exciting week for the ng family - mostly for the husband

this week has been pretty exciting for us.

we have some new "toys" delivered to us and we had a break from the boys' saturday phonics class due to school holidays so we got to go town on a saturday morning for a change - something that we have not done so for the longest time.

the first "toy" was collected on wednesday night - our new car! BMW 316.

finally, hubbi has decided to take the plunge and did the purchase 2 weeks back.

we wanted to get one from the second hand market but the only models (we were looking for around 2 years old cars) available was the last model for 3 series.

and the price was really not much different given the much higher COE for 2 years old cars vs new ones.

after going to the showroom to test drive and discussing more with the sales rep, we are pretty satisfied by the in-house trade-in value for our civic, the discounts given and the low interest rate for the car loan.

can see the man is very happy with the purchase.....

and the husband went ahead to get the steam vacumn he has been eyeing for the last half a year?!

that crazy man has been telling me how a steam vacumn can vacumn and mop the floor at the same time.

and also usable on mirrors, carpets, sofa etc.. zzzz.

housework is not my fav. topic obviously.

anyway, the delivery came yesterday and the man has been very busy reading up the user manual (alternating with the car manual obviously) and testing it here and there.

in fact, as i typed now, he is going around using the vacumn.

i guess the option to get part time cleaner will be pushed back awhile more now that he is convinced he can do the same job with a steam vacumn?! zzzzz

and zara sale started!

so we headed down to town yesterday morning for mummy to visit the liat tower branch before catching a family movie - monsters university.

the selection was pretty limited if you ask me and i only managed to get a skirt.

very mild for me, i would say..

MU was surprisingly quite good. better than the first one though the previous one would be more heartwarming.

the boys enjoyed and were laughing throughout the show and it was good enough for adults too unlike some cartoons.

ok, im gonna laze the rest of the night away in preparation for the crazy hectic year-end closing this coming work week.

wish me all the luck!!

some outfits for the week (wearing all the new stash from seoul - wahaha): 

left: top from seoul (APM), skirt from zara

middle: dress from seoul (random shop in samcheongdong)

right: top from seoul (random shop in hongdae), shorts from topshop

Kimchi land day 3 - hongdae, ewha women university & dongdaemun

we spent a good part of the day strolling (and shopping!) around hongdae and ewha woman unversity areas! :)

they are only 2 stations apart so it makes sense to do these 2 places together and shop till you drop!

personally i found both areas similar with affordable clothings (perhaps due to the student crowd around here) and honestly after a while, i got pretty jaded looking at all the clothings with similar designs not to mention so-so quality...

hongdae, however is slightly more lively and interesting, having flea market at the area opposite Hongik university on every weekend.

we went on a saturday so were able to spend some time at the flea market which booths are 90% set up by students selling all kind of hand-made knick knacks.

pretty interesting.

top: shopping @ hongdae

bottom left: no lack of cafes and eating places

bottom right: ewha area has lots of pushcarts selling local foodfare!

we left around dinner time to head back to myeongdong for late dinner.

per recommendation online, we tried a grill restaurant - wangbijib - which has a few branches in seoul and 1 is just near our hotel.

as usual, the unmarinated beef sirloin is the best. though the maple tree is still much better. *yums*

anyway, i decided to try soju so ordered a bottle. it was dirt cheap so i didnt think much of it.

when the waiter served us small glasses akin to shot glasses, i was a little puzzled.

as usual, the husband took 1 sip and declared he is not drinking anymore.

i drank 1 glass and thought its quite nice... hehe.

as i drank more, hubbi was commenting it tastes like its alcohol content is high and i thought so too.

i was thinking in the range of 6-7percent?

so......i proceeded to drink 3/4 of it myself....

i was texting my friend after dinner to inquire him on the content only to find out its near to 20%... @_@

LOL. no wonder i feel a weeeeeee bit of tipsy awhile after that.

YR loves to munch on the raw veg surprisngly for he normally skipped all the cooked veg in his plate...

and then its time to do REAL shopping! 

hubbi and the boys made an early retreat to the hotel by 10pm so i can made my own sweet way to dongdaemun for serious shopping! *wee*

dongdaemun is only 2 stops away so i reached in a whizz via subway.

there are 4 main building of shopping galore here - morning city, APM, migliore and doota.

and opened till 4.30am - sweet.

it was all fun and exciting when i made the rounds, trying and buying.

but after shopping hard for 3 hours, i was dead tired.

the initial plan was to head out further to check out the clubbing/drinking scene of seoul but at 1+am, i conceded defeat and flagged a cab back to hotel.. :(

my feet was aching so much.

the soles almost form blisters, can you believe that?! soles!! not back of heels or toes! gosh, must be too much walking.

but i was very happy with my stash - teehee. 



APM & Doota

i skipped good morning city but went to the remaining 3.

APM is good for very affordable clothings with good variety of designs. though after awhile the designs do get repetitive when you go through the different floors.

migliore struck me as having lower quality and cheaper clothings. nothing much struck my fancy here though its basement has some nice kiddos' clothings.

Doota is my fav!! if you like siam centre in BKK, you will like doota.

varied designs with good mix from local designers and imports. good quality and reasonable pricing.

i really like that each shop has its own style and you seldom see repeats like those in APM/migliore.

i think the next time i revisit seoul, it will be with GIRLFRIENDS!!

so that concluded our day 3 in seoul - equally tiring for each day there...

since i went back to work on thurs, it has been busy busy busy during office hours...

just realised closing is just a week away (damn, the last one feels like yesterday..), realised there are still many outstanding tasks yet to be done. zzzz.

it was a good thing that i ran through the emails (hundreds of them!) once on wednesday before i headed out for lunch with candice and jx..

no time for slacking next week - gonna do a good job before the closing comes again.

jia you!

some outfits for the week:

left: printed dress from seoul

right: peplum top from gg5, pencil skirt from bysi

kimchi land day 3 - Trick eye museum

this museum was recommended by a friend who just visited seoul back in apr.

when i read about it online, it seems fun enough for family.

though as usual, the actual place doesnt really live up to my expectations, especially the size of it.

heard that the one at jeju island is better. guess we can only verify the next time we visit jeju, hehe.

trick eye museum is located at hongdae area - where hongik university is.

pretty far from myeongdong - around 9 stations away.

we made our way there after a hearty brekkie @ cafe bene (a popular chain which serves pretty nice waffles + coffee found all over seoul).

we found the museum in no time after we exited the station.

it was situated at B2 of a building.

YZ was pretty tickld by some of the paintings here and though the actual ones look pretty flat & 2D in reality, they show up deceivingly misleading on photos.

haha, tricking our eyes indeed.

some photos taken there:

the ticket box photo is so 3D!

have you figure out by now how i took the upside down photo?

we spent an hour +/- here and left to look for lunch.

hongdae area being a university area is full of young people.

and as such, the area has alot of small eateries which are comparatively cheaper than myeong dong to cater to the younger crowd no doubt.

we randomly chose a small place serving the usual korean foodfare.

the pricing was ridiculously cheap! we are talking $6 for bibimbap and $5 for seaweed rice.

the portion was decent and the food was not bad too.

decent, fast lunch for the ng family.

after lunch, we are good to start our walking, shopping, eating day around hongdae and ewha woman university areas!

to be continued...

kimchi land day 2 - samcheongdong, bukchon hanok village & Insadong

samcheongdong is only a leisure 10-15mins walk away from gyeongbokgung palace.

you just need to walk straight along the palace wall and take the right road when the main road branches out into 2 roads.

you will surely recognise samcheongdong for you'll found yourself walking along pretty boulevards dotted with shops/cafes each with their own distinct styles. :D

it was pure joy just strolling in the area getting lost and popping into any shops/cafes that appeal to you.



i super heart samcheongdong. so quaint and pretty!

with the good weather and the boys taking turns to nap in the pram, ah long and i enjoyed our time here.

and of cos, what is an afternoon without tea break!

there are soo many cafes here you will be spoilt for choices.

we had waffles and its crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside - shiok!

it was just about time for us to have an early dinner when we reached towards the end of samcheongdong.

dinner was at the maple tree which was recommended online when i did my research back home.

and i can only say - the rave reviews live up to their words!

we ordered 2 of the recommended meat - unmarinated beef sirloin and marinated boneless beef ribs.

the unmarinated beef sirloin is super juicy and yummy. we were told to dip it slightly in salt and eat it just like that.

and the salt brings out the sweetness of the beef.

we were surprised that the unmarinated sirloin is actually better than the marinated ones.

i tried the cold noodles as well and found it pretty refreshing to go along with the hot grilled meat.

and pineapples on grill are very very good. haha.

the boys ate alot of rice given the tasty meat too.

it was the best dinner for the whole trip for us actually!

the pricing was pretty reasonable too.

i think the meal costs us less than S$100.

after the satisfying dinner, we made our way to bukchon hanok village which is just next to samcheongdong.

bukchon is different from namsangol in the sense that it is occupied and lived in by people now and there are more houses here clustered together forming a very unique neighborhood.

its like taking you back in time when you get lost here.

we found the architecture intriguing.

the area is full of uphill and downhill slopes so plan your path a little with all the handy standing maps on display in this area so you dont ended up walking more up slopes than down.. ha.

the boys not really appreciating the houses but having fun running up and down the slopes. @_@

we finally left the place near 7+pm. it really has been a good few hours spent here in samcheongdong.

i highly recommend anyone who visit seoul to come here for at least half a day to soak in the ambience.

we took a cab from samcheongdong to insadong - it was only a station away but cab is so much faster and cheaper!

Insadong is a neighbourhood that exudes tradition. there are lots of teahouses here and the shops are selling all kind of knick knacks that appeal more to the average tourist.

so meaning nothing much for me..

there is a shopping place here called ssamziegil which design allows people to ascend the different floors without stairs.

see photo to see what i meant.

insadong reminds me abit of taipei 西门町 but minus the shopping...

ssamziegil on the right with walkways of slight gradient to link all the floors without stairs - something different.

we spent an hour or so at insadong before our legs start to cry for mercy.

too much walking during the day! so we settled at starbucks for quick bites again.

we never stop eating huh?

over at insadong, the starbucks here are the only one in seoul with korean words on its signboard instead of "starbucks".

by the time we reached our hotel, hubbi and my legs were turning in jelly..

the boys were not so tired given they can rest by sitting in stroller or carried by us... zzzz.

but day 2 has been well spent.

tomorrow we will be heading to hongdae area and ewha women university street for shopping!

kimchi land day 2 - Gyeongbokgung palace

we must be pretty tired out the day before for we slept in late till 10+am. tsk tsk.

today, we have a pretty packed day so we better be in on our way soon!

taking the subway, gyeongbokgung station is just a few stops away.

we reached in a jiffy and headed off in search of our lunch place.

at the station. station walls mimicking the palace walls..

lunch was at tosokchon which is near the palace. 

we had trouble finding it for awhile and need to queue up before we can get seats BUT it was all worth the effort.

the samgyetang (aka ginseng chicken) is worth all the trouble!

even for someone like hubbi who doesnt really fancy soupy stuff and chicken of all meat cleaned up his bowl..

we love how the rice was inside the chicken - sticky in texture like glutinous rice - and soaking up all the good flavor of the soup! yummeh!

we were horrendous when we saw the queue which saw around 20+ pax in front of us.

but surprisingly the line moved pretty fast and we were in after 10-15mins.

and once we entered the place, we knew why. the place was pretty big hence the faster turnaround of guests.

the place layout was similar to housing of older days where it was divided into different rectangular sections.

we got ourselves a table in 1 of the sections soon and the menu was pretty simple.

either you choose the normal samgyetang or you get the black chicken version.

we opted for the "mainstream" safer option obviously.

after the satisfying lunch, we made our way to the palace.

to the boys, the place was nothing much but space for them to run around.

to the man, the place was as interesting as maybe a Myanmar palace to me....

i guess if you have no interest in the history or culture of a place, the historical sites just dont speak to you. 

to me, i was of cos happy to see the scenes all so familiar to me from korean dramas unfolding in front of me. heheh.

juxtaposition of the modern (skyscrapers) and history (palace)

a view of where the king held sessions with his 臣子 in the past (left and top right)
and a peek at the interior of their "house" (bottom right)

still, much as i found joy reconciling the place from drama scenes to reality, we were all ready to leave after an hour plus here. LOL.

we are ready to move on to the next destination: samcheongdong.

which has to be the loveliest of all places in seoul, no kidding.

even the husband can vouch for that.

more on samcheongdong soon....

kimchi land day 1 ~ N seoul tower

we moved out reluctantly from the comforts of the hotel to the next itinerary stop of our first day in seoul: N seoul tower.

you can reach N seoul tower by car, walking or cable.

and of cos, we opted for the "most fun" way to go there.

again, its only a 10-15mins walk to the cable car station from our hotel - we love our hotel location!

YZ and I aint too fond of the heights but the little son was most excited on board the cable car...

in no time, we reached the other side - Nansam Hill - where the N seoul tower is at.

to my horror, there was another flight of stairs to climb before we can reach the base of the tower... zzz.

still, the place was touristy and interesting enough for most people.

clockwise from top left: finally we see the tower!
the boys taking photo with seoul mascot: haechi

directory on the floor

the stairs to ascend.... @_@

there are plenty of locks (mostly adorned by couples) at the tower, not unlike those at the bridge at munich

there are a few choices of activities to be done here. 

we opted to go to the teddy bear museum (which bored the man seriously to death) and ascend to the observation deck.

the teddy bear museum is really nothing much but i guess interesting enough for the kids.

more for teddy bear lovers i guess.

we had a fun.. umm... 30mins there? 

my fav. bear - oppa gangnam style! LOL.

 the observation deck is really nothing much. nothing compared to taipei 101 and of cos Eiffel tower.

we came down after awhile and settled for dinner at one of the cafes downstairs.

as usual, i try to make every meals in seoul korean-style so i opted for kimchi hotdog.

and it was...zzzz...while the boys had delicious mushroom bacon burgers. :(

i shall seek cold comfort in that this was my only lousy meal for the whole trip.

top: singapore-facing direction at observation deck

bottom: the fries were pretty decent @ the best burger in seoul

we made our way back to myeong-dong around 7+pm and to our surprise, the whole area was bustling with activities. 

all the push carts are out and there were lovely food - cuttlefish, hotteok (korean traditional pancakes) etc - smell in the air. NICE!

we spent some time strolling around and buying some stuff to munch on.

as it was our first day at seoul and all of us didnt have a good rest on board so we were back in hotel by 9+pm for an early night.

the boys were so tired they were snoozing in no time. ha.

off to gyeongbokgung palace and the loveliest of all samcheongdong tomorrow!

*wee*

kimchi land day 1 ~ namsangol hanok village

we are back from kimchi land!
this is our 3rd family trip and i must say we are getting better at handling the boys ourselves.
or perhaps, its just a case of them being older and easier to manage. :D

it has been a tiring but satisfying trip. with lots of walking and eating involved.
i must say im proud of yz being able to keep up with all the walking!
and of cos, im the happiest among the lot! 
being able to eat all the korean food which i love and shop till i drop (almost literally..). 
our next trip will have to wait till end of the year so we were glad that this has been a good trip for us.

we took the night flight last wednesday and both boys fell asleep almost immediately after take-off.
as usual, i only managed to take winks here and there though the flight there was pretty smooth for my standard.
we touched down at incheon airport at around half-past 7am feeling chirpy. 

left: bubble milk tea and strawberry cheesecake @ A Twosome place - coffee place that can be found all over seoul

right: @ incheon airport train station - about to take airport train to seoul station

taking things slow & easy, we settled for a light snack after collecting our luggage. 

there is a cafe - A Twosome place - near the airport train station so we took a quick bite. 

the bubble tea pearls aint as sweet as those like gongcha but the chewy texture is good and the milk tea is *slurp*!

to get to seoul, we opted for the airport train which takes around 45mins to reach seoul station.

the other option will be taxi which takes around the same time but much more expensive.

decided to do the 平民 way for our transit into city for the boys to take train, our luggage being "light" = 1 luggage + 1 stroller and also its much cheaper - ~ $15+ for whole family vs $50+ via cab. ha.

for the transit back from city to airport, it was definitely taxi for us with all the "extra" luggage. hehe.

lotteria is surprisingly delicious. 

can you spot the sleeping child in the background?

we reached seoul main station and of cos we had to change the subway to get to our hotel.

YR has fell asleep again by now given the 6 hours sleep time on flight is not enough for him.

and by now, the husband started to think that not taking taxi seems to be a bad idea. wahahaha.

but there is always silver lining if you bother to look hard enough.

to take a "break" before continuing our journey, we settled at lotteria for another quick bite. :P

lotteria is pretty similar to macdonalds. i find their buns pretty soft and burgers yummier.

but maybe, its just the taste buds reacting favorably to new stuff. *nom nom*

luckily our stop myeong dong is only 2 stops away so we reached in 10mins time!

and our hotel - Nine Tree - is right next to the station exit and in the heart of myeong dong!

it was a superb choice - location wise!

and of cos it was not time to check-in yet, so we deposited our luggage and moved out for our first itinerary stop : Namsangol hanok village!

pancake break @ Cafe Need

but of cos, us being us, we were lured by a cafe with nice interior decor on our way (namsangol is around 15mins walking distance from our hotel).

we decided to take 10 for another tea break - pancake!

finally, we reached namsangol shortly.

this hanok village gives a good overview of the houses of different classes in the olden times.

as usual, hubbi was not very impressed with the place and the older boy took his turn to nap during this time...

so YR and me spent more of the time exploring the place by ourselves. haha.

the little one acting like he enjoyed himself too..

after namsangol, time to go for a late lunch before checking into our hotel at 2pm.

there were many eating houses which serves grilled meat on the street just behind our hotel.

were spoilt for choices before settling on a place which look decent enough.

YR very happy with the pork belly apparantly.

we ordered pork belly, beef bulgogi & kimchi stew (im the only one eating this as none of them can take spicy food...zzz).

the beef bulgogi stew was very delicious with the enoki mushroom and 冬粉 soaking up the goodness of the beef and super yummy on their own!

we finally checked in at 2+pm. it was good to be able to take a hot shower finally!

the room was spacious enough for us - really not too bad for its location and price...

we lazed around in the room for an hour plus before deciding to move our ass to the next stop:

N seoul tower!

to be continued....

weekend = R&R

this weekend has been an exciting one for the husband.
he has finally made his first step of getting something he has wanted for quite some time.
tsk tsk.

as for myself, i got myself a super cute pair of flats from rad russel - comfy shoes at very reasonable price. :)

and in view of my expanding muffin top, i've started running (actually i only ran twice so far... ) on treadmill - something ive always look down on others with despise.
sigh. 

but im quite impressed with myself (doesnt take alot).
by my second run, i actually clocked in 4.3km in 30mins.
so my stamina is not as bad as i thought...

ok, some outfits for last week:

left: printed dress from dorothy perkins - i had this dress for 4 years i think!!

right: top and skirt from gg5

gearing up for work & GSS

*hoot* been a crazy week so far.

month-end closing is here again (seems to be closing on me faster and faster each month - gulp).

not too bad not too good. could have been better, could have been worse.

just glad that monday is over and timing back on track from tuesday again.

but next week is gonna be a crazy week.

gotta clear 1000001 tasks on hand before i can 安心 go on my trip... tsk.

good thing is GSS is here!! though i told myself not to buy stuff until im back from my trip..

i guess some things just cant wait.

pants and tops from GG5.

romper and cardigan from zara.

so far so good. :D

some of my outfits from last last week i think:

left: dress from zara

right: long dress from selfridge