Only 6 weeks left until I leave Korea and this study-holiday I've carved out for myself since the beginning of August.

I've been trying to decide where to start writing this, and sorry AFF, I have no idea if the plot bunny is going to come back any time soon and visit me with inspiration, but at least I can use this blog.

I am still studying every day, and I record what I've done for posterity's sake in my well-used well-loved Starbucks '15 diary. But for Tina and Kara, and for anyone else interested, I want to start writing a few notes here about how life is here and what I do in my waking hours alone because a) I don't have a job b) I don't have a boyfriend c) all my friends have jobs d) I'm not rich - I'm actually living off of 10,000 won a day and e) I live in [what I think is!] one of the coolest areas in the universe and I go around thinking about things a lot, but I rarely sit down and actually REFLECT on what i've thought about. So here, maybe I can do that.

So... today I did Lessons 25, 26 and 27 of Level 7 from Talk To Me In Korean. And I also did their 이야기 #3 which was 'Talking about Stress'. I actually recommend the free TTMIK lessons because I've found that if you just stick with it, it's a really good learning tool, and I really think my Korean is improving (though I'm still super shy and get very anxious when it comes to speaking anything more than single sentence questions or answers). Anyway, at about 11am I walked the ten-fifteen minutes to the Apgujeong Rodeo Station Starbucks and ordered a double shot hazelnut iced coffee (at 4800 won, it's more expensive than the macarons I usually get, but it's pretty damn delicious) sat down with all my books and laptop - and stayed there until 2pm when my stomach was growling.

This is what my desk usually looks like 

So, yes, hungry. I remember intending to walk all the way to the Kimbab Chonguk (Kimbab Heaven) near the Apgujeong Station, but I only made it to Paris Croissant and got tempted by a CHEESE AND WHITE CHOCOLATE TWIST MMMM and some marscapone brioch thing that was nice but not as nice as the CHEESE AND WHITE CHOCOLATE TWIST.

Sitting upstairs was nice and kinda fancy - all the ladies who lunch seems to hang out there. Also, though there was a drinks-service counter upstairs, it wasn't really manned, but there WAS just several boxes of convenience products (?) on the counter i.e. napkins and straws AND... wet wipes! I love these things and I hoard them whenever I can. I carry around with me either a spray hand sanitiser or a gel hand santizer - not because I'm super paraoid about germs, but because I do catch the bus and I do use public toilets and I have no qualms about eating with my hands. So, therefore, health must be considered.

So the point is, PARIS CROISSANT, I LIKE YOU A LOT.

So I sat by the window that overlooks Apgujeong Rodeo street until like... 6pm ^_^ I feel very comfortable with this concept now. Buy the cheapest product in the shop, plonk yourself down with you phone charger and your laptop charger, and just hammer away at your work for as long as you like. NO ONE will disturb you. The staff won't come to take your empty cup away. If you leave to go to the toilet, no one will nick your stuff. Occasionally someone might ask if they can borrow a chair that isn't being used, but I've never had someone ask to give up my second table (if I decide on the day to use two tables.)

I like the Apgujeong Rodeo Station Starbucks best because they have a nice comfy booth section upstairs with SQUARE TABLES (very important for studying) and a big table in the middle of the room with CHAIRS WITH BACKS (also important). The Shin Apgujeong Starbucks (the second closest one to my house) mostly has small round tables, and their big study table only has round stools - not good, not good. And the Apgujeong Street Starbucks (the closest one to my Goshiwon) is very small and can get quite crowded and noisy at lunch times because of all the people coming out on their lunch break. And one time I went there their toilets were out of service, so... I just tend not to go to that one so often. Besides, I need my 20 minutes of sunshine a day for Vitamin D and I get that walking to the Rodeo Starbucks.

Anyway, in the future I will DEFINITELY take more photos and I might try and focus on one theme a day with these entries - this was just a bit of a mishmash and what I did with my day (just fyi in the evening I caught the 4412 bus to Won Buddhism stop in Dogok and went running with Michelle along Yangjae Stream where she totally blitzed me and I was huffing and puffing to keep up! But, it's all good. I needed the wake up call and be made to exercise more).

Basically, the things that made me happy today were:

1) free wet wipes at Paris Croissant

2) the night time bus ride through Gangnam - I don't know if I'll ever get sick of the bright lights and busy streets because it's just so different from home.

3) September weather - warm and sunshiney, 

4) watching Playful Kiss for the first time since... 2012, and happy that I noticed that Bong Joon Gu is using the most ridiculous mish-mash of Korean country-boy accents I've ever heard (because I didn't notice it first time around).

Video of the day: Block B's 'Nillili Mambo'
Point: P.O's blonde pony-tailed hair YES