Finally here to update for Korea!! Going to summarise the trip a bit cause I forgot to bring back the Jeju map and technically we don't have a fixed itinerary for the trip.. which I think it's fine for both of us so all is good! I will try to add more context when I have some time but leaving some memories here 😊  here is for Part 1!! I think we covered a lot for a chill trip haha.

PS blogging from mobile so pictures are not properly cropped :( and periodic updates means my tone will be so inconsistent haha~

SEOUL (14 MARCH TO 19 MARCH)

Heh first half of the trip was in Seoul! First day was pretty much burnt out cause our flight was in the afternoon (and I was still rushing work till it was time to leave the airport).. so we touched down around 9-10pm KST and immigration clearance was long. And we missed the last express train that we bought tickets for!! But ok all's good we managed to get the sim card / tmoney card and a taxi out from Incheon to Seoul (though the trip was close to SGD 100). Can't complain since we had difficulty moving the luggages around and random cabs were trying to pick us, only to get caught by the airport officers who kept asking if we reserved or called for them. But the uncle who eventually picked and drove us was nice, he even explained that it is better to touch down in the day cause we had a cray surcharge for night rides.

Here is a picture of our pika-scoot flight!!

Oh yes, we went to the convenience stall near our place at.. 1am ish??? Haha too hungry and we were still trying to settle down after everything. But with limited Korean speaking capabilities we managed to ask the employee to help us heat up the food oops.. And soju is so cheap in Korea, can't help but to compare the prices in SG halpsss.

Haha was quite fun to dress up though I think I am too short cause I kept stepping on my own skirt.. but ok lesson learnt, never wear round neck heattech.. for this day all my pictures have the extra black cloth captured 🫠

Some pics for memories sake~

We went closer to Anguk / Insadong area after that since that is along the way. Managed to try Fritz Coffee thanks to LI's reccomendation!! Really good but we don't dare to overorder haha in case later cannot eat further.. 

We let ourselves randomly walk along the alleys (since it was also v v v cold) and there were so many nice shops selling handmade soaps, jewellery, stickers and stuff!!! Me likey all these artsy stuff haha sorry some things never change over time. Got a couple of cute sticker sets (though I doubt I can gift it anymore). Oh yes we entered a thrift shop 5 mins before they closed and I managed to bag a cardigan and turtle plush keychain at KRW 7,000.. And that keychain became my travel buddy throughout HAHA.

Made a random last minute decision that we will visit Myeongdong (which was near our accoms - 1 stop away haha) for late dinner and some shopping. Ate at Myeongdong Kyoja for its noodles!!! Was bummed that the dumplings were sold out by then cause we were the last few orders already at 8.30pm KST, else it would be awesome... next time next time!!!

I think that pretty much summed up Day 2.. Can I just say I think I controlled well already haha I did not buy too many toys / skincare!! Ok we had soju again that evening with supper again oooops. 

DAY 3 - SHOPPING AND MEETING MICH

Less pictures on this day!! The plan was to do some shopping at the Express Bus Terminal station haha so the loots were more important.

We got some food first this time around!! HAHA we had our first meal at 4pm on Day 2 so we figured maybe eating first would be better. Had brunch at Ediya Coffee and to grab some drinks~

Left pretty late (since we usually leave our apt at around noon so we had brunch) but managed to shop for about 3h before heading back! Didn't cover all shops but this time I chose to get clothes that are more SG weather friendly, i.e., short sleeved ones and not so thick knits!! Ok i bought pants thinking I may be able to wear but GUESS WHAT.. Sis here did not lose that much weight so can't fit them 😂

Headed back with some snacks while we unpacked - intended to meet Mich for coffee in the evening cause we don't have much time here.. were planning to go some cafes near our area but ended up deciding to go Namsam area with HJ driving us!! No regrets tho, place is really pretty and apparently at 8pm they will shut out all lights for us to enjoy the view!!! Leaving some pics here hehe:

They managed to drop us off at Ewha before calling it a day for them, so we changed our plans and visited Hongdae instead for v late dinner at around 10pm KST? HAHA. First and last kbbq this trip, since Tze doesn't really like pork and it's also a good chance to try other foods!

Walked around the area and did some shopping! Also a bit cray at night cause Fridays mean there will be people going to clubs and for drinks!! But all's good, only issue we had was trying to get back because there is no train left for us to take. We almost cabbed, but the cab uncle insisted on a KRW 30,000 surcharge (when the actual ride was about KRW 15,000?!?!). So in the end we decided to just take public buses that run till quite late + some time to slowly walk back. Quite an interesting ride though, bus was v v v packed (thank goodness we were near the alighting area) and cause the bus driver cannot really see who is alighting and there were times when the door were closing in when people were still alighting. There were a couple of Singaporeans who were on the ride and experienced that at.. 1am haha. But yup we managed to walk back safely! 

^ We took this along our way back HAHA has no specific meaning to it.

DAY 4: LOTTE MART / RICE CAKE MAKING

One of our craziest shopping day in Seoul. Visited one of the cafes (Sector Cafe Roasters) that Mich initially recommended at our area and I think we were fairly early cause we were the first few customers! Lighting was great and so were the desserts and drinks, we ended up taking quite a lot of nice photos hehe:

But ok relatively packed day because we booked a workshop at 4pm KST so will be rushed for time if we start late 😅 But yes I think we went a little too cray at Seoul Lotte Mart, I mean from IGS can tell that we overbought for 2 pax and the bill was close to KRW 250,000,000 after tax refund. But the downside was.. we did not bring luggage cause we initially thought we would not overbuy but guess what 1x big green Lotte Mart bag was not sufficient haha. We had two other reusable bags to fill up the stuff... 

And we kinda lost our way to the right train station (basically walked in big circles with extra heavy bags) so we can only head straight to the place oops. Think it was the only day when we felt frustrated hahahaha

That said we made in time for the session! Was ok, quite expensive though and in the end we did not manage to finish the tteoks even up till the end of our trip HAHA.. Lucky we did not sign up for the soy cream piping one, cannot imagine having two full cakes to finish before Jeju... but the end products were really nice :)

Took a break at our apartment after cabbing back and unpacking - new skill unlocked where we open the snack packaging to avoid wasting the empty spaces haha. But super tiring woah lucky we had some food and snack, but bigger problem was whether we could even bring them to Jeju HAHAHA. I mean.. I had 20kg when headed to Seoul how can it be 20kg before leaving for Jeju?!?!? So yes I added more baggage weight for Jeju heh.

That aside, after packing and chilling, we decided that we can walk to Myeongdong (must have been cray) since it was only a stop away and we were not heading for too long! But woah the winds no joke ah, I did not have down jacket so whenever the winds struck in Korea I just daiii. And my ankles already started having cold rashes then haha.

Along the was we found quite a few cafes including Caffe On The Plan, which became our breakfast spot for next day! But ok thankfully we went late and shops were mostly closing 1h later, if not Debs would have gone cray with shopping for cute stuff.. managed to buy one sticker set at least haha it is too cute I cannot don't get though not much use.. and yeap headed back safe! 

DAY 5: COEX STARFIELD LIBRARY, TERAROSA, PHOTO PRINTS

Last full day in Seoul! Visited the cafe as planned, and vibes are great omooo~

The main plan was initially to explore Starfield library and random food places (since Tze wanted to try marinated soft shell crab or knife cut noodles) and head to Myeongdong/Hongdae one more time, but as usual our plans change by the hour haha.

Went to COEX mall which have the Starfield Library - wanted to see since this was on most people's to go places haha. Place is nice and I think just not the right day cause we do see a lot of people studying.. but ok some pictures taken for memories! 

We also toured around the mall and did some shopping.. and decided that we can try Tera Rosa (tried this with Mich in 2023 and it was sooo good!!). And yes I managed to convert Tze to a fan with just the iced choco, we ended up finding if there are outlets in Jeju as well to try the coffee someday HAHA.

(Hehe rare photos posted for this day cause I think no one will wanna see all the selfies we took 😂)

Decided to go Hongdae cause I wanted hot soup that I usually get when I visit!! But ok it was a bit disappointing, did not taste as nice as compared to the last time.. and oops cause Tze was not a fan of pork so really thankful she was ok to try though!! 

Went shopping around the area, including PopMart since the last time we went most shops were closed.. hehe and bought 1 Detective Conan blindbox cause it looks quite cute leh!! 

We also went a bit cray at the photobooths and Daiso... haha 3 machines but all of the photos turned out nice!!!

Ordered Kyochon Chicken back, and we got soju x yakult as well since it is the last day we got slightly more than usual cause Tze can't really drink in Jeju.. and the rest shall remain history haha. 

Chaotic cause we opened our blindbox as well, and not going to reveal which ones I got! Haha omg which reminds me I need to find them somewhere..

Very long night cause we were trying to pack our luggage and clear our drinks, and I guess part of me was worried that I cannot bring my luggage to Jeju based on the current weight haha (even after added baggage). Here's one v random selfie haha I think our accoms was great though! Beds were comfy and there dining area / toilet was separated by a sliding door to block out noise!! 

(Pardon the mess haha it was our make up area lolol)

DAY 6: CHILLAX BEFORE JEJU

(Ok gotta stop here - will update periodically!!)

My body clock got unintentionally adjusted again! Hais its a little unsettling cause I have so much backlog to clear before flying (and I want to avoid creating more issues for others while I am away) but I am falling asleep at odd timings and hence even when I am up I can't clear much.. I mean I don't even trust what I can write at 4-5am!!

March has been.. interesting. I am not sure I am getting a myraid of emotions at different times of the day and sometimes I blame it for the lack of sleep oops. But life is about choices; I can just filter happier times to remember.. since life is short and things change faster than you can imagine! 

So back to happier times:

Finally caught with ex-desk buddy WJ and a couple of the scoops kaki for dinner! And drinks haha they have yakult soju so we got one thinking that we can't finish.. guess what all it needed was games and 2 towers down wow. Didn't get as drunk (no puke this time) but was awake at night naniiiii! 

Woke up early for JB! Thank goodness both ZB and XR managed to wake up tooo haha. I love how we don't really plan for our trip; there was some chingay event so its v crowded and places were closed. We didn't queue too long to get in so it is a win!! And we managed to find a pretty decent breakfast place since dasixi was closed. Tried bowling after a looong while and sorry to say I am terrible at this haha. Hopefully the next time we try this again it will be better?

Have gotta say massage was great and happy to convert more people to do full body massage w me please!! And dinner was awesome, am so glad we decided to give chi-gui a try and it truly didn't disappoint!! Super worth the wait 🥹 

(Cant seem to rotate this on phone oops)

And I got myself a new.. blind box from bubu and dudu! SORRY GAIZ BUT THANKEW FOR AGREEING TO BUY THE REMAINING BOXES W ME!!! I just thought that it would be a good memory for me next time heh. And thanks kaki for helping to carry 1001 stuff!!!

JX last day was on Monday! Sad to see good employees leave but I believe that people will make wise choices for themselves!!

Caught KFP 4 on Thurs since there was 5 bucks tickets hahaha. Oh god smuggling macs into the movies sounds like something I did back in school.... and weird dinner cause there was no carbs 🙃

And I finally cleared most of my stuff at L14 today!! 🥹 all them memories..

Andand booked bali w godsis and mum this Jul!!! Abit sad that dad and bro can't join cause bro is just busy in Jul hahhaha and we usually try not to leave only 1 person at home. Isok, he gets to go Genting w parents end March while I see if its also time for JB? If not I will be scared to be alone at home hahah

Guess that is all for happier days! The not so nice part is just me overthinking / assuming things I guess.. and being sensitive in general. Shall not brood over them!! Maybe Korea is a good time for me to sort things out myself! Can't wait for the trip but we haven't planned stuff and I am wondering how to take calls/ meetings while overseas.. 

Let me think if I will want to post Korea photos here aft my trip! Gotta remember to change money and buy insurance!! 

Can't think of a better title but guess it is what it is! Am hoping for better days and I realised I am getting better at.. managing how I feel! I guess going through such situations before helped, or maybe it hasn't sunk in yet oops.

All I wanna do now is probably just spin all my 烦恼s away and focus on other things that keep me busy and probably happier!

Somehow somewhere I scrolled to an old post about passiveness and I guess that never changed hehhhh. Isok I will make that change this year I hope, so that I create less misery for myself hahaha.

Caught a number of random animes last weekend which got me thinking what if life is as simple as those depicted therein? But hooomans are just so complicated creatures, so... hais.

Shall find a way to keep me awake with 1001 fires burning elsewhere 🔥 

Hoping for calmer days ahead!! And counting down to Korea, jiayou debs!!

Ohno very stupz me was being very rash and booked Jeju accoms for 19 - 23 February instead of March!!! Got me very confused when the host started giving me the passcode and how to get there when.. I am still in Singapore??? HAHA. Got back less than half the price paid, expensive price to pay!! 🥺

Still in CNY so trying not to dampen my mood! Not sure why feeling like this but hope it gets better by March! Am attributing part of it to work and the farewells.. lost most of my OG Kakis 😭 Trying to stay afloat but its really hard oops. Still thankful for the juniors but I think a part of me has been emptied, it's just very difficult to explain heh.

Went for cruise last weekend! Not the most eventful one since I am not a fan of casinos and gambling haha (I am just a sucker for CNY games cause that is somewhat a family activity). But still I guess it's still good to be away from certain stuff.

Mood is not difficult to guess, been spamming day6's songs since they somewhat became relatable (in terms of mood) HAHA. Fave is still Letting Go, it is sooooooo underrated! 

Found a new song from Young K - nothing but.. the pre chorus is really nice/relatable!!

Guess who is up early! Heh actually sleep cycle has been screwed cause I kept feeling under the weather (poor nose dies everytime it rains, and when debs fail to sleep properly). Am hoping to fix this bad sleeping habit of mine and target to realise some of the things that I set to achieve this year!!

Title is awfully familiar HAHA, recalled back in the past when we used this phrase for everything 😅 but anyway I am trying to fill Jan up with positive vibes, knowing things usually go downhill after that. And using this safe space so much more often after all my office batchies and kakis left.. not that I don't trust people but I guess sometimes it's better to leave things with myself and also not ask or probe too much. I feel like the more I know sometimes I will want to know too much and that is where things go haywire 🙃

Heh shall not leave names or too much context, since I am bound to forget as well. But after dinner and talking to XR I do hope she feels better. I can only share my observations but tbvh, everyone grows from all these incidents it is just how we deal with it.. I guess for me this year with my usual office confidants gone I will just be more quiet naturally; I mean it takes a lot of effort and trust for me to want to reveal stuff (knowing office politics and all...) and I am so unsure whether I have any other safe space left hais. 

Anyway back to happier days/things!! 

Cousin E is back so le famz have been gathering quite often! For food of course and to visit gong gong this weekend (ah, Jan is also mood heavy with all the annivs).

Also met up with LI and fellow seniors/staff for coucou! Was a good meal and catching up, and naturally things get shared and stuff. Haha I think me sharing my old stories may/may not be a good thing, but I guess it does explain certain things. Also for me to share means I am over them too!! Haha took me a long time back then but I am glad how things turned out too 🙂 Everyone grows from experiences hehhhh.

Finally went for JB trip in Jan! Haha I was telling LI felt abit bad like we are "bullying" Z in some way but I hope he gets that it was not intentional 🫠 Unfortunately some dynamics can't simply change overnight so I guess that was how he felt oops.. haha and guess who was almost late woops (we still reached bef 8)!

Ate quite a bit, much lesser than last time but still a good day out without working 🫠 photos for safekeeping!!

Ok ending here abruptly cause HAVE WEDDING TO ATTEND and I have not packed or chose my clothes to wear!! 

Ok side track again cause I am watching SVT's variety show and they were talking about how the members removed honourifics cause their ages are close. I guess that happens for me as work as well now.. that my usual kakis are gone and most of them whom I talk to are the younger ones cause I still need those bubbly vibes and random chats 🥲 basically I just see them as friends (and not colleagues sometimes) and it will only be tough when people leave again.. haha ok bye no more negativity!!

Edit#2: leaving the photo here from WL's wedding for memories (there are like 10 but phone ah so I cant tell which one I chose)

So glad to see all the ex-EY fanbam (I am the only EY rep left 🥲) and congrats WL!!! Last of the few remaining for now hahaha. Also another random for the memoriesss~ one with the groom for being the EY kaki till March 🫠

Guess who decided to boycott work on the last day of 2023! May regret later in the week but I thought it would be good to recap some of the happier moments since I really have STM and things get blurry over time~

It's all random snippets from everywhere and likely most are not captured on socials.. Pardon the horrible quality but wanted to keep things unfiltered as much as possible 😆

I tried to put them in chronological order.. so here goes!

Caught up with exroomie in early Jan for some brunch/shopping! (Recalled we met again sometime in May to celebrate her birthday but I can't find photos..). Followed by Jen's wedding before flying to KR (where we met Mich)! When I was back it was TP event followed by farewells.. this was Tze's I think 🥲

Not pictured herein - CNY, meetups with Bin (aft sooo many years we still don't take photos heh)

SM trip in late Oct which I ended up being alone from TP cause both batchies cant make it (and now they are / will be gone soon 🥲). But still glad to make new friends and catch up with tax batchies who are still here~ also met the alumni when Eunice returned 🙂 

Don't have much birthday photos but still thankful for those who remembered! 🥰 

Post peak it was TP christmas event in Dec and somehow little M became a new friend (pls remember me next time we meet!!), followed by N's first and last ran-nesday and more farewell photos 🥲

Last photo was also taken when we had to clear office space lol. Didn't work much cause of spring clean but feels bittersweet to throw all those hardwork aft so long heh.

That's more or less it! Feels good to collate these to remind myself that there were good times amidst a tough year.. May 2024 be nicer to me 🥹

Over the years I kinda lost track to do resolutions but I just hope for a simple and happy life.. hence am only wishing for

• Better health - hoping to get back on track to keep myself active! Last peak was too crazy I prob had gained a tad too much weight woops.
• Better sleep - am still struggling to have quality sleep; hopefully I can find a remedy this year or try to make myself have more sleep to recover from the long work nights.
• More quality time - hoping to spend more time with family and those who matter :) I think I kinda missed those cafe or random catch-up days where I can sit down to talk to people without worrying about work :/ And also, once time is lost I can never get those back.. that said I also hope all my trips go well next year!! (Gotta check on my KR booking and also start to book accoms for both TW and KR).

Posting the food prepared by L, thanks for having us today ❤️ Had a great time catching up and playing games (albeit people arriving / leaving at different times and not having a group photo)!! Loved those card and board games but I just dont collect them.. Sushi-Go-Party is really fun!! 

Also caught up with batchies on Weds so 2 days are used up during the break!

I guesss with one more confirmed news I got to embrace myself for what's to come in 2024. I just think it's pretty unfortunate that I lost almost all my emotional pillars of support at work (which are same / close rank to me) - I wonder whom I can speak to next time or it will just all be bottled up 🥲 

Not saying that I don't have anyone else whom I can talk to in office, but it is just not the same given rank differences (sadly, sometimes I do wish I can be as carefree when talking to them but at work I still have to act like a M/AD). And there are just things where they are not exposed to so it would be tough to relate heh. I am just afraid that I may over rely on them which may just make it even more difficult to leave next time~ Have been getting advice that I should leave for my own well being cause.. we all know whoever is left will get all the leftover stuff 🥺

Ok enough ranting, I think I am a bit too lax this week (although there are timelines to rush for 😔).. I did manage to watch a bit of TV, including the anime reccomended like Your Name, Silent Voice and 86.. got to admit, 86 is pretty good - even le bro didn't mind watching heh.

Arghh 2023 is ending (so is my office closure though I think I slept v v little) and I still have a lot of work to clear. Finally cleared some of my work space thanks to reno, but gosh I don't think I can WFH for 4 days a week.. Prob will take Mon/Tues in office as well 😕 That is for 2024 debs to figure outt.

Ending with a photo of Latte! She was quite sticky to me for while (and thankfully she didnt scare me) so I got to give her the pats and headrubs while she sat near me 😁

I know I need to sleep but.. argh when my body clock is getting messed up even after peak 😐

Feeling nostslgic this time every year hehhh, sometimes I wonder how different things would have turned out if certain choices were made..

Today's OT playlist are songs from uni days, and sometimes I just love the simpler melodies 🙃 Random songs to remember include EXO's First Snow and Peter Pan, BEAST's 12:30, Big Bang's Blue, etc. 

But these days am loving the OST from Castaway Diva too, songs were on repeat during peak 🥹

Secretly hoping this week can be kinder, and please let me wake up in time later~

// Edit 17 Dec 4.50am, me is too awake to sleep whoops

Still trying to process the things that happened over last few weeks, things that I regretted (saying) and things that are about to happen.

Can't imagine how eventful this year was, to have long time colleagues leaving (not just one or two...) and totally dreading how I will cope with it mehhh. 4 x farewells within two weeks and more to comeeee 😶