So this is the story of my Seoul.  It’s a long holiday because of Buddha’s birthday kaya we had a chance to spend the weekend sa Metroplitan City of Seoul. So Seoul is the capital of South Korea, it is a few hundred kilometers away from Pyongyang, North Korea kaya malapit lang. haha. :D

Roger in Gwanghamun Square

Seoul is beautiful. Of course, every place has its own beauty. Nakakamangha lang talaga pag nakakakita ka ng ibang mga bagay. Ofcourse hindi mawawala ang mga pagpunta sa mga ‘must-visit’ places. And what is  amazing is how Korea was able to preserve not only the beauty of its culture but its culture itself in the midst of a globalizing world. We can really see how they were able to transfer their culture sa mga susunod na generation through the use of innovative ways na hindi majejeopardize yung substance ng pinapasa nila.

imagine how I was able to take this picture alone. HAHAHA.

Me and my friends also watched the dream concert. It’s a yearly event where K-Pop artists gather to perform in front of a magnanimous and very enthusiastic club. Define pahirapan sa pagkuha ng ticket. Buti na lang, a friend gave me an extra ticket. Wala talaga akong plano manood kasi I’m not a fan of Kpop naman. Pero sabi ko, ‘I am in Korea, so why not experience how to be a KPop fan?’ HAHAHA. Hindi naman ako nagsissi, nakita ko sila Rain, Super Junior at madami pang iba. Natupad na rin ang pangarap kong marinig ng live ang Nobody Nobody but You. HAHAHA.

Dream Concert

My last day was the best day for me. Kasi humiwalay ako sa mga kasama ko. You know how I always liked to be alone. So i traveled Seoul alone for a day. Wow. Ang fun. Feeling ko talaga backpacker ako. Kasi dala ko na lahat ng gamit ko. haha. mahirap nga lang kumuha ng picture, so you can’t imagine the things i did para lang makakuha ng mga nice pictures ng view with myself, ofcourse. HAHA. the best talaga yung araw na yun.

okay. I vandalized Seoul. Anong nakalagay? 'Roger was here. xoxo' HAHAHA.

Dinner time, i went to see a foreigner friend and went to Seoul Tower. maganda. We had dinner overlooking the city of Seoul. mahirap i-explain. pero breath taking. pati yung presyo, breath-taking. HAHAHA. yun ata yung pinakamahal na meal na kinain ko sa buhay ko. pero worth it naman.

okay. yung background, yun ang Seoul. pero akong ang bida sa pic na to. HAHA.

I learned in the tower na Manila is 2606 kilometers away from my place. So while having my chance to see Seoul with the beauty of night lights, I wondered if this will really ever happen to Manila. Seoul, 60 years ago, is one of the poorest place in Asia, Korea was in ashes because of the Korean War. The bulk of the natural resources was in North Korea. In more or less 20 years, they were able to rise up, and in less than half a century, we see them developed.

Roger in Seoul Olympic Park. I'm still dreaming of Manila Olympics, 2044.

The Philippines, 60 years ago was 2nd to Japan as the richest country in Asia. We are the model country of our Asian neighbors that time. The Presidents of Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines have one thing in common- they are all authoritarian. We see where Korea and Singapore is now. What happened to us? I do not know. many from the academe say, it’s one of the mysteries that’s hard to answer.  Many in the public sector don’t know either. Marami naman sa atin, sinisisi ang gobyerno.

'yung bang patuloy na nagtatanong, naghahanap ng sagot at pilit na hinahangad at kumikilos para sa pagbabago. para sa bayan.'

So what do I say with this? Ewan. I haven’t think of it more deeply. Pero WTH. This post was supposedly about my experience sa Seoul. I really don’t fail myself when it comes to this. Palaging napapasok ang mga ganitong usapin. Pero I wanted to write the story of my Seoul. And  I think, I am writing about it naman, yung bang patuloy na nagtatanong, naghahanap ng sagot at pilit na hinahangad at kumilos para sa pagbabago. para sa bayan.  And yes, that is the Story of my Soul.

For those of you who want to learn more about Seoul, please visit Seoul City’s official Facebook page! It is really interesting and very helpful! http://www.facebook.com/#!/hiseoul?ref=ts