sojourns to the far east / night one / seoul

the night had arrived.

in all its glorious splendour, the night had arrived. now, we all know how anticipatory we get when the weekend is here, especially the much awaited, much exciting saturday nights. yes, the night we all plan to go out and paint the town red. as red as we possibly can, that's for sure.

and of course, im no different. i enjoy the most happening night of week just as much as the next party - goer, and if someone extends me an invitation to have the time of my life on saturday nights, well, there's obviously no reason to decline.

but this saturday night was special.
extremely so.

i spend this saturday night walking the streets of Seoul. when i finally met YM and MJ-Kim, my heart blossomed with joy and exhilaration. YW and i had been chatting on msn chat for months in regards to my holidays here and we last met during CNY 2010 when she was back in ipoh, and here finally we were standing. she had brought someone i had found absolutely lovely last year, and i was elated to see her too. MJ-Kim. this was turning out to be a perfect evening in the making.

leng lui + super gorgeous.
( its an inside joke, and one i'm not privileged to share, im afraid )

so of course, being malaysians the first i contemplated was "mana nak makan?" thankfully the question was answered in advance. it was decided that we would celebrate one of Korea's most famous dishes, known all over the globe for its cholesterol - laden, oil - dripping , fat - soaked, grease - splattering taste.

B B Q p o r k . siiiiiizzzzzliiingggg.....

so off we went to a restaurant nearby, walking the lively streets of the city, soaking in all the roadside hysteria that was all over the place. people and fluorescent lights were ubiquitous. i went first with these two girls to the restaurant and saw a whole bunch of people who've already started dinner. they were obviously enjoying themselves, so time to join in.



so as i sat down, the first thing i did was to pass YW her much precious packets of home grown coffee and some brown blocks of cylindrical sugar and i said that my job logging them around was done, time to pass it to you. she gladly took on that responsibility. i then found out that these fun - lovers were YW's uni mates and friends so of course, introductions all around, also from malaysia. great. the more the merrier. and when it comes to food, some things never change when it comes to eating.

selamat menjamu selera, everyone.



the pieces of meat are served sliced and raw, and then placed on your table, so that it may fry on the grille as long as it suits you and once you're happy with the level of how burnt the pork slice is, well, dig in! now the thing is, i dont really like pork, and in fact as i was eating the cuisine, i could actually feel the arteries and valves in my chest slowly clogging up, screaming for relief. but no verbal complaints.

the company is all that matters. always.

so all through out drinks and dinner, we relished each others presence. we joked and laughed, we spoke of matters current and past and generally did a lot of catching up, as one would expect people who haven't met each other in quite a while would do. all the trouble endured in organizing this trip has delightfully paid off.

oh, how i wish this night would last forever, but as long as we did,
more food and drinks people!



after dinner, we decided to stroll aimlessly around the lively and inviting atmosphere outside. the streetscape was alive with the cacophony of endless chatter, vibrant with the city's imperceptible energy, pulling us to explore the dynamic social fabric of the city.

laughter everywhere. people everywhere. lights everywhere.

there was something electric and thrilling in the air. things that cant be described, only sensed. as you can see, i couldn't be happier. and you know, once you look at the photograph above, i'm sure you can see why. 3 gorgeous women by my side.

my very own charlies' angels.
what more could a guy ask for?




and yes, we continued walking and exploring. walking and exploring. walking and exploring and eventually you'll find design quirks like this red coated periscope with an concave inverted mirror at its end thingy sticking out of the ground like something that lost its way when it was supposed to be at the Pompidou Center in Paris.

hey, its obviously a conversation piece, and it got us taking more shots. with the signature "kawaii" hand gesture, of course.

in the meantime however, something else has clearly caught MJ-Kim's eye.
how quaint, darling ... you look adorable.



eventually, as we continued walking, i found out that this area is close to a relatively famous university called Ehwa Women University, and that this whole area is one of the hotspots in the urban stage for all things hip and happening, which would explain the animated and enthusiastic ambiance so unmistakable prevalent everywhere you go. these two pictures of us dancing against a wall of stone roses is actually the entrance to that university.

artistic markings, as you can see.
rooted in tradition, no doubt. i love eastern pieces of art.



once we were done, we proceeded.



took a few shots, played the fool a little longer and someone suggests another round of coffee. hey, why not?



walking around the streets we come across this junction. and a chance to indulge at shots of caffeine. there was a cafe nearby, and so it looked like a good a place as any. time to head on in. and for the next or hour or so, we sat and loafed around without a care in the world. we joked and giggled, regaling each other with stories from our lives. our hopes and dreams all shared with everyone and a chance to bond after an a year of absence.



again, simple pleasures of life all ready to be experienced to the fullest. but as all good things do, the night was coming to an end, and it was time to part ways. it had been an absolutely delicious day, from dawn to dusk, and i knew instinctively, that this was going to be the beginning of a wonderful two weeks in the far east. but for now, we bid adieu, and rest for the night.

with the last shot taken and as you can see, we're a very inclusive lot when it comes to having fun, it was time to say goodbye. for the time being anyway.



good night, ladies!
good night, charlie brown!
thank you all for the time of my life!