Sunday, April 9, 2017

4/09/2017 09:35:00 PM 5

HIGHLIGHT fansign @gimpo airport 25/03/2017

Took me a while to write this and even longer to meet them!! Been waiting for this moment ever since Bad Girl was released...and the moment finally came.

I knew my conversation with them would be extremely short if they talked to me in English so I tried to start the conversation first by speaking in Korean to them.

First one was Dongwoon (for our fansign they started from right to left) and someone before me gave them some hairbands with flowers so I started off by saying something extremely stupid such as "Oh you really are a flower boy now!". He seemed confused because I initiated the conversation in Korean so I asked him if he wanted to switch to English and he was like "NOoooo!!!". He asked my name to make sure, as it was written on a post-it, and then, of course, he asked me where I come from and apparently he wants to go to Santorini!! So I told him something like "Oh you should go with Dujun 'cause he said in the past he wants to go too". At some point the staff interrupted us and asked me to move to Gikwang.

Gikwang oh Gikwang..my precious cute little muffin... He was trying to talk to me in English although he realized I could converse with him in Korean and as usual he asked me where I was from. And once again when I said Greece, I got the same reaction as Dongwoon.. Gikwangie too wants to go to Santorini. So I was like "Oh Dongwoon just said the same..maybe you guys can arrange a trip altogether or something". He reached to shake my hand first. I think he said my Korean is good or sth but I can't really remember as I was about to go to my bias..Yoseob.

Yoseob ah Yoseob... he seemed a bit odd tbh..not sure if it was the clothes and glasses he was wearing or he was just having a bad day but he didn't seem to be as energetic as everyone else. He confirmed my name by reading the post and..........BLANK!! I don't remember >.< I knew this was going to happen..I only remember bits and pieces of our convo..I remember he was the only one who didn't ask me where I come from and that I passed my letter to him and asked him to read it when he has time and he wrote my name on the envelope [coz I was so nervous I forgot LOL...) and then before I go to Junhyung I remember I did something totally cheesy and told him "I hope you will always be happy" while holding his hand and looking into his eyes. Gawwhd....

Then off to Junhyung we go.. omg he was so fluffy I can't even..~!! As I was still in shock after my encounter with Yoseob I don't remember much except that he asked me where I come from and when I said Greece he didn't say he wants to go to Santorini but he praised my Korean skill and kept on saying how awesome my Korean is. Then he asked me how many years I've been in Korean so I said "4 (sa)" while moving towards Dujun who was waiting but Junhyung heard "3 (sam)" and showed me with his fingers to confirm but I said again 4 while using my fingers as well. He looked genuinely happy and excited I was able to talk to him in Korean and he wanted to keep the conversation longer but the staff had a different opinion ㅋㅋㅋ

And last we have Dujun.. He asked me where I was coming from and instead of Greece he heard France so I had to say it again.. and since I already knew Dujun wants to go to Santorini, when he said that I was like "Dongwoon and Gikwang said the same, maybe you guys can all go together". He asked me if it's nice there and I jokingly said "I don't know, it's expensive for me to go there" and he started laughing. Then we said our goodbyes~!

I tried to get some photos but my good quality photos look like previews of the DSLR owners ㅠ.ㅠ But then again a post without photos is kinda naked, isn't it? 






















Friday, March 17, 2017

3/17/2017 11:33:00 AM 3

FAQ: Cost of vacations in Korea

Ok so I have been getting this question A LOT and I am sure everyone who's been living in Korea and has friends who are looking into visiting here has been getting the same question. But how do you answer that? Ask them back "How much would it cost for 2 weeks in your country/city?" and see how they reply. ㅋㅋㅋ I mean after all it's a hard question, isn't it? Because you can't be precise and you cannot possibly know everyone's budget or even take the time to calculate.

So I will just mention some basic stuff based on my experience and I will try not only to compare it with my country, Greece, but with other countries I've visited in the past or know a little something about..

I will not talk about air tickets cost obviously. If you want to travel cheap, you gotta search for it constantly with all available airlines.

Now, first of all, transportation. Korea's official tourism site has done an excellent job gathering transportation information in one single page.

Let's take a look at the Seoul and Busan prices breakdown:


For more information on other cities' subway system and how to obtain and reload a transportation card, please visit this link: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRP/TP_ENG_6.jsp

Now off to the buses! Here you can find a very detailed explanation on the buses. Depending on the bus type the fares start from around 950 won (yellow and green buses) up to 2500 won (red buses).  The prices on the photo seem to be a bit outdated.



If you want to do sightseeing on the cheap side, then you'd better opt for one of those discounted tours cards such as Seoul City Pass.

Now to hotels..If you don't mind sharing a dorm with other people, you can find places to stay starting from around 10-15 euro (or dollars) per person, per night. If you don't like sharing, then you should expect prices starting from about 30-40 euro (or dollars) per person, per night.

Your best friends for hunting down cheap accommodation are obviously Agoda, Booking.com , airbnb, Trivago or even Google. If you look for cheap hotels by using google, you can also check hotels on Google's map and get info on the hotels.


Now are you into all that KPOP jazz? Mini album or single album prices usually start from 10.000-12.000 won and the cheapest shops can be found in Myeongdong. For full length albums the prices usually start from 18.000 won and more. DVDs are kind of on the expensive side with most prices starting at 39.000 won or so. You can get photocards, posters, calendars and more but the prices vary per artist and per shop. Usually they start from 5.000-7.000 won. Bracelets and pins are cheaper and start at 2.000 won usually.

Concert tickets obviously depend on the artist and the place it's taking part. You can find festivals starting from 35.000 won but most KPOP concerts cost between 99.000-110.000 won. Sometimes the Korean government gives to foreigners free tickets to kpop festivals. So you should keep an eye out when you are planning your trip.

Last but not least, the food!! I suppose since you are coming for vacations you won't need to do grocery shopping and cook (unless you booked an apartment with kitchen~). You can find a lot of cheap food with prices starting from 1.500 won.

Usually places that sell kimbap are the cheapest ones to eat with prices starting from 1.500 won to 10.000 won. Then there are also the stall vendors that sell fried delicacies and spicy rice cakes in the streets. Another cheap option is going to a market and eat. Most markets are included in the Seoul City tour bus route.

If you want to try barbecue then usually the prices start from 5.000 won for 100gr of meat. So you should expect about 10.000 won per person (depending on how much you eat).

Can't live without coffee? Expect to pay something between 3.000 to 6.000 for a cup of coffee. It depends on the coffee shop and the coffee you like obviously. Most Koreans drink Americano, which if you ask me it's like extremely watered filtered French coffee, therefore the taste is not so great to me.. I like my coffee strong and sweet. If you want to try the Korean chains, then Ediya is the cheapest one and its quality is really good.

If you have questions about anything else, please leave a comment here and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible^^

Also if you found this post helpful, please go ahead and share it on your social media <3

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

12/06/2016 12:00:00 AM 2

Let's send BTS a rice wreath!!!



Με την επερχόμενη συναυλία των BTS στη Σεούλ στις 18 και 19 Φλεβάρη σκέφτηκα πως θα ήταν μια καλή ιδέα να δείξουμε την παρουσία μας ως κοινό στέλνοντας στεφάνι με δωρεά ρυζιού όπως συνηθίζεται να γίνεται στην Κορέα.

Τι θα λέγατε να δείξουμε στα παιδιά ότι έχουν κοινό στην Ελλάδα; Τόσες και τόσες άλλες χώρες το κάνουν, γιατί όχι και εμείς; Ίσως έτσι σκεφτούν και το ενδεχόμενο για μια συναυλία στο μέλλον αφού θα δουν ότι υπάρχει κόσμος που ενδιαφέρεται και κάνει μέχρι και donations.

UPDATE: Μπορείτε να στείλετε χρήματα μέχρι τις 31 Ιανουαρίου. 


Δωρεές μπορείτε να κάνετε μόνο μέσω paypal (για να υπάρχει καταγραφή και να μην νομίζει κανείς ότι θα σας κλέψω^^ ) στέλνοντας στο  lilith.demon@gmail.com αναγράφοντας το όνομα σας ή/και το Facebook username σας στα σχόλια. Μπορείτε να κάνετε απο 2 ευρώ (ο λόγος παρακάτω) μέχρι όσα θέλετε.


Επειδή τα έξοδα μεταφοράς των χρημάτων στην Κορέα μέσω Paypal δεν μπορώ να τα χρεωθώ μόνη μου, καλό θα ήταν αν μπορείτε να υπολογίζετε 1-2 ευρώ παραπάνω απο το ποσό που θα δίνατε. Πχ αντι για 1 ευρώ, να δώσετε 2. Αντί για 5 ευρώ να δώσετε 6, αντί για 20 να δώσετε 22 κτλ.

EDIT: Για όσους δεν έχουν την δυνατότητα να χρησιμοποιήσουν Paypal μπορούν μέσω του projectX να βοηθήσουν στέλνοντας χρήματα σε μορφή μετρητών μέσω ενός vivaspot. (Τα vivaspot είναι διαθέσιμα σχεδόν σε όλη την Ελλάδα) Δείτε στο link το πλησιέστερο viva spot που σας εξυπηρετεί. https://www.vivapayments.com/el/network/

Αναλόγως τα λεφτά που θα συγκεντρώσουμε θα αγοράσουμε και το αντίστοιχο στεφάνι, το οποίο θα μας το δώσουν και σε φωτογραφία (digital φαντάζομαι.)

Σε περίπτωση που δε μαζέψουμε αρκετά λεφτά ώστε να πάρουμε έστω και το πιο φτηνό στεφάνι, τα λεφτά θα επιστραφούν πάλι μέσω Paypal.

Το CHEER MESSAGE θα το αποφασίσουμε με poll που θα διεξαγχθεί απο αυτούς που έχουν δώσει λεφτά. Σαν fanclub απλά θα γράψουμε BTS Fans in GREECE. 

Παραθέτω τις επιλογές μας (υπάρχουν και άλλες αλλά αυτές είναι οι πιο φτηνές και αξιόλογες).

(F1) 110.000 won (περίπου 100 ευρώ αν σκεφτούμε έξοδα αποστολής χρημάτων)

2 Κορδέλες (αριστερά: cheer message / Δεξιά: όνομα του fan club ),
μια φωτογραφία (Α4) των BTS,
20 κιλά ρύζι






(F11) 130.000 won (περίπου 120 ευρώ αν σκεφτούμε έξοδα αποστολής χρημάτων)

2 Κορδέλες (αριστερά: cheer message / Δεξιά: όνομα του fan club ),
πανό των BTS (πλάτος 38 εκατοστά Χ 53 εκατοστά μήκος),
20 κιλά ρύζι



(F12) 150.000 won (περίπου 140 ευρώ αν σκεφτούμε έξοδα αποστολής χρημάτων)

2 Κορδέλες (αριστερά: cheer message / Δεξιά: όνομα του fan club ),
πανό των BTS (15cm X 45cm X110cm),
μια φωτογραφία των BTS (A4),
20 κιλά ρύζι



10kg ρύζι έξτρα => 30.000 won (περίπου 24 ευρώ αν σκεφτούμε έξοδα αποστολής χρημάτων)
20kg ρύζι έξτρα => 60.000 won (περίπου 52 ευρώ αν σκεφτούμε έξοδα αποστολής χρημάτων)


Monday, December 5, 2016

12/05/2016 04:08:00 PM 3

A/V/N+ 거니와 - not only...but...

This pattern is similar with -는데 and in my personal opinion (since it is not mentioned anywhere in my books) it is similar with -ㄹ/을 뿐만 아니라.

It can be used with verbs, adjectives and nouns in all tenses.
The following clause cannot be imperative on propositive.

The correct syntax per tense is as follows:



A/V NOUN
PRESENT 거니와 (이)거니와
PAST 았거니와/었거니와 이었거니와/였거니와
FUTURE 겠거니와 이겠거니와

As mentioned already, this pattern is used when acknowledging a certain fact  on the preceding sentence and adding additional information on the following clause.

Off to some examples now!

그녀는 공부를 잘하거니와 일도 열심히 해서 인기가 많아요
She's not only good at studying but she's also working hard and therefore she's popular.

그녀는 얼굴도 예쁘거니와 마음도 착해서 인기가 최고예요.
She's not only pretty but also kind and that's why she's so popular.

그는일도 열시미 했거니와 운도 좋아서 하는 일마다 큰 성공을 거뒀어요.
Not only he was working hard but he was also lucky so no matter what he did he always succeeded.


Lastly this form can also be used with the following expressions to emphasize that a fact is acknowledged.  Could be translated somewhat to "to say it again..."

The expressions most commonly used (but not limited to) with it are:
다시 말하다, 다시 설명하다, 거듭 덧붙이다

거듭 덧붙이거니와 내일은 늦으시면 안 됩니다.
[Used to emphasize the fact that one should not be late the following day]



sources: 외국인을 위한 한국어 문법2, Korean Grammar in Use Advanced

If you found this post helpful, please leave a comment and make my day ^_^



Sunday, December 4, 2016

12/04/2016 05:30:00 PM 3

N+을/를 막론하고 - regardless of

The verb 막론하다 can be attached after a noun and take on the meaning of "Regardless of N".

Sometimes translated as "irrespective of, no matter what "

을/를 막론하고 is interchangeable with the pattern 을/를 불문하고 

현대 사회에서는 남녀노소를 막론하고 스트레스를 받아요.
In modern society people get stressed regardless of age or sex.

지위 고하를 막론하고 부정부패 척결에 힘을 써야 해요.
Regardless of our (social) status, we must work hard to deal with corruption.

이유 여하를 막론하고 네가 잘못한 거다
You were in the wrong no matter what the reason may have been.  


이유 여하를 막론하고 그런 식으로 일을 처리해서는 안 된다.
No matter what the reason may be, you shouldn't do your work like that. 


sources: 외국인을 위한 한국어 문법2, 네이버 사전

If you found this post useful, please leave a comment and make my day ^_^




 
12/04/2016 03:28:00 PM 1

A/V+기는커녕 , N+은/는커녕 - let alone...

The grammatical form we are going to be looking at today is used as follows:

A/V+기는커녕  
N+은/는커녕

먹다 => 먹기는커녕
마시다 => 마시기는커녕
하다 => 하기는커녕

물 => 물은커녕
택시 => 택시는커녕

It can be used after particles such as 에서 => 에서는커녕 

Note: Please keep in mind that the form of N+는커녕 can be shortened into ㄴ커녕.

For example:
택시 => 택시는커녕 => 택커녕

It is similar with A/V+은/는 고사하고 and N+는 것은 고사하고 and they can be interchangeably used.

This grammatical form is used mainly with negative sentences and could be translated in English as "..let alone....".  Therefore most of the times the second clause with have 안- , 못- or 없다.

It is used to indicate that the preceding part is needless to say because it is impossible compared to the following clause which could be possible but is still, under the circumstances, difficult too.

Kinda confusing right? Let's see some examples:

택시는커녕 버스를 타고 갈 돈도 없어요.
I don't even have money to take the bus, let alone taking a taxi.

여행하기는커녕 먹을 돈도 없어요.
I don't even have money to eat, let alone go on a trip.

그녀가 노래는커녕 춤조차 못 해요.
She can't dance, let alone sing.

그는 그의 장애로 인해 달리기는커녕 걷기도 못해요.
Due to his disability he can't even walk, let alone run.


sources: 외국인을 위한 한국어 문법2, Korean Grammar in Use Advanced

If you found this post helpful, please leave a comment and make my day ^_^








 

Sunday, July 3, 2016

7/03/2016 11:25:00 AM 1

A/V + 거든 if... (1), because (2)


A/V + 거든 [1] - if
Similar with : 거들랑, (으)면

Connective ending that shows a condition or a supposition. The second sentence is usually followed by an imperative sentence or a future sentence (-겠어요, -을 것이다). Even though (으)면 can be used with -을 수 있다, 거든 cannot be used with it.

친구를 만나거든 안부를 전해 주세요.
If you meet your friend send my regards

옷이 안 맞거든 언제든지 바꾸러 오세요.
If the clothes don't fit, come anytime to change them.

이번 시험을 잘 보거든 명문 대학교에 입학할 수 있어요. (X)
이번 시험을 잘 보면 명문 대학교에 입학할 수 있어요. (O)
If you do well on this exam, you will be able to get into a prestigious university.


A/V+ 거든(요) [2]
N+(이)거든(요)
A/V+았/었거든(요)
Similar with : 거들랑

An ending that shows the reason about something.

직장 동료들이 그를 싫어해. 술버릇이 나쁘거든.
His co-workers hate him. (Because) He has a nasty drinking habit.

It can also be used when "connecting" our story, thus adding more info on something we said.

요즘 내가 좋아하는 사람이 있거든. 그런데 그 사람은 내 마음을 몰라.
There is someone I like. But he doesn't know my feelings.

내가 좀 바쁘거든..그래서 나를 만날 수 없어.
I'm a little busy.. so I can't meet you.

Also used to express someone's understanding of something strange or weird.

귀신이 곡할 노릇이거든!
How very strange!

Some examples with -거든 at the end of a sentence, being used as "because".

그 일을 왜 좋아하느냐 하면 재미있거든요.
If I was to say why I like this jod, it's because it's fun.

그 남자 배우가 요즘 무척 인기가 있어요. 잘생겼거든요.
This actor is really popular these days. It's because he's handsome. 


resource: 외국인을 위한 한국어 문법2