And then there was one...Saturday is Music Core day! Music Core is the last of the music broadcasting shows I haven't attended yet; it is also located the farthest, all the way in Ilsan. On a map of the subway system in Seoul, it's SO far off to the side, it's practically not on the map -.- However, it has one of the biggest studios so it can hold a ton of people. It used to be even bigger too. 

Omg there are girls walking around in skirts. Like schoolgirls, with no tights. Or scarves. It makes me colder just looking at them O.O 

I got out of my subway exit after the longest subway ride EVER (I legit SLEPT on this one, I usually just nap or doze), and walked across a few streets and down a few more blocks to the MBC Dream Center where Music Core is held. It is FREEZING as usual. But somehow even colder than usual, because there's tons of tall buildings in this area and so everything is in shadow pretty much and tinted blue-ish because it's so early.

As this music show is broadcasted on Saturdays, this means I was anticipating a sharp upswing in the already incredibly amount of fans who line up and attend these shows. Why? Because it's the weekend and that means some students don't have school today and can attend this show, unlike Show Champion, M!Countdown, and Music Bank, which are on the weekdays (although you still see kids in school uniforms at these shows, who definitely just told their parents they were going to school and then headed off to wait for the music broadcasts lol). As prepared as I was for the amount of people to wait with, I was SERIOUSLY shocked by the hundreds of people already there when I got there at 8am. Like wtf? It took me an hour and a half just to get here by subway!! HOW DID THEY GET HERE SO EARLY. They had all gotten here way earlier too because JUST as I was walking up, they were already calling out names from the list for those who had taken pictures and sent them in! I hadn't even had a chance to FIND the sign, much less take a picture, find wifi, and send it. It then hit me how seriously these students take the weekend shows (Music Core and Inkigayo on Sunday), since they don't get the rest during the week. Yeesh. I managed to speak to the fan coordinators at the end of the name-calling (which took over an hour, there were SO MANY EFFING PEOPLE) and got a number at the end of the list by playing the dumb & foreign card. 

So there were we, lining up at freezing o'clock, on a sunny day but waiting IN THE SHADE of the gigantic MBC Dream Center building for reasons unbeknownst to me. I was at the end of the list at 8am but by the afternoon, there were tons of people behind me who had come later and had to try to add their names to the list, including Trisha who was leaving for Japan later that day and had to deal with her luggage this morning (making her a little late >.<). Poor thing :(

So as not to bore you with the details, more waiting, jumping, dancing, and finding new methods of preventing frostbite and persuading my mind that ACTUALLY I'm in the Bahamas, not dying a slow frigid death out here in line, were involved that morning. At all these shows I'm in a constant state of war with myself, like half "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE WAITING AND SUFFERING" and the other half "Just hold on a little more, maybe something really good will happen and it will all be worth this pain". Happily the cooler side prevailed (or you may think of that as the crazy side, depends on your perspective heh) and I alwauys end up waiting just a little more, or coming back instead of just booking it when they release us to wait back in line. I'm ALWAYS rewarded by the end of the day and am always soso happy I waited all that time, suffering in the cold for hours on my feet. Something happens or I get really lucky (or both!), and it was always worth it :)

By afternoon today, we were released for a few hours and given the time to come back. Today was supposed to be a double pre-recording, which means artists do one pre-recording then go and change and do another, meant for NEXT week's broadcast. This saves traveling time for them, as they don't have to come back out here next week. It means they won't be here for next week's live, but this does happen every so often with the live show. However, they seemed to have skipped the first pre-recording which was supposed to be at 11am...since they told us at about 10:30am to leave and be back by 1pm. Dafuq?

Anway, Trish and I left during our short break for lunch. After wandering around a nearby (GIANT) outdoor mall, we finally just decided on kalguksoo again because it was stupid cold outside and hot noodles in a warm broth sounded beyond delicious. When we finally got our bowls...ah. So much happiness ^.^

At the pre-recording I got into, we saw Infinite, BAP, SHINee, Teen Top, & Tiny-G. I was disappointed D-Unit seemed to have finished their promotions...I really liked them! They are one of the few girl groups out there that don't hold this pretty princess stick-figure doll image with them. Not that I hate that or anything, so nobody attack me, but it's just same old same old. They also get REAL choreography, not high-kicking and hip-rolling and prancing in place. It's almost always the choreography that gets me interested in a group, and theirs is incredible. They all pull it off well too, which makes me want to hug both their choreographer and them for being awesome. 

OMG I GOT INTO THE LIVE SHOW. THROUGH MY PLACE IN LINE. THIS WAS UNPRECEDENTED ON ALL ACCOUNTS. Again, Music Core is like Music Bank and Inkigayo...you essentially need one of lottery-won tickets to attend the live show. However, sometimes they don't use all the tickets and/or are allowed to squeeze some extra fans in to sit on the stairs in the aisles or stand in the back. This was the case today! I didn't have much hope because my number was far back (or so I thought) so I walked Trisha to the subway station after we got out of pre-recording and said good-bye to her after she collected her luggage. I walked back to the studio afterwards and wandered kind of lost until I figured I found the right line and started asking girls in line. I wish I had pictures of the looks some of these people give me when I ask them questions hahah; for every genuinely helpful person, there is another who will give me this wtf, WHAT are you? kind of look. Eventually I found my place in line by comparing numbers and asking the right questions in Korean, and it was surprisingly not that far from the front. People must have just left after the pre-recording?? Did they not know about being able to line-up for live show? Or did they not think they had a chance? Or they had prior engagements?? If I'm a complete foreigner and didn't even know much about this and I'M in line, shouldn't they all be in line too...? Ah well. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth right?

They cut us off about 15 people ahead of me so we were all sad and worried and scared... then they came back and decided to let a few more Shawols in and AH I MADE IT!!! We were all so excited when we ran in together, up this giant marble staircase and across a huge white marble second-story floor into the studio...which is massive btw. It's built like a performing arts theater more than a recording studio. It was way more than I ever expected, earlier I just stood there and asked around for the heck of it cuz what did I have to lose haha. This was going to be my last music show of my trip since I was leaving Wednesday and couldn't attend anymore on the days they would broadcast on, so I was trying to make the most of this last one. They stood us all in the very back, which was okay because the seats were tiered so we actually had a really good view of the stage not far below.

I got to see Tiny G, Secret, Two X, Nu'est, U-Kiss, Girls Day, BAP, Davichi, G.na, Infinite, 2AM, SHINee, and a few other artists. I was stuck behind three rows of girls (ones who got in before me) but I got lucky and the girls directly in front of me both decided to sit down on the floor! The seats in front are low so they can still see fine but I had a clear view.

Later on I realized I was actually like 5 rows back but apparently fangirls help each other out lol. The girls in front let the Infinite girls move up for Infinite's performance and so on for other groups and fangirls. We actually got to see some artists twice!! Turns out that second pre-recording that we didn't get to see this morning didn't happen and MBC was having them do it now, directly after the live show. They kept everyone in the audience there so we all got to see them again! Talk about an awesome last music broadcast to attend haha. I swooped a seat for myself since people kept leaving periodically. By the end all I could think was that seriously this was the best show I've been to all week. It's like a private concert and private rehearsal practices in one! With multiple artists all from different record labels lol. I felt really lucky, for getting into the pre-recording (which contrary to my posts, are NOT always a given so I was happy everytime I managed to make it in), the live show (which is NEVER a given, so I'm triply happy everytime I manage to make it in), and a SECOND pre-recording when we thought it was all over (which has pretty much never happened lol, so the energy in there was like explosive). 

When we were finally let out after that epicly long live show, I saw fangirls waiting outside the exit drive-way for their oppa's cars to come out. Surprisingly not all of the artists had those giant vans they are always in on tv shows; they were most often in regular unremarkable old sedans or soccer mom vans ^^. Idols are normal people too haha. I love it. I do remember hearing about how they were always shocked when they come to America for concerts and are picked up from the airport in limos or Hummers. Only us Americans need such flamboyantly wasteful things as Hummers...sigh. I guess they are kind of intimidating. 

I was in a good mood and had the whole rest of the evening ahead of me so I stopped at Natuur, my favorite ice cream and dessert place that Yeji had first showed to me on my last trip! A scoop of their Venus Green Tea and I was on my way again :) I had wanted to come here with Trisha but we ran out of time since she had to leave right after the pre-recording. She ended up not making her flight unfortunately, and had to wait until the next day to fly out to Japan >.<

I really love evening walks in Seoul, the fresh air, the hordes of people, the rushing cars, the lively chatter floating in the air, and lots of lights everywhere. There are way more people my age than I ever see during the day, and it's more common to see them out in big groups of friends as opposed to the rare pair of girls or lone boy I may happen to spot during the day. The subways are so crowded, I never get the curious looks I always get during the day when it's mainly full of grandmas, grandpas, or businessmen. I'm pretty sure the looks are because I don't look like a student, businesswoman, or a foreigner, so they're wondering what the heck I am and why I'm on the subway at this time of day lol. 

I polished off my scoop of ice cream before I even hit the subway, so I decided to get off at Apgujeong (I was on the Orange Line already to get to Ilsan) and go get my favorite boba from Cofioca! 

The little area of Apgujeong I spend most of my time in is CRACKING at this time of night. There are tons of people all over, young and old alike, it's so strange lol. I'm always here in the day and there are usually just some woman walking about and older male workers loading stuff, etc. 

I am finally mastering the bus system and finding its not so scary. True Seoul-ite now :D I feel like such a grown up standing with all the other grown-ups and big kids at the bus station hahah, since I've never used the bus back home. My background growing up in suburbia is killing me X.X I'm now able to read the Korean bus loops now, find the stop I want on the bus number I need, and get myself to where I need to go. I FEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED. I have now reached the transportation skill level of an 8-year old in Seoul. How do I know this? I saw down next to one when I got on the bus T.T Power Rangers backpack, homework in hand, and everything. Way to kill my excitement dude.

On the way back to the subway from the MBC Dream Center I had been waylaid at a sidewalk store by a pretty cream-colored zip-up jacket with oatmeal colored knitted accents. It was thick, made of really soft, buttery cloth and a fur-lined hood. The price tag on it said 15,000 won so I figured this was a decent price for what it was and went in to buy it. The lady instead gestured to me that it was a "setu" and said more rapid Korean. I smiled and explained I was foreign and so she did more gestures and I finally got that she meant it came in a set! I did remember seeing a matching pair of cream and oatmeal sweatpants outside next to the sweater but since I just wanted the jacket I had left the pants. I spent the next few minutes trying to clarify with her that I just wanted the pants for 15,000, I didn't want to spend anymore. But apparently the jacket and pants TOGETHER were 15,000 won! What a deal!      \(^o^)/ I was so excited. Somehow getting clothes for even cheaper than you expected, or getting more than you were expecting to get makes a purchase even better. The lady next to me even commented on how cheap that was and that the clothes were really pretty. I was even more excited by how I could understand all of it lol ^^.

I was starving by the time I reached my hotel and also tired out, so I went downstairs and had Ki-Hee oppa at the front desk help me order Kyochon delivery. Ugh, SO MUCH DELICIOUS AWESOMENESS it's not even fair. They give so much chicken I easily made dinner, breakfast, AND a snack the next day out of it. I love life right now. 

Music Bank day everyone! Okay so I was definitely supposed to get up at 4am but my dratted alarm decided today would be a WONDERFUL day to not go off. So I shot up out of bed at around 6am and did the whole crazy-spazzing-left-and-right-grabbing-at-random-clothes-and-brushing-my-teeth-and-finding-shoes-while-at-the-same-time-trying-to-put-in-my-contacts thing I used to do in college when I was late for morning class. Ah, such wonderfully fond memories...HA. You didn't really think I missed those practically scheduled panic attacks did you? 

The good thing is that my hair generally requires zero effort since it's straighter than a ruler and doesn't tend to frizz. I usually only throw a little wax on my bangs to make them stay, unless I decide to curl my hair that day. It is also almost impossible to tangle...I would know because several people (mostly guy friends; NICHOLAS) have tried to tangle it in the past unsuccessfully. Just to see if they could do it. Heh. Hair: 3, Boys: 0. The bad thing is that is was once again freezing outside. Also I put on zero make-up because I figured getting there asap was more important. 

Upon arrival, I was pretty much lost. I got off at the right station, went out the right exit number, asked a security adjusshi for directions to the KBS building and then traversed a few blocks and streets to get to my destination. But this place was huge. Like HUUUUUGE. There were a million different ways to go. I was supposed to meet Brian and Trisha here but I had no wifi and I had no idea whether they were here already or had overslept like me. I found out later it was both LOL. I ended up doing my old standby, when in Rome, do as the Romans do! I followed these two Korean girls who looked about my age and definitely weren't workers around a parking lot area and into a mini-plaza between two buildings where a TON of fans were waiting. Jackpot.

In short, I wandered and investigated and asked various girls (in three languages, no less) if they knew what was going on here and where to go to find the signs I needed to take a picture of for pre-recordings. No luck. They either didn't know or didn't understand lol. I finally met the two nicest Muslim girls who helped me get my bearings; the mass of fans who were all clustered around what looked like an entryway with a car-drop off area in front of it were waiting for the stars to get dropped off for the day so they could see them walk in. Uhh yea. No thanks. It's freezing out here, you're going to see oppas/eonnis for like 5 seconds, and I'd rather try to find my way into watching essentially what is a mini-concert by the artists with my time this morning. 

I went back up a giant flight of stairs to an upperground plaza and outdoor seating area to find the signs and finally sat down outside in the cold to wait both for my friends so I didn't miss them, and to find the people who would bring the signs. I could'nt believe I had beaten them here, at places like M!Countdown, people start coming to take photos to get on the list the night before at like 7pm. It was now almost 9am on the day of, so I all ?_?

Because I was there so long, a bunch of other people kept coming up and asking me for help about the signs, thinking I was korean...even actual Koreans HAHAH. It's worse than the blind leading the blind, it's the blind leading EVERYONE, even those who can see. These two nice Korean girls who I've seen at other broadcasts seemed to recognize me and came over to ask if I was cold and what time I came and if I knew where the damn sign was (haha) and I think they wanted me to come inside ad hang out with them but I misunderstand and said I was fine outside -.- We were communicating mostly in Korean and a little English, so that was probably how I misunderstood...it takes me a bit to remember what some words mean x.x They came back out again though an hour later and I joined them in pondering some more over the missing signs. I know the signs are supposed to be made by the first fan who arrives that morning/evening if it's a popular show. 

S/N: Brian told me that Music Bank isn't as popular in Korea because for some reason, Koreans don't like the show as much. It's super popular elsewhere and definitely one of the big 4 music broadcasts but for some unknown reason, they don't like going to it. Beats me lol. It's also on a Friday so lots of schoolgirls are in school. 

Eventually those girls I was hanging with discussed and then sat down and made the official list! These Japanese girls got in front of me when lining up for the name-putting-down but it doesn't matter. I was number 6!! I've been 132, 108, etc at other shows, so this was crazy.

It was here at the KBS building at their t;time cafe that I first got addicted to 유자차 (yoo-jah cha). This is lemon tea, or citron tea. It's not the teabag lemon tea we have at home though, this is like citrusy, fruity, sweet nectar that is steaming hot and smells so divine you want to dive in and have a spa day. It has actual lemon pieces and pulp in it that gives it that extra flavor. 

When I discovered them later in store-bought packages (mind blown, btw. I was so excited) via Yeji giving me some as a gift, I was amazed at how they come in little sealed packages of thick liquid. You just add water to the syrupy-like stuff in the package and voila, 유자차!

Unlike other music broadcasts, Music Bank is all seated in their studio (as far as I could see and as far as I was told). Therefore, my high priority on the list was even better because this wasn't standing!! Standing (like at M!Countdown) means even if you have a low number and are high on the list, you aren't that much closer than anyone else way behind you since everyone spreads out and bunches in the crowded area anyway. So this was just epic. I was so happy I suffered through the morning, all alone, with no wifi, unable to find my friends, freezing cold and lost lol. I hope the artists know how devoted fans are. I wasn't even planning on attending a SINGLE music broadcast this trip when I planned it and look where I am now. Dafuq? How did this even happen haha. Jess and I just had success one day and I got lucky another, and then lucky again, and now I just want to keep it rolling and see how far I can take my luck. After all, when's the next time I'll be in Korea when all these artists are promoting new songs? I'm international, I don't get these every week like Koreans who live here do :_: We keep basically the same hours as the artists too, so our sleep schedules are similar. We wake up early to stand in line and queue up while they wake up early to prep and travel. Exhausting. I don't know how they do it and I now know why they are always so tired. I'm not even dancing and singing, I'm just jumping and dancing and I'm beat. They are so not human lol. 

Meeting so many international friends out here, you also become aware of dialect and region-specific slang...especially with people from America (just different parts than SoCal). I forgot what terms I used but it was really funny trying to explain myself to Trisha (who's from New York, but studies in Japan) and Brian (who's from Florida, but studies here in Seoul). I know I'm a valley girl already but hey, I grew up here what are you gonna do -.- But lots of other slang words we all used, were unfamiliar or meant different things to each of us. It's all really interesting :)

Okay folks, today is M!Countdown Round Two. Thanks to our experience going last week and being total noobs, I now had a slightly better grasp on what to do/what to expect. I woke up earlier than ever today and was out and about well before the first light of day. In fact, the streets were the darkest I've ever seen them...ever. And when I first came here, I had mad jetlag and so was out roaming the streets at like 3am, eating a noodle houses and doing late-night grocery shopping. 

It appears to be getting colder and colder everyday. Most unfortunate for this California girl :((( I was wearing 6 layers of clothing (involving a shirt, a peacoat, and as many sweaters as I could throw on between the two), thick woolen gloves, a thick knit scarf (all of which I bought on my last trip to Korea, because the only clothes that are capable of combating Seoul weather are my Korea-bought clothes. I don't think I even posess anything I've bought in CA that could do me any good here), knee-high socks, and knee-boots. Still miserable. Yep.

The leg and feet warmers on the subway are a GODSEND; it feels like your sitting on top of a hot spring and all the delicious heat is just wafting up around your whole body in a heavenly sauna-like cloud. The only problem is that when you LEAVE the train you feel like you've got a block of ice permanently glued to your behind...it's so cold without the heater T.T 

The ride to Digital Media City is a lengthy one so I took a nice nap on my way there. I'm now on my way to becoming a native and can do their trick of passing the eff out until like 2 stops before their desired stop and then suddenly waking up to full alertness and getting off at the right time. I always wondered how they did that...now I can too! >:D

I once again caught a lovely picture of the sun making it's first forays into the city as it peeked over the buildings at my bus stop. I caught my bus to the Digital Media Hall and the Mnet studios quite easily; it pulled up JUST as I came out of my correct subway exit! Also, this time I managed to snap a picture of those awesome animal butts that decorated one of the walls we passed hahaha. See the tail made from the plant?! GENIUS.

Today there was supposed to be a special stage and SHINee would be singing their ballad song Aside live. Knowing this, I anticipated the throngs of people waiting already at this early hour...but still. The line was EPIC. It went all the way back across the courtyard and almost into the street. Way longer than the line for the live show last week. Once I located the correct guy, I still gave my name and last 4 digits of my phone number (how they verify it's you I guess, in case there are any disputes over someone's place in line) and took my place in line. It was SO COLD, I was seriously entertaining thoughts of frostbite and permanent damage to my extremities. It was really bad >.< I kept jumping and dancing because my feet were giving off pangs of pain, yet were simultaneously numb. I was glad for the pain though, since it meant I still had sensation in them and they weren't in fact, frostbitten. Yet. It was so cold, I wanted to take my phone out to type out some notes on how freaking cold it was but I didn't want to move my hands out of my pockets to get my phone in my purse -.- Whenever I exhaled out, the white mist from my breath was so dense it was almost opaque. And it lingered too, unlike the thin, wraith-like mist we get on our coldest mornings back home. We have to do it in the sunlight to be able to see it, but here it's such a huge dense cloud that it's like we're all puffing on cigars out here @.@

We had made plans beforehand, so I was meeting everyone here later. There were five of us and half of us didn't have wifi so it was more like a strategic battle plan deciding where to meet and when and by what statue and what to do if nobody was there, etc. Everyone except Brian that is, since Evol wasn't performing today. I got there the earliest because I wanted to try my luck (which has been good thus far) for the live show, but I underestimated the passion of Korean fans haha. Unsurprisingly, after 2 hours of suffering and contemplating just going home so I could enjoy any sort of feeling in my body again, the line got cut off about 20 people in front of me. By then it was close to meet-up time, so I walked as fast as my numb feet could take me to the Coffee Bean around the corner. 

Now, the Mnet studios are in a pretty good area for waiting because of all the shops, restaurants, and coffee places close by. Others, like Inkigayo have NOTHING around them, so you just have to sit and twiddle your thumbs all day. Luckily I had tickets for that one, thanks to Haeri haha. I chose the Coffee Bean because it was close but not as close as Holly's Coffee (a Korean chain) where all the other people who were in line with me were bound to be headed. This Coffee Bean is also HUGE (3 stories and really long) and extremely nice inside. I got my Hot Vanilla and sat down in a giant cushy chair in the sunlight to defrost. It took awhile -.- Even when I had almost a full range of movement, I could put my hand over my thighs and FEEL cold coming off of them! Like an ice cube!! I was like O.O 

So there I was, sitting in Coffee Bean listening to "Hitchhiking" when I took off my headphones to take off my scarf. I seriously thought I was going totally bonkers cuz for some reason, I could STILL hear Hitchhiking playing!!! Almost in the exact same spot as where I had left off when I took my headphones off!! I was looking around like a crazy person, and I actually put my hand to my ears to make sure the phones were out hahah. After a second I regained my still-defrosting wits and realized the girls a couple tables away were playing Hitchhiking on their phone's stereo :D Yes, don't mind the wildly flailing foreigner over here, everything's fine...

I met up with Shiho, Tina, and Trisha for the name call/number giving/etc. and after we were released (hour or so) we decided on kalgooksoo for lunch! IT WAS SO DELICIOUS OMG. All these new Korean dishes I was never able to try before and now that I have... I can never go back. It had udon-like noodles in it but flatter. They were in this totally yummy slightly-thick and opaque broth (it tasted and looked kind of like egg drop soup!!) with vegetables and egg in it. Ohhhhh man. Talk about perfect for such a cold day. I scalded my tongue trying to get as much of it into my mouth as fast as I could xD I hadn't eaten breakfast so I was starving!

Back to the studio we went after Holly's Coffee for dessert. I got my sweet potato latte :) More queuing and waiting until they moved us into the studio to wait more. Hilariously, the staff came out before the pre-recording and warned us to not touch the artists during the performance. This seemed like a weird command since we are close, but not THAT close during these broadcasts. However, upon entering we saw them setting up a circular stage with us ringing it in a semi-circle. They had white boxes the staff was arranging, for them to stand on during the performance. Then I realized it was for the special stage and we would literally be A FOOT from these people. Like if I breathed too hard, they'd feel it 0.o So THAT'S why they gave the pre-performance warning lol. 

It was such an intense performance!! The artists did so well and the crowd was really awesome and fun. The mood was good; this show would be my 4th just in the past week and this was one of the really excellent performances. They were playful and hit everything cleanly, with big smiles and lots of effort despite how exhausted they must all be. 

When it was over, none of us had gotten into the elusive live show so Trisha, Shiho, and I went for a chicken snack. Shiho was flying back to Japan this evening, so we had to make it quick! We went to Kyochon across the street, and literally struggled with getting glasses of water hahah. How many girls does it take to get a glass of water?...clearly more than three, cuz we were big fat fails ^.^ Water is a self-serve thing more commonly than not here. You go get your cups from this UV-light box that sanitizes them, and then get your water from a dispenser...except this one had lots of buttons and when we finally located the correct-looking one, we put the cup under and nothing happened. I was up first, then when I struggled, Shiho got up, and when we BOTH were struggling Trisha finally got up, and then...we were just all struggling HAHAHA. We finally realized you have to push a section to get the water to start flowing. I'm going to attribute this one to my still frostbitten brain. 

Kyochon has since become an EXTREME addiction for me T.T Their original chicken is this soy garlic crispy chicken that is OUT OF THIS FREAKING WORLD. It's one of the biggest chains in Seoul, and is considered like higher-class chicken and take-out. It's really really good chicken guys. So good I've ordered delivery for it twice already since this day. At about $13 for an order it's kind of pricey but 1) it's so worth it omg, and 2) it comes with a coke, a box of chicken radishes (which they eat with the chicken here), and about 25 wings and drumsticks. Therefore, this feeds me for at least 3 meals lol which makes it not as expensive per meal. I can't even explain the taste of this chicken, it's sweet and savory and crispy and juicy and salty and addictively delicious. Y'know, I think I was on to something when I said they put crack in the food here...

I spent the rest of the day having a really fun time wandering around Hongdae with Trisha! We searched out this store she really wanted to go to called STYLE NANDA. Apparently it's a really popular online site and they had just opened up their flagship store here in Hongdae! A thousand wrong turns and winding streets later, we finally located it hahah. I swear, finding anything specific in Seoul is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Or the piece of hot pepper in kimchi jjigae. Both are equally impossible, even when I'm trying to locate the pepper immediately to take it out before it makes the jjigae even spicier T.T

The store was so cute! It was like "hipster" made tangible haha. Seriously. Every wall was differently decorated; one was even a chalkboard you could write on with chalk!! There were three floors, all with different concepts and a fun (FREE!) photobooth on the bottom floor that we had some fun with. The top floor was like a giant washing machine; they actually had WORKING antique old-y washing machines up there. Giant ones too. Amidst all the racks of clothes and stuff. It was completely awesome. 

We stopped at the most adorable cafe I've ever seen (also the hugest, it was giant in a city where most coffee shops are small and built upwards). However, my phone had died earlier and alas, I was able to take no photos :( It had the cutest decor, with pages from a book papering the walls and various antique bird cages hanging and an overall crisp white and gold theme.  I had a purple sweet potato (something I can't remember, it was some made up word for a latte at this cafe lol). It was so yummy! Trisha also got this delectable strawberry tart that is a strong contender for best sweet thing I've ever tasted in my life. And I'm not really a sweets person; I can only take a few bites before it's too sweet or too heavy or too creamy, etc. However I could eat 5 of these things without a second thought. Not for the first time, I had the thought that it's good I don't live here...or I'd be rolling, not walking. 

Good morning! Today was the day we went to Hongdae. We had planned to meet Jess's cousin Ashley and her youngest little boy at Yeoksam station first so we could all grab some breakfast (I think he's 2-3? He's totally epicly adorable and smart as hell). 

Obviously Paris Baguette is always my choice for breads and meals on the go, since they package everything individually. And it's just awesome. 

I was adventurous today and tried new ones I hadn't tried before. I got some Sweet Pea Bread, a Spinach & Ham tart, and a Roasted Garlic puff pastry kind of thing. I liked the tart and garlic thing (the garlic is cooked btw, it's super soft and delicious, not hard and spicy)! The pea bread was far too sweet for me, which seems to be a common theme for me here in Korea. A lot of foods I don't expect to be sweet (like garlic bread chips) are super sweet (like honeyed or syrupy tasting) and it just throws me off/turns me off. I'm more of a salty kind of person, as opposed to sweet (STEVEN IM LOOKING AT YOU heh).

Hongdae is just such a really cool place to be. The atmosphere is different, as are the people. I talked about this in my last trip's blog, but people just come here to hang and spend time with friends. There's no rushing, no grumpy old people, or irritable office workers. There's lots of street food vendors and cheerful chatter and colorfully dressed folk. There's lots of chic cafes, prettily designed shops, random modern buildings, and brightly lit bubble tea places. Don't know how to explain it really, so you'll just have to go visit yourself ^.^

After about an hour of searching the streets, checking directions on phones and trying to ask passerby for direction (I knew what to ask in Korean but the people I kept stopping were foreigners -.- So when I finally WANT someone who speaks only Korean, all you give me are foreigners?? COOOOOOOL), we finally found an information booth and got directions from them. And thus, we FINALLY arrived at the ridiculously cute Hello Kitty Cafe. It is seriously SO CUTE. It was decked out in pink everywhere, with Hello Kitty shapes incorporated into everything possible. I felt like a little girl all over again!!! The drinks were so adorable, I sipped it slowly and carefully with my straw so the design didn't get messed up haha. I had my usual green tea latte, iced. I have to say, as many GT lattes as I've had, this was definitely one of the better ones. I was surprised. Most places with too much hype generally have mediocre quality goods but this one was really really good!

After the Cafe, we wandered around a bit and did some street shopping! The infestation of Hongdae doesn't really start until around late afternoon (when all the students get out of school, as I told Ashley), so the streets weren't too bad.  Many clothing/hat/jewelry/etc stands and food carts don't even set up until then and the crowds are totally managable. Nighttime is a different ballgame...by the time we were leaving Hongdae it was already nearing that time and getting super congested everywhere. I love Hongdae at night even more though, because of the energy it brings to the already awesome atmosphere of the area. I also have a thing for lots of different colored lights from various shops, stands, and eateries lighting up the streets and the people walking, it just seems like there's so much life coming from all directions. Hard to explain >.<

Before leaving we got dinner at my FAVORITE Abiko Curryhouse (thanks to Yeji who first showed it to me!!). I honestly would do illegal things for this curry. Like the strawberry latte from last night, I have no idea what they put in this stuff but it's addicting as hell! You want more already WHILE YOU'RE STILL EATING IT. I got my beef curry with chicken cutlet and garlic crisps. Omnomnomnomnomnom. Ashley and Jess enjoyed it a lot as well and agreed that it was booooooomb curry :) Ashley even ordered a to-go set for her husband. With full, happy bellies we headed back to the station to ride back home.

We relaxed the rest of the day until we got hungry again later that night. Too lazy to go back out, we ordered delivery with the aid of the desk staff and happily munched on pork cutlet (and curry in Jess's case) from my favorite delivery place. Jess said the curry was SO good at Abiko, that's all she was craving then hahah so she got curry pork cutlet from the place. I TELL YOU, THEY PUT SOMETHING IN THE CURRY. It's crazy addicting @.@

Candace: Today we tackled the Seoul Zoo!! We have been wanting to go here for awhile now, so we were especially excited to get going this morning. The zoo is located at the Seoul Grand Park subway exit, which wasn't too far from us. We were scheduled to meet Jess's cousin and her husband + kids and go around the zoo with them.  

After you come up from the subway, there was a long straight walk with food vendors and hat vendors lining both sides. Jess & I had time before we met her cousin so we wandered and looked around. I bought a cool leather patchwork cap and we both bought fun animal ears to wear around the zoo :)

The walkway led straight up to the Grand Park Info Hall or whatever, pictured above. On my return trip after we finished at the zoo, I found out the tram deposited and picked up passengers here. We headed to the right and up the long hill to the park on foot.

I was hungry (surprise surprise) so we picked up some double-dipped corn dogs from a vendor to munch on while we climbed up to the zoo. I've had them before on my last trip and they are seriously the BOMB. They are massive, first and foremost. And they are like flaky and crispy on the outside but have mounds of soft yummy bread on the inside. The actual hot dog is really thin, in keeping with the Korean's more healthy less-meat eating ideologies. America, take note. They do eat a lot of bread, but they balance that with TONS of veggies, less rice, and almost no meat. Hence, they are all skinny and beautiful. Maybe if I move here, my diet will adjust...eventually o.o

We reached the top and sat to wait for Jess's cousin + family. Since we have no wifi on our phones, we had no choice but to sit and watch for them. Jess had made contact with them earlier and found they were stuck in a bit of traffic. They had agreed to meet at the entrance to the zoo but after sitting & waiting for hours for them and the time they should've arrived being well past, we finally headed inside with our tickets. 

However, while we were waiting by the entrance I saw more babies in 2 & 1/2 hours than I've ever seen in my WHOLE LIFE PUT TOGETHER. AND OMG WERE THEY ADORABLE AND SQUISHY :3 They were everywhere, running around with parents chasing them, sitting on grandpas knees, holding hands with older siblings, squealing in delight when they saw the tiger statue (pictures later in post), jumping around, babbling nonsense as they trotted along as fast as their chubby little baby legs could take them, OMG THEY WERE SO CUTE. Their outfits were equally adorable, all brightly-colored. Some had so many layers on, they were like walking marshmallows; they waddled more than anything ^.^ One little boy was wearing the TINIEST pair of Nike Free's I've ever seen. SO CUTE. The soles couldn't have been longer than my palm. Not my hand, just my palm. And my hands are pretty damn small. 

The first thing we saw when we walked in was a long line of face cut-out animals, ranging from dinosaur to cow to monkey. Us being the little 5-year olds that we are, we immediately freaked out and ran over to take pictures :D We didn't stand out at all...we were just like 4 feet taller than anyone else having their picture taken. Okay, so people MIGHT have stared...

The animals were SO COOOOOOOOOOOL AHHHHHH. It was like we were literally little kids again. Everything was new and wonderful and amazing. Animals are awesome, however old you are. They are different and interesting in how they live in such different environments and adapt to them. We ran all over the zoo snapping pictures and jostling for arm space in front of the animals habitats, cuz man, was it CROWDED. Zoo on a Saturday, on a day with beautiful weather was maybe not the greatest idea we've ever had. 

They had these really cool all-electric buses in the park, with animal murals on them. With my interest in renewable energy, I particularly admired the electric part of them. Although the animal pictures were cool of course :D

The monkeys we saw were a CRACK-UP. One of them even had a baby with it (the black one)!!! The mama was totally jumping around and climbing the fence and everything with it on it's lap 0.o So amazing. I took a video of them too, they were so funny. Visitors had corn on the cob, so they would take off kernels and toss them to the monkeys, who were holding out their hands through the bars. And they would climb the fences and catch all the tiny kernels being tossed to them in their one hand!! ALL OF THEM. It was like a dog begging for treats but more like a mini human asking for more food; it blew my mind lol. They were so silly! Their eye to hand coordination fascinated me, especially when they would speedily go loping around their cages, jumping from thing to thing, swinging from their hands, then suddenly come back and stop to catch a kernel. They are so smart too. I remember when I was little, all I wanted was a spider monkey. Other little boys and girls wanted a puppy or a gerbil, but I wanted a spider monkey. I even went as far as looking up adoption methods onlnine (I didn't fit the criteria). Failing that, I then wanted a cow. Yes, a cow. 

MY FAVORITE ANIMALS OF THE DAY: the Lesser Panda :) SERIOUSLY HOW CUTE ARE THEY. When we saw them we immediately took as many photos of them as we had taken of the rest of the animals all put together haha. They were so tiny and energetic and playful and quick! And fuzzy :3 I have now changed my cow pet desire to a lesser panda. Prease aaaaand fank you.

We also spotted something called a raccoon dog, that neither of us had ever seen before. They were unbelievably fluffy and super cute though, so whatever they are, they have immediately gone to the top of my favorite animals list!

On the way back down from the zoo, Jess decided to walk while I waited for the tram. It was really quick, and cool cuz I got to see Seoul Land! All the kids on the tram were so excited, yelling that yay, we were off!! Adorable :) 

I got down before Jess so as I waited I did some people watching. It was a good thing we went early because as I got off the tram near the entrance to Seoul Park, the line of people queuing up for the tram UP to the park was IMMENSE. All the way down 3 sets of stairs and out onto the plaza ON BOTH SIDES of the entranceway was a horde of potential zoo-goers, armed with strollers and diapers.


Jess's cousin was getting done with the zoo as well, so now that we had wifi (by the Grand Park entrance there was working free wifi) Jess could communicate with them again. We sat and waited again for awhile at the front until they made it down and we could finally meet with them ^^. We at least got to walk back down the walkway with them and chat. We got some food to eat as well; I got a potato slice stick (don't know what they are actually called, but they are effing amazing). They are like warm, crispy, meatier potato chips that you roll in seasoning and eat off the stick. And as we all know, everything is better when eaten off a stick :)

After the zoo, we hit my favorite Gangnam Underground Shopping Center. I had been already but Jess hadn't, so we did a quick(er) circuit...more so than I did on my last spree ^^. I ended up with a cute flowy white longsleeve, a long turquoise knit sweater and a teal colored assymetrical hem long sleeve top. It falls really nicely actually so I think I'm going to go back and get another, for $8. 

I have been needing a new phone case for awhile, so I also picked up a new one. There are a zillion options for phone cases, both in the regular bumper/back case type we mainly use in America and in the "diary" form that I use while I'm here in Korea. I'm of the hating-change variety though, so I got my same type of cover as my old one, just in a different color. It's navy blue on the outside now and lime green inside; super cute! At the zoo today Jess and I had gotten these adorable Winnie the Pooh phone charms from a machine; I got two. I attached the Pooh in a rabbit costume to my old phone case on the way to the shopping center, then once I bought my new case, I attached the Pooh in a froggie costume to it :)

I also haven't updated on my growing collection of scarves I've been amassing both for myself and for gifts when I go home. I love the scarves here, mainly because they have such a huge selection to choose from and they are EVERYWHERE. In all kinds of fabrics and all sorts of patterns. Anytime I find one that catches my eye and is the right price, I tend to buy it. It's way cheaper than I'll ever find an equivalent scarf for in the States anyway. 

With the day over and us pretty exhausted from running around the zoo and shopping area all day, we decided on some low-effort (yet still gourmet, cuz it's Korea) pizza for dinner. A stop at the grocery store and the pizza place later, we were in our room for the night, happily munching on dinner while we watched tv ^^. Really though, the zoo was so awesome. I had the greatest time today! No wonder parents take their 3-month babies there, when the babies aren't even old enough to appreciate/remember it (a WTF? thought I was cultivating while I did my people-watching today); the PARENTS just want an excuse to go see the animals :D Mmm, yes, I understand now.

Candace: We had big plans for today...and we accomplished almost none of them haha. But not for lack of trying!! We must have made about 8573874 different transfers & walked up and down 3849287 more flights of stairs as we traversed Seoul but the important thing is, we made it home in one piece at the end of the day ^.^ 

We got a late start today so we headed to Itaewon for lunch at the FryPan, the most delicious beer & fried chicken place I've ever experienced in my life. They homemake their own chips too; they present your fried chicken on a bed of these. 45 minutes and 3 transfers later, we arrived! But unfortunately, I had forgotten that it's an evening place and doesn't open until 5 -.- Fail #1.

So I remembered last time I was here, there was a Kraze Burger, which we had also been wanting to try. We searched in vain all around the area I was sure I remembered it being in. Finally we realized it had closed up, and thats why it was no longer there. Double -.-... Fail #2. We ended up at the NoodleBox, which was a noodle place I had been dying to try on my last trip but it was ALWAYS completely packed to the brim with people. That's how you know it's good ^.~ The noodles were SUPER delicious but really spicy so I handled as much as I could and took the rest in a box. I have much to work at to match the Korean levels of spicy...

Next on our list was to visit a CGV theater here...and not just any CGV theater. A 4D one! (CGV is just their AMC as far as I can tell). So we made a quick half-hour and 3 transfer trip to Yongsan from Itaewon to get to the theater and went on a MISSION trying to find the theater once we arrived at the station...but sadly, only two movies were currently showing in 4D & neither looked interesting :/ Fail #3. 

We next headed back towards home to go to COEX, the giant shopping mall/event centerof Seoul. It is located in Samseong, 2 stops from Yeoksam. I knew for sure there was a Kraze Burger there, so off we went! And Jeff: I FOUND YOU TOTORO!! Sorry they didn't have any kimchi kitkats, but my trip is still young. 

Anyways, on to Kraze. I have been meaning to try Kraze Burger for FOREVER, but somehow I ran out of time on my last trip. I had heard a lot about it and how yummy the food was there. It's often featured in dramas or movies as well. Therefore, I was really excited to try it this time around! Like many other things we Americans think of as fingerfood or fastfood, the Kraze burger here is somewhat fancy. You eat it with a knife and fork. You also eat the fries with a fork. 

Lemme tell ya, it is the WEIRDEST thing trying to slice a bun and a piece of lettuce with a knife and fork to get a bite in your mouth, because the top bun keeps falling off the bottom half so you end up just cutting them seperately after awhile >.< I had to suppress so many urges to just drop the silverware and grab the burger and take a big munch out of it, cuz that thing was FRIGGIN DELICIOUS. I however maintained my decorum and daintily sliced my lettuce leaf with my knife and fork like a good tourist. 

Kraze is kind of a modern, mid-fancy, fun hangout...like where you'd want a first date to be. Nice enough to be counted as a date dinner, yet cozy and casual enough that you feel comfortable. We sat down and they handed us menus; we ordered the Matiz & the K.Bulgogi along with their Sweet Cheese Fries. Just look at those descriptions in the menu pictures and TELL ME THEY DON'T SOUND AWESOME. The fries were an experiment but like many other Asian foods I've experienced that combine ingredients that generally don't go together, they were BOMB. They sounded ridiculously weird, but it totally worked. We gobbled those things down just in time for the main course to arrive. We split the burgers in half so we could each try (an easy feat due to the fact that we already had a knife and fork handy heh). They had a ton of other delicious-sounding burgers on the menu too, so those will have to wait until next time. For now the verdict is: DEFINITELY WORTH THE HYPE.

Candace: Aaaaand it's another beautiful day in Seoul! A bit blustery but much warmer than yesterday ^.^ We stopped by my favorite Paris Baguette for breakfast and some second story people-watching- always a good time. 

But first, a word on crossing streets in Seoul. As I've said before, the drivers are crazy and if you value your life you will look left, right, leftrightleftrightleftright before you cross any side street longer than a friggin doormat because even that is fair game for a motorcyclist or delivery guy on a scooter. It hit me again how dangerous being a pedestrian is when we paused to check a side street, did our US-taught look Left, Right, then Left again, and JUST when we think were safe, WHAMMO, car swerves outta nowhere and tears up at us. Needless to say, we backed up in two shakes and stood calmly, like we had had no intention whatsoever of crossing just now. And no, you didn't just almost second-degree manslaughter us. 

We tend to make early starts on our day still, since we are jet-lagged per say...more like just sleep-messed-up. So we had time to kill in this coffee shop until our destination, Kyobo Tower was up and kicking. We still needed the rest of our arts and crafts stuff (namely gllitter :D). Luckily, once there we found all we needed and more. Am I the only one who has an obsession with cool paper?! Maybe it's the scrapbooker in me, but I LOVE cool papers, with like see through qualities, or metallics, or stuff embedded in the paper, or 3-D qualities...I WANT THEM ALL.

Next up we went to Apgujeong, where the famous Nana is located. This is where I wanted to get my conch pierced! Jess was supposed to get it with me but she decided not to at the last minute. It didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would; it's supposed to be the most painful ear piercing since it's going through the thickest part of your ear (pretty much the entire ear). I've found that most often my ear piercings have ADD when it comes to pain. It hurts at the moment of piercing, then absolutely nothing, then about 15 minutes later the adrenaline wears off and it hurts like a ^#&(%, then dulls, then nothing again. After that, I never feel it at all unless I bump it or hit it by accident. These are the longest-healing ear piercings as well, taking anywhere from 6 months to 2 years! Hope I can keep up with the cleaning like I need to, cuz I REALLY love this one :) It's as adorable as I thought it would be! <3 It was also ridiculously cheap at 10,000 won. THAT'S LIKE $9. I paid like $40 for my SINGLE LOBE piercing back home at Nathan's on Topanga, which is like the simplest, smallest ear piercing you can get. Seriously Korea, you keep kicking United States butt. I'm tempted to get another one now while I'm here, just cuz. 

We went to Cofioca down the street next, which is a famous bubble tea shop where a lot of celebrities go. I was fully expecting it to be just another boba shop, famous only because so many famous go there. I was, however, immediately proven wrong. That was HANDS DOWN the best boba I've ever had in my life. It was so good, we started craving it again WHILE WE STILL HAD OUR BOBAS. And the lady propietor was so so cute and sweet to us, trying to help and sending us off with napkins and stuff when we left. The shop was also tiny, much tinier than I was expecting for such a well-known place. It was no bigger than a walk-in closet in front, with a couple tables smushed next to each other and every inch of available wall covered with autographs from stars. It made for a very cozy and homey kind of feel, I really liked it :)

On the subway ride home, we had to stand, as we have had to most of the time. There is generally almost always someone older than us standing with us so I always give the seat to them. Several spots opened up but I kept offering them to others despite all the bags I was carrying. Apparently one of the adjummas (middle-aged women) I was standing in front of noticed (we were holding the hand ties than hang in front of seated people), and the next time a seat opened next to her, she caught my attention and told me to sit down! I sat. You don't say no to adjummas lol. But I immediately jumped up though and gave my seat to another woman who had just boarded, because the lady next to me had said something about a chingu, which means friend. I thought she was saying she had intended this seat for her friend who had just boarded lol, so I quickly got up. It was a misunderstanding though. The sweet adjumma who had first told me to sit down then said something and took my bags from me and held them for me on her lap! I had heard about people doing this in my research for my first trip to Korea but had never actually seen it done. It was so kind and unexpected!. Especially for me coming from America, where people are more often selfish and out for themselves than not. 

I had been heart-broken the other day when we went by my favorite twiggim street vendor and she wasn't there. I was worried she was gone, but TA-DA! she was there today! I was so happy I was jumping up and down like a 5-year old on Christmas haha. She had even upgraded, to thick outside covers with DOORS in them! Last time I was here, she had been out in the cold with no coverings, then towards the end of my stay, she had green windbreakers layered around her cart so the heat would stay in a little. Apparently she's doing well because now she can afford practically a whole metal-framed tent to herself! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY NEVER LEAVE ME TWIGGIM LADY. (it's like she's my drug dealer hahah)

After our dinner & a rest, we capped off our day with a night trip to Namsan. It took me a bit to remember my friend Dajeong's subway and bus directions to getting there but we got there in the end haha. We bought bear tags and had brought our locks we bought earlier at Daiso (I told you guys, I could seriously just live in that store forever; they have everything). I searched for where I put my lock last time but it was completely buried under several layers of other locks. I won't be finding it again in this life haha, maybe when they end up having to cut off locks when they run out of room in the future. I took a pictre of where it was buried instead. We locked our locks on a different corner this time, along with our messages!

We both bought tickets to go up to the top of the tower, where you can behold spectacular views and send postcards at the shop. We bought several postcards to send to family and friends and mailed them off, thousands of feet in the air :) The trip home was as tough as I remember it; Namsan is best viewed at night but that means we don't head home until 11pm-ish. While not a problem for me at home, this is late for me here with the jet-lag-messed-up-time-thing tenaciously hanging on to me. The bus ride and two subway transfers seemed to take forever, but once finally back and changed into bed clothes...KO'ed in about 30 seconds flat ^^.

Candace: I had another great seat partner on my flight to Seoul! Good thing too because the flight was so long >.< He was a really nice guy who was apparently a baller. He had houses in Bangkok, Singapore, Canada, the East Coast, Vegas, London, New Zealand, lived in Hawaii, and golfed for a living. And traveled. Well geez, can I like, HAVE YOUR LIFE?! Luckily the flight went without complications and I got through immigration/customs relatively quickly to meet Jess at the baggage claim! She came in right before me so she met me at my baggage carousel. I always feel so relieved when all goes smoothly, flights on time, none of my baggage was lost, my phone works, etc. On trips like these there are so many factors and so many places where something can go wrong, that I feel blessed when they don't. We bought our bus tickets to Gangnam Yeoksam where our hotel was and checked in without any problems. Our room is really cute and the bathroom is way more massive than my single room last time! 

We watched tv and made a convenience store run for snacks and of course, banana milk!! My fetish for banana milk is only equal to Jess's fetish for banana milk :D We were both pretty tuckered out from the long plane ride and the long bus trip to our hotel. Not so tired that the excitement of being back didn't hit us though! It's SO wonderful to be back in Seoul, I can't even explain it. It's so exciting to see familiar places and to KNOW where I'm going and what to expect. Such a novel feeling haha since last time I was going by the seat of my pants, all day, every day. It was exhilarating not knowing anything or where to do/what to do, to be sure; I'm still really happy I went by alone and discovered myself along the way. But it's a completely different experience now knowing what to do and where to go for all the things I want. I'm still a clueless foreigner but I'm no longer a lost ant in an ocean. AND I'm now here with my twin, so it's a totally new trip! 

We slept around 10pm KST, which was about 5am back home. Had a blissfully uninterrupted sleep until 4am KST. I drifted in and out of sleep until about 6am, since I was TRYING to sleep more and get my sleep schedule on track ASAP. We have limited time here, so gotta make the most of it! After a quick run to my favorite Cafe Pascucci down the street for coffee & bulgogi paninis, we returned to our room to prepare for the day ahead: a raid on SkinFood, a run to Daiso for room and bathroom essentials, and (re)exploring the shopping under Gangnam Station...one of my favorite spots!! 

As you can see, we did DAMAGE :D The first day is always the most frenzied in terms of buying cool new things. We even restrained ourselves, because we were kind of limited to how much we could physically carry back T.T I miss my car already lol. So we toddled home with our arms full of bags...I think were good for today lol. After all, we have a whole 13 days more to break our banks...

Today was my last day here in the States before flying out for Hawaii tomorrow! I woke up early, ran all my last minute errands, and really got quite a bit done. It's creeping towards midnight right now, so I should probably start thinking of bed soon, what with my early wake-up call tomorrow (at the lovely hour of 4:30AM! Cuz aren't we all just bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at that hour. . . >.<). My little brother Steven will be dropping me off at the Van Nuys Flyaway before his morning class. Really, how he even wakes himself up at that hour when the kid usually sleeps past dinnertime if you let him, is a miracle in itself. 

So I'll be flying out of LAX at 10:30AM & arriving in Honolulu at 2:20PM, all on March 5. I'm really excited that I get to see my aunties & little cousin Lia for even a short amount of time :) This worked out really nicely! Armed with manapua & shaved ice, I'll be departing Honolulu at 10:20AM on March 6 & arriving in Korea at 4:30PM on March 7. Here's a little more trip magic: we both were fully expecting for one of us to have to wait at Incheon Airport in Seoul for hours before the other one's flight came in. However, even though we booked separately & without consulting each other first, it turns out Jess arrives in Seoul at 4:20PM on March 7! TEN MINUTES BEFORE ME. WHAT IS THIS SORCERY? 

Once we meet up, we'll locate and hop the proper bus to take us to Gangnam and to our home sweet home for the next couple weeks: Noblesse Yeoksam Hotel. If any of you read my last blog from my first trip, you'll be familiar with this place and all of its ridiculously awesome charms. The room we are getting this time however will be even larger than my already stupid large room last time, since it will have two beds! I'm excited to check out our room :) Jess will be staying for two weeks, but I'll be staying for three weeks, so once she departs I'll move into my own smaller room once again. 

So back to today. After packing, and unpacking, and repacking for hours, I FINALLY reached the point where I . . . just dumped my whole suitcase out on the floor in frustration because this was just so not working for me T.T It's incredible how much space things take lol. At long last though, I have a semblance of packing perfection! This is so deja vu from my last trip, it's kiiiiiiiind of freaking me out. . .

I'll have my giant suitcase from my last trip to Korea, with a smaller suitcase inside of it. That smaller one is the one I packed, so upon arrival in the Land of Kimchi I will have a whole glorious suitcase (!!!) for me to fill up with all sorts of awesome things. Yes Jeff, I will look for kimchi kit kats & yes kally dongsaeng, I will bring you some cute new earrings for you to rock after we get your ears done :D 

That's all for tonight folks, I'm really really excited to be starting another amazing adventure with you guys! This will be the second trip to Seoul so I hopefully won't be as completely and utterly lost as I was the first time. This could a drawback though, since a lot of the most awesome places I found/ran into were discovered when I was lost. I'm actually kind of worried I won't be able to find some of these places again hahah. Guess we'll just have to get lost & find some new ones ^.^ Good night! 안녕히 주무세요!

안녕히 주무세요 -> ahn-young-hee-choo-moo-say-yoh -> Good night

(I'll try to keep up with my random Korean teachings again as this blog progresses cuz it was fun & some people told me they actually were learning the words I was posting. With a trip half as short as my last one however, this might not always happen >.< Fair warning. 미안해!)