My Trip to Korea: An Answered Prayer... (Part 1)

Day 1: October 28, 2008
Talk about photo-finish, I finally got my visa from the Korean Embassy, the afternoon of October 27, barely 10 hours before my flight to Seoul. I was in the airport by 11 that evening, and by 1 AM of the following day, aboard Philippine Airlines, I was on my way to Seoul.
We landed at the Incheon International Airport at 5 AM. I barely slept the entire flight and I still had cough and colds, but still I was as excited as a kid on Christmas Day, thinking, "I AM ACTUALLY IN KOREA!!!" (And boy, was it cold!)
I met my first friends in Korea at the immigration line, 1 Filipino lady and 2 gentlemen (one of whom is actually the mayor of La Union). We took the airport bus together to Seoul Station. I took a cab from there going to the hotel I booked online, the PJ Hotel.

I scourged around the area for breakfast and ended up at Dunkin Donuts. After that, I spent the rest of the morning exploring the nearby streets of my hotel in Jung-gu. I chanced upon a street that could have been the ultimate paradise for my biker brother, where Harley Davidsons, BMWs and Ducatis were just lined up along the street, displayed the way they would sell fishes in wet markets in the Philippines.
I went back to the hotel by lunch time, spent an hour in the hotel's business center, emailing family and friends that I'm safely in Seoul. The rest of the afternoon, I forced myself to rest and get some needed sleep.
That evening, I took off on my own, a map in tow, and headed for downtown Seoul by subway. (Korea's subway lines are really not as complicated as it looks on the map.) I had planned beforehand to take the Seoul City Tour Bus.

http://www.seoulcitybus.com/eng/subB_B02.htm

For KRW10,000, the Seoul City Night Tour Bus takes you to an hour-long guided tour (though only by recorded voice on individual headphones - your choice of language) of the city, along the Hangang River and the numerous bridges that run accross it. I have to say, Han River is so dramatic at night. Too bad we're on a moving bus and I couldn't take good pictures of the tour.

Day 2: October 29, 2008
The following morning, a new Korean friend, Kang donsaeng (younger brother), picked me up from the hotel to take me around Seoul. I met his boss, Han oppa (older brother), a few months back in the Philippines and took him and his son around Manila. (Han oppa is a business supplier of our company and has become a good friend of our Buyer, Tita Nonie. Oh, he also is our "supplier" of Rain items from Korea.)
We went accross the Han River to Yeouido Area were the National Assembly Building, as well as the three major Korean broadcasting stations: MBC, KBS, and SBS, are located. But our main destination was the 63 Building, another must-see for me because the building is central in the 4th (of only 4, actually) Korean drama series I've seen, "My Girl".
With 3 underground and 60 aboveground floors, this building houses several offices, a shopping mall, a food court, a fitness center, an IMAX theater, and the Aquarium 63 Sea World which displays 20,000 marine creatures of 400 different species.
The building also boasts a spectacular 360 degrees view of Seoul from its rooftop observatory. Oh, and not to mention an art exhibit center... That time, of cute Hello Kitty...
After that, we went for an hour-long ferry cruise of the Hangang River... It was so cold! The temperature that afternoon by the river must have dropped below 10 degrees...
Kang donsaeng returned me to my hotel around 3PM for rest. That evening, both him and Han oppa picked me up again and treated me to dinner at Bennigan's in Myeong-dong. I had a really wonderful time with these guys. I am grateful that both can speak English well because I enjoyed talking with them. They're nice, intelligent, and easy to get along with. Ah, too bad they're both married... Hahaha...

Before we parted, they gave me presents, a pair of Hello Kity stuffed dolls in Korean hanbok... How cute is that?

Korea: One More Check on My Bucket List...

My Trip to Korea: October 28 to November 3, 2008

I was reading back the other day on my January 1, 2008 post on my Prayer Journal. On the first day of 2008, I wrote down my prayer list for the year. It was a short one but number one the list: To visit Korea this year. Ten months after, I had my wish fulfilled. It's as if God didn't want the year to end without another major answered prayer for me.
In mid September, the core group of Cloud Philippines (Rain's local fans club) were a-buzz over planning a trip to Korea for the launching of Rain's 5th Album. There will be a showcase concert and we wanted to attend. But the planning was so rushed and the schedule so tight (I even had to be in Cagayan De Oro for the Inauguration of our new plant the day of the concert in Seoul), that I finally (and heartbreakingly) decided not to go with the group.
Nonetheless, I was browsing through the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) site for travel plans... just in case. That time, I chanced upon a survey: "Vote for your Favorite Filming Location." And so I did... Of course I voted for Rain's "Full House," not thinking much about it, but just wanting to give the series an added vote.
I didn't realize that it was an online contest until after I received an email three weeks after... I've never won anything major in lucky draws, not even the major prizes in our company's annual Christmas raffle. And now I've won a 3 Days 2 Nights Tour of Korea! Of Korea? Of Korea! Of all places... I could just imagine the huge grin on the Lord's face as I was half smiling and crying as I read the email that afternoon. Korea... A tour of even the US would not have made an impact for me. I suppose God wanted to make an impact... So, it has to be Korea! My God sure knows how to spoil me...
Over the next few days, I frantically made arrangements for my visa, my air ticket (not included in the tour I won), my itinerary, accommodations and pocket money for my extended days (outside of the 3d2n KTO Tour) when I'll be on my own.
I applied for visa the following week (with an invite letter from KTO, no less) but time was so short to prepare that I was worried I won't be able to get the approval before the time when I was supposed to leave. But God took care of everything. I knew he was blessing this trip. So, with a leap of faith, even without a visa on hand, I booked and purchased my tickets and booked and paid for my hotels online. I had a very good and positive feel about the trip that I knew everything will be alright. I received all the help I could get from family and friends. Everyone seemed so happy for me that they want me to have a good trip as well...
And so, on October 28, 2008, I flew to Korea... It was only the start of a perfect week that has to be one of the best, the happiest, and most blessings-filled time of my life.
I told my friend, Roxe, this... The whole time I was in Korea, I so felt so happy and positive 99% of the time. (The 1% downtime was when, due to the very cold weather, I had a huge headache on the 2nd morning of the tour. But it was gone before lunch time so it was a short-lived downtime.) I told her, I didn't even had to pause and pray. It seemed to me that my whole time there was one continuous prayer when the Lord would keep on talking to me through everything and everyone and all I could really do was utter "Thank you, Lord" over and over again...
I've shared my Korea Experience to so many people already, to anyone who would care to listen. It was my way of giving glory and credit to Him. And I thanked Him already so much but I knew I had to write everything down so I won't forget...

So, THANK YOU, LORD...

• For Putting me on a PAL flight this time other than my usual Cebu Pacific flight when I go outside the country. I appreciate the full meal rather than just the C2 drink offered by Cebu Pacific. Hehe...
• For Dunkin Donuts and Kentucky in Korea. Much as I love the country, I don't think I can survive on spicy Korean food.
• For free internet access in all the hotels I stayed in. I got to keep in touch with my family and friends back home almost everyday. It kept my family from worrying about me and I got to share fresh accounts of my trip with them. Oh, and yes, I still got my daily Rain updates. I didn't miss my home PC once.
• For Autumn in Korea and the very good weather when I was there. It was my first time to experience Autumn and it was breathtaking. I loved the play of colors on the leaves of the trees. Who wouldn't be in awe of red trees?
• For the Korean Tourism Organization, the sponsor of this event... Especially the very nice KTO people who were so accommodating and helpful even during the time I was working on my visa.
• For the chance to go around Korea for free... with
• For my family and friends who were very supportive of me to go on ahead with this trip. For Umehara-san, Ta Nons and Dex who even endorsed me to their contacts in Korea.
• For my new friends from the tour, especially Flo who had been very kind to me. She was my personal "babysitter" during the tour. A very nice person...
• For Han oppa and Kang donsaeng who toured me around and treated me on my 2nd day.
• For my new friends from Okahata Korea, especially Ms. Park, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Lim, who brought me to Everland and even brought me all the way to Incheon after.
• For my best moment in Korea... Seeing a violet sunset - one of the most beautiful sunset I've seen in my life - on our drive to Incheon after a long, happy day at Everland. It's as if the Lord was telling me, "You had a great day, huh? Well, I'm not done yet..." It's a good thing my friends were oblivious of the fact that I was crying in joy at the back of the car.
• For actually another check on my Bucket List (on top of Korea itself) - getting to visit "Full House"...
• For total strangers you blessed me with... from a free meal to a free ride...
• For such a wonderful treat at such a low cost for me... because more than half of my expenses for this trip were free...
• For keeping me safe and secured, for keeping me comfortable, and for the peace and happiness I felt the whole time I was in Korea...

Slowing Down...

I've been feeling "low batt" lately and I can only think of one reason for it: BURN-OUT.

I work more than 8 hours a day from Mon-Fri, I spend hours on commuting, I go to school on Saturdays (and sometimes even go to the office for OT work after classes), and nights at home are spent in front of the PC (either doing more work or writing term papers for school). Thank God for Sundays, but even then I still have to "force" myself to rest. I've become as workaholic as my Japanese bosses.

For the past three weeks, I've been feeling really weak and sickly that I had to go see a doctor. No serious findings (except for the usual allergy-related ones). That's when I realized that this maybe just the Lord's way of reminding me to SLOW DOWN.

So this week, I made a resolution to do just that... And more. I promised that I will take care of myself more again. I will eat better, exercise more, and sleep more. Last night I had a two-hours massage.

Today, a Saturday, I didn't go to the office (the first time in really long while). Although I went for a walk at the park this morning, I spent most of the day just bumming around the house. Hey, I even took a long nap after lunch.

And then I chanced upon this... Something I got from the email some 8 years back. So fitting for my new resolution...

“Be still and know that God is in control.”
-- Psalm 46:11

• Slow down. God is still in heaven. You are not responsible for doing it all yourself – right now.
• Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.
• Set your own pace. When someone is pushing, it’s okay to tell them they’re pushing.
• Take nothing for granted: water flows, corn grows, leaves blow.
• Take your food. God gives it to delight as well as to nourish.
• Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
• Quit planning how you’re going to use what you know, learn, or posses. God’s gifts just are. Be grateful and their purpose will be clear.
• When you talk with someone, don’t think about what you’ll say next. Thoughts will spring up naturally if you let them.
• Talk and play with children. It will bring out the unhurried little person inside you.
  Create a place in your home, at your work, in your heart… where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
• Allow yourself time to be lazy and unproductive. Rest isn’t luxury; it’s a necessity.
  Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow – and now. NOW counts.
• Rest on your laurels. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.
  Talk slower. Talk less. Don’t talk. Communication isn’t measured by words.
• Give yourself permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.
  Listen to the song of a bird – the complete song. Music and nature are gifts but only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
• Make time for play – the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs recreation.
• Watch and listen to the night sky. It speaks.
• Listen to the words you speak – especially in prayer.
• Learn to stand back and let others take the lead. There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.
• Divide big jobs into little jobs. If God took six days to create the universe, can you do any better?
• When you find yourself rushing and anxious, stop. Ask yourself WHY you are rushing and anxious. The reasons may improve your self understanding.
• Take time to read – the Bible, poetry, great books. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
• Direct your life with purposeful choices, not with speed and efficiency. The best musician is one who plays with expression and meaning, not the one who finishes first.
  Take a day off alone; make a retreat. You can learn from monks and hermits, without becoming one.
• Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
  Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
• Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.
• Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, and taste and smell.
• Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the invitations. Less really can be more.
• Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do – but often it is the best.
  Take a walk – but don’t go anywhere. If you walk to just go somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
• When things are in chaos and you are in frenzy, ask yourself: “What is right about now?” Chances are you already know what’s wrong.
• Count your blessings – one at a time and slowly.
• Enjoy the slow flow of your life… There’s really no need to be in a hurry.

A Feel of Korea... in Baguio City

Ever since I became a Rain-fan, I've been dying to go to Korea... I've been saving up for a trip and checking on Rain's schedule (If I'm going to spend about P80-100k for a single trip, I might as well make the most of it by coinciding it with a big Rain-event in Korea). But alas, nothing has come up yet...

In my frustration, I opted for the next best (or at least the cheapest) thing to a Korean vacation. I went to Baguio. A friend told me that because of the cool weather at this time of the year and the ever-growing Korean population in this summer capital, one would have at least a "feel" of Korea in spring. Aaahh, when you're as crazy as I am, that should be good enough.
So, on March 7-9, I went up to Baguio with my Ate Ruby's family (husband, Nelson and kids, Neigel and Nadine). Spending for an entire family (especially one that's seemingly always hungry as theirs) on a weekend vacation is no laughing matter. But I should say, it was worth it. This family is probably the best to go on a trip with because they are so "mababaw" and so appreciative. They don't hide their amazement even at the smallest thing (like the "smoke", the kids were insisting, coming out of their mouths because of the cold). Everything is a "wow-moment" for them. Their excitement and enthusiasm are infectious. And they thrive on anything and everything free. So I, at least, didn't get short-changed at the hotel's buffet, not to mention the use of its toilet facilities.

Here's sharing with you some pics from our Baguio weekend...

On the road...

Baguio City at 13 degrees on a mid summer day... Sarap!

Exploring Burnham Park & Session Road by foot...We stayed at the Burnham Suites... Not bad at all...

The Yaps celebrating 10 degrees weather with a night-stroll... The Mansion, Camp John Hay, and Mine's View Park...
Is there any city in the Philippines without an SM Mall? At least their version is energy efficient - no airconditioning needed...On the way back home... Lunch at the "Isdaan" in Capas, Tarlac...

Let It Go...

At one time or another, we had all been dealt with life's blows. The choice is upon us to either sulk and dwell in our misery, or to stand again, dust ourselves up and move on.

Many of us are sad because we continue to hold on to our past. Another secret to happiness that I've discovered is to forgive - the past, people who have hurt us, and most importantly ourselves. Oh, it's not easy, I know. But it starts with that decision to at least try. And when you find yourself happy again, you'll look back with a smile, as you pat yourself on the back and say, "It's a good thing you let it go..."

CLOSING CYCLES
by Paolo Coelho

One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through.
Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters - whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished. Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents' house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long lasting friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened.
You can tell yourself you won't take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that. But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister, everyone will be finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.
None of us can be in the present and the past at the same time, not even when we try to understand the things that happen to us. What has passed will not return: we cannot for ever be children, late adolescents, sons that feel guilt or rancor towards our parents, lovers who day and night relive an affair with someone who has gone away and has not the least intention of coming back.
Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away. That is why it is so important (however painful it may be!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home. Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place. Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them.
Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood. Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.
Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions that are always put off waiting for the "ideal moment." Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back.
Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person - nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need. This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.
Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life. Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, shake off the dust. Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.

Hi, I'm Aqueh... and I'm an Addict

(Addicted to Rain, that is... Kekeke)

I was reading through entries in my prayer journal of a year ago and I had a very pleasant realization: WOW, I'VE BEEN HAPPY FOR A YEAR NOW! And as weird as it may seem to most, my euphoric state is basically because of this one Korean fellow named Rain.

Why? How? Let me count the ways...

1. He's an angel sent from above... My Sexy Angel Bi...
Feeling depressed at the start of the year and on my birthday in 2007, I was crying in church with an earnest prayer: "Lord, please send me an angel to turn my life around and get me out of this depression." A week after, an officemate lent me her CD of Rain. And lo and behold, there's my "angel" on the CD cover. My answered prayer...


It was my first time to hear him but I fell inlove with his music instantly. Another week after, the same officemate lent me her "Full House" DVD. I finished the 8-disc, 16 episode series in just 3 days. I just love everthing about the series. It made me happy. That, I would say, started my "Rain Addiction". I was hooked. So, the following week I watched his two other series, "Sang Doo" and "A Love to Kill". And from then, there was no turning back...

2. He keeps me smiling from morning till night...

I eat, drink, and breath this guy... Haha... I am so fascinated with him that just one look at his smile makes me smile...

And his beat and his moves keep my endorphines up... His music is perpetually playing in my ears (literally and figuratively)... My ipod is so full of his music (and any other music that has a connection to him). And now with my new ipod video, even his concerts, performances, series, and videos follow me everywhere. I think I'm the only person who actually enjoys the long commute and the endless traffic in the Philippines. Because two hours stuck in traffic is two more hours for me of Rain-listening and viewing. Hehe... Hey, just this morning, 30 minutes in the FX terminal line, I was the only one singing and dancing...

3. He's my "angel" who has brought me so many "angels" this past year...

Because of Rain, I've met so many new friends this past year, not only from the Philippines but from all over Asia and even the U.S. Rain connected us all. But getting to know them more, I've learned that we share a common passion not only for the artist himself but for life in general. (I don't know... It may be Rain's influence on us because that's how he is, living and doing things with so much passion.)

My "angels" have been keeping me smiling as well. From a simple e-mail to say hi or to share updates, to an invite to meet up and bond, to friends "Rain-hunting" for me from Korea to China to Japan, to receiving packages on the mail from all over of Rain items (DVDs, posters, calendars, magazines, etc.)... Thank you to ALL MY ANGELS... You know who you are...

The other day, I emailed my friend Amy in Malaysia that I am celebrating my First Year Anniversary with Rain... Yes, it is indeed worth celebrating for me to have known this guy... Very few people I know could say that they are truly happy in their lives... Maybe I should advice them to pray for an "angel"... And pray for a sexy one while they're at it...