University of Seoul - Site Recce

Since i will be attending the University of Seoul (UOS), i thought it will be better for me to do a school recce.

 I did a trial run of finding my school before the test date to make sure i know the routes and don't screw up! Sure feels like first day to school!


This is the view of my house from the outside.

This is the view of the house from outside...

























My friend suggested i take a bus from the bus-stop situated just outside our house, but the bus journey is really no joke - think - 1+ hour... no thanks!

























I went around asking for the right directions to the school and finally, i arrived at this junction after following the road signs for drivers...


























Imagine the joy when i found this junction! After 10 mins of walking....


























This is the entrance to the school.... it really doesn't look like a school's entrance does it? I was expecting some sort of a huge school gate with a huge signboard bearing the name of the school... but... hmmmm

Walking further down, I spotted this "Eagle Tower" which would be the landmark to locate my classroom building... But at that point, I have not actually identified where my classroom was. I was quite LOST.



Then I spotted a short stairway and just followed by intuition.... The "greeny" looking park, didn't seem to look like the way to go, but there's nothing to lose if i tried. So i did just that!... And DADANG - i found my school block...

This is the 1st Engineering Block where my placement test would be held....looks rather unlike universities in Singapore right? (Not that i've been to one)

This time round, i decided that the subway will be a better option, so i walked to the nearest subway.

 This is the view from outside -Cheongyangi Station... Lotte Shopping Centre is just right next to the station... So i could possibly have my dose of shopping DAILY after school.... sounds good!

(UPDATED: Lotte Shopping Centre located next to the station is actually a filming site for "Secret Garden" one of the best K drama I have watched so far, airing in early 2011) 

Here is a peek into Korean supermarts.

And there you see it, my lunch of spicy rice cakes and some deepfried veg... all mixed up... it was really yummy! Loved the combination...and all that for 3500won... considered cheap! Now i found a good lunch place after school!

 Shopping and shopping! AR!!! Containers! My favourite! But, i dont need any more! My room is not that big! Just a note, everything we have in Singapore, they have it here and EVEN MORE!

 No prizes for guessing! Yes that is foody! My favourite soft toy. And it is a free gift with min 50,000 won spending. How sad. How can Foody is FOC?!


It's strange because who wants a free gift toy in a super market.... i dont suppose ajummas are interested in Foodys'....

 By the time i got back, it was rather late...so that was an attempted shot of the night scenery... not much of a scenery huh? LOLx... Shalom!!! (a dog on Skype?) :P

First Dinner in Seoul

After a hard day of packing the room, I finally treated myself to GOOOOOOoood food!

This is one of the most popular and common food in Seoul... BBQ meat! I think they call it "Bulgogi"?

Usually, it is either BBQ pork or BBQ beef.... The traditional way is to have charcoal underneath the heating plate, but that is definitely more troublesome, so gas is used...

Meat is being cooked!

Side dishes used to wrap the meat... It is the first time i see this "mochi-like" stuff used as a "meat wrapper"... Usually, vegetables are used...

Meat is done and served! For this restaurant, the waiter will help flip the meat and serve! Well-done! Good service! :)

First day in Seoul...

Day 2 in Korea and i should better update otherwise, i m likely to forget! hahaha...

I am so touched by the "send-off" party at the airport the night before... You guys rock!


And of course, my beloved family! :)





The few days prior to departure was pretty "stressful" as my bags are too heavy and i was so uncertain about what to expect. I was finally seeing my plans come true! And it was almost unreal...i went packing/unpacking/packing/unpacking and ALAS, my luggage was down to 26 kg, but my carry on was like a whopping 14kg in total - almost about to BURST!

As i bid goodbye, my feelings were kinda mixed... although just a short 3 months, i felt like i missed my family even before parting... yet on the other hand, i am extremely nervous and excited about living in Korea...

First thing i did upon touch down was to get my rented mobile phone... Got Student Rate! hahaha 1/2 price!


My Korean friend, Yujin was here to receive me and we headed to the place i stay via the Airport Limousine....


The luggage was no joke man! Imagine 2 girls pushing over 40kg worth of bags across the roads, through the streets etc... I kinda regretted bringing so many things as i was about to find out they have a DAISO just next door! HAH!

This is one of the streets in the Hongdae area.




The first impression i had when i reached the house was - huh.... so "lok cok"... The entrance was a small one... it isn't significant and being a "pang ji ha" (which is a half-basement" house...)it seems to give the impression of a very damp, dark and smelly place... Lucky thing was i expected nothing, so there wasn't much disappointment...


Once in the house, i kinda felt better as the place was actually rather clean though the living roomas slightly messy. The toilet and the kitchen was EXCEPTIONALLY clean and and very well-mantained...(I would soon find out that the main tenant of this house, Seonyu is such a dilligent lady who cleans the place and tries to keep it as tidy as possible as the men (2 of them!) usually don't do it!)


My room is actually clean (except for that the windows looked slightly dirty!)... Small, but very cosy... So i started my own edition of Project Homeway! Though i slept very little on the flight here... I had to organise my room so somehow, there was the adrenaline!


I asked for the best few places to head to for purchase of such furniture and there you go! Daiso! Grand Mart! (both are walking distance from where i stay) and Homeplus! (which was a few subway rides away...the popular household brand, akin to our NTUC and Carrefour)...

In fact, i had no time to miss home... i dived straight into buying stuff, cleaning up the room and organising my stuff! By the end of the day... I was ready to call this my haven in Seoul...

I have so much to update, but right now, i just need to go sleep and wake up EARLY tmr for my placement test! Nights and i will log on soon!

Times & Chance happens to all man...

Enough is enough. I love my current job, but if I don't move on, i never will.

After some procastination, I have decided that I value the experience more than the money (quoted from my profound husband "money can be earned, time cannot- which costs more?) So I have decided that taking a sabbatical and doing a homestay will be the way to go.

Yes.

Suddenly.

Yes.

Random.

I have officially resigned from the job I love and truly enjoy... (after 3 years and 3 months) and now, I am making preparations for my trip to Korea to study the language. The course is 10 weeks long....it's not a long time, but it's also not really that short, is it?

There are ALWAYS issues "what about my husband? what about my job and my income? what about my plan to acheive this and that by when and when...?" The more one procastinates thinking about the "what abouts", the more their dreams/desires remain only as a dream. It ends there.

One of my all-time favourite quote -

"Sometimes, people would rather dream about their dreams without trying to realise it in fear of disappointment..."

No - I don't want to fall into that category...

The light bulb suddenly lit up.

Not everything can be measured with money... sometimes, opportunity costs is not about losing the opportunity to make that "bit" of money (ok - I have to admit, the pay is not just "a bit" to me) but if I compared it to the cost of losing that chance to experience living abroad on my own... I may look back in 10 years time and regret not going for the opportunity now...

I don't know what to expect, but I know:

"If I dont try, I will never know"

Checking out with this poem:

Seasons come, seasons go
There’s a time for each and every role;

A time to laugh, a time to cry,
Every time’s, a different tide;

Sorrows and joy, lasts but twilight,
Blink and there, it’s gone with the wind;

Paths may cross, and they may split,
Timing meetings are divine’s intervene;

A split second it could be,
Yet creating never-ceasing memories…


I will leave my last statement as some food-for-thought:

The race is not to the swift, nor battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to man of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all....

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Run

I want to run, Out of sight,
Yet here I stay, In your delight...

Runaway from you,
To somewhere you cannot see
Runaway from me,
No more hopes to keep...

RUN, RUN, RUN ... I RUN
Even if I trip and fall,
Run from dusk to dawn
Even if there's no more strength to carry on...

Run away from hopeless faith,
Run away from joyful pain.
Run away from self-less gains,
Run away, just run....

I want to run, Out of sight,
Gone from desires, gone from light...

You & Me

Only when I sleep, am I awake.
Only when I dream do I live
I think of you till the dawn breaks.
Even if you are not someone I need.

In my heart, I draw you near to me.
In my head, I push you away.
Late at night, I feel you close to me.
Yet I am like a thief by the day.

You are a reality, yet a dream
Existent in my world yet nowhere to be seen
A lover, yet betrayer,
Loyal, faith-breaker…

What you have, you have given away,
What is left would be mine to take
I cannot submit to this fate.
I cannot accept being second best.

My mind….
Slapped dead to emotional woes.
Would I be better off?
If I was on my own.

The possibilities, driven with impossibilities
The dreams mixed with realities,
What is seen and yet unseen
How long will it be before I break free?

Come to me,
Leave me…

Heaven's Light

In the light, you can see my smile...
In the night... I search for my ray of light...
Posted by Hello

One man's meat is another man's poison.
And sometimes, no matter how "attractive" and delicious-looking the meat is...
Men would only be interested in looking at it, admiring it...
They wouldn't think about eating it....
True?

Just like dreams...
Sometimes, people would rather dream about their dreams without trying to realise them in fear of disappointment.
And some want their dreams to become a reality.
Not everyone sees their dreams come true in the same way...
What about you?