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Incheon is a Mixed Bag

So pre-Covid, my family and I would return to Korea every year to visit my mother-in-law, first in Jangyu, and later in Haeundae, Busan.

Over the years, I’d gone from loving Korea, to developing what I felt was a more balanced view (like with all places, there are pros and cons), and still having a very positive view of the country. Looked forward to our visits every year.

I mean, in general the people were polite and friendly, it was safe (alone nighttime walks in winter were awesome) and clean, especially the restrooms.

But just two days in Incheon and I was already considering heading back home. That’s how irritated I was. And we’ve actually planned to stay here for the whole month!

*Hill overlooking Haeundae Beach in Busan*

I’ll talk about the weather and architecture a bit later, but the most drastic change is the attitudes of the people here.

I mean damn! In general, the negative aspects seems more pronounced here for some people, from minor things like not returning the traditional greeting, to even rude staff.

Now again, I’ve only been here for two days, and I have met kind and friendly people here. But by and large, the people here seem… colder.

I get that I’m still learning Korean, but in Busan and hell, other countries, when the locals see that you’re putting in an effort to speak their language, they perk up! Really seem to appreciate it.

Here, even the sales staff seem… annoyed? Like I’m wasting their precious time.

And bizarrely, it’s been only the women. The men have been by and large friendly and I don’t know what to make of it. It’s just strange and hopefully over time, as I interact more and better understand the culture of this city, maybe (eh, likely) my view will change.

The difference is jarring and maybe I’m still adjusting to it. The literal non-stop rain has not helped, that’s for sure.

Anyhow, I’m picking up a car today so we’ll get to visit more places, meet more people. Onward with the journey!

May 29, 2023 0

This Post is for Alexandra

This is a test to show Alexandra how blog posts are published.

This is the image Alexandra chose for this post

October 23, 2021 0

Lifting of the Lockdown

So Singapore’s been under a kind of lockdown for the past two months (or is it three?Wait, it’s already June??) called the… ugh, Circuit-Breaker.

There’s a lot to write about the struggles faced by a lot of people right now, especially those who can’t afford large apartments or even air-conditiong (it can go beyond 35 degrees Celsius on some days) and there is no way I’d be able to do them justice.

Instead, I’ll write about what I’ll miss about this period.

We’ve been quite fortunate. I’ve still got a decent job that allows me to work from home, a nearby supermarket that’s open 24-7, high-speed internet, and yes, air-conditioning as well.

The grass during this period has grown quite a bit, bringing me back to my mini-expeditions around the area when I was little.

This was way before all the development, and we were considered to be living in a remote area next to the forest. Well, as remote as you can be in Singapore at least.

I will miss this when the lockdown is lifted

So I procrastinated as usual, and this was supposed to be finished like, a month ago.

We’re now in Phase 2, and quite a few restrictions have been lifted. Sure enough, the lawnmowers returned and it’s like seeing my head after my first haircut in maybe two months?

The virus isn’t gone yet, but crowds have been thronging some areas. Yeah… does not fill me with a ton of confidence, especially with second waves appearing in China and Korea.

Fortunately I’m still able to work from home.

I can’t imagine how it must be to those who are aware of the risk and still have to get out there or they’ll starve. I’ve gotta say, this is hands down the best company I’ve ever worked for.

There’s reports of vaccines undergoing human trials, and I am hopeful.

Who knows, by the end of year we might even be back in Korea! And I’ll finally get to see Incheon and Seoul.

Until then, stay safe and hang in there!

June 21, 2020 0

2020

Oh man. I think it’s been a whole year. Longer, actually!

It’s kind of funny because on the main page, I can see a post titled “2019, Finally!”

Posted in… February 2019. Yep.

And scrolling through the sheer number of images on my phone to choose the featured image made me realise just how much has happened since then.

First things first. 2020 has been… Hoo boy! Quite the year so far, hasn’t it?

I mean damn, when news of Covid-19 (the coronavirus) first started coming out of China, people made jokes about pandemics of the past… but we’re in March now, and no one’s laughing.

Fortunately, we seem to have a grip on it here in Singapore.

Brief panic-buying aside, even with the Malaysian lockdown (scheduled to end in a few days), there haven’t been any shortages or even unusually long queues.

Yea OK, he’s wearing a mask a precaution but that’s about it, really

Psst, any Australians need a toilet roll hook-up?

We’re expecting a rise in cases though, and I haven’t been to the malls since the new social distancing measures were announced a day or two ago.

On the bright side, I have to say that working from home really agrees with me. Until I’m doing proposals at 3am… but yeah, that’s… that’s not really a major difference from what I’m used to so… yeah.

Maybe in times like these, it’s best to remember the good things that have happened, and try to stay as positive as possible, though it can be as hard as scaling a mountain with business shoes at night (which I kind of did in Hong Kong). Would not recommend it.

From Victoria Peak, and I’ll write more about my trip to HK in a separate post soon… eh, probably never.

So yeah, a lot has happened. From my mother-in-law finally making the move to Incheon (and just before the outbreak!) to a close friend getting married, to my first-ever trip to Hong Kong, to my return visits to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. It’s been quite the year!

Infamous Bangkok traffic (just, um, ignore the opposite road)

There’s so much more to write about… but it’s 1am and I’m exhausted.

So I’ll leave you guys with a few pretty pictures taken recently here in Singapore.

Multi-colour sunset at Gardens by the Bay

The Flower Dome at… Gardens by the Bay. I took a lot of pictures on that day, OK? It was a great day, dammit!

Oh, and I’ve only just learned how the new “Gallery upload” function works in the updated WordPress format. So… yeah. Eh, I’ll post more pictures later.

March 28, 2020 0

West Coast Park on the First Day of Chinese New Year

To get warmed up, I figured I’d write a little bit about our trip earlier today.

For those who don’t know, here in Singapore the Chinese New Year and the day after are official holidays. Unlike the other holidays mostly celebrated by minorities but we ah… we don’t really talk about that here.

Anyway, two days off! WooHoo!

Hadn’t had much time to spend with the Littlest Dictator, and Jenia recommended West Coast Park. Perfect!

It’ll probably be empty, I thought. I foolishly thought. How very wrong I was…

Lengthy queues for… MCDONALD’S. DEAR GOD…

And yes, it’s basically the only place here where you can get food… unless you’re in the mood to go fishing for your lunch.

Jenia said that the last time she saw queues like this here, she’d waited an hour.

I quickly glanced at the McCafe section and the queue was short! Managed to place an order fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, we had to settle for their… sandwiches. Look, they’re not horrible by any means… but if I had to choose between their burgers and these, I’d go for the damn burgers. Yep, that’s where they’re at.

They’ll do in a pinch or during the apocalypse, is what I’m saying

The Himalayan Tea Latte was pretty good though, as always.

We then moved onto the park!

OK fine, fine… it wasn’t like it was overflowing with people. Just many more than I expected. And more than what I prefer… which is close to zero.

The weather wasn’t too bad, and it kind of hovered between sunny and just about to rain, with the dark clouds over the water seemingly too shy to cross over. The wind wasn’t shy though, which made it quite nice.

The Littlest Dictator was so excited to play, and she’s at the age where she’s eager to make friends (and burp directly in my face, but that’s a different story).

As we all know, it can be hard to immediately join a group, or even hang out with someone you’ve never met before, you know? Especially for little kids still learning social skills.

So I… sucked it up, and made friends with a few other kids and we played for a while until it was time to go.

Oh and fortunately this time round, none of the other kids called me “daddy”, which happens occasionally. And it’s never been not creepy.

They were great actually, and even cheered her on at one point, which made her really happy and proud. Always a huge bonus.

Also, WHY DO I ALWAYS END UP BEING THE ONLY ADULT WHO PLAYS WITH THE KIDS.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I mind all that much, and I do like entertaining kids.

And watching The Littlest Dictator having fun, socialising and being part of the group is totally worth it no matter how tired I get. Every time.

But yeah, it’s EVERY. TIME. I get the feeling I’m on the receiving end of a long-running prank I’m unaware of.

Ah, you know what though? If it means she gets to have fun each time and feel great about herself, then bring it on.

Yeah, a pretty good day.

February 5, 2019 0

2019, Finally!

Oh man, I’ve been meaning to write this for ages. Specifically on the first day of 2019. As you can tell, I’m an expert at procrastination.

So many things have happened since my last post, but two main things have remained the same. My mother-in-law, Raya, is still in Busan, and we’re still here in Singapore.

I’ve actually been doing a ton of traveling, mostly for work, and at first I’d wanted to continue posting, but I’d made the mistake of getting an iPhone SE with only 16GB of memory, which means I had to constantly back up and delete pictures which became a major pain.

BUT! I now have an Android-powered Huawei P20 Pro! More pictures! And with better quality! YES!

Anyway, before I get into the other stuff, our plans have changed quite drastically. After considering France, we’d agreed that it might not be practical, and Raya decided on Jeju-Do instead. I was pretty stoked. But again, there’s no direct flights to it, and since most of her siblings are on the mainland, it made her understandably concerned about being somewhat isolated.

In the end, she settled on Incheon, which is where the main airport is located, which you’d fly into to get to Seoul! Gotta say, I’m stoked about this too! At long last I might see Seoul! And of course, the ticket prices are gonna be cheaper too, since we’d be able to take direct flights.

Right now though, there’s a sort of property downturn, and no one’s buying or selling. Hell, she’d even drastically reduced the cost of her luxury apartment, and yet there are no buyers still. Not even prospective ones. So she’s staying put in Busan for now.

In the meantime, things are going pretty well for me in my current role! Been traveling often to KL and even been to Bangkok twice, hopefully with more trips to come.

There really is so much to write about, but for now, I’ll share a few pictures of the places I’ve been.

First, Bangkok!

View from the roof of the Avani Riverside Hotel, in Bangkok

On one of my quests to find Halal food in Bangkok

Next, Kuala Lumpur!

Actually, I haven’t had the time yet to take many new pictures so um, keep tuned!

Anyway, it feels good to be back!

February 5, 2019 0

Two More Days

It’s a beautiful Wednesday morning, and sun is shining. Well, it’s literally shining directly onto my face.

*squints* I’m still gonna miss you! *squints*

I was heading back from the gym last night and met a mom and her son in the apartment lift.

As soon as the kid saw me, he began glancing at me with an expression of nervousness and excitement.

I’m almost used to this and it reminds me of one of the more adorable things I’ll miss about this place: the Korean kids (and some adults!) who are dying just to practise their English!

It’s one of the cutest things ever haha.

Anyway, we’ll be heading down to the beach later today and maybe spend the whole day at home and spend some time with my wife’s mom on the eve of the flight.

February 14, 2017 0

Five Days Left

Here we are, at the tail-end of our epic three-month stay. And you know what? I miss Busan already!

I’m especially going to miss waking up to this view after an afternoon nap:

It’s been almost surreal. Living by the sea, with ever-changing breathtaking scenery beckoning to me just outside the window each morning.

Now sure, there are some things that I miss about Singapore. But you know what I don’t? The freakin’ heat!

What the hell, Singapore? Even at 3am? COME ON.

It’ll be like waking up from a dream once we’re back. I’ll get a regular job again, and adjust to the standard weekday schedule most people in my line of work have.

And that’s OK. It’ll be good to stretch my legs again, you know?

Oh and I’ve got a bit in the way of motivation. Looks like my mother-in-law is delaying the move to France by one more year.

That’s right, one last trip to Busan at the end of the year, baby!

WooHoo!!

February 12, 2017 1