Korea, See You in August!

One of my Instagram snapshots. Taken during a 3-week Summer Exchange.

Yes, this blog might just come to life this coming August! I had some thoughts about scrapping this blog and restarting another one but ah well, I guess I owe this blog one, since I wasn't able to post during my Language Immersion in Yonsei back last summer.

That said, I finally submitted my formal Student Exchange Program (SEP) online application to Korea University this Monday ㅎㅎㅎ and now I'm just overwhelmed  and swirling with a cocktail of excitement and anxiety because there's lots of preparation to do!

So today marks the beginning of my SEP preparation - I guess the SEP briefing really helped in many ways.

Some links that I took note of today:

Blogs of SEP Returnees
http://wonderrrgirl.wordpress.com/
http://www.walkingup-korea.blogspot.sg/

Korea International Student Association
http://www.kinsa.org/
https://www.facebook.com/kinsa.org

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.mfa.gov.sg/content/mfa/overseasmission/seoul.html

Visit Seoul
http://www.visitseoul.net/en/index.do?_method=main

Possible Accommodations (Prospective Korea University Exchange Students)
What is 고시원 (Go Shi Won)
http://www.exploringkorea.com/goshiwon-hasuk-jip-and-one-rooms-in-korea/

고시원 (Go Shi Won) Near Korea University
http://goshipages.com/find-housing-near?id=1&search=university&query=Korea+University+-+Main+Campus

(I can't wait to go back to JK House in Hongdae though! There's still 3 months to plan!)



아이고...today also marks the end of my freedom. My first ever internship begins tomorrow in town! I guess this 3-month break would be a fulfilling one. HWAITING!

In the mean time, it's time to kick start the regime of preserving my Korean Language skills - I'm serious ㅋㅋㅋ it's getting from bad to worse, though I confess I think in Korean sometimes.


Things I guess I'll REALLY be looking forward to this 3 months:

• 아빠 어디가? Dad, Where are you going? (If you love heartwarming and hilarious variety shows- AND you absolutely LOVE Korean Kids, this has to be on your list this season! It has become kind of a "Family Thing" - I can't watch this without my siblings now! Each parent-child couple has their own amazing personas that WILL grow on you.) 

• Jin Woon and Jun Hee's We Got Married! (After Julian Kang, Kwang Hee and Lee Joon's WGM ended, this is the only couple that keeps me watching! Hahaha, WGM has its ups and downs too.) 

• Barefoot Friends  (The first episode takes place in Vietnam, our Barefoot Friends would have to live and work like a Vietnamese for 24 hours! Kim Hyun Joong's return to variety really came as a pleasant surprise, he's...as 4-dimensional as ever?)

• Once Upon a Time by ABC Production, Season 2 - if I ever get the chance to be a script writer in the Fantasy Genre, I would totally love to meet OUAT's production team :D 

Happy Holidays! <3 

It's a Seoul Affair

Credits, my Instagram

Editor's Note: This blog has been moved.

This blog has been dead for quite sometime - and guess what, I'll (most likely) be returning to Korea in August!!! This post is pretty useless - or should I say the blog itself is utterly nonsense since I wasn't able to journal my 3 week stay in Korea last summer (laptop died there).

Unfinished affair

1. Check out all the cool cafes in Hong Dae and go beyond Seoul (The places I love to hop around: SinChon, Idae and HongDae) 
2. Lotte World, Caribbean Bay (Ok, this is one touristy thing to do because I have never ever sat on a roller coaster before...and I'm gonna be all dorky and get pressed coins! :)
3. MANGOSIX!!! (Thanks to Gentleman's Dignity, I totally regretted not stepping into the place when we were at Gangnam)
4. Do some island hopping with ZIPLINE
5. Eat all the STREET FOOD. Technically, the only thing I actually ate there were the fishcakes - so this time I'm gonna gobble them all, the dokks and all!

There's so MUCH things to do in Korea besides shopping, and truthfully homework IS important because travelling is all about being IN the place, walking along the streets with the people, living a mark there and vice versa. Travelling is NOT about watching the people live their lives in the city in order to put a FAT tick on the list of countries you aspire to take selfies at. 

And lastly, I have lots of lessons learnt from last summer - book a straight flight, preferably SIA or Korea Air; know the things you need to note for proper insurance claiming, get a local cellphone.

Drama that happened last summer 

11 hour flight from Singapore to Incheon:

• Flight for Air China was delayed by 1.5hrs*uh-huh*
• Landed at Beijing Int. Airport and the staff were channelling people to any bus (most likely not the right one) just to get them out of the ground crew's way.
• Dashing across stretches of travelators (with our bagpacks) in Beijing International Airport only to be told "SORRY, you can't board the plane." -*but the plane is right THERE, that's our plane right?* -"No, but yes, that's your plane."
• So, it's a flight misconnection. And people refused to take responsibility (Oh come on, the staff were half awake and just strolling to the counter, surely they must be blameless.)
• Arduous security scrutiny *scanned us once, and scanned us twice*.
• Cheap breakfast didn't really add on to our sense of disbelief.
• Arrived at Incheon
• LOST OUR LUGGAGE
• The Korean staff for Air China were a little more helpful than the Chinese staff but they were less than half as helpful as they think. 
• Claim for expenses denied (We didn't meet any big shots in the office, it was a one man show - though we did get to make a call to our guesthouse.)
• Bag-packed (with our meager belongings) all the way to our guesthouse- it was a blessing in disguise because at night our luggage were delivered to us safely, intact, by a nice 아저씨 (Uncle).

The 3 weeks were perfect, we returned to Singapore with AirChina staff (either Korea or China HQ) paying special attention to us and giving us our living expenses USD50 only when we were checking in for the flight home. I basically kept the US note as a souvenir. Transition was smooth because the three Singaporean's on board the flight from Korea to China were given special attention.

Speed things up a little, I failed to get my rightful compensation from NTUC Income - basically, I gave them everything I had, all the nitty gritty documents - but they needed that ONE slip of receipt which that nice  아저씨 had to collect back.

Well done, and I was expected to contact AirChina myself (to find out when I collected my luggage). I did, but their website was down.

And so, I got a charitable amount of 50bucks from NTUC insurance. (My friend got at least a hundred?) It wasn't that much about the money, but I hate it when staff talk down to customers. It's not about the organisation, it's the kind of attitude people have these days when they have to entertain millions of people in a day.

So, these are the lessons learnt and I will book a direct flight next time, for the sake of my neurons. Well, but I did enjoy my 3 weeks in Seoul all the same - I met the Running Man and Idols! 

BACK FROM SEOUL

Too many things have happened and I'm about to abandon my home for college camp again! I has been more than a week since I've returned from Seoul and I swear I've been missing Seoul ever since - I'm not kidding, because every-single-day something happens to me that make me MISS THE GOOD LIFE THERE. 

Now that I'm back (to reality) there's really loads of things to worry about...scholarships, school, my (on hiatus) novel, catching up with friends and family, broken laptop and lagging phone, sneaky wisdom tooth and horrible bank accounts... the reality of my life hits me every time I want to forget myself.

Retrieved from my Instagram

OH SPEAKING ABOUT COMPUTERS - my poor laptop - which I lugged all the way form Singapore to China and then Korea, then there and back again, malfunctioned when I was in Yon Sei University. Which is why I couldn't even upload a single thing on this blog. Schizer.

But I had a truckload of (mis)adventures though, and I met really really lovely people there which I shall continue to have fun with once this hectic semester starts in mid August :)

The best thing that happened in Seoul?

WE SAW RUNNING MAN IDOL OLYMPIC SPECIAL LIVE IN SEOUL!!!

AND DÉBUTED ON KOREA NATIONAL TV (as crazy supporters from Singapore)!!!

YES, (ONE PLUS ONE) HUGE TICKs OFF THE LIST :D

Breath before the Plunge

Take a deep breath because you'll be leaving this little red dot for 3 weeks+

Take a deep breath because you'll be sleeping on your cozy bed and sitting on that cozy chair for one last time.

Take a deep breath and remember the things your loved ones had done, and are still doing for you, because there'll be things you wish to tell them everyday when they are not there with you.

Take a deep breath because you'll be lugging a 10kg luggage around Seoul Incheon Airport up the winding stairs, not to mention the bagpack and the smaller bag...

Take a deep breath because you'll need to speak more korean in 3 weeks than your previous 2 semesters combined.

Take a deep breath because this will be a new adventure, a new beginning. 

Take a deep breath because you WILL get lost.

But sometimes when we get lost, we discover ourselves, we discover new friends and people who will be there for us, and there definitely will be moments that truly take our breaths away.

Take a deep breath- because it IS LIFE that you are breathing, LIFE that you are Living.

-0-0-0-

All right, the flight is tomorrow midnight eeeeekkkkkkk!!! And I still feel ultra unprepared!!! Shall proceed to online  check in now :) 

Schizer the online check-in services are down, super inefficient >:"(

And guess what my lovely mom bought for me to bring to Korea (for the homestay)(why would I want to bring any of these)? 

DRIED MANGOES! And jackfruit chips, a jar of kaya spread, chocolate, chilli tapioca chips...Seriously my mom is the best <333

Last Minute Compilation of Research

I would've gone insane if not for my dear Mom, she did SO MUCH FOR ME.

*slap-myself-in-the-face* I can't believe any of these are real, I'm really going to KOREA!!! HAHA, just today, I received an email from AirChina saying there are changes to my flight and I swear, I thought some disaster was boiling in the cauldron! Fortunately, there's only a push-forward of flight by like- 10mins? Phew, chill.

I'm seriously overwhelmed by all the stuff that's happening - whatsapp, twitter, skype, FB, Line and now Kakao talk??? HAHA, I LOVE MY FRIENDS but technology can really suck you dry of Time if you are not careful. Sometimes, I prefer to live life the old-school way, like making my own travel journal <3

Yes, I shall post it here once it's done! Gosh, I realise I have to bring Mackie to Seoul, cos GAPs and module-stuff will be on going while we're in Korea? I'm chucking away all my dreams for psych now, and looking forward to majoring in CNM with a few other friends :) Next semester will be another to remember - how I wish I can be a uni student forever ~ 

Anyway, it's time to print some discount COUPONS from VisitKorea, I'm gonna keep a separate envelope for all the coupons + receipts + tickets <3

Lastly, I need more MONEHHHHH, I'll bleed dry from shopping in Korea, seriously :P

My novel is on hiatus again, but I'm sure I'll return a better author before commencing my other round of revision! 

P.S: I FINALLY GOT AN EVENSTAR (plus the Heart of the Ocean) !!! <33333 I'm going to wear the Evenstar to Korea, to remind myself of a brand new future :)

Updates, Jostling June

Hi everyone (well, no one's reading this anyway, more like - hi Li'az!) I'm currently on a hiatus for my Seoul research (the travel date is coming real soon and I'm short on info!), but there are updates every now and then:

Because I'm such a lazy blogger, I shall jot things down in point form:
1. On Seoul:
I forgot to post, but I did manage to book a hostel for my trip! Check it out (Hongdae JK House) on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HongdaeJKHouse, it's really marvelous + it is new and probably sparkling clean. The owner seems pretty friendly as well, no advance payment, just a word of promise and I nailed the deal :)

Hongdae JK House is pretty near Hong Dae's 3D art house too Trickeye Museum (Seogyo Plaza B2, 357-1, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-838, South Korea) - that means I don't have to fly all the way to Jeju island for its 3D Art Museum!

These are some reviews of Trickeye:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g294197-d2203080-Reviews-Trickeye_Museum-Seoul.html

2. On college and work: 
Well, this is supposedly my 3-month holiday but I'm splurging all the time on mugging for my placement test (a pain in the ass, really). I received last semesters' results today via sms- and my CAP sort of improved by a few decimal points. As for my Korean grade, it was a little disappointing but I'm glad it wasn't a C. Enough of school, let's talk about work! I'm grabbing all the opportunities for exotic jobs and I'm currently holding two :) The first is a part time at Intercruises for the Royal Carribean and coming up this Thursday I have a job at Sarang, the Korean restaurant at Orchard Central. Hope all would be well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


3. On BOOKS and WRITING!: 
I've been reading A Song of Ice and Fire in my free time (on the bus and train while hopping from place to place, Singapore is really overcrowded.) and while listening to awesome soundtracks, I write when I should be sleeping. I'm still trying to revise a few tricky chapters! Words are flying everywhere.

Advice for myself: clear that block like a plumber and let the words flow. 

The annual book fair at Suntec City Convention Hall just gets smaller and smaller every year. I'm utterly disappointed by the amount of books they have (an the number of major book stores collapsing)! Back in the good old days the place would be a paradise filled with screaming kids hugging books (not assessment books). And now, the place just gives you goosebumps because there just isn't enough human to warm the place up. Geez. The booth for Times was like a lighthouse. I managed to buy a good book and thanks to my lovely cousin, I ordered even more books online (free shipping) from NOQ store.

I'll be getting my hands on Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle and Alexander Lloyd's Chronicles of Prydain soon, finally! Eeeeek!!! *dancing around the house* Gosh, I've been looking all over Singapore for Howl's Moving Castle, and they only appear in libraries.

4. On movies: 
Dark Shadows was very-Tim-Burton-ish and of course, I watched it because it's a Johnny Depp + Tim Burton film.

Nothing beats Hunger Games though, haha (unless you are watching Hunger Games for the second time or third time.)(You'll most likely watch it objectively until the muttations part).

Snow White and the Huntsman's coming out on May 31st! I've been waiting so long for it - I mean, I can't wait to watch the Queen, just look at the mirror and the milk bath...I'm not a Stewart fan, I shall not comment, but I do love the suit and amour (and probably the plaits).

And the best is saved for the last, I've been waiting for years for The Hobbit! ( I re-watch LOTR every year and yes, I tear every time.) Peter Jackson is back again! :D *fireworks* (I saw Peter Jackson's production video a year ago) I was hoping Orlando and Elijah Wood's coming back but I'm not sure---are they? But from the trailer, Ian Mckellen, Cate Blanchett and Andy Serkis' definitely back on set, cheers for the crew! I was that into LOTR  - even my mom know's what "my precious" mean. She didn't watch a single movie haha.

Anyway, the ranting's over! Have a lovely day ahead dear readers. (If you happen to stumble over my blog, that is.)

Quote of the day: "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." - Thomas Alva Edison

I guess this applies to writing as well.

RUN HOTEL RUN

First Quarter* 

(*Hunger Games hangover)

I'm really terrible at making plans - first I founded this blog for Seoul, then I abandoned it for AGES! Shame on me! >:[

All right, I figured out this won't do, so I'm really determined to kill that lazy bug in me and start doing some serious research. Well, but there are more pressing matters at hand --- I'm in need of a hotel or hostel!
***not mentioning I need to start mugging for my statistics placement test in June? (I'll be thrown into a huge, GARGANTUAN dilemma when term results are out on 28th May 2012 ---to major or not to major --- beats me.)

With intelligence reports from my lovely mom, I've obtained possible candidates ...

Vision Hotel Seoul:
http://www.agoda.com/asia/south_korea/seoul/vision_hotel.html
***the best candidate so far, it's near 동대문 (Dong Dae Mum)!

City Palace Hotel: 
http://www.agoda.com/asia/south_korea/seoul/city_palace_hotel.html
*Not as grand as Vision Hotel but near 동대문 as well

Yoo's Family Guest House:
http://www.agoda.com/asia/south_korea/seoul/yoo_s_family_guest_house_byeolhadang.html
*new guesthouse - but just look at the traditional layout! (public bath though)

HAHA House:
http://www.agoda.com/asia/south_korea/seoul/haha_house.html
*pretty faraway from metro station, but the kind owner fetches his travellers personally from the metro station! 

City Guest House1:
http://www.agoda.com/asia/south_korea/seoul/city_guesthouse_1.html
*Location is a little tough to find...but reviews are pretty good! 


Seoul Tower Ville
http://www.seoultowerville.com/english.html
*** At Myeong Dong, with view of Nan Sam Tower, interesting keepers :)

-oO0Oo-

Second Quarter

Well, this would be my first time travelling so far away from the sunny island of Singapore without my family, and I'm really really really nervous that it won't turn out right!!! Because I'm a dorky writer I shall list out a few grandiloquent plans that may well be here just for the fluff. Teehee (It's 2.53am so I'm a bit high?)

1. Organise my own Running Man: Globe Trotters in  SEOUL CITY!!!
(Image from: http://www.kshownow.net/)








HAHA, that sounds a bit far-fetched doesn't it? Well, but it doesn't hurt to dream!
I can:

• Make a really nice itinerary with a theme. (With all the travel essentials, packing lists and maps for good measure...)
• Print mission cards! (On really cool nice papers)(Or compensate with nice fonts haha)(with maps and addresses for a blur student like me) (Food to hunt, deals to nail, interesting places to explore and kick-ass stuff to do in Seoul...)
• Well, sounds like fun - and that means I need to kick start that rusty engine of mine and turn it to full throttle...
• bind everything into a book (A5 size), with all the info. maps, with an envelope at the back of the book for all the receipts and what nots...  

2. Hmm, I guess there isn't a plan number 2 because this Running Man idea will be keeping me busy for a while?

3. Sighs, that means I need lots of time, money and resources...gonna sleep now, I've been chasing the Werglock for an entire day, now it's chasing me to sleep. zZZZzZZ

Telegraphic Transfers...

I'm officially FREE today! No more exams until June! To cut the story short (because I'm such a lazy blogger) I  finally settled the first-half of all the sticky tacky bureaucratic stuff by making a trip down to the bank - for the second time.

I'm supposed to transfer one whole sum of fees to Yon Sei in KRW - and the first bank I went to said: sure, fill up the form. And then the next thing that made me blew my top was that when I was home, I received a call that said: sorry, there's an issue with the processing--- we do not transfer money in KRW, especially KRW. You'll have to do it in SGD or USD. 

Me: Oh, so does that mean I have to convert the currency myself? Or do I have to base it on the transaction date's exchange rate, what should I do?

***(WTH would I know the exchange rate on the date of your transaction if you can only process it 3-4days later???)

Staff: Actually, we have no idea...we do not know the exchange rate, you'll have to convert it yourself in SGD and maybe check with your friends? You are attending the university there right? The bank will take 3-4 days to process the money and then the bank in Korean will decide whether the amount is adequate or not.

Me: Okay, I have no idea either, (there's not much transparency in the whole process in the first place on both institution's part) I'll check with my friends. May I have your number? I'll get back to you as soon as possible, sorry about that.

Staff: Oh, I'll call you back later, or do you want tomorrow? We're closing at 4.30pm. (Time of call, approximately 3plus pm)

Me: Erm, maybe I'll take down your number and contact you asap?

*silence*

Staff: For that you'll have to call the contact center-  request for your call to be transferred to this branch and direct the call to me. 

***(Well, she didn't even bothered to introduced herself - I caught her name when her colleague spoke to her 'discreetly' about the issue with KRW)

Me: It's okay, you can call me tomorrow then. 

What kind of service is that - I mean, it wasn't all about the service, it was the whole bureaucratic-sticky thing that irks me to the core and make my flesh crawl. Do I seem that I know the exchange rate 3-4 days later? If I do, I'll be somewhere ripping bucks off the stock market for goodness sake. And---did really she think that I had the bank's central office number stored in my speed dial? GEEEZ, she put down the phone with such expert quickness I had to wait till the next day to tell her cancel the transaction. (I'm going to another bank)

Yeah, so this is the story of why I had to make a second trip to another bank today - and hopefully things will work out since they can only process the telegraphic transfer next monday. 

The moral of the story is? 

Just make sure you get things done right the first time, go to the right bank and make sure they answer your inquiries sincerely. If you have a deadline to meet, then do so way before the deadline, perhaps 4-5 days earlier since there'll probably be mysterious and confidential glitches here and there. There are no mysterious glitches nor are there confidential glitches, just a total lack of transparency and the power of bureaucracy.

 (I'm keeping the bank names confidential due to certain mysterious reasons - respecting their privacy? Probably not, I'm safeguarding myself.)

Anyway, have a great summer ahead! It's getting real hot in Singapore now even though it's summer all year round? Haha, time to get the quill moving - my ink's all dried up when I should be revising my half-written novel.

그림을 그고싶어요...

아이고...I'm dying to get a tablet p.c. here* adamant glint in eyes* . All right, I admit this post doesn't belong here - I shall start an art blog when I have enough sketches and a TABLET P.C! (plus sufficient time) :D

Sheesh, I need to save up for the Korea trip too...돈이 없어요! Oh and GOOD NEWS!!! Domestic flight tickets to Jeju Island are available at roughly $38 each!!! That means I can leave Seoul on one of the fridays and spend one weekend at Jeju Island! :D Hehehe, gonna try out the sauna in Jeju :P

Here's the link: http://www.eastarjet.com/book/index.htm

For now, I shall

•  study hard during this semester
•  mug hard for my placement test in June
•  get a part time job (and save up)
• PLAN a REAL mind-blowing, super-de-duper trip to SEOUL <3

The Mind Boggled Researcher

http://liastoria-alestera.deviantart.com/

And then she slap her little laptop shut and banged her head against the door...

-oO0Oo-

The problem with researching about a destination you haven't been to is that there is an OVERLOAD of information. You start to question the accuracy and validity of the details that are strewn across the web - so it kinda gets pretty sticky.

While it's a school trip organised suggested by the university for a 3week student exchange in Seoul's Yonsei University, it's pretty much a students-sign-up-and-organise-yourself trip. We have to settle the air tickets and find out about all the nitty-gritty details in our own time- no korean teachers would be accompanying the flight either. 

All in all: "You are very much on your own." *sniffs*

I'm half a bag-packer now.

Frankly speaking, the administrative stuff in itself is a GARGANTUAN barrier (full of spikes and nasty bites) because I'm a clueless jellyfish bobbing around in the deep waters of the ocean.

But the first step is already done (I've submitted the form, unfortunately, with my horrible photo on it) and so the next thing to do is MOUNTAINS of research. The initial hike around the mountains and mountains of information is a little daunting, because the net is a treasure trove full of interesting junks. Albeit the arduous nature of the info-hunt, I arrived at the conclusion that bag packing is exceedingly FUN!

So here's the to-dos and resources an amateur like me managed to harness over one night:

1. Air Tickets

• What's more important than the ticket? Check all the available airlines you can trust your life with and grab the best deals. Beware of the "inclusive"and "non-inclusive" of taxes and fares before you nail the deal though. You never know how much of a price difference it can mean. Booking online is as easy as registering yourself as a member on the respective websites. 
• 
  
• For me, SIA and Asia Airlines provided lucrative deals, but SIA's $698 (all inclusive) to-and-fro tickets only provide you with max. stay of 14days in Korea. So that means I have to put it off the list because I'm sticking around in Seoul for 3 weeks. JetStar didn't provide flight routes to Seoul; Cathay's tickets cost $900++; China's Zhong Hua Airlines ---fully booked. Now the only thing left to do is to contact SIA and query about extension of flight plan (which I highly doubt would come through) and confirm the number of days I want to plant myself out of Singapore in somewhere supposedly greener :D I shall check Thai Airlines as well. 

2.   Accommodations

Well, if I decided to extend my stay beyond the Mu-Ak dormitory of Yonsei, then I'll have to grab a cheap guesthouse/ back-packers' hostel to bunk in. Yonsei University is located near the SinChon subway station (2nd, Green line). I'm currently looking at:

• Bong's House (http://www.agoda.com.sg/asia/south_korea/seoul/bong_house/reviews.html?tgrp=0#reviewTop)
•  Myeong Dong's Guest House (http://www.mdguesthouse.com/) 

3. Smart Apps

My mom's faster than I am when it comes to research! Thanks to my lovely 어머니I now have 2 clever gadgets in my phone-travel-essentials. Physical map is a must, but virtual map is definitely a plus!

• I Tourism Korea
• Seoul Metro and Seoul City Map
• Jihachul app

4. Full-fledged Cultural Research

• This is another must if you want to enjoy your trip. I can't afford to travel to a foreign place without any inkling of its culture and history! It's like rubbing your chin in front of Mona Lisa in the Paris Louvre without any idea why people are fighting to smile at the picture themselves. I regretted not researching thoroughly enough on The Ruins of St. Pauls when I was in Macau back then.

• Yonsei University is the oldest university in Korea, and it's established by Christian missionaries in 1885. It's not only an educational institute but also a well known tourist destination as well! If you enjoy Gothic Medieval architecture, then you'll have a reason to smile when you google for the campus images. I'm not going to describe the history of Yonsei further because the info can be found easily on the net! And no pictures either because I've no wish to violate the copy rights of anyone. Shall upload my own when I'm there :)

• Here's the website of Yonsei: http://www.yonsei.ac.kr/eng/
• Here's the map of Yonsei campus: http://www.yonsei.kr/eng/about/visitors/maps/

***It's good to print a copy of map for easy reference!

5. Transportation around the City

Ahhhh, I hate to label things here, there everywhere! Not every bits and pieces of info can be classified accordingly as they are not mutually exclusive -.- But anyway, it would be good to know more about the modes of transportation available before you pack your stuff and fly there.

Like Singapore and any other cities around the world, Seoul is characterised by a well established network of transporation system.

• T-money is like the ez-link card we have in Singapore. You can buy that from 7/11 stalls I suppose and swipe the card in airport limousines, buses, trains, taxis etc. 
• The Seoul City Pass is very much like the tourist pass we have in Singapore, and I guess the buses they provide in Seoul for tourists would be equivalent (somewhat) to the Duck Tour buses that ship people around the city. As quoted from the website: 

"The SEOUL CITY PASS is a transportation card for tourists. With just this one card you can use the subway or bus up to 20 times a day, regardless of the distance or mode of transportation, and you can enjoy the Seoul City Tour Bus that take you around the downtown and palaces as many times as you wish." 

For more info:  http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=261307 

***The Seoul City Pass also allows tourists to enjoy discounts in entrance fee to Seoul Tower etc. But the thing is that this pass costs 15'000 won per day and is very much a one-day-thing unless you plan to apply for 2 or 3-day pass. Unless you really travel a lot (max. 20 times of buses and subway) within the span of a dew days you may like to apply for T-money :) In this case, I would, because I would be there for a few weeks!

6. Visa Application

I'm a Singaporean student, so I do not need to apply for student Visa for this trip (as told by the FAQs my school provided) But I can apply for a tourist visa at the In'cheon airport that would allow me to stay in Korean for 3 months. 

***I didn't research a lot on visa 

7. Other FYI's I have on hand for now

• It’s the Korea summer sale season! So do watch out for discount coupons and gifts when you are shopping
• 17th July is the Constitution day of Korea, it's a public holiday so loads of shops will be closed. 
• If you spend a hefty sum in Korea shopping center, collect all your receipts and head right to the customer service counter of the shopping center and ask them to print a REFUND TAX receipt that summarise your purchases there (If you do so, you'll have a easier time at the airport when you refund your tax.) 

***but the thing is that the administrative procedures in airport are VERY arduous as well, you may be asked to reveal every single item you wish to tax-refund so they can tally the stats. Unless you purchase a few items that cost you a bomb and you would like to enjoy tax refund, then don't bother to queue up  before the counter for a long time only to find yourself unpacking an entire luggage before the staff.

• Yonsei University is a tourist destination located at a VERY convenient place, MRT is located in the GREEN line, so it’s very convenient to go Dong Dae Mun and other places!!!
• Next to Yonsei (at least on the map) is another university Hong Ik University - there, you can find student organised flea markets selling artistic creations by the students themselves (I think it's a stone's throw away from Yonsei, since I have information that we can walk there.)
• I have a few anecdotal comparisons of the shopping havens in Seoul and Singapore (from a cousin's friend):
• Dong Dae Mun is equivalent to Singapore's Far East Plaza
• Nan Dae Mun is equivalent to our Bugis Street
• Myeong Dong is the Singaporean equivalent of Orchard Rd. (so things are going to be pricey)

• The Lotte Mart (like Carrefour) provides you with duty-free shopping! If I'm not wrong, it's in Dong Dae Mun...


• Hello APM (AM and PM) is a 24-Hour Shopping complex of 11 stories (2nd line, Dong Dae Mun Subway station) 

***my wonderful  어머니 gave me most of these information***

-oO0Oo-

It's a bye for now, my eyes are watery and I have exams (apparently) next week. 

The Little Globe Trotter Book: Preparing for The Journey Ahead

And then she picked up her Wandering Quill and laid it over the thick leather-bound diary, wondering if she should ink her thoughts upon the yellow pages that smelt of love and a very old library...

The day was young and clouds were waltzing across the vast azure. In the distant horizon a flock of birds were leaving the woods for another world beyond the village of Little Arlms. She thought she almost saw something like dragon among the empires of clouds, just a little above the Southern dust road.

Li'az leaned her brown head against the sturdy oak and sighed as a White Rabbit nudged at her ankle. 

"I wonder when it'll be my turn, lil' Miss Rabbit." Li'az tapped on its pink nose and set the little furry creature upon her lap. It started licking the edges of her old diary. "You like it? It's a travel book for a globe trotter. I plan to be one- and I guess I'm still planning."

-oO0Oo-

Alright, I admit this is way too cheesy for a university student but this is a start! I'm keeping the posts as simple as I can without boring people out of their wits. You see, I'm the little girl above, her pen name's Li'az. This is her little virtual Globe Trotter's Book (I'm narrating it) and here she is, scribbling furiously with a big, furry, Wandering Quill with an old Ink Pot pouting at her. 

The point here is, Li'az REALLY WANTS to get out of her little village of Little Arlms and she has NO idea what-the-hey is happening. The truth is she hadn't walked further than the sunflower field of her village. The scarecrow with a pumpkin head seems to tell her that the world beyond the dusty road is as empty as its head and as crocked as its pumpkin smile.

So one day she discovered an old book in her attic (knocking her head against the ceiling)(causing a family of spiders to perform an emergency evacuation as well.) And voila! That was her adventure book!

She decided to prepare herself for the journey ahead and in came an old Ink Pot thrusting out its glass belly. Then, she saw in the corner of the sun bathed room an ancient feather duster. 

"What a poor relic!" she exclaimed. To her amazement, it emitted a HUGE sneeze that was far from glamourous... (Ink Pot's ink almost curdled.) and when the dust finally settled, a smile tugged at Li'az's lips. 

The Wandering Quill.

And then their journey began.

-oO0Oo-

Okay I believe I'm happy with the introduction. This pretty sums up my adrenaline for writing out-of-the-world stuff when I'm blogging. (After all, that's what I usually do when I write a book) And this is my little Adventure Blog to prepare me for my journey ahead ---my FIRST ever educational exchange abroad! To Korea Yonsei University! 

Oh man, I guess I'm the relic here - yes it's my first time going on an exchange - this explains the serene little village and the sunflower field with an ignorant scarecrow yea? 

Boy, I'm excited but there's a high possibility that in my excitement I'll forget all about blogging. So keep the fingers crossed! 

-Lots of love, Li'az