KU Week 16 Part 1 - Exam Week (13th - 15th June)

13th June (Mon)

Korean Art final

I think I did better than midterm

meaning

I have chance to get an A

since I got B last time

and an A for my essay ^^

* * *

14th June (Tue)

Neuroethics final

I think

i WILL pass

hahahaha~~~~

* * * *

15th June (Wed)

History final

I think

i CAN pass

but i still left with a 7-pages paper

due next monday

which i havent started yet

>.<

Neurobiology

I think

i SHOULD BE able to pass

no confidence at all

coz

it's MCQ, i'm weak in MCQ

what's more

it's negative marking

Negative Marking MCQ = 我的死穴

T.T

AND HERE COMES THE END OF MY FINALS

AS WELL AS MY SEP IN KOREA UNIVERSITY!!!!!

* * *

16th - 19th June

Will be updated daily later

as the last few days in Korea Uni

would be filled with farewellsssss

which i wish to dedicate one post to each of them

T.T

Counting down...

KU Week 15 (6th - 12th June)

Nothing to blog for week 15
yes nothing~~


* * *

Oh, maybe...
I did a lot of researches on the hotels around Seoul the week before
and made a conclusion:
ACCOMMODATION IN SEOUL IS REALLY NOT CHEAP!!!
yes...


* * *

And, maybe...
I traveled to Gwangjang Market again on 7th (Tue)
helped friend order the Korean Traditional Cloth (Hanbok)
it's really very beautiful~~~
and then
traveled to Sinchon and Yidae area
nostalgia...had the urge to hop on the Yonsei shuttle bus when it stopped by
T.T
anyway, brought home a new friend with me ^^

and finally visit Yihwa Women University (aka Yidae) on the way...
hmm i think i once said that Korea University and Kyunghee University had lots of "castles"
well...Yidae as well!!
Korea Uni's are more like German old castles
Kyunghee Uni's are more like Catholic churches
whereas Yidae's are like the lovely English cottage!!!
See the comparison:

Well...my phone decided to die at the moment i stepped in Yidae, so no photos taken. [Disclaimer: Photo origin]

Kyunghee Uni

Korea Uni

* * *

Why was the week so boring?
Because the following week is exam week
FINALS!!!!
time to mug and mug and mugggggg~~~~


* * *

Did I say I'll share my Korean Art essay if I got an A?
Haha...
I REALLY GOT AN A!!!
Click "Read More" below if you're interested:

KU Week 14 (30th May - 5th June)

A really boring week
really boring~~~

Maybe except that I produced an essay for Korean Art
entitled:
"Immortal Playing the Saenghwang under a Pine Tree"

송하취생도[松下吹笙圖]

I'll "share" my essay if I got an A from the prof

haha~~

* * *

2nd June (Thu)

Finally get to watch a movie in Korea

Ticket price is similar to Singapore's

so...it's expensive, compared to Malaysia's

* KRW8,000 = S$9 = RM22

Cinema is pretty much the same as those in MY and SG

not much difference~~~

The only special thing is...

...well...there're Korean subtitles instead of English/Chinese  =.=

there's no need for translation :PP

* * *

3rd - 6th May (Fri - Mon)

It's a 4-days break

but

no one wanted to go travel

so

I ended up staying in dorm

attempted to study

but as usual

failed again...

Well...i watched a movie online...

it's a Korean historical movie

narrating the last prince of Parhae Dynasty

Note, this is not an entertainment k

i watched this movie for the sake of my history module k

i'm writing a paper related to korean historical dramas and movies

so it's an "assignment" k

(or you may say it's simply an excuse to watch dramas/movies :PPP )

무영검 無影劍
The Legend of the Shadowless Sword

KU Week 13 (23rd - 29th May) - ft Jjimjilbang Spa/Sauna + Baseball

23rd - 26th May (Mon-Thu)
Nothing exciting
except that on 23rd May...

F.T. ISLAND COMEBACK TO KOREA!!!!
3rd Mini Album [Return]
<MV> Hello Hello:



and well... I've fallen in love into Kuk'ak
the instruments as well as the people there
Got treated with great dinner, again ^^

Each of us had one serving of marinated pork;
but our two presidents (會長 and 樂長) had had more than 3 servings each >.<

* * *

27th May (Fri)
Finally accumulated enough courage to go to Jjimjilbang 찜질방
it's Korean Spa+Sauna
similar to Japanese one
which means
you can't wear anything while going to the spa
>.<

Went there with 2 Koreans and 1 Japanese
knew them in KUBA but not close at all
and just because I'm not that close with them, I joined them for Jjimjilbang
less embarrassment, i think (and my theory was proven correct)

We went to the famous Dragon Hill Spa at Yongsan [disclaimer: i do not own this photo]

Waist-band, for entrance, food, drinks and all other services inside the 5-storeyed  building.
Entrance fee is KRW10,000 by the way.

Then, we were given sauna clothes and towels
went to our "assigned" locker
and changed cloth

Hmm....2nd floor is ladies' floor...
as soon as we stepped out of the elevator
the culture shock began
>.<
yes...
before reaching our lockers
we need to walk through the "lounge" and a long corridor
there
we see ladies of all ages
cloth-less~
(or naked or nuke or whatever vocab, but i prefer to say "cloth-less")


*ahem...no photo description, yes, no photos*


So after changing into the given clothes
we first went to the cafeteria there for dinner
had Jjajangmyeon (black sauced noodles)
then
to the main hall

You can watch TV there, eat, drink, and even sleep. Yes, you can sleep overnight there...
Budget "accommodation" for backpackers actually...

Time to try out some sauna~~~ they have 30+deg, 80+deg and even near-100deg which we failed to even step in.
Note the towel-hat... ya, it's typically Korean.
Btw that's where we had some girls' HTHT hahahah...

There're arcade, karaoke rooms and other entertainment facilities as well
Also, massage service and fitness centre on other floors...

And playground

And outdoor swimming pool
(pardon me for not taking picture directly towards the pool, not polite you know, ha)

After sweating aaaaaaalot in sauna
it's time to bath
yes
cloth-less-ly
the hardest part of this was that...
you got to take off your clothes and kept them in your locker
then with only a small towel
you need to walk through the long corridor
to the lounge
then walk down the stairs
to the spa area
you can't jump into the spa pool straightaway
but wash your feet and hands and face first (strictly speaking, one should take a shower first)
and then only can emerge yourself into the pool
and peace~~~~

...hehe...
...again...no photos...

After all those culture shock
I realised, or rather learnt, something:
"humans are simply too obsessed with clothings"
When everyone around you are cloth-less
you don't really "need" to feel embarrassed at all
there's really nothing to be shy of or ashamed of
it's simply "back to nature"
it's "freedom"
hahahahah~~~

After coming out of water,
we had shower
and walked back to lockers area, still cloth-lessly
but this time
everything seemed so nature and carefree
i've gotten used to the Jjimjilbang culture too fast!!!!!
:PPP


** Friends, if you have chance to go Korea (or Japan)
you must at least try to go Jjimjilbang (Spa and sauna) once
the experience is priceless



* * *

28th May (Sat)
Besides Jjimjilbamg,
another thing one must not miss out in Korea
is their baseball game
like what i said in my previous post for ipsilenti:
"KOREANS ARE CRAZY!"

I can't understand the rules of the baseball games at all
and i don't know how to appreciate the games
but yeah
it's still fascinating to watch the live game in a stadium

Jamsil Baseball Stadium; entrance fee was KRW8,000, free seating/standing (i.e you're not guaranteed a seat)

They're not super-famous teams, but it's full house, and we ended up standing throughout the games.

White vs Orange

P.S.

Went to the baseball games with roomie and her classmates (Koreans)

one conclusion i had drawn from the trip was:

"DO NO PLAY WITH YOUR PHONE OR MP3 WHILE GOING WITH FRIENDS"

In the subway, they just kept staring at their phones,

texting some one else, listening to music etc etc

and i ended up staring at them and being amused by the situation

yes

friends,

do not play with your phone or any kind of "toy" when you're with your friends or family

pay respect to those you're going out with

treasure the time when you're together

if you want to play with your phone or "toy" so much

go stay at home and play by yourself

thank you

FTISLAND 3RD MINI ALBUM [RETURN]

난 완전히 빠졌다 어떻하지 ^^

* this post will surface to the top of this blog from time to time
and the playlist will continue to autoplay (i'm trying to loop it infinitely)
till i get sick of them
which i think
will take some time :PP

Oh yes, I bought it...
The last original CD I bought was ENERGY's Final Fantasy in year...2005???

Here're all their comeback stage performance (click for youtube links):
(110526) M! Countdown - <I Confess> <Hello Hello>
(110527) Music Bank - <I'll Get You> <Hello Hello>
(110528) Music Core - <I Confess> <Hello Hello>
(110529) Inkigayo - *Interview* <I'll Get You> <Hello Hello>

Hongki's LIVE singing was getting better and better over the days...here're the best clips:

Hello Hello


I'll Get You 널 갖겠다


I Confess 고백합니다

KU Week 12 (16th - 22nd May) - ft IPSILENTI

16th - 19th May (Mon - Thu)
Again, school routine...
except final exam for "Mind and Brain" on 18th~
haha...ya...final exam~~

* * *

20th May (Fri)
The long awaited Korea University IPSILENTI !!!!!!

This month is a "festival month" for most universities around Korea
students are setting up booths and stages for events and activities
even tents along the roadside just for gatherings
and last but not least
usually end with "Concert"
whereby students gather in a stadium or field,
doing cheering, dancing, singing,
and enjoying stage performances by celebrities
yes
KOREAN CELEBRITIES!!!!!

Celebrities who came to Korea University IPSILENTI were:
Girl's Day
UV
Kim Jang Hoon
4Minute
(I might miss out some more)

One sentence to conclude the festival:
"KOREANS ARE CRAZY!!!!!"


Examples of cheerings:
(note those cheerleaders on stage)
(beware: might cause headache; couldn't hold camera firm esp when i was part of the craziness)






Fireworks, the climax:





Static photos:

It's raining; it's a sea of red, when all were wearing red raincoats

Some in blue, they are the rivals from Yonsei University

U.V.

Cheering

4Minute in KU!!

Link to all KU cheerleading songs:

http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=sam_jegal&logNo=150035243529

Lessons learnt from festivals:
Always bring some cookies out with you
I didn't had my dinner till 11pm, hahaha...
~O.o~

* * *

21st May (Sat)
Again, recuperation time...

* * *

22nd May (Sun)
Revisiting my ex-host family during Yonsei trip in 2008 :)

Spent the night before to prepare for this sketch-book; giving to host-sis as present, introducing Malaysia~

Like I said, it's gonna to be more difficult to leave this place after getting to know so many kind people :'(

KU Week 11 (9th - 15th May) - ft M.T.

9th - 12th May (Mon - Thu)
Back to the usual school routine
except that Tue was Buddha's Birthday (in Korea)
부처님 오신 날
it's a public holiday
no school
and finally met my Buddy for lunch
reason?
to pay ipsilenti ticket money to her
and well...chatting as well~~~

* * *

13th - 14th May (Fri - Sat)
I slowly know the purpose of my SEP trip
(i know it's slow, but better than i never find it out right)
Firstly, I come Korea not for academic purposes
honestly speaking, KU is not that strong in Life Sciences or Biomed
Secondly, I'm not here for travelling solely
the world is so big, it's not possible to visit all the places
So
I'm actually here to experience
to experience the Korean students' life, the local people life
to experience their tradition, their culture, as well as their habits
all through interactions with Koreans

That's why I join Kuk'ak~
and that's why I went for their M.T. 엠티

What's MT?
it stands for "Membership Training"
What they do?
well... BBQ, games, drinking
with drinking as the main agenda hahaha...

I was the only foreigner there
you might think that I was very lonely
since I can't understand their language fully
but I wasn't isolated nor left alone at all
the people were super kind and friendly
kept calling me Ling Unni (I'm the oldest among the girls >.<)
and chatting with me from time to time
I can't drink
but they were lenient to me
I don't understand those Korean games
but they were patient to me
it's really lucky to know this group of friends in Kuk'ak
=)

Post-MT:

Brunch and desert time

before going back sleep

More photos and captions on FB:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150207403174068.337796.680049067

* * *

It'd be harder to leave this place

after so much bondings were forged

* * *

15th May (Sun)
Recuperation time~~

KU Week 10 (110508) - Lotus Lantern Festival

实际上，现在已经是 week 15 了～
越拖下去，我越没有心update了啦～
现在开始可能会写的很草率，但没时间了
呵……


* * *


08 May (Sun)
从釜山和庆州回来
很累很累
很不想再出门的
可是
一年就那么一度的
庆祝佛诞的燃灯会
不去看不是很可惜吗？
呵……
累是累
可到了现场
看到了游行和表演
值得啊！

"오늘 좋은 날... 부처님 오신날..."

表演后

所有观众和表演者有聚在一起

男女老少、韩国人外国人

全都围圈圈跳舞

或一个接一个接龙绕全场跑

挺好玩的～

FB: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150207367274068.337784.680049067

KU Week 10 (110505-07) - Busan & Gyeongju

First time travelling far far out of Seoul~~~

First time taking train~~~
First time staying in Guesthouse~~~
Had lots of fun, though tired and had a bit of unpleasantness
the trip was superb!!
especially that i get to visit those historical sites that i learned in school
(ya, i'm taking a course called Introduction to Korean Art~)

Before one going for traveling
one must do some research on the place first right
like where to visit and what to eat etc...
well...besides searching through internet for information
another way i learned about Busan and Gyeongju
was by watching 2D1N (episodes on 28 Sep 2008 and 23 May 2010)
muahahahahahaha :P


* * * * *

05 May (Thu)
It's Children Day in Korea
it's also the Founder Day of Korea University
so
holiday!!!
which also means
i had a 4-days break from Thu to Sun
mustn't waste such a good chance right!
that's why traveled out of Seoul with roommates and her classmates
to the South of Korea --- Busan and Gyeongju

It's not an easy job to plan a trip if you're traveling with someone that you're not really close with
'cause you don't have the authority to make decision for everyone
hence i was rather frustrated that few days before the trip
'cause no one took initiative to book train/bus tickets
well...
i know it's a backpacking trip
but since it's a national public holiday on thu
i was really really afraid that there'd be no more tix left if we only go and buy on spot
so i search online, and yes, the tickets were all running out fast
wanted to reserve the tickets early
but the others seemed indifferent to speak out opinion
well
what can i do?
the tickets were not cheap
i couldn't just make the decision myself and buy the tix, can i?
well, at the end, i did just make buy the tix~

Okay, enough of grumbling
time for photos!!
(btw there're some chinese words in the captions, they're actually the direct translation of the Korean words
well... Korean originated from Chinese you see...i mean the language...)


BUSAN 부산 釜山
A city famous for its beaches and seafood

First time taking train!!! Hehe...really nice view along the way from Seoul to Busan~

Busan Station (부산역 釜山驛)
The train took us 5 hours by the way >.<

The subway ticket in Busan; those old-style ticket which you insert into the "gate" before entering the platform, similar to what Singapore used to have before EZ-Link was introduced

Busan as one of the 5 largest cities in South Korea; but it still gave me a feeling of a "small" town :P

Haeundae Market (해운대시장 海云台市場)

A must-go in Busan --- Haeundae (해운대 海云台)
Every year, it becomes crazily crowded during summer time (click here to have a glimpse of the craziness)

A buddhist temple by the seaside --- Haedong Yonggungsa (해동용궁사 海東龍宮寺)

Guang'anli bridge (광안리 廣安里)
The beachside (not shown in this photo) is very vibrant, quite similar to Shanghai Beach

Dinner time~~ Potato Soup with ribs (감자탕)

* * * * *

06 May (Fri)
Trip continued~~

Yongdusan Gongwon, translated as "Mt Dragon Head Park" (용두산공원 龍頭山公園）

Next stop, passing by Pusan* International Film Festival (PIFF) Square

Opposite the PIFF Square, was this famous Jagalchi Fish Market (자갈치시장)

One MUST try the seafood when coming to Busan~ and well, the raw seafood are not shown in this photos...
we actually asked the ahjumma to "cook" the raw octopus and abalone for us, they're too SCARY for us >.<

Gyeongju 경주 慶州
A city that witnessed the rise and fall of the ancient Silla Dynasty

Gyeongju Station (경주역 慶州驛)
Yup, we left Busan, took an 1-hour train to Gyeongju!!!

Daeleungwon (대릉원 大陵苑) Tomb Complex
Gyeongju is like our Melaka, full of historical sites left from the ancient Silla Dynasty
Inside this Daeleungwon, there's Cheonmachong (천마총 天馬冢) Heavenly Horse Tomb, but i have no decent photos to show

Cheomseongdae (첨성대 瞻星台)

Side track a bit... this is the lantern festival/parade we saw in Gyeongju ^^

 Anapji Pond (안압지 雁鴨池)
If you were to visit this place, make sure you visit it after sunset (before they close at 10pm)!!!!

Ending our day; back to Gyeongju Guesthouse...
People were gathering at the lounge to watch TV and cook/eat supper~
That ajeossi is the owner, super kind ajeossi; he even helped us plan our trip around Gyeongju ^^
Highly recommended guesthouse to stay in Gyeongju!!!

* * * * *

07 May (Sat)

Seokkuram cave temple (석굴암 石窟庵) (the one on the middle left)
Too bad i don't have photos of the cave temple, photography not allowed in the man-made cave anyway :(

 Bulguksa (불국사 佛囯寺); one of the main Buddhist temples in Korea, built during Silla period

Inside of Bulguksa, with the 2 pagodas that i learned in Koreanart ^^

Last destination of our trip, the Gyeongju National Museum~
First time feeling so excited and interested to visit a museum...haha... thanks to "Koreanart"

P.S.
For those who want to know more about Bulguksa and Seokkuram (World Heritage Sites)
or simply like the arts/archaetecture of temples and Buddha statues
have a look at the video here:
http://www.bulguksa.or.kr/movie/Seokguram_Bulguksa.WMV

And as usual, more photos on FB...
Busan: click here
Gyeongju: click here