The Best Wedding Vow from my Childhood - Until Today

My personal favourite was actually the one featured in Corpse Bride by Tim Burton. I fell in love with it after seeing it in the movie, but my young mind was not able to grasp it fully yet.

A few years later, I did grow to appreciate it. Honestly, I still wouldn't mind if this were to be my own wedding vows.

Corpse Bride Wedding Vows 

It goes like this:

With this hand,
I will lift your sorrows.
Your cup will never empty,
For I will be your wine.
With this candle,
I will light your way in darkness.
With this ring,
I ask you to be mine.

And then, I came to learn about the traditional Celtic Wedding Vows today, which is an epitome of awesome and beauty that I did not know existed.

Beautiful Traditional Celtic Wedding Vows

Here it goes:

Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone.
I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One.
I give ye my Spirit, 'til our Life shall be Done. 

You cannot possess me for I belong to myself
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give
You cannon command me, for I am a free person
But I shall serve you in those ways you require
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.

I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine,
from this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night
and into your eyes that I smile each morning;
I shall be a shield for you back as you are for mine,
no shall a grievous word be spoken about us,
for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.
Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life
and into the next.

Supposedly, there are other versions of these wedding vows. It also comes in different parts and phrases, but the ones I shared above are the ones that I love the most.

Do you know of other beautiful wedding vows?  You'll absolutely have to let me know if you do! Just click on the comment section below and share the beauty of weddings with us here.

Admittedly, this is not the best itinerary - there were lots of things where we could have improved when we planned for this, but here it goes!

My flight to Korea was around 2.30PM Malaysian time, and the flight to Incheon International Airport took 5 hours and 50 minutes. By the time we reach the airport, it was already 10PM+ and we were taking the all-stop-train to our hotel outside Seoul Station.

Our flight back to Malaysia was early in the morning at 9AM, so we basically didn't do much on that day. Take out the first and last days for flight and below is the final travel itinerary we had for a 7-day trip from 21 to 27 Feb.

7-Day Seoul Travel Itinerary

20 Feb

Pocket WiFi Rental
Pick-up your Pocket WiFi device at our counter located at KLIA2 Arrival Hall Level L2-13

Day 1: Reach Airport at Incheon
Go to Seoul Station on all-stop-train.
Get T-Money card (Touch n Go) for subways.
Can reload RM100-ish into it. (30,000 won)
-----------------------------------------------------

21 Feb (Thursday) 

Day 2: Visit Anguk
Line 1 Seoul Station → City Hall Station → Jonggak Station → Jongno 3-ga Station

Change to Seoul Metro
Line 3 Jongno 3-ga Station → Anguk Station Exit 6

Visit Insadong

Korean streets, shops to explore. Right outside Anguk Station Exit 6.
Best time: Saturday (2PM - 10PM) and Sunday (10AM - 10PM) because no cars.

Review: Visit after 10AM, not earlier. Most stores open later in the day and nothing would be open even if you visit early. 

Visit Ssamziegil Shopping Complex

62, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Open 10:30 - 20:30
Is along Insadong streets. Shops are nicely decorated and is at the center of Insadong. Visit top level to see Wall of Love where people leave love messages on plastic tags and leave it on the wall.

Review: Unique shopping complex that slowly spirals upwards as you walk, so you don't need to walk the stairs. 

Visit Bukchon Hanok Village 

(Anguk Station Exit 3)
Head right after go out from exit 3.
Walk about 200m will see info about Bukchon Village Walking Tour.
600-year-old village area for full Korean experience. Inside here also can rent hanbok.

Review: We didn't visit the entire thing. Managed to visit a free museum, there's also lots of local shops and food to browse through :)

Visit Samcheongdong Street

Connected from Bukchon Hanok Village. Beautiful tree experience (no flowers no leaves cause winter) but many little shops also open here.

Note: Didn't end up visiting this area. 

Line 3 Anguk station→ Gyeongbokgung (Exit 5)
Get Hanbok Rental Services (optional)
Seohwa Hanbok (few minutes walk away) or other hanbok rental stores nearby. Usually can get free visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace

Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace 

Guard-on-Duty Performance in Gwanghwamun gate at 11:00AM and 1:00PM
Sumungun (Gatekeeper) Military Training in Hyeopsaengmun Gate at 09:35AM and 1:35PM.

Review: We rented hanbok for 2 hours and managed to get free hairdo and accessories services for 15,000 won (Almost RM50). The palace was huge and there's lots of spots for photography, especially with all other travelers wearing traditional hanbok as well! We did not arrive at a time when there were performances, however.

Visit Namdaemun Market

Line 3 Gyeongbokgung → Jongno-sam-ga
Line 1 Jongno-sam-ga → Seoul Station
Line 4 Seoul Station → Hoehyeon
Exit 5. Closed on Sundays. Open past 11PM also.

Review: It's mostly food, food, food. This market is one that is the most similar to Malaysian night markets that I can find. You can even buy fishes, meat and other actual groceries. Snacks are available everywhere, and there are some stalls for clothes too. It's not bad :) 

-----------------------------------------------------

22 Feb (Friday)

Day 3: Visit Myeongdong & Dongdaemun
Line 4 Seoul Station → Hoehyeon → Myeongdong

Visit Myeongdong Shopping City

Exit 6 to visit Myeongdong City Center.
Full of shopping areas including Lotte Department Store.
Cosmetics can be bought here. Don’t buy from first store because many will offer free samples.

Review: They weren't kidding when they called this Myeongdong Shopping District! We were here all the way until evening and we never finished browsing through all the streets. Cosmetics, clothings, cafes - even cats, dogs, racoons & meerkat cafes!!! - and many others. You really need to be here and experience it to know what it's all about.

Visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

Line 4 Myeongdong → Chungmuro → Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station
Exit 1 to visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)
Art hall, museum, fancy architecture design.
If you go to Yigansumun Exhibition Hall in DDP, right next to it you’ll find the LED rose garden.

Review: A must-visit if you love beautiful architecture and art stuff. There's art museums and art displays. A good photo spot whether it's in the morning or later at night. 

Visit Dongdaemun Night Market

Line 4 Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station → Dongdaemun Station (it's actually within walking distance, just opposite the street)
Open between 10PM – 5AM

Review: Didn't quite like this one. Most shops were old and selling the same things over and over - things like seat cushions, socks and undergarments etc. There are lots of places for traditional Korean food here though.

-----------------------------------------------------

23 Feb (Saturday)

Day 4: Activities in Seoul
Line 1 Seoul Station → City Hall Station
Change line
Line 2 City Hall Station → Euljiro 1-ga Station

Running Man Activities

Exit 3 from Euljiro 1-ga Station for Running Man Thematic Experience.
RM50/pax, open from 10AM to 8PM. Game experience lasts for 1 hour, visitors advised to wear pants for better mobility.
Complete game within 60 minutes with over 80 points for present.
Tickets booked on Klook.

Review: THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! The activities are relatively simple, but it does require some luck and techniques. Some machines also seem to be a little faulty, not registering contacts or something. Yes, it affects your scores! On first glance it totally looks like a place for kids to play - and I do agree to some extent. Most of us only managed to accumulate a little more than 60 points out of 80, and we walked away with a tiny badge. 

Visit Lotte Department Store

Exit 7 or 8 from Euljiro 1-ga Station. Directly connected to the station.
Open 10:30AM - 8PM

Review: Okay we definitely wasted time here. Lotte Department Store sells branded stuff - Imagine Pavilion KL or Premium Outlet. It is, however, connected to Young Plaza, a place that was much more affordable and actually shop-able. There's also an underground shopping area that you can visit near the station exit. 

Visit Grevin Museum

Euljiro 1-ga station Exit #1.
Has 4 floors for viewing and activities. Entry for adults is 18,000 won in-store and 16,000 won online (Between RM57 to 65). Last entry at 6.15PM
Ticket Booked on Klook

A picture automatically taken after we completed an activity inside Grevin Museum

Review: Love this place! I have never visited other wax museums before, but this was quite a good deal. The wax figures were nice, and each section - music, sports etc, were aptly decorated according to their themes. Although there were game stations, some were not functioning. We were mainly there for the wax figures though so I guess that's okay. 

-----------------------------------------------------

24 Feb (Sunday)

Go to Lotte World

Lotte World directly connected to Jamsil Station
RM115 per person. Include full day pass and admission to Lotte World Folk Museum
OR for RM152, get Lotte World full day pass + Lotte World Aquarium Daily Pass.
Open 0900-2200
Show the voucher at Lotte World South Gate (Group Ticket Office) to redeem paper tickets.

Review: Never made the mistake we did by going there on a Sunday. If you HAVE to be there on a weekend, purchase Magic Pass instead of normal ticket to skip the 2-hour queues. Ticket redemption counter is also quite a distance away from Jamsil station. We didn't visit the Folk Museum located inside the indoor theme park, but we did visit the Aquarium. That was definitely a worthwhile experience! They have penguins and chubby little seals and even a beluga whale!

-----------------------------------------------------

25 Feb (Monday)

Day 6: Go to Suwon

Line 4 Subway Seoul Station → Geumjeong Station
Line 1 Subway Geumjeong Station → Suwon Station Exit 5.

Visit Korean Folk Village

Take shuttle bus from Suwon Station to Korean Folk Village at 10:30, 12:30 or 14:30. Buses directly transiting from Suwon to Korean Folk Village also available.
Ticket Booked on Klook

Performance sessions
Farmer's Music and Dance 11:00, 14:00
Acrobatics on a Tightrope walking 11:30, 14:30
Equestrian Feats 12:00, 15:00


Return trip: Go back with shuttle bus from KFV → Suwon Station 13:50 or 16:00. Buses also available to Suwon station.

Review: We missed the first performance at 2PM D: The trip from Seoul Station to Suwon Station took a while, and we didn't quite figure out how the buses there work until the return trip. So we missed the first performance. However, the other two performances we saw were great, and there is also a small theme park inside this place! KFV is great for photography, and there's also this fancy little place inside it where you can see the traditional lifestyles, food, clothings and much more for other countries. It's a huge place that you can visit for an entire day without much issues. 

Visit Yeongdong Market

Suwon Station Exit 5, 8, or 10
Walk 4 minutes to bus stop bound for Paldalmun
Board green buses No.35, 11 or 13, travel for 5 stops. Walk straight 1 minute to reach marketplace.

Review: Our hotel was actually in Paldalmun area, so we didn't need to take a bus to this market. There's quite a lot to shop here as well, although perhaps a little more suited for older generations than younger ones.

-----------------------------------------------------

26 Feb (Tuesday) 

Visit Hwaseong Fortress

In Paldalmun area, within direct sight upon arrival.

Review: The entrance fee is barely 1,000 won - about RM3.60. It's quite a small hike up the fortress. Even when we visited, it was 12 degrees when other days were mostly 3-5 degrees celsius. The lady at the info center communicated with us in good English about the backstory and history of the fortress before we went up. She also guided us on the best route around the entire fortress and palace. It's very beautiful!

-----------------------------------------------------

DAY 7- 27 Feb  (Wed) 

Visit Ewha Woman's University

Review: This is like a mini version of Myeongdong - outside the university anyways. The university is open for tour and visits, although there's a schedule for a proper tour. You are free to visit around the campus, but do be quiet! It is, after all, a university. A beautiful one. There are plenty of cafes, food spots and clothing stores around this university. 

Visit Hongik Univ. Area 

Review: It finally feels more like KL shopping streets. You'll see Zara, H&M, Forever 21 and whatnot as standalone buildings here as you stroll down the streets. Plenty for us to shop for several hours! 

Visit Happy Day Spa 

Review: Had quite a culture shock because everyone was strolling about so freely without clothes at the shower and locker area. We only went for the sauna experience downstairs because it does not require going around in a birthday suit. There a 3 different sauna rooms, two of which we tried. One was too hot for us and we did not go in. It's over all very comfortable, and there's an open space where you can just grab a mattress-like thing and a pillow-ish block and lie around wherever you please. 

 -----------------------------------------------------

We took the all-stop-train directly from Hongik Univ. Station to Incheon International Airport around 4.30AM the next morning for our 9AM morning flight back.

I hope this itinerary can guide you on tourist attraction spots in Seoul!

Visiting Seoul, South Korea from A Malaysian's Perspectives

So, there were some things that I wasn't quite prepared for when I visited South Korea in the end of February 2019. Here are some information and tips that I would like to share with other fellow Malaysians or other travelers who are looking to visit this place in the near future.

Data Roaming or SIM Card Purchase?

Data roaming charges could be cheaper and still just as reliable as compared to purchasing a SIM card for internet browsing purposes. My mobile carrier, UMobile (prepaid plan), charges RM10/day for roaming charges, whereas my sister purchased two separate SIM cards - one for 5 days, then again for another 3 days.

The total I spent for data roaming amounted up to RM90 (Approx 32,000 won) only, whereas she spent over RM140 (Approx. 37,000 won) for those two cards. The second card purchase depleted its data usage after one day's use, rendering the card useless for internet surfing afterwards.

What is T-Money & How Is It Charged?

T-Money is the equivalent of Malaysia's Toucn 'n' Go card that we use as a cashless system for transportations. T-Money cards can be purchased at various marts, 7-Eleven stores and train station vending machines in South Korea. The subways in South Korea charges mainly by distance. Every train station and buses start with a basic charge of 1,250 won (Approx. RM4.50) for the first 10KM. Afterwards, every subsequent 5km will charge your card an extra 500 won.

Most subsequent subway stations are also within walking distance to one another, so it is best to just walk to the next station instead of traveling via subway to said station to save some money.

Do Subway Station Exits Matter?

When you start traveling via subways, you'll quickly realize that there are often various exits available for each station. Some exits are right next to each other, but others are further apart. While planning for the trip, VisitKorea helped me a great deal in determining which exit is the closest to the attraction that I am interested in.

Just key in your destination in the search bar, click into your destination and then click on "Transportation" to see which station to go to, and which exit is the closest!

Basic Etiquettes to Watch Out for in South Korea

When staying in hotels, guest houses or even when visiting shop lots and restaurants requiring you to take off your shoes, you should wear the provided slippers into the premise. We are used to going barefoot inside houses or hotels, but in South Korea it’s a little different this way.

Most places also do not allow you to throw your used toilet paper into the toilet itself - you will see reminders in the restroom, asking you to discard them properly in the waste bin provided so that you don’t clog up the toilet.

South Koreans also practice having ‘fast lanes’ and ‘slow lanes’ even on escalators - something I really wish that we practice in Malaysia, so if you are not planning to move during the escalator right, stand on the right side. Those rushing individuals will speed past you on the left.

Happy Day Spa

Super dark lighting at the lower floors

Update 10 August 2019:
Read my updated and detailed review here!
https://tatoruyuki.blogspot.com/2019/08/kodenshi-aulora-honest-review.html 

Update 21 Mar 2019:

KODENSHI Aulora Pants Review

I worn it on and off for a few weeks. It is actually comfortable to wear, but I am not sure if it actually benefited me in any ways.

My mom, who I bought it from to support her side gig, told me that I should wear it the entire morning, and then perhaps hang it to dry itself in the room - nowhere too hot at night. I was to hand-wash the pants with gentle detergent every few days.

There's quite a lot of care that needs to go into one single pair of pants, and I know that I'm supposed to get the good effects if I wear it routinely - a.k.a. everyday, as often as I can wear it. But it's not very good for hygiene when I can only wash it once every 4-7 days. The fact that one pair of pants cost over RM700 also does not help, because I can't afford to buy two pairs to clean and wear in each other's place.

So... what I can say is it feels comfy.

It makes my tummy looks skinnier wearing the high waist band thing and that's a nice bonus I can live with. It doesn't give me those uh... chaffs? I think that's the word for it.

I don't feel any healthier, nor do I see any improvements in other aspects.

My 30+ y/o colleague who worn that for a bit as well told me that maybe it's not as beneficial to me simply because I'm still young and don't have the 'old people' issues.

My grandma did have better phisique after wearing it long-term though. At the beginning, she even needed help wearing the AULORA pants. My mom had to help her put it on, because she was so old and her back wasn't good enough for her to stretch those pants over her legs anymore.

About 2-3 months in my grandma was able to walk just fine, and was able to wear the pants by herself. That's good to see :)

I guess I'll recommend these pants more to the elderly who has difficulties walking, primarily. I don't know about the other perks that this pair of pants supposedly has.

15 Oct 2018:

Aite so my own momma Stella Chen is tryna bring in some side hustle money by selling:

️KODENSHI® Fiber Heat-retention AULORA Pants

Just a simple pants packaging - nothing much else to see.

When she told me how she's selling these pants as a side income thing from her kindergarten teacher role, I facepalmed. I mean, guys. How many of y'alls would see a post like this and not think it's scammy? I was and am still ready to stop her if this turns out to be yet another false hope product and stuff.

Note: I have not tried these pants, so this is definitely not a product testimony post. I have, however, just purchased a pair from my mum to show her some support. She has managed to sold 7 pairs in the past month so I figured, why not show her some support? To be perfectly honest, I was amazed that she even managed to sell 7. So... I'll update you guys in about 2 months - this product is set to be delivered to me after about 1 month.

Dubious as I was, I dug into this product and looked for more info. Here's what I found so far.

These pants are made with advanced️ Japan️ technology enabling ultra-fine ceramic particles to be embedded within the pants' fibers👖

And what do we know about ceramic?
It retains heat ♨️

Yep, so Aulora pants uses this ️KODENSHI® technology to help alleviate the cold from our body and instead, circulate heat between the cloth surface and our skin - a simple basis to help our body stay warm and eliminate some fats by heat retention 🔄🔄

When you wear 👖Aulora pants👖 with just the right size that fits you well, the compression properties of these pants can further help you retain the heat close to your skin surface, regulating blood flow waist down.

You can read a brief explanation on this technology on
KODENSHI® Official Site at
http://www.firbest.co.jp/English/about/ ⏩⏩🔎

If you want to delve into the specifics, there's a study with a graph result of how much heat it absorbs etc on the link provided above.

What I like about these pants at first glance is that it has a unique ergonomic stitching style.

About 20 different segments are also stitched together to allow better flexibility and customized compression, thickness & pressure from our ankles up to our waist. It has:

✅ 22.0hPa pressure/compression around ankles, 12.0hPa around upper thighs
⭕ Helps to push bloodflow back from our bottom half to our upper half - better, faster blood circulation

✅ Wide waistband
⭕ Maintains & shapes your stomach and waist

✅ Customized cut for men & women
⭕ Better effect, better comfort & fitting for different gender body type.

Well, it's just a pair of pants - I can't give 10 bullet points about the advanced technology embedded in a pair of pants, but it does make sense how thees little things can help to shape you up a little effortlessly 💆‍♂️💆‍♂️

If you want testimonials I have several relatives who have already bought the pants from her and actually slimmed down quite some 💁‍♀️💁‍♀️ If you aren't questioning the legitimacy of other people's online testimony about this product, I have already seen several other posts reviewing how they have slimmed down or lost a few kilograms just from wearing this pants day in and day out for a week or so.

Dubious, suspicious and downright scammy, I know, but hey, there are some before and after pictures there that you can take into consideration for when you decide whether or not to purchase a pair and try it out yourself.

It'll also be worth noting that she's selling these pants as part of:

BE International Marketing Sdn. Bhd. (Co. No. 1199078-X)

A preview of the BEInt website. Don't be scared off by the prices though - I bought from my mum at a much lower rate.

...and they also sell other beauty products that reduces skin pigmentation, gives smoother skin etc - surprisingly people that I personally know also have seen results from these products💆‍♂️💆‍♂️ My mum herself has skin pigmentation issues inherited from her parents, and she's thinking of trying out those products herself now that she has seen some results from other people too.

She's usually as dubious about these products as I am, so to see her promising great results like this... well.

I have to say 'surprisingly' two paragraphs above because I really doubt the legitimacy of products like this but since it worked... Maybe you guys can consider these products too 💁‍♀️

So yes, anyhow, it's actually an actual, legit company. Half of my worries about my mom being scammed were gone when I found out that this place has an actual, physical store. They further introduced other aspects of this pants - including its sizes and what you can expect to get from these pants 💯💯

Read up for more info from BE Int. itself here:
https://www.beintl.com/be-kodenshi-women.jsp (for women💁‍♀️)
https://www.beintl.com/be-kodenshi-men.jsp (for men💁‍♂️)

It has different cutting for males' and females' bodyshape needs, which I find to be a great feature that clothing pieces like this should have.

and contact my 💞sweet💖beloved💓lil'💕momma💞 for exclusive lower rate pricing & purchase. It's gonna be shipped directly from Japan to your front door!

She's still not too well-versed with fast-typing, English and social media in general so do bear with her if she replies a little late! Or you can also just liaise with me and I can pass your questions to her.

Maybe check back with me in 2 months' time cause I also bought a pair from her just so that I can also testify if it works.

#Aulorakodenshi #BEinternational #BEslim #BEsexy #BEstylish #AULORA #kodenshi #mykodenshi #Kodenshi光电子塑身裤