KOREAN JUNGLE LIFE

Sorry.....(T_T)

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:41:00 +0000

It's been a while...I couldn't upload anything, cause I'm so busy (final examination in the university...(>_<) wooo!!)....Sorry (T_T)...Who knows, me be there will be no new posts untill december...Please don't stop visiting our blog....

T-money card : a rechargeable public transit card

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:05:00 +0000

R U willing to saty in Korea more than 3days? then use T-money card!

The T-MONEY CARD is a rechargeable smart card that can be used to pay public transit fares (bus, underground, taxi) as well as purchases in designated areas.

The T-money card can be used to pay subway and bus fares (regular card). The card (useable on buses and most subway lines) costs W1,500. Users of the T-money card receive a discount on bus and subway fares and can transfer without additional charges.

T-money cards allow you to transfer from one bus line to another, or from a subway to a bus (or vice versa) at no extra charge, as long as you board the next leg within 30 minutes of getting off the bus/subway. Just tap your card on the sensors as you get on and off the subway or bus, and your total fare will be calculated as if you were on one long subway/bus ride.

T-money can also be used on taxis with a triangular yellow sign on their roofs, which is usually an indicator that they accept check card and T-money fare payments.

Do you wanna get it? T-Money cards can be purchased in the subway station as well as at some convenience stores such as Buy The Way and Family Mart. T-Money is a prepaid transit card, meaning you “recharge” your card before use. Cards can be charged with amounts from W1000 up to W90,000 at any subway station via the automatic recharging machines (English instructions are on each machine), and at many convenience stores.

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GMF live clips_Leejuck, Yozo, Peppertones

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:25:00 +0000

Here are GMF live clips on each stage :)

Mint breeze stage : Leejuck-UFO

Loving forest garden : Yozo-Roller coaster of love

Club midnight sunset : Peppertones-Ready,get set go

Related posts
Grand Mint Festival 2009 Review
Music festivals in Korea

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Grand Mind Festival 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:49:00 +0000

We enjoyed GMF my partner recommended.(Music Festivals in Korea) Here is the review :)

Things I liked about the festival.

• Sometimes, long performances a boring to death or you may be excited at the very beginning, but then after listening the same thing… …you know what I am talking about. At this point “Mint Breeze festival” succeeded. Each performance was about 40 minutes. It was enough to “get acquainted” with the music, but not to get bored from it.

• The music was various. There were so many different genres. I think each person can find something according to his or her tastes. I was so impressed by one bang that I bought their disc right after the performance. (Sorry, I cannot remember what their genre was. Anyway guys were so cute!!!)…By the way, there were tents with goods and discs right in the stadiums. All the bangs signed up their discs after the concerts. (Imagine a queue of tens of crazy fans each waiting their turn to get the autograph )

• I also liked the organization of the festival. When buying the ticket we received a map and the schedule of the bangs and their performances. There were several stadiums. It was convenient. If we didn’t like the bang we just left the stadium where they performed and moved to another one.

Things I did not like.

• THE PRICE was too high . This pleasure cost me 60.000W. You may consider that this price is fair for such a festival, but I am a little bit close-fisted, so I always complain about money. (Be prepared in the future).

• Actually, I expected some “English” performers, but there were only Korean bangs.

• Some stadiums were under the open sky, so it was cold to stay there. (I caught a cold after it)

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Music festiavls in Korera

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:44:00 +0000

I got e-mail from cait_sith like this.

title : S.O.S

Dear jungle neighbor, meerkat….This is your foreign friend Cait_Sith…I have only one word to say….BOOOORING… I am freaking tired of studying. I need to “ventilate” my brain. I need some life music…Are there any concerts here??? Various music genres are desirable…

She seems really borrrrrrring now. So, let's talk about music festivals in Korea. There are several music festivals in Korea. And some of them are really awesome. I want to introduce Jarasum international jazz festival, Pentaport rock festival(and Jisan valley rock festival), and Grand mint festival. They are well-known music festival but each of them has their own characteristics.
First of all, Jarasum International Jazz Festival(http://www.jarasumjazz.com) has been held since 2004 in Jara island. The festival has been growing as the nation’s best music festival and as the representing jazz festival in Asia. It usually held on October and many famous artists like Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Giovanni Mirabassi Trio, and The Caribbean Jazz project has visited.

Grand Mint Festival has been held only for 3years but this festival is growing as one of Korea’s representative music festival. Its slogan is ‘the music festival like a picnic’ and ‘the placidity of the city’s refreshing and refined nature’. They serve 3 stages and each stage has different atmosphere. However most of artists are from Korea. So music may not familiar to you.

Lastly, Pentaport rock festival(http://www.pentaportrock.com/) is a largest rock festival, which is held annually in Incheon for 3 days at the end of July. It is considered as one of the biggest live music events in Korea. The festival covers mainly rock and electronic music. Line up had been fantastic until 2008. The strokes, snow patrol, Yeah yeah yeahs, Placebo, The black eyed peas, Kula shaker, and Franz ferdnand, The chemical brothers, L’arc-en-Ciel, Muse, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Fantastic Plastic Machine, and Travis visited the festival. However, in 2009, the festival divided to Pentaport rock festival and Jisan valley rock festival.(http://www.valleyrockvestival.com/). In this year, Jisan valley rock festival gathered much more people than pentaport because Weezer, Oasis, Jimmy eat world, Fall out boy, Starsailor, and Basement Jaxx visited Jisan while few famous bands visit Pentaport.

Anyway, as I have mentioned above, there are many awesome music festivals here. So don’t be bored. Anyway, why don’t we enjoy one of them? Grand Mint Festival is held now!

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korean fortunetelling

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Cait_Sith’s diary..
What can say?….Oh my God, I can’t believe I did it…It was fun.
My fried and I went to Dongdaemun district…(If you don’t know about it, read the previous post)…As it turned out you don’t have to go to special houses to find fortune-tellers. There are plenty of them almost everywhere…Usually they sit in small tents right in front of the malls, waiting for another victim (just kidding).()()…. As my friend wrote before there are different kinds of fortune telling: Taro cards, palmistry etc. I experienced fortune telling based on the date of birth. In Korean it is called “sajupalja.” We picked the most nice-looking woman. I gotta say my first impression about her was “she must be vampire.” Probably it was just my intuition, but later on, I realized it did not trick me. Fortune-tellers are vampires. They do not suck your blood , but suck your money. The prophecy of the next year cost me 10.000W. May be it’s not that much, but for a poor student like me…..
Okey, First, the woman told me about my temper and disposition. She said I was a cold-tempered person who likes to hang out a lot. (Weird combination, isn’t it?) Then she said that I would probably switch my major in the following month….I WAS SHOCKED….That was so true. I was planning to change my major, I even prepared all the required documents. How did she know? That’s the mystery. Before this sentence I did not even really listen to her, but after it I pricked up my ears. The next thing I heard was “you eat well.” I thought she tried to insult me, hinting that I eat a lot (it’s actually true, but whatever…). My friend explained to me that in Korea the meaning of “eating well” is wealth and prosperity. The woman also said that my symbol was “Gold.” Therefore, in January and February I should try to find a part-time job, because I will get a good salary. Then in December I will probably find a new boyfriend, but I should be careful with my new relationships, cause in June and July we might quarrel a lot, and by the way I might get pregnant, because of it. (Seriously, I don’t know how to believe to this stuff) In March I will have no luck, so I will have to be cautious and check everything. I should not get married until I am 28, because after that I will not be able to make a lot of money (I “eat well” after all) That is all. The rest of what she told me is kind of boring. Should I trust this information? Who knows…..

Tip1.
The only way to truly enjoy fortune-telling is to have a good English-speaking Korean friend or to have good knowledge of Korean yourself. Otherwise, you will not be able to understand anything. Since it’s traditional Korean fortune-telling, people use lots of “hanja” (Chinese characters), so make sure you are not alone when experiencing it.

Tip2. Gosh, those fortune-tellers are no different from tricky salesmen. Mine asked whether I wanted to know more specific information about my new boyfriend. Of course, this service was not free. People! Don’t take the bait! Trust me 10.000W will be enough for your hair to stand on end from what you will hear.

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Read your palms to find your fate

Read your palms to find your fate

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:42:00 +0000

I assume there are few people who haven’t heard of traditional methods of fortune telling in East Asian countries. Chiromancy (palm reading) is one of the most popular ways to find one’s fate. It is true that there are certainly people who regard chiromancy as a superstition. However many Koreans not only enjoy this divination but also believe it is a genuine indicator of their fate. Because of these reasons, some people use this as a natural way to physical contact. :) So, let’s learn basic concepts of palm reading!

Left and Right Hands
First of all, you should know that left and right hands represent different things. The lines on your left palm indicate your innate traits and talents. So I recommend that consult left palm for issues related to private life and inner self. Right hand represents what is acquired after birth. You can recognize changes of personality traits by comparison of these lines with those on the left hand.

Life line

This picture represents the life line. This line starts halfway between the thumb and the index finger. It is primarily examined to determine health, physical strength, life expectancy and so on. Basically, thick and distinct line is good. It is good if the life line extended down to the wrist without breaks or interruption. Rose pink is considered to be the best color.

Head line

This picture represents the head line. Do you want to know whether you are intelligent enough? Short and clear line tends to make quick decision. This line tells about a person’s intelligent faculty, mindset, judgment, ingenuity, imagination, and talent.

Heart line

This line represents your mind and emotions. If it is distinct and deep, this means your mind is stable and focused, but if the line is interrupted and poorly defined your mind is disturbed. The heart line is often more diverse and complicated in shape than the life and head lines. It mostly tells you about a person’s emotional state, affection, sensibilities, and marital affairs.

Union line

The union lines, which are manifested as a single line for some individuals, are horizontally extended below the little finger. These lines are studied to determine your attitude toward members of the opposite sex, romantic relationships, marriage, and performance at school.

Money line

I think you are very interestd in this line. Money line is located between the little finger and the ring finger, and it crosses the heart line. The money line on your left palm represents the financial fate you were born with, whilst the one on your right palm suggests the fortune that you will create. The thicker the line, the better your luck. The money line indicates your luck with money, your attitude toward it, and your living conditions.

Ok, now you have learned the basic of palm reading. Why don't you hesitate to use it!

Related posts
korean fortunetelling

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Requests For Encores Forbidden_ Broccoli you too?

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Today, I want to introdce a famouse korean band named 'Broccoli you too'. Yes, the name of this band is unusual. Not only the band name but also their lyrics are unusual. Let me take an example. It is no doubt that 'No calling for encore', the title track of their EP album, made them popular.

The speaker of this song is a girl who kicked her lover out. We have been listened a lot of songs represents sadness of a person who is kicked out. But this song argues that a person who kicks somebody out can feel sad, empty, void and distressing too. Thanks to this kind of lyrics, the band gained the sympathy of the crowd. Let’s listen the song!

Requests For Encores Forbidden_ Broccoli you too?

We can’t
We can’t sing a song again that’s already finished
Even if you say that’s what everyone wants
Don’t make me miserable any more
If you’re just pretending to grab onto me
End it here

Please don’t make my heart waver
Don’t make me look at you
I know that it’s a lingering attachment
That will pass me by as though nothing happened

Although we said love each other,
We can’t recall that time and mind
Which couldn’t be revisit again.

Are you miserable yourself
When you say ‘It should be you’
Then, Imagine how was I

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Street dancing....

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:34:00 +0000

High school students often perform with group dancing....I do enjoy watching it. Usually you can see them performin in front of such departments stores (they have small stages) such as Miliore or A.P.M...in other words everywhere where these stores are....I think those students a really talented...and sexy.....(gosh I am so old...) The quality is not good, but this is all i could do with my camera...

The scene of Suneung(Korean SAT)

noreply@blogger.com (Meerkat) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Do you know today is a very special day in Korea? The third Thursday of every November is when students’ destiny is decided. In Korea, people who want to go to University should take an exam called ‘Suneung’.

It is almost same with the SAT but it determines a lot more. It is true that getting into one of the SKY universities(Ivy league in korea) guarantees their future. So, Korean students think entering good school is goal of their life. So this exam is really important to not only students, but also whole society. Even the stock market delays its open.

I think a proverb ‘4Dang 5Rak’ is represents how harsh this exam very well. It means ‘You would pass the exam if you sleep 4hrs per day but you would fail if you sleep 5hrs’. Students always need a nap.

In the morning of the day, you can see the interesting scene in front of the schools. Juniors cheer their seniors and serve tea and snacks.

Some parents pray and stick 'Yeot' in front of the gate because stick in Korean also means 'pass'. Can you understand their mind?

If student late the exam, there is no peoblem. Police and ambulance stand ready for them! And it is very common situation. Hey, hurry up!

It it the day. Actually I took this exam twice. Well, I can't believe how I can did........But what I want to say to students is this. Don't be discouraged. It is not the end. You are too young too die!

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Welcome to meondong....

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Meongdong is another shopping center in Korea. It is really huge… The choice is better then in Dongdaemun, but the price is higher. My first impression about this place was: “Damn, this place is like a labyrinth.” If it’s your first time in Meondong, be careful. It is really easy to get lost. There are so many Japanese girls there. Sometimes it feels like you are in a Japanese district or something. There are several department stores (Miliore and Lotte) The second one is expensive. My favorite place is “forever 21”…What can I say….You can find really good things there and the price is “normal”. Forgot to say…You can try all the clothes there before buying….In Dongdaemun it’s impossible. Check this video…(slideshow of this district)

Notice for blog visitors...

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0000

People….it’s hard to say, but we don’t know what to write about sometimes….Therefore sometimes you might see really stupid stuff instead of useful information. (I personally like stupid things, but in a case you don’t…) Please comment if there is something you would like know about life in Korea. We do not guarantee that you request will be fulfilled for sure, but if possible we will try to do some research and post about it.

Want something exotic?

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Hi, this is Cait_Sith again….I wanted to try something exotic, so I asked my friend about unusual food here. Have you heard of Bontaegi, sundae and bochintang (Gosh, I don’t know how to write this words in English spelling, sorry)?
Bontaegi is butterfly’s cocoons. It looks really nasty….and the smell is horrible. It killes me…I can smell it being several meters away from the place where this food is sold…I saw girls eating these “bugs” as if they were just chips….I did not dare to taste it, but lots of my friends who ate it said that the taste was as horrible as the smell. May be you will find it delicious…..
The second food is sundae. Well, I eat it before I knew what it was made of. Just so you know, sundae is a type of Korean sausage made of pigs’ guts, blood and rice (as my friend explained)….To me it was eatable, but I gotta say, the taste itself was kind of weird…
Have you heard of bochintang?? It’s a traditional Korean soup made of….DOG’S MEAT….People usually eat it in hot summer days, cause eating hot makes feel cool when coming out…Dog’s meat is believed to be a good nutritious product especially good for men’s health. I don’t know whether it’s true or not…I did not eat it as well and I would not recommend it to you…The point is that for some reasons dog meat is illegal in Korea. Nobody really knows about it, but it is true. Therefore, there are no sanitary regulations, which means that the soup you order might contain some “bad things” and be dangerous.

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Dongdaemun

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0000

This is our first video post....The quality is so-so, still we did our best to make it....enjoy!!

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Wellcome to Dondaemun.

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Cait_Sith’s diary or how to survive in Korean jungles. Chapter1.

Hello everybody. This is your dearly beloved cat…Miaow….This is my first official post.
Today’s page will be devoted to one of my favorite places in Korea, dongdaemun district to be precise. I’m not going to write about its history, cause you’re not going read it anyway…It’s not a history blog…If you wanna know about dongdaemun search the internet…okey, where did I stop?

Just so you know “Dongdaemun” from Korean means east gates, there are also south gates called “Namdaemun…” The point is these are huge ancient architectural constructions placed in districts named after them. To be honest, they don’t look like gates at all. They managed to survive from urbanization and industrialization somehow and now they just beautify Seoul with their ancient looks....Yes, I promised not to write boring historical notes, but I am a natural liar…sorry…Be prepared in the future. Let’s start from the beginning.

Dongdaemun is well-know as a shopping district and it is also one of the epicenters of youth concentrating. You know if there is shopping, then crazy crowds of youths is something that goes without saying, so if you are young, you have money (this is crucial factor) and you have nothing to do on Saturday night, then welcome!

Tip1.
Right now there are four huge shopping malls there – a.p.m, Miliore, Ceres star and Good morning and Doota. All the clothes that are being sold there are extremely cheep;150$ will be enough to leave this place with the heap of goods in both of your arms, probably one leg and one bag in your mouth. However, be prepared, of course the quality of your purchases is going to be as low as the price is. Sometimes the price is going to be as low as you manage to cut it. Don’t be shy with those nice saleswomen. Trust me, they are not that nice. In most cases, there will be no price-stickers on the clothes, which means that every sly fox of those has her own price for each client, for Koreans and foreigners to be precise.

Be confident, you must show that you are always hanging around here (even if you’re not), be persistent, but nice when it comes to price bargaining. It is very useful if there are two of you, because if one of you fails to cut the price, then your friend may try again and who knows maybe he will be more successful then you. Another important thing is that you have to show that you can speak at least beginner Korean. It already shows that you are not an amateur, plus you won’t have to listen to the sellers’ horrible English.

Tip2.
What are the differences between shopping malls?
In two words, apm, Miliore and goodmorning are for poor students. Doota is for poor students who want to feel what it’s like to be in luxury department store and actually buy something there. Well, Doota hardly can be called a luxury department store. It is much bigger and conditions are better than in other stores, the choice of good is more various, however…that’s it. About 40% of goods are the same as in a.p.m, Miliore and Good morning. It is harder to bargain in Doota. In addition to that, the price often is as questionable as the quality. Be careful. Examine all your purchases before you leave the store. At this point Cerec star it the only “good” department store, Actually it is a whole complex. This is the only place in dongdaemun where you will be able to find brands and some luxury items.

Tip3 (for girls)
Girls (especially pretty) are not recommended to go alone to men’s wear floors. One of the delusions about Koreans is that they are very polite and modest. Don’t be confused. Dongdaemun salesmen are the exception. Their gazes will certainly purchase you. If somebody suddenly grabbed your hand and pulled you in unknown direction don’t be surprised. It’s just another salesman trying to attract your attention to his merchandisers. Sometimes they will call you or speak to you in clumsy English or clumsy Japanese, etc. When interacting they will try to guess what country you are from. Just be polite. The best way out of this situation is to have a bodyguard or at least a Korean friend, excuse me, Korean male friend. (*_*)

Tip4. Are you tired of shopping?
There are a lot of “singing rooms” called norebang, places where you can play billiard, two cinemas (in good morning and cerestar) and of course a plenty of eateries in a case that you are hungry. If you go to norebangs, always ask for free service!!!! If you don’t you’re not gonna get it. What is free service? You pay for one hour and get 40 minutes for free. You just have to remind 'ajumas' about it. Dongdaemun is also known to be a Russian district. There are a lot of Russian people there. By the way, if you want to try some Russian food there are two Russian restaurants. I like the food and the atmosphere. (I was not paid to advertise those restaurants in the internet, seriously). If you want to get drunk go to the so-called “drunk street”, where side by side with the traditional Korean food you can enjoy drinking Soju.

Tip5. I strongly recommend to get to dongaemun by the subway unless you want to be stuck in a traffic jam and for the 30 minutes enjoy the beautiful view of The Dongdaemun gates from your bus’s window.

Tip6. Don’t spend too much money if it’s you first traveling experience in Korea. There are still plenty of places to go. See you later!!!

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Hello....Let us introduce crazy Russian girl and crafty Korean boy (^_^)

noreply@blogger.com (Cait_Sith) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Introduction.

Warning: these posts are being written by crazy Russian girl and her Korean partner whom she had to torture almost to death so he agreed to help her. (Just kidding)…Dear readers, please take into consideration the fact that we are non English-speakers, so we sometimes might make mistakes. This blog was created for foreigners by foreigners, for those who are interested in Korea or planning to visit this country. This blog is also mainly for those who have just arrived to Korea (hopefully you found our blog). I hope people who live here for more than one year can also find this information useful or at least funny and interesting. It is not a cultural or historical blog, it’s just a great mess of tips and tricks of how to survive and have fun in this wild place. Be prepared for lots of Korean words such as jongamidong and other “how the hell do I have to read this stuff” things. All the things I we are writing about are based on my personal experience. That means they are as subjective as possible.

Profile.

Name: Cait_Sith
Real name: Jane Khon
Country: Russia
Hobbies: Shopping maniac (^_^), challenging myself.
Philosophy of life: Always forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
Occupation: poor student

Name: Meerkat
Real name: Saehee
Country: Korea
Hobbies: romp, vex
Philosophy of life: enjoy life
Occupation: old student

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