Ok, i know this blog is more than 2 months late. But better than never mah. Heh.
Just in case you don't know, as the title suggests, Bonny was in Seoul some time in Sep!
Here's what i have captured!]
Prologue
I think the first inspiration came last December when I was on my usual daily chat with Jer.
Couldn’t recall the context but the idea was to go on a holiday and Seoul seemed to be a good suggestion since there’s where he is located.
Due to the shortage of funds, the plan was put off months after months but it remained as a strong yearning at the back of my mind.
I just wanted to go on a holiday!
It’s pretty strange but for the first time, I was so motivated to go on a holiday all by myself.
Hence I didn’t attempt to explore a travel companion throughout the pending months.
Once in a while, I’ll look up for the places I could visit in Seoul and Tour2Korea became my favourite site.
I would paint an image on how I was like walking on the streets of Seoul city but not plunging too deep in order not to raise too high a hope.
I was seriously desperate for a break.
A good break to do whatever I want, own time own target, experience new things and spend time with God.
I knew I wanted a holiday that was totally different from the previous ones I had.
And so after months of waiting, I finally managed to pounce on the immediate chance I had when the big bonus came in July.
I was thrilled when I began to see the image I painted becoming a reality.
So I settled the dates with Jer, got my air ticket which was a good deal with one last seat left, and I was all ready to fly!
Two weeks before my departure, I had a mad time at work and church.
I just couldn’t find the time to draft my itinerary.
All I did was to merely print out the information on the specific place which I’ve identified previously, grabbed the Korea Tourist Guide book which I’ve gotten from KNTO, along with the Seoul map and off I went.
This was so un-Bonny I tell you.
Ok after the background, I’m ready to start on my travelogue!
Thanks for your patience huh. =p
Day of departure
On the day of departure, I took the afternoon off since my flight was in the evening.
Even till I got to the airport at about 6pm, I didn’t feel uber excited that I’m going on a holiday. Being a easily-thrilled person, this was unsual.
When I thought I was going to 孤孤单单一个人 board the plane, Koko and Persi came to my rescue!
How sweet of them. This is SISTERHOOD!
So I got my chance of turning back to wave at the immigration counter. Drama sia.
Then reality hit. Oh my goodness…I couldn’t believe I was really going alone!
I went straight to the boarding gate and I realized, an independent traveler would indeed attract more attention when people started striking conversations with me.
Especially when I obviously didn’t look like a business traveler.
So I thought I’d better don’t look sua-ku and try to look confident.
After passing through the security check, i confidently found a seat, confidently took out my book and mp3 and confidently started reading, ignoring the world around me.
Then I thought "jia lart, sekali the PA system announce a change in my flight or anything that’s of my concern and I can’t hear coz I had my mp3 on and I miss my flight, THEN HOW??!!"
With that in mind, I calmly plugged the ear pieces from my ears, giving that “aiyoh no battery already” look, while hoping that nobody would notice.
Kia-si Bonny on the go.
After a while, I was safely belted on my seat onboard of Thai Airways (TG).
It was my first trip with TG. The crew was friendly and the meal was decent.
Quite pleased.
Slightly more than 2 hours later, I landed on Suvarnabhumi Airport at Bangkok for a transit.
I was eager to view the new Suvarnabhumi Airport since it started operating in September last year.
It was definitely better than the old one but as a NEW airport, it seemed to be kinda under-furnished interiorly.
The cemented walls and the signages printed on A4-sized paper looked rather shabby.
It was huge and a lot of parking lots for the planes but many of them were not in operation.
Taking into account of my returning transit, I was transported 3 out of 4 times by a coach from the boarding gate to the aircraft, to and fro. Strange ey.
In any case, the exterior looked good though.
Anyway, this was when my first booboo happened.
I had about an hour to catch another international flight to Seoul.
Given the vastness of the new airport and my first flight transit in my life [don't tell people hor =p], it meant that I had to sprint [for my pace] from the arrival hall to the departure hall.
As my legs were moving, my eyes were fixed above, anxiously in search of the international transit signage.
Really not say I want to say, the signages were uber confusing loh!
The instructions were uber unclear and the arrows were everywhere!
The patrolling airport staff were rather hostile when I approached them as well.
When I finally found the correct signage to follow, I was so focused that i went on the OPPOSITE direction on the travelator.
"Gi-gong Gi-gong"!!!! I jerked forward aggressively, thank God I didn’t fall.
I quickly regained my cool and scrambled to the one with the right direction, without looking back at all.
The ang mor guys behind me went “Awwww ouch!”
Pai sei like mad can! So much of a CONFIDENT independent traveler.
Fortunately I managed to arrive at the next boarding gate 20min before departure.
Tip of the day: Plan at least 2 hours for transit if you are unfamiliar with the airport, especially when you are alone!
For the next 6 hours, I was confined to the economy class seat with discomfort and exhaustion.
Nehmind! Fun is on the way!
Woohoo!!!!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Hi Seoul!!!
It was about 7.35am when I arrived at Incheon Airport, Seoul. Zombified.
I was stranded at the baggage claim area for a while as I wasn’t aware that I had to fill an arrival declaration form.
Fortunately it didn’t take long for me to realize a counter with several languages of the SAME form.
Please lor, only the Korean version was distributed onboard. How did I know that it came in different language?
Tip of the day: You’ll have to complete a declaration form upon arrival and do request for a English declaration form onboard when they are distributing the Korean one.
At about 8am, I finally saw a man dressed in a bright-orange Tshirt before me. =D
JER!!!!!
He woke up at 6am and traveled an hour to the airport to pick me and even took his last remaining day of leave k.
Where to find a friend like that? Heh.
We took a limousine coach and traveled for an hour to the city airport bus terminal near COEX before taking a cab to my apartment.
Human Starville Apartment Yeoksam would be my temporary home for the next 5 days.
By the time we checked in, it was already 10.30am and I was zonked out.
I didn’t sleep onboard remember?
I had to nap loh.
休息是为了走更长远的路嘛! =p
It was 2pm when we finally left the apartment and I was already starving.
The nearest train station to my apartment was Yeoksam station which was a 10min-walk away.
My first meal in Seoul was at this lil store at Samgseong station, 2 stops away from Yeoksam.
His godbro brought him there when he was visiting his car mechanic nearby.
It was typical Korean cuisine with rice, a few lil dishes, 2 spicy soups and a fried fish.
Yummy!!! I love Korean food!!!
After lunch, it started to drizzle and hence we decided to go somewhere indoor.
COEX Mall!
Just think of Suntec City. Almost similar.
On the ground floor and above, it was the convention centre for some international business affairs.
Upon entering to the basement, it was a totally different world.
It was like 80% of the visitors in the building were all gathered at the basement with all the fanciful shops.
Mainly the cutesey Sanrio-kinda shops, restaurants, cafes and high-end shopping.
Not exactly of my liking but when I saw Hyun Bin’s gigantic poster, I was almost blown away.
I almost died ok!!! So huge [the poster] so HANDSOME!!!!
Jer wished he could camouflage his face while helping me with the multiple snapping on my cammy.
Cannot leh. I couldn’t resist myself. =p
I would rather be pai sei for a while than to regret forever. =p
Above all, I noticed an unusual phenomenon at this place.
I kept receiving stares from the Korean girls who walked past and those were HARD stares ok.
It was as though they were up to challenge me upfront.
One or two, I could be just sensitive. Not when the third, fourth, fifth and sixth girl greeted me with their stares too.
And some really had the kiam-pa face whom really deserved the “diao si mi diao??” from me.
But Bonny is no ah-lian.
Jer told me it’s a norm coz it’s in their culture.
A culture to stare at people?? Not exactly.
Some Korean girls, usually the uber chio ones, have a habit of comparing their dressing and make-up with one another and they won’t take it positively should they see another girl better looking than them.
Oh clarification…not that Bonny was better looking than them and I’ll never be. Those babes were chioz man.
The reason was because, I was walking with a young man.
They perceived that when a girl and a guy were seen walking together, it equated to them as a dating couple.
I guess it’s also the case here back home but we were more discreet and they, more direct.
In our case, they might have mistaken as a couple and perhaps they were curious about Jer’s taste. Hahaha…
So interesting.
Ok back to our itinerary.
I tell you I seriously can’t walk for a bit.
After about an hour, I was already tired and we ended up at Café Pascucci.
I think it’s really popular among the locals as there were 2 huge outlets that were less than 500m apart.
I perceived it to be well-received if it’s in Singapore too.
Well-furnished, modern, cosy.
After ordering a drink at the counter, the cashier would issue a pager to the customers and when the drink is ready, they would page for the respective customer to collect it.
So cute hor.
After the White Chocolate Mocha, my throat rebelled and I started coughing.
At around 6pm, we proceeded to Gangnam (2 train stations away from COEX) to have dinner with Jer’s friends.
We had Samgyup-sal which was like some barbeque spicy pork, wrapped with lettuce, garlic and chilli sauce.
I was determined to try this cuisine even before the trip.
It’s uber tasty loh!!!!
There were instances when I attempted to stuff too much meat into 1 leaf and it was a bit hard to squeeze the chunk into my teensy-weensy mouth. =p
It was a LUXURY to chew on the leafy meat and sip on beer at the same time.
Who cares about demureness man?
Oh i tried a bit of Soju as well. You know that transparent alcohol that you commonly see in Korean dramas?
It tasted like a mixture of brandy and vodka and it's very bitter. I decided that I should just stick to biru.
After dinner, we headed to a pub down the road and continued with the night.
The Koreans can really drink sia. It’s common for them to hang out after work and pour their sorrows over drinks till the wee hours.
I like that idea actually, except to replace the drink with coffee and no need till wee hours lah.
Quite therapeutic.
Unfortunately I was coughing badly after the barbeque dinner and thus, I had to settle for only orange juice and ocha. =(
Initially, I was a lil nervous to meet Jer’s friends as the decision was kinda sudden.
But I was glad that they turned out to be really fun and hospitable!
I didn’t have much difficulty clicking with them at all and they were constantly checking and making sure that I wasn’t bored.
Very warm people. I really had an enjoyable time chatting with them and laughing over their jokes.
I wish I could see them again.
We ended the night just after midnight before Jer and i walked back to the apartment.
A good start for the trip... =D
I was stranded at the baggage claim area for a while as I wasn’t aware that I had to fill an arrival declaration form.
Fortunately it didn’t take long for me to realize a counter with several languages of the SAME form.
Please lor, only the Korean version was distributed onboard. How did I know that it came in different language?
Tip of the day: You’ll have to complete a declaration form upon arrival and do request for a English declaration form onboard when they are distributing the Korean one.
At about 8am, I finally saw a man dressed in a bright-orange Tshirt before me. =D
JER!!!!!
He woke up at 6am and traveled an hour to the airport to pick me and even took his last remaining day of leave k.
Where to find a friend like that? Heh.
We took a limousine coach and traveled for an hour to the city airport bus terminal near COEX before taking a cab to my apartment.
Human Starville Apartment Yeoksam would be my temporary home for the next 5 days.
By the time we checked in, it was already 10.30am and I was zonked out.
I didn’t sleep onboard remember?
I had to nap loh.
休息是为了走更长远的路嘛! =p
It was 2pm when we finally left the apartment and I was already starving.
The nearest train station to my apartment was Yeoksam station which was a 10min-walk away.
My first meal in Seoul was at this lil store at Samgseong station, 2 stops away from Yeoksam.
His godbro brought him there when he was visiting his car mechanic nearby.
It was typical Korean cuisine with rice, a few lil dishes, 2 spicy soups and a fried fish.
Yummy!!! I love Korean food!!!
After lunch, it started to drizzle and hence we decided to go somewhere indoor.
COEX Mall!
Just think of Suntec City. Almost similar.
On the ground floor and above, it was the convention centre for some international business affairs.
Upon entering to the basement, it was a totally different world.
It was like 80% of the visitors in the building were all gathered at the basement with all the fanciful shops.
Mainly the cutesey Sanrio-kinda shops, restaurants, cafes and high-end shopping.
Not exactly of my liking but when I saw Hyun Bin’s gigantic poster, I was almost blown away.
I almost died ok!!! So huge [the poster] so HANDSOME!!!!
Jer wished he could camouflage his face while helping me with the multiple snapping on my cammy.
Cannot leh. I couldn’t resist myself. =p
I would rather be pai sei for a while than to regret forever. =p
Above all, I noticed an unusual phenomenon at this place.
I kept receiving stares from the Korean girls who walked past and those were HARD stares ok.
It was as though they were up to challenge me upfront.
One or two, I could be just sensitive. Not when the third, fourth, fifth and sixth girl greeted me with their stares too.
And some really had the kiam-pa face whom really deserved the “diao si mi diao??” from me.
But Bonny is no ah-lian.
Jer told me it’s a norm coz it’s in their culture.
A culture to stare at people?? Not exactly.
Some Korean girls, usually the uber chio ones, have a habit of comparing their dressing and make-up with one another and they won’t take it positively should they see another girl better looking than them.
Oh clarification…not that Bonny was better looking than them and I’ll never be. Those babes were chioz man.
The reason was because, I was walking with a young man.
They perceived that when a girl and a guy were seen walking together, it equated to them as a dating couple.
I guess it’s also the case here back home but we were more discreet and they, more direct.
In our case, they might have mistaken as a couple and perhaps they were curious about Jer’s taste. Hahaha…
So interesting.
Ok back to our itinerary.
I tell you I seriously can’t walk for a bit.
After about an hour, I was already tired and we ended up at Café Pascucci.
I think it’s really popular among the locals as there were 2 huge outlets that were less than 500m apart.
I perceived it to be well-received if it’s in Singapore too.
Well-furnished, modern, cosy.
After ordering a drink at the counter, the cashier would issue a pager to the customers and when the drink is ready, they would page for the respective customer to collect it.
So cute hor.
After the White Chocolate Mocha, my throat rebelled and I started coughing.
At around 6pm, we proceeded to Gangnam (2 train stations away from COEX) to have dinner with Jer’s friends.
We had Samgyup-sal which was like some barbeque spicy pork, wrapped with lettuce, garlic and chilli sauce.
I was determined to try this cuisine even before the trip.
It’s uber tasty loh!!!!
There were instances when I attempted to stuff too much meat into 1 leaf and it was a bit hard to squeeze the chunk into my teensy-weensy mouth. =p
It was a LUXURY to chew on the leafy meat and sip on beer at the same time.
Who cares about demureness man?
Oh i tried a bit of Soju as well. You know that transparent alcohol that you commonly see in Korean dramas?
It tasted like a mixture of brandy and vodka and it's very bitter. I decided that I should just stick to biru.
After dinner, we headed to a pub down the road and continued with the night.
The Koreans can really drink sia. It’s common for them to hang out after work and pour their sorrows over drinks till the wee hours.
I like that idea actually, except to replace the drink with coffee and no need till wee hours lah.
Quite therapeutic.
Unfortunately I was coughing badly after the barbeque dinner and thus, I had to settle for only orange juice and ocha. =(
Initially, I was a lil nervous to meet Jer’s friends as the decision was kinda sudden.
But I was glad that they turned out to be really fun and hospitable!
I didn’t have much difficulty clicking with them at all and they were constantly checking and making sure that I wasn’t bored.
Very warm people. I really had an enjoyable time chatting with them and laughing over their jokes.
I wish I could see them again.
We ended the night just after midnight before Jer and i walked back to the apartment.
A good start for the trip... =D
Day 2 ~ Myeong-dong, N Seoul Tower
After a refreshing 8-hour sleep, I woke up at around 10am naturally.
To me, holiday should be like this and not dreadfully waking up at 7 in the morning to do sightseeing with 20 others.
My companion for the day was Co Seng, my secondary schoolmate.
It was a few weeks before my departure that I realized he was currently doing an exchange programme in one of the universities in Seoul.
It’s strange coz we didn’t get to hang out back home since like 10 years ago.
But now we were meeting in a foreign land. Hah.
It’s nice.
We had arranged to meet noon at Myeong-dong train station, approximately 40min from Yeoksam.
We found a restaurant that specialized in Andong Jjimdak along the street of Myeong-dong.
Andong Jjimdak is a mixture of chicken thigh meat, big pieces of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, fried with dried chilli and also tang-hoon.
It’s huge man! Easily could serve 4 hungry people.
But Co Seng and I represented 2 hungry people each. Heh.
It’s uber yummilicious I tell ya.
The chicken was so tender and richly flavoured with the sauce and I love the tang-hoon and potatoes!
The sauce went extremely well with steamed rice loh.
My tummy almost exploded after the meal.
Not cheap though. The huge plate of Andong Jjimdak and 2 bowls of steamed rice added to about SGD50.
After the satisfying meal, we headed to our next destination, N Seoul Tower!
According to the KNTO website, it said it’s a “30-min casual walk” from Myeong-dong to Mt Namsan, where the tower is located.
The instruction in the site was so clear that it even illustrated with pictures of the staircases and buildings along the way.
If like that still can get lost, then really win liao.
BUT!!!! The word “casual” was a LIE!
It was a constant 45-degree upward slope throughout the journey can! No joke!
I almost died loh!!!
By the time we arrived at the cable car station [to go up to the tower], I was drenched in perspiration.
It didn’t help when I had to constantly hold onto my dress with the strong wind on the mountain. What a big mistake!
Tip of the day: Walk only if you are really mentally-prepared and in appropriate dressing.
If not, just take a cab! [It was only later that Jer said we could take a cab. Wah liao!]
The cable car was the only transport to go up to the tower and it cost about SGD11 for a return ticket.
Actually the reason that I went was because Samsoon and Samshi took the cable car in the drama. Kekeke.
But before I could dwell on the scenes in the drama, we’ve reached the destination as it was just a short 2-min ride only loh. Duh…
Up on the top of Mt Namsan, we got a good panoramic view of Seoul city. I’m sure it’ll be more captivating in the night.
As the temperature got lower with the increase in altitude, the wind got stronger too.
Lovely! It just got me into the mood. =)
No wonder it’s a popular place among the couples.
They even have symbolic lovers lock latched to the metal railings on the viewing gallery.
We bought the tickets (appx SGD11) and proceeded to the 3rd floor of the tower via the elevator.
3rd floor is the N Seoul Tower observatory, which overlooks Seoul city in 360 degrees.
At each glass panel, it shows a destination and the distance it is supposed to be situated.
For example, Singapore can be 5,634.56km away at a particular glass panel.
Not sure about the accuracy though. Hah.
I’m very sure it will be much more beautiful after sunset.
It was almost 5pm when we got back to Myeong-dong and we settled for tea at O’sulloc Teahouse.
I was attracted to this lil teahouse by just reading and viewing the pictures on the net and I was determined to pay them a visit.
It is a double-storey teahouse that specializes in exquisite green tea desserts.
The teahouse is situated along the main shopping street and pretty near to the subway, thus locating it, was a breeze.
Upon entering the ground level, I was drawn to the display of the wide range of dessert.
The waitress led us to the 2nd level and I requested for the window seats straight away.
Both of us ordered the green tea tiramisu and green tea ice cream smoothie set and I was blown away with the thick layer of green tea powder on the cake!
I love that bittery-sweet taste!
The ice cream smoothie was on the other hand rich and thirst-quenching.
Lovely combi.
Therapeutic people-watch from the 2nd floor.
Soothing ambience.
Nice company.
Delicious dessert.
Don’t bluff that you are not envious!
Unfortunately, we had to rush to the shops before dinner.
Within 2 hours, my wallet was damaged by 3 chains, 3 pairs of earrings, 2 handbags and some cosmetics.
At about 8, I bade Co Seng farewell and took a train back to Gangnam to meet up with Jer.
I had to ask for a non-korean meal as I was coughing badly. Don’t think the chilli would do me any good.
We explored down the stretch and decided for pizza at Fresco.
The pumpkin shrimp pizza and carbonara were satisfying.
But nothing compared to the “Mr Lopez” episode. Haha…private joke private joke.
Nobody on the street could miss our hysterical laughter as we made our way back to the apartment.
Went to bed at 11, happy... =)
To me, holiday should be like this and not dreadfully waking up at 7 in the morning to do sightseeing with 20 others.
My companion for the day was Co Seng, my secondary schoolmate.
It was a few weeks before my departure that I realized he was currently doing an exchange programme in one of the universities in Seoul.
It’s strange coz we didn’t get to hang out back home since like 10 years ago.
But now we were meeting in a foreign land. Hah.
It’s nice.
We had arranged to meet noon at Myeong-dong train station, approximately 40min from Yeoksam.
We found a restaurant that specialized in Andong Jjimdak along the street of Myeong-dong.
Andong Jjimdak is a mixture of chicken thigh meat, big pieces of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, fried with dried chilli and also tang-hoon.
It’s huge man! Easily could serve 4 hungry people.
But Co Seng and I represented 2 hungry people each. Heh.
It’s uber yummilicious I tell ya.
The chicken was so tender and richly flavoured with the sauce and I love the tang-hoon and potatoes!
The sauce went extremely well with steamed rice loh.
My tummy almost exploded after the meal.
Not cheap though. The huge plate of Andong Jjimdak and 2 bowls of steamed rice added to about SGD50.
After the satisfying meal, we headed to our next destination, N Seoul Tower!
According to the KNTO website, it said it’s a “30-min casual walk” from Myeong-dong to Mt Namsan, where the tower is located.
The instruction in the site was so clear that it even illustrated with pictures of the staircases and buildings along the way.
If like that still can get lost, then really win liao.
BUT!!!! The word “casual” was a LIE!
It was a constant 45-degree upward slope throughout the journey can! No joke!
I almost died loh!!!
By the time we arrived at the cable car station [to go up to the tower], I was drenched in perspiration.
It didn’t help when I had to constantly hold onto my dress with the strong wind on the mountain. What a big mistake!
Tip of the day: Walk only if you are really mentally-prepared and in appropriate dressing.
If not, just take a cab! [It was only later that Jer said we could take a cab. Wah liao!]
The cable car was the only transport to go up to the tower and it cost about SGD11 for a return ticket.
Actually the reason that I went was because Samsoon and Samshi took the cable car in the drama. Kekeke.
But before I could dwell on the scenes in the drama, we’ve reached the destination as it was just a short 2-min ride only loh. Duh…
Up on the top of Mt Namsan, we got a good panoramic view of Seoul city. I’m sure it’ll be more captivating in the night.
As the temperature got lower with the increase in altitude, the wind got stronger too.
Lovely! It just got me into the mood. =)
No wonder it’s a popular place among the couples.
They even have symbolic lovers lock latched to the metal railings on the viewing gallery.
We bought the tickets (appx SGD11) and proceeded to the 3rd floor of the tower via the elevator.
3rd floor is the N Seoul Tower observatory, which overlooks Seoul city in 360 degrees.
At each glass panel, it shows a destination and the distance it is supposed to be situated.
For example, Singapore can be 5,634.56km away at a particular glass panel.
Not sure about the accuracy though. Hah.
I’m very sure it will be much more beautiful after sunset.
It was almost 5pm when we got back to Myeong-dong and we settled for tea at O’sulloc Teahouse.
I was attracted to this lil teahouse by just reading and viewing the pictures on the net and I was determined to pay them a visit.
It is a double-storey teahouse that specializes in exquisite green tea desserts.
The teahouse is situated along the main shopping street and pretty near to the subway, thus locating it, was a breeze.
Upon entering the ground level, I was drawn to the display of the wide range of dessert.
The waitress led us to the 2nd level and I requested for the window seats straight away.
Both of us ordered the green tea tiramisu and green tea ice cream smoothie set and I was blown away with the thick layer of green tea powder on the cake!
I love that bittery-sweet taste!
The ice cream smoothie was on the other hand rich and thirst-quenching.
Lovely combi.
Therapeutic people-watch from the 2nd floor.
Soothing ambience.
Nice company.
Delicious dessert.
Don’t bluff that you are not envious!
Unfortunately, we had to rush to the shops before dinner.
Within 2 hours, my wallet was damaged by 3 chains, 3 pairs of earrings, 2 handbags and some cosmetics.
At about 8, I bade Co Seng farewell and took a train back to Gangnam to meet up with Jer.
I had to ask for a non-korean meal as I was coughing badly. Don’t think the chilli would do me any good.
We explored down the stretch and decided for pizza at Fresco.
The pumpkin shrimp pizza and carbonara were satisfying.
But nothing compared to the “Mr Lopez” episode. Haha…private joke private joke.
Nobody on the street could miss our hysterical laughter as we made our way back to the apartment.
Went to bed at 11, happy... =)
Day 3 ~ Ewha, Apgujeong
Finally it’s Bonny’s One-Man-Show today! Woohoo!!!
Since it was OTOT that day, I got up at 11 and left the apartment at 1. Hah.
My destination for the day was to E-dae Ap in front of Ewha Woman’s University, about an hour’s train journey from Yeoksam.
By the third day, I was already quite comfortable with the initial unfamiliar city and I habitually fell asleep during the train ride.
All of a sudden, I was awakened by a commotion.
At the next cabin, there was an ajashi [uncle], with a forehead torch light, speaking at the top of his voice, as though he was making an important announcement.
“Jia lart! Technician ah??? Train got problem??? Is he evacuating us???”
My eyes were fixed on him as he approached nearer, pulling a trolley behind him.
It was then I realized he was a salesman of forehead torch lights. Duh…Scare me.
Apparently soliciting is allowed in the trains in Seoul.
Not long after the ajashi left, an ajuma [auntie] came along with her trolley of English songs cds and a player.
Wow…amusing.
Upon arriving at E-dae Ap, I fell in love with the lil town instantly.
The shops were mostly 2 to 3- storeys high and they stood quite closely to one another.
In between 2 facing rows of shops was a narrow one-way street whereby vehicles could only enter single-file through to the university.
Alongside the street was beautified with pots of pretty flowers and they just made the town prettier.
As it was already passed 2, I was famished to the ultimate.
I found this cute lil shop and was attracted by the antique piano and ornaments displayed by the window.
Despite not knowing what exactly was the shop selling, I decided that I should lunch.
Just too lovely!
Ciro [its name] was actually a lil pizza café and from the photo on the piano, I assumed that the boss received his culinary skill in France and I was glad that the boss was able to converse in English.
I ordered a serving of fungi pizza and hot red tea. Pretty decent. Even the pickles.
I was never a fan of pickles and I would usually request for my cheeseburger to go without. But I just love Korean pickles!
As I admire the view of youthful student-shoppers from the window of the café with the background of Spanish music, I could almost drown in the atmosphere of tranquility.
It was just way beyond what I could describe.
This is life.
When I decided that I should get going, it was almost 3.
So I moved at my leisure pace, taking pleasure in every step.
Oh I finally saw Beauty Credit!!!! It’s a cosmetic shop with Hyun Bin as their spokesman!
Haiyoh….i wish I could exclaim aloud at his posters.
I knew I would regret if I were to leave the shop empty handed.
Out of the basket of beauty products I bought, my favourite was the pressed powder as it had a uber sweet and dainty box. Kekeke…
Boy, the town was not as lil as I thought loh. There were many lanes and within each was many many small alleys.
And they were non-flat roads k! Meaning…slopes lah!
So after an hour or so, I punctured and landed at Paris Croissant café.
I was attracted by the wide variety of cakes and pastries and of course the coziness.
After ordering a Irish Cream Tiramisu and Ice Mocha, I spent the next 2 hours jotting, reading, snapping and people-watching.
While looking at a pair of tai-tais ahead of me, I wish I could marry a husband like theirs. Haha.
I started to feel a bit bored at 5ish and thought perhaps I could visit a palace but later saw in the guide book that it closed at 6. Oops…
Since I would only meet Jer 7 at Apgujeong, I decided to just alight at Euljiro station which was along the way.
Oh you have to understand that shopping is almost everywhere in the city of Seoul.
It’s just a matter of which is your favourite. Mine was Myeong-dong which I covered the day before. Oh and of course E-dae Ap. Hah.
Euljiro district was actually across Myeong-dong but instead of small shops, it had all the mega shopping malls such as Lotte Shopping Centre.
The malls generally carry big fashion brands, somewhat similar to Takashimaya.
Hmm…not my type.
But as I was casually window-shopping, I got a call from work and the caller was uber 不识相. Despite telling her that I was overseas, she carried on with her queries which were trivial and general. Wah liao…win already.
I didn’t realize I had actually lost my way while on the phone with her.
Fortunately, I managed to find a train station which was 2 stops away from Euljiro.
Oh the train stations were in close proximity with one another so no worries even if you lost your way.
My next destination was Apgujeong!
Jer brought me to a restaurant which was recommended by his colleague to have dinner.
Trusting that it should be good, I agreed to the 20min walk.
The restaurant, named Apgujeong Centre, specialized in Samgyup-tang aka Ginseng chicken soup.
Hmm…sorry to repeat but it was…D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!!
I was totally awed by the uber unimpressive transparent soup.
The flavour was so rich can!
Recalling the tasteless one I had during my tour-leading trip 5 years ago, fwah…this one was crazy.
To complete the meal, the glutinous rice stuffed in the chicken’s stomach was just perfect.
It didn’t take too long before I [dried] emptied the bowl. Heh.
Don’t say 20min, if it’s 1hour, I would also walk!
Ok this is exaggeration. =p
After dinner, we spent some time in Apgujeong which was also known at the Rodeo Street.
Quite happening, a lot of youngsters and the structures were pretty americanized.
It’s more like a chill-out place than shopping I felt.
As Jer suggested, it had a slight resemblance to our Holland Village.
Quite atas, hence it didn’t take us long before we covered the precinct.
With that, my Bonny’s mini-escapade ended in delight. =)
But my poor pinky toes...
Tip of the day: Slippers will spare your feet from the walking.
Since it was OTOT that day, I got up at 11 and left the apartment at 1. Hah.
My destination for the day was to E-dae Ap in front of Ewha Woman’s University, about an hour’s train journey from Yeoksam.
By the third day, I was already quite comfortable with the initial unfamiliar city and I habitually fell asleep during the train ride.
All of a sudden, I was awakened by a commotion.
At the next cabin, there was an ajashi [uncle], with a forehead torch light, speaking at the top of his voice, as though he was making an important announcement.
“Jia lart! Technician ah??? Train got problem??? Is he evacuating us???”
My eyes were fixed on him as he approached nearer, pulling a trolley behind him.
It was then I realized he was a salesman of forehead torch lights. Duh…Scare me.
Apparently soliciting is allowed in the trains in Seoul.
Not long after the ajashi left, an ajuma [auntie] came along with her trolley of English songs cds and a player.
Wow…amusing.
Upon arriving at E-dae Ap, I fell in love with the lil town instantly.
The shops were mostly 2 to 3- storeys high and they stood quite closely to one another.
In between 2 facing rows of shops was a narrow one-way street whereby vehicles could only enter single-file through to the university.
Alongside the street was beautified with pots of pretty flowers and they just made the town prettier.
As it was already passed 2, I was famished to the ultimate.
I found this cute lil shop and was attracted by the antique piano and ornaments displayed by the window.
Despite not knowing what exactly was the shop selling, I decided that I should lunch.
Just too lovely!
Ciro [its name] was actually a lil pizza café and from the photo on the piano, I assumed that the boss received his culinary skill in France and I was glad that the boss was able to converse in English.
I ordered a serving of fungi pizza and hot red tea. Pretty decent. Even the pickles.
I was never a fan of pickles and I would usually request for my cheeseburger to go without. But I just love Korean pickles!
As I admire the view of youthful student-shoppers from the window of the café with the background of Spanish music, I could almost drown in the atmosphere of tranquility.
It was just way beyond what I could describe.
This is life.
When I decided that I should get going, it was almost 3.
So I moved at my leisure pace, taking pleasure in every step.
Oh I finally saw Beauty Credit!!!! It’s a cosmetic shop with Hyun Bin as their spokesman!
Haiyoh….i wish I could exclaim aloud at his posters.
I knew I would regret if I were to leave the shop empty handed.
Out of the basket of beauty products I bought, my favourite was the pressed powder as it had a uber sweet and dainty box. Kekeke…
Boy, the town was not as lil as I thought loh. There were many lanes and within each was many many small alleys.
And they were non-flat roads k! Meaning…slopes lah!
So after an hour or so, I punctured and landed at Paris Croissant café.
I was attracted by the wide variety of cakes and pastries and of course the coziness.
After ordering a Irish Cream Tiramisu and Ice Mocha, I spent the next 2 hours jotting, reading, snapping and people-watching.
While looking at a pair of tai-tais ahead of me, I wish I could marry a husband like theirs. Haha.
I started to feel a bit bored at 5ish and thought perhaps I could visit a palace but later saw in the guide book that it closed at 6. Oops…
Since I would only meet Jer 7 at Apgujeong, I decided to just alight at Euljiro station which was along the way.
Oh you have to understand that shopping is almost everywhere in the city of Seoul.
It’s just a matter of which is your favourite. Mine was Myeong-dong which I covered the day before. Oh and of course E-dae Ap. Hah.
Euljiro district was actually across Myeong-dong but instead of small shops, it had all the mega shopping malls such as Lotte Shopping Centre.
The malls generally carry big fashion brands, somewhat similar to Takashimaya.
Hmm…not my type.
But as I was casually window-shopping, I got a call from work and the caller was uber 不识相. Despite telling her that I was overseas, she carried on with her queries which were trivial and general. Wah liao…win already.
I didn’t realize I had actually lost my way while on the phone with her.
Fortunately, I managed to find a train station which was 2 stops away from Euljiro.
Oh the train stations were in close proximity with one another so no worries even if you lost your way.
My next destination was Apgujeong!
Jer brought me to a restaurant which was recommended by his colleague to have dinner.
Trusting that it should be good, I agreed to the 20min walk.
The restaurant, named Apgujeong Centre, specialized in Samgyup-tang aka Ginseng chicken soup.
Hmm…sorry to repeat but it was…D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!!
I was totally awed by the uber unimpressive transparent soup.
The flavour was so rich can!
Recalling the tasteless one I had during my tour-leading trip 5 years ago, fwah…this one was crazy.
To complete the meal, the glutinous rice stuffed in the chicken’s stomach was just perfect.
It didn’t take too long before I [dried] emptied the bowl. Heh.
Don’t say 20min, if it’s 1hour, I would also walk!
Ok this is exaggeration. =p
After dinner, we spent some time in Apgujeong which was also known at the Rodeo Street.
Quite happening, a lot of youngsters and the structures were pretty americanized.
It’s more like a chill-out place than shopping I felt.
As Jer suggested, it had a slight resemblance to our Holland Village.
Quite atas, hence it didn’t take us long before we covered the precinct.
With that, my Bonny’s mini-escapade ended in delight. =)
But my poor pinky toes...
Tip of the day: Slippers will spare your feet from the walking.
Day 4 ~ Jer's Office, Yeouido
The plan was to go Lotte World today and by 10am, I was already awake.
Only to be dampened by the wet weather outside.
For a moment, I was a lil pleased as I could finally enjoy some chill in Seoul.
I really missed its winter man.
But I didn’t expect it to POUR can!
Hence, I had to keep myself occupied with Princess Diana’s memorial service on CNN while waiting for Jer to pop over.
When I thought I was about to pass out from starvation, Jer braved through the rain and came to my rescue at 2, with pepperoni pizza and fried chicken strips!
I think pizzas in Seoul are generally tasty. Despite it was my 3rd pizza meal, I wasn’t sick of the round-flat bread at all.
As usual it came with preserved pickles and they went with the pizza so well!
Okay…perhaps I was too hungry. =p
After the cozy lunch in my apartment, the rain was still persisting.
Without much choice, we stayed in and hooked onto Discovery till about 5 and by then, I was a lil lazy to venture out.
Jer, the workaholic had to head back to office to clear some work, so I tagged along.
I was keen to take a peep at the place Jerfought spends most of his time in anyway.
The “war zone” turned out to be rather decent and corporately furnished.
Lots of partitions and cubicles, but not sure about privacy.
Jer settled me at one of his work stations (he has 2) where I could msn and surf a bit.
It was just amazing to be physically on the other side of the msn chats I had with Jer and to taste his secret remedied 人参八宝茶.
Jay joined us in the office as well. He, too, a workaholic. Haiz.
Just when we were about to leave the office for dinner, their boss came in and I had to “hide” at the guest lounge where I could hear every single bit of their conversation.
Quite a thrill actually. Like something I used to watch in Hong Kong dramas. Heh.
However, later on, I took a picture outside the premise, right underneath the cctv. Hah.
It was 9 when we left the office.
Jay drove us to Yeouido, where he lives, for dinner.
Yeouido is an island, reclaimed from the Hangang River and it is connected by highways to Seoul city.
It’s where the main financial and political activities are carried out with the major financial center like the Korea Stock Exchange and the National Assembly.
It has the major TV stations such as Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC) and Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) as well.
Oh Jay mentioned that the place we had dinner was frequented by many tv artistes and I really bear the hope of meeting my heartthrob.
Obviously, I didn’t.
The Yeouido Full Gospel Church, the largest Protestant church in the world can also be found there. Unfortunately, i only managed to admire from outside.
After the hearty meal, we took a stroll at the Hangang River Park which was populated by many youngsters.
It seemed like a norm for them to have night-chats, sitting on mats that could be rented from the kiosks.
Across the river were the charming neon lights from the Seoul City and the Seoul Tower.
They had colourful lightings on the expressways as well and instantly lit up the inter-twining roads.
It was exceptionally soothing with the chill after the rain.
If only I could end my day like this more often.
Despite having my plan ruined by the rain and not doing much for the day, I guess I enjoyed it from the non-touristy perspective.
Not everyone will have such “privilege” ok.
Hmmm…wonder if I could go Lotte World tomorrow…
Only to be dampened by the wet weather outside.
For a moment, I was a lil pleased as I could finally enjoy some chill in Seoul.
I really missed its winter man.
But I didn’t expect it to POUR can!
Hence, I had to keep myself occupied with Princess Diana’s memorial service on CNN while waiting for Jer to pop over.
When I thought I was about to pass out from starvation, Jer braved through the rain and came to my rescue at 2, with pepperoni pizza and fried chicken strips!
I think pizzas in Seoul are generally tasty. Despite it was my 3rd pizza meal, I wasn’t sick of the round-flat bread at all.
As usual it came with preserved pickles and they went with the pizza so well!
Okay…perhaps I was too hungry. =p
After the cozy lunch in my apartment, the rain was still persisting.
Without much choice, we stayed in and hooked onto Discovery till about 5 and by then, I was a lil lazy to venture out.
Jer, the workaholic had to head back to office to clear some work, so I tagged along.
I was keen to take a peep at the place Jer
The “war zone” turned out to be rather decent and corporately furnished.
Lots of partitions and cubicles, but not sure about privacy.
Jer settled me at one of his work stations (he has 2) where I could msn and surf a bit.
It was just amazing to be physically on the other side of the msn chats I had with Jer and to taste his secret remedied 人参八宝茶.
Jay joined us in the office as well. He, too, a workaholic. Haiz.
Just when we were about to leave the office for dinner, their boss came in and I had to “hide” at the guest lounge where I could hear every single bit of their conversation.
Quite a thrill actually. Like something I used to watch in Hong Kong dramas. Heh.
However, later on, I took a picture outside the premise, right underneath the cctv. Hah.
It was 9 when we left the office.
Jay drove us to Yeouido, where he lives, for dinner.
Yeouido is an island, reclaimed from the Hangang River and it is connected by highways to Seoul city.
It’s where the main financial and political activities are carried out with the major financial center like the Korea Stock Exchange and the National Assembly.
It has the major TV stations such as Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC) and Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) as well.
Oh Jay mentioned that the place we had dinner was frequented by many tv artistes and I really bear the hope of meeting my heartthrob.
Obviously, I didn’t.
The Yeouido Full Gospel Church, the largest Protestant church in the world can also be found there. Unfortunately, i only managed to admire from outside.
After the hearty meal, we took a stroll at the Hangang River Park which was populated by many youngsters.
It seemed like a norm for them to have night-chats, sitting on mats that could be rented from the kiosks.
Across the river were the charming neon lights from the Seoul City and the Seoul Tower.
They had colourful lightings on the expressways as well and instantly lit up the inter-twining roads.
It was exceptionally soothing with the chill after the rain.
If only I could end my day like this more often.
Despite having my plan ruined by the rain and not doing much for the day, I guess I enjoyed it from the non-touristy perspective.
Not everyone will have such “privilege” ok.
Hmmm…wonder if I could go Lotte World tomorrow…
Day 5 ~ Lotte World, COEX Aquarium
Thank God that the weather was fine, if not, I would be an utter letdown.
BY RIGHT, the plan for today was to go Nami Island but due to the rain the day before, Lotte World had to be postponed to today. It means the island tour has to be forgone. Sad.
Jer was supposed to meet me at my apartment at 10am and at 1020, I’ve still not heard from him. I knew something was amiss.
Expectedly, he couldn’t part with his bed.
Without much contemplation, I decided to venture out on my on first since I was all prepared.
I left the apartment at 1030 for Jamsil Station, where Lotte World was situated.
Jamsil was only 5 train stops away from Yeoksam [where my apartment was], approximately a 11-min journey.
Jamsil Station is kinda different from the rest of the subway stations.
It’s more vibrant as the Lotte Shopping Mall is connected to the station.
Most shops weren’t ready for business except for Krispy Kreme which was busy coping with the morning shoppers, like me.
Thus, I decided to join them as well.
I selected 2 different flavours from the wide variety of donuts without realizing my Hot Mocha came with a free sugared-donut as well.
The idea is, any purchase will come with a free sugar-coated donut. Not bad hor.
But I somehow concluded that the round doughs were just too sweet for my taste buds, so I had to waste the FOC one.
After brekkie, Jer was still no where to be seen, hence I continued exploring on my own.
Managed to buy some gifts and pretty stuff for friends and myself.
Oh I got a uber cute pinkish-white cardigan for my lil Charis too! Soooo pressssy can. Later on, her mummy told me that it came at the right time as she had just lost her sweater. How divine. Keke.
It was 12ish when I finally met Jer at Krispy Kreme (again).
After a quick one, we were on our way to the long-awaited theme park!
Woohoo! Bonny was excited man.
It was drizzling a lil and we were across the Seok-Chon lake that was surrounding the theme park, deciding whether to even enter into the theme park or not, since we were unable to take any of the outdoor rides.
But not as if I was keen to take the rides in the first place, especially after Jer repeated 5 times that he’s NOT going to take any rides with me.
I reckoned since I was already there, it’s totally dumb if I just stayed at its boundary.
And so we got our tickets!
I was wowed immediately by the wonderland and for a moment, I thought my name was Alice.
I was almost floating.
Perhaps it was my first visit to a proper theme park, hence the suaku-ness lah. Heh.
It’s like a world of magic and fantasy! You just have to see the pics.
Right in the center of the indoor park, it was an ice-skating ring at the basement level.
Mind you, 80% of the skaters were NOT amateurs loh.
Even the ajumas and ajashis [ah mas and ah peks] glided like swans. I was impressed.
Oh…it was not exactly that we totally missed out all the rides. We took the World Monorail! It was a monorail in the mid-air that gave a panoramic view of Lotte World. On good weathers, it would move outdoor as well. Obviously the one I took didn’t.
Tip of the day: Your entrance ticket entitles you to a ride on the World Monorail and the Aeronauts Balloon Rides so don’t have to hunt for the ticket machine (like we did).
During the 3 hours visit, we took many photos and no joke, all of them looked so pretty with the colourful backdrop.
I had one set as the wallpaper on my pc and Mummy thought I was like some ambassador of the park. I think I could pull it off too. Hehe…
At about 4ish, we headed to our next touristy site – COEX Aquarium at COEX Mall [Samseong station, 3 stops away from Jamsil]!
It was almost similar to our Underwater World, in terms of its size and concept.
Only that it was situated within a shopping mall!
So…COEX Aquarium…a lot of fish…fish…and FISH!
Okok let me clarify…not as if I was an aqua enthusiast of something. The reason I went was because Samsoon went! Haha..
Okay Jer, please don’t kill me if you are reading this. I know we walked like crazy.
Dinner was at Sincheon [2 stops away from Samseong], near Jer’s home.
He brought me to try a local delicacy known as Dukgul-bi and it was a big frying pan with incompatible ingredients like cabbage, FRANK SAUSAGES, Korean rice cake, SPAGHETTI, sweet potatoes, PEPPERMINT leaves etc.
And all mixed and fried with chili sauce. Weird right?
Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good. Just that I wasn’t too keen on the peppermint taste.
Lastly, the meal was completed with a plate of fried Kimchi rice which was added into the frying pan and mixed with the remaining ingredients.
Throughout the meal, there was no side plates no nothing and only to dig directly from the frying pan with our spoons.
I guess it’s really the communal way of eating in the Korean culture. So cool.
After dinner, we took a long stroll through the Sports Stadium, along a gloomy yet calm path.
You know one of the most memorable parts of this trip was the strolls I took with my dear friend.
For once I could take pleasure in every step I took, without having the ultimate destination in mind.
For once I could enjoy easy conversations with a dear friend, without any agenda.
For once I could breathe slowly, without worrying if I had enough oxygen to complete the journey.
For once I did not need to start dapping on my perspiration, before it ruined my makeup.
If only I could have the REAL freedom of choice.
As we were walking, a baseball match had just ended in the stadium and the crowd was streaming into the subway.
Interestingly, many were couples. So this part of the drama serials was true. Hah.
Finally it was time for me to head back to the apartment and pack my luggage [and my emotions], to get ready the flight home the next day.
=(
BY RIGHT, the plan for today was to go Nami Island but due to the rain the day before, Lotte World had to be postponed to today. It means the island tour has to be forgone. Sad.
Jer was supposed to meet me at my apartment at 10am and at 1020, I’ve still not heard from him. I knew something was amiss.
Expectedly, he couldn’t part with his bed.
Without much contemplation, I decided to venture out on my on first since I was all prepared.
I left the apartment at 1030 for Jamsil Station, where Lotte World was situated.
Jamsil was only 5 train stops away from Yeoksam [where my apartment was], approximately a 11-min journey.
Jamsil Station is kinda different from the rest of the subway stations.
It’s more vibrant as the Lotte Shopping Mall is connected to the station.
Most shops weren’t ready for business except for Krispy Kreme which was busy coping with the morning shoppers, like me.
Thus, I decided to join them as well.
I selected 2 different flavours from the wide variety of donuts without realizing my Hot Mocha came with a free sugared-donut as well.
The idea is, any purchase will come with a free sugar-coated donut. Not bad hor.
But I somehow concluded that the round doughs were just too sweet for my taste buds, so I had to waste the FOC one.
After brekkie, Jer was still no where to be seen, hence I continued exploring on my own.
Managed to buy some gifts and pretty stuff for friends and myself.
Oh I got a uber cute pinkish-white cardigan for my lil Charis too! Soooo pressssy can. Later on, her mummy told me that it came at the right time as she had just lost her sweater. How divine. Keke.
It was 12ish when I finally met Jer at Krispy Kreme (again).
After a quick one, we were on our way to the long-awaited theme park!
Woohoo! Bonny was excited man.
It was drizzling a lil and we were across the Seok-Chon lake that was surrounding the theme park, deciding whether to even enter into the theme park or not, since we were unable to take any of the outdoor rides.
But not as if I was keen to take the rides in the first place, especially after Jer repeated 5 times that he’s NOT going to take any rides with me.
I reckoned since I was already there, it’s totally dumb if I just stayed at its boundary.
And so we got our tickets!
I was wowed immediately by the wonderland and for a moment, I thought my name was Alice.
I was almost floating.
Perhaps it was my first visit to a proper theme park, hence the suaku-ness lah. Heh.
It’s like a world of magic and fantasy! You just have to see the pics.
Right in the center of the indoor park, it was an ice-skating ring at the basement level.
Mind you, 80% of the skaters were NOT amateurs loh.
Even the ajumas and ajashis [ah mas and ah peks] glided like swans. I was impressed.
Oh…it was not exactly that we totally missed out all the rides. We took the World Monorail! It was a monorail in the mid-air that gave a panoramic view of Lotte World. On good weathers, it would move outdoor as well. Obviously the one I took didn’t.
Tip of the day: Your entrance ticket entitles you to a ride on the World Monorail and the Aeronauts Balloon Rides so don’t have to hunt for the ticket machine (like we did).
During the 3 hours visit, we took many photos and no joke, all of them looked so pretty with the colourful backdrop.
I had one set as the wallpaper on my pc and Mummy thought I was like some ambassador of the park. I think I could pull it off too. Hehe…
At about 4ish, we headed to our next touristy site – COEX Aquarium at COEX Mall [Samseong station, 3 stops away from Jamsil]!
It was almost similar to our Underwater World, in terms of its size and concept.
Only that it was situated within a shopping mall!
So…COEX Aquarium…a lot of fish…fish…and FISH!
Okok let me clarify…not as if I was an aqua enthusiast of something. The reason I went was because Samsoon went! Haha..
Okay Jer, please don’t kill me if you are reading this. I know we walked like crazy.
Dinner was at Sincheon [2 stops away from Samseong], near Jer’s home.
He brought me to try a local delicacy known as Dukgul-bi and it was a big frying pan with incompatible ingredients like cabbage, FRANK SAUSAGES, Korean rice cake, SPAGHETTI, sweet potatoes, PEPPERMINT leaves etc.
And all mixed and fried with chili sauce. Weird right?
Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good. Just that I wasn’t too keen on the peppermint taste.
Lastly, the meal was completed with a plate of fried Kimchi rice which was added into the frying pan and mixed with the remaining ingredients.
Throughout the meal, there was no side plates no nothing and only to dig directly from the frying pan with our spoons.
I guess it’s really the communal way of eating in the Korean culture. So cool.
After dinner, we took a long stroll through the Sports Stadium, along a gloomy yet calm path.
You know one of the most memorable parts of this trip was the strolls I took with my dear friend.
For once I could take pleasure in every step I took, without having the ultimate destination in mind.
For once I could enjoy easy conversations with a dear friend, without any agenda.
For once I could breathe slowly, without worrying if I had enough oxygen to complete the journey.
For once I did not need to start dapping on my perspiration, before it ruined my makeup.
If only I could have the REAL freedom of choice.
As we were walking, a baseball match had just ended in the stadium and the crowd was streaming into the subway.
Interestingly, many were couples. So this part of the drama serials was true. Hah.
Finally it was time for me to head back to the apartment and pack my luggage [and my emotions], to get ready the flight home the next day.
=(
Home..that's the end
My flight was 11am and I had to catch the 7am airport limousine coach in order not to be caught in the morning traffic.
Jer came promptly at 645 to fetch me to the coach terminal before he attends an early morning meeting at his office.
For a moment, I wondered how am I going to lug the severely overweight luggage all alone at the airport. But I guess I was too glummy to consider all these.
At the coach terminal, we took our last picture, exchanged our last words and bade each other farewell.
I boarded the coach, reluctant to believe that I had to part with my dear friend again [seemed even harder when he was the one leaving] and most importantly, the trip I planned 9 months back had come to an end.
I dropped my first tear and remained grouchy throughout the journey to the airport.
After checking in at the counter, I settled for breakfast at Gloria Jeans but completely no appetite to finish my sandwich.
I did some last minute shopping of chocolates and souvenirs at the DFS stores and plunged myself into a seat at my boarding gate, even when it was a long time before we could board.
Staring at the Thai Airways aircraft out of the window, I knew my bliss had reached its finished line.
I sent a message to Tecky and asked if I could don’t go back and he promptly replied with a “stay there lor!”. Haha…now you know why I chose to text him. At that point, you just hope to receive that kind of response.
In fact, I’ve blogged earlier about my reluctance in coming back.
I realized I didn’t really thank Jer during/after the trip.
Other than the the Korean won he had spent on me [Haha… pai sei loh. I owe you a BIG one, in SGD!], I really appreciated the hospitality he had extended to me during the trip. Helping me with my shopping bags, carrying my brolly, entertaining me with your lame jokes, educating me with the hard facts from Discovery, spending quality time with me.
I felt like a princess loh [I hope he didn’t feel like a slave lah =p]! He has indeed set a very high benchmark for the qualities of a boyfriend/husband.
I’m really blessed to have him as my friend.
Jer...FRIENDS FOREVER k! *hit chest*
With that, it depicts the end of my 7 days 5 nights free and easy tour in Seoul.
If you are planning to go on your own too, feel free to approach Bonny for more information!
My hourly rate is….nah… just kidding.
Jer came promptly at 645 to fetch me to the coach terminal before he attends an early morning meeting at his office.
For a moment, I wondered how am I going to lug the severely overweight luggage all alone at the airport. But I guess I was too glummy to consider all these.
At the coach terminal, we took our last picture, exchanged our last words and bade each other farewell.
I boarded the coach, reluctant to believe that I had to part with my dear friend again [seemed even harder when he was the one leaving] and most importantly, the trip I planned 9 months back had come to an end.
I dropped my first tear and remained grouchy throughout the journey to the airport.
After checking in at the counter, I settled for breakfast at Gloria Jeans but completely no appetite to finish my sandwich.
I did some last minute shopping of chocolates and souvenirs at the DFS stores and plunged myself into a seat at my boarding gate, even when it was a long time before we could board.
Staring at the Thai Airways aircraft out of the window, I knew my bliss had reached its finished line.
I sent a message to Tecky and asked if I could don’t go back and he promptly replied with a “stay there lor!”. Haha…now you know why I chose to text him. At that point, you just hope to receive that kind of response.
In fact, I’ve blogged earlier about my reluctance in coming back
I realized I didn’t really thank Jer during/after the trip.
Other than the the Korean won he had spent on me [Haha… pai sei loh. I owe you a BIG one, in SGD!], I really appreciated the hospitality he had extended to me during the trip. Helping me with my shopping bags, carrying my brolly, entertaining me with your lame jokes, educating me with the hard facts from Discovery, spending quality time with me.
I felt like a princess loh [I hope he didn’t feel like a slave lah =p]! He has indeed set a very high benchmark for the qualities of a boyfriend/husband.
I’m really blessed to have him as my friend.
Jer...FRIENDS FOREVER k! *hit chest*
With that, it depicts the end of my 7 days 5 nights free and easy tour in Seoul.
If you are planning to go on your own too, feel free to approach Bonny for more information!
My hourly rate is….nah… just kidding.
What's my greatest takeaways?
Definitely the fact that i could travel alone in a foreign land which i never thought i would/could. Made me feel like an adult. Heh.
And also the uber-buey-pai-sei-self-snapping skills on my cammy.
Imagine i'd even done it right smack in the middle of the shopping belt.
It took lotsa courage when you were alone k.
I think i am addicted to self-travelling. =p
I think i am addicted to self-travelling. =p
Sunday, December 30, 2007
梁静茹 《今天情人节演唱会》
在一个月内二度回到室内体育馆，就是为了静茹。
《今天情人节演唱会》，延续了三年前《爱的大游行演唱会》的浪漫主题。
事实上，静茹的歌声就是一种浪漫。
梦幻的舞台设计。。。
华丽的服装。。。
当中穿插的彩带舞。。。
事先叫歌迷穿上红色的衣服。。。
就连当晚所有的情侣。。。
这一切的一切，都都为现场增添了不少的浪漫气息。
个个元素似乎互相衬托着彼此，毫无丝毫的刻意。
不知是不是静茹的歌迷都是天生内向型，没有多余的掌声更没有喧哗的喝彩。
以演唱会来说，算宁静的。
连我手中的荧光棒，我都有点不好意思挥舞。
直到特别来宾阿信的出现，才让现场热起来。真是奇怪。
其实我也不以置评因为我也是其中之一。没办法，无论什么场合看到信，我都是那么high。
独自唱着《温柔》的信，好像有点孤单。少了点灵气似的。
我闭上了双眼，想象着另外４个团员的存在。好想念好想念他们噢。
即使少了另４少，信一点也没却场。很懂得自high，爆发力也十足。
但在与静茹和观众交谈时，还是改不了他那羞涩的常态。
不过这也是预料中事。信啊。。。就是那么害臊。
还记得当年在《爱的大游行演唱会》时求婚的那几对情侣，他们也在当晚出现在预录的短片里表达他们对彼此的爱。
有的都已经步入礼堂了！ 好甜蜜。
静茹当晚的状态非常佳。整晚都保持在声音宏亮的高水平。
在encore部分的‘现点现唱’即兴表演更是证明歌后的实力。
想到什么就唱什么。当今谁会有这样极大的信心和勇气?
或许在我们这班老朋友面前，也不需要太过费力。自然就好了。
就是喜欢她的自然。从不用大费周章。
或许有人会说没新意，但我相信不会有人会介意。
人们或许需要这样的提醒，才会记得世界有爱，心中有爱。
回家的路途，我是带着微笑的。是甜蜜的。
仿佛已被爱完完全全的洗礼。
顿时感觉世界是如此的美好。
演唱会的最后一首歌曲，也灌录在最新专辑《崇拜》里。
喜欢它歌词简单，却很有画面感。
喜欢它甜而不腻，甜到我心坎儿里。
希望你也会喜欢。
《三吋日光》
深秋山顶风微凉 恋人并肩傻傻看夕阳
仰望 你为我敞开的天窗 一段日光落在手心 三寸长
你说 秋天掌上的日光
一寸 能许一个愿望
希望我爱的人健康 个性很善良
大大手掌能包容我 小小的倔强
你的浪漫 只有我懂欣赏 能让眼泪长出翅膀飞离我脸庞
还想每天用咖啡香 不让你赖床
周末傍晚 踩着单车 逛黄昏市场
我的浪漫 只有你懂欣赏 就让每个台风晚上不恐慌紧张
第三个愿望 还不想讲
你自己想一想 问微笑的月光
一人一支闪闪仙女棒 好像我们指尖有星光
很烫 可是很灿烂很漂亮 一点点光 捧在手上像太阳
等到 世界末日你再讲 那个愿望 一起握紧不放
《今天情人节演唱会》，延续了三年前《爱的大游行演唱会》的浪漫主题。
事实上，静茹的歌声就是一种浪漫。
梦幻的舞台设计。。。
华丽的服装。。。
当中穿插的彩带舞。。。
事先叫歌迷穿上红色的衣服。。。
就连当晚所有的情侣。。。
这一切的一切，都都为现场增添了不少的浪漫气息。
个个元素似乎互相衬托着彼此，毫无丝毫的刻意。
不知是不是静茹的歌迷都是天生内向型，没有多余的掌声更没有喧哗的喝彩。
以演唱会来说，算宁静的。
连我手中的荧光棒，我都有点不好意思挥舞。
直到特别来宾阿信的出现，才让现场热起来。真是奇怪。
其实我也不以置评因为我也是其中之一。没办法，无论什么场合看到信，我都是那么high。
独自唱着《温柔》的信，好像有点孤单。少了点灵气似的。
我闭上了双眼，想象着另外４个团员的存在。好想念好想念他们噢。
即使少了另４少，信一点也没却场。很懂得自high，爆发力也十足。
但在与静茹和观众交谈时，还是改不了他那羞涩的常态。
不过这也是预料中事。信啊。。。就是那么害臊。
还记得当年在《爱的大游行演唱会》时求婚的那几对情侣，他们也在当晚出现在预录的短片里表达他们对彼此的爱。
有的都已经步入礼堂了！ 好甜蜜。
静茹当晚的状态非常佳。整晚都保持在声音宏亮的高水平。
在encore部分的‘现点现唱’即兴表演更是证明歌后的实力。
想到什么就唱什么。当今谁会有这样极大的信心和勇气?
或许在我们这班老朋友面前，也不需要太过费力。自然就好了。
就是喜欢她的自然。从不用大费周章。
或许有人会说没新意，但我相信不会有人会介意。
人们或许需要这样的提醒，才会记得世界有爱，心中有爱。
回家的路途，我是带着微笑的。是甜蜜的。
仿佛已被爱完完全全的洗礼。
顿时感觉世界是如此的美好。
演唱会的最后一首歌曲，也灌录在最新专辑《崇拜》里。
喜欢它歌词简单，却很有画面感。
喜欢它甜而不腻，甜到我心坎儿里。
希望你也会喜欢。
《三吋日光》
深秋山顶风微凉 恋人并肩傻傻看夕阳
仰望 你为我敞开的天窗 一段日光落在手心 三寸长
你说 秋天掌上的日光
一寸 能许一个愿望
希望我爱的人健康 个性很善良
大大手掌能包容我 小小的倔强
你的浪漫 只有我懂欣赏 能让眼泪长出翅膀飞离我脸庞
还想每天用咖啡香 不让你赖床
周末傍晚 踩着单车 逛黄昏市场
我的浪漫 只有你懂欣赏 就让每个台风晚上不恐慌紧张
第三个愿望 还不想讲
你自己想一想 问微笑的月光
一人一支闪闪仙女棒 好像我们指尖有星光
很烫 可是很灿烂很漂亮 一点点光 捧在手上像太阳
等到 世界末日你再讲 那个愿望 一起握紧不放
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Another Friday
Even when i've just returned from my leave yesterday, i'm still thankful that the weekend is here.
I think i've really overstretched myself during the Christmas holidays coz i didn't seem to get enough sleep since then.
So tired.
It was around 11ish this morning when i realised that i didn't arrange for any lunch date after remembering that my usual lunch partner wasn't coming in.
Bengz was on leave and the rest whom ipreferred to could lunch with had prior appointments.
I contemplated if i should activate my loner mode and seclude myself to a cafe nearby or even my cube.
But Fridays were just not a day to be lonely.
Then i remembered my new friend and so Berny came to my rescue! Coolz...
We decided on Great World City to be our lunch venue eventhough both of us were there the previous day but with different people.
If your office is around Outram or Tanglin area, i strongly recommend Great World for lunches.
It has a variety of cuisine, ranging from western, chinese, vietnamese to thai.
The food court was refurbished recently and it looked so bright and vibrant now.
From homey stores like Best Denki, Iwannagohome and Cold Storage, to fashion brands like Zara, Dorothy Perkins, Esprit and WH, what more could you ask for?
Mind you, those boutiques are uber huge man. The largest Dorothy Perkins i've ever seen and Zara is compatible to the one at Taka if not bigger.
A great lunchy mall. Just lunch lah. Heh.
After lunch at Crystal Jade, Berny and i proceeded with the main agenda i.e. to check out Zara sale! Ok it's MY agenda lah. Heh.
I was at the sale at Dorothy Perkins yesterday but time only permitted me to get a pair of working pants. 60% off sia!
Shortly after i entered the store, i saw familiar faces...Ivana and her colleague, Nikki. Haha...the same 'friday thingy'.
Not meantioning that at least 2 other divisions from tourism court were in the bargain as well.
Haha...told ya...it's a 'friday thingy'.
After paying for the 2 pretty tops that i ransacked, it was already 2.30 and i thought we should get back to..ermm..work.
Therefore we left hurriedly after grabbing our cones from Ben & Jerry.
Oh oh...i found a new flavour that i liked! Cherry Garcia. The store person specifically warned that i must have an extreme taste to like it. Apparently i have wor. I love it! =p
For the rest of the afternoon, i was struggling to keep myself awake, especially after a dose of the muscle relaxer.
Well, seemed like the tiredness has caused some tension on my back too. Haiz. People got 风湿 whereas mine was 风累.
Just before i left for cell meeting, i read about the former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated yesterday.
I've occassionally come across this lady on tv. I mean how common could you see a female appearing in political news?
As i was reading, i just felt that she had been leading a very difficult life since her prime age. Too hard to elaborate.
You have to read it yourself to understand.
I must comment that Wikipedia was uber updated. In just less than 24hours, they've managed to give a detailed update the assassination. I'm impressed.
Cell meeting was good. Felt that after each meeting, it was a step closer to knowing one another.
We shared about the highs and lows for this year as well as the resolution for the coming year.
It's just awesome to give thanks to God in this last cell meeting for year 2007.
I have to confess that on one hand, i was trying hard to overcome the drowsiness of the muscle relaxer, mr 'hunger' was pulling down my blood sugar at the same time.
Thank goodness i managed to stay conscious till supper.
And now, the supper is forcing my eyes to shut any moment.
Good night. *yawn*
I think i've really overstretched myself during the Christmas holidays coz i didn't seem to get enough sleep since then.
So tired.
It was around 11ish this morning when i realised that i didn't arrange for any lunch date after remembering that my usual lunch partner wasn't coming in.
Bengz was on leave and the rest whom i
I contemplated if i should activate my loner mode and seclude myself to a cafe nearby or even my cube.
But Fridays were just not a day to be lonely.
Then i remembered my new friend and so Berny came to my rescue! Coolz...
We decided on Great World City to be our lunch venue eventhough both of us were there the previous day but with different people.
If your office is around Outram or Tanglin area, i strongly recommend Great World for lunches.
It has a variety of cuisine, ranging from western, chinese, vietnamese to thai.
The food court was refurbished recently and it looked so bright and vibrant now.
From homey stores like Best Denki, Iwannagohome and Cold Storage, to fashion brands like Zara, Dorothy Perkins, Esprit and WH, what more could you ask for?
Mind you, those boutiques are uber huge man. The largest Dorothy Perkins i've ever seen and Zara is compatible to the one at Taka if not bigger.
A great lunchy mall. Just lunch lah. Heh.
After lunch at Crystal Jade, Berny and i proceeded with the main agenda i.e. to check out Zara sale! Ok it's MY agenda lah. Heh.
I was at the sale at Dorothy Perkins yesterday but time only permitted me to get a pair of working pants. 60% off sia!
Shortly after i entered the store, i saw familiar faces...Ivana and her colleague, Nikki. Haha...the same 'friday thingy'.
Not meantioning that at least 2 other divisions from tourism court were in the bargain as well.
Haha...told ya...it's a 'friday thingy'.
After paying for the 2 pretty tops that i ransacked, it was already 2.30 and i thought we should get back to..ermm..work.
Therefore we left hurriedly after grabbing our cones from Ben & Jerry.
Oh oh...i found a new flavour that i liked! Cherry Garcia. The store person specifically warned that i must have an extreme taste to like it. Apparently i have wor. I love it! =p
For the rest of the afternoon, i was struggling to keep myself awake, especially after a dose of the muscle relaxer.
Well, seemed like the tiredness has caused some tension on my back too. Haiz. People got 风湿 whereas mine was 风累.
Just before i left for cell meeting, i read about the former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated yesterday.
I've occassionally come across this lady on tv. I mean how common could you see a female appearing in political news?
As i was reading, i just felt that she had been leading a very difficult life since her prime age. Too hard to elaborate.
You have to read it yourself to understand.
I must comment that Wikipedia was uber updated. In just less than 24hours, they've managed to give a detailed update the assassination. I'm impressed.
Cell meeting was good. Felt that after each meeting, it was a step closer to knowing one another.
We shared about the highs and lows for this year as well as the resolution for the coming year.
It's just awesome to give thanks to God in this last cell meeting for year 2007.
I have to confess that on one hand, i was trying hard to overcome the drowsiness of the muscle relaxer, mr 'hunger' was pulling down my blood sugar at the same time.
Thank goodness i managed to stay conscious till supper.
And now, the supper is forcing my eyes to shut any moment.
Good night. *yawn*
Friday, December 28, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS PART II
3 days to Christmas: Dinner with Laura aka Xf
Not exactly a celebration per se but it's a ritual that we have dinner and exchange gifts.
Regardless the distance of our location.
We had a uber heavy dinner at Lemongrass, braved through the intense Orchard crowd and ended at our favourite Starbucks hangout at Wisma.
Laura got me a big coin pouch with a picture of a Bambi-lookalike.
Uber cute and i'll definitely use it when i feel cute. Heh.
2 days to Christmas [am]: A Gift A Home Service
The drama team put up a fabulous play which conveyed a strong message of 'nothing is impossible for God'.
And the actors had their breakthrough performances, acting as a melancholic husband, a berserk housewife, nonchalant son etc. So funny.
It's strange but whenever came Christmas, i just felt like dressing up for the occasion. Especially when i was deeply influenced by the recent movie Enchanted.
So i put on the princessy dress that Mummy sewed and it just made me feel like dancing. Heh.
Nikki and Hel aka the berserk housewife.
Peiyi aka ah Mui.
She calls me ah Jie you see.
Pastor LY.
Ivana.
Persi.
My dear sister, Carol.
My dear brother, Tecky.
Awww i miss them [we are not in the same cell now].
It was followed by lunch at the Coffee Club at Siglap after the service.
My cell group was huge hor.
2 days to Christmas [pm]: Christmas Party I at Bonny's!
Bonny invited the good friends to NP for a mini Christmas party.
Namely Koko & Cheebs, Persi, Lucia, Tecky and Carol.
Mummy helped with the preparation [again] for the steamboat dinner and we had log cake and wine for dessert as well.
We almost laughed our head off while playing Apples to Apples, the bible edition.
I thought it was the best platform to exhibit/practise the capability of story-spinning and lame-ness.
But since it was the bible edition, holy Carol led from the beginning. I mean who would dare to go against the Truth.
And also, she got big cards like 'The Father', 'God' and 'Holy Spirit'. Hands down right away loh.
It's only when we changed the rule of only lame stories, Bonny became the ultimate winner.
I went all out man!
Unfortunately, the pics were with Persi who's not in town now. Will upload when she's back.
1 day to Christmas [am]: Christmas Party in Office
It's nice for PL to propose and prepare food for the party.
She even got us to do gift exchange among the division colleagues as well.
Nice.
The festive mood that lingered in the air was an indication of 'work? you must be crazy', so we did everything except for work.
Uncle Chua said that it's a norm that civil servants don't work on the last week of the year.
Yeah, we shan't break the trend anyhow. Heh.
Sharon dropped by to pass me a ginger breadman and a lil card. So sweet.
Li Li and PL, busy with the food preparation.
We had a Christmas tree too!
Roy and Bonny devouring the food.
1 day to Christmas [pm]: Christmas Party II at Bonny's!
On Christmas eve, the cg came over for dinner and countdown.
They were defeated by Mummy's vinegar pork trotters.
Initially, i suggested to go for the normal non-vinegar kind but was immediately overthrown.
In the end, Uncle Chua and Bonny were trying hard to grasp for fresh air while they were on high.
Alright lah, as long as they were happy.
For the rest of the night, we entertained ourselves with Taboo and Jenga, the never-go-wrong games.
Before midnight, more people joined us and we literally celebrated when the clock struck 12.
We sang, we cheered, we went around to wish one another while Uncle Chua and Bonny backed up on the guitar and keyboard.
So joyful. Even Mummy had to come out of her room to join us.
We ended the countdown with a prayer to thank Jesus Christ for coming into this world as the Lord and Saviour.
After which, we carried on with the games till about 2ish.
I thought this was funny. So action packed.
Despite spending the whole of Boxing Day recuperating, I had lotsa fun this Christmas with so many lovely people around.
It's a pity that i couldn't spend it with the rest of my friends though.
Oh i received many gifts as well and the best[s] i would say was the Fish Leong concert ticket given by Roy.
He got a free pair of tickets after spending a minimum amount at Crocodile and he invited me to join him! Not like he bought it specially but i was still thankful for his invitation.
As mentioned earlier, i could only decide on either Show or Fish and i went for Show instead. But since then, my heart itched whenever i came across the publicity for Fish.
Now i could watch it for free, how could i not be thankful?
Next would be the Korean serial soundtracks i got from Jer.
It started when i asked for his help to get the Coffee Prince soundtrack for Ivana but in the end, he got 3 others for me.
I like the feeling of receiving boxy parcels, especially from overseas. So sweet.
The last time i received one was 7 years ago loh! Also from Jer [i don't have much friends overseas lah. even if there're some, nobody is as sweet as Jer. =p].
He got me a uber feminine handbag from Esprit when he was studying in Australia and my friends commented that he had good taste. Hah. I don't think he even remembered.
So in return, i bought him a Springfield muffler and a Nike thermal water bottle for the winter and got them secretly speedposted to Korea a week ago.
He just told me he received the parcel this morning and he would drink hot water with the thermal bottle in the afternoon and use the muffler in the evening. Haha so precise.
I think it's exceptionally heart-warming to receive from your dear ones in this season of giving.
Not so much of the tangible gifts but it's the buying process when you had the person in mind.
And when he/she was delighted with the gift you bought, it'll be such a pleasant moment.
I could still remember the glee on Mummy's face when i got her a top from Mango this Christmas. She tried it on immediately.
That's what i meant.
But of course, Christmas was not just about gifts, carols and celebrations.
It's a season of reflection and thanksgiving and i thought the biggest event we should give thanks to, was the birth of Jesus Christ coz without Him, we wouldn't be saved and became who wo are today.
I guess without this Truth, Christmas celebrations would never complete.
My wish is that as the year goes by, more people will embrace the Truth and understand the true meaning of Christmas.
Awww...simply love Christmas. =)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Not exactly a celebration per se but it's a ritual that we have dinner and exchange gifts.
Regardless the distance of our location.
We had a uber heavy dinner at Lemongrass, braved through the intense Orchard crowd and ended at our favourite Starbucks hangout at Wisma.
Laura got me a big coin pouch with a picture of a Bambi-lookalike.
Uber cute and i'll definitely use it when i feel cute. Heh.
2 days to Christmas [am]: A Gift A Home Service
The drama team put up a fabulous play which conveyed a strong message of 'nothing is impossible for God'.
And the actors had their breakthrough performances, acting as a melancholic husband, a berserk housewife, nonchalant son etc. So funny.
It's strange but whenever came Christmas, i just felt like dressing up for the occasion. Especially when i was deeply influenced by the recent movie Enchanted.
So i put on the princessy dress that Mummy sewed and it just made me feel like dancing. Heh.
Nikki and Hel aka the berserk housewife.
Peiyi aka ah Mui.
She calls me ah Jie you see.
Pastor LY.
Ivana.
Persi.
My dear sister, Carol.
My dear brother, Tecky.
Awww i miss them [we are not in the same cell now].
It was followed by lunch at the Coffee Club at Siglap after the service.
My cell group was huge hor.
2 days to Christmas [pm]: Christmas Party I at Bonny's!
Bonny invited the good friends to NP for a mini Christmas party.
Namely Koko & Cheebs, Persi, Lucia, Tecky and Carol.
Mummy helped with the preparation [again] for the steamboat dinner and we had log cake and wine for dessert as well.
We almost laughed our head off while playing Apples to Apples, the bible edition.
I thought it was the best platform to exhibit/practise the capability of story-spinning and lame-ness.
But since it was the bible edition, holy Carol led from the beginning. I mean who would dare to go against the Truth.
And also, she got big cards like 'The Father', 'God' and 'Holy Spirit'. Hands down right away loh.
It's only when we changed the rule of only lame stories, Bonny became the ultimate winner.
I went all out man!
Unfortunately, the pics were with Persi who's not in town now. Will upload when she's back.
1 day to Christmas [am]: Christmas Party in Office
It's nice for PL to propose and prepare food for the party.
She even got us to do gift exchange among the division colleagues as well.
Nice.
The festive mood that lingered in the air was an indication of 'work? you must be crazy', so we did everything except for work.
Uncle Chua said that it's a norm that civil servants don't work on the last week of the year.
Yeah, we shan't break the trend anyhow. Heh.
Sharon dropped by to pass me a ginger breadman and a lil card. So sweet.
Li Li and PL, busy with the food preparation.
We had a Christmas tree too!
Roy and Bonny devouring the food.
1 day to Christmas [pm]: Christmas Party II at Bonny's!
On Christmas eve, the cg came over for dinner and countdown.
They were defeated by Mummy's vinegar pork trotters.
Initially, i suggested to go for the normal non-vinegar kind but was immediately overthrown.
In the end, Uncle Chua and Bonny were trying hard to grasp for fresh air while they were on high.
Alright lah, as long as they were happy.
For the rest of the night, we entertained ourselves with Taboo and Jenga, the never-go-wrong games.
Before midnight, more people joined us and we literally celebrated when the clock struck 12.
We sang, we cheered, we went around to wish one another while Uncle Chua and Bonny backed up on the guitar and keyboard.
So joyful. Even Mummy had to come out of her room to join us.
We ended the countdown with a prayer to thank Jesus Christ for coming into this world as the Lord and Saviour.
After which, we carried on with the games till about 2ish.
I thought this was funny. So action packed.
Despite spending the whole of Boxing Day recuperating, I had lotsa fun this Christmas with so many lovely people around.
It's a pity that i couldn't spend it with the rest of my friends though.
Oh i received many gifts as well and the best[s] i would say was the Fish Leong concert ticket given by Roy.
He got a free pair of tickets after spending a minimum amount at Crocodile and he invited me to join him! Not like he bought it specially but i was still thankful for his invitation.
As mentioned earlier, i could only decide on either Show or Fish and i went for Show instead. But since then, my heart itched whenever i came across the publicity for Fish.
Now i could watch it for free, how could i not be thankful?
Next would be the Korean serial soundtracks i got from Jer.
It started when i asked for his help to get the Coffee Prince soundtrack for Ivana but in the end, he got 3 others for me.
I like the feeling of receiving boxy parcels, especially from overseas. So sweet.
The last time i received one was 7 years ago loh! Also from Jer [i don't have much friends overseas lah. even if there're some, nobody is as sweet as Jer. =p].
He got me a uber feminine handbag from Esprit when he was studying in Australia and my friends commented that he had good taste. Hah. I don't think he even remembered.
So in return, i bought him a Springfield muffler and a Nike thermal water bottle for the winter and got them secretly speedposted to Korea a week ago.
He just told me he received the parcel this morning and he would drink hot water with the thermal bottle in the afternoon and use the muffler in the evening. Haha so precise.
I think it's exceptionally heart-warming to receive from your dear ones in this season of giving.
Not so much of the tangible gifts but it's the buying process when you had the person in mind.
And when he/she was delighted with the gift you bought, it'll be such a pleasant moment.
I could still remember the glee on Mummy's face when i got her a top from Mango this Christmas. She tried it on immediately.
That's what i meant.
But of course, Christmas was not just about gifts, carols and celebrations.
It's a season of reflection and thanksgiving and i thought the biggest event we should give thanks to, was the birth of Jesus Christ coz without Him, we wouldn't be saved and became who wo are today.
I guess without this Truth, Christmas celebrations would never complete.
My wish is that as the year goes by, more people will embrace the Truth and understand the true meaning of Christmas.
Awww...simply love Christmas. =)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS I
It's the time of the year again when we get ourselves busy.
In a joyful way though. =)
Bonny's celebration started on 21st when we had our very first CG Christmas party after we started 'business' a month ago.
Oh did i mention that the church went through a round of 're-org' and the people were re-shuffled into different cell groups?
Yeah...i have a completely new group of cg-mates now.
Ok back to the party.
It was held in one of the couple's rather-huge-flat and we had 21 attendees for the night.
Not bad huh.
A wide spread of food, cheena yet entertaining games and unplugged music!
Yeah we had our very own 民歌餐厅 in a hdb flat.
The sound system was the professional kind and i thought i sounded like a pro sia.
Cool~
Alright...introducing some of the people in my new cg.
This is Ivana. As siao as me so we hit off pretty well!
She's very into cheena-pop too! Woohoo!
Munch and Shuyan, the lovely couple who lent their home for the party.
I think they are so cute.
After 2 years, Ah Cong and i came under one cell again.
This time, he brought his the other half along. Julie!
Chris, we used to be vocalists in the same worship team, so no stranger!
Hel, previous working partner in Sports Club.
Extended relationship now! Hah.
Agnes, used to be with the chinese congregation but came down after the re-org to reunite with her husband.
Now meet her husband cum my new cell group leader.
None other than UNCLE CHUA!
We already ripe-until-rotten before this. Hah!
He was my boss in Sports Club loh.
Some snapshots of the night.
Oh guess who's that 刘青云 in top-middle pic. Keke. =p
Lastly, here's my award-winning shot for the night. Haha!
Stay tune for subsequent updates on Christmas 2007!
In a joyful way though. =)
Bonny's celebration started on 21st when we had our very first CG Christmas party after we started 'business' a month ago.
Oh did i mention that the church went through a round of 're-org' and the people were re-shuffled into different cell groups?
Yeah...i have a completely new group of cg-mates now.
Ok back to the party.
It was held in one of the couple's rather-huge-flat and we had 21 attendees for the night.
Not bad huh.
A wide spread of food, cheena yet entertaining games and unplugged music!
Yeah we had our very own 民歌餐厅 in a hdb flat.
The sound system was the professional kind and i thought i sounded like a pro sia.
Cool~
Alright...introducing some of the people in my new cg.
This is Ivana. As siao as me so we hit off pretty well!
She's very into cheena-pop too! Woohoo!
Munch and Shuyan, the lovely couple who lent their home for the party.
I think they are so cute.
After 2 years, Ah Cong and i came under one cell again.
This time, he brought his the other half along. Julie!
Chris, we used to be vocalists in the same worship team, so no stranger!
Hel, previous working partner in Sports Club.
Extended relationship now! Hah.
Agnes, used to be with the chinese congregation but came down after the re-org to reunite with her husband.
Now meet her husband cum my new cell group leader.
None other than UNCLE CHUA!
We already ripe-until-rotten before this. Hah!
He was my boss in Sports Club loh.
Some snapshots of the night.
Oh guess who's that 刘青云 in top-middle pic. Keke. =p
Lastly, here's my award-winning shot for the night. Haha!
Stay tune for subsequent updates on Christmas 2007!
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