trip to korea

yest marks the end of the 6 day trip to korea.happy times really go by very fast...the scene of e tourguide meeting us at changi airport seems like onli yest.we used a total of 2 big luggages...i asked mom if we can change to smaller ones so tt we wun look so bulky and clumsy...but she say we'll need e extra space to contain e stuff tt we shopped there.at 1st i wasn't really convinced la...cos we've nvr been to korea b4...how will we noe if e things are affordable and suitable rite?e luggages are really empty la...5 days of clothes and toiletries onli...ahh...y we need toiletries...tt's e funni part...e tourguide told us b4 hand tt korea emphasizes on huan bao...so their hotels dun provide things like shampoo and bathing foam like wad other countries do.our tour grp was a small one...16 pple in total(3 families,1 old couple and 1 young couple).actually i was quite relieved la...lesser pple means quieter and more relaxing mah.at e gate...one of e officer asked mom "are u korean?"...mom thot she ask whether we're going to korea then she say"yes".e officer started toking to her in korean...then we stare blankly at her...heng e other officer tell her tt we're singaporean when she saw our passport.gosh...throw face manz!it's e 1st time taking korean air...plus it's a nite flight...duration 6 hrs.i was looking forward to it lo...but it turn out to b kinda disappointing la.when i go on planes i usually like to look at special things...i like to tour e toilet...see wad is in e drawers and cabinets...i thot nite flight will haf at least toothbrush and toothpaste available mah...but they turn out to b all locked...nth can b opened.back at e seat...there are no footrest like hk planes.and e worst thing of all...there are no individual tv!!!there's onli a big public tv and 2 on each corridors...wad is tis???!!6 hrs flight and u're not gifing us any entertainment?trying to kill me la!!!now e airport rule states tt u cannot bring bottled water of more than 100ml on board...if u haf u'll haf to either drink it or throw it away.so when u're on e plane u can onli ask for drinks when u're thirsty.but e prob is they onli gif u a small cup each time...if u keep asking also like v bad.i was dying of thirst la...feel like a camel!not too long aft take off they switched off all e lights...kinda hinting u to slp.my bro slept on my shoulder...i watched e tv for a while then cannot make it le...cos they keep showing korean news!!!so i tried to slp...i hated it when pple push back their chairs at my face...so i seldom do tt myself.tt slping position is super tiring la...slp a while then gotta twist my neck a bit.slept frm 1 am to 4 am...then suddenly all e lights burst open...it's breakfast time!well done~e stewadess came to asked me which breakfast set i wan...then i pted at 1 of em and asked "wad is tis ar?" then she gave tt to me...wah!hello?did u understand my qsn?then she ask me wad my bro wan...haiz...i gave up already lo...so i ask my bro to order himself.haha...he also realised tt her eng sux la...push back e task to me and ask me to choose for him.then no choice lo...i tried my best to communicatre wif her again...ask her wad is e other set available.she say"ommelete" in a super strange way...repeat a few times then i noe...so me and my bro took diff sets.mine is bibimbap...e korean mixed rice...followed e instructions and added in e rice,paste and sesame oil...e rice will turn orange just like e one in full house!it's special la...but not exactly tasty.while eating we saw tt there's some daylight outside e window...so strange la(it's onli 4+).but actually spore time is 1 hr late...so it's already 5+.we landed in korea incheon international airport at 6+.e korean tourguide is a 20+ yr old guy hu can speak mandarin v well.hmm...look strong...but mom say tt it's fats haha!and he actually brought his gf along wif him la!e temp when we step outisde e airport is v diff la...gotta put on jacket immediately.our 1st stop is not e hotel...thot will gif us time to wash up...e tourguide jason say bcos it's sat so gotta hurry up go to e theme park(everland) so tt it's less crowded.in e end cos traffic jam...reach tt time already a lot of pple.each of us haf a ticket tt allow us to play 5 games for free.we're free to move around on our own and are supposed to settle lunch ourselves also.e afternoon sun is super hot...we also got no hands to take umbrella...my face v fast chaota already.e place is really crowded...always cannot see e end of e queue for e games de.they say can wait more than 1 hr for each game...sian diao!we decided to eat our lunch 1st.e food court also got queue outside leh...siao la!we stand at e side then when e waiter ask tis family to go in then we keh keh follow em...haha!no one stop us also...so lucky la!we buy 4 set meals already 30000+ won lo!dad say eat at grand hotel also no need so ex.actually expected la...cos inside e theme park u got no other choice but to eat their food mah...of course snatch money la...e coconut juice and icecream we eat on e way also v ex.we took e kind of cable car then leave ur legs hanging...then we went to watch e 3D show.while we're queueing...dad went to tok to e grp of guys behind us...can't believe it!he's actually so much more sociable than me ahah!e guys onli understand some simple eng words...they just keep saying "ni hao" haha!later dad took pic wif em...then we exchange email so tt we can send em e foto.e 3D animation turn out to b in korean without subtitle...so we just tried to understand e actions and enjoy e special effects of e seats.there are a lot of nice souvenir shops...so we decided to gif up e remaining free rides and go shop.dad didn't like shopping so he went around to take fotos.in e end we got separated frm him.when it's time for us to gather we still couldn't find him.we searched e place again...leg super tired...finally found him at e exit gate.i was really pissed la!i mean we cannot just leave him rite...it's always e 3 of us tgt then he go separate path...get lost liao also dun stay back at e same spot...how to find him?everybody also gather liao...we're e last...so paiseh lo.next we went to tis restaurant for dinner.their table is those short short kind then u gotta sit on e cushion on e floor to eat de.their utensils are all made of silver...e handle of e spoon is longer than normal cos they use it to mix rice and stuff.but silver is a gd conductor of heat...quite a few times i got burnt la...didn't they think of tis prob?e dinner was basically like a steamboat...but all e food are already inside e pot...not we slowly put in ourself one.there are no other dishes except a few small plates of preserved food tt mostly consisted of vegetables(kimchi),beans and tofu.but it's a rather special meal...e rice stickier and softer than normal and we also had seaweed soup.at nite we slept at a resort.cos we got 4 pple so they suggested we take e tatami rooms(thick blankets on e floor act as our beds).e next day we took cable car up a 1400+m mountain.it's e place where "winter sonata" was filmed...just tt it's spring now and e mountains are not conered wif snow but trees tt haf needle like leaves just like xmas trees. e scenery is really beautiful...it's hard to imagine e feeling of being surrounded by tall green mountains and e smell of clean fresh air unless u've been there urself.we also had breakfast at e restaurant where pei yong jun ate in e show.in e afternoon we went to mount sorak.it's a tall mountain tt goes all e way into e clouds.e weather is not v gd...raining lightly and was unexpectedly cold.i onli brought 1 jacket so mom gave me her scarf to put on.jason's gf onli wore a tshirt and she seems realy cold.we went by some shops and she bought a bath towel and wrap around herself.was thinking it's quite a gd idea...can not onli keep warm but also block e rain.e cable car brought us to e mid mountains and we're supposed to complete e other half of e journey by foot.e temp at e mid mountains was even colder...e clouds covered most of e scenery below...e rain also dint allow us to take much fotos.there comes a pt where there are no more stairs or railings...it's really dangerous cos e rain made e rocks quite slippery.can see small squirrels running about.there's tis tree tt has all e branches blown to 1 side...we took it as e landmarks so tt we can recognize e way down.we climbed e rocks up another 10m then looked back...and found tt e tree is already totally covered in e misty clouds...mom say liddat too dangerous le...later cannot find e rite way down...so we turned back.we plucked some nice leaves on e way...then head down to e Shinheungsa Temple at e foot of e mountain.e temple has chinese feel...there's a well outside wif many scoops for pple to drink e water...but it seems quite unhygienic so dint try.in e evening we went to another resort...put down our luggage and get our swimsuits...cos we're going to e nearby Hanwha Waterpia.there are 2 parts...1 is e hotspring pool and e other is e play pool.e difference btw these 2 is dat e hotspring pool is separate for boy and ger cos we're supposed to strip...and i mean really NAKED without anything on...not even a towel!!!oh manz!e play pool is diff...both boys and gers can go tgt cos we'll be wearing swimsuit...it's like wild wild wet.but both hafta put on swim cap...it's to prevent pple's hair frm dropping into e pools.e changing room is another prob...there're no cubicles!!!u go in then see everyone changing openly...it's like some RA show la!pple blowing dry their hair naked in front of e mirror...pple wif big stomach...sagging "..." all no shy one lo!i was so traumatized!!!aft i see em i realised tt my shape is not tt bad aft all...boost my confidence quite a lot sia...haha thx manz!but i still couldn't convince myself to strip in e public...so me and mom covered each other wif towel while changing.e hotspring has 3 pools...1 of 40 plus degrees...got smoke coming out...another 1 of 20 plus degress...and e last is ice water.we onli soaked in it for 10 min then come out le...cos they say too long will get giddy...so we went to e play pool.went down e 5 storey high water slide wif my bro once...then dragged mom to come and play wif us.we're supposed to sit on a plastic mat and slide down...e instructor there tok to us in korean we also dunno wad he toking la...my bro went 1st then mom say she scared so dun wanna go last...she's supposed to push herself forward on e mat...but she dun seem to b moving at all...e instructor ask her to use e railings at e side...but still cannot...i tried my best to push her mat frm e back...finally she went down.it's my 2nd time so i was quite relaxed...but e slide twist here and there...at 1 of e turns my mat twist to one side and my whole body turned 180 degrees...and i'm sliding down wif my head down 1st...dunno wad's going on behind me...was so terrified la!kept looking back to see if i'm reaching e water soon.can't believe such a simple slide can b so scary.aft e spa...we had korean bbq for dinner.e pork was marinated wif a v special sauce which makes it really tasty...every table got their own charcoal and stove...so we bbq ourselves and wrap it in lecttuce to eat.jason also v gd la...a lot of times he do e waiters job also...help us replenish e food and drinks.back at e resort...we found out sth interesting when we're bathing...cos they wanna save water...e shower is those kind whereby u gotta keep pressing on e button...if not it'll go off on it's own...kinda irritating though.day 4....we finally head frm e country side to e capital Seoul.during e bus ride...they played a korean movie on e tv...it was nice but halfway thru i motion sickness...so took a nap and dint manage to finish watching it.we arrived at e korean palace and museum.jason told us tt korean words are originated frm here.e story is quite stupid la...say e king was sitting beside e window at nite...then e shadow of e window frm e moon inspired him.some words got circles...tt is e shadow of e window handle.felt so lame aft listening.but jason say tt korean is much easier to learn than chinese...normally around 2 to 3 yrs can master le...was kinda motivated to start learning...shall think abt it.we went to e building where e king used to haf morning assembly.e officials below will be standing according to their ranking.jason say "da chang jin" is a real character and she being a medic will stand at e rank 2 position.he also told us abt e characters on e roof top...apparantly they're e "xi you ji" characters...but they look really strange.jason say cos they dun really noe how they look like...so lame lo!they believe they bring luck but yet dunno their looks?suddenly we caught sight of some strong wind circling...it's e formation of a small tornado...quite a lot of sand on e ground was blown up.we hurry up went under shelter until e wind resided.we had "shi guo fan" for lunch...it's mixed rice in hot stone bowl.but cos e bowl too hot le...e rice at e bottom all chaota already lo.later we went to Namdaemun.those streets haf loads of shops and small stalls selling clothes,food,souvenir and other gadgets.we tried some famous food on e way...like e spicy fried "nian gao" and "shao bing".i see e clothes so happy la...it's finally shopping time!!!i bought 6 tops...dint buy any bags or shoes cos e pattern not v nice.1 thing abt korean shoes...they're not "in" at all...i also dunno y their clothes so cool but shoes so no taste.at nite we had ginseng chicken soup rice as dinner.had a cup of ginseng wine...jason say percentage not high...but drink already super hot la...everybody face red red aft dinner lo.e hotel we're gonna live in for e next 2 days is called coop residence.aft 2 days of slping on tatami...we finally had beds...and tis time we also haf a small kitchen area wif sink,microwave oven,stove and utensils.cos we weren't tt full frm dinner...so we went down to e 24 hrs mart at e basement and bought food.we had rice,noodles and dumplings.day 5 we went to e Presidential Blue House...e place had gates and we're not allowed to enter...just took a couple of pictures outside and bought some souvenirs.then we visited e ginseng shop...they introduced us to e diff types of ginseng and let us try e ginseng water.later they started urging us to buy their goods...wad ginseng powder la...ginseng syrup la...ginseng sweets la...even ginseng capsule also got.but my grandma last time go korea buy a lot for us le mah...so not really necessary.they tok so much le then see us all dun buy tt's y face black black...really got attitude prob leh...now i gotta believe wad yux said le.aft tt they brought us to e pruple crystal shop...also quite bo liao cos nobody buy one.e last stop for e day was to Dongdaemun.it's a shopping area also...but tis time other than e stalls by e street side...there're also big shopping centres.i bought another 3 tops.my bro bought 2 pair of shoes.mom and dad bought 5 tshirts in total.aft dinner we rushed to a 8 pm play.name of e play is "Jump"...it's a korean comic martial arts performance.it's mostly actions wif a bit of korean dialogue so can understand fairly well.it's really funny la...and their martial arts skills is damn pro lo!enjoyed it v much and i believe eeryone did...cos e atmosphere was really gd...e clapping and cheering was so loud!i liked 1 of e characters v much...he's really cute and funni.aft e show...i was really surprised to see all e characters already sitting outside e theatre signing autographs for pple.we managed to get most of em to sign...e guy i like was a hardest to get near...apparantly he's also e idol of many other gers...and all of em are crowding around him to take pictures.it's really a high quality performance...kept me high all e way back to e hotel lo.day 6 morning...we packed up all e luggage and checked out of e hotel.on e bus we found tt 1 of e families wasn't present.jason say they're not leaving wif us...cos they'll be staying in korea on their own for another 3 days...wha lao eh!so gd la!we went to a place called Myongdong which is another shopping area.i bought a 3 quarter...and when it's almost time to gather back...i saw tis v nice pair of shoes...it's white,flat bottomed with a gold strip over.but buy shoes not easy la...gotta try e size and all...in e end cos not enuff time so gotta gif up...felt so bu gan xing la!we're supposed to haf lunch on our own de...but jason say in order to save time it's better to eat at e same place.so he collected money frm all of us and brought us to tis restaurant.there's a big pan for each table and there're rice,vegetables,"nian gao" and meat all ready inside e pan.then we're supposed to fry it ourselves.it's not bad and it's around 20 spore dollars per person.aft lunch,e young couple went off on their own...apparantly they're going to stay back a few more days also.Left 11 pple...we went to our last stop...it's a shop tt sells local products...wad seaweed la...ginseng sweets la...nian gao...kimchi...chilli powder and many other stuff.felt kinda reluctant but we hafta head off to e airport fast to board e 4pm flight.at e airport i asked jason for e name of e movie tt they played on e bus so tt i can rewatch in spore.on e plane...tis small boy frm e other family came to sit wif us...cos he and my bro fren fren mah...then my bro wan to sit wif me...so during e whole journey i gotta take care of e 2 of em...tis 6 hr long childcare service is super tough la...dun even haf a second of rest.but i was surprised by my tolerance...i thot i'll wan to switch place v soon.once i reach home i went to check my results...was really anxious...felt so relieved aft checking.it's much better than i expected...and my prog was unexpectedly gd...i shud say i'm really thankful to him...he taught me a lot.but yeah...i did buy him souvenirs so it's not like i'm wang en fu yi.i made a calculation of all e clothes i bought there...and it's around 12 plus spore dollars per piece....which is really cheap la...i'm v satisfied haha!

sometimes i really think tt dad is too much la.i wonder whether he's dat protective towards me when i'm young.seeing e way he's protecting my bro now piss me off.i understand every parent act like tis...but definitely not to tis extent.being over protective is not a gd thing...so wad if u're really able to shield off all problems for him now...are u going to do tt forever?can u be there for him everywhere he goes?and he'll grow up rite?he'll haf to face e real world sooner or later rite?pathing everything before him...spoonfeeding and all...letting him grow up in such a perfectly happy environment...do u really think it'll do him gd?he'll onli become someone hu cannot overcome problems...cannot face defeat.he's always not putting his heart into studying...of course i noe it's tough(pls...i've gone thru it myself)...i teach him then he also dun try to rmb wad i say.wun i get frustrated if i gotta repeat myself over and over again?mind u...it's not tt he forget aft a few days...he forget rite aft i just taught him!can't blame me for raising my voice at him rite?wad dad always do is bark at me and tell me to lower down my volume...then he snatch over e work and teach himself...e worse thing is dat he even console my bro tt it's not his fault...tt it's me hu is unreasonable and teaching as though i'm toking to a sec 3.wad e hell!can't stand it la!if he's not my bro...y e hell am i wasting my breadth and time on him?would i wan to get angry and frustrated over a stranger?and whenever pple question my bro...and i'm not saying those offensive questioning leh...it's just a neutral question...he'll defend for him...not as if he knew e truth...just tt he'll just think of sth to cover for him.can't u just let him ans for himself...if it's gd let him haf e honour of saying it out himself...if it's bad let him face e consequences of his own actions.and wad can i do?tok back at him?say"hello!wad u're doing sux to e core"?whenever he behaves tt way i just kept quiet...it has happened too many times and i can't be bothered to get fed up already.i'll just do my part and be myself.in fact...i'm not jealous at all...i dun wish for him to treat me tt way...i onli wanted him to treat everyone equally and not to always think of him as a child.saying things like"he's still to young to noe tis or noe tt"...there are many things tt he ought to noe now and face them independently.