Merry Xmas!!!

Hope all of you enjoy the joyous festive season and not forget the main reason why we celebrate it!! GOD Bless to ALL!!

and thanks for the gifts ppl!


(10:23 PM)

(10:33 PM)

Day 5 Time[0730 GMT +9] Place[Dragon Valley Resort]

The sun had risen and we wake up to see the resort for the first time ever under sunlight.. a magnificent blanket of white covered the uneven landscape. and so it was time for us to head up to the top of the mountain to have a feeling of what winter was really about.. paying yet another absurb amount of money simply to get onto the cable car.. 12000won[$20] per head.. we were treated to a "spectacular view of the "lush greenery" of the mountain range.. lol.. it was mostly barren with the exception of lines of green.. hmm.. intrigruing.. either ways.. we eventually reached the peak.. i mean what can we expect to see up there really? more barren trees and snow covered branches was what i initially reckoned.. i was wrong.. TOTALLY WRONG.. we saw.. NOTHING.. visibility was reduced to a mere few meters.. and we managed to move only by wadering our way through the thick blanket of snow.. howling winds blew at us forcing me to raise the hood over my head.. right.. lets ponder on the situation.. snow littered everywhere around us.. no scenery meant little chances of photos.. only 2 option laid open for us.. SNOWMAN AND SNOWFIGHT!! i never really did completed the snowman with my friends due to the shortage of time.. sigh..
Sorry girl.. =P
what's with the constipated look?

right so we made our way down back to "ground level" and while waiting for the rest of the tour group to board the bus.. i finger got a little trigger happy..

in the cable car.. [do i really look better smiling like this? {my dad thinks so}]
snapshot 1 of resort
snapshot 2 of resort
*what do u want me to say here REALLY*

u dun really expect me to show you guys all the pictures i took do you? mostly were junk or experimentation of my camera functions.. LOL.. alright.. so it was goodbye to ski resort and off to EVERLAND..its a theme park by the way.. i was expecting an unlimited ride ticket but what was presented to me was one with a 5rides limitation.. -.-"
ok.. that aside. me being a thrill rides addict.. i went straight for the rollercoasters..[there were 2] but was instead dragged off together with the rest of the tour group to take some rides we were forced to take.. claimed to be enjoyable for the whole family.. and so we sat the amazon express water adventure [really nothing much.. its just sitting on a big float and allowing the current to take you.. u know what that is right?] and then it was the safari land.. yup.. they had a zoo.. well mini one.. in the theme park itself..
Lions..
Bear..

and so.. in a blink of an eye.. i was left with 3 rides.. OMG.. i still went on my coasters.. that's simply something one cannot miss while in the theme park.. and that was that.. 1 ride left.. hmm.. i can't all be that self-sented right? so we went on a family ride together.. Mystery Mansion.. No.. it aint a haunted masion ride.. please.. i wont even bother entering it if it was one.. it was something like a shooter ride.. we were strapped onto the chair and armed with a "special pistol" supposedly able to rid of the ghostly spirits in the mansion.. best part.. it was score based.. so we got to see how we faired after the ride.. i ranked in First with 8500points if i am not mistaken.. bro second with 6000+.. then parents.. dad then mum.. ouch..guess i play too much arcade now do i? lol.. too much world combat and time crisis i would say..
and so.. we headed to seoul where we checked into our final hotel and the FIRST hotel we got to stay 2nights in.. YES>. i mean it.. that was day 5 and some family and group shots to end the entry..

CTC Group A.. yes.. we had like 60ppl.. so we had 2 buses.. and YES u get the idea..
FAMILY SHOT..

(4:24 PM)

NOTICE

In “Why is Church Seeking Donations Door to Door?” (ST, Dec 20),
a member of the public reported that he was approached at home
for a donation by someone claiming to be from City Harvest Church.
We would like to categorically state that from the inception of CHC,
we have NEVER solicited funds from the public
and have NEVER authorized anyone to do so on our behalf.

Members of the public should verify the identity of the person(s)
seeking donations in the name of CHC,
or any other charitable organization,
as there could always be a few who may be taking advantage
of the spirit of generosity during the Christmas season.

Please inform us at feedback@chc.org.sg or hotline 6737-6266
should anyone come to know of such activities.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

(7:51 PM)

Day 4 Time[0530 GMT+9] Place[Daegu The Grand Hotel]

we woke up bright and early today.. ok so maybe it was not as bright other than the few street lamps. ok fine.. it would be pitch dark if not for the man-made lights.. it was a moonless night then.. for once we were able to eat hotel food - it also turned out to be the one and only time.. but it sure did feel good to be eating something farmiliar. we set off shortly after towards Mount Sorak.. which well.. unfortunately for all of us.. a 6hour bus journey.. how did we keep ourselves company? one option was to watch the "movie" which our tour guide had prepared for us.. it turned out to be "da chang jin" the consized version of the whole storyline.. OR.. simply well.. like what i always do on long boring journeys.. sleep..
we stopped along the way after about 2hours to get a toilet break.. and that.. was the first time i saw snow.. YES.. it is my first time.. i couldn't help myself.. the first thing i did when i got down the bus was to cup together a bunch of snow and simply hurl it at the other youth whom i had made friends with during our short time together.. our first snow fight..=P.. and so the story goes on.. go back to bus.. bus moves.. bus arrives at lunch place and we expected something great out of it since it was stated in the itenary that it was seafood steamboat.. SEAFOOD it was.. a crab lay in the pot waiting for us to crack it open to allow us to relish the.. -.-".. pathetic amout of meat in it.. so much for crabs exclusive to korea and japan seas.. alright.. enough complaining.. we finally reached mount sorak and a splendid view it had to offer..
this was the tour group i had spent my holiday in korea with.. a complete mix of lively.. shy.. rude.. ill-mannered.. ok.. u get the picture..
OK.. from here on.. it would plainly be pictures for this section of the entry on Mount Sorak.. i really don't wish to bore you with me explaining what happened every hour of the trip..
view from the north side..
view from the south side..
Family SHOT!!
great background ain't it?
*insert text here*
Temple at foot of mountain.. the statue is about 30m tall.. or perhaps even more than that..

ALRIGHT.. so now here is the highlight of the trip.. SKI!! we finally reached yong pyong ski resort and geared ourselves up for the exciting time ahead right after dinner..
skiing really was not as simple as i originally thought it was.. NOT.. it was really simple.. for me that is.. after we were taught the basics of course.. and so.. some stuff really i am not good at explaining in words.. well i'm just lazy okay.. lol..

FAMILY SHOT AGAIN!
did i mention it is rather hard to stop when going down the slope? lol
Bro n Me..
Look at my bro SKI!! =D

ok.. so that was day 4.. sorry for the delay of it.. was bz with stuff..


(1:10 PM)

Day3 Time[0730 GMT+9] Place[Jeju Pacific Hotel]

waking up is still a chore.. espcially since korea is an hour ahead of Singapore.. either ways.. we went down to a harbor to have our breakfast.. and to my horror.. coffee cost 100won.. that's abt 17cents.. anyone would be bewildered.. or i inquired.. apparently.. coffee would be served on the house.. meaning its free.. but the fact that they are served in disposable cups made the government imposed a fine on those who gave out free coffee.. well.. u see korea has a major waste disposal problem.. the country was generating too much waste and land was running out to store these waste items.. later on in the trip.. we would be able to witness a hill.. which i initially thought was a natural formation.. but it was a landfill site.. after years of disuse of cuz.. allowing nature to spring to life over it.. it is rather shocking though.. how much waste a region can produce.. either ways.. the picture above is a view of the harbour a stone's throw away from where we ate.
we proceeded to what it is called the mysterious road.. what was so mysterious about it? well.. the bus we were on would move by itself as it "moved" along it.. the bus driver took out the keys proving to us that the engine had been killed.. switched off.. here's the catch..some of you may think that before the engine was switched off, enough energy would have been generated to push the bus along.. well.. the street is UPHILL.. so even if it was so.. gravity would have gotten the better of it and dragged the bus down with it.. so what caused the bus to move? haha.. u guys can tell me the answer on the tagboard[which is like.. erm.. dead?] or by MSN[which i think most of you would prefer using].. *i wonder what kind of answers you people would conjure*

ok.. so it was off to the airport and goodbye to Jeju Island.. and hello Deagu! the airport there was apparently a military airport for the United States as well.. how i knew? cuz i saw the united states airforce logo on the planes.. but then again.. i saw several F-15s.. which is also used in South Korea Air Force.. ok.. OFF TOPIC..
so either ways.. they dropped us off in the airfield as you can see in the photo.. it's the first time it happened to me.. espcially since Daegu Airport was an international airport as well.. did it matter? i was able to take this photo which is rare these days.. looking at the increased amounts of security measures which has been implemented since 911.. i was hesitant about taking the photo initially.. about the probabilty that we may be confronted by police in the area.. but heck.. =X..
so went off to a farm shortly after, why are we going to a farm in winter anyway? no idea really.. but it didn't really mattered.. o yes.. their scarecrows are really out of the ordinary.. an example would the one in the photo.. interesting ain't it? haha.. we also made Korean New Year cake.. which is like mua chee.. but made of mashed rice.. so we.. the tourists were asked to hold something like wooden sledgehammers and slam it down on the rice on the table.. so we did.. and it was one heck of a mess.. best part? we were asked to eat it after it was cut up and flossed with peanuts.. anyone would be horrified to actually consume the food.. but i did eventually.. and it actually tasted really nice!

we also BBQ sweet potatoes and gosh.. it tastes so nice..i really feel its kinda wasted to only use it as an ingridient in soup.. or at least thats whats happen to me.. hmm.. maybe i should have this in the next BBQ i attend or organise.. its gonna be so nice.. =P.. and then comes the most torturous part of the holiday trip.. nvm the fact that all 60 of us were squeezed into a cart tugged by a tractor used on a farm.. it was about -4C out there and when the tractor tolled us around the farm once.. which lasted about 15min... the wind howled at us.. u can imagine how cold it was.. it would placated if the view around the farm was nice.. but all i saw were plants with no leaves on it.. not a tinge of green.. yes.. it seemed rather desolated..
that aside.. we went for SPA at the Daegu SPA valley.. its exactly what we see on TV when japanese people or anime characters go into hot pools of water.. well.. almost.. this one had both indoor and outdoor.. indoor having a range of variation.. mulberry,red pine, aromatic.. cold bath.. and yes.. every one was naked in there.. of cuz both males and females were seperated.. lol.. it felt really weird initially going into a public area naked.. and gosh.. i saw too many naked men in one day.. after the SPA.. i came out and placed my foot into a pond.. where small fishes gathered around my feet and started eating the dead skin on it.. it was really ticklish..

u can see em right? lol..

and so that was Day 3..

(7:07 PM)

Day2 Time[0830 GMT+9] Place[Lotte Hotel]

Alrights people.. here's day 2.. and the first thing i learnt that day was.. Women are lousy drivers.. or at least that was what the koreans thought.. i mean look at the picture on the left.. "parking for Women ONLY".. as if by the architect's sarcasm.. the parking space was comparatively bigger and unlike the other parking lots. there were lines drawn around it forming a box.. supposedly to guide the feminin driver into the lot. therefore achieving no disruptions to other drivers due to their "incorrigible" parking skills.. LOL

ok.. enough said.. i'll simply jump straight into the day's highlights.
we visited the Cheonjeyeon waterfalls bright and early.. to avoid the mad rush of tourists which would undoubtedly had left us pancakes and our experience there a horid one.. like most trips.. some areas can only be explained with the help of beautiful pictures.. taken by me of cuz.. =P..it is.. MY camera..
A Korean Temple and Maple tree in background
stairway to Korean Temple
Seonimgyo Bridge.. its really a rather long stretch..
At the waterfalls with family..[bro,mum,dad,me]
what a beautiful reflection.. ain't it?

we proceeded to have lunch.. which was as the tourguide said.. BBQ Black Pig.. note that was what our local tour guide told us.. now compare with what we ate.. [the photo]
That's stir-frying right? wait.. that's not right.. it's just a hot-plate.. that's BBQ? ok..

we went on to scale a volcano.. also known as Songsan Sunrise Peak. i'm not really sure as to whether this was the volcano which formed Jeju.. but judging on its geometrical location.. i'm surmising that it is not..
ok.. so this is how the crater looks like from far.. ok.. around 300m away.. the climb up was underestimated by me.. initially i sprinted up the steps provided and made it half way-up but by then, fatigue took over.. well.. first.. i was wearing long-johns which is a skin hugging piece of garment, it restricts your movement a lot.. secondly.. i was wearing jeans[ok that was not an excuse].. thirdly.. o enough with the excuses..
here the view at the base of the crater

after much effort.. we made it to the top.. and here's a paranormal view of it.. quite a sight aint it..[click to enlarge]

COME ON.. i am human ok.. i was tired.. REALLY
wow.. this really is quite a nice shot.. [bro in background]
Family shot!
Ocean View..[Pacific Ocean]

we later proceeded to an orange orchard where i found the most hilarious item open to the public in Jeju..
I Love my mum!
we see this almost everywhere in Jeju Island.. it is said if one were to touch the nose of this statue.. it would allow them to conceive a son.. cuz in korea.. it is against the law for doctors to reveal the sex of the unborn baby to parents.. Korea still have the thinking of olden days.. think china..
i have no idea what the boxes were for.. but who cares.. lol

and now.. the most hilarious item..

A PENIS!! WTF.. LOL.. ROFL.. o COME ON.. LAUGH ALREADY

we then started a 90min journey to a marketplace for us tourists to spend our heap loads of cash.. well of cuz thats not the case for my family.. we brought only what was enough.. and it seems the climb proved too much for my dear brother to handle.. falling asleep almost instantaneously on the bus.. LOL.. when we eventually arrived at the place.. we were all blur.. cause we saw nothing related to shopping in sight.. it was underground!! REALLY.. a huge percentage of shopping usually takes place below the earth.. o ya.. their market place sells everyhing.. really.. live squids, octopus[we saw one trying to escape], ABALONE.. and the last one u juz gotta see the pic.. lol..


Floral displays litter the streets.. literally.. this is one of the more beautiful flowers.. to me at least.. =D
ABALONE!
ABALONE MEAT!! *drooling*
More abalone..Squids..
Octopus..

A
N
D
.
.
.
.
.













PIG HEADS!!!


yup.. and so that's it for Day2.. lol.. yes.. we ain't even half way there yet.. lol

(7:03 PM)