RAGE! (then the happy things come after)

WALAO EH.

Damn annoyed right now..... Decided to take the rocky and hilly path back to dorm today because I wanted to stop by a shop at the Global Lounge/Student Union building (serves international students, as its name suggests) but to my unpleasant surprise, an empty and dark building greeted me. I couldn't even access the basement where the shop sits at because the shutters at the stairwell were down. Every single shop in that building, from the barber to the cafeteria and bookstore, was closed and as I later found out, most shops in school close at 2.30pm on Sundays. Even the Global Lounge help desk was closed! The only thought that ran through my mind then was, "What the heck?! So international students don't need help on weekends la? People don't need to buy books the day before school starts, is it? And isn't a convenience store supposed to make buying things convenient? Don't they know that closing at 2.30pm in the afternoon is a huge inconvenience?!" So whilst I continued to rage at this incredulous state of affairs, I proceeded on my mountainous trek back to dormitory. With a whoop of delight and yell of joy (yeah right), I slowly started ascending the steep slopes waiting ahead. To some of you perhaps, who are inclined to sports, you might find it an easy walk. The locals might not find it a problem either, since they're climbing stairs every single day in train stations (elevators and escalators are rare gems here) and I see girls in heeled shoes walking around in school. But.. I'm not that fit - I don't climb hills everyday back home in Singapore. In fact, the steepest thing I usually climb is the overhead bridge and that is usually effortless. So when faced with steep slopes going in all directions, you can't blame me for whining that it's tiring. Because it really is.

And I'm extra annoyed because if it weren't for the stupid Magic Cleaner that I wanted to buy at the building, I wouldn't have chosen to take this rocky route which is more exhausting. I could have just taken the route around the school - still a long walk but at least I'm walking on flat ground! And so, I had to walk in from the entrance of the university to UC, go up the hill (it's actually a park located within campus - random members of the public can be found walking their dogs there or 'hiking'; see pictures below), walk down a slope and then down a flight of stairs before I reached my dorm. As I've just mentioned, the path cuts through a park so that simply translates into unpaved roads which are littered with rocks and pebble of all shapes and sizes. You can literally feel the pebbles rubbing-and-grinding into the soles of your feet with every step (or should I blame my sneakers for having too thin a sole).. I'm thankful that I wore thick wooly (flocculent?) socks today but the pavements here just can't seem to give my poor feet and toes a rest.

If the school is hoping to keep exchange students in this way, yay, they've succeeded! For I'm not going out for dinner anymore tonight (yes, we had plans) - it's the last night before school starts officially and I would really like to go out with friends but no thanks, I'm too tired now. Partial mental breakdown from all the walking and climbing. Oh, and I must have forgotten to mention, to add to the shock and horror, I realised that most of the eateries within my dormitory itself are closed. Woohoo, so exchange students now don't need to eat on weekends! If they are operated by school staff, that could possibly explain the early closing hours but I don't think they are..! Rather, they seem like external vendors so I have no idea why they close on Sundays - seems to defeat the purpose of having an in-hostel cafeteria? My dinner will be eggy kimbap (계란말이 김밥) from my mum's favourite stall at Hyehwa and although it's getting cold >.< it's still nice! Reminds me of my momma when I eat! (:

Right, and without the very magical cleaner, the floor in our room is going to remain freaking dirty. ARGH. The germaphobe in me is acting up again. The floor in the toilet is as dirty too - I CANNOT WAIT TO CLEAN THE ROOM. NAOOOO. We need to get bathroom curtains too.. since the main bathroom has a shower cubicle (with a glass door that cannot be locked), a sink but no door. The loo bowl is located in a space across the main bathroom and that has a door, but that doesn't explain why the main bathroom is lacking a door. And why is the loo bowl separated from the shower area and sink? WHY? WAI? WAE? I want an all-in-one service - nevermind if it's small (it already is), just put everything in the same area. RAWRRRRR. Hahahhaahah

Okay, enough with ranting. Here are some pictures of my mountainous trek. Just two pictures haha which I took after I reached the top of the slope nearest to my hostel.

 Uneven path :(

You can't really see the starting point of this path up the hill but if you squint hard enough, you'll be able to see where the path starts.

On a happier note, I observed that there are in fact, many bird nests around in school! I counted a whooping five bird nests in one tree alone! AMAZING! Can't imagine how many more nests are nestled comfortably in trees! Speaking of birds, I was bird-watching earlier in the day at Sungkyukwan University (sorta haha I was just taking a short walk in the campus when those chirpy little creatures caught my attention). My dad likes pictures of animals and nature in general, and since I enjoy the same, I'm just keeping a lookout for stuff like these!

Was quite fascinated to look up and suddenly see a tree full of these plump, fat birds. 

They are so, amazingly and hilariously fat and puffy hahahaha 

Angry birds anyone? 

 Cheep Cheep!

They have lots of these white and blue bird here in Korea - the wing is actually navy blue coloured!

Somehow, Sungkyukwan University has retained quite a bit of greenery in there as compared to the rest of Seoul (and Yonsei University) and that possibly explains why it feels more inviting, homey and comfortable. It helps to have these lovely garden areas with benches because one can just sit there and.. bird-watch or simply stone?

PS. I have no idea how to align the pictures (2 by 2) so just bear with this arrangement! 

I was here with my sister last May and now, I'm here on my own. Really weird feeling, huh? But sending my greetings to all from the picturesque Sungkyukwan University (exit 4, Hyehwa station), 안녕하세요!

Lunch before the Sungkyukwan visit was amazing as well - the bibimbap and the side dishes were so yummy. I gotta say I really love this shop for its food and atmosphere - in future, if I ever do need a break away from school life and people, I think I will just hang out in Hyehwa on my own and enjoy the food here. <3 My personal recommendation: The eggy kimbap mentioned above! (I haven't tried most of their kimbaps yet but I will, in due course!) I ventured out on my own today and although it sounds pretty sad and lonely, I actually found it a pretty peaceful and liberating experience. When I go out on my own, I get to decide what I would like for meals (and not have to agree to the majority's choice or risk appearing as the picky eater) and more importantly, I get to eat at my own pace as well (and not have many pairs of eyes staring at me). Certainly, it is inconvenient (and slightly dangerous) to go around Korea alone with my limited Korean but.. it just makes me feel so.. free. I would appreciate company and having someone to talk to over meals but sometimes, I do need time alone. Where I do not have to think about what I should say next to keep the conversation going or where I can just concentrate on eating. ^^

Note: Since we're on the topic of eating, I have to declare that I've eaten so much food that I dislike in the past 2 weeks. I first started with kimchi (experimenting with 1 piece per meal now and hatin' it haha- I even had kimchijiggae with my friends the other day) and then beef. Oh gosh, beef. Some of you might know that I don't eat beef... but over here, I think I've eaten so much beef, I'm turning into a cow :( Korea's famous for its bulgogi (beef stew) and my friends seem to love it. I can't just be the party pooper and request for a change in dining venue so... I've been eating beef. Sigh. Moving on, I've also been eating quite a bit of fried chicken.. and when I say that, I really mean just different types of fried chicken (in various sauces) for a meal. Only my family would know this, I guess, but I really do dislike having just meat for a meal. It is not only nutritionally imbalanced (protein overload), the taste of meat also gets a bit overwhelming after a while. I'm one who needs my veggies and rice - they help neutralise the taste - so a meaty dinner ain't my top choice ever. That said, the chicken here is delicious (in small portions of course haha) - check them out!

 Koreans love their chicken with beer/makgeolli (affectionately called ChiMak) so how could they miss out on this enormous jug of beer? I think the angle I took the picture from makes it look smaller than it is but trust me, it's huge. The beer wasn't good because it was bitter and had a sour aftertaste. Haha all beer probably taste bitter so nono to beer for me!

Chicken, Chicken and more Chicken.... 

 This was at a chain store opened by a famous radio personality duo (Cultwo) so check it out if you're interested! The wait was insane but the meat was succulent, sweet and the sauces were lipsmackingly good nyamnyam! The quality of the different dishes were consistent as well so if you're a chicken-lover and you're willing to pay a lil more (come on, they're celebrities!), go for this.

Yesterday night, I had chicken as well so here they are:

 Some chicken shop in Sinchon - I think the name's Our House's Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken (닭강정).

Here, you get to choose Chicken from Brazil or Korea but frankly, after so much chicken, they all taste the same to me. I did like the dishes here better because they came with huge, chewy ricecakes, which means I have something apart from chicken to chomp on haha. My friends had beer (not pictured) which I somehow paid for (I don't know why I had to).. but at least I had a sip of that gassy, bitter golden liquid. The colour was a bright sparkly gold, much more attractive than the huegass jug of beer above which looked like pee hahaha

Ah, my head hurts now. The bitter cold's really getting to me. It's an especially windy day today and I didn't wear thermal so.. my body must still be retaining the cold. It actually hurts to have the icy wind blowing right into my face and eyes (am seriously considering following the Koreans in wearing a face mask) so I'm guessing that's why I have a headache now..

Anyway, a goodnight shot back in dorm! (not really going to sleep hahaha but since school's starting tomorrow, I will have an early night!)

Missing my family and friends back in Singapore (: Whenever I encounter something amazing and delightful, the first thing that flashes across my mind is, "how nice would it be to share that moment with you guys".. (: haha loving you all! Stay well!