The lights lightened up the night

Still around Doota Tower @ Dongdaemun.

the trees are all drenched in the sparkling lights

After taking an elevator down into the main atrium of the tower, we managed to take lots of pictures of us of course.....celebrating or enjoying the lightened up ambiance of the already vibrant vicinity in the area.

carefully posed so as not to get electrocuted:) hahaha

It was not yet X-mast or anything, but the sparkling bulb lights that dotted the main entrance or main plaza with its all imaginatively created bulb lights did impress the walkers or passers by in the area. No wonder that a lot of people did take their time to stop to take a pose or pics in front of or inside the lights--literally.
So did we.

Yahwe, Dita & Minju

Who could have resisted the temptingly decorated
 lights like these ones. Well, for some people, they may look so fake or trivial: Yet, for some like us...it was like a treasure to hunt.....since we like enjoying the atmosphere of any possibilities that sprung up upon us...even as simple as these lightened up lights in front of a mall:) ^^

Dita, Me, Ryan, Yahwe

We are the newly created circle of friends from Indonesia & Malaysia. It is a nice feeling to know that we can communicate in Malay & Indonesian language in Korea. And what's more: Korean language has also become the medium for our communication. English? Well, naturally. But the most important fun part was the time when we sort of mixed them up so as to make it gado-gado language that broke any communication barriers:)

 Minju, Dita, Yahwe, and Ryan.
Shoppers are we? Naaaaaa
Just a bunch of accidental tourists who found a niche of cool stuffs right here in Seoul.

  

냉반쫄면 Naengbanjolmyeon

냉반쫄면 or literally translated into 'chewy noodles on a tray'. Yes, that's it.

I did not know what it was or let alone how it would taste in the first place.
쫄깃쫄깃하다 (jolgit jolgithada) means 'chewy' or 'al dente'. So, this should've given me a hint what it would taste like actually.^^
I ordered it simply because it had no meat on it.
I looked at the picture and it seemed so nice and looked so delicious, especially it had lots of vegetables that go with it.
...
Ok. It was 5,500 Won or about US$ 5.
Cheap for a diner in a place like this. (Well, it was about 2,500 Won at campus:)^^
Then, here came the naengbanjolmyeon that I ordered. After a device that I got from the food stall 흔들 흔들하다 (heundeul heundeeulhada) or vibrated, I got up from my seat and went to the food stall to receive the food I ordered.
You see, there are no waitresses  or waiters whatsoever in most places in Korea, well of course there are...but not as many as we might have expected. So, that means we--the customers- should be ready to be the waiter of ourselves. A different culture.

yummy, eh?

This is it.
I tasted it first.
Then....I kinda liked it and kinda felt not sure if  I would be able to eat them all...because it was spicy and sour at the same time.
It turned out that the goju (red chili) paste was mixed with the vinegar and sesame oil. Well, that explained.
But, it was nice though...especially lots of veggies are mixed into one place (tray): carrots, cabbages, onion leaves, sprouts, and others that I did not know of:)
All in all, it was a great dinner we had.
Oh, I am sure that my wife would love to have this....it is soooooo Meity's since it tastes exactly like asinan Bogor..only that it uses the noodles instead of fruits.

Dinner @ Doota, Dongdaemun's Fashion Shopping District

Doota.
I think most of youngsters in Korea or those Seoulites must know this so-called Doota.
or..Doota Tower.
Ok. first thing first..this is the pic of Doota Tower that boasts itself to be one of the must-see fashion haven for anyone interested in Korean-style accessories and latest & hip-to-date styles.

X-mast already!

But, I am not gonna tell stories about this mall.
I just had dinner at the 7th floor of the building where a food court is widely laid out there. With a night view overlooking the crowded mass of people with the intersecting cars passing by the over crowded street in the midst of cool temperature in Autumn night, the diner could not have been better.
What's more...I was having the dinner with my new Korean friend from Korea University, my new Malaysian friends who are studying and traveling to Korea, and my student who is on a 2-week trip for both academic and leisure activities. ^^
Ok.
The fun part was that...the price is relatively + reasonably cheap for a place like this. I mean....it's not so much different from the prices at my campus. Ok, then.
The interesting part was that...I could choose a lot of non-meat dishes. A big surprise for me.
The cool par was that...the ambiance of the place itself was OK-lah. ^^

Oh about my friends:
There is Minju, a Korean who is fairly fluent in Bahasa Indonesia since she learned it in Bali and Jogja. She visited Jogja twice and I got an impression that she loves it. I was surprised to know that she speaks Indonesian, especially she is not majoring in the language....for she is attending the Geography department.^^ Hmmm...
Then, there is Yahwe, a Malaysian who is currently studying Korean language at Korea University.
Then, there is a traveler, a Malaysian who on purpose came to Korea for a week or so to explore the city. His name is Ryan. He's now studying in Singapore--that's what I learned--and had this off-season period to travel to Korea. With the sophisticated camera on his shoulder all the time, he looks just like a pro photographer. It was a great advantage to have him around..coz he took indeed splendid pictures. (too bad that I haven't yet got any from him since he must not have uploaded them into the net).
Then, Dita...my student who's visiting Korea for a cultural and social visit thanks to the PAS invitation.
She seemed to be enjoying her time here.
Well....with the full stomach, we were then ready ....and heading ourselves toward Cheonggyecheon...^^
(see my entry about this...)

Dondaemun 동대문

This is the first time ever that I took the picture of this Dongdaemun ( the Eastern great gate of Seoul City). It's not that I've never been before...it's just that...I never took the time to take this picture, yet. As of yesterday, simply out of my curiosity as to how it would turn out should I use the pudding camera app, I did it. 

Hopla, this is it. Well, incomparable to the sophisticated camera, since it was only using a cellular camera, it turned out to be quite OK for a night view.

I do not have any stories to tell about this....^^

The illuminated Dongdaemun

Pudding Camera

Just installed it last week.
Used it for the first time when I was visiting Suwon Haenggung.
Now that I have this app I can--sort of--take pictures in places or time that I could not dare to imagine^^ ( a bit boisterous talk)^^
So, this is what happened when I like trying new stuffs on the phone.

cat captured

The other day I was chatting with my kids back home; and an idea of taking their pictures with the app came to my mind.
What happened then was these pictures

 Using some of the features that enable us to take picture in serious timely manner and in a try-and-see-what-may-come up type of chances: the silly pictures and all...

Chocolate Drink & Peanuts

Yes, two things that I cannot separate myself from...
I just had this from my wife who sent me from Jogjakarta.
Oh, what a great treat in this chilling weather. I mean...the Cadbury Hot Chocolate Drink is really 'me'
I love having it every night.

Best with: peanuts, biscuits, crackers, or any other snacks.
and...the peanut is not an average one since it is honeyed-roasted peanuts^^
Kacang Madu Nurnajah. the brand is not that well known but for me....it is, that's what I like about the peanuts.

The Claw

The claw reminds me of Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 3.
But, I am not going to talk about those movies.
I was just passing by a sidewalk near my campus when I saw this seemingly ordinary-looking 'The Claw' machine.

But, when we take a look closer at it:
....the claw is so small that I could not believe how I can get the biggest doll available there?
...........What's the point of putting it all in the first place?
 ....................That's why it is a bit funny.
..............................I like the angry birds and Smurfs scattered there....as if they are ready to be clawed.

Dried Rambutan

Never had I been this excited of seeing Rambutan.
But, not the one in my hand (as seen in the picture) which is already dry or dried.
It was freshly picked from the table hotel of Seoul Olympic Parktel when I had dinner for PAS event last week. Well, it is relatively expensive to find any fruits in Korea.
I guess because it was mid Autumn and facing Winter. But, wait..is that the reason as to why it is expensive to buy fruits in here?

I can't answer and argue with that.
So, I brought it home and put it into the pocket of my jacket...until I forgot having it.
The few days afterwards, I just realized that I put it there......
But....too bad...or funnily....I had the jacket laundered.
Out of my curiosity as to whether the laundered jacket would jeopardize the colors of other fabrics.
I checked the whole t-shirts :laundering and  do damage was done.
Although its shape and color did fade, it still retain the original color.
It's a good thing that this rambutan did not do any harm t the familyu?

Pizza, anyone?

It turned out that Pizza is more than just Pizza Hut in Seoul.
It has transcended into more than just a pizza. Well, traditionally added ingredients dotted the maze of pizza-hut like shops in Korea--at least in Seoul where I live.
Mr. Pizza(?), Papa John's, Seoul Pizza, Domino (for sure), Seoul Cheese Pizza..and more of seemingly endless choices of pizza houses.

Lunch = Pizza (?) ^^

So, this time around, we went to a nearby pizza house just behind our language institute.
This time, we went with our sonsaengnim who treated us with lots of pizza.
I love it since this shop offers three kinds of veggie pizzas--a haven for a vegetarian like me.
The potato, cheese, and vegetable pizzas are already in the agenda of my next visit.
What's more: it's comparatively cheap, for it costs only 6,000 Won or about US$ 6 for a medium-size one--which turned out to be enough for 2 or 3 people.
Ok. Done that. Been there.

Phombies (Phone Zombies) ^^*

I am having the vague feeling that something hasn't really happened until I post it to Facebook or my Blog.
Oh NO......I'm addicted.


* http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/30/opinion/greene-smart-phone-addiction/index.html