Seoul Fashion Week: Big Park show

This past week was Seoul Fashion Week S/S 2013 and I got to experience the runway for the first time in my life. I scored a couple of tickets to the Big Park show held at the culture hall of the Shinsaegae mall in Seoul.

I must say, it's just like all the pictures you see of fashion week. You got the VIP sitting down and busy on their cell phones and the press flashing away in the back of the venue.

There were actually more people than I think were supposed to be, since the security was not doing a great job of checking tickets. There were so many people in the room standing, pushing, and shoving each other to get to the front. Lucky for me, I pulled out my Galaxy Tab issued by Chungdahm and worked my way to the front. I guess I looked so official that people let me through. 

The show itself was pretty awesome. There was dubstep and techno style music blasting through the speakers as the models took turns debuting their clothes. I wish I got the chance to see some other shows, but it seems like gems, pleather, and patterns will take over the next couple of seasons. I think the designer, Yoon Soo Park had a very funky, yet trendy theme and I can definitely see it hitting mannequins in stores very soon. Another heads up for you fashionistas is that spikes are going to get old very soon!

Being at the show made me feel so plain with my clothes. Every guest had a funky style either in their makeup, clothing, or both. I guess I have to step my game up and take this show as inspiration for my wardrobe for spring and summer of next year.

 Unfortunately for me, my journey in Korea will end very soon so I will not be able to attend any more fashion weeks in Seoul. However, I hope this will not be my last in general. I had so much fun and would love to experience this again!

For those of you interested in going to future shows, the tickets can be purchased on Yes24. Make sure you buy it as soon as the tickets open up because everything was pretty much close to sold out a couple days after. I was lucky enough to score these tickets, but wasn't able to get any more. 

Seoul Fashion Week: Pre-event

I don't really know since when, but I started becoming more and more interested in the fashion world. I may not come off very stylish (my wardrobe definitely doesn't), but it's been a secret hobby of mine for a while now. Since the fashion industry in America seems to be more centralized in the big cities (NY/LA), I was pretty much limited to just following fashion blogs. However, now that I am in Korea I finally have the chance to feel like Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen, wearing my big sunglasses and staring at the super tall models strutting down the catwalk.

This week is officially fashion week for Seoul, South Korea. Still lagging a bit behind those big fashion cities, Seoul is working hard to make its way up the fashion ladder. Before the official week begins, Seoul hosted a fashion week kick-off event on the 21st of October. This event included a flea market sale, a sneak peak of one of the designers' spring and summer 2013 line, and a mini concert.

The flea market was actually not as big as I'd imagined it to be. It lined the side wall of Deoksu Palace in front of Seoul city hall and it had more of a yard sale vibe than fashion week flea market. I did end up scoring a funky bracelet and some awesome fleece lined leggings all for under 4000WON!

I'm not too sure if this was related to the kick-off event, but there was a free show by Crying Nut (famous in the Korean punk rock world) in front of the Seoul Museum of Art at the same time as the flea market.

The show itself was pretty impressive. The hair and makeup booths for the models were opened up for the guests to see what happens live backstage.

The stage was set up right in the lawn in front of the city hall itself. My friends and I were pretty lucky to get seats right on one of the sides of the catwalk. Although it was chilly, the audience was so packed that the body heat from everyone made up for the decreasing temperature.

One of the cool features about this show was that it allowed unknown designers/fashion students to show off their skills. It's definitely a great way to put your name out into the fashion world as a beginner.

The sneak peak for the actual fashion show was quite impressive. Divided by different styles, these models took the stage to show off the upcoming S/S line for 2013. I'm definitely excited to follow some more shows on the actual week of the event!

The event ended with a few performances including Superstar K (Korean version of American Idol) winners, Ulala Session. I'm not too familiar with their music, but I will tell you that their vocal abilities were super impressive. They got the crowd so hype, everyone was running to the stage trying to get a picture or few of them performing.

Unfortunately for me, as a teacher, I have to work all week during prime fashion show hours. However, I did manage to score a couple of tickets to the weekend shows so please stay tuned for upcoming events for SFW S/S 2013!

My Lasik experience

I'm sure there are already tons of blog posts like this one, but I figured I'd put in my two-cents on MY Lasik experience.

What everyone should know is that Lasik is not for everyone...neither is Lasek. There are basically three options, but some eyes may not fit into any of these criteria. Pretty much from what the doctors have told me, the difference between people who have to get Lasik as opposed to Lasek depends on the thickness of their cornea. Lucky for me, I was able to get Lasik. Lasek is for people with a thinner cornea. Why I say I'm lucky is because Lasik has a faster recovery process and has less discomfort during the healing time. Lasek sounds worse, since the recovery time is much longer and you have more than one procedure. However, it is the safer option for those with thinner corneas. The third option is for people who are not eligible for neither Lasik nor Lasek. Pretty much, a permanent contact lens is inserted into your eye. So how can you tell which you are eligible for? You would have to go in for a consultation and find out.

It's recommended that you check out a few places before you decide which clinic you will have your procedure in. It's also good to go to other places because you want to know that every doctor will say the same things about your eye. Some doctors say that Lasek is an easier procedure, so that may be the only thing offered to you. The good thing about these pre-surgery consultations is that most clinics do it for free. They will even give you a price for your surgery right then and there.

I went to Dr. Moon's Eye Clinic in Suwon. This place was actually recommended by three of my co-workers in Chungdahm. They all had great outcomes, so I figured I should check this place out. This was the second place I got a consultation for my eyes. The reason why I chose this clinic and not the other (fancier, more popular) clinic was because of the price and the result. Since I knew three people who have gotten their surgery done here, I knew they would do a good job. Also, because I went by recommendations, the doctor actually gave me a very good deal for my eyes. Just note that the average price for Lasik for both eyes in America may cost up to $2000~$3000. The average price for both eyes in Korea may cost up to $1000. Also, Korea is known for their eye clinics. So what better place to get it done than in Korea??

The overall process took only an hour. That's including paperwork, pre-surgery check up, the surgery, and the payment process.

I was actually SUPER nervous going into the surgery. My heart was pounding so hard and I kept having the urge to pee every five minutes! Once I laid down, air was pumped into my pillow to secure my head from moving around. I was given the anesthesia drops, but was awake for the whole thing. The doctor started with my right eye. He clamped my eyes wide open (like they do in horror movies) and I was to stare at a red dot directly in front of me the whole time. I couldn't feel a thing, but I did see a suction cup, I heard the whirring of the laser, and I even smelled my cornea burn. It sounds scary, but like I said, I didn't feel a thing. What's even more amazing is that I saw a difference in my vision almost immediately. The procedure for both eyes took no more than 15 minutes, and that's with about 10 minutes of waiting for my eyes to "calm" down.

I had a bit of discomfort going back home since it was a bright, sunny day outside. I even had to take a series of uncomfortable naps for the next few hours. However, literally three hours later, I had close to perfect vision. What's sad about my eyes is that I have a really bad case of astigmatism. The doctors warned me that it was pretty much impossible for me to end up with 20/20 vision. However, this process will get me close enough that I will not have to wear glasses or contact lenses. This is awesome news for someone who had to wear glasses for over 19 years!

What happens in my Korean town

Anyang, a satellite city of Seoul, is the 15th largest city in Korea with two major districts. Dongan district, where I live, has a major park (named Central Park), over a thousand after school academies, and two major strips filled with restaurants and bars. 

This past weekend was actually the 15th annual celebration of Pyeongchon "first" street. No matter what town you go to in Korea, you'll find a series of neon lights on a strip filled with restaurants and bars. They usually refer to these strips as "il-beon-ga" or first street. 

As you can see in the picture above, a stage was set up with thousands of chairs lined up for the audience. This two-day event featured a series of performances including, but not limited to singers, magicians, dancers, and comedians. 

Some performances were better than others, but it was a great way for those starting out to showcase themselves. I've never seen my town so packed before. Restaurants were even setting up their business in the middle of the strip for people to sit on the floor and enjoy food while watching the show.

I'm not too sure if every town celebrates their first streets like mine, but if they do, it's something worth checking out.

Restaurant: Genji the Grill

Here is yet another addition to my ever growing collection of restaurant posts: Genji the Grill.

This restaurant was very spontaneous. My friends and I were hungry and walking around the Hongik University area when we stumbled upon this beauty of a restaurant. You can't tell much from the picture, but the restaurant has a huge front courtyard, a completely open first floor, and more on the second floor.

What we were immediately attracted to was this walkway right in the front. The decor overall is very Asian inspired and what most people would call "zen." Even people who were not even eating at the restaurant stepped in to take photos.

Although this restaurant was full of couples when I was there, it is also a good place to go with a good group of friends.

As you can tell by the pictures, the interior is all bamboo-wannabe wood. The service wasn't the best, as the waiters didn't seem very friendly.

I can't really categorize the food served at this restaurant. I want to say that it's Thai, but then they had other dishes on the menu labeled "fried." You would think by the name that it has a wide selection of grilled meat. There are few, but it definitely was not the highlight.

I ordered my all time favorite dish, Pad Thai. I must say, I had better for the price that I paid, but not horrible. However, don't get me wrong. The dishes my friends have ordered were really delicious. The prices on the wine selections are pretty good and like I mentioned earlier, it's a good place to go to with a group of friends.

Overall, the atmosphere of the restaurant is very chill and very clean. I wish the service and Pad Thai were better, but I would definitely go back to enjoy some wine with my friends.

Because we just happened to stumble upon this restaurant, I have no clear directions to get there. If you are familiar with this area, it's in the backstreets of where Club F.F is located.

Popsicle joint: Molly's Pops

If you're in the mood to eat good homemade ice cream, swing by Molly's Pops. Word on the streets is that they have the best popsicles in Korea.

Although you can get scoops of the ice cream, the popsicles are what stands out when you first walk in. They are arranged in an assortment of colors, as well as different flavors. Some of the flavors are pretty standard (mixed nuts, mint chocolate) while others are not (Erdinger's beer, wasabi, and makoli- Korean rice wine).

My friends and I were going to play games so the loser could try the "unique" flavors, but we decided that for our first time it'd be best to go for what seemed more appealing to us. I got probably the most "boring" out of my friends- brownie mix. Typical, but out of this world delicious. I literally tasted morsels of brownie in my vanilla based popsicle.

My friends got the wine and strawberry flavor, which was delicious. Almost like a sangria, but in a form of a popsicle of course! The alcoholic flavors are actually not sold to minors, even though you can't really get drunk off of these.

I ended up ordering another one....just because I could. I did not feel guilty about eating an extra popsicle because I went through a pretty stressful week. The pomegranate one tastes like a super concentrated pomegranate juice. It was sweet and sour and delicious all at once.

Although a little on the expensive side for popsicles, keep in mind that these are all homemade and the flavors are super concentrated. I'm sure they're also healthier than the processed and mass-produced kinds. Prices are 2800WON (~$2.50) per popsicle. I suggest going with a bunch of close friends so they can all order different ones and you can get a taste of all.

I could tell this place was pretty popular because every one who walked by the store would comment on how famous it was around the Hongik University area and how delicious it was.

Molly's Pops is a little hard to find because it's located in the back streets. Turn a right out of exit #8 at Hongik University station. Keep straight until you see a big T-world cell phone shop and turn left. Follow the side streets and you'll see the store on your right.

Country-hopping for the weekend: Taiwan

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to make a weekend trip to Japan. As mentioned in an earlier post, going to neighboring countries in Asia is super affordable. For that reason, I decided to hop over to another island country: Taiwan.

With a little bit of web surfing, I managed to find round trip tickets to Taiwan for a little less than $350. That's pretty awesome considering the fact that I looked for them last minute and it was during holiday season.

Taiwan is a beautiful country. It's not a vacation for me unless I see palm trees and that's one thing I was greeted with everywhere there. Aside from visiting a close friend and former CDI teacher, I went to Taiwan with just one goal: eat everything on the CNNgo list. This list is aptly titled, "40 Taiwanese foods we can't live without." My personal goal was to eat at least thirty out of the list and I accomplished it.

There are actually a lot more pictures like the one above, since that's really all I did on this trip. I didn't go to the famous 101 building, I didn't check out any temples, instead I ate my way through Taiwan.

Even though there were some pretty scary descriptions of certain dishes, I didn't back down. I kept a straight face and tried as much as I could. Shilin night market was a perfect way to knock out a ton off my list. I have to say though, the pig blood jelly didn't sit too well in my stomach...nor the "frog-egg" drink.

Do try out the foot massage offered in Taiwan. It won't be the most soothing massage you have received, but it will make you feel good afterwards. I went to the one at the night market and it cost only around $30 for an hour-long session!

Aside from all the eating though, I did get to travel around the city for the four days I was there. I was lucky to have my friend as a guide because Chinese is not my specialty. I love language and always try to learn a few phrases from each, but Chinese is one that I cannot, for the life of me, pick up. The tone and certain pronunciations are just impossible to follow.

 

The Taipei zoo is not anything too out of the ordinary. However, if you do get to visit, get on the gondola and go to the top of the mountain.

It's actually a bit scary because it dips and rises like a roller coaster ride. It's about a 25 minute ride from the zoo to the top of the mountain, but the scenery is absolutely stunning.

If you do make it up there, check out the Guan Ding tea house. Not only do they have some interesting tasting tea-flavored ice cream, but the lady that works there will let you try different types of tea brewed in her own special way.

I do have to say, the most fun thing about this trip was going shrimping. Not fishing, but catching shrimp! All it really is is a giant pool filled with some big prawns. You pay by the hour and however many shrimp you catch is how many you get to eat. My boyfriend and I were pretty lucky and caught seven together. The restaurant also has a grill for you to cook your shrimp to your liking.

My flight back home was also pretty memorable- I got to ride on the Hello Kitty jet. Everything from the pillows, TV screen, utensils, and even the decoration on the food were all "Hello Kitty-ed" out. Not much of a fan, but I must admit it was too cute.

Although I wish I had more than just a weekend to travel around in Asia, trips like this one are still a good way to relax and be able to experience something different while you're out here in Korea for a whole year. I think making small trips throughout my stay in Korea is better than having one massive one after. This way, I can come back to work and make up for the budget losses!