Last Friday Party

This was my first Last Friday Party, and I was excited as ever. The event was going to be Jozi DJs vs Durban DJs and the line up included: Fistaz Mixwell, Christos, DJ Tira and DJ Fisherman. Numbers was packed to capacity that they even had to close the door and refuse people in! I spent the whole night in the DJ box - which I think was a safe & wise thing to do! Fistaz didn't make it after all, but OH HOT DAMN! The other DJ's sure made up for it. My brother and I both agree that Tira isn't just a DJ - he's an entertainer and performer. Loved his set!

After the gig, I tweeted a bunch of things with the hash tag Things I Learned Last Night:

...you can get high JUST on music.
...how much I really love Kwaito music.
...that DJ Mo exists in different sizes and forms (and different names) > Intersexions
...sometimes I'm safer jamming alone in the DJ box.
...I have no tolerance for jezebel's after midnight.
...saying I'm the DJs sister will make guys take a back step - literally.
...you get DJs and then you get DEEJAYs.
...I STILL don't get what's behind wearing shades in a club.
...It's pointless trying to rationalize with a girl in a blonde weave at 04:30.

Beyonce in Seoul!

Rachel and I were chatting away about nothing in particular... it was already past 8, and the show hadn't started yet. We both agreed that the concert tickets were pretty expensive so she had better be damn good!


All of a sudden, the auditorium lights went out and we just heard screams around us. And there she appeared. Strutting her stuff across the stage was BEYONCE! Now I'm not a die-hard fan, but I do appreciate good music, dancing and beauty. What I love about her is that she doesn't conform to the skeletal figures of today's pop stars. The woman has curves....and she aint afraid to flaunt it! She sang all her top hits... she was energetic and in my opinion - more beautiful in real life. Her stage presence was electric and Rachel & I both think it was worth every cent!



Beyonce singing Baby Boy



...singing Ring the Alarm / Beautiful LIar



...singing Independent Woman / Bootylicious
As she broke into Bootylicious, she ripped the silverish dress she had on, revealing a nude-colour body suit with only the silver top...

Another Seoulful w'end...

Because of Chuseok last week, we only worked on Friday...and the week-end was upon us once again! Friday night I met Dimitri & Louis (also South African) for dinner. We found this awesome little restaurant called Agio in Hongdae. Good food and a really nice atmosphere...

Our food...

...and we met up with other friends and partied till the wee hours of the morning

This is Seoul station @ 5am...eerily quiet!

Saturday afternoon, we went to a city called Gwacheon for an arts festival. I have been corresponding with the art director since last year when he visited South Africa and attended the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown where I was working on CUE TV. Here we are on our way to Gwacheon. (Yang, Peter, me & Dimitri)

We were blown away by the stall selling African curios!

Tae, Dimitri, me & Peter leaving Gwacheon for Seoul

My friend told me about this amazing place called Carne Station in Hongdae. You pay 24,000 Won and you can eat and drink as much as you want to. There's almost everything imagineable there - from fruit to salad to meat to tuna to hot dishes... and drinks include almost everything as well.

Not sure of the name of this fruit, but it's similar to a litchi...

Chuseok Fun!

This week, Korea celebrated Chuseok (their version of Thanksgiving), so we were off from Friday. Friday night I went out with one of my co-teachers to Bucheon, a city about 20 minutes from where I live (also where i have to go to catch my subway). I like the vibe in Bucheon and will definitely hang out there again very soon.


On Saturday, after having lunch with a few friends I moved on to Itaewon (which is foreigner capital), and met Dimitri and a few other people. This is Dimitri and I at a cool coffee shop called "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf". Three Korean university students at the table next to us asked where we were from and wanted to know some key phrases that we use in our country... this is Dimitri and I with them.


Since my first week-end out in Korea; Dimitri, Yang and myself somehow find ourselves together. Yang is our Korean techno expert and loads of fun to be with.


After the coffee shop, we met up with my dear friend, Rachel and a few other people. Here I am with Yang, Rachel and William.


Around 4am, some of us were tired and went home. HOWEVER, some of us missioned off to continue the party! Another friend, Hendrien and I only left Itaewon @ 8am after having breakfast at McDonalds!


There was some kind of arts and crafts market thing that was taking place in an area called Hongdae, so on Sunday Hendrien and I (after maybe 3 hours of sleep), met Dimitri & Brian...We must have walked all over Hongdae and decided to go clubbing again that night... The nightlife in Hongdae is awesome....

This is me with Brian (from USA)

Dimitri, Brian, Hendrien & I - after our second night of clubbing, checked into the Jimjilbang - sleeping rooms/24 hour spas. Hendrien and I moved from room to room which have different treatments - for example, there's a Jasmine smelling room, an ice room, a gravel room (lie on gravel)....salt room (lie in salt) and an Oxygen room... soooo cool!


The next morning, Monday - some of us clearly needed to buy new clothes! So after lazing around in the Jimjilbang till midday, we missioned off for more exploring. We ended up in Itaewon again...had dinner at a Mexican place (where I was so excited when I saw coriander!)



Hendrien and Brian left us, leaving Dimitri and I to sleep at the Jimjilbang yet again! I left there at about 5am...and after strolling around Seoul station, I got home on Tuesday morning at 7am!
Resting for the whole day, I wasn't really that tired...and at 6:30pm, Dimitri and I decided to hit Seoul YET AGAIN! I called Yang and persuaded him to come out with us... Here are the three of us again:


Sadly, Yang wasn't feeling too well so he went home - and Dim & I slept at the Jimjilbang again (albeit a different one).



So, Wednesday morning - and I was as fresh as ever...trying to keep Dimitri awake! This is a pic of Itaewon @ 08h30...

This seems to be our hangout in Itaewon : The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Dimitri and I went to Kwanghwamun to an awesome bookstore called Kyobo books - loads of English titles...The area is really awesome...not as crazy as other parts of Seoul.


We decided to go to Seoul Station where we had lunch and thought that it was high time we both missioned off to our respective homes. Poor Dimitri had to work today (Thursday) whereas I only get back tomorrow....

...and this is Seoul Station

It's hip, it's happening...it's Hongdae!

There's an area in Seoul called Hongdae which has an electric kind of energy to it. And it seems like the people there just don't sleep! The pic above is some kind of dancing..

Then Dimitri, Yang and I met Rachel and Huey...it was so amazing, cause Rache & I haven't seen each other in almost 7 years I think! The guy on the left was just a random guy walking past who wanted to be in our pic - but hey, we didn't complain ;) ...and that's Dimitri & Rachel on the right..


We went to a norie bang (singing room) ...basically karaoke room. We had so much fun... this particular norie bang was really cool... with free ice cream, chips & beer.



.....Then Rayeong joined us (Rachel's sister) who I last saw when we were in matric. It was like an amazing blast from the past seeing the Chung sister's...

Hongdae is loads of fun with food and entertainment places GALORE!!!

We decided to go to a club, and on our way there there was an Indian guy who stood in the middle of the road with his arms wide open as we approached him. He wanted to greet me (probably got excited seeing another Indian) I didn't panic though - I just said that it was nice meeting him, but sorry cause we had to be moving on.... Anyways, we landed up at this club called M2.


It is from this club (M2) that I was crowned the Diva Deity (by Dimitri). There were some well-known DJ's playing that night... I don't know how well-known they really were cause I didn't know them. Every time I wanted to take pics, the bouncers came to reprimand me, so I just left it... which is a real pity 'cause I don't know if people will believe me when I say that I went crazy! I danced with a bunch of (I presume) students, and after about an hour, I found myself on an elevated platform facing hundreds of people on the dancefloor! People were cheering me and waving at me, and coming up to me to give them a high 5. Needless to say, we had loads of fun...!

Around 3am, Dimitri, Yang and I went to a Tzimjilbang. This is like a 24 hour spa. You "check in", and are issued a clean pair of shorts & a t-shirt. Guys & girls have separate bathrooms/locker rooms... You get given a towel and you can do basically anything here... from visiting the sauna, steam room, go for a mud bath, have a massage, have your nails or hair done...anything! Then if you want, you can just stay over as there are sleeping rooms.


In the morning, you can have a shower... have a treatment done, or have breakfast...