and Sidum
Pak yuda: on a recharging program at SNU
Jobirson, our friend from Uzbekistan
Sidum, Embassy officer --my old time friend back home in Indonesia

It was 7.20 or so in the wee morning of cold and chilling Autumn. Not many people were seen on the street...and it was the first time ever..that ...we could sit on the Metro to our heart's content..since not many people were present. hahaha.

It took us about 45 minutes from HUFs to Daebang station where we're supposed to stop.

But, I did not know what got into me that all of a sudden I got this crazy idea of transferring at the newly established station (line number 9). I thought that the new line would stop at Saetgang station which lies only 200 meters away from the Embassy. But, instead of stopping there, it went straight to Yoiudo station which was of course way far off than the Embassy.

taking a rest after the commotion ^^

Since we did not want to be late....we took a taxi and rushed ourselves into the embassy..only to find that lots of people had already filled in the room. Even, all floors were packed with people.

Had we arrived later, we would not have gotten a better place to pray.

Thank God that we made it in time for the prayer time.

As the number of jamaah exceeded the expected number, the Idul Adha prayer was carried out in two shifs to accommodate those who came late or those who could not get enough space to pray.

It was a good decision.

Then....even after the prayer was over, ...it was time for the to take another challenge..: taking a queue at the men's room

Then, that was not all..since I got to wait for another 1 hour or so to take my breakfast...^^

I thought that there would be something that I could eat, e.g. tempe or something: O dream on, Suray....

but....what I got were spicy eggs, cucumber and meat(?) that of course I could not enjoy since I am vegetarian.

Ok. then...it was time to settle down and relax.

Jobir and me in front of the Embassy

Oh, lets see what happened, too..today. I met my student, Aning, who's about to leave for Indonesia in two days' time. She said that she was happy since her treatment goes successfully.. She is now fully recovered from blood-related disease that had been perturbing her life so far.

She must be so pleased and thankful for having received such a warm life here.

Then, off we went home..

we were standing all the way from Daebang to HUFS stations....it's OK.

then...it was not OK.. actually simply because we needed another meal. So, we went to a restaurant to have dolseot bibimbap--my fave dish right here in Seoul.

Seoul Lantern Festival (part 3)

2011-11-06T22:08:00.001+09:00

November 5, 2011.
Saturday night for everyone.
As I put myself into jeopardy of fun and splashed myself into the realm of lights and sounds, I found it hard to let it flow. But, I got no other choices but to follow the crowds.
Taking picture...was harder than I thought it would be.
I got snugged by people who just might be so ignorant that others were present. But, hey...this was what was supposed to be happening on Saturday night..especially when the chilling breeze of Autumn night set in.
So, I might as well make myself look good in the pics...or else...it might get a little while.

no other place to go and take picture.

Eddo and Wawan

me and Eddo

Eddo and Wawan

I got a glimpse of what it was....^^before continuing my walks of another one hour to be down there.^^

Seoul Lantern Festival (part 2)

2011-11-06T21:58:00.000+09:00

Lots of sights and sounds of Korea's old and new are transformed into the brightly lighted facades of lanterns in imaginable shapes and types. Who could resist the temptation of taking pictures of every popping out cheers of fun and joys of seeing different types of lanterns within the 1.5 km long stream of Cheonggyecheong.
No one. Just take a look at these:

Now these are what I call the sights to behold. ^^

The sore feet and sore throat (due to the dust and cold weather) did not hinder people from coming into the venue.

We were so tired that we decided not to continue seeing the whole lots of lanterns.

Instead, we just returned to the gate in half way...

It turned out to be a not-so-good decision as it meant that we were going against the current influx of people....

Luckily, we managed to get out of the "Attack of the Lanterns" venue^^

Alive and roundly sound^^

Seoul Lantern Festival (part 1)

2011-11-06T21:46:00.001+09:00

What did I remember most?
A looooooong queue just to get into the venue.
I was waiting for 2.5 hours just to get into the entrance.
Lots of people were stacked(?), stuck (?), dampened (?), piled up (?) in one place....simply because there was this annual event of outlining the lanterns in the middle of the Cheonggyecheon stream. Remarkable indeed as it was.....the unthinkable number of people clamored into one place....seemed not to be a good idea to spend the weekend.^^
But, was it worth-it?
Well, oh yeah.
Simply because....I guess...it was my first time.
(Hey guys....as my friends put it-----why did not you just visit Batu Night Spectacular (BNS) in East Java while you were back home)....I guess I never had a chance to go there.
I heard that BNS is awesome in term of its sophisticated technology being applied to dazzle the spectators each night.

well, since frankly I'd never been on one before, still I could say that the spectacles were outrageously good.
People did not feel so weary or restless as the atmosphere was so nicely touched and remedied.
The best thing about this lantern festival was that...people did not notice who or whom they met...^^ It's just that the only think they could think of...was after all...a touch of strange feeling....

gosh..I am so spleeyp that I could not og.....^^