North Korea Nuke Issue 2013

Source: Korea Times ( 11th April 2013)

So many has been asking repetitive questions to me on the safety of traveling to South Korea especially when the peninsular has been bombarded by countless threats from North Korea in the recent event.

I, personally could not guarantee your safety. Period. 

But, what I feel right now is not anxiety or alarmed by the same old story. 

People who live outside of South Korea were scared by the everyday news displayed by the media in their countries but truthfully, the Koreans and that includes me; we live life as normal as it can get. 

Heck...even the video shown in the news was the old one and repetitive. Media, please update yourself.....*sigh*

No one knows the future for one is not God. 

As a Muslim, I believe in God's Qada' and Qadar which means destiny and divine foreordainment. I just pray for everyone's safety and mine too.

If you are in South Korea now, let your embassy know your details:

1. name


2. phone number in Korea 


3. address in Korea 


4. reference (someone in your home country) and their phone number

For Malaysian embassy, you may contact:





Address:

129 Dokseodang-ro ( Hannam-dong)

Yongsan-gu

Seoul

140-884

Republic of Korea  

 

Telephone: 

+82-2-795 9203 (General Line)

+82-2-2077 8600 (General)



Fax: +82-2-794 5488/ 5480

Email: malseoul@kln.gov.my

How do I proof that there's only peace in South Korea now and not a single trace of chaos in sight?



Pictures!! ^^



Look at these pictures, I just had a cherry blossom picnic YESTERDAY dated 13th of April, 2013 at Yeoido Park with my friends: Feia, Saddam, Zuruel, Lisa and Jun Yun Jae.

We had nasi lemak, chicken rendang, nasi himpit, serunding,

Mister donut and Baskin Robbin's ice cream for Yeoido Cherry 

Blossom gathering! ^^

Look at the crowd going for the Yeoido Cherry Blossom Festival 2013!

This was in front of National Assembly Station, Line 9, Exit 1.

After the picnic at Yeoido Park, me and Feia went to Sinchon to appreciate spring festival under the cherry blossom which is just right in front of my house.

The view in Sinchon last night on 13th April 2013.

If that is not PEACE, what is? *look at my hand gesture? ^^*

Pray for peace in South Korea, your safety and ours. There's nothing to be afraid of.

War Memorial of Korea

Syahir and his family

Guys would definitely like this place. I am kinda tomboyish at heart myself...so I prettttty like War Memorial of Korea. There are so many tankers, fighter jets, helicopters... to check out. Awesome!!

Nadia and her parents

If you don't have time to explore everything..just marvel at the pretty displays outside of the museum. I feel that kinda enough at least for me.

Inside the museum is pretty neat too but what set this museum off from the rest of the museums in Seoul or South Korea are the tankers, fighter jets, helicopters. I love them!! If only I have one for display at my hometown...*sigh*



The admission is FREE. ^__^

Closed every Monday though.



How to go War Memorial of Korea (전쟁기념관)?

If you are from Itaewon, you can take the blue bus number 421 (the bus stop is near Hamilton Hotel, in the direction towards Noksapyeong)  which will stop right in front of War Memorial of Korea.

Otherwise you can stop at Samgakji Station, Line 4 or 6, exit 12. Walk about 5 minutes from the exit.

More information from KNTO is here.

Hongdae Graffiti - 벽화거리

I admire how Korean love and appreciate art in their society or rather.. how there's consciousness to educate the public on appreciating art.



They give a lot of details in intricate design and made it a point to be shared for people of now and the future to see. Countless of art galleries to visit and I love it.

One of the places worth visiting is Hongdae where self interpretation and fresh art meet.



Although I live nearby Hongdae honestly, I don't know the place well. Every time I visit Hongdae, my curiosity remains hungry. Say if I follow one alley, I will see something intriguing. If I stroll another alley it offers another mind blowing picturesque view.



Never never... get enough of Hongdae.

Top: Kang Mu Gyul's house from Marry Me Mary Korean Drama

Bottom: Featured in Marry Me Mary Korean Drama

I have discussed this too many times with my friends that Ewha, Sinchon and Hongdae are worth a visit. They exude different vibe. Definitely.



Among the three, IMO Hongdae gives me kinda magnetic pull like fresh energy.

I have been questioning myself, what's a good reason to visit Hongdae? I'm not into clubbing so that's outta question.



For me, not the Hello Kitty Cafe', Coffee Prince Cafe' or even the Trick Art Museum.



I came to Hongdae strolling its alley looking for the tiny changes.

Today.... might be different than yesterday.

Someone told me that if I start to appreciate blooming flowers on the road side, that.... could be a sign of me getting older. Omo! O-O hehehe..



Recently, I went to Hongdae Graffiti Street or in Korean 벽화거리 (Byeokhwagori)

벽화 = mural

거리 = street/road



I went there 3 times - on my own, with Feia and Nadiah and recently with Min Young.

Each visit surprised me.



How to go to Hongdae Graffiti Street (벽화거리)?

Courtesy: Chupa Chups

Take the subway to Hongik Station, Line 2, exit 9. Walk straight out of the exit unti you find a traffic light and turn left, walk up the hill until you find the entrance of Hongik University.

Feia and her sister; Nadiah with a volunteer

for donation. Surprisingly he was collecting donation for

a school near Batu Caves, Malaysia O-O

If you're not too familiar with Korean Language..Hongdae is actually the abbreviation of Hongik Daehakgyo (Hongik University) 홍익 대학교 abbreviated to 홍대. I prefer to call the place as Hongdae rather than Hongik.

This alley is just next to Hongik University's main entrance. Walk 

from here and you will find many of the graffiti.

Nipong Naepong Restaurant at Ewha University

On my last hunt for Jjamppong in Hongdae, I found another worthy restaurant to try near Ewha University through Naver (Korean search engine).



Being a freelance tour guide, it's becoming a situation for me to vary the restaurant that I will visit. This is because the problem is with me! ^^ Hehehe..



My guests would find it an amazing experience to savour Korean dish but for me who had the same meal like once a week at the same restaurant?? A big big issue. Hot issue. ^^



I was even asked by the cute waiter in Gosami "Aren't you sick of our food?" That made me think...hmm..kinda, but Gosami is good!! Two thumbs up!!



This time I found a gem. Nipong Naepong.

They serve fusion jjamppong and pizza.

They also have set menu:

Set 1 - 2 types of jjamppong, a pan of sweet potato pizza and a soda for 21,900 won

Set 2 - 2 types of jjamppong, a pan of garlic pizza and a soda for 20,900 won



Tip: The jjamppong serving is huge. I think it's better to share the set menu for 3 to 4 pax.

Warning: Just avoid Alaska ppong as it contains meat.

Sweet potato pizza, cha ppong, Italia ppong (like carbonara) 

and Thailang ppong (like fried udon).

The Chappong (Chinese jjamppong) is kinda spicy and have level of spiciness from Level 1 to 3. My advice is to stick to level 1. It's spicy enough. Trust me on this one. Hehehe.



I love the ambiance in Nipong Naepong Ewha University's joint. Feia had been to Myeongdong's joint but the ambiance was not as great as in Ewha she said.

With Feia and Syahir's family. See that huge portion? I ordered

one jjamppong each and we couldn't finish everything. T_T

So far I had been there with 2 groups of my guests and with Feia too and all of them vouched the food was quite good and I think they suit Malaysian's palate.



From the 6 types of jjamppong served, one of them contains meat - Alaska ppong. I asked the waiter to exclude meat if they cook it but she was kinda reluctant. So I just stick to my five other menus which she told me contain no meat, just seafood.



My favorite: Spanish ppong - cause it's not spicy and Thailand ppong - cause I just miss Mee Goreng Mamak. T_T

Huda, Acik Salamah and Baby Fateh couldn't keep

his eyes off from the delicious sweet potato pizza.

However as usual, you have to remind them these secret passages:



고기나 햄을 빼 주세요 / 고기나 햄을 놓지 마세요

gogi na ham el pae juseyo / gogi na ham el nochi maseyo

Please remove meat or ham / Please don't put in meat or ham



How to go to Nipong Naepong?

Ewha University joint - go to Ewha University subway station, line 2, exit 3. Walk down the main road towards Ewha University and turn right on the first junction. Walk up the hill about 20 meters and the restaurant is on your left.

Myeongdong joint - go to Myeongdong subway station, line 4, exit 8. Walk on the junction on your left until you find Basic House clothing shop on your right and then turn left into the alley in front of the shop. Nipong Naepong is on the second floor.

Mouse Rabbit Super Junior Yesung's Cafe

Love..love..love..*can I just sing?* lalala...lalilulila...

Such pretty voice Yesung has and such a pretty cafe'.



Thanks to Feia's suggestion, we went to Yesung's Mouse Rabbit Cafe' after visiting Seodaemun Prison on a bright snowy day. Wait...the cafe' and the prison are not related by all means. Don't get me wrong.

But Yesung can always imprison me in that cafe'. I'm all yours...hahah. 이 아줌마 참...ㅋㅋㅋ



The location might not be so classy like Apgujeong or Sinsadong but the cafe' speaks for itself. Once I'm inside, I didn't want to leave.



Seriously. Especially the basement.

The basement has a fireplace (not real) and rose petals covered floor. Such a detailed man. Feia told me Yesung personally threw in the idea for the interior design of Mouse Rabbit Cafe'.

Anyway, what is it with that cute name for a cafe'? Aigoo...such a cutie.



There was no sight of Yesung but I saw two elderly managing the counter. They could be Yesung's parents, no? Another two young ladies were helping them. Maybe they are his relatives. If Yesung was the one taking our orders, I could be out of my mind. Thank gawddddd...hehe.

Cappuccino, green tea latte, Crepe and marble cheese cake.

Thanks Feia for this delicious treat!!

As usual, I had my cappuccino, nothing too great but I kept raving about the ambiance to Feia. I hope she didn't get bored due to my relentless compliment on Yesung.



Wait a minute..I have only known one Yesung's song that is from Cinderella's Sister's OST. ^^ 더 찾아봐야지...ㅋㅋㅋ



How to go to Mouse Rabbit Cafe'?

Go to Konkuk University Station (건대입구역), Line 2 or 7, get out from exit 2, walk towards your left and go straight. The cafe' is after you pass three alleys on your left.

Once you found this building (like SangSang building in Hongdae), 

walk through this alley and Mouse Rabbit Cafe' will be about 10 meters away.

This Naver blogger: Woni, caught Yesung in action at Mouse Rabbit Cafe'. She's so lucky!

Korean Hospital Experience

Touch wood!! I hate hospital and its smell. It was a scary experience when I was stitched during high school after injuring my chin in a dramatic fall while playing basketball.

Kak Ita and Abang Hashimni after the surgery.

Personally I had no experience being warded or had any surgery in any Korean hospital yet. But I had many times accompanying either foreign or Korean friends to Korean hospitals.



My friends has always warned me: "Don't ever dare get sick in Korea!! It's crazy expensive!". I never believed them but I do..now. Hehe..after this incident.



The story goes like this.



I was called early in the morning on the second day of Seollal 2013 by Feia..not so morning like around half past nine. A guest hurt his finger in the guesthouse's restroom while changing his clothes. Apparently the lamp was already broken before the incident and his finger hit the sharpest edge of the broken lamp.



Ouch!!



Well..it was the second day of Seollal in Seoul and hmmm...the city was barren and obviously most departments of hospitals are closed. Majority of the cases go to emergency ward first like ours.



But that wasn't all.



This was what happened before I could meet the patient:

Before even reaching the 'correct' hospital, the patient visited Yonsei Severance Hospital first. The doctor's first reaction: "This gonna be expensive!" Okay...so? "We have to call the plastic surgeon to stitch you up". Well...this had been translated by another doctor.



Their reaction was..."It seems like general surgery for us (if it is diagnosed back in Malaysia) but either the doctor want to gain some profit from dumb foreign tourist like us or...there could be some misinterpretation of the diagnosis..."



Alright, but the doctor had some sympathy for us and he directed the patient to another cheaper hospital I guess- Sinchon Yonsei Hospital (which doesn't look as grand as Yonsei Severance Hospital..nuff said. Hehe..)



By this time, I was around to assist them and the patient's wounded finger was primarily bandaged without surgery performed yet.



We were explained of the normal procedures, the initial deposit was one million won and every little thing was priced up to the tiny little size of bandages!! On one side, we like it because the transparency was there. They took a lot of patience to explain them one by one. On another side..we hate it...so much babbling but we still have to hear them anyway.



We need the surgery..palli palli!!



After signing all the papers...err..more like signing on the monitor screen, the patient changed to hospital robe, took X-Ray, admitted to ward, fast for about another 3 hours and then pushed into the operating theater.



I reminded the nurse that the patient's meal must have no meat, only seafood and vegetables but what had never crossed my mind was that the hospital didn't prepare cutlery ie fork, spoon or chopstick. O_O So quirky.



Unlike Malaysia, if we enter a private hospital everything is prepared for us and we just have to bear the exorbitant cost. But still..we pay what we get..ya know. Well...back to reality, we are in Korea..duhh.



Warning 1: Not all doctors in Korea are adequate with English.



Warning 2: Make sure you have insurance to cover your misfortune. Travel agency most of the time will not be liable. There can be cases where you are insured back in your home country for minor surgery, however the premium might not necessarily cover your oversea's emergency.



Warning 3: Beware of all the unnecessary and nonsensical impending procedures. You MUST be assisted by either a Korean or someone who understands Korean language.

Morphine drip.

Lessons learned: I learned so much new vocabulary related to 약 (medicine).

마약 for example.

The patient asked for morphine to relieve the pain although the regular painkiller has been dripped for him. Since morphine is 마약 - an administered drug, so we have to sign an agreement. The morphine costed about USD150.

Sonppong - Jjamppong and Pizza in Hongdae

Do you remember Ahn Jung Geun?



Nahhh...he's not a K-pop talent. He's a patriot! Wow...sounds cool right?



But this is cooler..look at what I found!! A restaurant bearing Ahn Jung Geung's infamous hand sign 'extracted ring fingger'.

That sounds so wrong and gross for a restaurant..it is not a 'bloody' restaurant. Ooppss sorry for the pun. Sonppong restaurant is a cool place to chill out and meet friends.

I definitely love the food and the ambiance.



I was actually looking for Jjamppong in Hongdae via Naver search engine and I found this restaurant. Not that hard to find, if you have been to Hongdae and know where the location of Coffee Prince Cafe' is.

Sonppong's  are fusion jjamppong with pizza as another dish. The setting is simple, the ambiance is inviting and the food was done just right.



You have to remind the waiter to remove any meat or ham though like this:



고기나 햄을 빼 주세요 / 고기나 햄을 놓지 마세요

gogi na ham el pae juseyo / gogi na ham el nochi maseyo

Please remove meat or ham / Plese don't put in meat or ham



I love the original jjamppong that they serve. It reminded me of Tomyam..ok..not that close cause it's not that spicier, no sour taste but the overall taste is balanced in this jjamppong and I quite love it.



The only pizza that I can eat is the sweet potato pizza. Nothing too great cause I love Pizza School sweet potato pizza better.

We took a set menu: jjamppong + pizza + soft drink for 2 pax is 16,000 won.



How to go to Sonppong in Hongdae?

Go to Hongik Station, Line 2, Exit 8 and turn right after the exit and walk towards the first junction in front of you.



Walk straight until you see a little park on your left, cross the first small roundabout and turn left passing all the BBQ restaurants.



Walk until you see the second roundabout and turn right at the junction.



Walk until you find the signboard for Wausan-ro 29 Da-gil and turn right.



It would take you about 10 minutes walk from Hongik Station to the restaurant.



This restaurant has been designed by 3plusdesign.