18/53

A portrait of my sons, once a week, every week in 2015.

Emre: Never ever let him lose in any game you play with him.

Rumi: He said he likes me. I'm sure he meant he LOVESMETOTHEMOONANDBACK.

Sewol tragedy memorial at Gwanghwamun Square

Nothing is more eerie than seeing the photos of the kids who perished in the Sewol ferry tragedy back in April 2014. You could almost hear the laughter of the kids just by looking at their photos. 304 passengers perished, while 9 are still missing. 

There is makeshift memorial here at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, near the golden statue of King Sejong the Great. I saw an old man staring forlornly at the statue, before he was called for lunch in one of the food tents there. I hope he is not one of the parents of the missing students because it really broke my heart just seeing him. Can't imagine the pain he has to go through, just waiting there everyday, for answers.

I dream of Seoul

Oh Seoul. I don't even know where to start.

First of all, I'm glad that my friends and I made this trip. We bonded over the love of k-pop and having booked the tickets close to a year ago, this is all we ever talk about. Leading up to this trip there were too many problems at work - but time flew really fast - and before I knew it - I am in Seoul.

I was worried that I might hate Seoul - because I had so much expectations. Sure, I was told that Koreans are rude - as compared to Japanese. Or how the weather will be super cold, but I got over it. I LOVE SEOUL.

I love it so much that I don't want to write a travelogue because all of us are missing Seoul so much right now haha. But some notes:

Accommodation: 

We stayed at Dream Comfort a cozy homestay in Hongdae that belongs to an English-speaking Korean couple. The place is clean, and there is milk, eggs, bread etc for us to help ourselves with breakfast.

Food:

Thanks to Bibi who is familiar with things in Seoul, we had delicious Korean food! There is Lotteria too so yay for shrimp burger! On the other hand, churros is really popular in Korea so we snacked on that too. On certain nights, to save money we at maggi that we brought from home. Typical Malaysians.

Local attractions:

Everland is beautiful - went on a few rides of my life! We also visited Seoul Tower (too bad it was raining) and Hanbok Village. Decided to skip Nami Island this time around and best place ever? The Dongdaemun Design Plaza - my jaw literally droppped seeing this futuristic place!

Shopping:

I can't even... Seoulites are so stylish and I can see why. They are cheap, and even those sold by the roadside are of good quality! I spent quite a bit on stationeries, and EXO-endorsed Nature Republic & SPAO (the equivalent of Uniqlo). 

Idol-worshipping:

Haha this is my favorite part. We visited k-pop record labels and even Big Bang's concert venue! Bumping into Big Bang's lead guitarist and BtoB's member was a big bonus for us. Eventhough I'm sure each one of us secretly wished that we get a glimpse of EXO members instead. But that's okay, because we went to SMTown Coex Atrium, an exhibition of sort for SM Entertainment fans.

Cafe-hopping:

This was another reason why I wanted to visit Seoul. The coffee culture is amazing but by the 3rd day I had gastric attack and I only brought one sachet of Gaviscon! Gave up on asking pharmacies about the equivalent so resorted to chamomile tea and yogurt drink instead to ease my tummy. Sigh.

Definitely will go back. (I can imagine my husband rolling his eyes already)

Everland

Everland is pretty amazing.

Well, all amusement parks are amazing.

Everland on the other hand, is gorgeous. So many greens and flowers! We didn't get to explore errthing on that day, but had so much fun.

My only pet peeve is that Everland's merchandise are pretty limited, if you compare with Disneyland or Universal Studios. Not that it's a bad thing because or else I'll be spending my moolah away hey hey hey! Ended up buying an Everland cap and a hippo (whatshername from Madagascar) lanyard.

Dream job.

T-Express roller coaster. The world's fourth steepest wooden roller coaster! Amazing ride.

I thought T-Express was nuts, until I got on the Double Rock Spin....
Amazing view from the top though!

Masa ni, terus rindu anak2. Haih.

Noris pointed out that this looks like a broccoli. Eh ye lah!

Heheh.

We were mighty impressed by the bird show!

I like to move it move it.

Podgy & the Banker +

One of my favorite hairstylists has moved to Mont Kiara and hey, there's a Podgy & the Banker+ here! They serve full menu here which is a yay because if you wanna look hipsterish you move to the left to the left to Hartamas. Hehe.

And surpisingly the latte here taste really good. I'm talking EspressoLab-good here. So yay me! A good spot in case I'm clueless on where to go for lunch on weekdays.

Aglio olio is pretty good too.

Cosmo Beauty Masterclass

Can't sleep! The weather is kinda hot tonight. This is an old post which I abandoned. I went to my first beauty class with my colleague few weeks back. I'm probably the oldest participant there haha. But I had fun. Great freebies too.

Food sponsored by Tous Les Jours. Eyy who can say no to this.

Fancy schmancy artwork at DPac,

Basic make-up lesson by Artdeco, some brand from Germany.

New Casio Exilim camera out in May! Could possibly be my next camera. :)

Casio's spokesperson's kicks.

16/53

A portrait of my sons, once a week, every week in 2015.

Emre: He bites me whenever he's shy around people. \o/

Rumi: He finally admits that his girlfriend is his classmate Cynthia Monica. Don't grow up so fast boy!

Losing another father

Last Sunday, I went back to Kota Bharu. Uncle Mat Isa, who has been my father's bestfriend for ages (who is also like a second father to me) slipped into a coma the beginning of the week. I was dying to go home, but we can only plan. It is God who decides on things.

The last time i saw him was during the big Kelantan flood end of the year. I couldn't reach him nor his wife, and I was getting worried. But few days later I learned that they have fled to KL and were staying with their daughter. I also learned that Uncle had suffered a stroke (i have not seen him for close to a year) and could barely move his arms.

I thought I could at least see him again last Sunday. It might be my last goodbye, but I needed to see him. This man was a major figure in my life and has been a good friend to Baba through thick and thin.

Roy and I landed in KB around 730am. We decided to have breakfast, then go to the cemetery and hung out at my uncle's house until noon so that I can head to the hospital after lunch. 

I nearly died when Uncle's daughter messaged me around 11am saying that he has passed on around 5am. I don't blame her for not telling me earlier because I didn't tell his family either that I was gonna be in KB. But at least I get to see him before he was buried. His face, so serene.

In this picture, my family plot is on the right hand side at the big tree where my father, eldest nephew, grandparents and ancestors were laid to rest. It calms me to know that even in death, Uncle is near to Baba. I think at some point they did joke about being buried close to each other. I miss them terribly and I'm sure Allah has a good place for them.

Don't think I can write further. Al-Fatihah. Thank you Uncle, for everything. May Allah grant you the highest level of Jannah... Sampaikan salam Amy pada Baba & Danial ya? :(

Monday lunch

The journey to total self-refrain is a lonely one. (Have not had rice for 6 days)

Jalan2 cari idols

Well you know, just counting the days...

14/53

A portrait of my sons, once a week, every week in 2015.

Emre: Always the sensitive soul.

Rumi: Sensitive soul times 2! Heh.

Put a ring on it

As you all may know, or may not know at all, I'm a sucker for rings. Ame and I talk about the perfect rings all the time, her findings on eBay and IG are amazing! 

I've been eyeing the ring below from Selberan for ages but it didn't look good on me.

Then I saw some rings from Poh Kong but thought they look kinda cheap (but they are affordable though). Never get to try the ring below though. 

But alas, Selberan and I are just meant to be. The outlet at Empire is closing down and selected items are on 40% off! Must be my lucky day. Bought this while my husband went for his solat tee hee.