➹ gwanghwamun summer night memories

Summer nights in Seoul are simply glorious moments. The temperature goes down and beautiful lights are turned on. It's the perfect time to sit back, enjoy the view and the occasional cool breeze and finally take a rest from fanning yourself all day! ^^




It's nice to wait for sundown at Cheonggye Plaza and Gwanghwamun Square. I've talked about an afternoon spent musing about life's ironies at Cheonggyecheon before. You can just imagine how fond I am of this place now that I can't help but mention it again while reminiscing Seoul summer sunsets.

Because I didn't know the exact time for sunset, I waited for some time at the Cheonggyecheon stream. Next time, I would gladly consult the timeanddate website hehehe... Or not~ It's so nice just to hang around the Cheonggye Plaza that it became dark almost before I realized it.

Crossing over to the Gwanghwamun Plaza, I was greeted by the delightful shrieks of young fountain enthusiasts. The brilliant fountain lights just bring out the kid in everyone haha! There is definitely a different vibe in the area at nightfall with all the kids playing and laughing in the water.







I was definitely reluctant to head home... But the thought of a nice relaxing shower after a humid summer day was as equally enticing as these beautiful lights. And quite frankly, I was getting too envious of the refreshing laughter of those kids having a blast at the fountains! Indeed, summer is for those with a guiltless license to be drenched and carefree. It's a season to not think nor care about consequences ^^.

➹ pretty korean postcards

Now that everyone is all to absorbed in getting and keeping things online, there is little appreciation for old school mementos like postcards. My dad used to snail mail me postcards from Papua New Guinea when he worked there but that was a really LOOOOONG time ago! I honestly have not sent postcards from my own travels in the recent years … neither have I recently received any from friends or family EXCEPT these ones from Korea!



I received this first one February of 2010. I was pleasantly surprised when I found it on my doorstep at home after work. A dear Korean friend sent me this postcard with a heartwarming message at the back. I love it so much that I kept it in my work journal and kept transferring it as I switch to new journals each year! I kept a Starbucks dedication postcard with this Korean postcard. This one was given to me by my선배 from last New Year. It's so nice to see these postcards as they remind me of how fortunate I am to have found really amazing friends.



I got this new one last weekend from a fangirl 동생 ^^. It is the very definition of AWE-INSPIRING! Gwanghwamun Square is one of my favorite places in Seoul. Like my first Korean postcard, the message at the back was absolutely delightful. Now I've framed it at my work desk so I can always imagine escaping to Seoul even for just a few minutes each day. It's kind of funny too because when I look at this postcard I realize how coincidence can be all too amazing!? How lucky am I to have crossed paths with these wonderful friends~

So where can you get amazing postcards in Seoul? Well, I'm pretty sure there are postcards available on key tourist locations like Insadong, Namsan Tower and palace souvenir shops. There also used to be a free postcard program at Tourism offices! I got some Summer 2011 postcards from the Seoul Global Center at M Plaza in Myeongdong last year. They gave me a tourist pack with the postcards inside. I sure wanted to get more of these fangirl postcards but I was too shy to ask for more haha.

Another place worth checking out is the underground Haechi shop at Gwanghwamun. They have Haechi postcards which might be delightful for kids or any Haechi fans. I think I'll buy some from here on my next vacation.

Lastly, the picture postcards from Ssamziegil never get old! You can take your pictures and include them on a traditional postcard you can email to family, friends or just yourself hehe. We were vertically challenged and had some difficulty with this haha but it was still a worthwhile and free experience.

➹ tv watchlist: deep rooted tree 뿌리깊은나무

진심으로 대단이다.
정말이다.

I once again am unable to find the right words to explain my thoughts on this drama because I just like it soooo much! It's surprising though because I don't usually favor crime/suspense stories as I am naturally more drawn to light-hearted love-line plots. So indeed it felt strange when I found myself patiently and excitedly waiting for English subs on this drama every Monday for the past weeks. And now that it's over, I just keep on replaying my favorite scenes, being re-amazed at the dramatic revelations and of course re-crying my tears ㅋㅋㅋ ... Addicted, much?

I admit that my initial interest on the drama was all because of Song Joongki's role. One of my first favorite scenes was definitely this part in Episode 2 when young Lee Do commands Moo Hyul to slash his assassin even if that is his own Father.




So I thought that perhaps when Joongki's part ends, I wouldn't follow it as passionately as before. However, my interest just grew stronger because the plot got more and more exciting. I was already hooked and I just couldn't stop watching the story unfold.

Jang Hyuk's character definitely grew on me afterwards. I like that he can be this cunning and sarcastic assassin who regresses to a snotty little crying brat when faced with the world's injustice. I like the warriors' face-off's and find them beautiful ~ well perhaps because they chose warriors whose faces are to be reckoned with. In the end, I didn't want any of them to perish but yeah, well ...







I enjoyed getting played by the plot twists and revelations. I don't like guessing that's why. I want to fully enjoy the creativity of the writers so I just take it all in. I was hoping for a final twist with Gaepayi's and Yeondoo's loyalty but I suppose that will make the story too predictable. So instead we got an elaborate scheme to salvage the circulation mission. Haha, brilliant! I like this better than the secret passage to the palace piece.



So the ending was at best, bloody bittersweet. It must be awfully hard to wrap up an amazing story such as this. I applaud the writers for planting seeds of uncertainty and hinting on greater peril to come ~ instead of just letting things settle completely. History goes on, that's why.

I have to add that because of 뿌리깊은나무 I was specially psyched to revisit Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul! Even though the drama's plot is fictitious, it still inspires interest on Korea's elaborate history. And I was more than happy to share this enthusiasm by bringing my friend around King Sejong's Story underneath his majestic statue.







끝! ㅠ-ㅠ