Music Video: Super Junior "Evanesce"

I like this music video. The sound has a nice sound. My favorite part is the dance in the middle of the video.

Music Video: Rainstone "Rainstorm by Rainstone" (English Subtitles)

Featuring Brian McKnight, Verbal Jint, San E

I really like this song! I like the melody and the words on the screen.

Korean Food: Hotteok (호떡)

Hotteok is a popular street food in Korea. Hotteok is a pankcake with sweet filling such as cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts.

Tonight I was on my way to the subway and I decided to try hotteok. It was so good! I like the sweet filling!

Its very hot when it comes off the grill so they put it in a cup

Spontaneous Meetings from POF

I've been on POF for a long time, but I've never met anyone that I've dated. I wanted to date while I was in Korea, but since I'm leaving I didn't really pursue it. I didn't meet the right person anyway. Right now I'm only looking for people to hangout with because I am leaving in less than a month.

I like meeting new people.There's no funny business going on. They know what to expect before I meet them. I meet these guys in public places and we only hangout. They will not be going to my house and I will not be visiting their houses.

In Korea my "dating" life has been pretty active. I've been on a lot of "dates", but I never dated any of them. I met the most people during my first stay in Korea 6 years ago. I've met guys from Facebook, Myspace, Craigslist, Tinder and POF. I have a lot of interested men here, but I've only met most of them one time. We just didn't click, but I've had fun meeting all sorts of people. I've never been scared to meet anyone here. I've never been in an awkward position where I felt threatened. I've only had good experiences so far. In the USA I don't have any luck. I haven't met anyone from any sites in the USA. I almost met one guy, but I seriously think he was a "catfish". I don't really have that much interest from guys in the US.

In the past month I was contacted by a few guys, but I only responded to 3 of them. 2 of them are Korean and one of them is American. They are all younger than me. The American is 23. The Korean guys are 27 and 28. Both Koreans speak English well. One of them has lived abroad in Canada.

The American guy wants to meet sometime, but we haven't made plans.

Today I met one of the Korean guys. We started emailing each other on Thursday I think. He asked me when I wanted to meet. I wrote to him on Friday and said "what about tomorrow?" He said it was okay. So we made plans on Friday night for Saturday morning.

We went to a traditional market, the valley of a mountain, an art museum, and checked out some events that were going on at Gwanghwamun. We also went to a cafe. We hungout for about 3 hours then we both went home. It was nice to meet someone new to see the sights with.

Tonight I'm meeting another guy. (2 in one day!) A guy emailed me saying that he lived in the same city as me on Friday night. I emailed him back and we found out that we live pretty close in the same neighborhood. We could visit each other within walking distance. He keeps telling me how he thinks I am so cute. haha. We started talking on Kakao talk on Saturday afternoon and decided to meet up tonight. We are just going to walk around the city......(well we were going to meet, but I don't know what happened to him. We were chatting on Kakao and all of a sudden he quit messaging. Maybe he fell asleep?)

Suseongdong Valley of Inwangsan Mountain (Seoul, Korea)

I love being so close to the mountains in Korea. You can see a mountain from almost anywhere in Seoul. 70% of Korea has mountains. I love nature and the outdoors. I think mountains are beautiful and amazing.

In my home state there are no mountains. I have to drive about 3 hours or more to go to the mountains so I don't go very often. I don't think I've been since I was a kid.

Today's trip was a spontaneous one. I didn't plan on going to see the mountain. I met a guy to hangout with on POF. First we went to Tongin Market. When we finished at the market he saw a sign for the Valley of Inwangsan Mountain. He asked me if I wanted to go and I said sure. It was a beautiful sight. It was nice to be with someone who also appreciates nature. He said he would like to live in that area so he could go to the mountains often. We walked around in the valley until it started getting really steep so we turned around. Its really beautiful with the fall colors on the trees. There were a lot of other people out enjoying the views also. We had really nice weather today! Sunny and around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The valley was a beautiful place to enjoy nature.

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6074077658657674545

Tongin Market (통인시장) Seoul, Korea

Tongin Market is a traditional market in Seoul. It was originally set up in 1941 for Japanese residents during the Japanese occupation. As the population increased street vendors used the area as their marketplace. There are 75 stores in the market. Most of them are restaurants and grocery stores. There are other stores such as watches, bedding, shoes, and other goods.

There is also a cafe called Dosirak cafe. (Dosirak means lunchbox). For 5000 won (about $5) you can purchase a tray and 10 tokens. Use the tokens at participating vendor stalls with the 'cafe' sign. Items range from 1 token (500 won) to 3 tokens (1500 won).

I got a nice size lunch for 5000 won!

More Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6074054730824928321?authkey=CKiJtdmxosLDpQE

How to Get There: Seoul Subway Line 3 Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2. Go straight for about 700m and its on the left.

New Deluxe Shrimp Burger at Mcdonalds

update (Nov 1)-I'm adding my "unboxing" video:


This week I saw an ad for the the new shrimp burger at McDonalds. The ad looked very appetizing so I had to check it out for myself. The burger debuted on Tuesday October 21st.

Today I tried the shrimp burger and it was great!  The burger has pieces of whole shrimp, cheese, lettuce, and thousand island sauce.You really can feel the whole pieces of shrimp in the burger. The cheese is a bit odd, but it didn't make it taste bad. I liked the thousand island sauce. The burger will only be here on limited edition basis unless people like it. I hope they have it for at least a month! The shrimp burger may be my go to burger instead of the big mac. I think the shrimp burger will be slightly more healthy. It has less calories than the big mac.

The shrimp burger costs 5500 won (about $5.50) for a set. You can add on a pink lemonade for 300 won. I also tried the pink lemonade. It tastes weird to me, kinda like carbonated water with some kind of syrup. I wouldn't order it again.


Here are some pictures:

Music Video: Super Junior "This is Love"

Super Junior has a new music video! I like it. I like the dancing and the song has a good beat.

Korean Drama "운명처럼 널 사랑해" Fated to Love You

I really enjoyed this drama. Korean dramas are addicting! I finished all 20 episodes in 1 month! I had to see what happened next.

The main character (Lee Gun) is handsome! I liked his hair when it was long. His laugh was crazy!! I really enjoyed the story line. It seems like every Korean drama has a love triangle (so predictable!) Sometimes I was wanting Mi Young to end up with Daniel, but other times I wanted her to end up with Lee Gun. What happens? You'll have to watch to find out! I was happy with the ending.

I liked a song that played over and over called "Goodbye My Love" by Ailee.

Year: July 2014

Episodes: 20

Main Characters:

Jang Hyuk as Lee Gun
Jang Na-ra as Kim Mi Young
Choi Jin-hyuk as Daniel Pitt
Wang Ji-won as Kang Se-ra

Plot:

A girl nicknamed "post it girl" and a CEO of a family owned company accidentally have a one-night stand. The girl gets pregnant and they must get married.

Seoul Station

I think the old Seoul Station is so beautiful so I went to photograph it. I wanted to get a full front view but there is some artwork in front that obstructs the view. The new Seoul station is right beside the old one.

Songjeong Station (Seoul Metro Line 5)

This is Songjeong station on the Seoul Metro Line 5. This video was recorded on Sunday October 12, 2014. The subway is not very busy on Sunday afternoons. I go to this station every Sunday.

Toilet Museum (Suwon, South Korea)

Another adventure for me.  I have many adventures! I had some difficulty getting there. I read a blog that said to go to Suwon station and take exit 2. So I did that. Exit 2 leads to a parking deck. So I went back into the station and took another exit and went to look for a bus I could take. I went to a bus stop, but I couldn't find the bus I needed. So I went back into the station. Went back out exit 2. Turned around and went out exit 3. Ended up in an apartment community so I walked around. Found another bus stop, but there were no buses I could take for my destination. I kept looking at an app on my phone. Using data on the phone really drains the battery. I'd walk in one direction and then turn around. Stand at the bus stop on one side of the road. Walk to the other side of the road after the bus I need isn't coming. Then walk back to the other side of the street. It was a lot of waiting and walking. I finally got on the bus I needed, but it went one stop and everyone got off. So I waited for the next one and finally made it to the stop I needed. Then I followed the app that took me to the wrong place. Turned around and used google maps. I finally made it to my destination. By the time I got there I was down to less than 10% on my phone. Going through the museum is pretty quick on the inside and outside. You don't need to devote much time to be able to see everything. When it was time to go I couldn't find the bus I needed. So I just got on a bus that I thought was going to the subway station, but after a while I realized I was going in the wrong direction. At this point I just decided to take a taxi!


Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6068917755377019313

Sim Jae-duck was once the mayor of Suwon. He was born in his grandmother's toilet.  His nickname was "Mr. Toilet". Toilets were his passion. He even built his house in the shape of a toilet.The house was completed in 2007. After he died in 2009, his family donated the house to the town of Suwon. The house was turned into a museum where patrons can learn about the history of toilets in Korea.

The house is named  Haewoojae. The name is derived from the word Haewooso. Haewooso is the name for a toilet in a buddhist temple. Haewooso means a room where you can relieve your worries.

Inside you can see the evolution of toilets in Korea and read about Sim Jae-duck. Outside you can see a 'toilet theme park' showing some of the toilets from the past.

Before toilet paper they used a rope to wipe

Jeju black pigs ate poop

a urinal for the males

Hours:
March-October 10:00-18:00
November-February 10:00-17:00

Closed:
Monday (if Monday is a holiday, closed on next day)
January 1st, Lunar New Year, Chuseok

Admission: Free

How to Get There: 
Once you are in Suwon you can take:
Express City Bus: 1009, 7790, 7800, 7900
Intra-City Bus: 5, 36, 63, 64, 65, 92, 98, 99, 310, 400-1, 990
Get off at Dongwon High School (Imok Underpass Stop) (There are no English announcements on the bus so remember how many stops you have to take or recognize the name)
The Toilet House is about a 7 minute walk from the bus stop

**Its a little difficult-I'd recommend taking a taxi

Riding the train in South Korea (railroad)

I decided that I wanted to ride the train to my destination in Suwon. The subway from my location would have taken 1 hour and 30 minutes with a few transfers. I looked up information about the train. The ride from Seoul station to Suwon station would only be about 40 minutes. I still have to get to Seoul station, but thats only a 20 minute direct subway ride. In all, my trip will take an hour. I've never ridden the train in South Korea so it will be a new experience for me.

Booking the train was pretty simple. I made my reservation the night before, but you can make it up to 1 month in advance. My ticket was only 2,700 won (about 2.70) for a one way trip. I rode the nuriro.

There are 5 different types of trains owned by Korail:

1. KTX- This is the bullet train. Its very fast, but the most expensive.
2. Saemaeul-These trains are a little slower than the KTX and a little less expensive.
3. Nuriro-This is a slower train, but very inexpensive
4. Mugunghwa-This is also a slower train and very inexpensive
5. Commuter-These trains have less routes and go to rural areas

The whole train experience was good. I got to the station early. I went up to the ticket booth with my passport and reservation numbers. The person at the counter typed in my info and printed out my tickets. Quick and easy. He circled all the information that I needed to know like seat number and time.

Then I went down to the tracks and asked the lady at the information desk which way to go. I had to go to track number 2.

I went there and found my seat. The seats are comfortable and spacious enough to handle a larger person like myself. Someone slightly larger might have some discomfort, but it was comfortable for me.

The train left promptly and stops at a few locations along the way.

How to Book online:
Go to http://www.korail.com
Click on the left circle
Click on English
Scroll down just a little, on the right side click on Korail pass reservation
Click on rail tickets
Booking online
Put in your information about where you want to go and what time
Click Inquiry and all the train schedules will come up
Choose the one you want and click on select (If there are seats available the link will be blue)
Enter your name, passport number, gender, and nationality
Then you will be taken to the payment page-you can pay with an overseas credit card or a Korean issued card
Then you will be confirmed and you can print your voucher
Take your voucher to the ticket counter and exchange for your tickets (they will ask for your passport)
I didn't have a printer so I just wrote my confirmation numbers and that was good enough

Korean Food: 영양갈비탕 (Nutritious Rib Soup)

Yeong Yang Galbi Tang translates into nutritious rib soup.

영양=yeong yang=nutritious
갈비=Galbi=rib
탕=tang=soup

Galbi tang is a soup made with short ribs. You can eat the rib off of the bone. Medicinal ingredients such as ginseng, jujube and pine nuts are added to this version (yeong yang) of galbi tang. (I'm not sure what was added into my soup though..I do see a jujube in there.) You can dip the meat into a sauce. Koreans also pour their rice into the soup.

Ribs are one of most expensive cuts of meat in Korea.

This costed 10,000 won at a family restaurant in Seoul.

The soup was very delicious!

The War Memorial of Korea (Seoul, South Korea)

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6068190038157316145

Today was a holiday so I ventured out to the War Memorial of Korea. I've been wanting to go for a long time, but I never got around to it.

There is so much to see! I recommend allotting about 3 hours (or more) if you really want to go through the exhibits slowly and try to get a grasp of the history. It took me about 2 hours, but I didn't really stop to read all the signs. My photo album is huge and I deleted a lot of photos. There are a lot of planes, tanks, missiles, and weapons outside. There are also a ton of things to see in the museum inside.

I think its interesting to see all the relics, planes, tanks and other things about the war. It's a big part of Korean history.

If you want to read more about the War Memorial go here: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=268131

How to get there: Samgakji Station (Seoul Subway Line 6), Exit 1, 11 or 12.
Namyeong Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 1.

Closed: Mondays

Hours: 9am-6pm (last admission 1 hour before closing)

Admission: Free

Music Video: Zia "Falling in Love" (English Subtitles)

Duet with Hwanhee

This is such a cute video.

Music Video: Madtown "YOLO" (English Subtitles)

Madtown is a rookie group represented by J.Tune Camp. This is their debut song.

I like it

2014 Seoul International Fireworks Festival

On October 4, 2014 The Seoul International Fireworks Festival was held in Hangang Park right outside Yeouinaru Station. The fireworks were put on by professional teams from United Kingdom, Italy, China, and Korea. There were events during the day, but I only went for the fireworks. The fireworks lasted from 7:30 to 9pm.
_________________________
Another adventure! I am very adventurous!

The event was crazy! I should have left my house earlier. I left my subway station at 5:35 and I was suppose to have about a 35 minute journey. I thought I'd be fine to get there at 6pm. (I was wrong!) The fireworks didn't start till 7:30 and I didn't want to sit around with nothing to do. The battery drains too fast on my phone using wifi/4g and I have to save the ipad power to make videos. I need spare batteries and extra devices to keep myself occupied!

My transfer station, Gongdeok, was packed! I had never seen a subway station that packed before! There were tons of people waiting to get on the subway. Every train that came by was packed full. I finally got on after the 3rd train that came by.

When I got to Yeounariu station there were a lot of people going to the park so I just followed the crowd. Along the way there were tons of food vendors, but I didn't want to stop to get anything. Once you got into the park you were basically being pushed along by the crowd! There was no where to sit. People had already claimed almost every piece of available grass (this was about an hour before the fireworks started). It was complete craziness! At first I was standing behind where people were sitting. Then they told us we couldn't stand there so I moved to another spot where some people were standing behind those who were sitting.

When the fireworks started there was someone yelling for everyone to sit down (in Korean, but I understood). We stood up for a while and then all of a sudden everyone started sitting and we were pushed down. I didn't have room to move so I was sitting on my knees. It was so painful. I couldn't watch the show for a little while because my legs were hurting so bad. I couldn't sit down with my legs crossed because I had nowhere to move. Finally after a while some people started getting up and people starting moving around and I had enough room to sit and stretch my legs a little. My legs were numb and it took a while for them to return to normal. Then i sat with my legs crossed and after a while my leg was numb again. I just don't know how people can sit on the floor with their legs crossed for a long time.

I got some good footage once i was able to sit down. I was able to narrow my video down to under 13 minutes. In the video its neat to hear the crowd's reaction to the fireworks.

After the fireworks were over it was complete chaos again. So many people moving at the same time. I walked up to the street level and just stood there for a little while. I probably watched the crowd walking by for 20 minutes or more. The crowd just kept on coming the whole time I was watching. I finally left my spot and walked to the subway station so I'd have time to make it home. There was more chaos in the subway. It was packed again. After I went down it didn't take me long to get on the train.

I had quite an adventure. I had never been to a festival that large in Seoul. This was my first and only chance to see the festival.

My advice for future attendees-get there early to get a good spot to sit. The best viewing area is in front of the 63 building. I was a good distance away, but I still had a good view.

If you like to have personal space then this is definitely not the festival for you! It will be packed everywhere!

Banpo Moonlight Rainbow Fountain

Time Lapse Version:



Banpo Bridge fountain is the longest bridge fountain in the world. The bridge is located on the Han River in Seoul, South Korea.

I finally had a success this time! I actually stayed and watched the show 3 times! On the weekend there are 3 shows at night: 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00. (I think there might be one at 9:30, but there wasn't one last night). Each show lasts about 15 minutes.

I got there around 7:45 and set up my tripod. I thought that the fountain show happened on both sides of the bridge so I was set up on the left side, but it was only on the right side tonight so I had to move. For the first show I was annoyed that people kept coming and standing right in front of my camera. For the 2nd show I moved my camera closer to the edge so no one couldn't stand in front of me. Lots of people were there filming and taking pictures.

I got a lot of footage to make a video. My video will be edited down to less than 6 minutes. I got footage from 3 shows and 2 different angles. I also made a time lapse version. I love the time lapse function on ios8 (the new update for apple products). I have an ipad mini. I think its a great camera. The quality and the sound is nice.



How to get there: Dongjak station (line 4)..exit 1 or 2...follow the walking path for about 20 minutes and you will arrive at the bridge. The bridge is next to 2 buildings on the river that change colors.

Show times:
April-October (Duration: 15min)
* Weekdays: 12:00, 20:00, 21:00
* Weekends: 12:00, 17:00, 19:30 (July & August only), 20:00, 20:30, 21:00, 21:30

(**operating hours are subject to change)

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6065987286127647681

Unhyeongung: Historical Site No.257

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6061167669715722769

Unhyeongung is a small palace in the Jongno area of Seoul. Unhyeongung was the home of Gojung who became Emperor during the Joseon Dynasty. The palace was damaged during the Japanese colonial period and Korean war. Unhyeongung is a much smaller version today.

Unhyeongung is Historical Site Number 257

How to Get There: Anguk Station (line 3) Exit 4

Admission: Free

Closed: Mondays

Hours:

Summer season (April-October) 09:00-19:00
Winter season (November-March) 09:00-18:00
* Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/106518880659515557565/albums/6061166737999061889

I went to Bukchon Hanok Village last weekend, but I never got around to posting about it!!

In Bukchon Hanok Village there are hundreds of traditional houses ('hanok'). Many of these hanoks are operated as guesthouses, restaurants, cultural centers, and tea houses.

Namsan Tower is in the background

I'ts a really nice place to visit. I think hanoks are beautiful.

How to get there:
Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2.
Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.

Music Video: Cho Hyung Woo "Rain on Me" (English Subtitles)

I like the simplicity of the video. I like this song. I think a lot of people can relate to the lyrics. Cho Hyung Woo has a great voice.

Music Video: Gada "Sunglass" (English Subtitles)

I like this music video. Its very catchy and it has a nice sound.

Korean Food: 떡만두국 (Dumpling Soup)

There's a restaurant on the first floor of my building that specializes in Mandu Guk. There are only 2 dishes on the menu. I walk past it every day so I decided to give it a try today.

It's a mild soup with no spice so its good for me. (I don't like spicy food). The dumplings are filled with meat and vegetables.

I got the tteok mandu guk. tteok is rice cake. (I love the rice cakes in soup!) The dish costed 7,000 won (about $7).

떡=tteok=rice cake
만두= mandu=dumpling
국= guk=soup

________________________________________________

I also got some ddeok mandu guk at Kimbap Heaven in my neighborhood on another day. It costed 5000 won (about $5)

Each place makes it differently. This place had rice cakes, mandu, onions, seaweed, carrots and an egg.

D-50......7 weeks left

I have completed 20 weeks on my 3rd trip to Korea.

I only have 7 weeks (and one day) left in Korea. I think I'm both happy and sad. I'm happy because I get to go home and see my family. Yesterday I chatted with my 3 year old nephew on Facetime. I sent him a package in the mail and it arrived. He opened it for me on camera. He loves it!

I'm sad because there is so much that I didn't get around to doing in Korea. I will also miss the new friends that I just made about 2 months ago. I have so many things on my Korea bucket list that I didn't get around to.

I only have 33 more work days. I have about 15 classes left of the classes that meet twice a week. I only have 7 classes left for the once a week classes.

I gave my notice 1 month ago. I think time has passed rather quickly since then.

I have my good days and my bad days at school. I have some classes that are really good and eager to learn. I have other classes where the kids just won't pay attention. My reading class this week was not good. They were loud and wanted to goof off all during class. We didn't finish the lesson so they have to finish it for homework. I think no one will do the homework. No one had their homework from last week in this class. This week in my phonics class a girl was crying. They like to be loud and talk all during class. There are 4 boys and 1 girl. The boys said something to make the girl cry. She called someone during class (parents?). Then another boy called someone during class. Then all the boys got scolded by the Korean teacher. They were little angels for the rest of the class. The girl in that class is always calling me 'fat teacher'. She says it in Korean. They know I don't speak Korean, but I do understand what she is saying. I have a guy in one class that always looks like he wants to start a fight with someone. He's always arguing back and forth with one of the guys in class. I keep an eye on him and tell him to stop before a fight breaks out.

#HappySeoul: Inspired by Pharrell Williams

I found this video on Facebook...I like it! The video was made as a contribution to  http://www.24hoursofhappy.com