I've Survived

The past year (or 8 months) has been pretty tough for me. New environment, new friends and also new challenges. In all honesty, being in a university is difficult. Being in a university without the people you're close to, is harder. Most of the time I wish that my friends could have entered the same university as me. So that I have friends to go to school with, to eat with or to rant on the problems that I faced in school.

I have just received my results a day ago. It wasn't that great. But I am thankful that I managed to do well for all of my modules. Thinking of the days that I went through during the last four months made me realize that I've went further and that getting our of my comfort zone is something I should do more often. Public Speaking Module... BRING IT ON. Jokes. before every speech assignment, I would be filled with anxiety that I could not even explain. It got better after every assignment, something that I am proud of myself.

I guess... that is all that I've got to say about the second semester of Year 1. I've learned new things, got out of my comfort zone, and made greater circles of friends. I am thankful.

I've Survived.

Chapter 2: Places You Should Visit in Korea

 I am relieved that I managed to survive the first semester in University. Now, I have the time to write again!

 Today, I will be sharing the places that you should visit when you are in Korea. I hope this post would be useful for those who are planning to make their own itinerary for their visit! I've realized that it has been months since my last post! And I have always wanted to share my Korea Trip with anyone who reads this. I am not sure of how many people that would actually come across my blog. However, I hope that as this blog continues to grow, there will be many that will read it. I just want to document them as I really miss being in that country! And it was a meaningful trip as well from planning the trip to physically being in the country that I've dreamt of visiting since 2010!! 

 In this chapter, I will share some tips on what to do when in Korea. There are plethora of cafes, shopping spots and attraction sites that you ought to visit when you are there! I will share with you the places that I have been to!

 Hongdae

  I was here on my first day here. According to the itinerary, we were supossed to only visit the place once! However, we went there for about 4 times! There are many stores selling items ranging from hats, tops, socks and korean face products! You should also catch people perform in Hongdae! When I was there, a groups of boys danced to EXID's Up and Down. A guy next to them sang Roy Kim's Bom Bom Bom. There were many sights to see! Not forgetting, along the streets, there were huge murals where you can pose with! Go ahead and take pictures as a memory! In Hongdae, my friends and I grabbed the chance to try churros from Churros 101! The Churros were delicious and cost us about SGD5, it was a reasonable price. Don't forget to visit the socks store in Hongdae! The socks only cost 1000won per pair which is cheapest I could find (grabbed 20 pairs at one go as souvenirs for my family members)! For cat lovers, visit the cat cafe! Admission is only 8000won(it's the cost of the drink). My friend had an enjoyable time there!

Myeongdong 

  What is the attraction point of Myeongdong? Its huge Nature Republic Store just as you reach the shopping area! I believe that it has the mosf nature republic stores there other than the big one you will see! SPAO Clothing store is located there too (endorsed by exo). If you're planning to shop for products from Laneige, Myeongdong is the place that you should go! Hongdae, Edae and Dongdaemun do not have a Laneige store! However, you should check stores like Aritaum as they carry Laneige and also other brand! Other than Aritaum, you could find Olive Young quite everywhere too. Should I say they are like the Sephora of korea? 

Edae

 Don't miss a trip here! Get the university vibe! Before reaching the university, you will be greeted by stores selling things for women. Bags, shoes, facial product. You name it, they have it! I bought a shoe here which cost me SGD40. I did not regret buying (even after i had to withdraw extra 100,000 won from the bank).

Palace Tour 

  












  While in Korea, do not let go of the opportunity of visiting their palaces! The most popular palace in the Gyeongbokgung Palace located in Gwanghwamun! The entrance fee is Only 3000won and there are timing for guided tour that you can join! Even though the Palace may not be original as most of it was burned down during the Japanese Occupation in Korea, it is still recommended for us to visit so as to learn to better appreciate the country through its history. As a history liver myself, it is a must-visit site for both history and non-history lovers! 

Dongdaemun

  If Shopping at Hongdae, Edae, Meyongdong is not enough, head to Dongdaemun! Stores are opend in the afternoom until the following morning at around 4am! There are many variety of clothing in Dongdaemun which are made in Korea. Exclusive designs by local artistes can be found in Doota Mall and are sold at relatively higher prices than the ones at Migliore! Trust me, the array of clothings that you would find at Migliore is good enough! You can opt to take the midnight bus (check the time and the route using the bus app) if you're going home past 1.30 am KST. Visit Holly's Cafe when you are there too! Cosmetic products stores are open too!

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) 

 A history lover (read: geek) like me was amazed when I finally get to visit a site that I got to know from lectures and books. While doing my research prior to the trip, I researched on itinerary by others. Most itinerary did not state going to the DMZ. In my opinion, it is best to go on your first trip to Korea. It taught us on the issues the country face, even till today. Apart of me have learned about how fortunate I am to be living in a safe country like Singapore that has established good ties with its neighbouring countries. Okay, enough of the history talk, let's move on. You can book your tour at Cosmojin where they would arrange a pick up for you! In the van that I was in, I was surprise that almost all the tourists were from Singapore as well! Very recognizable from their accent.

Nami Island 

                                   

 For those Winter Sonata fans, this is a place you should visit! I loved the greens and the scenery, away from the busy city life! Had a enjoyable day here! There is also a Restaurant that serves Halal Dosirak (Fried Rice in metal containers) and a praying room for our muslim visitors.

Namsan Tower

                                    

 Come here at night to see the night lights in Seoul! We took the bus and climb up to the entrance of the Namsan Tower. It takes time as the cable car queue was kind of long as we have been noted by a malaysian tourist that we met at Nami Island. 

Lotte World

 If you're patient enough to wait 60 minutes for a ride, go ahead! I Spent half a day here! Not much fun. I think I am growing old! I had an enjoyable time exploring the Korean amusement park. 

Chapter 1: How to Plan Your Trip

CHAPTER 1: HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIP

HELLOoooooo!

Today I am going to share with you some tips on how to prepare for your trip to any country you are planning to visit. As I have been to Korea and planned my trip to the country, I would mostly use the knowledge i acquired based on it. Additionally, I believe that these tips would be useful when visiting any country!

1. Confirm Your Vacation Date

It is important to confirm your departure date as it will ensure that you are aware of the following things:

1) The weather/season of the country that you are visiting. By ensuring that you have a set departure date, you will be able to gauge the weather that you will be experiencing during the time that you are there. It would be useful for you to check the weather of the place of visit to avoid any disappointment.

2) The national events/holidays that the country will be having. Since it will be a holiday for the nation, of course you would see families going out visiting the places of interest. Trust me, I have experienced that when i visited Korea. I reached there on 1st May 2015, which was labour day in Korea. on the weekend, on 2nd May 2015, I was shocked to see a long line of queue at the Gyeonbokgung Palace. Even the Volunteer Youth Corp that toured us around the palace said that was the longest line he ever saw people queuing for the tickets to the enter the palace. Another national event was Children's Day that took place on Tuesday, 5th May 2015. We were notified by Malaysian University Exchange Students we made at the palace. That left us with no choice but the change our itinerary as we planned to visit Lotte World on that day. (Thank you, Girls!)

2. Research, Research and RESEARCH!

Doing researches on the places you are going to visit is very important. Once again, it is to avoid disappointment when you are there. Check out reviews by people who have visited that attraction sites and consider their honest reviews. 

For those who are visiting Korea ( especially muslims who are looking out for halal food), you should check out Muslim Backpackers Seoul and budgettravel2korea for information regarding attraction sites, food and many more! I have gained a lot of useful information from them!

Subsequently, You can also check out Youtube videos of people who have been to the country that you are going to visit, to gain more infromation or to visit another nice place that many may not know of. 

Most importantly, do a research about centers in your country that provide information booklet regarding the country that you are going to visit. Usually they would provide for free. Even if it is not, It would not hurt to pay as it would be very useful for you before and during the trip. 

For those living in Singapore and are planning to visit Korea anytime soon, head down to Korea Plaza ( Church Street, alight at Raffles Place MRT station, exit D) to  get the free brochures as seen above! 

Lastly, visit the Korea Tourism Organisation page to enjoy discounts to attractions sites! 

3. Download Useful Applications

With the advent of technology, one cannot simply ignore it in their everyday lives. Hence, your handy gadget is useful to download apps that will be of good use when you are overseas. 

List of useful application:

1) translation app- Google Translate

2) Transportation app- eg. Subway Korea and Seoul Bus

Subway Korea App

4. Manage Your Expenses 

By managing the money that you have set aside for your trip, it will ensure that you do not overspend your money and to ensure that you always have enough money for the trip. Here is how I manage the money I have set aside (in SGD):

1) Flight: $900.00

2) Accommodation: $265 ( I rented an apartment under Airbnb and what i set aside was the amount I had to pay. the rent was divided among three person).

3) Attraction Sites: $200

4) Food: $150

5) Transport: $60

6) Spending (for souvenirs and others): $600

Here is the amount i set aside for my trip! It might be different for yours but I hope it could be a good guide.

Having separate envelops/wallets for each category (excluding flight and rent as you would have to pay before hand) would be useful to avoid over spending or accidentally using money from a different category. 

5. Activate Your Credit Card/Debit Card

You never know when you will run out of money. ( especially for places where they sell very affordable items).

ATM Machines that accepts foreign cards in Korea

We have come to the end for the this post! Thank you for reading! I appreciate comments.

See You soon!

A Fresh Start

INTRODUCTION

 I am currently on a 8 months holiday. I have just completed my studies in Junior College and awaiting university admission in August. As of now, I have about 2 months left before uni starts. That means I would have lesser or no time to do things that I have always wanted to do but couldn't because of school. 

 What made me start writing again? Why online? 

 I just had the feeling to start writing again. Trust me, I used to have a blog too...when is was 11 years old. Back in that day. the blogging trend started and many of my friends joined. being a little bit technology-savvy then, i decided to join as well. But, I didn't maintain my blog. i couldn't even remember the site name. 

 Lately, I have been questioning myself about how I have spent my 6 months holidays thus far. Through out the 6 months, I have travelled to 3 different countries- Cambodia: for a volunteer work, Malaysia: To attend a wedding ceremony of my cousins. i spent quality family time with my relatives in Malacca and Korea: To reward myself for surviving 12 years of education and for doing well for the 'A' levels. That made me realise that since I have travelled to a few countries, why not document them and share information that could be useful for them. 

 Honestly, before my Korea trip, I did a lot of research and most of them were online. Thus, I am glad to write on an online platform where I could reach out to the masses regardless of their location and time difference. 

  I hope that my blog would be beneficial to those who ever click on the link to my blog. I am not having any expectation with regards to the number of visitors that is going to visit my blog. I am thankful to anyone who might click the link. Thank you, in advance. 

 I love writing. I believe that this is more of a travelling blog as I would share what i experience overseas. I would start with Korea as it was my first time planning a free and easy itinerary for the trip. May this blog be helpful for you! 

  See you!