Half-Day DMZ Tour

Muahahaha~ Going to the border between the North and South :P
Actually before I start writing about my trip, I have something to say, this DMZ trip wasn't what I had in mind, because me and the others thought that everything would be included. What I meant, was the going to the "House" (Panmunjeom) would be on the trip as well, because that is what I thought, the most important part of the trip would be!! To see the North Korean side, getting to be really close to the border line, and to see the place where the armistice was signed.. So in the end, it was only half of the DMZ, excluding the Punmunjeom JSA tour.. sigh.. But anways, here goes...

7am: On the bus, with maybe 34 other people going towards the DMZ.. .
9:30am: We arrived at Imjingak Park (it was built to console the homesick refugees who left N.korea during the korean war)
10am: Crossing the military check point, going into the DMZ.. reached the 3rd tunnel!!

3rd tunnel: "Dug in 1978 by North Korea to infiltrate South Korean territory, this tunnel is 1,635 long, 2m wide and 2m tall. It was built to allow the passage of 10,000 armed soldiers." I have to say, this was the most interesting part of the tour for me, we got to go all the way to see the tunnel, and got to walk through the tunnel until 107m from the North Korean border lines. It was creepy to walk through the tunnel, since it seemed like a haunted tunnel to me. It was a long way down, and a long way up..

11am: Went to the Dora Observatory.. Where pictures can be taken to try and see North Korea, only before the yellow line. There were telephoto lenses (?) where we can see North Korea. I would not miss this chance so I put in 500Won to look at North Korea. I saw the South Korean GP (Guard post; with specially trained, fully armed soldiers), The Punmunjeom area T.T, the Norht Korean border line, the industrial complex in North Korea, and the whole stretch of the border line & DMZ.

11:30am: Arrived at Dorasan Station,. Where a train departs to NOrth Korea everyday (One time per day). Got a stamp to proove that I was there,.

12pm: Left the DMZ :((

Basically that was it!! So short.. so little.. so not enough.. Therefore, Im planning to return to the DMZ to go to Panmunjeom!! I want to see the things that I missed.. So Dmz, this is not the last you will see of me, I'll be back!! hehehe..


For pictures, go to my facebook, there are explanations there.. Im too lazy to explain everything at all the different places :P http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=117688&id=501421549&l=1a8ca9f4fd

End of mid-term

Mid-term has finally come to an end.. 4 days of exams are finally over!!
To celebrate this, we girls had a ladies night out on Thursday!

We started the night with first drinking in a bar in Hong-dae, so we chose to drink in "Ho-Bar".. Pretty big place, with plenty of seats free, because it was Thursday, and not many people were out.
When we arrived at Q-vo (my fav. club) later, we just realised that the ladies night free entrance was before 12am!! WTF!! my exact reaction.. so we paid 10,000Won to get in, and we stayed there for the night, instead of moving to the different clubs.. So next time, I will go to all the clubs before 12am, and get all the stamps on my hand :P haha..

Overall, from what I can remember, the night was really fun! Lots and lots of dancing,.. I think Dancing will be me doing gym from now on.. its more productive.. I will actually do it, rather than jogging.. hehehe.. I had a really great time with the ladies! We should do this more often! ..

Get out of here! ...

"Hello Hello, Get out of here! Get out of our country, you're not welcome here! Go back to Itaewon!" - This was what a korean person said to us (Me, Mariana, Isabella, and Isabelle..) when we were in the subway, on the way back home.. He wasn't drunk or anything.. just maybe something wrong up there?? I think he was shouting to the other three, and not actually me. But still, ... hmmm... quite rude.. I'm learning and seeing more and more of the Korean not liking foreigners side. Especially in the older generations,. or people hating the American Soldiers here.. What is a country without a bit of racism?? It exists everywhere...

Anyway, I should studying at this moment, and now be writing blogs.. I guess the reader are lucky, since I am writing somemore up here,.. 4 exams to go, all which I dont know what to expect of. First exams of those courses in Korea! Dunno what the questions will be like.. HOw much I wish I can do well.. Fingers cross.. touch wood..

Nothing much happen this weekend, except Friday, partying.. Saturday, dinner in Sinchon with Isabelle's friend, Seung-Min. Sunday stay home all day, trying to study, which was not too productive.. Alrite, boring weekend... over...

Going back to studying!! the pressure is on this week!! ...

Takin a break from studying..

Decided to write some stuff while taking a break,, Im going to be productive.
After reading Isabelle's blog, it made me realized, my time in Seoul is slowly running out.. I DONT WANNA GO HOME!! Seoul has started to sink in, and Im so gonna miss this place!! Facebook tells me I still have 75 days left in Seoul.. omg.. 75 days can pass very fast!! Im gonna miss the friends that I met here, incl. the food, the city, the school, the clubs.. and many more! ..
Ok change topics,.. I cant go on about this..

Next week, it will be mid-term exams for me,. with 4 exams to take! Whether you believe it or not, I already started studying! I normally dont start studying until like 2 days before. However, nothing seems to sink in!! stressful... I even went to the library last night, at 11:30pm.. I stayed there until 2am.. Reading my investment text book, and highlighting the important blahs..
The unbelievable thing was, Korean ppl doesn't seem to sleep.. people were still going in and out of the study room at like 1am, even at 2am.. its unbelievable..

I hope all goes well next week, whether or not my score are flying colours, it still needs to pass no matter what! , apart from that, i dont really mind much.. hehe.. I shud be more strict on myself..

After the mid-terms, I have already been planning..
Thursday: I will party with the girls.. Ladies night (since the guys are in Japan)
Friday: I will party with more people since its Club Day!
Sunday: I either go to Seoul world, or DMZ.. I still need to pick one.. stress..
Next weekend: I heard there will be MT with the IFCC, so Im waiting for that! I wanna see how a Korean MT is like..

I really need to find more time to get out of Seoul! I need to see more of the country..

OK, break over! back to studying for another hour.. going out clubbing tonite again :P a little gift for myself.. to get over the stress..

What did I do this weekend?

OK, I'll make this brief, because it could go on forever! --

ON friday: Me, the Swedish and Kyrgyzstan girls went to Yeouido Park in Seoul for the Spring flower festival.. We went to the Yeouido Park, thinking that the festival was there, therefore, the park was quite "different" than we expected.. Later we found out that the Spring Flower festival was in a different place and not in the Yeouido Park. Basically.. it was a Walking day! loads and loads of walking...

Saturday: Me, my room mate and the Swedish girls went for a picnic on-campus.. Outside of the Library.. in the hot sun, burning ourselves and having strawberries.. Hmm.. wat a sight! Later that night, we went to Itaewon for dinner.. Santorini Greek Restaurant.. Great food but damn expensive.. will not be going there too often.. After Itaewon, we went to Hongdae (the party area), tried the Ice-bar that Stefan couldn't shut up about, it was his idea to go there.. It was freezing COld!! -10celsius?! and us not wearing a lot.. IT was like Summer and Winter in 1 day.. from 25celsius Hot sun.. to -10celsius Ice room! Later that night, I went clubbing with 3 new people I met and some of the guys.. It was so much fun!! I love Q-vo!! will be going back there for more! ... hehe...

Sunday: Woke up late and went to Bosan to meet Weon Jun.. a friend of mine from the ISSE.. and he is currently in KATUSA,, and American Military Base.. He's there for his military service. I was suppose to get to see the American base, but because Malaysia is still like a threat to the Americans, I cant get in with my stupid Malaysian passport!!! Even with a Dutch resident card I still cant get in!! Even with an American VISA! Screwed my day for me.. But eventhough that happended, I still managed to enjoy myself! Weon Jun and I had coffee and donuts, talked about the past, and how we were for the past 4 years.. I took Weon Jun to Hoegi, showed him my campus, took him to dinner.. and we went to Noraebang for an hour, before he had to go home.

Photos from Friday and Saturday will be on MSN Space/Facebook..
Below are pictures from Sunday..






Videos of us singing.. enjoy :P Espcially Weon Jun's solo..






The two videos below are the best of the best!~ Weon Jun can sing really well! and HIGH!

Noraebang= 노래방 = KTV

Luxury Noraebang with Hyun Jin in Gangnam!! We had nothing better to do, so we made videos,.. LOL.. More like I made videos and she doesn't mind.. My goal next time is to go to a themed room.. hehe..

Hope you guys don't crack up when you watch these videos.. Its just for a laugh, to share my fun with you all..

Funeral [R.i.P Kwon Tae Hun]

This week was a tough week for many of us, especially for the ones who knew Kwon Tae Hun. He was someone that I met when I was in High school, he was in the year below me. He and his sister both came from Korea, and were people who I met during the last 1.5 years in the ISSE (International Secondary School Eindhoven). After my graduation, my connection with what happen in the ISSE were kinda cut-off, but facebook was the only thing that allowed me to know what was happening to some people in different part of the world. When Yea Ji (Tae Hun's sister) and Tae Hun graduated, I didnt even know where they were going for their University. I knew they were both in Korea during the last summer, and that Yeaji went back to NL before I came to Korea. I didn't even know that Tae Hun was still in Seoul.

On wednesday, Ji Won broke the news to me about Tae Hun. I went on facebook and all the R.i.Ps that many people put on their status. Ji Hye told me about what happen to him, and it was then that I only realised that Tae Hun had a motorbike accident and passed away,.. in SEOUL! I was shock to hear this, I could not believe what had happen, and it was in Seoul, where Im living at the moment. This was a major topic that many people talked about, discussed, and cried for these few days. When I found out, I really wanted to go to the hospital that he was in, and pay my respect since we were in the same school and now in the same city.

On Thursday, Ju Hwan clariffied what happen to Tae Hun to me, told me what he found out. He called Tae Hun's mother and sent his regard to her. He helped me to find out where the funeral was, and at what time it was held. I made up my mind then that I will go to the funeral, despite that it was 30 mins away by car, and 7am in the morning. At the same time that evening, with Gi su's help, I got into contact with Tae Hyung, also someone that was in middle school with me, and also a friend of Tae Hun's. We both knew what happened to him, and were both discussing about going to the funeral. I wanted to go to the funeral, but I was a bit in doubt because I did not know what to expect, and what I must do when I get there. I did not want to intrude or be rude. Anyway, I still went.. .. ..

The funeral was held in a chapel/church, I cant tell the difference.. Soon after I arrived, the service for Tae Hun began. The closed coffin was carried in to the room followed by his family and closed relatives. A lot of people began to tear including myself. Standing in the same room as Tae Hun made me even more shock that he had left us. Seeing his picture in front of his coffin, I really cant believe this fact, and I cant believe what had happen, it was reality that everyone must face. During the service, we all prayed for him (in Korean) and sang hymns for him. I didnt know what to say during the praying, so I gave my own message to Tae Hun and also for others that could not come to the funeral. The service lasted about 45 minutes and the coffin was carried out of the room again. This was the last time that I was going to see Tae Hun, it was such a unbearable sight to see him go. The coffin was to be driven to a different province for the cremation; the family and relatives were all went on a bus right after the service to go for the cremation. And this, ended my participation in the funeral.

Nothing like this had happen to me before, I never attended a friend's funeral, I never had a friend that passed away so young. Seeing in Yea ji at the funeral, I really worry about her, she cried non-stop for days, and I really hope she can move forward and be happy again.
Good bye Tae Hun, I hope you can rest in peace wherever you will go, you will be a piece of my memory. I still remember the times we talked in school, and it seem like yesterday to me that we both just talked. We will miss you Tae Hun. I hope everyone else can rise again, and time will heal the torn in our heart.