Sunday, April 20, 2014

Trip to Shanghai 2 - City Days and Nights



On the way to the Yuyuan Garden


 
This was the entrance to the garden, where there's a lot of restaurants and stores where you can shop.


 
The exterior is quite nice, I suggest you definitely check it out!


Check out the Haagen Dazs ;) 


 
 
These mythical creatures were everywhere, protecting the property :)
 
 
Inside is very crowded, so keep your belongings safe and if you're shopping, always always haggle over the price. I got to reduce the price of a painting from $60 -> $30, but still felt like I could have gotten it for lower. ;)


This dumping with a straw is very famous so I tried it, but I think it's overrated...I remember paying around 35 yuan.






If you want to check out the chic, modern place in Shanghai, you'd best go to Xintiandi. This is a hip place where you'll find a lot of European style restaurants and stores.



 
 An antique store I found!




 
 
 
After having looked around, I was shocked by the price of regular pasta (probably equal to around $20) and went to a nearby sushi restaurant under this department store. I paid around $10 for two rolls of sushi which is okay.


If you walk around more towards the financial district, you'll find all those luxury brands where rich shanghaians shop ;)
 
 
 







Next - you should check out the East Nanjing Road where you'll find so many things to see & do!


 
Most buildings were European style, since Shanghai was once colonized. It almost makes you feel like you're in Europe, not in China.
 

 

 China-France diplomatic relation. I noticed a lot of French influence in Shanghai and also French people in the streets.
It's interesting to see Chinese signs and European buildings together.
 
 
Make sure you try the Zhen Lao Da Fang, which is a small fried bread with beef inside. (approximately 20 yuan)
 
 






 
On Nanjing Road, you'll be able to find a lot of eateries like this where you can pick fresh fruits for your juice.
 
 Look at all the exotic fruits!
I got Starfruit and Mango. Soooo good! (Appx. 180 yuan)
Hello, Nicole Kidman.

If you see the Samsung building, that means you're near the People's Square, which you have to go through the underpass. 
The whole park is lit with green lights.
 

 I think it's nice to have a park in a big city - it lets us relax from the busy city life and enjoy nature. People's Square is actually quite big and you won't hear a lot of noises because it's pretty far from the buildings.
These guys were helping out a friend to propose.

 D'aww. :)

 
Shanghai, aren't you a romantic city :)

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Trip to Shanghai 1 - Yuyuan Garden



Having been stressed out from the job, I've decided to quit and take a break. Originally, I wanted to go to Germany since my friend is living there, but the flight ticket scared me a little bit (We really need Elon Musk to build cheap underground transpotation between E. Asia and Europe :P )
 
So I joined my friend on a trip to Shanghai, which turned out to be quite fun! I took a lot of photos in the beautiful Yuyuan Garden, so enjoy!
 

 


Signs like this on the wall fascinated me! They were encased with glass and had a lot of intricate details which I think are depicting the scenery around the park a long time ago.


 These giant rocks were everywhere in the park - I wonder if they were created by volcanic eruptions or carried from somewhere else.









I loved these gates! They look really fun to walk in and make you see things differently.






To check out more photos, please see my flickr album: HERE 
 
 
Videos
 
This is a video of the uniquely shaped windows and arches.
 
This is the bridge in the garden over a picturesque pond.
 
Hope you enjoyed!
 

Friday, April 18, 2014

세월호 사건을 보며...

참 안타까운 소식이 아닐 수 없다. 구조를 기다리는 부모들의 마음은 정말 천갈래로 찢어지겠구나...

나도 초, 중학교에 다니고 있는 친척 동생들이 있는데 뉴스를 보면서 마음이 철렁 내려앉았다. 만약 내 친척들이 조금만 더 나이가 많았다면... 수학여행을 갔다면...


사람 일은 정말 어떻게 될지 신도 모르는 것 같다. 지난 해 아는 오빠가 먼 뉴욕에서 갑작스러운 사건으로 아주 안좋게 세상을 떠나고 나서는 삶에 대한 시각이 많이 바뀌었다. 그 오빠는 주변사람들에게 항상 잘 해주고, 내가 한 3년 전 마지막으로 봤을 때에도 잘 지내고 있었던걸로 기억한다. 그런데 그 꽃다운 나이에 먼저 가버리다니..



우리는 모두 세상에 태어나서 어떠한 목적을 가지고 살아가는걸까. 각박한 분위기의 사회에서  무언가 해야한다는 압박감에 서로 치열하게 경쟁을 하며 '성공' '대박'을 향해 뛰어간다... 하지만 그러는 와중에 제일 중요한 걸 잊고 사는게 아닐까? 나에게 주어진 인연들에게 감사하며 내가 사랑하는 사람들 챙기고 살기에도 바쁜데, 돈이나 소유물에 집착을 하다보니 서로 공존, 돕고 여유를 가지며 사는 법을 잊은 것 같다.

 
 
'있을 때 잘하자' 라는 말이 있듯이, 이번 계기로 서로에게 더 신경쓰고 잘해줬으면 하는 마음이다. 나도 우리 친척들에게 소홀했었네... 더 잘해야지.