End of Group F: Fvckest

Forget about the previous two posts,
Because I've found the craziest of all.

End of Group F

MEX vs SWE | GER vs KOR

Because F stands for "Fvckest". Pics from here and here.

Let me refresh you on what has been going on in this group for the last two matchdays. Mexico beat the crap out of the champ on their first game, while Sweden won against Korea. On the second matchday, Mexico reigned again, now over Korea, and Germany saved their ass through a dramatic last minute amazing goal by Toni Kroos, against Sweden. Current situation for the group was, Mexico first with 6pts, both Sweden and Germany have 3pts, and Korea, despite the 0pts, they still had a chance, a liiittle chance.

So these last games would be colossal, I knew, and so I tuned in again with two screens, hoping the best for I didn't know who, because I didn't even know how to predict!

Mexico was on the safest place, though it didn't necessarily mean that they went easy on Sweden. First half saw them attacking like beasts to ruin the Swedish walls -not balls HA HA funny? and Ochoa kept saving from the opponents' offense. On the other game, Korea, surprisingly, played no mercy on Germany. The champ too, dying to proceed, played crazy well. It was really entertaining and nerve-wrecking on both sides, both games, but no goals were made on the first half until finally,

Second half came.

And again, all the drama started from there on out.

It was from Mexico vs Sweden. But it wasn't Mexico. On minute 50, some guy named Augustinsson made Sweden screamed in joy as he scored the first goal of the group. At first I felt that it was okay, because Mexico would proceed anyway if they lost, until I heard the commentator saying that this could be dangerous for the green guys. Wait, why...?

Now here's what I miscalculated from Mexico. Several posts ago I said that Mexico was through to the round of 16, just because they won twice on their previous two games. Well apparently it was wrong, because Sweden and Germany both had 3pts. If both won respective games, with a number of goals made more than Mexico, then adios Maxicanos!

The moment Mexico began losing their grip. Pic's from here.

This was the point I began to start mumbling "fvck" a lot. I didn't realize such crucial analytics. And both games suddenly became totally unbearable for my panicky eyes to behold. Every chance made on German side would mean Mexico on the verge of going home. And Germany DID, attempt a lot on the second half. They kept attacking, and attacking, but goalkeeper Jo Hyeonwoo was too brilliant for them -and he instantly became one of the most adored GKs in this World Cup! 

Super entertained by how the Korean GK performed. Pic's from here.

But nightmare happened for the Mexicans.

Minute 60, a penalty was given to Sweden, of a handball. And IT WAS CONVERTED by Granqvist. Things got worse in minute 74, because Mexico suffered from an own goal. And these, were the times I constantly "fvck" the screens even more. Not because I'm stressed, nor because I'm upset, since none of them were my teams. BUT SIMPLY BECAUSE I COULDN'T JUST BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING! Ten minutes before I thought Mexico would continue whatever the results would be but SEE NOW THE GOALKEEPER SO MUCH ADORED 4 YEARS AGO KEPT PICKING THE BALLS FROM HIS GOAL AND HIS TEAM WAS JUST SO CLOSE TO BE KICKED OUT!?

I felt really freaking sorry for Ochoa... pic's from here.

Towards the end of the match, I could see all the supporters of Mexico lost their focus on the game because they tried to get updates on the other one. Because if Germany win, as I said, Mexico would fly back home. But if Korea could make it a tie -which is what those Mexicans WOULD REALLY DIE to happen, then auf Wiedersehen, Germany!

But Germany were so freaking on fire I SWEAR EVERY SHOOTS THEY RELEASED TO KOREAN GOAL MADE ME SHIT MYSELF! They were unstoppable all the way until the freaking LAST MINUTES,

And it finally happened. A goal.

ON FREAKING MINUTE 90+3

From Korea.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK I SWEAR THIS WAS THE POINT WHERE MY FUCKS AND FUCKERS, BECAME FUCKEST! LIKE, SERIOUSLY? AFTER ALL THOSE ATTACKS, IT WAS KOREA WHO WERE FINALLY ABLE TO SCORE A GOAL? AGAINST THAT MANUEL NEUER?? ON A FREAKING STOPPAGE TIME!?!?!? I snapped. I flipped. My emotions were mixed, I wasn't even sure what to feel!?

But wait.

It was an offside.

BUT WAIT, again. Because of course Korea wanted the referee to review it first with the VAR. So there went the referee to the screen, contemplated, and after a minute or two returned to the pitch and showed the gesture that

It wasn't an offside.

FUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKKK HOW COULD THIS DRAMA FEEL LIKE IT'S NEVER-ENDING!?!? I felt like I was running out of air. And those Koreans were head over heels. It looked like they just secured a spot in the semi-final round. Yes, they were THAT HAPPY, and if I were a Korean, though it didn't make any difference and after today I'd go back home anyway, I WOULD FOR THE WORLD FEEL THE SAME!

It was so difficult for Germany to get that second spot, because now they had to score two goals to replace either Mexico or Sweden. But nothing is impossible, I told myself -and I'm sure that's how the Germans told themselves. If Korea could snatch the odds, by scoring one goal against Manuel Neuer, why couldn't Germany, the champion of the world, made a comeback by scoring two before the final whistle blow?

By the time I created the scenario,

I swear I didn't make this up,

Miracle happened.

But for Korea.

BECAUSE THEY SCORED ANOTHER GOAL THROUGH HEUNGMIN SON! This time it was partly Neuer's blunder. He freaking went far to Korea's goal, and when the ball was snatched by and passed far to German's side, well, there you go. Korea's second goal, that effectively sent Germany even more fixed, back to their home.

Look at all these mixtures of emotions... I couldn't even describe mine...
Anyways, all pics belong to Zimbio okay, I'm tired to put it one by one.

This was probably the most entertaining double-games I ever watched. Sweden and Korea, both were underdogs, could win over Mexico and Germany, who are both giants? And the effect of the matches were fantastically weird too, as Mexico proceeded anyway despite the big loss, while Koreans went home super satisfied and proud despite kicked out of the tournament.

And oh! Talking about effects, and these two teams, Mexicans all over the world were in so much grateful of Koreans because as you knew, thanks to them, Mexico could proceed to the next round. The best thing happened just outside the Korean Embassy in Mexico. The fans were praising the Korean staff like a royalty! HAHA SO FREAKING FUNNY, AND IT HAPPENED ALL OVER THE WORLD! You might not want to miss this video.

And oh, wait! I found another one I'd really like to share. This is a minute-by-minute video of Mexican fans reaction over their games, and Korea vs Germany games.

LOL I'VE NEVER SEEN A BUNCH OF FANS LOOKING SO HAPPY OVER SOME OTHER TEAM'S GOALS! Those reactions are gems! And this is what World Cup should be all about, eh? Love for your nation, and love between nations!

PHEW, WHAT A NIGHT!

I don't think I have anything else to talk about. I've spilled everything up there, and now I'm emotionally drained. Because dude, I've transformed from a simple "fvck", to "fvcker", and ultimately, after all those crazy dramas over both matches, I became the "fvckest".

I'm done for now.

Anything happen after this,

I'm sure it won't be as crazy.

Because should I say it again?

This one is the fvckest!

The Playlist From Korea

No, I'm not going to confess that I'm a fan of K-Pop.

Although I got to admit that I like one or two songs.

I want to tell you about a story. Yea, yea, another trip. Regular destination though, it's not like I was traveling to somewhere out of people's common sense -although there was one destination from this trip that was quiet anti-mainstream I'm really proud of going!

It's to South Korea.

Right? Regular. The destination. As for the trip itself, umm, I don't know, it felt a bit different, because otherwise, why would I want to make a big deal out of it here on my blog?

So you know I just returned from Macao last month. Crazy. And I'd REALLY love to brag about how my traveling plan could eventually be so packed it's not even midyear yet!? But yea, not now. Because I want to talk about this South Korea trip now. Which was TOTALLY lacking of plans -because all my energy were drained from Macao- and lacking of excitement -because I've been so emotionally squeezed from work BECAUSE I LEFT FOR FVCKING 6 DAYS TO MACAO AND LESS THAN A MONTH LATER I WENT AWAY AGAIN TO KOREA, DO YOU THINK MY BOSS WOULD LET ME GO EASILY AND HAPPILY!?

Ah well, so yea, in summary, I departed to Busan unplanned, I even brought my laptop along with me to keep up with works I hadn't done -I swear this was the first time... I once brought laptop but it was to Japan in which I had to do my internship, not a real trip for a holiday- and help me arrange my itinerary because I seriously hadn't plan anything! I arrived in Busan just to catch a flight to Jeju, which was the real first stop of this trip.

And this, honestly, was the highlight of my trip.

Jeju was amazing. The nature, the weather, the food, and the people I met. Oh, the people I met. Since the hour one -not day one, HOUR ONE- I met this American guy whom apparently had the same plan to go to this -erotic- museum. So not wasting any more time, because it was already late at noon, we went to that -erotic- museum, saw all the -erotic- stuff, and bought some -erotic- souvenir, while BOTH OF US WERE GUYS WHILE OTHER VISITORS WERE REAL COUPLES HAHA THAT WAS THE BEST TWIST! We then had dinner at local Korean izakaya near our place, had a heart-to-heart talk and got drunk -on each others' stories, duuhh. We were so "Meant to Be" roommates.

The next day, our ways were no longer "Crossroads". We had different plan this time, so I went to see some awesome nature with my new Japanese friend. He was another beautiful touch to my Korean trip. Because on top of those places which was originally stunning, his companion was so amazing as we shared lots of common interests. The best one would of course be each meal time, with lots of jan-ken-pon -original Japanese version of "rock-paper-scissor because hey THE PORTION OF KOREAN SHARED FOODS ARE SOMETIMES GIGANTIC WE HAD TO FAIRLY DECIDE WHO GETS THE MORE FOOD- and sojus -ahh let's not start talking about this because being high with a Japanese is the best thing you have to do at least once in a lifetime!

On the third day I met both guys separately, but I don't think I'd want to talk more about this because now it seems like this blog post can exceed the length of a football field. I want to jump to the fourth day, which was the last day in Jeju for all three of us, but those guys left earlier in the morning and left me totally alone, realizing that since ever my trip started,

This was the first time I was actually by myself.

Damn. "Those Days Are Gone" man. They really left. It felt so empty without those two basterds. And I swear I never felt so lonely being a solo traveler. I tried hiking, but the bus going to the mountain was the same that I took with the American guy the day before, so it didn't really work out. I bought some toys, which cheered my up a bit, but the street where the store was was the one I always had dinner with the Japanese guy every single night. I left Jeju heartbroken, riding a ferry, and I swear that dusk on the ferry deck, where I tried to defend myself from the crazy spring wind while staring back to the island, was the worst goodbye ever. And it was only Korea, for God's sakes... but "All the Stars" were weeping with me that night.

I woke up arriving in Busan. And it rained. Well it rained almost the whole two days of my visit there, so clear that the universe knew well how I felt. The city was amazing, so amazing that it became just like a regular tourist visit. Because I didn't make friends with anybody. So yea, let's say it was just like "The Middle" stage.

Things got a little bit better when I arrived in my final destination. Seoul. Supposed to be the main dish of the trip, and that's why I put it on the last stop. And good news is, I made friends again, and a lot! My roommates were awesome too this time: a Chinese guy who did work-out a lot -during his trip to Seoul, please note it, and this American-Iranian guy who joined on my last day in Korea. We hung out only once, though, because we seemed to have a whole different plan. But I also met this Singaporean college student during my exploration, and this American-Mid-Eastern guy whom I thought would be my "Redemption Song" because on our first meet, it was totally a match. He even invited me to join him and his Korean gang to have dinner and party the next day -which was also my last day, because it was Saturday Night.

And so I did. It began really well, I bonded really strong with his group, which consisted of two Korean girls and two Korean guys. We ate, we talked, we played some Korean drinking game, and went on to the clubs. It started to be kind of blurry, and the next thing I know, I went to the base camp already with one of his girl friend -which was his closest friend, but until today I can't remember her name!- and one thing led to another, which I think those guys had a big fight, so everybody left, and I got stranded. Good God I met a Korean guy and we hung out for a while until I was good enough to go. I was so grateful to meet this angel who looked after me, but still, my mind was still on the gang. It was so random!? And I still couldn't figure out what happened. It was "Like A Riddle". A nasty kind of riddle, because it happened exactly on my last day, leaving me leaving Korea with this roller coaster of emotion.

Fvck, it's like I'm playing my own K-drama. All I want was just a nice, enjoyable journey. Well it was nice, and enjoyable too though. But the bitter twists here and there, duh, that I couldn't really handle. But all and all it was a tremendously amazing trip. And believe it or not, I miss it like crazy already.

Not sure "What I Miss Most" though,

But obviously it wasn't the buildings.

It may most likely be the people,

But I guess it wasn't quiet it.

I think it's the sensation

Of playing along in this dramatic Korean Playlist of mine,

Which didn't have the typical beautiful ending I always see.

But it sure does have the one that made this trip really,

REALLY amazing:
"Love Scenario"

The Dream, The Calling, and The Plan

In traveling world, there are always these three categories.

The ones that made into the bucket list. Those destinations too far of your reach: distance-wise, financial-wise, situation-wise. Those places you could only imagine to visit someday, one day you have no idea when. Those promised lands and scenarios you could only dream of.

Then there are the ones which you’re sure you’ll see shortly. Those destinations reasonable enough to visit. Those places you know you’d be there anytime soon—just need a glimpse of luck and a twist of time and poof! You’ll be close enough you can actually hear them calling.

And finally, the ones that are actually coming up next on your playlist. Those destinations only time that separates you from. Those places you’ve dreamt long enough you hear them calling way too much, and it’s about time to realize the plan.

In traveling world, there are always these three categories.

And in Vicky Amin’s world, these are the drive.

To dream more,

Be aware for more calls,

And plan the impossible

한국의 계획

Back in college days,

When I still had difficulties in saving money and managing my own agenda, yet I, being reckless and impulsive as a college student in general, had a big trip planned -and fixed- without knowing much about my financial status nor availability—I used to make a deal with myself.

Like just before I went to Bali in 2011 and Malaysia - Thailand in 2013, also Vietnam - Cambodia in 2014 which all happened during my university period. I was so blinded by how cheap the flight fares were, that I didn't realize that I had to work extra hard to save money, and secure my calendar so I could actually go. Growing up as a better traveler, I could manage to overcome all those matters so, as you might see in this blog, I never made any more oath ever since.

But then.

The long lost me strikes back. Another airline promo came, and me, being reckless and impulsive as a college student I used to be, booked another ticket for a big 10-days-long trip abroad to

South Korea

Pic's from here.

So? What makes me act like this is something big?

Considering I said I've grown up as a "better" traveler?

Because this time, it's neither just about money which I need to work on, nor it is about the schedule I have to settle with.

It's freaking both.

Remember that I just finished my Australian trip? Yea? It was a big one, financially included. This Korean trip will actually happen exactly one year after that, and of course I can save money in such long period of time, but hey, it's not as simple as it sounds. I have five other planned trips coming my way from this second to December -and I-don't-know-how-many-other from January to May, two of which are fixed. Now yea, you do the math.

Now about schedule, oh schedule... As a full-time employee, in an advertising agency, my schedule is kind of, unexpected. I could be having this campaign or that campaign, with plannings and preparations stretched way back to months before. Not to mention about the limited number of annual leave I still have yet to use. I've dodged all the similar bullets for Australia, but, remembering all the plans I've made so far, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a tough one to get a go for Korea.

So yea, here I am, kneeling with passion and perseverance, about to make an oath I haven't done in almost FOUR YEARS.

"I, Rifky Ramadhan Amin, will officially announce that on this THIRD YEAR after college, I will rarely spend my MONEY and TIME for flash-term pleasure things such as watching movies, eating out and buying things prodigally, by working EXTRA harder to IMPRESS MY BOSSES, get BONUSES, and earn PERMISSIONS." 

-South Korea Trip Oath-

So, what makes me act like this is something big again?

I didn't make any oath for my Hong Kong - Macau trip,
Not even my big six-freaking-week journey to Japan!

The answer is simple.

It's because I've grown as a better traveler.
Whose plans, whose future and what not,
Are somewhat planned, but better be

Unpredictable