Welp! My last post was exactly a year ago today! I almost forgot the password for BRYOLOGUE but here I am again with another mega post.
Funny how I keep on posting about religiously posting but haven’t got the chance for the past 364 days. To give a recap of my year, perhaps a mega post will make up for it?
So let’s have a look back at the year that was!
At the newly-cleaned Quiapo area
*extremely picture-heavy post
As it was a Sunday, we decided to drop by Myeongdong Cathedral. As the guesthouse was located only at Chungmuro, we only walked rather than take the train.
Weirdly, we got lost and we ended up at a Presbyterian at the other side of the road! We got confused with the spires, even though it was not our first time to go to the cathedral. We spent a good ten minutes looking for it.
When we finally arrived, the mass just ended and the people were filtering out. A bunch of them were getting free calendars from a tent. Mon tried to get one and he was given.
When I tried doing the same, an ajumma said “Give calendar after you attend mass”. T_T I am always unfortunate with free stuff.
Winter sun in Myeongdong Cathedral
They also have LED roses in Myeongdong Cathedral
What would push me to go back writing here? Yeah, a bag post!
To say that I am heartbroken is an understatement. For years, I have been searching for a Mulberry Piccadilly in Oak Darwin that won’t break the bank. It is my HOLY GRAIL. I even wrote this elaborate longing on my Tumblr more than 4 years ago. Up to this day, this EXACT Piccadilly is on the top of my wishlist. How can you not fall in love with that patina, that kind of brown and the sheen only an aged-leather can give off? I’m still in love.
Fast forward to four years after, the fire is still burning. However, my extremely popular and most-Googled Mulberry entry is a cautionary tale – caveat emptor. But my heart skipped a beat when I saw an ad listing back in March. It was simply listed as a Mulberry leather bag, but it surely looked like a Piccadilly to me.
*extremely picture-heavy post*
For our last day in Seoul, we already have our itinerary in set and it was non-negotiable for us not to go to one of my must-see places. Back in October 2012, I previously expressed my anticipation of visiting Simone Handbag Museum and I could not believe that I finally had the chance to go and visit it. It was very uncommon for tourists to include a bag museum to their travel itineraries but I consider it a sin for sort-of bag lovers like myself not to drop by when in Seoul. So from Myeongdong Station, we travelled all the way to Sinsa station in the upscale Gangnam-gu to visit the museum (directions to this place can be found at the end of this post).
Simone Handbag Museum’s building in Gangnam-gu
Rainy winter – me on the bright side, while Mon in his neutral ensemble —- and I love our transparent umbrellas we bought for only KRW 3,500!
Mon and are currently drafting our itinerary for our trip to Seoul this December, and we both agree that there will be no palace tour. We have only visited two of the Five Grand Palaces in Seoul built during the Joseon Dynasty (i.e. Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, the latter was very near the place we stayed in), but we think that we have seen enough. =) We also agreed on Nami Island and Neverland because we did not see those places during our last visit. But one MAJOR destination, at least for me, to be visited will be the recently-built museum in the Gangnam area: the Simone Handbag Museum. It is NOT normally what tourists tend to visit and flock over, but as a person who loves bags, I really want to check it out.
(Photo from http://simonehandbagmuseum.co.kr/collection.php)
Visiting this place is non-negotiable, even if we have to walk quite a distance just to reach the place. the admission fee is 5,000 won, which isn’t bad at all, given that I will have the chance to see interestingly crafted bags way back from 16th century until contemporary period. And speaking of the more recent period, any bag lover can immediately identify wonderful pieces from “The Collection” page from their website. You can see the McQueen Union Jack clutch, a Kelly and a Birkin, a Fendi baguette (hello Carrie!), a Gucci bamboo top-handle, a vintage Moschino dripping chocolate, a Chanel Cambon tote, a Prada nylon backpack, Louis Vuitton bags, Missoni, Céline and Ferragamo.
But the question is, when can we squeeze the time to visit it? I proposed visiting the museum on our first day, mere hours after we landed, but I guess Mon won’t be too happy to go straight away to Apgujeong just to visit it. LOL But this time, I won’t be leaving Seoul without buying a bag. I’ve been wanting a canvas and/or leather backpack with a style similar to the one below, and as this type of bag looks popular in Seoul now, I will definitely look for one.
(Photo from upashion.com)
Update:
I finally got to visit Simone Handbag Museum last December 2012! See my entry about it here:
https://bryologue.com/2013/01/17/winter-in-seoul-2012-day-4-simone-handbag-museum/
It is Father’s Day today and I have greeted my father around late afternoon already.
Well, as he is out of the country, it was technically lunch in Doha, Qatar when he called so it wasn’t that late. I wanted to thank him for being the best and accepting father ever and I’m very much blessed in that particular aspect alone for he accepted me with no questions asked.
Where can you find a father who jokes around with your SO and even frequently asks about us and how we are? Not everywhere. Happy Father’s Day pa and I love you! 🙂
After dinner yesterday, we went straight to Trinoma to get our tickets for ‘Kimmy Dora and the Temple of Kiyeme‘ starring Eugene Domingo. Good thing for Sureseats because there were a lot of people queuing. And as we already have reserved ours, it just took us about three minutes to get them.
So we then spent the next 45 minutes browsing books in PowerBooks.
I picked up this London street photography book and I fell in love with this snap of Liberty’s display window in 2010 as a tribute for Alexander McQueen. I’m quite infatuated with the Union Jack since Geri Halliwell wore that infamous outfit in the 1997 Brit Awards. Yes, I loved the Spice Girls. 🙂
Alexander McQueen – Liberty’s window display (2010) on the book
With two hours to spare before our movie last Sunday, we went to Fully Booked just to browse the pages of interesting books for sale. After a few minutes, I just realized that it was impossible: they have already sealed all of their books.
As much as I like the store layout of Fully Booked stores than Powerbooks, at least the latter allows people to open their books and sit on one corner. I love books, but lately, I’m reading more and more on my Kindle. So basically, we just spent a considerable time ‘book covers browsing’.
Fully Booked – Gateway Mall