#and it's not just oh can you participate in a survey or sm. they need to do 3 hours of therapy 👍🏻

[ilostyou]

SERIOUS school anxiety on this fine evening

[sleepysnk]

The scout members forcing Erwin to participate in the game known as Seven minutes in Heaven!? Maybe he has a crush on someone and ends up in a closet with them?

THIS IS SO CUTEEEE. i love Erwin sm he's my bb 🥺. i made this gender neutral! if you want this rewritten with a specific gender, let me know! i hope you enjoy ♡.

Erwin x Reader: Seven Minutes

Warnings: None

The scouts sat around together. It had been a long week, and they finally had some off time to relax, and talk with one another. After everything they had been through, it was much needed, even if it was only for a day.

The veterans watched as most of the 104th talked and laughed with each other. They all needed a good laugh once in awhile.

"Hey guys.." Jean said and smirked at everyone.

They all nodded. "What is it?" Eren asked and looked at him.

"We should play a game" Jean replied and crossed his arms.

That shit eating grin was on his face. "What kind of game?" Sasha asked as she munched on a fresh potato.

Jean chuckled. "We should play seven minutes in heaven" he replied.

Everyone looked around at each other. They knew what the game was. Most of the veterans were confused though, they never knew what that game was.

"What the hell is that?" Levi asked and narrowed his eyes at them.

(Y/N) laughed a little. "It's a game where you sit in a closet with someone for seven minutes, anything can happen" they replied.

He nodded. "That sounds like an odd invitation for something" Erwin said and chuckled a bit.

Jean laughed a little. "C'mon guys! Let's play, we have nothing to do" he said and smiled.

"Why not?" Connie said and shrugged.

Most of them agreed to play except for the veterans, even if Hanji tried to get them to play, they refused. She was upset about that.

Erwin's eyes wandered to (Y/N), he had always admired them since they joined the Survey Corps. He had always had something for them, he would never admit it though, even if Levi and Hanji would tell him to. His position was too much, and he thought they would think of him as weird.

"Connie and Sasha! You guys are first!" Jean said and started laughing.

The two began to blush and they walked into the closet. "Seven minutes guys!" Reiner said and smirked.

(Y/N) laughed a little. "Good idea to finally get them together" they said and looked at Jean.

They all sat around patiently waiting for the seven minutes to end. "Jeez... what are they doing? Are they eating each other's faces?" Levi asked and broke the silence.

"No idea.." Eren replied and shrugged.

Jean looked at the time and walked over to the closet door. "Seven minutes are up you two!" he said and opened it.

Connie and Sasha stood there blushing. "That was weird.. I couldn't even see" Connie said and walked out of the closet.

They both sat down next to each other. "Great! Who's next?" Jean asked and looked around at everyone.

"Just spin the bottle" (Y/N) replied and looked at him.

Erwin was silently praying that (Y/N) wouldn't end up in a closet with anyone. His biggest fear was losing them to somebody else, he couldn't bare the idea of them being with someone else.

"Erwin... you should totally play next round" Hanji said and looked at him excitedly.

He looked at her and furrowed his brows. "What? No! I wouldn't ever want to play something like that" he replied.

Everyone watched as Ymir and Krista went into the closet next. "Knowing those two... they're probably going to make-out" Reiner said and crossed his arms.

"Shut up Reiner!" Ymir said from behind the closet door.

They all laughed a little. "I'd be so awkward in there" (Y/N) said and looked around.

"You should go next round (Y/N)!" Hanji said and grinned devilishly.

They looked towards her. "What! No! That's weird" they replied and blushed a little.

Hanji looked at Erwin and wiggled her eyebrows. He rolled his eyes at her, he didn't want to play the game, especially if he had to go with someone he was awkward around. It would be kind of embarrassing.

"Seven minutes are up!" Eren yelled and opened the door.

Krista and Ymir stood there awkwardly. "Finally!" Krista said and walked out of the closet.

Ymir followed behind her. "It was hot in there" she said and sat down on the floor.

Jean looked around. "So! Who's next?" he asked and looked at the group.

"(Y/N) said they want to go" Hanji said and broke the silence.

They snapped their head back at her. "What! I didn't say that!" they said.

"Alright! (Y/N)! Who wants to go in there with them?" Jean asked and looked around at the group.

It was silent.

Crap what do they do?

"I think the Commander here wants to go" Levi said and looked at him.

Erwin looked at Levi with wide eyes. "What? No Levi" he said and crossed his arms.

"Yeah! Commander you should do it" Hanji said and winked at him.

Erwin looked towards (Y/N) they looked as uncomfortable as he did. "If no one goes with them I'll pick someone random!" Jean said and crossed his arms.

"Fine... I'll do it" Erwin said and looked at Jean.

He seemed kind of shocked. "For real? Alright! Seven minutes guys!" he said and smirked.

The two of them walked into the closet. (Y/N) watched as the closet door shut. Darkness flooded the room.

"(Y/N).. just know we don't have to do anything" Erwin said and looked down at them.

They nodded. "Oh no! I wasn't implying we had to" they said and laughed a bit.

He couldn't help but feel his heartbeat beginning to go a bit fast. This was Erwin's first time alone with (Y/N), of course he didn't want to force them into anything. As much as he wanted to kiss them and pour his feelings out, he knew he couldn't, not at a time like this.

"So um.. what made you want to join me?" (Y/N) asked trying to get rid of the awkwardness.

He chuckled a bit. "You looked so uncomfortable, and I rather have you in here with me, than someone you barely speak to" he replied and smiled.

They couldn't help but admire his smile. Erwin had the most perfect one. It made them blush a bit.

They nodded. "Well yeah... I agree it is a bit better" they replied.

"Plus, Hanji practically forced me, along with Levi" he added.

(Y/N) laughed a little and looked up at him. Even in the dark Erwin's eyes sparkled, and they were easily visible.

That's when they started to lean in on each other. (Y/N) felt their lips connect. I mean who was them to complain? They enjoyed the kiss, and it felt passionate.

Suddenly, the door swung open. They both pulled away. "Seven minutes are up!" Jean said and crossed his arms.

Erwin and (Y/N) looked at one another. "Thank God!" they said and walked out of the closet.

(Y/N) had a blush on her face. "Please join me in my office later.." Erwin whispered and walked away to his spot near Hanji and Levi.

They smiled and gave him a wink. Who knew a stupid game would cause so much to happen between the two?

[bonesandblood-sunandmoon]

Someone who I overlapped undergrad years with wrote an article about why they’re done with acting, and I just wasn’t prepared for all this stuff to get dredged back up from undergrad. I tried to leave a supportive comment that didn’t come across like I was making it all about me, but I’d like to get some of this out here. (Feel free to hit J and skip.)

I was a non-acting major, so I had far fewer acting classes (and unlike them, did not get put into an acting studio). This means I truly didn’t share their experiences around lack of casting for each semester’s productions, but I can remember:

The suggested sources for looking for a monologue didn’t have any trans experiences, let alone one I could theoretically be cast as.

I sort of had a few queer and GNC options, but I couldn’t even find binary trans characters at that time.

Ultimately, it didn’t really matter if I chose a differently gendered part for the Shakespearean monologue because I wasn’t an acting major (and I didn’t need to be concerned that there weren’t really roles “for me”).

Outside of acting:

I used our school’s system for indicating a preferred name so it would show up on the roster. Please stop deadnaming me in your class, Instructor.

Yes, I put a sign with my preferred pronouns on a sign above my desk.

Yes, I put up a sign above my desk indicating today is the TDoV but you shouldn’t expect anyone to come out or look a certain way.

Yes, I put a sign above my desk saying that you should still use someone’s pronouns even when you’re upset with them because I’m passive-aggressively sending a reminder to that Person in the shop.

The utter dysphoria shitshow of working in a shop that views physical strength and height as an advantage, so certain people get routinely delegated to the ‘not quite as important’ tasks. (Every task is important! Yeah, but you just asked me to babysit the 1392ers who are doing an “easy, time filler” task of sorting gel and gobos. Again.)

I have such a clear memory of that Person asking a cis guy to be on standby for when I wasn’t going to be able to fly that lineset out while out of weight because that Person was standing underneath the flyrail (literally right below me) and misgendered me.

The incredibly alienating experience of a higher up waiting for me to leave the room to ask my roommate if I was having any issues with rooming arrangements during the summer season. (Her: Why would I know? Go ask them.)

Fun fact: The bathrooms in hotels are gender neutral by default. Having a double (separate bedrooms and bathrooms, shared living room and kitchen) with a cis woman is less Othering than asking me if I want a single away from everyone else. It would’ve been more helpful to check about the public bathroom situation, tbh.

Someone decided it was going to be, like, a fun debate to talk about how grammatically incorrect singular they/their pronouns are? While we were chilling around a fire after work and supposedly bonding.

Reluctant shoutout to that industry professional invited to participate in the summer season, who misgendered me like 5 minutes after being introduced. (The ALD/ME who knew me from undergrad and quietly informed him of my pronouns during our first break was a godsend.) He didn’t make any other mistakes, but it was hella awkward having to figure out how to come out on the spot with someone much higher up on the food chain (Lighting Designer).

Very reluctant acknowledgement to the SM also invited to participate, who was being informed of my pronouns by the ALD/ME and said, “Oh, Lord, one of those” while I was returning to the booth and putting my headset back on. This is supposed to be in industry professional I’m to build contacts with???

I left a suggestion in the exit survey for that summer season to add pronouns to the info provided about the company(*), especially for the people only coming in for one of the three shows and didn’t really have a chance to do “let’s meet in person and force me to come out to everyone on my own” take three. Last I heard, it hadn’t been implemented.

(*) I can provide the name I want referred to as. I have to provide a cell phone number and email address. It would be incredibly helpful to be able to provide my pronouns in the company directory for others to be able access before we meet.

[naliaarnold]

Digital Media in 2019

Welcome back to my blog, lovelies!~ As Tumblr dies out, and people cling on to its last dying flame, I am back with another school project to speak about:

D i g i t a l   M e d i a   i n   2 0 1 9

I’ll focusing on broadband, mobile evolution, social media being used for governance and politics (the good and bad sides).  At the end, I might even show a lil’ survey I did in my class for those who use Smartphones (if i get the chance, of course).

Now, let’s dive in!

The Modern Wonders Of Broadband

Before we can dive into this blog and talk about how it’s used nowadays, we must understand the core of this section of the conversation; what exactly is broadband?

Broadband is a high-capacity transmission technique using a wide range of frequencies, which enables a large number of messages to be communicated simultaneously.   Or in commoner terms, ‘a high speed connection to the internet.’

Today, broadband is mainly used for that sweet, sweet, high-speed, super sonic wifi.  It’s also used for Cable TV, but be honest; most people don’t exactly watch Cable anymore. . .do we?

But that’s besides the point, of course.

The only thing that I can truly see is that broadband is much better and faster than whatever that old dial-up internet was.

Different types of broadband

DSL

The DSL (or Digital Subscriber Line) internet service makes its connection by utilizing unused telephone wires that cause no interruption to your telephone service. 

The speed you experience with a DSL connection varies with your distance from the switching station.  Your speed will be slower the further away you are and faster the closer you are to the switching station and this may be a deciding factor when you attempt to select between a DSL line and a cable connection.

Cable

Ah, Cable.  Something that I don’t watch anymore but is still pretty important nowadays.

*ahem*

Anyway.

The broadband cable connection is provided by the local cable TV provider.  Here, the cable Internet connection speed varies with the number of users on the service at a specific point in time. 

Given a specific geographical area, users of the broadband cable service share the connection bandwidth which slows the speed the more users are on the system.  This will occur at the peak times for example late in the evenings after the work day is over when many people will be accessing the Internet.

Somewhat misleadingly, often the cable company would estimate connection speeds that are based on the thinking that you are using the service. 

But that is clearly not the case.

No-one:

Cable Companies: 

Fibre-Optic

The newest broadband service is fiber-optic, which is the fastest Internet connection thus far.  Plus, it has a really cool ring to the name. 

However, this type of Internet service is still in its infancy as its service areas are quite limited and because the laying down of the fiber-optic cable takes a while to complete. Wherever it is available, the cost not only competes with that of DSL and cable, but it provides a much faster connection than both of those services.

And it even LOOKS cool, too!

Satellite

The last and slowest broadband service is provided by satellite. Although this is a good replacement for dial-up for those people living in remote rural areas, the installation costs are quite high, but the ongoing monthly charges are competitive to both cable and DSL.

Can’t remember the last time I saw a proper satellite still in use.

Moving onto the next sub-topic, here are:

Caribbean Broadband Companies

In the Caribbean, there are 2 companies that I know are region-wide, and provide broadband services.

First up, Digicel.

Digicel is a mobile phone network provider operating in 33 markets across the Caribbean, Central America, and Oceania regions.

The company is owned by the Irish billionaire by the name Denis O'Brien, is incorporated in Bermuda, and it’s headquarters is down here in Kingston, Jamaica. It has about 14 million wireless users.

Quite a bit of people, huh?

They have a service which is known as Digicel 4G Broadband.  Powered by WiMax technology, it speeds up to 6 Mbps for uploads. 

You can stream movies, play games and video chat online to your heart’s content.

The prices for the pre-paid 4G ranges from JMD$350 to JMD$3000, for 1 day, 3 to 14 days, or even an entire month (30 days).

They even go as far as to supply fibre WiFi (which I’m just finding out as I edit this blog).

From download speeds of 50Mbps to 400Mbps, and upload speeds from 25Mbps to 200Mbps, and prices ranging from JMD$4699 to JMD$15,499, this is the type of high-speed WiFi I’d want for my own house.  

I. . .I. . .don’t need it, I swear.

Second up is Flow!

Under the parent company of Cable and Wireless, Flow is a trade name used to market cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the company.   

They provide a broadband service from 40 mbps for downloads up to 100mbps for downloads, and a constant of 5mbps for uploads, ranging from JMD$4,999 to JMD$12,299 (+GCT).

Their best offerings come in bundle packages, where they offer Cable, phone services, and internet packages in one! 

Now that we’re done with the Broadband section of this blog, let’s move on to……..

The Evolution of Mobile Devices!

The following informational screenshots are all from Tigermobiles.com, where they speak about the evolution of mobile devices/phones for over 30 years:

Features introduced in this era:  

Mobile calling

Features introduced:  

SMS 

Gaming

Features introduced:  

Email

Vibrate Notifications

Colour screens

Features introduced: 

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)

Tri-Band 

Video Calling

GPS Navigation

Predictive Texts 

Camera 

Polyphonic Ringtones

MP3 Player

Bluetooth

Memory Card

MMS (Multimedia Messaging)

Features introduced:  

Realtone Notifications

Augmented Reality

WiFi

Quad-Band

Waterproof

Full Web Browsing

Features introduced:  

NFC (Near-Field Communication)

Capacitive Touchscreen

Mobile Apps

Wireless Charging

Features introduced:  

Voice Control

Dual Lens Camera

Facial Recognition

Fingerprint scanning

Full HD Screen

Heart-Rate Monitor

Features introduced: 

Retina Scanner

Apple & Android Pay 

Bezel-less Screens

Notch

In-Display Fingerprint sensor

So much progress.  I’m proud.

Now onto the next topic!

Social Media Governance and Politics

Firstly governance.

The main point that I will focus on here is Political Participation.

Governments have provided formal online channels for citizens to report crime, comment on policy, or petition for change.   This is honestly a great concept as everything that is sent would be kept secure, and it would be almost certain that your voice would be heard.

Unfortunately, however, this is restricted to a small elite of internet users, and government websites are not popular. The citizens often use social media to organize activism and protests.

For example:

The ‘Jamaica House Petition’ is a governmental page that is linked to the office of the Prime Minister.  This page would allow you to create a petition that would allow you to engage the Prime Minister in an issue that you wish to address. If you gather 15,000 signatures in 40 days, your petition is reviewed, and if it complies with agreed standards, the Office of the Prime Minister will issue it as an official response.

It’s a great concept and all, and it would be even better if there were actually any petitions there for anyone to sign.

Anywho, moving onto Politics!  

Yay! My excitement is paramount!

This gif perfectly accentuates my overflowing excitement. :3

So!

Especially in America, Social Media has changed the way that politics works.

With the use of Social Media in politics, it is now:

Reaching out to multiple people in the world, regardless of the fact that you may or may not live in their country.

Advertising without actually paying for anything at all.

Message Tailoring

Feedback

The main drawback, though, is that there is tons upon tons upon tons of controversy.  Depending on what’s being sent on can have a huge effect on how the world views certain candidates.

A perfect example would be the one, the only, the very ‘loved’. . .

Donald Trump

Oops, wrong picture

Much worse.

Let’s go through some memorable gems that are known as his nice array of tweets.

This last one here personally makes me laugh, because he basically predicted his own leadership.

“Maybe I should check his account for myself instead of looking at Top 20’s onli- oh wait.”

“Right, right, I forgot.”

As we all progress further on in 2019 and beyond, I’m sure other things will come into light as we continue to progress, right? Yep, yep.  Our use of media will evolve, alongside our memes.

Thanks for reading my blog once again, babes!~  I’ll be editing the results to my survey later if I can~.

Bye!~

[disfira]

Steps Closer to Oppa: A South Korea Traveling Yarn Revealed

A 5-day journey finding another home.

Annyeong! After several-month-hiatus, I come back! Just in case someone’s missing my writing, anyway.

For those who are still curious and haven’t read any of my (almost covering the whole) stories during my trip in South Korea, worry not, sweetheart. I’ll serve it for ya!

Actually, the story had been posted in bwamgosh’s blog entitled as Traveling to South Korea & Being A Temporary Seoulite Starter Pack by Disfira. Yup, I joined the giveaway as the participants needed to share the South Korean experience with BWAM Trip as the organizer. I reposted my original story in this precious blog as well.

I know you would be inconvenient reading with the unproper-loaded page since Tumblr is being blocked in Indonesia, hope you find the story as an enjoyable stuff. :)

Traveling to South Korea & Being A Temporary Seoulite Starter Pack

Annyeong yeorobun! To begin with, I would like to give a brief introduction about me. Disfira Ika Amelia who succeed being a Seoulite even though it only lasted for a few days. A Yogyakarta-based online media worker. 25 years old. Life motto: Seoul is where both my heart and home is supposed to be. Through the motto, I bet you can guess what this article is going to talk about. South Korea! In case you don’t know, Soulite is a phrase to call someone who from or pertaining to Seoul. Kekekeke.

As we hear “South Korea” is mentioned, there would be 3 kinds of response that will follow. First, that would be, “Oh my goodness! That is where my home is!” The second, “Meh.” like they are not giving even a slight of their attention. Or even these “What? Where is that?” who knows nothing about this country. Undoubtedly, put me as the first responder. Hahahaha.

I was introduced to K-pop since 2009, specifically when Boys Over Flower drama made the girls in my class deeply excited all day long. After that, I am still not able to completely go out of this addicting world. Around 2015, South Korea has been pinpointed by myself.

“I should be there once in a lifetime.”

Yep, that was my self-promise and became the strong motivation for me to save more each month. People around me sometimes seemed like underestimating me for keeping it as a motivation. Well, it happened, didn’t it?

Let me commemorate the day when I fulfilled this dream at last. November 4th, 2017 around 9 am was the very first time I stepped in the land of Daehan Minguk. Sound impossible but I did. It was all thanks to BWAMTRIP. The journey of being a first-timer traveler started here. Please bear yourself while reading this later. I will mix the language into Bahasa and English. Probably a little of Korean as well!

Intinya sih, di sini akan dikupas tuntas tentang perjalanan “naik haji” ala K-popers yang pertama kali jelong-jelong ke luar negeri bersama Nadia dan Lina. That’s the shortest summary, actually.

Reasons why I chose BWAMTRIP are…..

Your mutual would ask about what travel agent did you choose for traveling to South Korea. For me, I decide to choose @bwamtrip. The reason is as simple as this: BWAMTRIP offers the most affordable price (for me)! Buat budak start-up yang uang jajan bulanannya segitu-gitu aja, yang terpenting adalah cari yang hemat bebeb dan ramah buat rekening tabungan. Karena liburan pake duit sendiri itu sebuah perjuangan keras.

Before joining, along with my friends, Nadia and Frylia, did a small survey to several Korean travel agents that based in Indonesia through Instagram. We found about 4 travels to be compared based on their packages, price, and itinerary. In the end, we agreed to choose BWAMTRIP. For a 5-day trip, we could afford it by around 8 Mio Rupiah. 8 million Rupiah! 8 juta rupiah! Who would believe we could travel there with that (super) cheap package? I screamed too. Okay, you can thank me later. Nadia, Lina, and I ended up registered in March for Autumn Backpacker Package. Sadly, Frylia couldn’t join us.

What makes BWAM Trip cheaper or cheapest than other, they NOT travel agent. They are trip organizer! They organize the round ticket plane, guest house, T-money, and visa. The itinerary and the rest are up to you. You can roam around anywhere without feeling rushed by the tour guide’s schedule and curfew.

“Will you go somewhere alone? Aren’t you afraid being kidnaped or lost there?”

The answer is, being lost in Seoul is fun and addicting. We three were excited making the itinerary and exploring the places we were curious about. As a first-timer abroad traveler, we were naïve and idealist. We wanted all places got to be visited! Hahahaha.

It was departure time from CGK! Woohoo!

Shortly, our visas were all approved in September 2017. For you who are wondering the step-by-step of South Korean visa application, you can kindly check my previous post.

I did purchase a round trip plane tickets from and to CGK-JOG as well.

November 3rd, 2017 finally came. By the time waiting for Nadia and Lina arrived at Soekarno Hatta International Airport, I installed important apps that will be needed exceptionally in South Korea. Including the maps, subway-thingy, and others, you can find more here! Be prepared, the subway will be your new best friend in South Korea!

Around 8 PM, we were finally together and waiting for the appointed meeting point. After having dinner and chit-chatting all things, we met Kak Cindy, the Founder of BWAM Trip that would be our trip leader. Then, we met the other participants, probably around 20 people in totals. Please meet the 155 cm-ish squads!

Around 10 PM, we headed to the terminal did the check-in and so forth. At 11:55 PM, the autumn groups took-off to Incheon International Airport. Julbal!

Day 1

November 4th, 2017

Our itinerary for day 1 is quite simple. Arrived then be at Epik High’s We’ve Done Something Wonderful concert hall in time. It just… happened. Since the concert date was clicked with our trip, why not? Again, we asked to help BWAM Trip to purchase our tickets and succeed!

Before going to the concert, we needed to head to some places and I was overwhelmed. Would we really make it there?

We arrived at Incheon International Airport around 9 AM. After the customs, baggage thingy, and hearing the “bad news” around 10 AM, all of the participants headed downstairs catching the subway!

We transferred twice and take the baggage of both the escalators and stairs back and forth. You could imagine how we struggled back then. Even a local woman helped me lifting my 28-inch trunk! We arrived at Sangsu Station at last and walked 5 minutes to Mamas and Papas Guest House! Reading this would make you tired already.

After took shower and well-prepared, we went to Sukmyung Women’s University at 1 PM. There were things for friends of my friends who studied at that uni. After the barter was succeeded, we finally ate something! Streetfood at its best!

We muched it all till exploding. Our stomach was fully prepared, then we head to Ewha Womans University Station to meet Danny oppa (who helped BWAM Trip) and took our Epik High tickets. He was so nice and thank God, he can speak English! Hahaha.

The transactions went well, we headed to Itaewon Station! Finally, please wait for us, Epik High ahjussi!

At 3:30 PM, it took around 15 minutes walking from Itaewon yeok (station) to the venue. Some people were queueing. It was pretty crowded but acceptable since the queues were neat and not chaos. Thank you for the staffs, they could speak English and so much cooperative. At last, we could gig together with one of my favorite K-hip-hop musician ever with their new-released album! Bonus watching IU and Kim Jong Wan as a plus! I was so touched but couldn’t even cry! We ended the day 1 with the ear-to-ear smile until sleeping.

Day 2

November 5th, 2017

The theme of day 2 trips was K-pop! Our first destination was YG Entertainment and started at 10 AM! We had breakfast in Sevel and bought kimbab, samgak kimbab, and milk! Eat like locals! The good news was, it was placed near to our guesthouse!

Since we also needed cash to live for the next 4 days, walking was the best option to find bank as well. We needed 30 minutes to reach YG Entertainment building where our oppas worked and signed! It didn’t make me tired at all. All places over there in Seoul were so much photostable-you-cannot-resist-I-swear. Jinjja, I don’t lie!

Anyway, if you are wondering where our guesthouse is, these photos are the sneak-peak. 5 minutes away walking from Hongdae, convenience stores, and cafes everywhere! What a perfect neighborhood!

The next places, we headed to Gangnam where K-Star Road is. From Hapjeong Station to Apgujeong Rodeo Station, it took around 30 minutes by subway and taraaa! We were welcomed by the statues! Taking photos with some of theme was an obligatory! Lolz!

Not wasting time, we put our strength back and walking to find SM Entertainment. While went there, we were distracted by the watery thing afar. Yep, Hangang Park and we didn’t regret going there. The peacefulness was what I found there. If I were given a chance going to South Korea again, I will definitely revisit Hangang Park just for sitting on the grass and daydreaming.

After being amazed by one of the longest rivers in Daehan Minguk, we continued our journey going to SM Entertainment. 5 minutes taking photos, we walked again to look for JYP Entertainment building. Again, 5 minutes spent taking photos, we head again to the Gangnam main road.

What makes three of us clicked besides K-pop honestly, we love “doing research” in secondhand goods. In Gangnam, there is Vinprime that sells secondhand goods! After crossing 4 or 5 zebra cross, the Vinprime is spotted! Jajjan!

What we can summarize about secondhand goods in Korea is the price is quite expensive. Better buying the new ones there.

The clock ticked at 3 PM, we decided to eat at a dakgalbi restaurant near to Vinprime. The ahjummas greeted us with their humble smiles even though we just order chicken for 2 person portions. Here is the dakgalbi! We mixed it with rice and ramyun as well. It made us so much full! What makes chicken in Korea is different to in Indonesia, it is more chewy and juicy. Nggak alot sama sekali lah ya pokoknya. Tinggal ditelen aja bisa. Hahahaha.

The journey had not ended, yeorobun! Ewha Shopping Street waited for us! No one could stop us shopping wildly there! Two words only: ALL CHEAP! Anything like socks, clothings, headbands, beauty product stands, all of them were on discount we could even decide where to stop by. We went back to the guesthouse surely happily like it would last ever after.

Day 3

November 6th, 2017

The theme of that day was: strolling around! After getting ready and had our morning kimbab and milk from GS-25, we moved our bodies to Haneul Park! This place is a must to visit when Autumn comes. You can google it and surely eager to be there! From Sangsu Station we headed to World Cup Stadium Station. We still (again) needed to walk around 30 minutes. Passing ahjussi-clothing tent made us stop for a while. Boys will be boys. Either toys or clothes, boy-to-man’s goods can never be cheaps as womans’. The price made us going to walk further. The parking lot, parks, yellowish trees took away our minds, indeed. It was beyond beautiful, I swear! And then this is Haneul Park we had been waiting for!

Taking photos made us hungry. We could not wait any longer, therefore World Cup Mall became our culinary destination! Lina and Nadia cannot eat pork, the menus in food court is mostly pork. This made us wait longer to decide. In the end, KFC was the safe choice! There was egg tart yeorobun, endues banget sumpah! If we compared the price with in Indonesia, it was all the same. We ate, the happy pills were being recharged! The next destination was Gyeongbokgung Palace since Kak Cindy, our tour leader waited there and would did photoshoot for us.

Actually, we insisted wearing hanbok and visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace.

“Males ah pake hanbok. Turis banget nggak, sih?”

However, we ended up going to Gyeongbokgung in hanbok. Don’t imagine we would look like princess with its elegant hanbok. We wore the hanbok for proletariat. HAHAHAHA.

The princess time was over. We were back to who we are and heading to Namdaemun Market! We only stopped by in Myeongdong, and walking to this market. Yep, we were hunting souvenirs for family and friends! From chopsticks, chocolates even through kim or dried seaweeds were all there. Bring cash, that’s all. Bringing 2 extra tote bags were not enough to put our goods. Lol!

The shopping-thingy didn’t stop there, guys! After taking our goods in the guesthouse, we roam around in Hongdae. It is just 5 minutes away by walking from the guesthouse. Sure, it was that close! After Ewha Shopping Street, Hongdae is the place you will have to visit for shopping. Where could you find the high-quality sweater and its other overload cuteness in clothing for 10.000 won?! Please, bear yourself or bring cash as much as possible!

That day’s journey was over, we found a small restaurant that serves its traditional menu. Bibimbap and Naengmyeong were chosen along with soju! I couldn’t finish a bottle, I was afraid couldn’t get up early for the next morning. Hahahaha.

Day 4

November 7th, 2017

The journey’s theme was going far at its best! Nami Island and Petite France were our destinations! Pssst, we got the free ticket for Nami Island and Petite France entrance from BWAM! We were surprised and happy!

These two places were pretty far, actually. It takes 1 hour and 3 times transfer by subway from Sangsu Station to Gapyeong Station. After that, we took a tour bus and stopped in Nami Island. For you who don’t know, Nami Island is a must-visited place for travelers. The scenery is no joke! After arrived in the Nami Island’s bus, we still needed the walk and went to the island by ferry. The hunger attacked we couldn’t hold it anymore. Thank you kkuldak ahjussi, you save our life! The chicken was surely delicious! Happy tummy every time!

Autumn is one of the best seasons to visit Nami Island! That’s what people recommend. Please take a glimpse of this romantic island and you are welcome.

We didn’t spend much time in Nami. After an hour, we headed back to the bus stop going to Petite France. Have you watched “You Who Come From The Star” drama with Jun Jihyun and Kim Sohyun as the lead character? That is one of their shooting locations! After exploring the whole place, we felt satisfied with its France classical concept in mini-me. It is pretty! Jinjja! Here are some pictures were taken there.

Ah, the journey of these two places were about to end. We took the tour bus again to reach Gapyeong Station. The zigzag road made me dizzy, seemed like the driver wanting to end his shift soon. It was better to sleep for a while. After touching down to Gapyeong Station, we head back to Hongdae (Hongik University Station) as our last stop. We wanted to explore Hongdae from another starting point. This was the best way for us finding a delicious chicken restaurant! Aaaak, making myself happy was as simple as eating Seoul’s chicken! We want more! We want more!

Do you think yesterday’s shopping was enough? Nope, not at all! Our legs automatically stopped by the beauty brand, cute clothing, and sort of. Again and again, our eyes could be easily distracted by things that we wouldn’t find in Indonesia. Hahahaha. We also finally found the way to ALAND, a shopping center that sells Benton and COSRX, if you need the info anyway!

Lina told us that she really wanted to visit 87MM, a clothing brand, and distro owned by his favorite model. Tons of Korean celebrities wear this brand, therefore people would really curious. It was so much near to our guesthouse, actually! We made it coming to MMLG on its operating hours! The shopkeeper, who was actually a model and spending time there, greet us warmly. I was so shy I couldn’t even look at his eyes and decided to wait outside. Hahahaha. Photo-time in front of its famous spot is a must! That was how they day be well-spent.

Day 5

November 8th, 2017

Beginning exists, farewell too. One of the binary opposition that makes me sad. It was the last day in Seoul. Kak Cindy told us that the 5-day group participants would leave to Incheon International Airport at 12 PM sharp. Three of us only wanted to buy uyu or milk. It was said the milk were much cheaper if we buy in Lotte Mart. We could purchase them in convenience stores actually. Hmmm, this made us confused whether to go or not, since it is in Seoul Station. The answer was yes, we went to Lotte Mart at 10:30 AM. Walking from Seoul Station to Lotte Mart made us think that this station is so huge. “Could me back to the guesthouse on time at 12 PM?” That was what we wondering.

Taking milk from the racks and paying in chasier only needed 15 minutes. Going back to Seoul Station to Sangsu took ages longer than when we first arrived. We were even lost and took the other way. How. Could. We. Lost. On. The. Last. Day. Minutes. Before. We. Had. To. Back?

Kak Cindy and the other participants asking where we were in LINE group. The limousine buses had arrived and it was nearly 12 PM. What we could do were to make them calm and told them that we would arrived at guesthouse in 10 minutes. After arrived in Sangsu Station, we ran as fast as we can while handling boxes of milk that actually heavy, yeorobun. Three of us couldn’t even talk while running. What was inside our head: arrived at guesthouse! Finally, we got back safely to the guesthouse. After apologizing to the other participants, we went to Incheon International Airport at 12:30 PM, in silence. I know they were angry since we made them wait. Lesson learned: if it’s available in a convenience store, why choose the far ones? Noted!

Probably after 45 minutes, we arrived in the airport. Checking the luggage weight back and forth making sure there would be not overload did take time. We checked-in and saying goodbyes to our strong tour leader Kak Cindy! It was both sad yet memorable trip for me meeting Kak Cindy in this occasion. Huhuhu.

We went in and searched for something to eat. The mood of getting tax refund was faded away! Hahahaha. We spent last moment before leaving Seoul by sitting, talking, and contemplating in the waiting room. “Ah, the dream was over. Really? Can I start another chance to daydreaming again, walking around in Seoul again?”

As I walked into the plane, I promised to myself that coming to Seoul again is a must. A MUST. Thank you BWAM Trip for granting my lost-awaited wish do come true. I don’t mind coming back then sitting and daydreaming on the top of grass near to Hangang Park. Hehehehe. There are tons of places in Seoul I still eagerly to visit and living like a Soulite again!

In the end, Annyeong means both hi and goodbye. This is going to be my next hello to Seoul, hopefully!