Busan, Chapter II

I might need to explain a bit more about Busan. Busan is the second largest city in Korea, a hotspot for tourist attraction, and the background of some epic Korean movies, all these might contribute to why I've always wished to visit this place, but this time the biggest reason why I wanted to visit Busan was because I've never seen an autumnal beach.

Continuing where we left:
We got off ride once we reached the bus stop at Haeundae beach. The overview of the gold, sandy shore and the salty scent were all too irresistible, but instead of heading straight to the sea, we decided we needed to eat.

A bowl of beef broth with rice! If you're eating gukbap (literally soup + rice) take every scoop of it with a spicy kkakdugi on top, because that's how you're suppose to eat it!

After indulging ourselves with these homey foods, we carried our lumps of belly and headed back to Haeundae beach.

Having not seen the sea for awhile, the endless view of the horizon and the cool, salty wind reminded us the good old memories as well as being refreshing and energizing to watch.

After visiting the Nurimaru APEC house, we ventured the city, visited malls, checked in the hotel, and chitchatted awhile til it was dinner time.

With seed Hotteok in our hands, a popular street food in Busan; which was sweet and savory, We walked around the Jagalchi market, ate at a street stall selling spicy ddeokbbokki, soondae, and fried mandu (street stalls are common in Korean markets, where the foods are on display and you eat while standing). Even after eating so much, we thought a bucket of fried chicken would be great (and it was).

Lastly, we went to the Yongdusan Park. Even though it was drizzling, there were lots of stray cats, and couples, but since we were already battered and worn, we headed back to the hotel and that's how our day ended.

<Chapter II - The End>

A Year Since...

I started this blog, it was the night of November 11th when I created this space as a medium of expression. Every posts, short and long, I've made sure it'll remind me the back stories of my life. Most of the early posts were about coping loneliness, because being in your motherland but feeling like a stranger is pretty much self evident; awful. I think I could have went through this a lot easier had I known these: don't fool yourself and call it hope, don't linger around memories and construct visions upon past, because believe me the fortress is bound to fall over.

Since it's the first anniversary, here are some wishes I have for this blog: I wish I get to post regularly, manage to create a satisfying blog layout, and though I like to believe blogging made me better at taking photos with my phone (*starts sobbing*)... I wish for a good camera and surprise you with pixels (and quality)!!

+ I'll tell you something, this isn't my first post. I wonder if anyone saw a post about my sexy tiger-printed leggings with my Minnie mouse pajamas top and a burnt marshmallow skewered on chopstick with a mug of hot chocolate, because that was my real first post.

Busan, Chapter I

Of course we started early, just as I requested, at dawn. Dawn is the time reserved to embark a journey, particularly those that kept you awake the whole other night, made you restless with thoughts and anxiety (the weather is going to be dreadful, I heard!), and of course wrestle in bed with excitement.

Then there's a thing about having the cerulean sky over your head and the cold fresh air filling your lungs, wanderlust? It works as a specific painkiller on the shoulders and the head (of course nothing exists on your back, silly!), and it allows you to pace away from home with a pair of feather feet.

Waiting at the train station is another thing, however, exchanging nervous glances between the restroom and the clock, tapping your feet as a minor symptom of living as a precipitant natured being, needlessly checking your tickets and the dates written, October 12th (no mistake over there!). Then ten minutes before 7:53, hurrying down the stairs, cold gushes of wind slapping across your face (hello, train!), then going onboard. Immediately, these will be the first two things you'll notice: packed space and sleeping guests.

From here it'll be a series of cut-out episodes of consciousness and unconsciousness (like falling asleep with chocolates in your mouth. Unholy in the eyes of a dentist), brief moments of clarity will be when you look outside the window, take a photo, and eat the emergency supplies you've prepared, til you make another pilgrimage to dreamland.

I believe you've noticed the gradual shift from sunshine to a grey and dark Busan sky; ominous and depressing, just as I feared... But having already braced our mentality (the purpose of spending a sleepless night), we've decided to do our things no matter what. 

First thing we did after leaving the Busan station was choosing the Busan city tour bus as our mode of transport, just because it seemed more practical than catching taxis every time we moved (our primary goal was to go to Haeundae beach) and it was my first time to Busan (Please don't question my ethnicity). 

The driver and an announcer and an mc (all in one) was there to explain the sights we were to see, but this particular driver of a single decked bus kept taunting us about how unlucky we were to miss a double decked bus, a funny man who made the ride a lot more entertaining.

Gwangalli Beach

<Chapter I - The End>

In My Mind

source

Yesterday, like any other day, I was mindlessly pinning through my Pinterest feed (my daily routine), as I scrolled through the pins, I stumbled upon this image in which a meaning of a word was written:

hiraeth (n.) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.

I noticed myself echoing the definition of this unknown word, it felt as though this word explained the inarticulate thoughts of mind, the feelings I've felt for quite a time.
And no, I've not been banished nor sent exile from any sort of place, I could always go back to the places of my past, if I wanted to. But, even if I stood in the grounds of my past, don't we all know it's not the same? Rather than yearning to return to a tangible location, to me the feeling of hiraeth is formed as a result of knowing you can never go back in time, it is remembering a happy, vivid memory but sensing an ache in the hollow heart. I think the Korean word: 그리움(keurium) defines this feeling just as adequately as well.

One of my happiest memories is from my childhood, it's not that I had the most spectacular experiences then, but because everything used to be much more simple as child, I feel it was much easier to be content.

Deoksugung

Hello, it's been a while! I know I've said this before but, I was busy and I just finished an exam last week! Hopefully the result shall be alright (nervous, nervous, nervous)... Once in a while we went outside to take a break from studies, however I had no time to post these things then, so I'm posting it now. Well, excuse my awful excuses and please enjoy this post...

One mild, breezy afternoon of July 13th, we bought tickets at the Cheonan station which destined for Seoul. A ride from Cheonan to Seoul takes a little longer than an hour, me being terrible with transportation, motion sickness and the discomfort caused by the tight space aggravated til the moment the vast Han river appeared outside the window, which's refreshing sight promptly rejuvenated me.

We arrived at Seoul at about 2 in the afternoon, and without much hesitation we headed straight to Deoksugung (the reason why we came to Seoul in the first place). The entrance fee is 1000 won for anyone under the age 25.

Daehanmun

A brief introduction: Deoksugung (Deoksu palace) is known as one of the five Grand palaces built in the Joseon-era. Though it is not the main palace, several princes and Kings used to reside in this place. Today, Deoksugung is surrounded by modern buildings with the Seoul city hall located close by.

Pinspiration #1

1/2/3

Hello guys, I missed you! Every passing day means I'm getting busier and busier, but luckily today I found some spare time and it's been quite a while since my last post, so I thought maybe a post about pins would be great! What a refreshing morning, I really hope you have a great Sunday, see you soon!

4/5/6

May Roses

I always forget about the roses in May, even those balmy afternoon filled with the scent of acacia is lost in memory... but I won't ever forget May for one thing, my sister's birthday!(It's so close, ay Raccoonie!?)

Each passing day the weather feels more like summer, I'm ashamed to admit that my recent diet includes bottles of cola and even more ice-creams, also I've been craving the super-simple-summer-repelling-dessert that is a bowl of sliced watermelons (or fruit salad) floating in a pool of icy cold soda. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I hate summer! Summer means being sweaty 24 hours (I hate hate hate summer!), but summer also means lighter clothing like this, if summer days were always comfortable, airy, cool, and fluffy why would there be any problem?

I've been a little busy and I'm going to be busier with my studies, but I promise I'll try my best to not neglect this blog. I'll make sure I'll take lots of photos and write stories (If I had any!), I will!

Alive

When the weeping willows dance,

the dandelion seeds celebrate in mid-air.

Can you believe just four months ago

with a little less green, was this place?

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair." - Khalil Gibran

place: Cheonan Samgeori

While Resting

Image source

Remember I told you about having a little rest, well I did fulfill many of my resolutions, so here are the list of things I've done these past days!

Movies I watched: Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Temple Grandin, Flipped, Blue Jasmine, The Phantom of the Opera, and perhaps a few more. I really enjoyed Flipped, I watched it without any expectations, but it was incredibly sweet!

Books I read: 1984, started reading Mornings in Jenin and The Book Thief, all the while The Count of Monte Cristo still hangs at chapter 61; no progress since ages.

Unfortunately, I have not discovered new musics!

Ice-cream score: I ate at least a half a dozen of cheese sandwich ice-creams in the first week, then I got addicted to eating chocolate coated vanilla ice-creams everyday!

How about nap? Napped a thousand hours and slept in all kind of places in our house!

Miscellaneous: Blog had some makeover, but that's something I do every day... Sky blue was my most worn nail polish color along with wearing A (shocking revelation?!) grey t-shirt everyday with different types of clothing layered upon it.

Hope you had a lovely weekend and wish you another happy week!

Silence of the Night

"Please, be alive... Please, be safe..." - Jindo Saewol-ho Ferry

A Little Rest

I'm going to read some books, I'm going to watch all the movies I wanted to watch, I'm going to eat a lot of ice-creams, and discover new songs, then I'm going to sleep for a long time, because I'm free for few days! 

Yesterday, we took a step towards accomplishment, though if you knew our story you might find it funny, however I am very serious and proud of myself for proving this disbelief of mine as false. I am happy for at least trying something I was afraid of, even if it may be as small as a needle, I'm glad for the attempts I've made to do something that seemed hard and unfitting for me, I'm thankful for choosing something different and for making an effort to prevent myself from regretting, and I am most thankful for not disappointing my self, I learnt that there is no bigger accomplishment than that.

Cherry Blossom Confetti

But, it's too early to say goodbye...

Flowers Of March

I've cut my fringe, ate too much, and sang too loud, 

but these lovely flowers made me forget those troubles!

Tomorrow is my mother's birthday, 

I'm searching around for seaweed soup recipes!