"Arirang"

 "Where are you from? What's your name? How old are you? Are you Canadian? Are you American? Are you single? Where do you live in Korea? What is your job? Do you like Korea? What do you like to eat? What are your hobbies? Are you married? Do you believe in God? What's your religion? Do you make a lot of money?"

I'm starting to get used to answering incessant questions by Korean men who either want to practice their English, or are trying to steal my identity. (Ok, so they really just want to practice English - but it can get annoying when approached by strangers - and even a little sketchy when they ask questions that Westerners would deem too personal.)

This happened to me twice this weekend. Once on my subway ride to see Hwayoung, and a second time when we were at a tourist attraction (but she wasn't nearby). Luckily, she saw me looking annoyed and came to my rescue. Thanks 자기야!

Hwayoung and I met up on Saturday and decided to do a little shopping. We went to a huge new mega-mall in Yeongdeungpo called "Times Square" . I would be a poor man if I was as thin as these Korean guys. Some of the clothes here I find very stylish, and would love to be able to fit into. Yet, the sizes are incredibly small, that even most women back at home wouldn't be able to fit into them!

It doesn't help that they also wear things really tight!

(but don't get me wrong - there is a lot of ugly fashion as well!)

After the mall we went to a CGV Theater and got to see 2012. The special effects were really well done, but the movie was a little over-dramatic and a little too long for my taste. But very entertaining.

On Sunday, we took a little trip to see Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁).This palace is adjacent to another palace we saw back in October, but never went into. It is a beautiful place to see though.

Gyeongbokgung, also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, is a royal palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. First constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the palace, "Gyeongbokgung," translates in English as "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven."

Heavily destroyed by the Japanese government in the early 20th century, the palace complex is slowly being restored to its original form prior the destruction. As of 2009, roughly 40 percent of the original number of palace buildings still stand or are being reconstructed.

I made a slideshow that you should all view:

We left the Palace early because we were starting to get freezing rain. Hwayoung brought me to a famous traditional Samgyetang (삼계탕)restaurant. Samgyetang is basically whole-chicken soup in a ginseng broth. I've had it a couple of times, and it's pretty good. I think it needs more flavor to compare to chicken soups back at home.