Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을)

Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) is a home to hundreds of hanok, which also happened to be one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Seoul. I just love the aesthetics and the vibes of this neighbourhood. It's interesting to see how ancient times and modern times harmoniously intertwined. The only thing that I don't like about Bukchon Hanok Village is it's very hilly. #hellomynonexistencestamina

Steep tak steep?

Tip: Wear your most comfortable shoes as it's quite a walk and hike.

I went there in the morning to avoid the crowd. Thankfully, it was the best decision that I made as the neighbourhood started to get crowded after about an hour after I arrived. I honestly didn't do much at the Bukchon Hanok Village except walking around, taking hundred of pictures and enjoying the aesthetics of the neighbourhood.

Tip: Get a map from the Information Centre or do your proper research if you want to see all the 8 views of Bukchon Hanok Village.

You can do more than that as they have quite a number of cultural centres, museums, guesthouses, restaurants, and tea houses. Some of the cultural centres and museums offer free admissions, so you may want to fully utilize the chance? As for me, I didn't enter any cultural centres and museums because most of them were not opened yet when I was there. Additionally, I opted out from visiting any tea houses and restaurants because I had a goal not to spend money on unnecessary thing that day.

Tip: Please be considerate of the living residents by not making loud noises when walking around the neighbourhood.

I personally found Bukchon Hanok Village to be quite relaxing in the morning when there was no crowd. When crowd started to show, it became so hectic, especially if inconsiderate tourists showed up. I really wanted to sew up some people's mouths when I was there because they were just too loud and rude.

Oh, I also bumped into a group of Malaysians and a Malaysian family when I was there, and boy was I extremely excited and happy to see them. #masalahorangdudukoverseas However, my feeling was not reciprocated. Didn't even get a nod from them T_T Sedih gila! Thankfully, one of the guides for the group of Malaysians struck a simple conversation with me, so I was happy :)

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Bukchon Hanok Village despite being lost when searching the Scenic View #8 of Bukchon Hanok Village. I have this feeling that I can easily spend one whole day here if I have all the time in this world.

Hallyu K-Star Road (한류스타거리)

I passed by this Hallyu K-Star Road ( 한류스타거리) when I went for the K-pop companies hunting. Didn't know the start or the end of this road so I missed the huge doll and some. I was okay with the fact that I missed the doll because it was just another landmark.

I personally think that there was nothing special about the Hallyu K-Star Road except that it has these GangnamDols lining up. If this is your first time in South Korea and you're a reallyyyyyyy hugeeeeee fan of K-pop, you may like this place. As for me, it was just meh. I only stopped just to take picture of those GangnamDols. Sebab dah alang-alang kan? :p

So, yeah. Please skip this place unless you're a K-pop freak! :)

My Songs of October 2018

October 2018 was a month full of struggling. I struggled to get back to the routine of going to gym at least 3 times a week, I struggled to get back to the habit of eating somewhat healthily, and I struggled to stick to my financial goals! Was and still not happy with what happened and my current progress.

October 2018 was also the month that I finally hit the "I had enough of Korean dramas" spot! I was and am still somewhat live watching at least 5 dramas a week but sometimes I just binged two weeks' episodes at one time, depending on my mood and free time.

As such, I started watching anime again. I rewatched the whole series of Prince of Tennis and boy, did it bring back all the memories and feels! #teamtezukathroughandthrough I also discovered two OVAs of Prince of Tennis that I didn't know about their existence, which I of course binge watched in a day! I can't believe that I missed them all these years T^T Additionally, I started watching few anime that I haven't watched before, thanks to the suggestions by BudakVanilla.

So yeah, while I was struggling in few parts of my life (health and financial were the major ones), I was quite happy indulging myself with a part of my childhood memory. And, these 3 songs will definitely remind me of this month :)

Soran (소란) - Can't Close My Eyes (잠이 안 와)

Vincent (빈센트) - The Beauty Inside (With 2morro)

BUMKEY (범키) - Love One 

Hiking Trip to Stutfield Glacier

This post was first published on May 12, 2015 on one of my older blogs. Decided to repost it here at Her Little Guilty Pleasures due to reasons that I mentioned in this post.

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Cuba kira berapa kali saya sebut Stutfield Glacier for the past few posts. Haha! Excited sangat sampai asyik-asyik sebut pasal Stutfield Glacier. Alhamdulillah, berpeluang untuk sertai Staff Activity to Stutfield Glacier hari Sabtu hari tu. Thanks to James for not cancelling my days off :p

Stutfield Glacier ni terletak dekat Icefields Parkway macam Tangle Creek Falls juga. It took us 1 and half hour untuk sampai ke starting point of the hike sebab Stutfield Glacier ni 95 km daripada Town of Jasper. As mentioned in the title, this was a hiking trip. However, I'm no hiker! Bukan hiker, tapi teringin punya pasal, pergi jugalah. As expected from a beginner hiker, I fell down few times, almost broke my ankle, injured my hands and got bruises all over my body.

The hike was 12 km hike one way. So yeah, I walked 24 km just for this hiking trip. My parents will be super proud if they knew anak diaorang yang puteri lilin ni, yang memang suka memerap dalam rumah ni berjalan sejauh 24 km dalam satu hari. Hike ni taklah susah sangat sebenarnya sebab there was no elevation gains. Cuma surface dia tak berapa nak rata. Sekejap pasir, sekejap batu kerikil, sekejap sungai, sekejap lumpur. Itu pasal la jatuh la, apa la.

It took us 2 hours plus to reach the nearest spot of the Stutfield Glacier. It was worth it to walk for about 2 hours plus cause the view was superbly mesmerizing. There was no other words than subhanallah.

We had our lunch at the spot and spent about 1 hour plus there just to enjoy the scenery and the serene moment. Berjemur bawah matahari yang serious panas terik tapi suhu sekeliling sejuk. Sunbathing (involuntarily) dekat glacier itu katanya. Kulit memang terbakar habis ya. Tak rupa orang Melayu sekarang ni :p

The coolest thing that happened when we were there was I got to witness avalanche for the first time in my life with my own eyes! It's kinda cool to see kalau awak berada dalam jarak yang selamat. Bukan sekali saya dapat tengok. 3 kali! Sebelum avalanche berlaku, awak akan dengar macam bunyi guruh yang kuat. Tiap kali kami dengar bunyi macam bunyi guruh, mata dah melilau nak tengok dekat mana avalanche tu.

After we had enough of the majestic surroundings (again, honestly you'll never get enough of its beauty but you just have to move on), we headed back. That was another 2 hours of walking. Sampai je van, semua orang dah tak larat. Semua pun dah tak sabar nak balik. Termasuklah saya. I was so tired yet so happy. It was totally a well spent and productive day.

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We ended our trip with a bang! My first black bear this summer! :)

Tangle Creek Falls

This post was published on May 11, 2015 on one of my older blogs. Decided to repost it here at Her Little Guilty Pleasures due to reasons that I mentioned in this post.

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I read somewhere over the net that Tangle Creek Falls is one of the most commonly photographed falls in the Icefield Parkway. For your information, Icefield Parkway is dubbed as a highway to heaven in Canada. Seriously, memang cantik sangat pemandangan sepanjang Icefield Parkway ni. Sepanjang perjalanan mesti mulut tu takkan lekang dari menyebut subhanallah, subhanallah, subhanallah.

I guess I was lucky to be a the Tangle Creek Falls sebab masa orientation, orang HR selalau juga sebut pasal Tangle Creek Falls ni. Dan, rasanya hotel tempat saya kerja ada history dengan Tangle Creek Falls ni.

Berpeluang singgah ke Tangle Creek Falls ni masa trip ke Stutfield Glacier. We stopped for a toilet break sebab bila dah start hiking untuk ke Stutfield Glacier tu, memang tak berpeluang nak melepaskan 'hajat' kecil atau besar sebab tak banyak pokok.

Tangle Creek Falls ni betul-betul dekat tepi highway, berhadapan dengan toilets yang kami singgah. Tiada info tambahan pasal Tangle Creek Falls untuk dikongsi sebab takde sign apa-apa pun dekat situ. Anyway, masa on the way ke Tangle Creek Falls ni, saya nampak bighorn sheep. Please google if you don't know how bighorn sheep looks like. Saya memang dah lama teringin nak tengok bighorn sheep ni. Alhamdulillah, dapat juga tengok.

Kisah menarik pasal toilet.

Toilets yang saya singgah tu serious macam toilets zaman batu. Takde flush dan rasanya segala buangan terus masuk ke dalam satu tong besar. They were very smelly too. Thank god they had hand sanitizer and toilet paper.

Her Little Guilty Pleasures Now Has a Facebook Page!

Her Little Guilty Pleasures now has a Facebook page! Well, I made one months ago because I wanted to switch my personal Instagram account to business account. Sadly to say that I've been ignoring the Facebook page ever since I made one cause I'm an Instagram and a Blogger girl through and through.

However, I have been constantly getting notifications that Facebook will unpublish my page if it keeps being inactive. So, to prevent that from happening, I have made a decision to make my page somewhat active. For now, I'm thinking about posting random photos that I have taken for the past few years. The photos are most likely ones that didn't make the cut to be featured on my Instagram or blog.

So, if you're interested in seeing all the random photos and maybe something else, feel free to LIKE my Facebook page. Your LIKE is greatly appreciated! <3

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Her-Little-Guilty-Pleasures-186762058688414/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/happilyfarah

Twitter: https://twitter.com/happilyfarah

Riding the Sightseeing Chairlift at Mount Norquay

Had a chance to go up to Mount Norquay for the first time last June. All this while I only heard about Mount Norquay from my snowboarder or skier colleagues. #masalahorangtakmainwintersports Hence, I was excited to go up there for the first time..

Tip: Mount Norquay provides free shuttle in the summer. Do fully utilize the service if you're in Banff! :)

Took the third shuttle from the Banff Train Station. I was the only passenger in the shuttle so I managed to have a good chat with the shuttle driver. Wasn't sure how long it's supposed to take us from the Banff Train Station to the Mount Norquay but I think it took us more than half an hour to reach the base due to construction? We even managed to share the running joke about Canadian seasons.

Do you know that Canada actually only has 2 seasons instead of 4 seasons? We only have construction season and winter season here. That's it, guys! There is no spring, summer or fall in Canada :p

Upon my arrival at the base, I exchanged my coupon for a free ticket (one of the perks of being a local) at the ticket counter. There was no line, so I assumed summer is a slow season for Mount Norquay? I also didn't have to wait to ride the chairlift. The chairlifts at the Mount Norquay are smaller compared to other chairlifts that I rode last summer. Now that I think about it, it was my first 2-seat chairlift. Also, I felt that the chairlifts were quite unstable?


Tip: Mount Norquay usually provides number of discounted coupons to the hotels. This year, they had 2 For 1 coupons, which means you'll get 2 tickets for the price of 1. Do ask your front desk agents for the coupons if you want to save some money! :)

Didn't remember how long did it take me to be at the top but it wasn't that long. You can read what happened after that at this link. Basically, I was stunned with the view as it was my first time seeing the Town of Banff from that point of view. Also I felt very pleased as I got to see a bighorn sheep in a close range and had a staring contest with it. Yet, I felt quite bummed as I had to cut short my stay as I had a stomachache. 

Splendid Day at Lake Louise & Emerald Lake

Lake Louise

October 6, 2018

9:30 AM

I thought I had enough of Lake Louise but who am I kidding??!!! Lake Louise looked so magical when I was there the other day. And now I'm excited to see the frozen Lake Louise this winter! :D

Emerald Lake

October 6, 2018

1:30 PM

Emerald Lake, I have yet to get a chance to see you at your prettiest but you easily blown my mind the other day! You looked thousand times better than my first visit with the great weather and all. I am forever grateful for the chance to see your another charm :)

As Seen from Mount Norquay

Mount Norquay

October 5, 2018

12:45 PM

Back to Mount Norquay after almost 4 months. My eyes were blessed with this view, which reminds me to be humble, always, in my life.

Three Palaces in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), Deoksugung (덕수궁) & Changdeokgung (창덕궁)

I went to three palaces in Seoul; Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), Deoksugung (덕수궁) & Changdeokgung (창덕궁) on different days. My goal was to visit the major 4 palaces and Jongmyo Shrine (종묘) but I only managed to visit these three.

I can't share much about each palace and its history as I didn't get to join the interpretive tour and I'm not familiar with Korean history. So, you're better off to read Wikipedia if you want to learn more about the palaces.

Gyeongbokgung  (경복궁)

Tip: Interpretive tours are offered in English, Japanese, and Chinese at selected times. However, spaces are limited. So, come early if you want to join the tour.

According to the Visit Korea website, Gyeongbokgung is arguably the largest and the most beautiful palace that remains today. I can attest the fact that Gyeongbokgung is huge as I didn't get to finish the whole compound even though I spent about 3 hours there.

Tip: Be early if you want to get a best spot for the one of the three ceremonies; Royal Guard Changing Ceremony; Gwanghwamun Gate Guard-On-Duty Performance, and Gatekeeper Military Training ,as it gets crowded pretty fast.

I honestly didn't remember much about my visit to Gyeonbokgung other than the weather was very hot and humid when I was there and there were so many people! Also, the palace is really hugeeeeee! Rasa nak tercabut kaki berjalan dalam kawasan istana tu.

Oh, and this is where I lost my T-money for the first time. It really turned my day upside down when I realized I lost my T-Money because my transportation cost for the whole trip gone just like that. I made a report at the Lost & Found counter but no avail. I actually backtracked my steps to see if I can find it back but again, to no avail.

I decided to leave Gyeongbokgung even though I have yet to finish exploring the whole compound as I was at the verge of breaking down. It was really one of my worst days in South Korea as I was physically and mentally tired from what happened that day.

Deoksugung (덕수궁)

Deoksugung is my favourite palace in Seoul. Simply because I love the architecture. Also, because it has two modern western buildings as part of the palace. It's also a lot smaller than other palaces which means less walking. lol :)

I have seen this palace quite a lot and learned about some of the history through Infinity Challenge. In that Infinity Challenge's episode, they went for a tour of Seokjojeon. So, when I was there, I naturally wanted to join the Seokjojeon tour but all spots for the next tour. which happened to be the last tour for that day, were gone. So, no Seokjojeon for me.

Tip: Spots for Seokjojeon tour are limited. I believe they only have 5 spots for foreign nationals for each tour. Please come early if you want to join the tour as it's on first come first serve basis for foreigners.

As there was nothing that I can do at that point, I decided to explore the rest of the palace area as it is. There were quite a lot of activities were happening at the palace. One of things that I still remember is you can experience the traditional archery activity.

Tip: Deoksugung has the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony as well. This is might be an option if you missed the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at the Gyeongbokgung. However, do note that it is not as grand as Gyeongbokgung's. But, there's going to be less people which should be a happy news if you're not a big fan of crowded palace. You win some, you lose some, no?

Chandeokgung (창덕궁)

To be honest, I can't recall much about Chandeokgung. It was the last palace that I visited and I guess at that point, everything looked similar to me. Can't help but to feel that way after visiting these three palaces in three days in a row.

One of my goals when I decided to go to Chandeokgung was to visit the Huwon (후원) or known as Secret Garden. I have read so many reviews saying that the Secret Garden is really gorgeous and all so I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

Unfortunately, the tickets for the Huwon Tour were sold out. Apparently they only sell 50 tickets on site for each tour and the on site ticketing starts at 9:00 AM. I was there around noon, so memang dah habislah tiket.

Disappointed by the fact that I didn't get to grab a ticket for the Huwon Tour, I decided to cut my visit to Chandeokgung short. I only explored a lil bit here and there before I left.

Again, like I mentioned before, I can't recall much about Chandeokgung. But there was one thing that I still remember until today. I saw Rapmon or currently known as RM or Kim Najmoon (whichever you call him) of BTS when I was there. I didn't get a picture of him because everything happened in split seconds but wow, what a luck eh?

I was sitting under a tree to catch my breath when I accidentally made an eye contact with him when he was walking by. I wasn't sure if that was him but I guess he noticed that I was mouthing, "Rapmon?" He nodded. smiled and the walked away. Looked like he was rushing to go somewhere else. So yeah, I actually met or saw a Korean idol at a palace. lol :)

How to Apply for a Criminal Check in Town Of Banff?

This post is intended to share the information that I acquired when I was applying for my criminal check. Hopefully some of you will find it helpful especially for people who needs to apply for a criminal check in Banff. Some employers will request you to do it on your own while some employers will do it on your own behalf (after getting your consent, obviously!)

Do note that this is based on my experience. Your process may be shorter or longer than mine depending on your circumstances. It took me less than 15 minutes to get a copy of my criminal check. Granted, it was fast as I was the only one there as I went there around 9 AM. Think it'll take me less than 10 minutes if I filled out my form quickly.

1. Go to RCMP office and apply in person. 

If you're clueless like me, Banff RCMP office is located near to the Banff Train Station or Brewster Depot or Tim Hortons (whichever places you're familiar with). Do note that the office only opens on weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM.

2. Filled out the form given by the receptionist.

Make sure you have your physical address ready as they prefer to have your physical address instead of mailing address. I got stuck here as I didn't remember my physical address. I only remembered my mailing address. It will be good if you know the postcode as well. I left that one blank because I genuinely do not know the postcode for my physical address.

3. Wait for at least 15 minutes to get the copy of your criminal check.

4. Pick up your criminal check and voila, you're done!

Good to know

1. You must live in Town of Banff if you're applying for a criminal check at the Banff RCMP office.

2. The required fee is CAD 28 and they only accept cash payment.

3. You must bring two pieces of government-issued identifications and one of them must have a photo. Debit cards and credit cards are not accepted as an identification*

*I used my passport and Alberta Health Card as my identification proofs. Most people will use a driving license as one of the proofs but if you don't have a driving license like me, Alberta Health Card can be a great alternative*

K-Style Hub (케이스타일허브)

I went to K-Style Hub twice during my trip to South Korea in 2016. The first time I went there because I wanted to go to the Tourist Information Centre and the second time was to pick up my tickets for Pang Show: Pang Pang Cruise (빵쇼 팡팡크루즈).

I had a chance to explore the K-Style Hub a bit during my first visit. I went to see all the floors (FYI, they have 5 floors if you include the reception floor) but based on the pictures that I have in my hard disk, it seemed like I spent a lot of time at their Korean Food Exhibition Hall and Cultural Product Hall.

Song Joong Ki was everywhere when I was there!

Tip: This is the best place to perform your prayer if in your area as they have a prayer room. This is also the best place to rest indoor after exploring the area as they put the air conditioner on the blast!

On the second floor, they have the Tourist Information Centre. This is the place if you want to ask a lot of questions about South Korea. They have personnel who can help you in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese. I wasn't that lucky as the lady that I talked to couldn't help me that much about my plan to go to Ulleungdo (울릉도). So, Ulleungdo remains a dream until today T^T

They also have VR Experience Zone and Hallyu Stars Zone on this floor. I was interested to try the VR experience but there were a lot of people waiting to try as well. As you may know, waiting is not my game. So, I didn't try the VR Experience. As for Hallyu Stars Zone, let's just say that I'm not interested with it :)

On third floor, they have Korean Food Exhibition Hall. It can be boring if you're not interested with Hansik but I love the hall because it was aesthetically pleasing. I mean if you can make a supposedly boring exhibition about food that pretty, I'm sold! On fourth floor, they have Korean Food Experience Hall. I technically didn't get to see the whole floor because some of the sections were restricted to the participants. This is where you want to be if you want to try cooking Korean food.

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On the fifth floor, they have the Cultural Product Hall. They offer few stuff here on this floor but the one that I remember the most is the hanbok experience. Not sure how much they charged for the rental but I wore one for free. Though, I wore it indoor and for less than 30 minutes?

Additionally, they sell premium cultural product and souvenirs on this floor. I saw pretty chopsticks here but it'll cost me at least KRW 47,000 if I decided to buy one. I ain't got money for that T^T They also have a lot of cute and pretty souvenirs here. The prices were decent. I bought a cute hand fan here for KRW 1,000. Too bad I lost it after 2 days T^T

So, that's all about K-Style Hub. This is definitely not a must visit place especially if you have a tight schedule but if you need a place to rest or hang out when you're in area, this can be an option :)

Seoul Central Mosque (서울 중앙성원)

Managed to visit Seoul Central Mosque (서울 중앙성원) once but it was at a night time. My junior and I decided to perform our Maghrib here as we were in the Itaewon area. 

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Ya Allah, I felt so serene and tranquil when we were at the Seoul Central Mosque. I found it truly fascinating because Itaewon can be crazy wild and loud especially during night but you can barely hear anything from the mosque.

The only decent picture of us (or me, actually!) at the Seoul Central Mosque

However,

I will be doomed of saying this, but the Seoul Central Mosque was honestly not like what I expected. Wouldn't elaborate on this because I think it's a one time problem or at least that's what I hope for. Earnestly hoping, the problem will be fixed or have been fixed :)