We went on a field trip to Otokki Space centre.
It was...odd. (The most memorable part was my nausea on the bus and the way several kids threw up...and worse.)
The one good thing, for me at any rate, was this statuary garden of robots. It was all very Ghibli and I loved it. (Naturally we walked right through it towards the slides which we proceeded not to take the children on. =.=)
Stephanie and I went to a concert last month. This concert, to be precise.
To be brief, it was awesome. My knees and eardrums may never be the same again.
Getting to our seats was a pain and a half though. I understand we were there to ritualistically worship the man but draping his iconography over the signs telling you what section you are in does make things difficult.
I heard once, that in Asia the success of a celebrity is measured by how many products they shill. Judging by this PSY must be the second coming of the merchant god.
On another note, all the ushers were dressed to a T in very nice suits and ties. Swank. You can see one standing on a barrier shouting instructions above.
As you can see, our seats were pretty great. It's a shame they weren't built with insane bouncing and crazy dancing in mind. I whalloped my knees off the seats in front so many times that I may have permanently damaged myself. (Worth it)
The screens were great, particularly as they made brilliant use of them. They were covered in vibrant animations, different for each song. It was a real spectacle performance.
This was the first livestream concert I'd ever attended. This meant that the concert started fairly close to on time and there was no warm-up act.
Instead PSY started immediately and took breaks where special guests came out to perform. He performed a duet with Lee Hi.
His 'warm-up acts' appeared while he was taking a breather.
There was the hilariously dressed girl group 2NE1 (I believe they're on the same label) who we're pretty sure had their music turned up a hell of a lot louder than the headliner. They weren't bad and we could boogie away to it but the band themselves was trying a bit too hard.
It was a little funny though, one of the girls stripped out of her jacket and from the look she was wearing I think it was she was jealous that another girl was dressed sexier than her.
Later on G-Dragon came on and we sort of flipped out. (Not for the first or last time that night) I should feel ashamed but I honestly can't.
I do feel sorry for the poor koreans next to us - trapped beside crazy waygooks.
Once you were in, the staff were pretty lax about people moving about. Some people left their seats and stood at the barrier of their seating section instead. A granny came and sat on the steps beside us.
We ended up leaving during the first encore. We had been dancing for at least three hours straight and were basically exhausted. Plus he was gone deep into his rave music at that stage.
Anyway, the entire concert was to celebrate the international release of his new song. First, they premiered the video on the screens, then he performed it, as below.
It was a great show, and pretty funny too. He displayed a sign telling about his next performance involving magic tricks, pigeons and world peace but he claims Peta vetoed it so he had to make do with giant inflatable wings instead.
The energy of the entire concert was incrdible and the party never stopped. Psy also flew over the crowd and came pretty close to us peons in the crowd which was pretty cool. (and hilarious.)
Worth every penny.
The best part, in my vastly amused opinion, was when he dedicated his performance to all sorts individuals worth respecting..........and Beyonce. (At this point, Stephanie and I were going "Please, tell me he is" He was.)
Funnily enough, unlike everyone around us, we did know every word to this song. Brilliant concert. C:
A cat cafe is similar in concept to a dog cafe but much better.
I believe they started in Japan along with many other odd things and are spreading quite quickly. I know there's one in Vienna at any rate.
To understand the experience it's best to picture it like this.
So...pretty much how my mother thinks I'm going to end up living. (At least I will be surrounded by intelligent and fluffy critters albeit ones that watch and silently judge me.)
(Photo from Helen.) This cafe was in Hondae and if you have trouble finding it my advice is to look up or just keep an eye out for the poor sod in the Garfield suit. (In fact, most cat cafes in Korea seem to be advertised thusly. I hope no one has actually passed out while wearing those things although it does seem very likely.)
It was pretty cheap in actuality. We got a free drink since it was our first visit and we could stay as long as we liked so we bummed out there for a couple of hours.
You have to exchange your shoes for a pair of slippers and wash/disinfect your hands before entering.
One of the workers gives you a well illustrated (and laminated) sheet of the rules which are simple enough for any adult. (Children and adults who treat animals like toys might have issues though.)
You are not allowed to pick up the cats or wake them up. You can't bring in outside food and you must be quiet. The cafe was very relaxing in truth. It was a kind of fur therapy.
The cats are free to do as they please. It's not exactly a burden as they're much cleaner than dogs. (I observed several kitties taking bathroom breaks through a door labelled for their exclusive use beside the 'hyoomans' toilet)
The walls and ceiling are lined with climbing frames for cats to enjoy at their leisure. The window sills are good sizes for them to have sunshine naps although they also do that on the chairs, tables, the cash register and the shoulders of the staff.
You can buy snacks to feed them and the staff provide toys for them to play with. All the cats are healthy and happy and perfectly content to receive adoration from lesser beings.
This cafe had a particularly good variety of cats. They had several tabbies, longhaired persians, a sphynx, some scottish folds and a very cheeky siamese cat that I nearly took home with me.
Before we left one of the staff came over and dropped a kitten in my lap for good behaviour. Our departure was stalled for some time.
I'll admit to having cultural jealousy. We don't have a national dress. (Peasant rags in nineteenth century depictions Do. Not. Count.)
Korea has a really pretty one in the hanbok.
When the school held a 'hanbok day' for Chuseok there was an incredible amount of squee in this direction. SO cute and a rare chance to see the boys in pastels and silks. Super cute.
We found out about a place where we could play dress-up like big kids. (One of our Korean co-teachers was all 'Oh, you have to try hanbok')
Mi Su Da is a cultural experience in the Namsan Hanok Village close to Chungmuro station. They are associated with traditional theatre which unfortunately we did not have time for.
You can experience traditional clothing, games, music and tea ceremony. We opted for the basic package since it was late in the day which comprised of hanbok, photo and tea.
The changing area is very professional and it has excellent security. We simply wore the hanbok over our clothes and little clogs were provided for us.
As you can see, mine does not have the best fit. (Yes, Granny I was aware of it.) On the other hand Stephanie looks great, good colours, and Helen is suitably regal as an ancient queen. (Quite possibly a warrior with Taekwondo skills.)
They were also very comfortable to wear. These gave us the special squee you get from wearing a particularly floaty dress.
We had a lot of fun that day. Yes, we proceeded to prance around and strike period drama poses. I successfully retied the bows for the others and most importantly...
Close to graduation I gave my homeroom classes lollipops....made mostly from sugar and suger substitutes. Do I feel sorry for unleashed sugar-hyped tiny things out into the wild?
On a trip into town we went looking for a cafe called 'The Pie Hole' that Helen had visited. Instead we found this.
Cue squealing and hysterical laughter along with a strong case of 'THIS, I gotta see'
This particular branch was in Shinchon. There are several more, bigger too, in places like Hondae and various airports.
As you can see they really went all out with the theme. There's silhouettes cut into everything and logos stamped absolutely everywhere.
Honestly, it's really for the best that they focused on decor. The food and service wasn't the best especially for what you're paying.
[The above picture has mysteriously rotated. Weird.] At least the latte art was cute.
Adorable foul-tasting cookies. :D All of the food served has a Hello Kitty theme and is reputedly 'meh'. No one seems to praise the food in these places. This is another establishment where you are not attending for the consumables at any rate.
The cafe was crazy busy and only started to quiet down when we were getting ready to leave. The staff were on the hop constantly.
They gave us (cute) disposable cups which is really common in cafes anyway. I got to watch a woman, in a reality tv style fascination, as she spent several minutes holding up the line and arguing with the staff in english because she wanted one of their mugs and not a paper mug finding it super offensive/being too good for one/being allergic/she just wanted one.
She wasn't particularly clear on that point. The staff simply repeated their policy of disposable cups only when they're busy saying they don't have time to collect and wash mugs then. (We could see this to be true.)
Either way, lady there's a hell of a line behind your outrage.
Everything else being said I did indulge myself and my inner eight-year-old. Hanbok!Kitty to go with my Furisode!Kitty.
Hello Kitty Cafe. The food kinda sucks. But the decoration may rot your teeth with sugary sweet cuteness.
