Young & Vibrant Hyehwa 혜화 In Seoul

All thanks to a friend who brought us to Hyehwa for a tasty traditional dinner that I came to know of vibrant area filled with university students.

You see, Hyehwa station located on Line 2 is situated near to Hyehwa University. And of course it's filled with life and energy.

I didn't have the chance to shop around as much as I wanted to. All I could do was to snap away while taking a stroll after dinner.

I was told that the there's a few theaters in the area. Perhaps, you can get a clear picture of what this little charming area is all about from these 2 blogs here and here.

I'll just let my pictures speak for themselves.

Strangely, a lot of fortune telling tents littered the streets. I would think that at this age, you'd think you can conquer the world and have no need of fortune telling to guide you through life.

I particularly love this building below with the huge glass doors. It adds such romance to a cool Srping night in Seoul. 

Makes me miss Seoul so....

I'm definitely heading back to get myself acquainted with this lovely place the next time I'm back in Seoul.

Hyehwa station is just 1 stop away from Dongdaemun station. Take Exit 2 and just soak up the energy as you step out! ;) 

The Only Way Is To Let Love Flow

Have you ever felt magnetically drawn to something that makes you fear?

It doesn't matter how many times you've love. It's different each time when we find ourselves in an unknown territory all over again.

Feeling all vulnerable and exposed if you chose to live free and be true.

"Anyone who loves must know how to lose themselves and find themselves again." - Paulo Coelho, By The River Peidra I Sat Down And Wept.

Dancing on the Stage of My Life

Giving my heart and possibly my best to the special ones that have crossed my path.

Believing that life is just a series of dance that hopefully joins seamlessly from one act to the next.

That I need to dance it my way to call it my own.

Why is it so hard for some to understand this?

Love, Hope & More Importantly, Courage

It's such a turn off to me when someone approaches life with the lack of courage. 'Coz hiding behind reasons to act in a less than courageous manner simply means that you're taking the easy way out in life.

My dad used to place his hand on my forehead before I go to sleep and tell me to have 勇气. Back then, I found it lame. Now, I finally understood what he meant and the aspirations he has for me.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. -Mark Twain

I want to fill my life with love, with hope and more importantly courage. The courage to live a life true to myself and the courage to grab life with both my hands and to simply live. The courage to say "yes" to life and to rise above life's never ending challenges.

I Wish For An All Consuming Love To Be Called Mine

I wish for an all consuming love to be called mine. One that is built on trust and open communication, and more importantly, honesty. 

I wish for such a love that grows from the meeting of minds. One that makes both feel immensely free yet totally consumed. I will dance to this love with passion and know a lifetime is just too short.

I wish for such a love to be my gift soon.

Putting On My Dancing Shoes

It has been a long, long time since I last posted an entry here.

So, it's the new year. And it's a new year with new goals and more challenges. One of my goals this year is getting down to learning Dance. I've always enjoy dance and I think I may just start with Jazz.

I can't wait! =)

Charming Samcheong-dong in Seoul, Korea

I've been wanting to visit Samcheong-dong since my 1st trip to Korea this year, yet I didn't find the time to do so. I was told that it is a charming area with nice cafes, restaurants and lovely shops scattered along the street. 

Bukchon Hanok Village and some palaces are also located in the same area. 

Somehow, I managed to venture there by squeezing out some time at night. Sadly, it was dark and I couldn't see the beauty of the many artistic and interesting buildings in their full glory. It was enough though to see that the shops have their own distinctive character and unique charm. 

It's also interesting to see new and old traditional buildings side by side and how they seem to sit so well together. 

And if you walk into the alleys, you'll discover more shops. It made me feel like I was on a treasure hunt.

With the many cool cafes and restaurants around, we easily found a Korean restaurants for dinner.

I asked for the recommended dishes and was told that we have to try their Traditional Korean Meal. And oh, what a spread it was!

I must say it was really 맛있어요 (delicious)!

The rice was prepared in a special way; it was served with oysters! So good that I could even eat it on its own, 진짜요 (really)! I had a really hearty meal that night in Samcheong-dong. =)

One of the shops I really love there was Accessory Kitchen. I bought myself a ring and a scarf from there as keepsake.

If I were to visualize what my ICING Accessories would look if we were to have a retail store of our own. This would be very close to it. Moreover, the brand colour is green! In almost the same shade as ICING's and it's my favourite colour! Yipee!

The only drawback about Samcheong-dong is the slight difficulty in locating it. We were walking for a while not knowing whether we were on the right track or not. Thankfully, the directions given by a passer-by was easy to follow.

If you exit from Exit 1 of Anguk station (green circle in map), just turn your right and walk straight all the way. In about 5 mins, Gwanghwamun Gate will come into sight. Once you see it, just turn to your right and walk for another 5 - 10mins.

At the end of Samcheong-dong gil, the road will split into 2 and just keep to the right one (follow the purple arrow) that'll lead you into Samcheong-dong.

 I've also uploaded how the view of Gwanghwamun Gate looks like from the 2 streets that intersect. If you want a clearer map, just drop me a note here.

On a positive note, there's many art galleries and interesting shops from Anguk Station to Samcheong-dong.

It's indeed one of life's little pleasures to enjoy a a cool autumn night, appreciating artistic creations as I take a stroll down the streets.