Observations and Self Reflections

For our Cold Stone search, Madison and I stopped at Dongdaemun, and the lights bouncing off the Dongdaemun gate was hypnotizing.


Some random observations.

- It is dangerous to drive around here. Seriously o_O. I would never try it.
- That said, taxi fare is quite cheap compared to the States. And bus fare. And subway...
- Girls are trained since birth to wear heels. Geezus, and wearing them on this campus takes serious skill, with hills and no flat surface anywhere.
- There is Engrish everywhere, lol, obviously.
- All the hot Korean guys are celebrities T_____________T
- I have yet to meet one Korean guy who doesn't smoke and/or drink.
- Jaywalking is completely normal. Also, narrow alleyways means walking next to cars inches away going thirty mph.
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Had a fun conversation about boys the other day with Cricky. We pretty much just bitched about the shortcomings of the male population in general. I keep saying my standards for a guy to keep is really high, but I've never really listed out the "requirements" persay in a clear coherent manner, so I decided to give it a shot to see how nitpicky I really am. I split this into two categories, the internal, and the superficial:

Internal:
- No smoking, drinking, or drugs (probably knocks out 70 percent of the Asian male population...)
- No physical, verbal, or mental abuse.
- No "playing the field."
- Inherently proactive. I'm lazy enough for the both of us.
- A mature perspective on life and things.
- Strong family and personal values with purpose, that complement mine. You have to get to know me to know what those are for me.
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Superficial:
- Doesn't have to be Asian. I just happen to be more attracted to Asian boys.
- That said, he doesn't have to look like a Korean popstar dropdead gorgeous, or smoking hot, he just needs some stylish sense of fashion, or at least care enough about his body to dress cleanly and properly.
- Sexy stylish hair. I have a weakness for that.
- Good dancer. He has to be able to keep up with me when I burn up the dance floor, duh.
- Fit, buff, ripped, whatever, one of those. It's easier for guys to stay toned than it is for girls so no excuses.
- Older than me. Emotional maturity is important, dude.
- Talented. Intelligent. Has a brain. Should have the ability to do the lulz, you know.
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Well, my superficial wants clearly outdo my more modest wants, so apparently, I'm going to end up as a nun 10 or 20 years from now. My mom could have her wish! Oh, also, I was really going to add VIRGIN under the values list, but I have little faith that there exists such a man who still has that kind of virtue premarriage.

I don't care if my standards are near "impossible" to achieve, dammit. In all honesty, I don't have the exact picture in mind the kind of man I want until I meet him, so there. I mean who does really?

I'm only standing behind this ideal until the one breaks it down and takes my breath away.

Passed out at 8 or 9 pm yesterday o_O

I must have been tired.

It's almost been a week since I've arrived here. I'm wondering if I really still need to upload these video clips of me going through the airports on my way to Seoul. I don't know. I guess I'll just hang on to them just in case. I wanted to edit them and add captions and compile them all into one big video, but I haven't gotten around to it. I try to spend most of the day out of the house, and by the time I get back, I'm too tired to think about them, haha.

Well, so yesterday, I wanted to go somewhere relaxing, away from the hustle and bustle of shopping centers. I searched online for some popular parks and found one called 서울숲 (Seoul Forest). It's a beautiful place. I took lots of pictures this time. It is relatively easy to get there, the park is a ten minute walk from the Ttukseom subway stop. I spent about four hours there, drawing, relaxing and chilling, and watching people.

There's a water fountain in the middle of the park. In the early afternoon, there were many kids, I suppose on field trips, playing with each other. It was a nice sight, cute kids. And, the park is HUGE. Going once, probably isn't enough. I think I managed to scope my way through the entire perimeter of the park, but I was definitely not thorough in my observations.

I would have liked to spend all day there, but the weather looked very gray, and it started to sprinkle a little. Also, I was getting tired of seeing couples everywhere. Everyday since I've been here, I would see at least a couple handfuls of couples. It's annoying. Wouldn't have been as bad if I wasn't alone all the time I suppose. With a friend, at least you can share the loneliness as opposed to being stuck with it alone.

Even the black and blue butterflies I saw, were totally coupling.

But, I guess I didn't mind the butterfly couple as much because I felt like God sent them my way. That was the best part about my trip to Seoul Forest. I kid you not, while I sat there on a park bench drawing the scenery around me, a fluttering bit of blue passed through my line of vision, and once I looked up as quick as I could, I saw to my delight, a butterfly. Blue. And when the butterfly stayed stationary long enough, I saw traces of black on the outlines of its wings. I was so surprised and happy. I tried very hard to snag a picture of the butterfly, but it moved too fast! All I could do was watch it.

And then I saw another butterfly of the same colors, and apparently it was the mate or something. They were doing some sort of coupling/mating behavior very normal to their species, but I would call it dancing in my opinion. The butterflies flew with each other as if choreographed. It was fun watching them.

First, they would play hide and go seek, one butterfly going in one direction, another one flying around in search for it. Once it finds the other, they chase each other around, float in this beautiful spiral dance move, and then race down the stony path. They would separate, reunite, and separate again. It was fascinating.

They kept me company for about an hour, until I decided to explore the rest of the park. Seeing those butterflies made me very happy, because they remined me that I am never alone. =)

At around five, and wanting something else to do, I decided to check out Dongdaemun. It's another hangout/shopping spot. LaChoi's mom suggested that I go there too. It was getting grayer by the minute, but I figured, why not.

I got there, and Dongdaemun is this tall shopping building. Different from Myeongdong and Apkujeong. It's got lots of fabric/jewelry/make your own stuff kind of booths on the lower levels, a food court on the fifth floor, and I think the shopping stores on the top four floors.

I don't think I like Dongdaemun very much. T_T

It was so very confusing. I got lost in the lower levels of the building for at least forty minutes. I could NOT find my way around at all. The stairwells and the way the building connects with the building next to it, was just all too confusing. Even a map of it would confuse me.

I left that place after an hour. It just pissed me off, heh ^^;;

That's most of what happened yesterday. Today I plan on going to Itaewon. I still need a wallet for my Korean stuff, and I could use with a pair of nice sandals.