SHIP

“I ship them together!”

“They are my OTP!!”

“My ship is real.”

These are the common things you will hear if you’re actively joining certain fandom. I’m talking about any fandom in general. Directioners, Beliebers, J-Pop or… SONES are all fandoms.

There is nothing wrong with shipping certain pair of people. They look cute together so we ship them. It’s normal.

It’s all good, until you ship them in a hardcore way.

Hardcore shipping is like living in a box where there is only one hole to see outside. And outside that hole is what we want to see. We feel happy to see the pair we ship being with each other, it’s like the light shining down from the hole and lighten up the box we’re trapped in. But when they’re separated or being with other people we don’t like, it’s like the light had been taken completely and it’s all pitch black again.

It’s not a healthy thing. IT’S NOT.

Hardcore shipping will make you believe what you think is real is happening.

Why?

Because you see they are holding hands so often so they must be in a relationship.

They always stand next to each other it must be because they can’t stand being apart from one another.

They exchange glances and smiles in public because they want to make sure their other half was there.

Their hug is different than the others because it is filled with pent up emotions and longing of love.

They poke each other and are playful because they were teasing each other and can’t wait to get alone later.

“It’s just normal things that friends do,” said someone, and you said “Nooooo!”

Why?

Because you and a group of other friends who are also shippers think they are more than just friends. You guys talk about it every day in twitter, chatrooms and forums. You guys even have screencaps of proofs (that you take when they randomly looking at each other) so they must be dating in secret. Heck they even share clothes it must be because they were sharing a room the night before! You even have secret insider info about their secret relationship that you don’t even know where the source came from but who cares? It must be real.

Because you and the shippers agreed it’s real.

Because you read countless of FAN FICTIONS about them being hot with each other and it must be real. Some of the fanfics that your friends wrote even go into detail about what they do in bedroom and how they do it so it must be based from real events!

And then you see your shipped pair onstage with the other members. And you can’t help but to look for ‘moments’ between them. Even when they are separated and doing exactly the same thing they do with each other but with other members, nah you look past all that.

But when your shipped pair suddenly brushed shoulders, then look at each other and smile, IT’S LOVE. I mean, they only look at each other that way. It’s not like you really care about other members interaction (others could be playfully kissing and hugging but they all don’t matter), but you know your shipped pair have something special by just that glance. You just know.

You even relate anything that’s not even related to their relationship. Like when you saw one of them stretched body when they wake up from a TV show, and your mind goes automatically to your shipped pairing. It must be how she stretched when they’re doing it! You even macro it and share it to the world and think it’s cute.

And then you heard rumors about the pair that you ship might dating some guys. You go on hating on that guy and call him names. And when other people agree that one of your shipped pair and the guy are really dating, you call them delusional. Simply because it don’t make any sense to you. Why would she date that guy when she’s perfectly happy in a relationship that you know exist? So others arguments are invalid. Even when the guy and she are spotted wearing couple items and giving blatant hint, you know they are just made up stuffs that the delusionals made. Tsk tsk. Don’t they have a life? You wonder.

And then you go to their TV recordings. Great! You are closer to them. The interviewer asked question about whom their ideal type is and you shout out their names. Of course, right? They are in love with each other so it’s no question. You are actually helping them answering that question. You saw your shipped pair faces turned red and you think it’s because they’re shy.

And then you go to their fan singing events. This is the opportunity you have! It’s finally time for you to prove that your shipped pair is real to the non-believers! So you go up to them with your paper and asked them to sign on it. You asked questions about their ‘relationship’ and asked them to circle the answer. You write sentences in language they don’t really master and asked them to agree on it. And then you share it with the world. So what if your idol just signed in agreement during that less than a minute fansign with her that ‘she’s the bottom in a gay relationship’? It’s funny. And duh, it’s true anyways.

 

 

HEY.

IT’S NOT FUNNY.

IT’S NOT CUTE.

IT’S…

 

 

Okay stop.

Don’t you remember the time when you first discover this group?

You were so happy listening to their songs; they are cute and dancing in sync. You watch that same music videos countless of times just to hear the song and watch them dance. You even imitate the dance when you even hate dancing. You listen to them when you’re sad; you listen to them when you’re bored. They lift you up when you’re down.

This group.

You don’t even know the members name, but you know you like this group…

no, you love this group.

 

But, what happened since then?

Now all you can see and think about is the two members that you ship together. You heart hurts when they’re sitting away from each other when it’s completely normal and became depressed when they are rumored dating other guys when they’re already at the age to date men.

You might not realize it, but you’re neglecting other members and only see your ship. You no longer enjoy their music as much as you did back then; you’re more looking forward to see the interaction of your favorite pair.

And you don’t really care what you did as a hardcore shipper.

Have you forgotten that the group members are human beings too? Have you forgotten that they have feelings? Or that they have life outside their glitz and glamorous job?

It’s not fair for us fans to do this to them. You’re accusing them being in a romantic relationship with each other when they are close like sisters. How would you feel if people accuse you dating your own sister?  Since when does holding hands between good friends translates to a secret affair?

Remember that idols are people too just like us, they have lives. They go out and hang out with group of friends that we don’t know, spend time with their families, go on dates, went through heartbreaks and problems of everyday life. They don’t live like how we picture them do in fan fictions.

Sorry if I talked too much. Some may feel irritated reading this like, what does she know about hardcore shipping? She doesn’t have the right to judge us and all.

Well, the thing is, I know. I was a hardcore shipper once.

And I’m writing this because I feel responsible and I can’t take it anymore. I can’t just sit and do nothing and let the young fans corrupt themselves. You know better to stay away from hardcore shipping and just enjoy them as a group. Or just adore them for their cute and dorky sisterly interactions. If you’re too young to read the smut fanfics, you know you should stay away from it. Even if you’re old enough, too much of it is not good for your mind.

I know I’m being ironic because I’m a writer too, and at times I write a few graphic things in my story but truthfully, I regret it. I know I have young readers and as an adult, I should know better than writing things like that. I’m sorry, I was being irresponsible.

 

I love my fandom.

I know not everyone is like that but I hope those people can be more rational and stop treating the girls as if they’re only objects of people’s imagination.

If you love them, treat them with respect.

They had done so much to make their fans happy, it’s the least thing we can do as fans.

 

The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia (15-16 January 2013)

GDA.

Since the first time I heard about the rumors that it will be held in Malaysia, I refuse to believe it. Well guess what, it just happened this week lol. Despite me being in disbelief and not planning to go to the event, I did bought tickets a few days before day 1 show lol. I realized that this could be a once in a lifetime thing and not going to let it pass me by.

So I took a day off and go to the event. Haha.

Day 1 was more exciting for me, because all of my favourite groups are there (except SNSD). KARA, FT Island, Beast and CNBLUE were all there on day 1. We managed to catch the red carpet appearance up close. They all are so good looking lol. The show was great, they had great sound system and the stage was pretty amazing too. Though there was a bit problem with the fan zones because it’s not like how it was described in the plan before. Kara had to perform Pandora twice due to technical error. Poor them, lucky us lol. But over all it was a great show.

Day 2 was also great. I reached there late since I went to work. We bought tickets in front of the entrance after haggling with an illegal seller lol. But it was cheap. We missed 4 acts which 2 are my faves, T-Ara and Miss A. But it was okay since Sistar and f(x) were still wasn’t performed. I can’t forget that beautiful duet between Hyorin and K.Will.

These are the photos during red carpet on day 1. lol the barricades. Can’t do anything about it.

From day 1.

Nicole was so exited while announcing Beast. lol in-laws.

Day 2. I take more fancams than photos since I was further behind this time.

 

I’m happy so many people turned up despite the venue being far from the city. Sepang International Circuit is an F1 racing track and I think it’s cool for us to held concerts at racing tracks haha.

I saw many casual kpop fans came, mostly working adults and family filling up the zones. Fans who were there was so supportive of all artistes. I’m proud. lol.

I hope SNSD will held a solo con in Malaysia this year. This year Bukit Jalil Indoor Stadium can now be used again ~

Heard rumors here and there about the 9 to visit Malaysia again like they promised in March last year. Hopefully it’s true ~

Seoul Backpacking Day 5 – Apgujeong, SM Entertainment, Legally Blonde, Dinner With Kim Family

Our day 5 begin lazily, mostly because of the hectic schedule we had the past week. We head out to Apgujeong to experience the Korean rich people culture. Lol.

When we get there, the atmosphere was so different from the other side of the river. The buildings are new and the people were wearing more fashionable clothes. And then we found the infamous ‘plastic surgery’ road. It wasn’t hard to find because the whole street was lined up with plastic surgery clinics! There were 5 storey buildings and there were 5 different clinics or more in one building. And there were so many buildings I lost count. If you’re looking for getting some job done, lol you’ll be spoilt for choice.

We wander around as I wanted to visit SM Ent building since we were there. We got on a taxi since we didn’t know the way and shyly asked the driver to get us there. Lol idk why but it feels embarrassing to go to SM Ent building as if we’re sasaeng fans. But I just want to visit like visiting a historic monument. haha.

While we were in the cab, I saw a young woman came out from a nearby clinic. Not sure if she just got her face done or she’s there for a follow up, but almost her whole face was bandaged, leaving only eyes and mouth visible. It wasn’t a pleasant sight to be honest and it was hard to take that image of my mind even until now.

The taxi driver dropped us at SM Ent building and I take photos lol.

We left SM Ent through the new Apgujeongrodeo subway line and boy I was surprised. The underground walkway to the subway was luxurious unlike the subway we’ve been before.

It was still too early to go to COEX for another Legally Blonde so we decided to go to Itaewon for lunch. We had more Bunggeoppangs and Turkish Kebab also Hotteok yum!

And then it was time for another play for lovely Jessica Jung’s Legally Blonde Musical. No other Girls’ Generation members visited the play this time. The play was fun like usual. One who watched can tell how much Jessica enjoys playing her part as Elle Woods and performing with the whole team. Her smile was radiant and she was so cheerful making everyone laugh with her witty lines. I fell for Jessica all over again. Like I said before, she’s amazing.

They gave orange juice at the end of the musical

After the musical, we rushed back to Myeongdong to meet up with the Kim family. Mr. Kim met with my sister through work and now his whole family already familiar with us. Their family drove all the way from Gwangju to meet with us. We were lost in Myeongdong lol. We can’t find Lotte Department Store even though we went there before. So while navigating through the crowd with the aid of a kind couple, we saw people filming, presidential candidates giving speeches and also this SNSD giant board.

When we finally met them, Mr. Kim treated us to lunch at Saffron Restaurant at Ibis Ambassador Hotel just across from Lotte. It’s my first time eating Arabic food and I love it! Gosh it’s probably the best meal I had while we were there.

Mr. Kim’s daughters were as usual, the eldest one who looks like After School Uee was so prim and proper while the younger one was being a princess and demanding this and that. Lol. I spoke Malay with her and she spoke Korean to me but idk how we managed to communicate. Haha.

Ahwon latching onto her father while our Princess Shiwon waits

After dinner, they treat us to coffee and then gave us presents each awww. It was handmade Korean dolls in traditional outfit and the boxes were hugeee. We’re not sure how to take it home lol.

After parting with the Kims, which the wife even shed tears as we said goodbye, (lol she said Koreans like to cry) we head down to Myeongdong for last minute shopping. We had a lot of fun hahaha.

The next day we woke up early in the morning to catch the shuttle bus to airport as our flight was around 9am. We managed not to exceed the maximum weight with our luggage yay. We checked in early and even have the time to get our tax refund.

Bye Bye Dalkom!

Everysing inside the departure hall

The flight soon take off and we’re headed back to Malaysia. But I already miss Seoul and it’s people.

I’ll probably going there again this year. ^^

 

Seoul Backpacking Day 4 – Itaewon, Soshi G-Factory, Melon Music Awards

When I wake up that morning of day 4, it was drizzling outside. Rain during winter made it a lot worse, it became even more colder than usual. But despite the weather, we determined to continue our itinerary for day 4, which is a visit to the multicultural Itaewon.

We took subway to get there and it was still raining. We each brought an umbrella which was provided by our guesthouse. Itaewon is really multicultural. There were shops in various languages along the street also a lot of restaurants selling foreign food. We even found a restaurant selling Malay food but it was overpriced. Like 10,000krw for Asam Pedas? Better eat them back at home. Lol.

Our quest was to look for a Halal Korean restaurant that I found while making research on internet, Muree Restaurant. After asking a helpful guide who was on duty, we found the Islamic Street that leading to the Seoul Central Mosque. There were so many halal restaurants along the street, mostly selling Indian or Arab dishes. There were also a lot of Malay words on the banners in front of their premises, lol telling me just how many Malay tourists had come here that they have to compete for customers. It’s true though. We bumped into so many Malaysians there it almost feels like home. After climbing the steep road, we finally found the restaurant.

We had bulgogi, kimchi fried rice and kimchi egg roll with side dishes. It was delicious.

After filling our appetite, we head over to Seoul Central Mosque just a few meters away for Solat Zohor. It was Friday, and the mosque was full with people. A few local Muslims tried to converse with us, in Korean, of course lol but I only understand less than half percent of what they’re saying. They thought me and my sister were foreign students lol.

After leaving the mosque in the shivering cold we felt hungry again lol. We tried Bunggeoppang (Fish Carp Cake with red bean fillings) from a nice ahjusshi vendor and then rested for a while for authentic Turkish kebab at Pasha Deli Café. The kebab was nice but the Bunggeoppang was nicer! The hot red bean filling just melt in your mouth and I still remember the taste!

Soshi faces were everywhere in Seoul, and Itaewon is no exception. Aside from Yoona face covering the Innisfree shops, I also saw Soshi Baby-G ads at bus stands and also at the G-Factory there. So we went there just to take closer look. Soshi is everywhere in the shop.

After Itaewon, we wanted to shop at Ewha Woman University so we hop on the train to get to Sinchon. But when we get there, it was still raining, maybe even more than before so there weren’t a lot of shop opened. Disappointed, tired and cold, I decided that we should go to Olympic Park instead.

Going to Melon Music Awards was not in our itinerary. But we went to the venue just to pass the time. I was hoping to see the idols on red carpet but due to the weather, there wasn’t one outside. Disappointed once again, we were ready to go back to Chungmuro but then; suddenly an ahjusshi gave us two tickets. We couldn’t say no, since we were already there. So we took the tickets and went in.

We sat next to two Singaporean friends who were Sones. The stadium wasn’t full even when it was almost broadcast time. The staffs had to re-arrange the audience to make it look full. Lol.

T-Ara hardcore fans

The show was great, and there were a lot of young enthusiastic fan girls screaming their hearts out for Infinite. Lol I think Infinite is more popular than other boy groups in Korea right now. Even though Beast was also there, but B2UTY screams are not as high pitched as Inspirit.

We didn’t wait till the award was over because it’ll be chaotic sharing trains with the fangirls. We left right after 2NE1 flawlessly performed I Love You.

 

Next: Day 5

Seoul Backpacking Day 3 – Nami Island, Lotte Department Store, Cat Café

We woke up early on the third day despite the fact that we didn’t get enough rest. After a cup of coffee and a chocolate bar we left to our destination, Nami Island.

To get to Nami Island you can either take the cheaper way or the convenient way. The cheaper way would be by taking the subway and cabs and the journey will take more than 2 hours. We chose the easier way, which was by using the shuttle bus. The journey only took around an hour. We get on the bus which was at Tapgol Park in Insadong. The bus will move at 9:30 sharp so you can’t be late. We got there 10 minute before it departed.

Nami Island is an island on the river and we have to take a ferry to get there. There are ferries for every 15 minutes.

Even though snow in Seoul was almost melting away, the snow in Nami were still thick. I can’t believe my eyes, the island was so beautiful. Everywhere we walk it’s like being in a drama scene or somewhere on a fairy tale land.

There were wild animals on the island but they’re not caged. They live naturally on the island and coexist with humans. I was shocked when I saw fluffy squirrels running on the ground and jumping from trees to trees. They’re not afraid of humans at all. Instead, they’re the ones chasing people. LOL. It was the first time I saw people being chased by squirrels.

When we walk further, there were restaurants and I saw ducks and peacocks circling people at food stalls. LOL PEACOCKS. They were asking for food just like cats at street stalls. We also saw rabbits and ostriches.

The main attraction about Nami Island is none other than, Winter Sonata. It was the shooting location of the drama that started the Hallyu Wave 10 years ago. There was the famous kissing snowman and even a human sized statue of Jun Sang (Bae Yong Joon) and Yoo Jin (Choi Ji Woo) which we have to take turn to take photos with.

We had lunch at a seafood restaurant on the island. The restaurant is run by an ahjumma and her daughter (I think) and she made the best pajeon (pancake) I ever tasted. We ordered 2 seafood pajeon because it was so good. We also had the kimchi rice with tuna in a metal box. We have to shake the box to mix the rice and they even provided the gloves because the box was hot. It was delicious. I’d go there again next time.

After lunch and solat and more playing with the snow, we head back to the shuttle bus. It will depart back to Seoul at exactly 4pm. We bought fried sweet potatoes and roasted corn to eat on the journey back. The ahjumma and ahjusshi vendor spoke the price in malay to us! Lol ‘dua ribu won, tiga ribu won’

We reached Seoul at almost 7pm because of the traffic jam. We made a brief stop at Insadong before walking back to Myeongdong. We stop by Lotte Department Store and Duty Free but the place was crowded with people. So we head out and rested for a while at a Cat Café.

Godabang (Cat Café) is filled with cats! We love cats so the idea of drinking coffee with 20 cats sounds fun. To enter the café you have to pay a certain amount for your drink and entrance fee. We paid 8,000 krw each. There were lots of cats there, but they’re not just regular ones. They’re from various types of pure breed cats. There were Persian, Balinese, American Shorthair, Scottish Fold, Birman, Sphynx and more. The cats were so hyper that evening. They were running around and playing. We forgot about how tired we were.

Their Sphynx cat, named Ping was on G-Dragon One of a Kind teaser photo and jacket album. I looked at Ping differently after the owner told me that and pet it so I can get indirect touch with GD. LOL.

After cat café we head back, tired but happy.

We were still unsure of what to do on day 4 since the weather forecast said that it will rain all day.

 

Next day 4 – Itaewon and Melon Music Awards??

 

Seoul Backpacking Day 2 – Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, Legally Blonde, YoonKrys Surprise

12/12/12

We start our morning with hot toasts and instant coffee! We woke up a bit late that morning because of the soreness of our body from day one adventure.

We took subway and we didn’t get lost this time and managed to get to Gyeongbukgung Palace around 10:00am. The palace is AMAZING. It’s like you’re being sucked in time to the Joseon Dynasty like in the saeguk dramas on TV. It’s not just one building, but its acres of land with loads of beautiful buildings in one place. When we got there, there were a lot of teenagers visiting the palace so it got a bit chaotic with naughty boys jumping around and girls chatting loudly. Later we learned that the palace open to students for free for a period of time. There were guided tours in English and the earliest one was on 11:00am so we were right on schedule. We waited for around 15 minutes and join the tour. There were around 20 people in our group.  There were Malaysians too. Yay, lol happy to see fellow countrymen.

I learned a lot about the history of the palace, but I can only focus for so long lol. It got boring after a while listening to the guide and my toes were almost frozen. I realized then that my sneakers are not enough to endure the cold.

There are stories for each of the mini statues

Built without a single nail

The tour ended about 1 hour later and we parted from the group. We move to the National Palace Museum to heat up and rest lol. It’s in the same area as the palace. There were 3 halls, each focusing on different era of the history of Korea.

Apparently that was a bed

We lost track of time in the palace and we left at 2:00pm. So we managed to watch the Changing Guard Ceremony at the main entrance.

The Royal Changing Guard Ceremony

Next we walk around the beautiful Gwanghamun Square just outside the palace gate. There were two giant statues at the square, one is King Sejong and another one is Admiral Yi (I think). While we were walking we saw crowds and people giving out speeches enthusiastically. Police were guarding the area and media were also present. Later I learned that they were campaigns for the presidential election.

Not sure what these people were doing

We were looking for the largest bookstore there, Kyobo Bookstore and were walking around aimlessly looking for building that we saw on Running Man episode (LOL). There were so many buildings and we don’t have all day (plus we were starving), so we decided to go to the subway and move to Myeongdong for lunch.

But in the subway, we found the way to Kyobo Bookstore. ^^

But at the bookstore, it wasn’t books that I bought. LOL. I happily shop for I AM DVD, Despicable Me Korean DVD and KARA Solo Collection. The KARA one was on sale. o/

Next we hurriedly went back to Myeongdong for two reasons, first we want to eat at a halal restaurant and secondly we have to buy winter boots for Nami Island trip the next day. We got there around 4pm and I managed to drop by Banilla Co. and Innisfree to shop for more cosmetics. And then we found the restaurant by chance! Haha, we were lucky. ^^

We went to Agra Restaurant, which is a popular chain Indian restaurant in Seoul that serves halal and vegetarian menu. One thing though, we didn’t expect the place to be so… classy. Lol. We had their lunch set, which consists of rice, curry with cheese, salad, roti naan and vegetables all for only 9,900krw. Their naan bread and cheese curry was so delicious I can still remember the taste.

Before moving to the next destination we stop by SPAO to buy boots and Harvard shirts that were on sale. The boots were only 45,000krw per pair and they’re pretty! The price there is very reasonable.

Next stop, COEX!

We arrived there around 7.00am and the place was pretty empty. There were rice wreaths mostly for Jessica lined nicely along the floor. I bought Legally Blonde merchandises for me and my friends because they were pretty cheap. The posters were only 1,000krw each!

From Malaysia!

Merchandise booth

My sister isn’t watching the musical (because she thinks it’s a waste of money) and she decided to wait for me at the bench in front of the hall entrance and read. This later became the best decision she made. I told her to keep an eye for other Soshi members who might turn up. We both guessed that it might be Yoona who come, that is if anyone turn up at all. My sister fave Soshi member is Yoona after all.

I went in myself and sat at my seat, next to a nice ahjusshi who also came alone. When I was settling myself at my seat, suddenly people were cheering. I looked up and saw two people walking to their seats and noticed that it was Yoona. I was sitting at the opposite side of Yoona, sadly. So I only saw her from afar. Then I noticed a hyper girl sitting beside her. The girl was trying to cover her face with her scarf as she laughed, and it was none other than Krystal Jung.

The show starts a few minutes after 8:00pm with a cheerful dance number by Elle Woods’s friends. And then Jessica appeared and the crowd was cheering.

The musical was so fun to watch, it was funny and entertaining with lovable characters and witty lines all throughout. You will fall for the arrogant Warner who dumped Elle, though he was kind of a douche but he was cute. And then there was the shy Emmet who always dresses plainly but always there for Elle. And who can forget the vibrant hairstylist Paulette who became Elle’s shoulder to cry on during her time at Harvard. And also Kyle, the delivery guy from PedEx who wears tight clothes all the time.

But Elle was the best. I have never seen Jessica being so committed with something. And her performance through this musical proved to me that she’s not a lazy girl people accuse her to be. She’s amazing.

After the musical ended my sister boasted to me that she saw Yoona up close. They passed by her 4 times! She tried to chase her the first time like others lol but she was blocked by the manager. She decided to use another tactic, which was to act like she don’t care but hid the camera with her. It worked and Yoona and Krystal walked past her so leisurely and the managers didn’t see her as a threat lol.

We went back to Chungmuro station, feeling happy and content. But then there was a problem. We forgot which exit to take. And at a station there were around 8-9 exits. If you took the wrong exit you will get lost. We were lost. LOL. It was late, cold and dark and we were wandering with our shopping bags. Luckily we found a taxi driver, though he refused to drive us or even talk to us, I managed to ask him in my broken hangul and luckily he understood.  He pointed us a way and we finally found our guesthouse. o/

Next is day three, to Nami Island the fairy tale land!

Seoul Backpacking Day 1 – Insadong, Everysing, N Seoul Tower

It’s been 4 days since I left my heart in Seoul and that past 5 days had been nothing but amazing. My sister and I planned this trip in a month when we suddenly felt like going there. I’ve always wanted to watch Jessica in Legally Blonde so we decided to go backpacking in Seoul.

11/12/12

We arrived in Incheon Airport around 8:20am, expecting for the worst weather. Everyone in the flight were sighing when the pilot announced,

“The weather is nice, it’s er… -11 degrees.”

We’re not sure what to expect so we wrapped ourselves with 2 layers of down jackets and gloves. And it was the right thing to do. The coldness hit us hard outside the airport! We take the Airport Limousine to get to our guesthouse, since it’s the most convenient way to get there. It was only 10,000 KRW per trip and it took around 70 minutes till we get off at Chungmuro stop. While we were waiting, we chatted a bit with Semi, a pretty and friendly Korean girl who speaks fluent Indonesian!

From Chungmuro stop we have to rely on our map to find the guesthouse, Dalkom. After wandering for around 5 minutes in the cold, we reached our destination with the help of 2 kind ahjusshis. Dalkom Guest House is such a cute and cozy place to stay in. The rate was also cheap. The only thing I want to complain was the location, lol it was in the alley surrounded by printing companies.

After resting for a bit and ate our lunch (instant noodles Maggi FTW!) we headed out to Insadong to buy tickets for Nami Island. We had a bit trouble finding the subway and ended up roaming Euljiro-3-Ga underground mall for about 10 minutes haha. That place was classic and interesting in its own way, and it was filled with elderly locals. We felt like we’re in the 70’s for a while.

We finally reached Insadong and were overwhelmed with the place’s culture richness. There were galleries along the street, people selling handmade items, food and so much more.

After buying our Nami Island tickets, we made a stop at Etude House to shop for cosmetics. They gave us so many samples! Like no kidding, it was a LOT. We made a stop at it’s Skin and the ahjummas there was so friendly! I speak my broken Hangul with her,

Unnie, neomu yeppo!

and she got excited and gave us Nichkhun posters and cards. They even walk us to the door and take photos together with Khun cut out. I’ll never forget this ahjumma haha.

We were shocked when suddenly the street vendors shouted, ‘Apa khabar!’ and ‘Saya cinta kamu!’ as they saw us. LOL. Who taught them these Malay words?! We tried the cookie, it was wrapped with strings of flour and there were sweet fillings in it, I’m not sure what it’s called though. But it tastes good.

Then we stop by the famous Ssamziegil mall. It’s a beautiful place.

It was cold and we’re tired but we already planned for another destination for day 1. We decided to continue to Myeongdong and Namsan Seoul Tower.

We walked from Insadong to Myeongdong and on the way my sister noticed this cafe with Yonghwa and Seohyun photos pasted on the door. Turns out it was Miss Lee’s café, the one where YongSeo had their date on WGM and also Yoona came during her KBS’s guerilla date.

I ordered a cup of hot chocolate and it was a perfect drink in the cold weather. Also a cute Korean guy near our table greeted us. People here are so friendly. One eye contact and smile and they will talk to you.

We also passed by Cheongyecheon Stream on the way to Myeongdong

While we were walking randomly at Myeongdong, we accidentally found SPAO and Everysing. We went in for a while to rest and keep warm.

Finding the N Seoul Tower cable car was no laughing matter. I read through blogs that it was only walking distance to there from Myeongdong, but it didn’t mention that it was LONG walking distance. But, we still managed to find the place all thanks to a girl who helped us. She’s not fluent in English so she asked us to follow her. It was a long, tiring walk along the steep icy path, but we get to the cable car eventually.

The tower is amazing and we also visited the Teddy Bear Museum. It was very interesting to see the bears were arranged to tell the history of Korea. They were so cute it made us forgot about our tired feet for a while.

There were also the original bears from the MBC drama Goong.

Amazing view from the observatory floor at N Seoul Tower

We were too tired to walk anymore and took a cab back to the guesthouse. LOL. But we’re excited for day two!

Bear Gangnam Style!