Day 8: New Year's Eve in Seoul

I remember day 8 quite clearly because it was New Year's Eve!

We were back in Seoul the night before, and the day's itinerary was...

EWHA's Womans University! 

The university is home to the largest underground in Korea (which I personally think is really cool. Classes are spent like TMNT would lol) 

What I thought was interesting was how they had a special meaning behind what you would think is a misspelling or lacking an apostrophe but the early founders of the college intentionally spelled it as Womans instead of Womn because they thought that every woman is to be respected, hence they chose the word "woman" to avoid lumping the students together under the word "women".

Before you wonder why we went to a university in Seoul, know that the university is actually smack in one of the best shopping streets you can find, filled with shoe shops, accessory shops, clothing shops, cafes and hair salons, which are generally cheaper priced than other streets because they are meant to cater to university students.

 The school’s name “Ewha” was bestowed by Emperor Gojong (the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty, 1863~1907). The three virtues Ewha promotes are truth, goodness, and beauty (why am I not surprised beauty is a virtue in a Korean uni).

We then had lunch in one of the Korean restaurants in Ewha street (you will be pleased that any restaurant you go into will have really good Korean food)

I decided to get out of my comfort bubble and ordered cold noodles, which I ended up not able to stomach. I made my BF have most of it. I guess I couldn't accept my noodles being cold. I am not exactly adventurous with food, but hey at least I can say I've tried it.

My BF's Bibimbap which I ended up eating most of. Haha.

I read somewhere that coffee in Korean isn't great because they skimp on the coffee beans, but I thought this one was really strong, aka GOOD! I like my coffee strong :-)

We randomly walked into a shoe shop that is underground. It was what I believe was one the of most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. It wasn't like any shoe shop I've ever seen anywhere:

Much like how Bosu-dong was with books, this was the Bosu-dong of shoes.

There were shoes of all styles on the floor, on the walls, on the ceilings, everywhere

The ahjussi inside naturally didn't let me leave without buying any, so I left with a pair of sleek black heels for work. He wanted me to buy 2 (he kept speaking in bits of Mandarin) and offered me "Brunei discount" in the cutest way possible. It was a bit overwhelming with so many shoes to choose from that I didn't know where to start looking so I just started somewhere in the middle. I absolutely loved it.

After that, I went to look for a nail salon to do my miserable nails which were all chipped. They were Christmas nails and technically it was already New Year's so..

We went into a quaint pink nail salon, where we waited for a bit while the lady was done with a customer before me.

Here was where I saw the fattest cat I have ever seen..... 

My BF was really the sweetest and he stayed and waited for me while I had my nails done. :-)

I initially wanted something cute and fancy gel nails with diamonds but you would not believe the price of doing your nails in Korea!

I did my research on Korean nail designs but I was silly enough not to check the prices beforehand! I sure took advantage of the cheap nail services in Brunei.

The design I initially wanted was 100,000 Korean Won! Yes that is around $140 Brunei!

So I just opted for normal gel nails instead...

One-color gel nails was 38,000 Won, while mine (with just two in different color) was another 10,000 won more so it was 48,000 won overall. Pricey but hey, when in Rome right?

I will always pay for the experience :-)

After that, we left Ewha and went back to get ready for our NYE dinner at Peninsula Restaurant in Lotte Hotel, Myeongdong.

I made reservations online about a month ago. Peninsula Restaurant is an Italian restaurant.

Yep, this is the Hall of Fame-ish entrance to Lotte Myeongdong (Lotte Hotel) is in the same building.

Lotte is one of the (if not the) biggest companies in Korea, and has the most famous Korean ambassadors.

This is the closest I could get to my Oppa...

Gosh, I was so happy hahaha I absolutely adore Lee Min Ho!

I opted for the set course, which came with starters, mains (I chose the steak) and dessert. Dinner over wine was lovely, and it was the perfect NYE I wanted. After that, we went shopping in Hyundai Outlet Mall, and waited for the clock to strike midnight at a cafe in Dongdaemun over Cass Beer.

Although it wasn't a party or a big event, it was the best NYE I've had so far and I wouldn't have had traded it for anything! #introvertconfessions

xxx