Sweet Battle

My impression of Seoul changed quite a lot after this trip.  I no longer hate Korea and thought it was alright.  I actually had a great trip.  I arrived on Sat night and Sun & Mon were free days.  I took the subway and went sightseeing.  It reminded me of the days in Taipei and in Barcelona, when I went around with a map.  Seoul was actually very easy to figure out.  I really missed the traveling days and found out that I really do enjoy the back-packing kind of traveling.  There are still so many places I want to go to and explore.

← Kimchi Field Museum

There wasn’t much to see.  I went becasue it was close by the hotel, and I thought they had Kimchi for sale.

← Deoksugung

One of t he palaces in Seoul.  It was nice, since I like going to these places.

← City Hall

The soccer banners on the building were being taken down, since Korea had been eliminated from the World Cup.  There were a lot of kids playing in the water.

← Namdaemun

This is actually called the Sungnyemun and is the biggest gate in Korea.  There’s the Namdaemun market just across the street.

← Gyeongbokgung

This is the main palace in Seoul.  It kind of reminded me of the Forbidden City in Beijing, but with a lot less people.  Lucky I went to the other palace on the first day, since this one is so much bigger.  It was nice too.

← Jongmyo Royal Shrine

This is registered as a World Cultural Heritage.  I was a little disappointed since the buildings inside are all locked, so there’s not much to see.

I didn’t really like the ending, as there seems to be no ending.  It is about how a girl is so in love with the guy that will is willing to do anything.  The guy, on the other hand, didn’t know he was in love with the girl until he lost her.  Of course there are other details in between.  It wasn’t a story that left a big impression.

I finally got the pay increase that I deserved, effective on July 1.  Am I satisfy with my new salary?  I would say yes for now.  Along with it came a lot of pressure.  I was told that if I were to move up, I need to proof myself.  My performance is really not meeting my boss’ expectation.  I am not confident that I will ever be able to meet it.  Somehow, I know my abilities and limits.  I know there are somethings that I just can’t do or don’t enjoy doing at all.  I tried but it just doesn’t seem to be good enough.  I am very confused right now since I feel like I am standing at a crossroad.  I want to walk one way, but the arrow is pointing the other, along with everyone I know.  Once again, I really want to choose my own path.  I am not sure that’s the better one or that it will lead me anywhere, but I know I will be happier (I may starve though, but will die happy).  I guess I still don’t have the courage to walk down the path yet, but I am really considering it.  Luckily, I will have a break from all this next week.  I will be going to Seoul on the 24th and returning on the 29th.  It’s for a 2-day training, which means I have 2 days of free time.  I hope I can stick to my schedule and get to see a couple of palaces.

On the personal front, I am considering going somewhere else instead of Toronto in December.  I will have around 20 days and I really want to go somewhere that I haven’t been to.  I will consider going to T.O. only if I can go to another province as well, but I can’t think of anyone who can go with me.  So I am thinking of using that time to go to Australia.  I figure I can go to Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast, and, probably, Perth, which means I will be done with Australia and it will be one less country for me to visit.  I just can’t afford using all my vacation days to go to places that I have already been to.

Lately, I found myself having lesser and lesser time to read.  I am leaving work quite late these days, and have to work on my assignment when I have time.  Then, there’s soccer to watch these days.  I finally managed to find some time to finish this book.  There’re so many books I want to read and I really need to find the time.  I was told this one wasn’t good, but I found it alright.  It’s not one that make you say ‘wow!’ or can’t put it down, but overall, it wasn’t bad.

It was so hot and so sunny in Sanya; not the type of weather I like.

Crowne Plaza Sanya

The room was beautiful and, I have to say, it’s the best I have ever stayed in.  It was clean and the the towels were big & fluffy.

← View from my room at Holiday Inn Sanya Bay

I changed hotel for the last two nights and this one had a great view.

Nanshan Cultural Center

This is one of the new attraction in Sanya.  I would say it’s worth going since it’s a big place, and the statue was very nice.

End of the Earth

It is a nice area but there’s really nothing special about the rock itself.  It is really not worth going, especially with the high entrance fee; but how can I tell people that I have been to Sanya if I haven’t seen its ever so famous 天涯海角.

Have been looking for this book for such a long time, since my friend told me this is her fav book.  To me, it was alright.  It is very HK, and since I am not from HK, I cannot relate to many of the things.  It is a good portray of life in HK from the 60s onwards; and interesting to see how the author can relate details of life to major events in HK.  I think it is a well written book and one worth reading by everyone who grew up in HK.

Flying to Sanya tomorrow and will be back on the 9th.  I already know this trip won’t be fun, since it is conference, follow by group dinner, then more conferences.  I hope I will be able to find some time for sightseeings.  I know there’s not much to see in Sanya, but still, it is my first time there and I have to look around.

Then there’s a change of plan.  I was originally suppose to go to HK for a workshop at the end of the month, but not anymore.  I will be going to Seoul for training from the 26th to the 29th.  Why can’t it be somewhere else, like Malaysia or Singapore, or even Taipei.  I have been to Seoul before and there’s really not much to see, and the schedule will be tight.

That’s about it for now.  Have been too busy lately, and I still haven’t started on my assignment.  Want to work on it asap since my memories from the lectures are still fresh.