Watching SM Town Concert 2010 (Aug 21)

Uh-oh...I've been abandoning this blog for 2 months T_T
I was on my hometown for a month, and came back to Korea on August 12, but then everything came in a same time. Moving dorm, new campus, graduation day... I couldn't manage my time so this blog was kinda put on hibernate *bows*

Okaaay, now comes the talk!
Finally, this year I could watch SM Town 2010!
Last year I was anticipating for this event but suddenly it got canceled T_T
So this year, I was happy that they made it.

What I remembered the most was: the weather was very very HOT.
Summer oh summer...But it's better than raining, of course (the week before, I watched Super Junior's SS3 concert and the rain was terrible).
So, I went to Jamsil Stadium with Atri, Pampam (her brother), and Tommy. At the stadium we met Widhi and Qonita. What a happy day^^

Look, how crowded it was...

Being loyal fans (?), Atri and I straightly took a line to buy the merchandise. The line had already been long, but I thought they had a lot of stocks, so we didn't have to worry. Our picks were of course: the concert's photobook and Super Junior's merchandise ^^

At about 4 PM, we entered the venue. We got separate seats (I sat with Atri, Pampam with Qonit, Widhi and Tommy got other seats). It's because the seat-selecting system was based on luck, hahaha...

This is what I like from Kpop fans...They are all very dedicated to their idols. They made the banners and even sat together with fellow fans from the same group/singer, so they'd create a beautiful view when they waved the light sticks.

The example of the light stick "ocean"..Pink belongs to SNSD's fans.

The concert was, of course fun! Especially when the remaining members of DBSK (Changmin & Yunho) appeared. I've been wanting to watch them since I came to Korea, so even if I only watched the two of them, I felt happy. Apparently a lot of Japanese fans came for them, because the two of them now aren't active in Japan. Hmmm I hope someday they'll reunite and rock the world again~

Okay, because the show began late, it ended late too. We went home at almost 12 AM, so we couldn't catch the last train T_T

We took a taxi finally, and spent money 4 times than if we took the subway^^;

But it worthed, so yeah~

World Students in Korea (WSK) 3rd Batch Camp (Day 1)

Hi^^
This year the summer in Korea is as hot as last year! We, the WSK 3rd batch were having a 2 days camp in Gunsan and Jeonju, and fortunately the weather during our camp wasn't hot! It even rained, and according to the guide (Ms. Sujin), Korea has that kind of "rainy season" which lasts for several days during summer^^

So, on Friday July 2nd, we departed from Apgujeong, heading south to Gunsan which took about 3 hours. It was a long but fun trip.

Our huge bus^^

Arrived in Gunsan, an industrial estate, reminded me of Kawasan Industri MM2100 in Cibitung where I used to work before. We watched a short introductory movie of Hyundai Heavy Industries, and later we visited the ship-building factory. I was so impressed by the large size of the ships and the components. Since we couldn't take pictures, so I don't have the pics in that ship-building factory.

After that, we had lunch in a nice Korean restaurant. The menu were beef stew and tuna for those who don't eat beef. It was a nice lunch^^

Then, we continued to visit another Hyundai factory, which was Wind Turbine factory. Again, we were fascinated by the technology that Korea has. In the exhibition hall, we saw the samples of the wind turbine components, such as solar modules, solar inverters, generators, etc. After that, we had a chance to visit the wind turbine assembly factory. It's very huge compared to the assembly factory of electronics products *of course!*

Finishing our company visit, we headed to Jeonju Hanok Village, a very beautiful place with traditional nuance. We visited Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum where we tried to make makgolli (Korean traditional rice wine). The smell is like Indonesia's air tape, but I didn't try the taste^^

Beautiful, isn't it?

Me & Shwe from Myanmar tried to filter the fermented rice to make makgolli.

From the museum, we moved to our traditional inn named 부용헌 (Buyongheon). I liked it very much!! It was so soothing...

The inn

We were assigned to a group of 3, and my roommates were Dewi from Indonesia and Hu from China. Look!  The room was very cozy and the folded bed had a beautiful color^^

At night, we had a dinner of Jeonju's specialty, bibimbap. It was delicious^^

Then, we had a game in which we're divided into 3 groups, and we chose Sian, our magnae as the representative, hehehe...

Nice move, Sian XD

Ending the 1st day, we enjoyed pansori ( a kind of Korean traditional music) and also traditional music performances. Some of the music was so soothing that made me sleepy^^ but some were energetic and cheerful. I had a great time.

Gayageum and janggu performance

An ensemble of gayageum, janggu and sogeum (I don't know the name of one wind instrument)

Pansori. This lady was very attractive and she sang very well.

Quite a long day, wasn't it? That night, we Indonesian girls (Dewi, Sian, Widhi & I) took a long walk along the street to find some karaoke place, but we found none^^ So we went back to our inn. I watched soccer match between Netherlands vs Brazil in Sian/Widhi's room^^ Yeah, Indonesians love soccer!

That's all for the 1st day and I'll be back with the report of our 2nd day trip. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Eat These 3 Fruits for Great Summer Skin

taken from RealAge


Slather on that SPF every chance you get this summer. But for extra sun protection points, eat plenty of these fruits as well: cherries, nectarines, and watermelon.

These juicy treats not only cool your mouth in warm weather but may shield your skin from warm weather, too. Compounds in the fruits may boost your skin's natural resilience against wrinkles and sun damage, according to Allison Tannis, author of Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles.

In-Season Skin Savers
What's so special about this trio of fruits? Check out their unique protective benefits.

Cherries: Eat a daily handful and you may enjoy fresher, less puffy skin. It's all thanks to the inflammation-fighting anthocyanins and melatonin in cherries, writes Tannis. Melatonin may boost UV protection and cell growth as well -- two great ways to keep wrinkles at bay. Tart cherries tend to be highest in melatonin. (Find out how tart cherries help fight cancer, too.)

Nectarines: These smooth-skinned sisters of the peach provide a mini-spa's worth of nutrients that may help correct sun damage from the inside out, according to Tannis. They offer skin goodies like lycopene, lutein, niacin, copper, and vitamins A, C, and E. The A, C, and E trio also works to control inflammation and free radical damage in both the watery and the fatty layers of skin. (Add nectarines to dinner with this recipe: Tarragon-Rubbed Salmon with Nectarine Salsa.)

Watermelon: Nibbling on watermelon wedges has the power to refresh your face as much as your palate, thanks to the high water and lycopene content. Lycopene helps protect and preserve connections between skin cells so skin is tighter, smoother, and better able to retain moisture. (Store your watermelon this way to get the most lycopene from it.)

Happy summer^^

Watching Dream Concert (May 22)

Okay, I feel so lame that I always post a long-gone event T_T
*blame all those assignments that made me crazy*

However, amidst those crazy weeks full of assignments, I still managed to entertain myself by watching concerts XD. Since last year, I always attend Dream Concert (DreamCon) in which many Korean popular singers performing, and also of which the ticket is cheap. Only 5,000 won (~ Rp 50.000). That's just freakin cheap, and me likes cheap things, hehehe... I also watch DreamCon especially to see my favorite K-pop group, Super Junior ^^. This May was their comeback and I really wanted to see them perform 미인아 (Bonamana) live.

Okay, so I went with my friend Atri and met two others at Sangam World Cup Stadium. It was raining, so we had to buy rain coats. I hate rain becoz it makes things look more difficult, but I knew I'd still enjoy the show^^

Me wearing the light blue.

At 7 PM, the show began. The MCs were Ok Taecyeon (2PM), Shin Saekyung (actress from K-drama High Kick), and Kim Heechul (Super Junior). IMO, both male MCs were very attractive but the female MC was still stiff, maybe because that was her first time doing MC.

Left-right: Kim Heechul - Shin Saekyung - Ok Taecyeon

There were 21 artists (solo singers and girl/boy groups) performing, named U-kiss, Rainbow, F.Cuz, Ze:a, f(x), davichi, MBLAQ, CN Blue, B2ST, SHINee, SS501, Rain, T-ara, 4minutes, After School, Kara, Wonder Girls, 2PM, SNSD, Lee Hyori, and Super Junior. They all performed with their own unique characteristics. The cute and energetic SHINee, the calm and mature SS501, the fresh CN Blue (and the only live band XD), the sexy Kara and After School, the cool Lee Hyori who brought a motorbike on the set, and of course the long awaited Wonder Girls and Super Junior! I was very entertained and I hope I can attend the next year's DreamCon.

CN Blue (but only Jungshin and Yonghwa in this picture)

SHINee

SS501

Rain (it seems his appearance was omitted in the televised version) T_T

Super Junior

The closing performance by all artists.

The crowd at the station after the show. Though we were all wet, but we're happy!! ^^

Seoul Friendship Fair 2010 (9-10 May)

This is a very late post because I'm very busy with my graduation report ^^;

Usually in spring there's a special event called Hi Seoul Festival. But this year, the annual festival was postponed due to the national mourning. Instead, Seoul held an event called Seoul Friendship Fair during 2 days in Seoul Plaza. In there, we could see international traditional cultural performances and take a look at international booths that sold various souvenirs. When I got there at about 1 PM, the venue had already become crowded^^
I saw a lot of traditional dances including the performances from Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Azerbaijan, as well as other participating countries.

The gate. This fair took a whole street for its international food booths. It's very cool how we could walk through the street that's usually passed by cars, isn't it? ^^

 

I took a picture with Haechi, the mascot of Seoul city. Though it's cute, but in the legend Haechi is so fierce and is an ally of justice. Look at the children!^^ They playfully inserted their hands into Haechi's mouth^^

Indonesia's booth. Haha it stood out among the others because the booth used those Balinese ornaments.

Japan's traditional game and people wearing matsuri (festival) costume. Somehow I missed this view, because in Jakarta I often attended Japanese cultural events. Recently in Jakarta, Korean cultural events start to gain more popularity among youths thanks to Kpop and Kdrama.

People enjoying the foods at the gazebo built on a street. It was hot, but the event was so merry that we almost forgot the sunny weather.

Indonesia's food booth. Again the ornament made it stand out^^ 

The booth won the award for the Most Various Foods. Congrats!

The UK booth with lovely ladies wearing unique clothes. In other booths, we could also see the exhibitors wearing their own traditional clothes that are unique and exotic.

This Afghanistan's food was so delicious! No wonder that it became the winner for Best Food award.

Ah, the Friendship Fair was nice and enjoyable...I hope I can visit it again!

Thanks for reading ^_^

The Magical Beauty of Hanbok

taken from here

There are many things that may represent Korea. One among them is the Korean traditional dress “hanbok.”

Although nowadays few people wear hanbok except on national holidays like New Year’s Day, the beauty and elegance of the garment is always amazing. 

Stitch by stitch, making a beautiful hanbok takes great craftsmanship, effort, and passion. It depends on how you choose the right combination of colors among infinite possibilities; how you cut, fold, stitch up patches of cloth together; how you sew patterns onto it, etc.

Hanbok has some magical quality about its color and texture that even the modern digital technology can’t really simulate on the screen. 

Patterns of flowers and butterflies sewn into the cloth radiate the artist’s craftsmanship and subtlety. Wearing hanbok, you can just feel the artist’s heart oozing out of it. There are no fixed set of rules or formula to follow in making hanbok. How the garment is rendered is solely at the discretion of the hanbok-maker.

Hanbok takes into account the wearer’s body shape, comfort, and beauty, all at the same time. It is one of Korea’s greatest assets containing its people’s indelible, age-long wisdom.

Despite the garment’s much fallen popularity among people nowadays, the passion and perseverance of hanbok artists endures.

Hats off to the hanbok makers – protectors of one of the most precious Korean assets.

One Fine Spring Day (May 2, 2010)

As many of you may realize, this year, spring came late to Korea. Usually the weather would be getting warm started from March, but this year, it even snowed on late March! But aside of the late coming, spring is always nice. Chilly breeze combined with a not-so-bright sunshine, it's a perfect day to leave the hibernating period and step outside ^o^

So, that day, my friends and I went to go for a walk along Hangang Park in Yeouido. As we expected, it was so crowded with people (and pets actually^^). We rode the bicycles, played at the fountain, stared at the river, and sat on the grass enjoying the breeze.

It's refreshing and envying to see lovers rode the bicycle, hehehe...

 Look! Even there were some families building tents there^^

After cycling for an hour, we took break here...

Sitting on the stone floor and put our feet in the water while watching the scenery of Han River, so peaceful that I forgot about my assignments for a while^^

That dome-like building is a cafe and we also spent some time there. 

This kid was playing with the fountain beside the cafe.

The identical buildings at the foreground are Twin Building (Twin Tower), the headquarter of LG Electronics, one of the biggest electronic company in Korea and in the world...and also the company I used to work for before^^

The brown building at the background is 63 Building, a very famous building in Korea.

Side note:

I really, really hope that Jakarta will have the facility like Hangang Park, where people can relax and enjoy the scenery for free and safely. I know that we have some facilities, but most of them are not free and not so enjoyable, some are not clean enough. I think we have a lot of potentials to develop something like this if people and government join hands together to create a better environment for the city. Go go Indonesia!

Seoul and Its Happy City Project

taken from here

According to the recent statistics of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of foreign residents of Seoul is estimated at around 250,000, taking up 2.5% of Seoul’s total population.

This is an increase by 100,000 people within the last 3 years – a stupendous increase, indeed. This signifies just how fast Seoul is turning into a global and multicultural city.

Then how satisfied are the over 250,000 international residents living in Seoul?

According to the survey conducted in November 2009 on foreigners who had been living in Seoul for more than one year, their degree of satisfaction scored 3.8 out of 5 points, which is an increase for three consecutive years.

Foreigners at “Hi Seoul Festival” (Flickr.com)

But of course, there are things to be improved. To that end, Seoul city has launched the “Happy City Project” which includes various support programs for foreigners in communication, multiculturalism, solving everyday problems and obstacles, and so on.

The project focuses on 15 foreigner-dense areas designated as “Global Zones” which include the Seoul City Hall area, Yeoksam, Samsung, Yeouido, Ichon, Itaewon, Hannam, Yeonnam, Seorae Village, Myeongdong, Insadong, Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, etc. 

Also, the construction of the “Global Cluster Building” will begin in May, which will include a one-stop help center for foreigners and chamber of commerce offices of various countries.

The “Global Business Help Center” will open in mid-May in COEX with the aim to help foreigners set up small to medium-sized businesses in Korea. And the on-site consultation service, where a batch of staff visits areas with high concentrations of foreigners, will be further streamlined.

Entrance to the Seoul Global Center

Last January, 14 additional multicultural family support centers opened in Seoul, which makes a total of 20 such centers. A web site (http://mcfamily.seoul.go.kr) designed to provide information on Seoul city and job vacancies for foreign spouses was launched in five languages including Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, English and Korean.

A support center for migrant workers has also been operating, providing Korean-language classes that put focus on industrial site-related vocabulary. There is also the International Student Forum, and the foreign students support desks at major universities that provide counseling and information on Korea for international students.

The Friendship Fair at “Hi Seoul Festival”

Various cultural performances will take place in Mugyo-dong “Global Street” near the Seoul City Hall, and flea markets for foreigners will be held at the Seoul Folk Flea Market in Sinseol-dong. Furthermore, the Seoul Help Center for Foreigners is going to sponsor 16 foreign community festivals including the Mongolian Naadam Festival and the Irish Folk Dance Festival.

For medical services, the current 11 medical centers for foreigners will be expanded to 17 by 2012, and a Global Open Health Center will be launched in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Geumcheon-gu districts in May, where treatments for pregnant women and infants from multicultural families will be provided.

Foreigners in the subway (Flickr.com)

In terms of public transportation, sign panels will be furnished in a number of foreign languages at every subway station, and so will the Seoul city subway map. Also, 26 administrative forms frequently filled out by foreigners will be translated into Chinese and Japanese in addition to English and Korean. Tax notices, too, will have its contents written in both Korean and English.

Likewise, Seoul city is making efforts to create a truly global Seoul that is a wonderful city not only for Koreans, but for all the foreign residents and visitors in it as well!