The past few weeks were filled with events I wanted to document, but I was too lazy to actually write a post. I was looking through my photo album, and it was funny to see how everything seemed like a distant memory even though they had happened less than a month ago.
So, here’s a glimpse into what I’ve been up to.
I had about three days off work. After that break, I’ve been working from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. It’s only for three weeks, but I’m also working about 4 hours on Saturdays, so it’s pretty stressful.
That’s the main reason I decided not to travel or go somewhere far from home during this time-I needed to save up my energy. Instead, I did a lot of wondering around Seoul.
Because I hate summer, I spend a lot of time in department stores and shopping centers to escape the heat. There are many shopping centers in Seoul, and on my first day of vacation, I went to the I-Park Mall in Yongsan.
I tried my very first bowl of Jungguk-naengmyeon (중국냉면, translating to ‘Chinese Cold Noodles). I was always been kind of indifferent to Korean-Chinese cuisine. But I’ve always been crazy about naengmyeon (냉면), so I was eager to try it. I liked it, though I prefer other cold noodles like Mak-guksu (막국수, cold buckwheat noodles) and Kong-guksu (콩국수, cold soybean noodles).
Still, the exciting thing about trying this dish , was realizing that there’s always something new for me to try, even close to home.
Afterward, I went walking through the mall, and I found a display of Pikmin characters. I’m kind of addicted to the mobile game Pikmin Bloom right now, so I was excited to see this.
When I was finished wandering around I-Park Mall, I walked over to one of my favorite places in Seoul: an old vinyl record shop in Yongsan ETland called Phil Records. It’s filled with vintage records and the atmosphere is so relaxing.
Most of the time, it’s not crowded at all, so you can browse at your own pace. There are a couple other shops that sell new records as well, but there’s just something special about this store. The owner used to travel to England four times a year to collect quality records, so you can tell he’s really passionate about his job and knows what he’s doing.
A few days after that, I went to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. I’ve always admired people who can appreciate art. More often than not, I have a hard time understanding art pieces, especially contemporary art. It’s always been difficult for me to grasp what the artist is trying to convey and understand the meaning behind symbolic expressions.
Nevertheless it was an intriguing experience. I had the chance to explore many forms of art, including an interactive piece where I was a part of the art itself.
Looking at all the thought provoking artwork, made me want to try going to more galleries and exhibitions. For someone with a simple mind like mine, it was so fascinating to see how art can exist in so many different shapes and forms.
I ended the day with a nice green tea ice cream cone and smoothie from Osulloc. The cafe was packed with people from the museum,but I was lucky to find a seat right away. It’s these small moments of luck that can make a day a good one.
About a week after visiting the museum, my boyfriend and I went to a cafe in Paju called Blue Box. I had saved this cafe on my map for quite some time, because it seemed like the perfect place to do some reading. The city itself is quite peaceful, and this cafe equally showcased the cozy and quiet atmosphere of Paju.
I got a seat under the staircase and spent about an hour and a half reading. It was the highlight of summer, because I really needed this quiet, peaceful retreat.
I think the best thing about this cafe was how all tables were secluded in their own space. Wherever you sat, you got to feel like you were in your own cozy little burrow.
There was even an area that reminded me of a theater. It was too dim to read, but it seemed like a good spot to chat quietly, or listen to the calming music.
Before heading home, we had dinner at a restaurant not far from the cafe. We didn’t do much searching to choose where to eat – we just looked at the map and chose somewhere close and affordable. It turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had in a while.
We had Janchi-guksu (잔치국수, translates to ‘feast noodles’) and Bindae-tteok (빈대떡, mung bean pancakes). They’re both simple dishes, quite often found in market, so I didn’t expect these common dishes to taste so great.
The pancakes were perfectly crispy, and the noodles were served in a hearty yet refreshing anchovy broth. The weather that day was super hot, and like I said earlier, I love cold noodles and hate the summer heat. But even two weeks later, I’m still craving the bowl of noodles from that day. Hands down, it was one of the best janchi-guksu I’ve had in a long, long time.
So yes, this year’s summer has been brutal. The heat is unbelievably scorching, and it’s so humid that sometimes you forget you’re sweating. I can’t wait for it to cool down, but I’m happy to say that I made a few happy memories while waiting for autumn.
Sonagi 
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