High Tea Session at Chinese Swimming Club

Had the privilege to go “Man Zhu” located at Chinese Swimming Club for High-Tea session. KB husband is the club member and she ever mentioned that the foods there are delicious.

KB husband remind her that she had to tell the security guard that we are her guests, as he was being stop in an embarrassed way. She told the guard in a polite tone that the 3 of us are her guests, and the rude security guard told her “OK OK just go in, no need tell me”. I’m so angry with his rude attitude and stared at him, he noticed my angry face and lower his head.

KB ordered 4 sets of high tea consists of 1 drink & 1 cake and 6 dishes for sharing, Club Sandwich, CSC Signature Laksa, Singapore Satay, Singapore Street-Style Rojak, Indian Roti Prata with Chicken Curry, Potato Wedges with nacho cheese and CSC Signature Wings. The waiter was surprised by the number of dishes KB ordered and asked whether can we finish it, KB told him she will pack home if we can’t finish. It turns out to be a proper meal instead of High Tea.

The 4 of us finished everything except Potato Wedges with nacho cheese, as it was so salty and we kept drinking water. The foods are worth going for it, but only member and their guests are allowed in there.

Chinese Swimming Club

21 & 34 Amber Road

Singapore 439870

梦想

My feelings these days

感想

爱情来了挡也挡不了

最近当了玫瑰的爱情顾问。玫瑰是家中独生女，拥有大学文凭，是个心地善良的女孩。我在之前的公司工作时，她帮助我很多。虽然我们都离开那间公司，但是我们还常常联络。

8月和她单独吃饭的时候，聊起了她的美容师介绍的表弟A先生。A先生是马来西亚人，只有中学文凭，15岁开始赌博，在新加坡工作但没有租房。他是新加坡名胜世界赌场的常客，累计的分数可以住在他们的酒店最短一个星期，最长一个月，所以根本不需要租房。

第一次见面的时候，A先生说他在戒赌以后也不会赌了。听到A先生爱赌，我打断玫瑰的话，告诉玫瑰，赌鬼的话是不可以相信的，我家就有两个很好的例子，要她不要陷得太深，而且和赌鬼在一起会很辛苦的。最重要的是我不相信赌鬼真的会戒赌。玫瑰说她的爸爸妈妈是不会答应的，会把她的腿打断。她知道妈妈希望她可以找一个门当户对的女婿。我曾经和玫瑰的妈妈一起吃过饭，知道阿姨挺担心玫瑰，毕竟玫瑰是苦过来的。他们家因为爸爸生病，家里经济条件不好，大学学费是玫瑰自己赚来的。阿姨希望玫瑰嫁人后可以过好日子。

听完玫瑰的事后，就知道玫瑰已经陷下去了。她告诉我虽然A先生“以前”爱赌，而且学历没有她好，但是个可以谈的来的人，而且很照顾她。有时工作途中想念A先生，好巧的A先生的简讯马上到。她觉得缘分好可怕。我告诉她，她已经陷下去了。她还和我狡辩说没有，因为她在逃，爸爸妈妈是不会答应的，而且这段感情会很辛苦。我告诉她，爱情来了怎么挡也挡不了，她就是不信，我不和她争论，告诉她时间会证明一切。由于阿姨还不知道A先生的存在，我让她好好的和阿姨谈，她说会找对的时间和阿姨谈。

一切不出我所料，九月14号，快要下班时，玫瑰传了简讯给我，说他们在一起了。他们花了三天谈要不要在一起和他们的将来。玫瑰说我可以当算命师因为我所说的都成真。她一直在逃，但还是输给命运。她也相信爱情来了怎么挡也挡不了。

玫瑰说A先生原本想马上见她的爸爸妈妈，因为他知道玫瑰很重视她的爸爸妈妈，也希望他们可以放心把玫瑰交给他。我告诉玫瑰现在不行，这件事最好是自己先说比较好，也不要在托了。

至玫瑰，希望A先生真的戒赌，给你幸福。我真的不希望你受到伤害，因为你是个好女孩。

Won HallyuPop Fest 2018 Tickets

Took part in Singtel contest to win Samsung VIP packs to HallyuPop Fest 2018, 10 pairs to be won. It’s a contest exclusive to Singtel Galaxy Note 9 pre-ordered customers. I just need to comment what I like most about the Galaxy Note 9 and Singtel’s 4G network. I don’t have luck in lucky draw, was just trying for fun since I got free time in office.

3 September, I was talking to my colleague when I received Facebook notification. Didn’t think much, open and read the message, “Oh my god, I won the tickets”. Collected the tickets on 5 Sep at Singtel.

Went to their website and do some research, the tickets I won cost $498 each, which includes many benefits. It’s a pity I can’t make it on that day as I had lessons to attend. None of my friends and relatives are interested in Kpop, so try my luck to sell the tickets online.

Next day after I post, I received message from a lady who was interested to purchase my tickets. She asked for my Pen queue number, told her is 004 and 008, she said it’s a very good number and confirmed she will buy the tickets. She did not bargain to lower the price and make payment straight away. Nowadays youngster are richer than me, she is still a student and can afford to buy such expensive concert tickets. Before she came to meet me, she met another seller buying different dates concert tickets from them. She told me she will be going for 2 days to see Wanna One, because they are disbanding soon.

Spend the profit by bringing my family to feast at Seorae Korean Charcoal BBQ. I prefer to eat and spend time with my family.

Dinner at Jang Won Korean Restaurant

Date Roslin for dinner on 17 August to celebrate her birthday. She suggested to go Jang Won Korean Restaurant as she was craving for soup. It’s my first time dining at this restaurant and was looking forward to it as I love Korean food.

Roslin ordered Doenjang jjigae and I had soft tofu stew, also ordered Gimbap and Steam Egg for sharing. The steam egg is bland and not fluffy, had to match with kimchi to add some taste. The gimbap does not disappoint me, it’s delicious and I just love eating the both ends.

The soft tofu stew soup is not that rich, the taste was mostly the chilli powder. Pathetic amount of chicken and tofu inside the soup. I really missed the tofu stew cooked by Sun Young, her soup has a rich taste as she put in lots of ingredients.

Jang Won Korean Restaurant

44 Mosque Street

Singapore 059522

By MRT: Chinatown MRT

Tour Guide for 7 Days (2 March – 9 March 2018)

Finally after 3 years, Sun Young will be visiting Singapore again. Her last visit was May 2014 with her husband and sister Ji Young. This time she will be coming with her son Ji Hoon, Ji Young and her sister husband Lim. They will be visiting Singapore for 7 days unlike the previous trip they only came 4 days.

They will be putting up at Jenny’s house as her tenant had moved out and will be empty till April. Therefore Sun Young made use of this good opportunity to visit Singapore again as she find Singapore hotel too expensive.

Before their arrival, many preparation had to be done, like cleaning and arranging the house, buying groceries, etc. Planning the itinerary was really difficult as I got to cater to their needs and mindful of Ji Hoon who is 3 years old and Ji Young the pregnant lady. I spend almost 1k being the host, why, you will slowly understand as you continue reading.

Their journey starts on 2 March, as the flight was at 10.40pm Korea Time. The flight keep delaying when transiting at Taipei, so I had to keep track of their latest arrival time using the Changi Airport application.

Day 1 in Singapore (3 March 2018)

Ting and I booked a car for the day to travel around as we knew they will be exhausted from the night flight. The driver Tuna was Ting ex-colleague and now a GRAB driver and he quote us $80 for that day. He is quite witty and like to bully Ting, when the 3 of us were alone we always had lots of laughter. Tuna ever went to Korea and study for 8 months, so he was our translator too. Tuna car service will be convenient for everyone as Ting and I stay in the West, while my guests stay at Tampines.

Sun Young and her group arrived around 8.30am. They were so tired from the waiting at Taipei and the adults had to take turns to pat Ji Hoon to sleep as he was so excited on the plane. We quickly headed to Jenny’s house, so that they can bathe and rest. The first thing they do when they entered the house was to switch on the air-con, they can’t stand the heat in Singapore.

We leave the house around 12.30pm to Yum Cha for lunch, it will be my treat to welcome them. We ordered lots of Dim Sum and was glad they like the food. After lunch we headed to Charles and Keith factory outlet located at IMM, they loved this brand so much. In the car, Lim suddenly mentioned he want to buy Bak Gwa, so we had to detour back to Chinatown. We spent an hour there, as they had a hard time deciding how much to buy as they find it expensive. Finally we depart to IMM, we went GIANT Hypermarket first to get Twining Tea, Instant Coffee and Instant Noodles. As usual on weekend, Charles and Keith will be very packed, this factory outlet sold previous design. I got hold of my friend membership details and entitle to 10% discount. Only Sun Young bought shoes and bags, while Ji Young got a backpack from Pedro.

Last stop of the day will be steamboat dinner and chilli crab feast at my house. I gather all friends whom Sun Young wanted to meet, she knew them when we visit Korea together. It will be easier for them to mingle around and foods, drinks and alcohol are easily available.

Day 2 in Singapore (4 March 2018)

I’m quite bad at direction and did not want my guests to go merry go round with me under the hot sun, so got Angela and Florence to be the tour guide. Angela is really good at direction, she straight away found “Blanco Court Prawn Mee” that Sun Young wanted to go. Sun Young said the prawn noodles is highly recommended in Instagram. It’s also our first time there, the soup is tasty but the noodles with chilli is salty.

After lunch we went to explore Haji Lane and Arab Street. It has many beautiful wall graffiti and it’s nice to see tourist taking photos in orderly manner. Few weeks before Sun Young visit, one of the famous Korea variety show “Salty Tour” came and shoot in Singapore. They went “#Selfie Coffee” which I had already planned to bring them there. It’s a unique café where you take your selfie using their camera and the photo will be printed on top of your beverages.

We ended the day by having dinner at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh located at Chinatown Point. The guests was amazed by the taste when the “You Tiao” is dip into the soup. We ordered 2 more bowls of “You Tiao” and also refill the soup quite a few times. They do not like the preserved vegetables and find the taste funny.

Day 3 in Singapore (5 March 2018)

Brunch at Dempsey Hill to start the day. It’s more convenient to take taxi into Dempsey Hill, so we took MRT to Bugis as it will be cheaper than taking from Tampines. It’s a treat from them and I really enjoy the food. We ordered PS. Truffle Shoestring Fries, PS. Club, PS. Burger, PS. Spaghettini Bolognese and 2 Tiger Beer. After the meal, we went around Dempsey Hill taking photos.

Shopping time at Orchard Road and reunited with Ting. Only Charles and Keith attracted them, Sun Young bought another bag and shoes and Ji Young bought a pair of shoes for her baby girl.

I only booked Tuna car at night back home from Singapore Night Safari, but Ji Young had reached her limit. Sun Young do not want to take taxi to Night Safari and insists Ji Young can still walk. I really pity Ji Young and decided on my own to get Tuna car service, lucky he was available.

Entrance to Singapore Night Safari were free as I got the corporate card from my company, otherwise the entrance tickets is $45 per adults. We took the tram, enjoy the breeze and the ride. Ji Hoon got scared by the sound effects and the dark, but the adults had lots of fun.

Day 4 in Singapore (6 March 2018)

We started the journey late today, got Florence to accompany me. We had lunch at Din Tai Fung and it’s another treat from Sun Young. She asked me to make the choices so I ordered Sliced Duck in Crispy Spring Onion Pastry, Steamed Pork Dumplings, Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs, Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop and Fried Rice with eggs. To our surprise they prefer the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings. Florence concluded anything with shrimp they will love it.

I ballot the corporate card to Singapore River Safari and lucky me got it again. Since my parents had not visit there before, got them to join in the fun. We took train to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station and take bus 927. Decided to give the guests their own times, so we separated into 2 groups. My corporate card only entitled to take the river ride for free, so brought my parents and Florence to take the 30 minutes scorching hot and boring ride. Next, we went to meet the adorable pandans, Kai Kai and Jia Jia at the Giant Panda Forest, most important it’s an air conditioner place. We gather at Mama Panda Kitchen for snacks and drinks.

Today dinner was arranged by Cindy and Alan, they wanted to give them a treat as they bought gifts for their son. My GRAB app was giving me problem, but lucky there is a small GRAB kiosk outside the Zoo. Booked a 6 seater vehicle to Tanjong Pagar but came a van and we got to enjoy the spacious ride. Dinner was at Kko Kko Nara, it’s mine and Cindy favourite Korea restaurant. We ordered Combo Chicken Set, Kimchi Jungol, Yukgaejang (Spicy Beef Soup) and lots of beers.

Last minutes had to contact Tuna for his car services as they wanted to go Merlion Park. It’s my first time going there and I must say the night view is really stunning. The timing was nice and we get to watch the Marina Bay Sands Laser Show “SPECTRA” at 9pm.

Day 5 in Singapore (7 March 2018)

Will be spending whole day at Universal Studio Singapore @Sentosa. Maybank Credit Card was having 1 for 1 promotion and I bought 4 tickets to accompany them. Sadly, I fell sick on that day and had to call Ting to apply for half day leave to accompany them while I rest at a café.

My intention was to have dinner at Dancing Crab, but it operated at 5.30pm, didn’t expect them to end USS trip at 4.30pm. The guests were tired from waiting and Ji Hoon was clinging as he did not sleep the whole day, so decided to buy dinner back home. At the restaurant Lim make a big fuss when I told him don’t order so much as I don’t eat seafood. He is a typical male chauvinism and a spoilt child since he is the only child. He will not clear the utensil after meal, even at my house he will wait for his wife to clear. Even though he’s a little rich, but a stingy person. I got to hold back my temper as I don’t want to spoil the mood and they are my guests.

Last minutes I had to contact Tuna for his car service as taxi only allows 4 person and I want to ensure they go home safely. When we reach Tampines home, as usual we wanted to send them to the doorstep but Lim stop me said they want to sleep. This was where I confirm he was unhappy with me, as he keep nagging at his wife and Sun Young in the car. I felt sad as I had done so much, like cooking rice every morning for Ji Hoon, top up the beers in the fridge and spend so much money during their stay in Singapore, the car service is not cheap. I just want respect and appreciation. Ting ask me to stay cool and sleep early as I didn’t have enough sleep the past few days and said everything will be over soon.

Day 6 in Singapore (8 March 2018)

With a dishearten heart, Ting and I will be bringing them to tour around Singapore for the last time. I booked full day Tuna car services to save time travelling via public transport. Itinerary and timing was arranged nicely and tickets were bought, but Lim make changes last minutes. He made lots of last minutes changes and if I didn’t booked the car how is he going to do everything in 1 day. I had warned them beforehand that they will not be able to make it to both Singapore River Cruise and Gardens by the Bay at night. They said no worries everything will be under their control, so we went ahead with their plan. I had to keep reminding myself, OK, stay calm Racheal, they are my guests.

They wanted to have lunch first at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, so we went to East Coast Park outlet. The restaurant is not open for business yet, yes it’s my fault for not checking the operating hours as I was totally dishearten by all these drama. We went to the one at Clarke Quay and Sun Young insist she paid for the lunch, Ting told her we will pay by dutch to be fair. Sun Young gave in and said she will paid for the dinner as it’s their last day.

It’s my first time dining at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and now I know why the restaurant is so famous among the tourists. The food is really delicious but expensive. We ordered 1 chilli crab, 1 black pepper crab, Deep Fried Mini Bun, Cereal Prawns and Mee Goreng. From what we observed only 3 Singaporean are there, that is us and the rest are foreigners.

They wanted to take the river cruise in the evening, so after lunch we had free time. Asked Sun Young what she like to do or visit, she said Charles and Keith. We went to Liang Court outlet but it’s not satisfying to her as the store is small so Tuna suggest we go Marina Bay Sands one. Sun Young bought another bag from Charles and Keith and a pair of shoes for her husband at Pedro. I also bought 1 handbag from Pedro, found the design to be unique and was tempted to own it.

We took the Singapore River Cruise at 5pm. During the cruise ride, Jenny called me to ask me what happen the day before. Vent out all my frustration to her for 35 minutes and told her to come for dinner to ease my burden. Jenny came at 6.20pm, she help me entertain the guests and ask me get some rest.

The guests wanted to go Lau Pa Sat for dinner. It was not in the itinerary as I find it very expensive as the stalls mark up the price to earn tourists money. Xingyi join us for dinner and to bid farewell to Sun Young. Since it’s our last night together, we ordered lots of food and 3 jugs of beer to eat and chat. Sun Young told us to order satay and prawns from stalls 7 & 8, as it is highly recommended in Korea search engine. I also ordered barbeque sting ray and “La La” to let the guests try. They love the satay and “La La”, so we ordered more to match with the beers.

It was already 9.30pm when we realised, Gardens by the Bay was already closed. Sun Young told me to bring her there, saying she’s fine to hang around outside and take photos with the beautiful light. Got Jenny and Xingyi to join in the fun, so the 3 of us squeeze behind the MPV and was laughing all the way there.

There is one month open date from the date of purchase for the Gardens by the Bay tickets, will be bringing my parents there since we never went before.

Day 7 in Singapore (9 March 2018)

Changi Airport Terminal 2 is the last journey for this whole trip. Booked Tuna car services for half a day, as we need to go back Tampines home again to pack my stuffs and go back home. Fetch them at 9.30am, as they need to reach the airport at 10.30am. It’s always sad to bid farewell, even though there were unhappiness in between.

Goodbye Sun Young, Ji Hoon, Ji Young and Lim. Hope to see you again either in Singapore or Korea.

ADDRESS :

Yum Cha Chinatown

20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street), #02-01, Singapore 058479

Operating Hours:

Monday – Friday, 10.30am – 10.30pm

Sat, Sun & PH, 8am – 10.30pm

Chinatown Exit A, take a short walk on Pagoda Street, turn right at the junction to Trengganu Street, 5 minute walk.

Blanco Court Prawn Mee

243 Beach Road, #01-01, Singapore 189754

Opening Hours : 7am – 4pm

By MRT: Alight either at Bras Basah or Bugis MRT Station

#Selfie Coffee

11 Haji Lane

Opening Hours : 11.30am – 10pm

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

133 New Bridge Road, #01-04, Singapore 059413

Chinatown Point

By MRT: Alight at Chinatown MRT Station

PS. Café (Harding Road)

28B Harding Road

Singapore 249549

Din Tai Fung

Many outlets in Singapore, Google for the location J

Kko Kko Nara Restaurant

68 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088489

Jumbo Seafood @Clarke Quay

Riverside Point, 30 Merchant Road #01-01 / 02

Riverside Point, Singapore 058282

Lunch : 12pm – 3pm (Last order at 2.15pm)

Dinner : 6pm – 12am (Last order at 11.15pm)

Lau Pa Sat

18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582

Monday – Friday : 7pm – 1am

Saturday & Sunday : 3pm – 1am

IMM

By MRT: Jurong East MRT Station

Orchard Road

By MRT: Orchard Station

Singapore Night Safari

80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826

Operating Hours : 7.15pm – 12am (last admission 11.15pm)

By MRT : Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, then take bus 927

Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, then take bus 138

Khatib MRT Station, take Mandai Khatib Shuttle (have to pay, refer to web)

Woodlands MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only

Marsiling MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only

Singapore River Safari

80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826

Operating Hours : 10am – 7pm (Last admission 6.30pm)

By MRT: Khatib MRT Station, take Mandai Khatib Shuttle (have to pay, refer to web)

Choa Chu Kang MRT Station, then take bus 927

Ang Mo Kio MRT Station, then take bus 138

Woodlands MRT Station, then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only

Marsiling MRT Station,  then take bus 926, operated on Sundays & PH only

Merlion Park

One Fullerton

1 Fullerton Road

Operating Hours : 24 hours

By MRT :

- Take to Raffles Place

- Take the exit towards United Overseas Bank Plaza and from the middle of the plaza, you’ll see the Fullerton Hotel. Merlion Park is behind the hotel

Universal Studio Singapore @Sentosa

Operating Hours : 10am – 7pm

By MRT & Sentosa Express :

- Take to HarbourFront station

- Exit E to VivoCity and proceed to level 3 to board the Sentosa Express. Alight 1 stop later at Waterfront station

- Walk straight till you see Chili’s Restaurant on your right. Turn right and head towards the Universal Studios Globe

Singapore River Cruise

40 minutes cruise through the city centre

Operating Hours : 9am – 11pm (departs every 30 minutes)

Last boat departs at 10.30pm

Boarding Point : Proceed to Clarke Quay Jetty River Cruise ticketing counter (Next to G-MAX Reverse Bungy Jump)

* Not allowed to re-board the boat once disembarked

Gardens by the Bay

18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953

By MRT :

Via Circle Line or Downtown Line

- Alight at Bayfront MRT Station (CE1/DR16)

- Take Exit B and follow the underground linkway

- Exit and cross the Dragonfly Bridge or Meadow Bridge into Gardens by the Bay

Via East-West Line

- Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station (EW15)

- Take Exit C and head towards bus stop no. 03223 located at International Plaza, Anson Road

- Hop onto bus no. 400 and alight at bus stop no. 03371 along Marina Gardens Drive

Korea Trip (24th December 2017 – 5th January 2018)

I spent 13 days in Seoul and Cheonan. I took Scoot and upgraded to Business Class as I needed the 30kg check in baggage and the meals. The air ticket cost me S$840.16, I find it reasonable since it’s a super peak period.

I departed on 24^th Dec which is Christmas eve, the whole flight duration takes about 8 hours 10 minutes with transit at Taipei. My flight takes off at 12.30pm and reached Seoul Incheon International Airport at 9.40pm (Korea Time), Korea is 1 hour ahead of Singapore. As usual I booked the airport transfer from Klook, so that we can reach the hotel faster and easily. There is a late night charge of 20,000 Korean won.

Our accommodation at Seoul is The Grand Hotel Myeongdong, which is located near Myeongdong Station and the shopping street. I just love the location of the hotel, it’s so convenient to get around.

Day 2 (25 Dec 2017)

I had been waiting for this day to arrive, because it’s K.Will 10^th Anniversary Concert. The concert tickets start selling to the public on 31^st Oct 2017 7pm (Korea Time) and I remember at 5.30pm (Singapore Time) I was sitting in front of my laptop hoping to get good seats. It’s my second concert in my life, the first one was S.H.E.

In the morning we went Namsan Seoul Tower. We bought the tickets at S$14 per person through Klook and it includes the Observatory and Hello Kitty Island. We took the wrong route, instead going to the left of Pacific Hotel, we went to the right and had to walk a longer route. Ting is afraid of heights, so I gave her 2 choices, either she walk up or take the cable car which is faster. She is the lazy type so she took the cable car with her eye closed and kept pulling my bag.

We felt embarrassed at Hello Kitty Island as we were the only adults without children visiting, but we had a great time taking photos. The scenery at the observatory is so nice, we bought a cup of tea, sat there and enjoy the view.

Ting was very tired from the walking so we pack lunch back to the hotel. I let her rest for 1 hour before we departed to Jangchung Gymnasium for my K.Will concert. 

We took subway to Dongguk Univ, lucky it was easy to find. I should have go early as the merchandise were all sold out, I wanted the light stick. We entered at 5.20pm and the security was very strict, he doesn’t allow any photos or videos to be taken, but lucky Ting managed to snap the stage. I really enjoyed the whole performance and suffered from the after-effects.

Day 3 (26 Dec 2017)

Shopping day for me, Ting doesn’t like shopping she only loves to eat and sleep. We only went window shopping at Garosu-gil. We skipped lunch to eat the street foods at Myeongdong, it’s really delicious and cheap.

Myeongdong is one of the cosmetics heaven, but it’s very packed at every store, I prefer to go Hongdae as it’s less crowded and I can have the salesgirl to myself. As the hotel is just nearby I got everything from Myeongdong so that I need not carry the heavy shopping bags around. I love one of the Innisfree hand cream, I will make sure I stock up whenever I visit Korea. I also love buying the latest cosmetics or the latest trend.

We went back to the hotel to unload the shopping bags and rest. Our last stop of the day is shopping at Lotte Mart, which is Ting favourite. We went to the one located at Seoul Station, sadly the last operation date is on 31^stDec 2017.

Day 4 (27 Dec 2017)

Came across Teseum Teddy Bear Museum located near Dongmyo Station at Klook website, didn’t knew there is one in Seoul. The tickets is S$12 per person. Both of us almost die of exhaustion from climbing the stairs. Singaporean are really lucky as we have escalators and elevator at MRT, in Korea 90% are staircase and I always see the elderly struggling while climbing the staircase.

We were the only customers so we were able to roam around freely and no distraction when taking photos. We went to the DIY section to design carousel, the price is affordable. It’s simple and fun and most important I get to know how to design carousel.

Next stop, we went Dongdaemun Design Plaza. While strolling around and taking photos, we were approached by an elderly lady. I wanted to reject her help when she offered to help us take photos, but Ting accept it. I don’t feel comfortable and knew there must be a motive behind it. She asked where we are from, what kind of language we speak in Singapore. The whole conversation I was looking away and busy with my phone, Ting is the one who entertain her. Finally she show her true self, she introduced and gave us her church pamphlets, telling us how great it is. I had to end this conversation, so I told the old lady politely that I’m having stomach-ache and needed the toilet. We had to escape to one of the shopping plaza in Dongdaemun to avoid bumping into the old lady.

Day 5 (28 Dec 2017)

We woke up early to wash our clothes as we will be leaving Seoul to Cheonan in 2 day time. It’s a cultural trip today. We went Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong. I like buying Korea design souvenirs from Insadong. This time I found and bought Hello Kitty and Hello Daniel dressed in hanbok, it’s one of my best buy.

I think I’m not fated to visit Hello Kitty Café in Korea, as I’m sure to lose my way and can’t find the café. In the end I gave up and found myself shopping at Hongdae and Ewha Women’s University Shopping Street.

We ended the night early as we will be going on a 1 Day group trip to Jeonju.

Day 6 (29 Dec 2017)

We had to reach Myeongdong Station, Exit 2 at 7.50am, as the bus will pick us up at 8am sharp. As usual we bought the tickets via Klook and cost us S$62 per person. It’s a 3 hour bus journey, with a 15 minutes toilet break in between. We arrived at Jeonju Hanok Village at 11.40am and it’s our free time and sightseeing. We admired the Hanok architecture and tried the traditional food. We went to a café ordered drinks and chatted about the good old days before we departed at 3.40pm to Seoul.

Had dinner at Yoogane and last minute shopping as we will be leaving for Cheonan the next day. We tried to sleep early but we were too busy washing all our clothes and packing the luggage.

Day 7 (30 Dec 2017)

Another event I had been waiting for. Sun Young had been inviting me to go Cheonan and stay at her house. I bought her and Ji Young (sister) their favourite Singapore brand Charles and Keith bag, Singapore Sling, Hippo chocolates, chilli crab sauce, instant coffee, kaya, instant milk tea, TWG tea and Ji Hoon (son, 3 years old) toys.

We had to take KTX to Cheonan. I reserved the train that depart at 1.10pm, so that Sun Young had enough time to settle her son before coming to fetch us. It’s a short journey of 34 minutes.

We felt bad as she let us use the master bedroom while she and her husband slept with their son. She was so happy when she received the gifts, took photos and called her sister, mother, husband, best friend to brag about it. While the mother is busy bragging, the son is busy moving the gifts from point A to point B. After getting bored with the moving, he drag Ting to his play room. He is so happy that he had 2 new auntie to play with him.

Our first dinner at Cheonan is my favourite barbeque place, the marinated meat is really delicious and best is they used charcoal to grill the meat. It’s nice to see that the restaurant was passed down from many generations, allowing customers to go back and savour the food.

Ji Hoon is so excited about our visit to his house. It’s already 10pm and he does not want to sleep, keep staying by our side. Sun Young had no choice but to hide the both of us in the room, who knew both of us fell asleep first.

Day 8 – 12 (31 Dec 2017 – 4 Jan 2018)

Sun Young brought us to a snow sleigh to experience the ride. It’s my first and last time riding this, it’s so fast and my lane had a hump toward the end of the ride, therefore I flew a little.

We had a small celebration on New Year’s Eve. First we had to make Ji Hoon sleep before we can start the celebration, so again the both of us hide in the room till he slept. Had cakes, snacks and beers to welcome the New Year. Sun Young loves to drink beer and every night she will prepared snacks to go with the beer. Although we have language barriers but we managed to chat everything under the sun. 

We tour around Cheonan during our stay there, it’s my first time not planning any itinerary. We just follow Sun Young plan and it was great enjoying all the activities and foods she plan for us. It’s really tiring being a tour guide, she fell sick but lucky it’s not so serious.

During the trip, Ji Young invited us to her house as she wanted to treat us dinner. Initially she wanted to order delivery but we teased her to cook for us. With the stress given to her, she cooked Kimchi Fried Rice for us. She emphasised that she is not a good cook and not to have high expectation. Sun Young told us she love going to Ji Young house because she can push Ji Hoon to Ji Young while she relax.

Scoot was having promotion and with excitement I helped Sun Young and Ji Young booked their trip to Singapore. Yes, they are finally coming to Singapore again after 3 years.

Ji Hoon also had enjoyed our company. Sun Young and I were happy that he loves playing with Ting, as Sun Young can teach me how to cook some Korea dishes. Thanks to Ting, Sun Young also can had some time off to enjoy a cup of tea with me.

Day 13 (5 Jan 2018)

Our last day in Korea and it’s always sad to leave when all of us are getting closer. Ting and I went to the supermarket and florist shop to get Sun Young birthday cum farewell gifts. It really surprised me that Ting does not know there is a florist shop near the house, as we will pass by everyday when we entered the car park.

Sun Young was so touched when she saw the bouquet, the atmosphere was happy and sad and we found ourselves crying.

Sun Young and Ji Young husband will be sending us to the airport. It’s a more than 2 hour journey from her house to Incheon airport, in total they will be spending about 5 hours on the road. We left her house at 3pm as we were afraid there will be traffic jam.

Our flight is at 10.40pm (Korea Time), will be reaching Singapore next day at 6.15am.

To Sun Young, you are really a good host during our stay. I enjoyed every minutes and the memories created. Looking forward to your March holiday in Singapore and hoping to visit you again.