Day 7: I Did It!

I just sent in my application to Big Hit Entertainment like 5 minutes ago, around 9.30pm, 17 March 2011. I applied for Overseas Business/Fan Management. My bilingualism should come in handy for these two areas. Whatever it is, I have done something about it instead of just talking about it. So to me, that's a big step.

I have never been able to write a cover letter for all the previous jobs I applied. Then again, for teaching in Singapore, you don't really need a cover letter. I guess for once I really feel that the skills I possess is really of some use to the organisation. I just hope they won't throw my application into the rubbish bin seeing that it's all in English. *fingers crossed*

Anyway, today I went in search of the shop that sells BANC hoodies/t-shirts. Let's just say I travelled quite a distance but only managed to get two of the items so I'm going to go get the rest online later. But it gave me a chance to travel out of the popular spots and head to a quieter part of Seoul(?).







So according to this picture, I was at Munjeong or GaRak Market. It might look like a quiet neighbourhood but they have Lotte Mart there so it can't be all that quiet. If you ever come to Seoul, this is somewhat worth paying a visit. There are quite a number of shops that sell sport brands. I was SO tempted to buy the Big Bang Fila shoes. There were a little over S$50 but well..

I went to Lotte Mart for dinner. At their food court, you order your food and pay first then wait for the shop to call your number. I was looking round for a drinks store but there was none. Then I realised there's a water station where they provide sterilised cups and water coolers. So maybe that's why the Koreans are so healthy. Seriously, they just don't make those carbonated/sweet drinks too readily available. And seriously, the food is good and not too expensive. This meal cost me 6,500won, which is around S$7.50. But since I'm eating one meal a day so it's pretty ok.



When I got out of the mall after dinner, the sun was setting and I thought this was really pretty.



I was in the Jamsil area after that. I remember reading something about river cruise and I was going to try that but well, no luck. So I still need to visit Han River and Namsan tower, as well as Dongdaemun, jimjibang and perhaps Paldang or Busan. We'll see.

Man. One week passed so fast!! I don't want to go back! I like it here. Seriously I really don't feel like a tourist but more of like someone who's getting her footing having just moved to a new place. I hope that would really be the case soon. *fingers crossed*

Day3-6: A Summary

Day 3: 2AM Day. You can find my account of watching 2AM Encore Concert in the IAM for 2AM forum.

Day 4-5: Wasn't feeling too good and the weather was too cold + I had the room to myself so I stayed in and watched My Princess. I know.. what a waste of time right? But I did go to the neighbourhood to get hot drinks, food, what nots. Day 5, I also went to the World Cup Stadium and the Home Mart. Home Mart reminds me of the one that Kwon and Ga In went to. Looks similar. But I guess all mega-marts are similar.

Day 6: The Day I saw snow!!!

So I decided I have wasted enough of my tourist time and decided to drag myself out of the room today and out into the streets. Decided to go to visit the palaces today so I looked at the map, planned my route and off I went. I only managed to go to one today - Chang Deok Gong which is near Insa-dong. The palace closed at 5pm. I was there at 4.30pm. Anyway, it was rather empty but the walk in the cold was actually nice. So I really didn't mind it being a short visit.

Highlight of today's trip in that area: I saw snow! I have never seen snow in my entire life and I saw it today so understandably, I was excited like a child. When I first realised that it's snowing, I actually stopped in the middle of the road at the side to take a picture. The driver saw snow and said 'It's snowing?' And I just replied 'ne~'. I walked further into the area and went into one of the quaint coffee places, ordered a cup of coffee and just watched the snow while listening to 2AM's 'The Greatest Love'. It was a great way of spending the time. When I got out, that was when I managed to take some pictures of the snow. Gorgeous magical moment!!

I decided that I shall be adventurous and take a bus. Seriously, if I get lost, I'd just get down and take another bus or just get down where there's a subway station. So I got onto a bus thinking it would take me back to Hong Dae but lo and behold, it didn't! It passed by Dongdaemun but I didn't get down, took me back to where I got onto the bus and the bus went all the way to EunPyeon (I think) bus depot! hahah!! It was so hilarious to me!! Seriously I mean, yea, if that's the case, just go and see what bus to take back right? So I went to the bus in front and asked the driver where to take the bus from. In Korean. ahahah! So proud of myself. bwahahha!

But in all honesty I think I saw more of the city in a bus than on the subway. I mean in the subway, there's no sight to see. People might think it's a waste of time to take a bus but seriously, sometimes you might end up in places where the subway won't be able to take you. Maybe because I know how to read Korean so I'm not as intimidated. *shrug*

I had fun today despite not having done too much fun stuff. But getting lost and finding my way again, to me, was fun.

Day 2: Myeong Dong

I spent most of today in Myeong Dong but before I go into that, let me tell you a few discoveries I have made about Korea.

1. There are at least 3 types of buses. Not 3 companies (not too sure about that) but there are at least 3 types:

(1) The 'village/district' buses. These are like buses that go around a specific neighbourhood. Like theoretically I live in the Mapo district so there are buses that I can take to travel within the neighbourhood.

(2) The ones that travel outside the district itself

(3) The Airport buses (I think these are NOT the airport limousine buses, but I'm not sure)

Since it's a much bigger place than Singapore, I'm sure the system is a little more complicated and beyond my comprehension at the moment. But it's fun and recommended for those of you who are traveling alone to try out some of the 'village/district' bus just to familiarise yourself with your area. Take the one closest to the subway station to your place then you will realise that you don't have to walk so far to reach the subway station.

2. When you order food at the normal food places (i.e. not the fancy restaurants, the traditional types run by ahjummas) basically you are like paying for a full meal. I don't know if there are people who goes in and just order a rice since the side dishes sort of comes with it. It was quite funny when I walked in and the first thing the ahjumma said was something to the effect of "one person only?" and not exactly to me. I think part of the reason she said that was because most of the other people who came in at that time seemed to be workers from a construction site (they had on heavy-duty shoes).

So, anyway, I ordered a dwae-jang chige which is basically soybean paste soup and I had the side dishes. Now I'm used to the chige having meat inside so I was a little taken aback when I realised there isn't any. I was like.. I want meat. Then I found it in one of the side dishes-fish. It was nice~ heehee ^^ But I do wonder if people do go in and order JUST the rice? No right?

Side dishes

Side dishes with dwae-jang chige

3. I do not have to do the LONG way to get to Myeong Dong.

It was with some level of amusement that I realised that I ended leaving Myeong Dong this evening at the same station that I got off to wait for Christina yesterday. Though she did tell tell me that EulJiRo is part of Myeong Dong, my image of Myeong Dong is mainly from You are Beautiful (when Mi Nam was stranded at Myeong Dong).

When I walked out of the ACTUAL Myeong Dong station and the right exit, I saw MYEONG DONG as I know it. It was crowded since it's a Saturday. But it was still manageable. Maybe I do surf G-Market quite a bit so I have seen the items online before so not much fascination. I haven't gotten round to trying all the street food. That's the other thing I realised about myself: I can probably understand Korean better than speaking it. Or maybe I'm just afraid of making a fool of myself. Oh well, so I haven't really had enough guts to buy the street food. The thing about the people is when you start speaking to them in Korean, they think you know the language and GO REALLY FAST!! So after a while, it was just "ne, ne, ne, a-gae-sup-ni-da, gam-sa-hap-ni-da."

Myeong Dong

So in the end I ended up with

1. 1 mascara and 1 eye-shadow palette from Holika Holika (if you think it sounds like a spell, I think that's the whole concept.)

2 Korean Grammar books + 3 English-Korean screenplays of movies!

I used to scold a friend of mine who went to Taiwan and bought books back and now I'm doing the same thing. But I have a good excuse: I will NEVER find these books in Singapore, especially the screenplays. I like the idea because the translation are side-by-side. I have seen Shakespeares' text done this way and it definitely helps. So here's hoping *crossing my fingers*

The other highlight of my trip to Myeong Dong today: Nanta.

Esther, Nikki and Irene all said I have to go and watch one of the non-verbal plays when I'm in Korea. So I did. For me, it was interesting to see how the production was done, meaning I like the production value. But personally, if you ask me again whether I would pay 40,000 won to watch it again, I won't. Not that it's bad, but the part that I enjoyed the most was when the performer actually said something to the audience. I thought it was an interactive play based on what the tour guide for the group in front of me and the introduction done in 4 main languages: Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese (video clip) but the only part that was interactive was towards the end and that was the part I like most. I laughed at some parts, I was amazed by the acrobatics but that's about it. To sum it up, I call it 'STOMP WITH A STORYLINE'.

After walking around for a while and after buying the tickets for Nanta, I actually went to Starbucks for coffee and I sat there alone with my dad's iPad reading my own fan fiction. I know it's not what tourists would do but it felt good like I was just spending a leisurely afternoon doing something that I like and want to do. On some level, it feels like it's a place I know well and I am comfortable not doing all the touristy things. But I got excited about Krispy Kreme. I was a big fan of Sex and The City so I have been wanting to try one for a long time. So I was a little disappointed because it's not much different from J.Co in Singapore (or Indonesia for that matter).

I was supposed to go join Christina and friends at Guri but I decided against it since they were going to party it up all night and I'm an old woman. I want to go to 2AM's concert early tomorrow. So I gave that a miss and took a little bus ride around my district and passed by KBS Media Center. I don't think that's the one where Music Bank is recorded but well, yea~

I ended up eating cup noodles and I added one of those sausages that Director Kim (from AML) always eats. It was passable. I was thinking of going out to Hong Dae like now (1am) guess I won't.

2AM CONCERT TOMORROW~ WOOHOOOOO~~~ EXCITED just thinking about it. But I'm a little worried about the IAMs who were going to fly in. I hope they are alright even if they are not coming for the concert. They didn't email me or contacted me so I doubt I'd see them tomorrow.

Day 1: The one where I had 1 hour of sleep.

Hello~ Annyeong!! :)

So I arrived this morning at Incheon Airport and to be honest, inside the airport it wasn't cold. But when I stepped out, it is cold, especially if the wind starts blowing but it's manageable. Hot packs have no need to come to the rescue yet.

Initially, I wanted to take the subway to the guesthouse. I finally decide that I do not want to miss my first morning in Seoul being underground and according to Irene who went to Korea twice, there's a lot of walking and a lot of stairs (YES! OMG OMG OMG!!). And lucky thing I did. The pictures are no way near perfect but it's another country, my destination.

Korea sunrise 1

Korea Sunrise 2

Inside Airport Limousine Bus #6002

OH! I have to talk about my flight to Korea. I think we flew on one of the older aircraft and the center row had 4 seats. Now, I'm big. My hips are big and the seat was JUST right for me. The seat belt was unfortunately not long enough so luckily nothing happened during take off and landing, otherwise I might not be sitting here. But lucky thing? There was no one beside me, so I could actually lift up the armrest and not feel cramped.

Anyway, the flight started off with a baby symphony. One baby started crying, another baby seeing another cry, also started crying. LOUDLY. Thank goodness my earphones are quite good at masking the sound. Nothing really eventful in that flight tho we were served a full meal at like 1.30am.. -.-

I dozed off for about an hour but it was like SOUND asleep. So I woke up ard 45 mins before the plane was going to land in Incheon. I kept staring at the screen. I watched the distance slowly reducing. I watched the plane simulation got closer to the destination. My heart beat a little faster. I didn't get the window seat but as we hovered above the skies with the city light greeting us, I waved in my heart. I said hi. I cried. Again. But not as much as when I was in HK.

So anyway, went thru immigration, collected my baggage, collected my rental phone, bought a coffee and then went out in the cold to ride a bus. And seriously thank goodness there's technology and I choose to have data plan. I used it to view the map leading to the guesthouse.

I found it. It was quite a walk away but manageable. I rang the bell but I was informed by the manager who was woken up by me that I couldn't check in yet. I asked if I could charge my laptop/iPad/all other gadgets, he said yes BUT the universal(?) plug I brought along with me didn't work. So it was 8am and I was out in the empty streets looking for a universal plug to no avail I must add. So I went to Starbucks and stared mournfully at the available power supply but no means to tap on it. I wasn't quite happy with the manager's attitude plus the door way was a mess (shoes shoes and more shoes! untidy untidy and UNTIDY)

I decided to ask Esther unnie for help since she recommended another guesthouse to me so I quickly asked her for the name, etc again via Nancy. When Christina contacted me to meet me, she wasn't ready, I was getting bored, so I decided to venture out to Myeong Dong on my own. It was an interesting system but seriously if u ever come to Seoul, PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES AND DON'T CARRY TOO MANY THINGS. Seriously I felt like I have walked a thousand miles today. If you are transferring fro one line to another, be ready to walk the distance. And the steps. Oh man. M knees cry just thinking of it.

But overall, so far so good. The food is fantastic. Seriously fantastic. Even the banana milk. (I'm not a fan but I'm a convert now. What's so good about it is that u are able to taste the MILK in it). Had Kimchi Chige with pork in the afternoon and BBQ at night. Basically I haven't stopped eating yet.

Kimchi Chige (Pork)

Christina (@lilxceejay)

GalBi with carbonate makgeolli (bottom right)

SamGyeopSal~

After dinner, we took the train. I was heading towards Dongdaemun and Christina was heading back to Guri. I fell asleep and missed my stop. I got out at the next stop thinking I can cross the platform and take the train back. But no, it was on THE OTHER SIDE. So I gave up the idea and decide to try taking a bus instead. Man, did I get lost or what. Tho it was stated Dong Dae Mun but it looked a little dark. I wandered around a little and saw(?) the market where all the clothes are being supplied. I would go to the proper Dong Dae Mun and MyeongDong too. Plus other places.

Ok I think I'd sleep soon. Lack of sleep + weather changes. I can't believe I'm saying this but here goes: I miss Singapore humidity. Tomorrow. Is another day. Haven't quite decide what to do in the morning yet. But Christina is going to bring me go paint the town red. Let's get lots of it and paint it pink. I like pink more.

D-Day: Part 1-Leaving and Arriving in Hong Kong

Before I go any further, I want to extend my thanks to @aquariusgerl73 (Lynda) [I hope I didn't get her name worng] and her daughters @frappelotz and @beloved_suju (Nasha and Effa) and young son, Ryan, for coming to the airport to send me off. We had some food at Popeye and talked about everything in general. I had a good time and it was with some measure of shock and surprise that this is the first time I had friends come send me off at the airport. :) Thanks!!

Then I boarded the plane. And I used my dad's iPad to watch SeBaKwi. That done, I played games. It's really rather boring traveling alone but it was still alright. 

About 30 minutes before the plane landed, the moment the captain announced for the cabin crew to get ready for landing, I realised I'm halfway there. Halfway to Seoul, halfway to my dream. I told myself I have to fight real hard to get my job interview with Big Hit and I will not falter and not send in my resume. I have never wanted anything more than this in my life before. So if I ever show signs of giving up, hit me with a heavy stick and remind me how lucky I am to be at the right place and right time. Let's just hope that the rightness I feel about this whole trip is not some illusion. 

I need to board the plane in another 45 minutes. *cross my fingers* that it will not be too cold and that my luggage gets to Incheon safely!

Thanks all for reading this rather boring update~ :p

D-Day: It has finally arrived.

D-Day. This day has finally arrived. How long have I waited for this day? 2 years.

I started having the idea of visiting Korea, of working in Korea back in May 2009. I'm a Korean-anything newbie, in fact I would admit some measure of avoidance towards anything Korean. So pre-2009, if my then traveling partner were to suggest Korea, I would just roll my eyes.

I would not bore you with my story of how I got into Korean entertainment but suffice to say We Got Married (season 1) played a huge role, though it all started with Boys Over Flowers.

But I couldn't up and go because I was bonded to the Ministry of Education in Singapore. I was a teacher. With the goal of going to Korea in 2010 when I finished my bond, I told my bosses that I would quit once my bond ends. Many people said I was stupid to tell them so early because that might cause my performance to be evaluated differently because there is no potential development so to say. But I thought I was being fair. I was stupid.

Long story short, I had plans to use my performance bonus from last year to go to Korea and stay there for a month and explore my options beyond teaching. Though I'm fully qualified to teach English as a Second Language, I am not holding the right passport. But my VP told me during March holidays last year that I wasn't getting any of that bonus.

So basically what that means to me is
1. I'm a failure as a teacher
2. I'm a failure as a teacher
3. I'm a failure as a teacher

In my first year, my ex-VP told me I should consider exploring other options because teaching doesn't seem to be my cup of tea. But I love teaching. I just hate everything else associated with a teacher's job in Singapore. My kids do well in their studies, I have good relationship with them, and their parents. So honestly, I really thought the evaluation was unfair.

I had a breakdown and couldn't go back to teaching. And with that goes my dream of going to Korea in June as well.

Since then, I have been quite lost. Of course I found Adam Couple, started kkaplinesubs, moved on to starting an International forum for 2AM - IAM for 2AM. But ultimately what do I do with my life is a question I constantly ask myself.

This Korea trip was unplanned. I spoke to a few friends about the possibility of doing idol merchandising. A friend came forward with a suggestion which I thought was fantastic. But without knowing what's in Korea it's actually quite difficult to run a business.

So I talked to my dad. I asked him to pay for my air ticket. And so I'm going. In about 15hrs 30min, I'd be flying towards my dream. I've been toying with the idea of trying to get a job in Korea and I told myself that I would bring along my papers just in case. And what do you know, Big Hit Entertainment sent out a recruitment notice via Twitter the other day.

Maybe all of this was planned. I was rushing it at the beginning. Maybe God gave me some time to plan, to try, to make mistakes, to learn lessons. I'm not overly religious but I believe everything happens for a reason.

I have things to worry about in Singapore of course. But seriously, right now, I just want to take that leap of faith and believe that there will be a pair of strong arms to catch me. A very strong pair of arms.

What's the purpose of telling everyone all this? I don't know how many of you watched Dream High or how many of you cried when you watched Dream High but DREAM HIGH is my message. It might seem impossible, it might sound ridiculous to the people closest to you (one of my closer friends did not believe my determination to go to Korea and do what I want to do), but if you don't get it the first time round, just remember to pick yourself up and wait. While waiting, hone your skills to get what you want. Eventually, you'd either find out that maybe the dream is not for you or you will get closer to your dream than you can ever imagine.

I'm going to send my resume to Big Hit Entertainment. And I will post a screen shot of that having been done on this blog. All of you shall be my witnesses and I hope with your well-wishes and blessings and prayers, I would get an interview and hopefully the job.

The people on Twitter who had been providing me with tips and advice and encouragement, you know who you are, you do not know how much that means to me. For someone who felt lost and discouraged at times, I found strength and drive to go on because there's always someone with a word of encouragement.

In 2009, I wrote a message on my blog then for all my close friends and it was set to be published when I leave in July 2010. That message was never published. But I'm glad this one is.

So this trip is a dream come true. In more sense of the word than one.

D-1: Wow, that was fast...

Oh wow, it's D-1 already!! This time tomorrow, I'd probably be like making sure that I have gotten everything ready. I have packed. I bought some long-sleeved shirts (while packing, I realised I have like ONE). I'm ready to go go go!!

So I have decided that I will definitely make that trip to MokPo so I can take a ferry to Jeju. If there's really like no tickets to go to Jeju, then I'd just explore Mokpo. After all, there is nothing better than the ability to change my plans in that manner. Since I'm traveling alone, anything goes.

Now I need to plan to go to Gyeonggi-do cos I want to visit the places that Running Man had been to. That would take a little more planning around.

Apparently Jay Park is going to be filming Guerilla Date at HongDae on that day I arrive. So maybe, who knows, I might just see him. Then that will be my first taste of star-spotting in Korea!

Things to do today:

1. Get my papers photocopied.
2. Look at my resume. Do up a cover letter that is suitable for an entertainment company.
3. Go to the post office to buy a poster tube (to put all the posters for the BB albums and who knows what else I would get)
4. Maybe wander to get some tights.
5. And maybe some socks too.

Yup. That's about it.