When Seoul Surprises: What We Learn From Namjoon’s Continuing Namjooning

The ginkgo and birch trees that line the streets of Seoul has always fascinated me. I can’t think of a better word to describe the mood and the vibe. Basta, they’re romantic. Trees are romantic.

So, I plucked a couple of leaves from a ginkgo tree in front of the middle school where Min Yoongi studied and, in Hongdae, leaves from a birch tree. I carefully tucked them inside my journal as precious keepsakes but also as subjects for my cyanotype prints.

A few days ago, I took advantage of the afternoon sun in our yard and began printing. We were on a very tight budget in South Korea, so I thought of crafting something that would journey from there to here and back again. The more I read about these trees, the more I understood why they quietly stayed with me.

The ginkgo is one of East Asia’s most enduring symbols.

Having survived for millions of years, it is often called a “living fossil.” Across Korea, China, and Japan, it represents resilience, longevity, hope, and quiet endurance. Ginkgo trees stand beside temples, schools, and palaces, witnessing generations come and go. They remind us that strength is not always loud. Sometimes, it simply means remaining rooted while the seasons change around us.

The birch tells a different story.

Its pale bark has long symbolized renewal, new beginnings, and simplicity. Even after long winters, birches are among the first trees to suggest that spring is coming. There is something quietly optimistic about them.

Together, these two trees seemed to tell the story of our journey at Festa 2026. One reminds me to endure. The other reminds me to begin again. That is why I could not simply leave their leaves behind on the streets of Seoul. Instead, they came home with me.

Under the Philippine sun, they became cyanotype prints. In a few days, I will frame them as pasalubong for my ARMY friends and Kdrama Titas. These are my souvenirs made from leaves, sunlight, water, paper, and time. Perhaps that is what the best pasalubong has always been. It is not the price tag, but the thought that someone traveled through a place, remembered you, and returned carrying a story worth sharing.

As I looked at each finished print, I realized they were no longer simply  leaves from Korea. They had become conversations between Seoul and home. Between Namjoon’s way of noticing the world and my own.

For the longest time, Namjooning for the fandom meant visiting museums, bookstores, parks, and cafés because Namjoon had once been there. I think it means something much more.

It is learning to notice. To slow down enough for ordinary things to reveal themselves. To understand that beauty is not something we consume but something we learn to pay attention to.

A fallen leaf. A neighborhood tree. An afternoon walk. The warmth of the sun while making a cyanotype print. A simple gift made by hand.

Namjooning is not about collecting places. It is about allowing places to reshape the way we see ourselves and the world. As a librarian, I have always believed that stories live inside books.

But I also believe that stories live inside leaves, trees, sunlight, and the hands that choose to create. That is why Namjooning never really ends.

Allow a place to tell its story and listen with intention. Bring its story with you and let it inspire you to create something new. Apobangpo. Purple and true. 💜

Heart and Seoul Travel Log: Food for the Soul Series 1 Entry #1- Korean Bulalo, Kimchi and Injeolmi

Our trip to Seoul for BTS’ 2025 Festa was truly one for the books. Our Purple Hearts are still glowing lilac from the experience, deepened in more ways than one. The journey didn’t just offer us a glimpse of the Korea that our Bangtan boys grew up loving; it let us taste it. We savored the food that has nourished their bodies and souls.

As a K-drama fan, this was more than a fangirling experience and BTS Pilgrimage. It was a tour with cultural and historical relevance. With each meal carefully curated by our guide, I finally experienced the flavors I had only seen through a screen. Sure, I’ve had Korean dishes back home in Biñan, but nothing compares to eating authentic Korean food, prepared by Korean cooks and chefs, in the land where these dishes were born. It was not just delicious; it was unforgettable. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

 Seolleongtang (설렁탕) – Korean ox bone soup, with white rice and kimchi

Fresh from Incheon Airport and enduring the 18–20°C weather, our one-hour bus commute offered us a short nap and a quiet moment to settle in. My expectations upon arriving at our first Korean restaurant (I forgot to ask our tour guide for the name) were high and thankfully, they were met.

My first taste of Korean ox bone soup with kimchi: cabbage, radish, and white rice was comforting, grounding, and rejuvenating. Beside me was Zoe, my ARMY daughter, softly humming in approval.

The soup had just the right amount of beef, glass noodles, and green onions. It isn’t as savory as our bulalo, but the tang of the beef lingers. The side dishes, especially the cabbage kimchi, carried a subtle sweetness that stayed long after the next bite. No frills, just nourishment. The kind of food that steadies the soul. With each spoonful, it seemed to whisper, “You’ve made it.” 

Conversations about how tasty and filling the dish was floated around our table. Some asked for salt, even searched for patis or toyo, but for me, the broth’s gentle blandness gave full justice to the kimchi, the starchiness of rice, and why ox bone soup is ever present in K-dramas like Dr. Romantic and Weak Hero Class 1. Life is a battle. In the emergency room or at a hospital bed, seolleongtang  becomes both cure and balm. In The Glory, when the female leads meet over ox bone soup, they are preparing for revenge.

All of a sudden, it occurred to me: we, too, were about to face something. The fight to make the most of our five days and four nights in Seoul: the push and pull of desire, fatigue, wonder, and the resilience of fangirls in pilgrimage.

Watermelon Bingsu → 빙수 (literally means "shaved ice") and Injeolmi → 인절미 (a type of rice cake coated in roasted soybean powder) in Hangang-daero

The first official stop of our tour was the HYBE building in Hangang-daero. A throng of ARMYs from all over the world was already gathered along the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of RM and V’s black cars entering the building. After taking our customary group photos, we decided to visit a café nearby to extend our rest. A four-hour flight was manageable, but the six hours of prep time at the airport had worn me out.

Luckily, Zoe loves hanging out in cafés, so we picked one near HYBE. The vibe was electric and joyful. Where ARMYs gather, there’s always that boundless energy of camaraderie. Needless to say, we met many international ARMYs who had flown in for the 2025 BTS Festa.

At Mealtop Café, I ordered injeolmi, and my Tita ARMY friend chose bingsu. This was both our snack and dessert rolled into one. After a hearty bowl of seolleongtang and white rice, the soft, chewy rice cake dusted in roasted soybean powder was the perfect follow-up. Injeolmi grounds the palate—it’s mellow and earthy, with a texture that reminded me of tikoy and espasol.

Later, I admittedly regretted indulging in such a calorie-laden snack, especially when we were soon served veggie bibimbap for our late lunch. Still, this traditional Korean treat left an impression. Like Seoul itself, injeolmi is practical, grounding and steady.

That first day in Seoul reminded me that food isn’t just about filling the stomach—it’s about grounding the spirit. It’s amazing how foreign food can do this. Despite the differences, I found unexpected connections to the home-cooked Filipino dishes we love. From the warmth of seolleongtang to the quiet comfort of injeolmi, every bite carried a story, a memory, a beginning. And as we walked back to the bus stop, I knew this journey would nourish more than just my appetite.

Up next: bibimbap, Jeyuk Bokkeum (제육볶음), Doenjang-guk (된장국), Ssam veggies, rice, banchan

Tita ARMY Tours South Korea at Festa 2025

 “We were together / Every moment was forever.” — Take Two, BTS

Our ARMY Tour, our 5 days and 4 nights in Seoul was life-affirming and rejuvenating.

What made it so was many things:

How some of us had been saving up since the Pearl ARMY Festa of 2024, turning this into our ARMY Glow Up project, a dream sustained by intention.

How bravely some of us made the decision to travel alone and join a group for the first time, choosing courage over comfort, and community over solitude.

How some of us brought family—daughter, sister, niece, to bond, uplift, and support each other’s fangirling. And in the process, we discovered how powerful our desires can become when channeled through creative ways.

How we held space for one another at the dining table from the communal and down-to-earth warmth of Yoojung Sikdang to the quiet elegance of Otsu, where stories flowed as freely as soup.

How we looked out for each other in crowded streets and alleyways of Myeongdong and Hongdae, when bodies were close but hearts stayed open.

The walks we took in forest and stadium, in silence and in laughter.

And the way we laughed. The way we wept. Seeing our OT7 together on that stadium screen, dancing to Mic Drop, then collapsing emotionally at Spring Day and Jamais Vu.

Team Labas. Team Loob. Team Hotel. Lahat tayo. We were all part of it. We were different but together.

We weren’t just in Seoul for a clique-ish girls’ night out. We came to experience and listen to the city. To bear witness to its character. To understand how it shaped BTS and how BTS shaped us, continuously so, in our own unique ways of expressing ourselves as ARMY.

Thank you Teena Ordoño of Savedbythebest Travel and Tours for making this happen!

Apobangpo! Purple and true!

Kuwentong Bangtan: Our Celebration of BTS FESTA 2025 is a Pilgrimage of Purple Love

ARMY Daughter and I are back from Seoul where we joined a 5 Days and 4 Nights curated tour for ARMY at Festa season by Savedbythebest Travel and Tours. This trip is a product of blood, sweat and tears. It took us a eighteen months to save for this trip on top of life challenges one after the other. This is the toughest ARMY Glow Up Project I had. And somewhere in the middle of all this, I am grateful to have received the graces of friendship and companionship. 

This trip is precious to me not only as ARMY but as a mother. Being with Zoe, my daughter who became ARMY years ahead of me, this is a mother-and-daughter journey through Seoul; through light and shadow, memory and music.

I wrote and reflected each step of the journey on my social media pages. Here's everything from Day 1 to Day 5.

D1: Heart and Seoul – We Never Walk Alone

Theme: Arrival, belonging, and walking in their footsteps
Key Stops: HYBE Building, Hyuga Café, Old Big Hit, Hakdong Park, Yoojung Sikdang

Reflection: From fog to warmth, from dorms to dreams, from their footsteps to ours, we were never alone.

D2: Heart and Seoul – Shared Memories

Theme: Reverence, rest, and memory that transcends ownership
Key Stop: In the SOOP Mansion

Reflection: To visit a space where BTS once rested is to understand that silence is a kind of presence. Rest is sacred. Memory is shared.

D3: Heart and Seoul – Why Do You Sound Like Soul?

Theme: Namjooning, city rhythms, and sensory immersion
Key Stops: Myeongdong Cathedral, parks, alleyways, food stalls

Reflection: Seoul isn’t just a city—it sings. And for the first time, I knew the lyrics were meant for me, too.

D4: Heart and Seoul – Born in Seoul, Raised in Ilsan

Theme: Movement, generational role shift, and place as identity
Key Stops: Seongsu, Ilsan commute, Lake Park

Reflection: She leads now, the way I once did. I see the city through her steps—and remember how Namjoon once walked from hometown to dream.

D5: Heart and Seoul – Light and Shadow

Theme: Becoming, motherhood, and shared inner journeys
Key Stop: Gyeongbokgung Palace (Hanbok day)

Reflection: She is growing up and out into the world. And I, once her guide, now stand beside her as a friend, an ally, a witness.