Empty subway stop so I waited for my train alone; checked the table of arrival times as well so I knew when to expect the first one! I woke up perky but then about 45 minutes into the train ride, I was over..well, being concious. Took a nice nap for the rest of the trip :D
Kiiiiind of freaked out and bewildered by how dark some of the streets were. There are ALWAYS lights on here...cuz stuff is alays open. I can't believe I'm awake when even the shops and restaurants are closed. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE.
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.
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.
Beautiful morning views of the Han River. That is the one good thing about beating the sun; you get spectacularly tranquil sunrises.
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
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...
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!
Waiting both outside and inside -.-
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.
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.
Awesome decor inside the Mnet studio building and the Kyochon we went to!
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...
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...
Our cafe treats, some fun at STYLE NANDA, and the cutest little cafe we passed by on our search for the NANDA store haha. We passed endless delicious looking bubble tea shops and coffee places, but we were on a mission so we didn't stop to try them...yet :)
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.
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.
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