Wednesday, October 22, 2008

seoul 08: the rest of the trip

ahhh! got back and work got really crazy so i think im going to abandon the daily log plan! so just a couple more stories and cute pictures to share that completely made our trip!!

mandoo at itaewon:



Lucas's favourite local food, korean dumpling in steaming hot and tasty broth! :) it was yet another lovely meal with our friends! at that point i was still crazily in love with my korean side dishes which are all veggies pickled into perfection! whoever knew that sour root vegs can taste so good. so you can feed me rice and give me a few side dishes and i won't even touch the mains!!

Itaewon was also a very neat place to explore. there were heaps of cultural art work to purchase and little shops with local jewellery and one-off designer clothes (mostly korean hamboks) so we took our time after dins to browse through the little shops, picking up really unique stationery, recycled paper envelops and some random knick-knacks!

Nam-Dae-Mun:



we're not very touristy people. we cover the basic tourist must-dos and spend the rest of our day picking our adventure.. but the ONE thing daniel really wanted to see was NamDaeMun, but unfortunately for him, it was burnt down just this feb! so every time we lay out our map to pick a place to visit, he will refer to his co-worker's email that reads "must really visit namdaemun" whistfully.. and so we did visit the burnt ruins, with major scaffolding around it, took some pictures and hopefully he has come to terms with it. but then out of the blue, we chanced upon this painting!! and knew that we had to take a picture in front of it! :) there you go baby!! that's us at nam dae mun!!

Seoul Peace Marathon 08:



daniel did a race in the Seoul Olympics Stadium, our first korean race... but the instructions given were not too clear so off he ran with the full-marathoners when he only intended to do the half. oh well.. he was a little pooped when he came back in the top ten in the halfs and had to explain to the nice ladies in korean why he weren't supposed to receive the medal. but inall, it was a beautiful race, at an amazing location on a really pretty morning so grumpypoops just had to get over it! it was very fun and we got to catch up with kyung hwa over coffee!

catching up with claire:



claire (right) is the cutest gal! spent a week-long summer vacation with Claire in New York a couple years ago and kept in touch through judy. it was nice to see her agian in Korea looking pretty as ever!!! that well travelled gal shared her recent vacation stories, told us where to go for the best Caipirinha in the world (answer: singapore..) and hilarious updates on the status of her wedding proposal... the restaurant they brought us to was really excellent with very near shabby chic decor and delicious food to share! im so blessed with friends in hospi industry that are wonderful in picking lovely restaurants and food!!


medicinal bottles on display

Shopping: 



an integral part of every vacation. i must shop. in korea, what stood out were their make up stores!! all the common brands we have in singapore like face shop, skin food, missha, etc and more! i got lost in the mountainful of brushes, facial masks, eye make up, mascaras and best part is the price! they were almost half of what it costs in singapore!! in fairness, i too got a few pieces of work-appropriate dresses and sweaters to fight the crazy hotel ACs! :)

birthday celebrations:



more birthday treats, presents and candles!! spent out last evening in korea all dressed up with the whole gang at fradia after dinner at some cutesy local celebrity chef's little restaurant where we had a little cake, way too many candles and fluffy blankie to keep ourselves warm while gazing into the han river!! 


thank you for birthday wishes and treats! :)

little pandi:



i love this little old dog to bits! she scurries around the house poking her nose into everyone's business, yaps incessantly at judy when she is asleep, sneaks daniel kisses when im turned away and without fail makes a run for the door whenever someone is leaving as if to say "take me with you, please??" every morning, we would open the door and scoop her into bed for a cuddle as she wheezes or snorts at us. and every night when we return, we whisper into her ear to check if she is still snoring and happy.. its especially evident she is the love of the family! she even has her own steps up to the sofa as she can't jump onto the couch anymore!! every dog should be as blessed and loved! one day, i'll have my own little dog like, pandi.

farewell brunchie:



the warm sunny french-style cafe by the street was the perfect place to relax and catch up with friends over coffee and airy pancakes. the irresistable display of fresh pastries, cakes, pies in the stunning display counter makes deciding on ONE breakfast choice so darn difficult! i loved the ambience and the warm lighting makes excellent picture taking ops.. i can totally see hanging out here regularly on sunday mornings with a book and a cuppa hot choc..

oddly enough, both boys agreed that this is a nice place to be but not somewhere they will come with their guyfriends.. why oh why are men so difficult to understand?! how can you pick a smokey stuff pub joint with grubby greasy chips over this beautiful cafe!?!

i guess that's why they need us! :)


my silly girl, judybob!:)
 

6 comments:

  1. Gosh! Love all your pics!! esp you in the make-up store! And i see you in cheongsam!! why no full length pic huh??? ;p

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  2. dearie! the pictures are gorgeous. u look so so pretty in that cheongsam pic with the candles. glad that u had such a wonderful wonderful birthday! may u always be happy my dear. hugs and kisses
    xoxoxox
    -s

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  3. babesies! u brought cheong sam just for bday dinner? =D

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  4. you too, sweetheart! you too must be very very happy! *hugs*

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  5. oh ya.. im sure i'll wear it again soon!:)

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  6. haha.. no my dad bought a few for me as my birthday present. so decided to wear it!
    but buying a cheongsam just for a birthday dinner does sound like the indulgent sorta things i would do.. haha

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