My Seoul Top 10

(There are a couple of travel blogs in my drafts folder that I couldn't seem to have time to finish. So here is one of them.)

My sister and I visited Seoul in September 2010. You see, my sister is a big fan of Super Junior and 2PM. Since I was doing the itinerary, I included a visit to JYP Entertainment (2PM's producer) and SM Entertainment (for Super Junior). We particularly wanted to pass by JYP to put a note by their door to bring back Jay Park. But after a few weeks, my sister, already accepting the fact that Jay Park's not coming back, and I deleted the visits to both offices. But anyway, they're not the only ones we wanted to see *grin*

1. Seoul City Tour Bus - For first timers like us, it was really useful to go on the hop on/hop off Seoul City Tour Bus. For just KRW10,000 (around PhP385.00), the bus took us to Seoul's top tourist spots.

2. Cheonggye Stream - Part of Korea's commitment to preserving the environment, Seoul restored the stream that flowed before the Joseon Dynasty. One of the must places to visit for me.

3. Finally meeting Admiral Yi Sun Shin in Gwanghamun Square - Korean war army hero. His figure stands prominently on Sejongno, facing the Gwanghamun palace.

4. Palaces - We were able to visit Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung and another palace that I forgot the name now. After visiting a few, it started to bore us so we just decided to skip the other palaces. hehehe

5. Food - Spicy and delicious!!!

6. MTR and the Seoul City Pass/T-Money Card - The best way to get around Seoul is the MTR using the Seoul City Pass or T-Money. The first thing we did at the airport when we arrived was to look for a Mini-stop or Mini Mart to get our cards.

7. Uljiro Co-op Residence - Found this hotel in agoda.com. My choice of hotel should be near the MTR, near the shopping centers (hehe), clean, have good reviews in difference websites (agoda.com, trip advisor) and, of course, affordable. Recommended!

8. National Museum of Korea - We unknowingly chose to visit Seoul during the Midautumn Festival or Chuseok, one of the most important Korean traditional holidays where locals celebrate good harvest. Most of them visit their ancestral hometowns. Those left in the city are still treated to traditional folk dances which we experienced while visiting the National Museum of Korea.

9. N Seoul Tower - Teddy Bear Museum and Chain of Love. A must visit for kids and kids at heart *wink*

10. Shopping at Dongdaemun Market - Its just a block from our hotel. Doota, Migliore, Hello apm, where shops are open from 10:00am to 6:00am!!! No kidding.

Korea is a must visit. Visa application is free. It's one of the most beautiful cities I have visited in Asia.

Good news!

Received good news today *keeping my fingers crossed*

All Souls' Day

Remembering my Mom, Dad, Lolos, Lolas, Titos, Titas...

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.
May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

Today is Feast Day of the Guardian Angels

Today, October 2, is the feast day of the Guardian Angels. We all have a guardian angel. From the website The New Theological Movement, it said that archangels may not be a guardian angel. But I have always considered my guardian angel as St. Sealtiel, one of the archangels, based on the day of the week I was born.

When I was still in grade school until high school, we always prayed to our guardian angel each morning:

Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
Amen.

I found a St. Sealtiel key chain a long time ago and I keep it as a key chain to my car keys, to remind me to always ask him for protection and guidance.

 

Thank you and Happy Feast Day!!!

The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

Sharing this special prayer that has always helped me find peace whenever I am in a stressful situation...trusting Him completely.


God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.

Amen.

*Fingers Crossed*

According to Wikipedia, "Crossing one's fingers, by curling the middle finger over the index, is thought to bring good luck."

Yes. I need all the (good) luck I can get.

I don't want to reveal yet what its all about.

If you're my friend, please cross your fingers for me.

Pretty please.

My Melbourne Sojourn

Spending a few days in Melbourne? Here are some few tips I hope will be useful for you:

1. Melbourne SkyBus  - Arriving via Tullamarine and staying at the city center? The SkyBus will bring you to the SkyBus Terminal just beside the Southern Cross Station (city center) in just 20 minutes. Buses leave the terminal every 10 minutes. It’s the most convenient way to get to the city. Adult one-way costs A$17 and adult two-way costs A$28.

2. Free City Circle Tram - Take advantage of the free tram that travels literally around Melbourne's city center. Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Gaol, Queen Victoria Market, Etihad Stadium, Docklands, Immigration Museum, and Melbourne Aquarium are just a few places where the tram passes.

3. Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle - Another free way of going around Melbourne is the free tourist shuttle. The shuttle can get you to places where the City Circle Tram won’t be able to reach. Shrine of Remembrance, Botanic Garden, Melbourne Cricket Ground (or more popularly known as MCG), Rod Laver Arena. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use the bus because it was always full. Perhaps next time?

4. Melbourne Visitor Center - Perfect place for first time visitors. Helpful guides all willing to give what’s going on in the city. Of course, there are lots of brochures, too, for those brochure collecting people.

5. Eureka Skydeck 88  - The tallest building in Melbourne. For a good view of Melbourne, take time to visit Eureka Skydeck 88. Best time is at sunset 6:30pm-7:00pm. Highly recommended is The Edge which "projects 3 meters out from the building...suspended almost 300 meters above the ground." Try it! You may want to download the free Eureka Skydeck 99 App from iTunes which gives detailed description of the beautiful views at the deck. Visit to the Skydeck: Adult A$18.50, Sun & Stars admission at $22.00 and The Edge A$12.00.

  

   6. Queen Victoria Market  - If you're looking for cheap souvenir stuff, you should go to Vic Market, as the locals call it. It’s the happy place for souvenir shoppers. Magnets, keychains, shirts, jackets, pens, they have it. Vic Market also has areas for fruits and veggies, organics, food court, and meat hall. It's like our tiangge in Manila. In Sydney, you should visit Paddy’s Market (Sydney version of Vic Market).

 

7. Lodging – On a budget or just want to stay in the city center? I highly recommend the Melbourne Central YHA. It’s just walking distance to Southern Cross Station so no need to worry about how to go back to the airport. You might think that because it’s a hostel, the place is going to be dirty and unorganized. I was surprised myself because the place is very clean and very homey. Clean bathrooms. Clean kitchen. Best of all, the free city circle tram stop is just in front of the hostel. In addition, the Melbourne Aquarium and the Immigration Museum are just a few blocks away. At night, you can take night photographs of the beautiful Yarra River which is just across the street.

8. Tiger Airways - Searching for the most affordable way to get to Melbourne from Sydney, I was only choosing between Qantas and Jetstar but they were both way out of my budget until I realized the Tiger Airways also do flights to Melbourne and it was the cheapest, too.  I did some research about Tiger Airways and most of them were not good (old bumpy seats, no entertainment, frequent delays, cancelled flights). Since it was only going to be a 1 hour 35 minute flight (and cheapest!) I went ahead and booked. It was an uneventful flight. No frills. Just 1 hour 35 minutes. It was good that the plane wasn’t full so I was able to hog the seat beside me.

9. Walking and Sightseeing! – Another great way of enjoying and savoring Melbourne is by walking. With a handy camera and a pair of good shoes, you can actually walk around and see what Melbourne has to offer. From quaint book shops to pastry and coffee shops that you’ll otherwise will not notice if you’re on board a bus.

 

10. Take pictures, lots of pictures! Melbourne is one city with great architecture! I appreciated its Victorian era architecture since it is not everywhere and everyday that I see this in Manila. It’s so old looking yet so elegant. It’s like walking in the late 19^th century.

It was a great trip and I hope to visit Melbourne again.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition --- Done!

Visited the Powerhouse Museum the afternoon I arrived in Sydney and every A$28 I paid was all worth it. Fortunately for Asians, the next stop of the exhibition will be at the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, starting 2 June 2012 to 30 September 2012. It's a must for all Harry Potter fans!