Korea Life - Day 42 (week 6) / Ehwa and yeouido

Now level 2 is much more difficult compare to a month ago when I just started with beginner level 1. Everyday there is endless homework and studying need to do that I don't even have the time to sit down and blog anything !! I might not able to blog very often as last time, but I will blog (just that is a month late!!)

Korea life - 5 Apr 2014 (day 42 ; week 6)

One of my secondary school junior is here in Korea, will be bring her to see cherry blossom. Heard from my classmate that the cherry blossom in Ehwa is very nice so we decided to bring her to Ehwa and Yeouido. Before we headed out, had lunch at home first (Chef PQ made Kimchi soup, and it was sooooo nice. Will upload the recipe once I have the time )

Because of the rain yesterday, the weather turn cold again. Had to wear a few layer or else would feel cold. (one thing I can't stand the weather here is that the weather is always changing, some time cold, some time hot!! Don't know how to get used to this kind of weather)

Met them at Ehwa, went to Ehwa university to Cherry blossom, but there wasn't much so we told them not to worry, there are alot in Yeouido for them to see and take picture. Weather was too cold for them who just arrive to Korea (compere to Singapore weather and the weather here in Korea). I had to go and find heat pack for them before we can proceed to Yeouido

Was shocked when we reached Yeouido, there wasn't much cherry blossom left !! Because of the rain yesterday, lot of the flower had fallen off, so the tree only left with leave with no flower. So sad !! Last week when was still so beautifully open but all ended in less than 2 weeks. Cold weather plus the river breath, it was too cold for us to stay long.

As junior wants to eat BBQ (they worry don't know how to order so hope we can go and eat), so we went to the Jongak station BBQ again as I know they have Chinese staff and boss can speak English, so no need to worry if don't know how to order. Didn't join them at Dongdaemun shopping as I'm going to the Nonsan Strawberry festival (which is 2 hours bus ride away from Seoul), have to have enough rest !!!

Food recipes - kimchi fried rice

With no parent around to help me to prepare meal, I have to learn how to do my own meal from now on. Luckily PQ is a good cook that I can learn from. Although all of PQ's recipes are quite easy while I looked at her getting all the thing ready but for someone who don't cook, is not easy to remember all the steps, so i will have to note down step by step and read it again before I cook. 

Tonight chef PQ is cooking <Kimchi Fried Rice> 

Credit from PQ's instagram - Kimchi fried rice 

Thing needed 

Kimchi - depend on how much you like add. 

Rice - 1.5 Bowl 

garlic - 1 piece 

chicken breast meat - 200 gram 

Oil

Soya sause 

sesame oil 

(optional) 1 sunny side up egg

Before start cooking 

- Cut kimchi into 1 inch long (need more the leave than stem)  

- Cut chicken breast meat into bite pieces 

Steps by steps 

1. Cook chicken breast meat in water and soya sauce to get rid of the meat smell first. Don't need to cook too long, just for a while will do.

2. Fry garlic. Once is cooked, add chicken meat in and stir fry till it cooked

3. Add kimchi in and stir, then add rice in and stir some more

4. Before serve, add a teaspoon of sesame oil and stir

5. (Optional) Fry egg and add egg onto of the rice and serve 

Korea life - day 41 (week6) / (Seoul) watching movie

Korea Life - 4 Apr 2014 (Day 41 ; week 6)

Although I'm staying in Korea, it can't stop me from watching movie, especially when < Captain American > is up !! There is a cinema just located between my house and school, went over there to buy movie ticket before going back home (school bag are too heavy for me to carry around).

Receipt / Ticket 

The way to buy the ticket here is totally different from Singapore. I had a hard time understand how to use the machine to buy, in the end I just gave up and went to the counter the queue up to but (since there wasn't even a queue). Turn out that there was no queue was because people were waiting for their number to be call. There was a number queue for people to take and just wait for the number to be called, no need to queue up. As they don't have the price list up (don't know if other day also same price), paid 10,000 won per ticket. And ticket is just receipt only, so different


Went back to rest for a while before coming out again. Had popcorn and snack for dinner, is been a while I last had popcorn, so excited. Was pretty surprise with the price of the combo here, is about half the price of what Singapore is charging. There are 3 of us so we bought a big set which cost 14,000 won where there is 2 regular popcorn, 2 small pack of snack, 2 regular cup of drink and 2 bottle of coke.  

The seat are so much bigger and it has very bigger space better each seat. Just that there are too many couple sitting around, but it don't bother me too much. The movie is showing with Korean subtitle, so we have no problem with watching (my standard still unable to follow up with the subtitle) Luckily I watch Captain American 1 again before I come and watch this as some place do link to part 1.
  

Korea life - day 39 ( week6) / making account with woori bank

Korea Life - 2 April 2014 (day 39 ; week 6)

A week before coming to Korea, I thought of not opening an account in Korea, and just take money out from our Singapore account. But after one month in Korea, it seem like it is not possible. And most important reason lead me to this decision was that Sungkyunkwan University only accept fund transfer!
(Fund transfer from Singapore to Korea Woori bank has too much bank charges that I don't think worth paying)

So headed to the Woori bank branch located next to the main gate of SKKU after school, thinking that the staff should be able to understand English since there are so many international student in SKKU.  Turn out that the staff can understand English but can't speak (is just like I can understand Korean but can't speak.)

I just told the staff I want to open an account and they went to get the document ready. Because they know that we can't understand so they just ask us to fill in some personal information (in English) and sign a few document. And the staff introduce me to get this card (just a check card, not credit card) International student can do this card only. Actually I still thought of not doing this card as its a dangerous card. Why is it a dangerous card ? The card act like debit card but it don't need pin number, don't need signature.

For someone as careless as me, it really make think if it is all right for me to get this card. But in the end I still decided to make the card as it would be difficult for me to find a ATM every time we are outside. I had been given a few more document to sign before its finally done.  Everything take around 10 min only.

Woori bank book; so nice but inside all korean words only 

Woori bank check card 

Korea life - day 37 ( week6) / (Seoul) ARC card

31 Mar 2014 - day 37 week 6

After 3 days of fun, had difficulty to wake up early in the morning. Up till last month, I had no problem with staying awake in class at all but now i start to 'zone' out in the middle of class (which is not a good sign). Need to get into study mode again as finial exam is coming again !!

Went to immigration office to collect my ARC card after school. Glad that I don't have to skip school to  go and collect this card. (I didn't had 100% attendant all because I skipped one morning class to get this card done (spent one whole morning camping at the immigration office). Collecting of the card took me just 5 min, Thank god no waiting needed.

And so there it is!! This is how Korea Alien registration card look like. Is a MUST do for people are staying more than 90 days in Korea. 

My ARC card 

Went to bookshop and bought a storybook. It's really a great book as it has both English and Korean version of the story. Trust that it can help me to understand better and learn more korean words. Introduce to all  

Book that I bought with 2 language, easy for me to learn 

Korea life - day 36 (week 6) / (Seoul) IFC building / Yeoido park / 63 Building

30 Mar 2014 - day 36 (week 6) 

With the cherry blossom in the city has mainly already blossom , we didn't wait till the cherry blossoms festival at Yeouido which should be in mid-apr(it should fully blossom next week only) so we just went today

Since we are heading to a park to see cherry blossom and cycling,  we bought some food along to have a picnic there. Took the subway to Yeouido station. It was still quite early so we headed to IFC shopping centre first (since is around there too) 

[Well, is a shopping centre will tons of international brands. The prices are very similar to the price in Singapore. You can check out more here -  ]

We took the subway to yeouinaru station (which is one station away ) to mapo bridge. We had no problem to find our way there was there was a lot of people heading toward the same exit as us !!! The cherry blossoms just outside the exit was so nice that I blew my mind away !!! 

nice pic of Yeoido park 

Walked for about 5 min before we found the bicycle renter area. So many people were queueing up to rent for a bike!! There were at least 8 people in front of us but we didn't had to wait long before our turn. We had to give them our student ID card and pay to get the bike (in case we ran off with their bike) 

The cycle was so fun and weather was so good (just that there is too many people ). 1 hours cycling ended pretty fast, we found a nice view and sat down to rest, enjoy the weather and have some food. Then we headed to our last stop - 63 building. 

The timing in between shuttle bus were an hours (because it was weekend, or else the timing is shorter). Since we missed the previous bus (was looking for the bus stop when the bus just went off in front of us). So we just stand around and wait for the bus to come (as nearly has nothing for us to see too). It took us 10 min to reach there (as it drove to other shuttle bus stop too)

the shuttle bus time list / 63 building

When we reach, we were still wonder is this really 63 building as the bus stopped outside a 4-5 storey high building. Then we know that if we were to enter 63 building need to pay entrance fee (which we didn't want to) so we just walked around the shopping area. But the attractions there are too expensive for poor student like me so we stayed there for less than 10 min and we wanted to head back to the subway station. Tried walking but seem very far so we just wait for the shuttle bus back to the subway station instead.

As there is school tomorrow morning and to save money (food price there was slightly highly), so we headed back via subway before night fall and just ate a eatery near our house. After seeing the nice view of Yeoido, we decided to go back again next week (during the festival to see the full bloom)