Illuminate Me

Bye Bye Seoul, Hello Beijing!

2011-12-19T14:22:00.003+08:00

After 3 wonderfuly (and oft frustrating) years, I have left Seoul and made another journey to China to start my new home in Beijing. First off, I was sad to leave as I had made a good circle of friends, had my favourite haunts and found a fabulous hairstylist (yes, these things are important!). I had a nice nice little group of people who would occassionally order cupcakes from me and had good supply of baking products from Bangsan Market.

Now I am starting fresh in Beijing and I must say, so far it is a far easier place to live as compared to Seoul from a foreigner's perspective. They have so many 'foreign' supermarkets with excellent stock of imported goods like Jenny Lou's, April Gourmet, BHG Marketplace and Ole to name a few. Of course you have to pay a premium for the items but so did I in Korea.

Weather is cold though... really cold. I only remember it being that cold in Korea around January but by November the low temperatures are hitting -8C. Of course it helps that I speak some Chinese and I hope this will make it easier for me to find the best markets to go to and if I am lucky, I will find a little nook or street somewhere that sells baking and packaging stuff.

Boys Over Flowers... again?!

2011-03-29T23:21:00.000+08:00

I have this habit of going to bed late and every once in awhile, I turn on the tv to numb my mind and what did I come across a few nights ago? Boys Over Flowers, one of my favourite Korean dramas on the Olive channel. Although this time it was without English subtitles, I can still remember the gist of what was happening so ended up watching it till the wee hours. It made me want to dig up the show and watch the whole show again.

I think there are many fans out there who also enjoyed the drama as evidenced by the amount of hits I get on the piano sheets pages. Sorry guys, I am not going to scan the pages again or write the notes down for you. The books are already tearing a little at the binding from the first scan.

Gu Jun Pyo! Yoon Ji Hoo! Fighting!

Resom Ocean Resort in Anmyeon-do

2010-11-26T20:33:00.001+08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted but it hasn't slowed traffic to my site as my uploads of the Boys Over Flowers piano sheets seem to be high on the Google Search Engine! : ) I haven't been sight seeing much in Seoul except for an overnight trip to Anmyeon-do in Chungcheongnam-do last month. We stayed at the Resom Ocean Resort which was the equivalent of a 4 Star hotel. It has a very inviting and large lobby and several buildings of rooms.

We had a 2 bedroom apartment with a open kitchen and 1 bathroom that overlooked the sea. It was clean and well equipped. Nice flat screen tv in the living room then an old CRT tv in the bedroom. Bit of a contrast if you ask me. It kinda felt like they decided to just do with what budget they could at that moment.

The bedroom with the tv had a queen sized bed and the other room was the Korean style room where you put the bedding on the floor. The resort has an outdoor sauna but it was a bit cold to try it out. They call it an Aqua Park but don't expect anything like Sea World or Wet n Wild. It's actually like a Japanese Onsen where there are several pools with sulphur water pumped into them from the ground with healing properties for the skin.

There are several restaurants to choose from and one that serves very good sashimi. Expect to pay a lot for it though. There was a convenience store, bakery and a beautiful wooden deck where you can also dine when the weather is warmer.

Nearby there is a famous forest, the Anmyeon-do Recreational Forest with majestic trees that are quite beautiful to walk among. It is peaceful and a wonderful way to spend a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I have pictures and will post them when I am back home (I'm on holiday now). The drive out there from Seoul is about 3 hours.

Useful links:

www.anmyonhuyang.go.kr

Chungcheongnam-do
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?areaCode=34

Best Ever Bolognese Sauce

2010-08-23T12:21:00.002+08:00

Every time I make this Bolognese Sauce I always get a request for the recipe. I owe this recipe to a good friend of mine Jess as she has been waiting over a year for me to get my butt into gear to send this or post it on my blog. I have been meaning to but have been waiting to put a pic up with it but everytime I forget to take a pic after I've cooked it.

Recently another friend has requested for it and I thought, "Right! Let's get it done". I first tasted the most delicious meat sauce that a friend of mine in Sydney used in his lasagne. I can't remember where he got the recipe from but he was kind enough to write it down for me. Although the recipe only calls for cooking it for 45 minutes, I tend to cook it for a minimum of 2 on a low simmer. I find that this really allows the tomatoes to infuse into the sauce and release it's wonderful rich deep red colour.

I would cut out any excess fat from the pancetta (or bacon if you can't find pancetta) as the sauce yields a lot of oil from the butter, oil and whatever fat is in your mince. I also (when I have them) substitute 2 tomaotes for 1 can of diced tomato. I find it gives a fresher flavour.

Ingredients:

60g Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 Celery stick, finely chopped
1 Carrot, diced
50g Pancetta diced
500g Minced beef
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Oregano (can substitute with dried)
1 Cup Red Wine
2 Cups Beef stock
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, celery and carrot, and cook stirring over low heat for 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to high, add the pancetta, beef and oregano, and cook for 45 minutes or until browned. Use a fork to break up any lumps. Pour in the wine, reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until it is absorbed. Add the stock, tomato paste and tinned tomatoes, and season well. Cover with a lid and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from catching on the bottom of the saucepan. Uncover and simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve on al dente pasta and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Enjoy!

Stevie Wonder in Seoul

2010-08-04T11:45:00.002+08:00

Stevie Wonder is coming to town! He will be performing on August 10 at the Gymnastics Hall at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul. Trying to get a ticket? Good luck! The tickets sold our within 3 hours but if you are lucky and you know someone who knows someone...

The Spice Table - Restaurant Review

2010-08-03T18:22:00.003+08:00

I know I have been woefully neglect in posting. I have had posts in my head but have not had the time to actually get it up! I have been on holiday and I have started another blog dedicated to my baking journey (www.buttersugarcream.com) which has taken a lot of my time to getting together.

As a first post back from a break, I would like to do a restaurant review of The Spice Table at Itaewon. This place opened in the Spring (if i'm not mistaken) and claims to do Vietnamese, Malaysian and Thai cuisine. After talking about going there, my OH and I finally did one Sunday afternoon.

Located opposite Los Amigos, you head up a tall set of stairs next to the Ramen shop. The interior is gently lit with warm wall lights and you are greeted by a tall wall of wine bottles as you enter. The floor has that unfinished industrial feel complimented with the heavy duty iron chandelier.

The menu has a reasonable selection of entrees and mains. I love my desserts and the fact that I can't remember their dessert selection says something. I ordered the Vietnamese Beef Noddles in an Oxtail Broth and my OH went for the Red Curry Fried Rice.

I must say I really enjoyed my Vietnamese Pho. The soup was cloudy with flavour and really made you want to keep slurping it down. The noodles were just the right texture and firmness. Soft but not to the point of being sloppy everywhere. They could have done with some Thai mint which would have made the dish perfect. It was the best pho I have had so far in Korea.

The Red Curry Fried Rice was full of flavour though a little dry. Could have used with a bit curry. We went back there with some friends a few weeks later and what was funny was when I called to make the reservation, they reconfirmed with me that I was calling "The Spice Table which is an Asian Fusion restaurant". I figured that they had some customers who made reservations but were surprised to find themselves not at The Spice (the new fine dining restaurant by Edward Kwon, also in Itaewon) but at The Spice Table.

Our friends agreed that the food was reasonably good and wouldn't mind going back there. The next time I go, I must ask them which was the Malaysian dish as I could not pick one dish out that was 'Malaysian'.

The Spice Table
02 796 0509

Cupcake Clutch - SATC The Movie

2010-05-03T17:20:00.003+08:00

I'm a big fan of cupcakes and have been experimenting a lot with flavours and decorating. I'm also a big fan of Sex and The City. So when I saw the Judith Leiber clutch from the first movie carried by Charlotte's daughter, Lily being reviewed by The PurseBlog, I was like "Ooooooh! I WANT!". But that will burn such a hole in my pocket that I don't think I'd quite recover from it. US$5,000!!!

Sigh, it's going to be one of those things I am just going to have to admire from afar.

Eclipse Trailer - Better quality

2010-04-26T21:51:00.004+08:00

The trailer that I linked to the last post is really not very clear at all. I found another better trailer from an official site here. I am quite excited about the new movie. I'm wondering whether I should read Eclipse again to just jog my memory or surprise myself by just watching the movie and letting it all come back to me. Hmmmmm...

I'm planning a Twilight party with some friends at my place 'cos I needed some friends to play the Twilight AND New Moon board games I got for Christmas! It's not going to go overboard in Twilight paraphernalia but we're going to keep some key things like the apples, having the movie play in the background, wine, red drinks... basically a Red theme whenever possible. I don't think I will be printing out life sized posters or drink bottle labels (as I saw one party hostess did), that's just too much effort for a small gathering. All in all it will be a chance to drool over Robert Pattinson in numbers rather than by myself. And... who cares if he doesn't look quite as good in real life?

This is a fanart sketched by akalilith - pretty amazing huh?

Total 'Eclipse' of my Heart

2010-04-15T23:22:00.004+08:00

Ok, so it's a cheesy title for this post but there's nothing cheesy about Eclipse - the 3rd instalment of the Twilight Saga. Twilight got me hooked on the saga, New Moon was just laying the groundwork for Eclipse which prepared the pedestal for Breaking Dawn. So this movie HAS to be better than New Moon. Catch the HD trailer here at: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/summit/thetwilightsagaeclipse/

...or watch it right now:

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-03-31T22:27:00.004+08:00

I am a big fan of banana cake. Whether it comes in a loaf form or round cake form, I'm happy to sample some. The ones I like the most are the super moist ones. The ones that still spring to the touch. I have tried some of the banana loafs in Australia but I find that their banana 'bread' is really like Italian bread. It is dense and often dry.

To satisfy my craving for a good banana cake I decided to make my own as it is hard to find any here. The most common cakes at cafe's or bakeries are cheese cakes or cream cakes. I went through a few recipes and have hit the jackpot with one and my friends have been asking for the recipe, so here it is.

SERVES 16 Using a 9" Cake tin

You will need:

2 cups of bananas (use bananas that are really ripe ie. when the skin is all black and just sort of falling apart... they're perfect)
2 tsp Lemon juice
3 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Butter (room temp)
2 1/8 cups Sugar
3 large Eggs
2 tsp Vailla Extract
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk

Frosting

I use this fantabulous Cream Cheese Frosting that I have posted about when I made Red Velvet Cupcakes. Check out the recipe here.

The Method

1. Preheat the oven to 135C or 275F. The temperature is low for baking a cake but don't touch that dial. It works, trust me.
2. Grease and flour a 9" cake tin.
3. Mash the bananas with a form and mix in the lemon juice. Let this sit for awhile.
4. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
5. In your large mixing bowl, cream the butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. The mixture should turn very pale, the fluffier the butter and sugar mixture the lighter and higher the cake will rise.
6. Beat in the eggs one at a time on the low setting of your blender so you don't curdle the mixture. This will help emulsify the mixture and hold moisture which will also act as leavening for your cake. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at the end and add the vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
7. Beat in the flour mixture alternatively with the buttermilk. I do this in 3 portions each. Don't try to rush this. You want to make sure the mixture is well combined. If you live in Seoul like I do and can't find Buttermilk. It's easy to make your own. For each cup of buttermilk that is needed, add 1 tbsp of lemon to a cup of milk and let it sit for 10 mins. It may curdle a little at the top so just stir the milk before you add it to your cooking.
8. Finally add in the banana's and quickly use a wooden spoon to just stir it in. Don't overmix.
9. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and pop it into the preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 mins. I would check your cake att the 55mins mark as ovens differ. Best would be to get a oven termometer to measure the temp properly. To check insert a toothpick or a wooden skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean then your cake is done.
11. Remove it from the oven and put it in the freezer immediately for 45mins. Don't worry, your cake won't freeze but it will cool down very quickly which I think maybe how it stays very moist.

Check out the above link for a yummy cream cheese frosting recipe. As a final touch, you can add walnuts on the top of the frosting.

Best Ever Cornflake Cookies Recipe

2010-03-06T20:19:00.006+08:00

I am not exagerating when I say "Best Ever" here. Ok so maybe it would also make it easier to turn up on a Google search - heh, heh! A few friends of mine requested this recipe. I decided to make Cornflakes Cookies this year for Chinese New Year as I can't get them here in Seoul. So along with Cornflake Cookies I also made Fah Sang Peng (Peanut Cookies) and some Chocolate Chip Cookies thrown in just because. Believe me, if they were readily available I would not make them but I am glad I did!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found online and an Amy Beh recipe. It yields just over 100 cookies about an inch+ in diameter.

Ingredients

125gms softened butter
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 large egg
1 cup self raising flour (or I use 1 cup of cakeflour + 2 tbsp if you can get it)
1/2 tsp grated lemon/orange rind
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups lightly crushed cornflakes
* optional 1 tsp baking powder if you are using cake flour

Method

Line a baking/cookie tray. Have 2 so you can work on the 2nd one while the first 1 is in the oven.

First cream the butter and sugar together until white and well combined. Then add the egg and beat, scrape down sides of the bowl and add the vanilla essence and lemon/orange rind. Mix well then fold in the flour. For the cornflakes, I put them in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Be careful not to overdo it. You want the pieces big enough to coat the cookie and give it a bit of crunch. Pour some cornflakes into a plate of shallow bowl.

When the cookie mixture is done, use 2 teaspoons; 1 to scoop the batter and the other to push it down onto the cornflakes. To get a bite size shape, scoop a mixture about half the teaspoon in size. Remember, it will expand a bit in the oven because of the baking powder. The mixture is pretty sticky so trying to roll it in the cornflakes with your fingers is pretty messy and the results less than pretty. So, I suggest you first use your fingers to sprinkle the cornflakes over the little ball then once it has some cornflakes on it it's a lot easier to 'handle'. Turn it around a bit till nicely coated then continue with the rest.

Here they are before they go into the oven

It will take some time as the coating process is a little tedious. Have a good radio channel on or have the tv in the background, it makes it more enjoyable. : ) Place the cookies about 3-4cm apart to give it room to spread. I also made these cookies with mini cupcake holders and it was cuter, when you allow it to spread by itself, the cookie is no longer coated on all surfaces with the cornflakes. Bake in a preheated oven of 150 degree Celcius for 12-15 minutes. Some recipes say 18-20 minutes but I found that mine were done by about 15 so test a small batch first to be sure.

In the mini cupcake holders. I baked a large batch and put them into containers as gifts for Chinese New Year.

Cool on wire racks then put in air tight containers, or if you are like me, eat as you bake! These are so yummy and crunchy I can just keep eating them. They are great as gifts, or for parties, or just for your own personal enjoyment. The best thing about it is the hint of lemon. Yum!

Getting LASEK in Seoul

2010-03-06T18:01:00.004+08:00

I have thought long and hard about getting my eyes fixed and by this I mean LASIK or LASEK. I figured the technology is pretty advanced now with high success rates and the price having been reduced by half from 5 years ago. Korea is well known for their high tech and high quality of health care so this is a good time as any to get my eyes checked out.

There are quite a few eye care centres that I found out about but the one that I finally picked was Dream Eye Centre. I read someone's review on their blog (of which I have now forgotten the url) and they had a good experience. You can find some testimonials on their website if you pick the Korean version of the site. You won't miss it, it's in the centre and you can sort of see the subject titles of each testimonial.

First thing to note, before you have your first appointment, you have to remove your contacts for 1 week for them to do your eye examination. A good thing I called in advance! Wearing glasses only for a week was alright but I missed wearing contacts when going out.

The clinic I went to was the one in Myeongdong, they have another one in Gangnam. It's on the same street as Migliore. If you walk down hill from Migliore for about 50m, you will see Banila & Co on the corner. Dream Eye Centre is on the right. You take the lift to the 4th floor and that's their reception.

The receiption is comfortable with a row of sofa's facing the reception desk and some coffee tables with chairs around it for when they sit down with you to get your history. On one side of the reception area, they have conveniently provided 3 computers to keep you entertained in case there is long to wait. The deco is simple and uncluttered with cool tones to soothe the eyes.

I was greeted first by the ladies behind the desk who told me to wait for a few minutes. Shortly, I was 'interviewed' by one of the assistants in a lab coat who took down my history and 10 minutes later, I was taken upstairs for a series of tests which was done with no less than a dozen machines. They were very thorough. The eye exams included a check on my vision, astigmatisicm, glaucoma, thickness and shape of my cornea.

This was really the most thorough of eye examinations I have ever had. Throughout, the assistant (her name was Jiye) was courteous and warm. Her English was good and we could have short conversations in between tests. In the final part of the exams, the doctor (Dr Ha in my case) did a final check on the health of my eyes by shining a super intense light into your eyes that made your eyes water!

For me, the conclusion was that my cornea was too thin for LASIK. If I wanted to correct my vision, I had to go for LASEK which had a slower recovery period but is safer. After that, Jiye sat down with me again in a small room and showed me flash videos of the laser they use and how good it is etc etc... The pricing is as they said over the phone which is from KRW1.7mil - 2mil.

Oh, I better mention this... for one of the tests which involves them sticking a pen onto your eye to test your cornea's thickness. In order to prevent you from screaming in pain and kicking them in the 'nads, they give you some anaesthetic eyedrops. You won't feel a thing but the downside of these eyedrops is that for the next few hours, light will hurt your eyes (so bring sunglasses!) and your vision will go wonky (things will seem blurry but my vision for things up close was improved when I took off my glasses - something to do with the eye not being able to focus well).

After a brief discussion later with my OH, we decided to get it done and I returned the next day for the procedure. The atmosphere was all very calm and 'let's-not-get-the-patient-excited'. They even had elevator music piped into the room where the nurse was washing my eyes and face. So if you are girl, don't bother putting on any makeup. After getting preped, I was taken in to the OT which had a big postcard window where your companion can see you while watching from the sofas outside the room. They even have a monitor that is pointed and zoomed directly at your eye so they can see exactly what is being done.

Being the chicken that I am, I averted my eyes when I walked past 'cos I didn't want to freak myself out seeing someone else's procedure. When I laid down on the bed, the nurse was kind enough to offer me a pillow in the shape of Winnie the Pooh's face to hug (or clutch in my case) before they put a blanket over me. Then the nurse asked me if I was nervous and I said, "Yes" and she offered me some kind words which I no longer remember as the machine was being moved over me. She put a hand on mine which was comforting.

The entire procedure was over pretty quickly. They weren't kidding when they said 5 minutes per eye. I won't ruin the experience for you by recounting it in detail. All I will say is it is really painless. I was tense but not too nervous and if I had been more relaxed rather than thinking that any moment my eyes will be in some serious pain especially when they were doing the procedure I would have probably enjoyed the experience more.

Sorry I didn't take any photos as you can imagine that was the last thing on my mind. : ) Oh and when I got home, I opened my packet of medicine I discovered a small card. It was from the nurse (who spent probably only 20 minutes with me) with some sweet words of congratulations and wishing me luck as I enjoyed my new vision. I thought that was really sweet and thoughful. Sometimes it is these small touches that makes a difference.

I would recommend Dream Eye Center for anyone wishing to get their vision corrected through LASIK or LASEK. One of the best points about this experience is also that their initial eye examination to see if you are a candidate for the procedure is FREE. Their follow up visits and medication including eye drops are also included in the price.

Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy - In Seoul!

2010-02-16T13:36:00.005+08:00

Some time ago, I subsribed to a mailing list for events happening in Seoul. I get it weekly but seldom read the email as it doesn't have an extensive list of events, just whoever knew enough to upload their event.

3 weeks ago, I thought it was worth checking out what was happening in Seoul and nearly fell off my chair in excitement to see that Arnie Roth was heading to Seoul to play music from Final Fantasy. Now if my readers have read any of my older posts, you will know that I am a fan of Final Fantasy, VII in particular. Even my avatar is of Tifa from FFVII.

2 years ago I flew to Sydney to watch Play! conducted by Arnie Roth who played a selection of game music (eg. Mario Bros theme, Sonic the Hedgehog, FFVII and many many more) at the Sydney Opera House. So if they are in town, you can be SURE I am going to be there!

First of all, I sent an email blast to my fellow fans who don't live in Seoul so they could writhe in envy. ; ) I wasted no time after that and got the tickets. The cheapest tickets weren't available (yes I can be cheap, I am there to listen to the music not watch a play so location isn't as important) so I got the 2nd cheapest which was KRW55,000. I dragged my OH along because this time, I wasn't going to watch it alone. Hey, I have to gush to somebody as they are playing 'To Zanarkand' right?

Concert poster

The Seoul Arts Centre was the host of this momentus event. Upon reflection I will say that the acoustics at their concert hall was not comparable to that of the Sydney Opera House. Still, it did little to dampen my enjoyment.

The orchestra

The bonus was that the MAN himself, Nobuo Uematsu - legendary composer of FF music; was present. Never thought I'd see him in the flesh, this would take a distant second place to meeting Ayrton Senna in the flesh. He was dressed in a black Yukata by the looks of it, white socks, slippers and a red bandana covering his head. These artists types...

Nobuo Uematsu Greeting the crowd

So, the music... excellent of course. They played a good selection in two parts. Some of the songs I am not familiar with and these were mainl from FF XI and FF VIII. They had some guest singers for the Opera 'Maria and Draco' from FF VI and Lisa Young for 'Suteki da ne'. Her voice was very high like the original Japanese singer but it seemed a bit lost on the soft and high notes. It could have been the audio system though.

The Choir

Some of the songs that stood out for me were Liberti Fatali, Victory Theme (all of the 9 notes), To Zanarkand, Swing de Chocobo (loved the drums/timpani's on that one), Eyes on Me, Suteki da ne, Aerith's Theme (it would have been incomplete without this), J-E-N-O-V-A and for the encore One Winged Angel which was even better than the real thing!

The best part was when Arnie Roth invited Nobuo to the stage to accept the applause and he voluntered to join the choir for One Winged Angel. The video they had in the background for this OWA was heaps better than the one they used at Play! as this time they used a lot of footage from FF VII: Advent Children.

If it comes your way, catch it! It's a chance of a lifetime.

Korean Handmade Jewelry ala Dami

2010-01-17T22:07:00.004+08:00

One thing I discovered in Namdaemun is the plethora of little handmade accessories and jewelry artists/vendors that you can find in Korea. Sure, the ones in the Trillion building for example are making jewelry for wholesale and you can find everything from cheap trinkety type accessories to the more sophisticated feathers and pearl accessories.

There are also quite a few independent handmade jewelry makers around. By far though, my favourite is Dami on Karosogil (see my earlier post on this cool shopping street in Sinsa-dong). Their jewelry is delicate and easy to match. Their style makes it easy to layer several necklaces together and they also sell sets which are always more tempting than just buying one necklace. I think that's the point!

Their earrings tend to be the dangly type and are exquisite. They have a range of hair accessories as well but I never really pay any attention to them as I am often too distracted by their necklaces and earrings.

You will find Dami at the top end of Karosogil opposite Cafe Nescafe and right next to Farmers which specialises in Hair Accessories.

Dami
542-6 Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu
T. 02 51 8620
Opening hours: 1100 - 2200
Closed on Sundays

Happy Malling!

2010-01-08T16:53:00.004+08:00

Every once in awhile, you come across something that just cracks you up. This happened to me recently while waiting for the lift to take me to the CGV level at I-Park Mall for my rendezvous with a certain Vampire called Edward Cullen.

You've got to give them credit for coming up with new words.

National News Headline Could Use with Some Editing

2010-01-04T15:30:00.002+08:00

Here's what one of the headlines in the Joong Ang Daily English news website reads today: Korea grants refugee status to gay

I think they need to get the editing checked out. The word "gay" is typically used as an adjective and sometimes a noun but I think the accurate way to write it is to add the word "a" before the word "gay and then "person" behind it.

Mondays are Slow Days

2010-01-04T09:34:00.002+08:00

It's Monday and I wake up to a white wonderland. There are huge puffy snowflakes flying across my window and it's so pretty! I was just complaining to a friend the other day that snow should be fat and fluffy not the kind of wet drizzly bits that we had a few days ago. So I get my wish. This will also mean that the streets are probably clogged with traffic that can't move faster than 20km an hour because the city council is not quite as efficient with putting grit on the ground.

If you are living in the hills like in Sambuk-dong, Itaewon-dong or Hannam-dong then you are probably pretty screwed if you plan to go anywhere quickly with a car. Expect to find detours or more accessible roads to navigate down or up. Hopefully by the time you leave your house, some of the neighbours have cleared their driveways and many other cars have passed through the main roads which will clear the path to a muddy slush which will be extremely helpful.

Meanwhile, it's 10.38am and I am still in my robe watching the snow fall and looking forward to being able to build my snowman. Oh and if you were planning to go to Lotte or Shinsegae Department Store today, you won't be able to. Traffic is one thing but they are closed on Mondays. I found out the hard way.

Cool Tip on Making Your Own Bias Tape

2010-01-03T22:06:00.005+08:00

Although my blog has a lot of food related posts to it, I also do a bit of sewing which I don't really post about. I have done quite a few projects of late - purely for personal pleasure and sense of achievement really than anything else. Also, it feels great to see a completed piece of work and it doesn't hurt when your friends like it too.

One of the things I had to learn earlier on when I took up sewing again was making my own bias binding/tape. I find putting binding always add that bit of detail that makes a something that started out as being ordinary (but nice) just that little bit more interesting. It's like buying a top that comes with a free matching necklace or brooch.

Sample of bias tape I made to add to the edge of this baby blanket.

The blanket was made with batting and quilted in 3" squares. It's pretty but plain, the blue and white bias edging transforms the blanket.

Anyway... I found this cool tip from The Green Wife who has her own blog. Besides knowing how to put together bias binding/tape (I am going to stick to the word 'tape' as it is shorter to type) the hardwork is ironing the edges in. This video tutorial from the Green Wife will show you a simple and totally clever way of doing it in no time!

Make your own bias tape. - Savvy Seams
Sewing on bias tape. - Angry Chicken

It's Green and it's Delicious - Pandan Cake

2010-01-01T19:59:00.006+08:00

There aren't many types of food that is green and tastes good like Pandan Cake. I had a craving recently and decided to hunt down a recipe (a reliable source from House of Annie) to make it myself. I then found out that I needed a chiffon cake thin and also Cream of Tartar (which I couldn't find in the local supermarkets). Luckily the Seoul International Baking Fair was around the corner so I went with some friends and found both items at the show.

Making the cake wasn't too difficult but it was quite time consuming beating the egg white and I had so many egg yolks left over after that. I could have made the cake slightly less green but I thought the colour was rich. The cake turned out beautifully and smelled so good as it was baking. I made the mistake of greasing the cake thin (NEVER grease a chiffon cake tin as it can prevent it from rising) but I was quite lucky as the cake still rose.

Overall I was quite pleased with my first attempt. The cake was moist and springy but I felt it could have been fluffier. I have had some advice on that. Some were that I had to beat the egg whites for longer, another friend said that perhaps I could have added some baking powder etc...
We shall revisit that later when I make my next one. I have tried the same recipe with orange and that tasted totally yummy too. Perhaps a lemon one next?

Hello 2010!

2009-12-31T23:35:00.001+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing everyone a great 2010 and all the good stuff that comes with a new year.

Flashback to 1999

2009-12-31T09:44:00.002+08:00

The other day I was sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office and normally they will have English papers and maybe the Economist but that day they had an Instyle magazine from 1999 with Drew Barrymore on the cover!

1999! I was thinking "Wow! That was like 10 years ago!" I used to buy Instyle every month at that time so I was flicking through it to see what was 'in' at that time. Surprisingly it was the ads that triggered the flashback.

Elizabeth Hurley was the model for Pleasures by Estee Lauder - she looked so young then.
Nicki Taylor for Cover Girl - Where is she now?
Christi Turlington for Lancome - Doing humanitarian work while raising her kids
Milla Jovovich for Maybeline - With 2 Resident Evil movies under her belt, what next?

Get Carried Away - SATC 2 Trailer

2009-12-26T21:45:00.003+08:00

It's here! I am loving Carrie's white sundress and L-O-V-E her chrome aviators.
Out May 28th (USA)!

For a better resolution video, go here: SATC 2 Trailer [HD]

Korea Winter Fashion - Get it all online!

2009-12-26T17:45:00.004+08:00

Korean fashion has been quite a popular export in the last couple of years. This partially stems from the popularity of the Korean Dramas and let's put it this way, the women here put themselves together quite nicely. Not just the agashi's, you should check out the ahjumma's on the restaurant floor of Hyundai Department Store on any week day. You'd think they were going to a wedding reception after they are done with their tea and cake.

One thing that I've discovered and secretly enjoy is trawling through the online shopping sites here. You can get all the latest styles from the furry vests that are so popular to the hottest looking boots. G-Market (which has an English option), 11 St and Auction are popular online stores where you can get most everything but I find it a bit of an overload when looking at fashion. Their constant flickering banners can drive you a bit nuts after 15 mins.

So, I prefer some of the dedicated fashion websites. Here are a few of my fav's:
Pastar
Plenty of trendy styles for casual wear. They won't have suitable office wear... I stand corrected, it depends on what your office dress policy is. They don't carry many suits and smart attire for client meetings is what I meant. I like the way this website is laid out, I like the options at the bottom for accessories or corresponding matching outfits that were used by the model (which is always the same model, by the way - if you go to Karuso-gil you might just see them taking pics of her along the street) and the prices are decent.

C-Chouette
You get easy matching pieces from this website. Their ensembles are chic and without too many fussy lines.

Love-K
If you are into Romantic and Sweet, this is the site for you. You just have to see how the model poses to get the feel of their style. I personally have not bought anything from this site yet but it's just one of those situations where I like the look of an outfit but know that I wouldn't be able to pull it off.

Ozzaru and Vavara
These sites were recommended by friends who like me enjoy a 'bit' of shopping. If you want to dress like Leighton Meister or Kate Moss or pay to look drab like Reese Withespoon running out to get the kids, or the latest runway look from leading design houses, these two sites will guide you with your wallet.

La Tavola in Itaewon

2009-12-16T21:45:00.002+08:00

So the title is not that exciting but the food at La Tavola was! Sometime earlier last year, we went to the Italian restaurant above Kraze Burger in Itaewon (a stone's throw from Hamilton Hotel, go uphill past Hard Rock) which was called Antonio's or something like that. I had the most delicious Putanesca Pasta. My OH who doesn't like olives was suitably impressed too.

The next time we went there though, it had changed to La Tavola. Needless to say we went away a little disappointed and didn't try it. Recently, a friend of mine mentioned that they had dinner there and it was good. So we decided to give it a go.

The decor looked the same but the menu was different. They have a good selection of pastas and a more extensive choice of pizzas but we both went for pasta. I had the Risotto Funghi and my OH had the Rigatoni with beef and gorgonzola. I am sure there was a funkier Italian name for it but it slips my mind right now. We also had the calamari for a starter.

The calamari was really well done! We have tried many calamari dishes before and have been disappointed many times, sometimes the batter is not crispy or the taste is non-existent. The calamari at La Tavola was fresh and the batter lightly coated and crisp. Their tartar sauce was mild and not to tangy which was a nice compliment. They also served with a few battered prawns and battered cucumber which was interesting. There was also a small side of salad.

The best dish was probably the Rigatoni with beef and gorgonzola. The portions aren't large but when you are going through the creamy dish you tend to get full pretty quickly. The sauce was light and tasty and the beef tender and juicy. The combination was very well thought through and a delight to the palate. The risotto was al dente and they didn't skimp on the mushrooms although I would have preferred slightly different mushrooms. As far as a Risotto Funghi goes, it passed with flying colours.

I heard their pizza's are quite good. That will have to be the next time though.

La Tavola
Itaewon
T. (02) 793 6144

Indulging in Red Velvet... Cupcake Style!

2009-12-16T20:39:00.004+08:00

Well, it’s that time of year where red, white and a splash of green is very popular. Christmas! Something else with similar colours that has become rather popular is Red Velvet Cupcakes! These gorgeous looking red cupcakes adorned with cream cheese icing are not only attractive but tasty. Well, I like most things chocolate anyway so I’m biased. The cupcakes are chocolate tasting but the red colouring give it this full and vibrant look as far as food goes and is quite irresistible.

I had a party last weekend for about 50 guests and my OH thought it was a good idea to make these Red Velvet Cupcakes as a party favour. Nice suggestion but I was getting my hopes up if I was expecting any help from there! : )

Before I set to work, I had to first of all get my hands on bottles and bottles of red food colouring which is NOT easy to find in Seoul. The type you get here is the gel type which comes in a pack with 4 other colours and that one tube of red is really insufficient for my needs. I have used that red colouring before but I found it too weak and for what I needed it for I would have to buy boxes and boxes of it which will become quite $$$. If you are desperate, you can find this brand (it’s the only food colouring I have found in Seoul) in most of the major supermarket chains eg. Lotte Mart, E-Mart.

To solve my problem, I had my OH buy them from Australia. There you can get the Queen’s brand food colouring that comes in little 50ml bottles. I used about 5 bottles. However, he had to look in several stores as I suspect due to the Christmas season, red food colouring was very popular.

I had done some research on the internet to find a good Red Velvet Cupcake recipe. Most of them required the same ingredients so I used this one recommended on the House of Annie blog. Overall the recipe is easy to follow, the most tedious of the lot was making the cake flour which I can’t find in Seoul. I followed a method of making my own cake flour and buttermilk to get as close to the recipe as possible.

When you are at the stage of adding the red colouring in, the batter looks really bright and is still quite liquidy but the moment you add the flour that has been whisked with the cocoa powder and salt, the mixture becomes this heavenly red with almost chrome like swirls inside. It was beautiful! I have never been so excited about batter colour before! It was crazy!

The photo doesn't do the batter colour justice. When you make it you will know what I mean.

I did this in 3 batches so really had my chance to admire the batter colour. *LOL* In the pictures and also when you buy cupcakes from bakeries, the cupcake sits quite high up from the cupcake liners itself. Although the recipe asks me to fill the cupcake liners to 2/3 full, the cake itself does not rise very much so I filled it close to the rim (about 3mm from edge) and it was the right height for me as after I added the icing, I still had to fit it into a box.

Here they are out of the oven.

Em’s magnificent Cream Cheese Icing which is also in the same recipe was really GOLD! It melts in your mouth and I reckon it would go well with any type of cupcake! I used the same cream cheese recipe to spread over my banana cake and it added a little ZAZZ to the banana cake that’s for sure.

After the cakes had cooled, I added the cream cheese icing with a frosting syringe that I found in Sydney. As opposed to your traditional frosting piping bag, this syringe is easier to control and for something as small as a cupcake I found it gave me a lot of control. The only drawback is the syringe is not large, so you keep having to refill it every 2.5 cupcakes that you decorate (depending on the kind of decoration that you use).

There is something soothing about spreading icing on the cupcakes.

I ended up with 2 types of decoration, one was just swirling it over the top of the cupcake and the other with little flowers. Over that I sprinkled some pink and red lovehearts. I think they turned out quite well.

I experiemented the lovehearts first on the cupcakes with the swirled icing.

Then on all of them!

The cupcakes taste good on the first day but by the second day, I found the cupcake to be too dense. So, I am still looking for another recipe where the cupcake is fluffier and stays that way for 2-3 days.

Chocolate Fruit and Nut Cases - You can't have just one!

2009-11-26T23:45:00.004+08:00

Some years ago, my OH gave me 'The Delia Collection - Chocolate' recipe book for Christmas. I loved pretty much everything in the book but have only attempted a few. The recipes are relatively simple, nothing very exotic beyond Marello Cherries. She does use prunes a lot with her chocolate cake recipes but I suppose it would add a bit of texture to the cakes.

One of my all time favourite recipes was discovered in this book! When I was young, one of my Aunt used to make these chocolate cornflakes that she would freeze in a baking tin and then cut them up into large pieces that we could eat till there was chocolate all over our face. Needless to say that when I saw the Chocolate Fruit and Nut Cases recipe in this book, I went... well a little NUTS. : )

This is a sure win, no nonsense, right for all occassions, gurantee hit with kids or adults! You're thinking... yeah right! I kid you not, I can gobble up 3 or 4 in those mini cupcake cases at a go, more if I want to feel guilty after. If in doubt - try it. Here's the recipe.

Extreme close up

Word of advice...
I have had my batches of chocolate sauce seize while using the double boiling method. There are several reasons for this.

You could be overheating the chocolate
Don't let the pan/bowl holding the chocolate touch the water in the pan below
The ingredients asks for you to add butter and maple syrup, if your butter was sweating before you put it in, this could cause the chocolate to seize too. To avoid this, you could keep the butter out of the recipe (I tried that and did not loose flavour or texture) and/or mix the golden syrup only when you are mixing the cornflakes and the chocolate together
Any trace of water will cause the chocolate to seize so make sure your utensils are DRY before using them to melt the chocolate

Shopping in Karosu-gil

2009-11-20T22:08:00.006+08:00

After I arrived in Seoul, I read about Karosu-gil and wanted to explore, however it took me some time before I actually went there. I wasn't disappointed though, I went with one of my best friends who also has a taste for a good shopping experience!

Not the best picture I know. Will try to take better shots at the next trip.

S came from Malaysia and wanted to dive into Korean fashion. So handbag in tow (with our trusty credit cards of course) we headed to this little shopping street. The directions we got were to head up the street from Sinsa Station and take the first left after Paris Baquette.

Much has been written about Karosu-gil and it's chic shops. Although the name means 'tree-lined street', I think there are actually more trees in Samcheongdong-gil. But let's not take away the 'quaintness' of this place. You will be hard pressed not to bounce from one side of the street to the next as you see some attractive window displays beckoning you to enter the cozy stores.

We were disciplined (sort of) and proceeded down the left and then made a U-y at the end to come back up the street.

At the top end of the street there is a rather large cafe called Coffee Smith, you can't miss it. It's designed with wood and steel so it's got a warm inviting look about it yet staying well away from being rustic with the steel beams. It's 2 storeys and seems pretty packed on the weekend.

There are a few stores that I would label as favourites on that street. One of them is Understar which is next to Coffee Smith. It's underground and has a cool selection of thights/leggings, gloves and mufflers. You will find plenty of styles for these along the street but I find the quality and colours from Understar the best. My top buy from Understar are their leggings with the zipper detail at the bottom.

They are also carrying some cool hoodie capes. Hard to describe. They are knitted hoodies but it only comes down to your shoulders. There is a zip opening to one side which sits nicely as if it was all was meant to be there! Totally not designed for warmth but for fashion!

A few doors down is my favourite store called Brush. It's small, white and always has the most attractive thing on the window and on the rack closest to the door. I always end up buying something there! Their designs are simple but unique and tend only to have 1 size. You can't always try on their clothes so be prepared to be disappointed if you don't have a 'regular' body shape.

I picked up a nice long red turtle next sweater with snap button details at the end of the sleeves there but also fell in love with a grey dress with butterfly sleeves and zipper details at the hips as well as a latte coloured dress with opened sides from shoulder to waist and a woven metal detail at the waist.

I also walked away with a stunning piece of jewelry last week. It's a gold short necklace with what looks like tiny metal beads on it. So hard to describe but it's a beautiful accessory. That one cost about KRW69,000 but really well made so definitely worth the dosh. In general I find their prices very reasonable. Better quality than what you generally find in Doota (Dongdaemun) and not your typical high street designs like Zara, Gap, MNG etc...

Other worthy stores to note for clothes are (on the same side of the street as Brush) About Some, Barbara Shoes (although I always feel they are overpriced), Jiny's Closet and something more familiar Kate Spade at the end of the street. On the other side of the street I like E-At Home, Farmer (hair accessories for special occasions... or not), and the jewelry store next to Farmer whose name I can't remember. That store has the most delicate necklaces at very affordable prices. You will find something for yourself or a gift for a friend at the drop of a hat.

There are also some nice restaurants and cafes along the way. I particularly want to try Deux Cremes as they are suppose to have the most deletable tarts. Will try that the next time.

Fabric Shopping in Seoul – Part 2 (Dongdaemun Shopping Town)

2009-11-20T21:24:00.008+08:00

The great thing about Seoul is that everything is pretty centralized if you are looking for a particular item. What I mean is, if you are looking for electronic goods for example, you go to the Yongsan Electronics market where there is more choice than you can count. If you are looking for pets, they are a gazillion pet shops along that one street. Same with music instruments, furniture, sewing machines, lighting, sporting goods etc…

I think the Koreans practice laissez faire pretty well and aren’t afraid of a little competition even if it is right next door or across the street. So this makes shopping around really convenient.

Another great place for fabrics is Dongdaemun Shopping Town which is directly opposite Pyeonghwa Market on the other side of the Cheongye river. If you are using the subway, lines 1 and 4 will take you Dongdaemun station then take exits 8 or 9 and it’s the tall white building ahead of you.

For more information: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273734

I tend to get a little lost every time I go there as the stores can seem repetitive after awhile and the pathways are so convoluted. I tend to get my sewing supplies in the basement. There are a few stores there at the edge of the section where the thread stores start on the far left of the building. If you go in through the main entrance, take the escalator down, walk through the curtains/soft furnishings section, past the blankets and knitting sections and you will see lots of thread vendors ahead of you.

Some lace, buttons, ribbons and embellishments on the ground floor

Also found in the basement are batting, vendors who will sew bedding/duvets for you. You can order your soft furnishings like cushions, curtains, table cloths as well. What I found helpful were the ahjumma’s and ahjassi’s who sit there with their overlock machines and will sew your edges closed for you for a small fee. My 한국 語 is not that quite good enough yet.

For cotton and linen, I head up to the first floor and target the A sections. You may find some heavier materials in D section although I find that they have more cotton t-shirt material of different weaves. Have not been able to find felt or fleece yet.

In A section there are also many choices of cotton, silk and polyester although I would just walk around and pick your favourite stores. Sometimes you will see the same fabric in different stores.

Be warned, if you are looking for t-shirt fabrics, most are wholesalers so will not entertain small quantities. I find that the vendors selling cotton and linen to be more open to selling in smaller quantities from 1m. Though, I dare you to ask for half a meter. Let me know how successful you are. : )

There are plenty of choices for lace, trimmings and buttons. Basically there is something for everyone here. I never spend less than 2 hours every time I go and I end up buying lots of fabrics that I have yet to use but they are for all these great projects that I have in mind. : )

Stand by Me - Shinee (Music Sheets) from Boys Over Flowers OST

2009-11-08T21:07:00.007+08:00

Finally had some more time to bend my very popular Boys Over Flowers piano book. Here's another song that I like. Also saw Shinee winning some award last night. No idea what award it was but it was right after the SS501 performance. Have you SEEN Hyung Joon's hairstyle??? It's like an overused mop and he looks like an ahjumma! I think his hairstyle in the UR Man video was the best.

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Fabric shopping in Seoul - Part 1 (Gwangjang Market)

2009-11-08T11:42:00.008+08:00

I recently got a sewing machine from Singer (read about that experience from an earlier post) so began my search for the raw materials to 'put something together'. I had heard that there is a big fabric market in Seoul, afterall a lot of designer fabrics get printed in Korea (not just China). In fact, Heather Ross who wrote 'Weekend Sewing' has her fabric printed in Korea too!

After a bit of research and wandering about, I found 2 sources of for fabrics and sewing knick knacks. The first place I hit was Gwangjang Shijang (Gwangjang Market). This is close to Dongdaemun, if you take the subway use Line 1 and get off at Jong-no 5(o)-ga. Alternatively, if you are looking for bus routes, check out this site for more options.

When I first got there, I was a bit confused as I came in through the food alley. You will see lots of small stall that are cooking some form of pancake or 'chon'. I never did stop to enquire what kind of chon it was but it did look good albeit super oily.

Food alley

Lady making 'chon'

If you head off towards the area where you see stores selling hanboks and blankets, you are heading off in the right direction. It really depends on which direction you are coming from. I had to ask someone the first time and mentioned 'utt' which means cloth or fabric or clothes. Somehow they understood me, but then they said something like they are closed. Turns out I went on a Tuesday and most of the fabric shops close on that day! Great!

So if you go on another weekday you will see lots of small stores selling fabric, maily cotton, polyester, silks, and blankets. There are a lot of stores that sell, not exactly fabric ends but small pieces of fabric that are no more than say 3m. One good thing about Gwangjang market sellers as compared to the ones at the Dongdaemun Shopping Town (which I will write about later) is that they don't mind you buying 1m of fabric. They cater more to the individual hobbyist than wholesale buyers like the ones that you find in DST.

Special desserts made for weddings

Along the alley where you find all the fabric shops, check out the stores on the left, you will see smaller alleys that go off from the main walkway and in there you will find shops that sell sewing accessories like buttons, knick knacks, lace, thread etc...

Generally the price is comparable to DST, I guess the main differences that Gwangjang Market is:

Less packed
Bit more space to move around - you won't have ahjassi's with 1ton bags swiping past you like in DST
Friendlier sellers
Easier to buy smaller quantities of fabrics
Just a tad less intimidating
Heaps less confusing
Much less choice than DST

St John Bread and Wine

2009-10-31T00:00:00.007+08:00

When I visited London a couple of months ago, I insisted that my friend Siu Mai (not her real name) take me to St John Bread and Wine after reading her food escapade there on her blog. I was not disappointed. I was just susprised I put away as much as I did.

St John Bread and Wine is near the old Spitalfields market and they pretty much experiment and create dishes from all the interesting parts of the common animals that we consume. The menu was exciting and it didn't take us too long to decide what we wanted to eat. We made sure we were hungry too!

Here's a look at the menu.

Cold Angus, Horseradish and Wood Sorrel
This looks very raw but it was surprisingly light on the palate and tasty.

This was the special of the day, Smoked Goose with 'something' cheese but it's actually a jam. It was quite salty so the jam was a nice complement as it tempered the gamey taste of the duck too.

Puffball & Bacon.
The Puffball is made with mushroom and cheese. Rather unusual albeit a little tame in flavour but I guess that's whether the smoked bacon comes into play.

Ox Heart, Salted Crest and Pickled Walnut.
The Ox Heart tasted like chicken heart in that it was crunchy but I would say the combination of the texture and flavours, this was my least favourite dish.

Gingerloaf and Butterscoth Sauce.
Very yummy, SM made the mistake of thinking that little ball of on the side was ice cream. She found out very quickly it was clotted cream!
Blackcherry Sundae.
I am a big fan of Black Cherries so I ordered this. The first mouthful was really sour so my expression gave SM a fit of giggles. But after that it was sweetness all the way! The ice cream and cream tempered the sourness of the cherries and made it soooo good! The caramel biscuit was sweet and crunchy. There was nothing left towards the end.

Fluffy Corn Pacakes Anyone?

2009-10-30T23:48:00.004+08:00

I've been on a bit of a binge recently, trying out new recipes from main meals to desserts. I recently came across a really good recipe for Corn Pancakes or Corn Cakes. This is a breeze to make although you will need a blender and so delishes!

I found the recipe at Gourmet.com. Although the recipe asks you to use fresh corn kernels, they aren't in season in Korea at the moment, so I rely on trusty Jolly Green Giant. They have the crunchiest kernels, even better than Del Monte. If you live in Seoul, you can find them at the Foreign Supermarket (Itaewon), Haddon Supermarket (Hannam), Hannam Supermarket (Hannam), Costco and Core Mart (Itaewon).

The recipe says it makes 12 but I only manage to get about 10 out of it on average the last 2 times I made it even though the size looks about the same as the ones in their picture. Be sure to add the baking soda as that is the secret ingredient to make it fluffy! I have it with a thin layer of butter and lots of maple syrup. If you like throw in a side of bacon. Adds that bit of savoury kick. Let me know if you try it!

5/5 for taste!

Got the flu?

2009-10-30T23:43:00.002+08:00

If you have the sniffles, maybe a touch of fever and a hint of a cough, be prepared to be screened for Swine Influenza (SI) or H1N1 if you are going to a hospital in Seoul. If you go to... oh let's say Severance Hospital for example, be prepared to be taken to the 'Screening Room', no that is not a weekly programme dedicated to the latest movies but where they keep all flu patients for testing for SI.

General population include those who are very ill with the flu so be prepared to bring a mask with you. It will be as exciting as watching bread rise and will likely taken twice the time! Meanwhile, even if you didn't have a flu before you entered, you will likely take it home as a souvenir.

Cuppacakes by +Wondermilk - Another Food Art Find

2009-10-27T21:19:00.003+08:00

Some years ago, my sister made us drive to this house in Damansara Uptown (Area), Petaling Jaya (City), Selangor (State), Malaysia to order cupcakes for her birthday. This unassuming corner house was the headquarters of a blossoming small home business that was about to open their first store. They are called Cuppacakes by +Wondermilk. The cupcakes turned out beautifully and their designs simply beautiful. So pretty that you don't even want to take one out to ruin the whole look!

I recently visited their website again after being sent the link from my sister. Their new designs are amazing! Their concept of selling a box of cupcakes and creating a theme from that rather than based on individual cupcakes is unique and progressive. That was the only word I could think of to explain 'constantly evolving'.

They have themes of special occassions, holidays, celebrations and even one for Twilight! But my favourite from their mainpage has to be 'Ulat Bulu In Love'. I have cheekily copied their pic of that theme of cupcakes onto here. : ) Tell me they aren't Food Art!

P/S: They taste yummy too!

*MUNCH*

Coffee Art in Unexpected Places

2009-10-20T20:56:00.004+08:00

I was recently in the Qantas Business Class lounge in Sydney. They have a pretty nice setup there although I was most impressed with the British Airways lounge in New York. They had a fountain and lounges!

Anyway, there is a long bar in the Qantas lounge equipped with a coffee making machine that is manned by a barista. I ordered a latte and a decaf cappucino. Expecting a simple cup of coffee with no frills, I was pleasantly surprised to see it with a bit of milk foam art. I had to take a picture even though I am sure people were staring.

Cappucino

Latte

K-drama addiciton anyone?

2009-10-03T22:42:00.002+08:00

Living in Korea has its advantages if you like Korean Dramas. However, as much as you can watch the latest dramas from SBS, KBS or MBC... you won't particularly enjoy unless you have a strong grasp of Korean. No subtitles!

HOWEVER, there are fans out there who finds ways to get the latest episodes to you on the internet with subtitles! And they do a bloody good job of it too. None of that nonsense English translations that don't make sense. These guys do it as fans for fans.

Here is one of my favourite sites:
Mysoju.com

Some of the best translation works I have seen is by With S2 (stands for the Written in the Heavens Subbing Squad - quite an innovative name). Here is their site on d-addicts.com - S2.

Javabeans does a good synopsis of each episode of the dramas that catches his/her attenion. Warning: Spoiler alerts. If you haven't watched the episode and don't want to ruin it for yourself, best to wait till after you've seen it to read the write ups.

Dingbats... you find them everywhere.

2009-10-03T22:35:00.003+08:00

Last night I was in Coles Supermarket which is a big chain of supermarkets that opens till 12am in Australia. I was in the noodles, imported/asian food aisle and overheard this conversation by two teenage girls behind me:

Teen 1: "Are yer sure yer got the right one?"
Dingbat: "I don't know, it's written in ASIAN!"

Me: What a couple of dingbats! Geez!

Someone ought to educate them that Asian is native or inhabitant of Asia or a term referring to a characteristic of Asia. Asian itself is not language!!!

Wonder Girls NOBODY US Debut Single

2009-10-03T22:33:00.001+08:00

Here's the Wonder Girls, US debut single. I thought it was pretty corny how they just dubbed over the video. They have been doing quite a few shows. Wish them all the success.

'Nobody' Dance Moves - Robot Style

2009-10-03T19:00:00.002+08:00

The Wonder Girls who are making their US debut now have previously took over Korea with their catchy song 'Nobody' and their simple and cute dance moves. It was even used in Boys Over Flowers 꽃보다 남자 in the episode when Woo Bin and Yi Jung try to distract Jae Kyung from Gu Jun Pyo by taking her on a night out. They went to a karaoke and the song that JK was singing was 'Nobody' by the Wondergirls.

ANYWAY, a friend forwarded me a really cool video of some robots doing the dance moves. Too cute!

If you haven't seen the music video for 'Nobody', here it is:

Bourough Market, London

2009-09-25T10:21:00.010+08:00

I've been meaning to post this experience for awhile but something else always came up... like that nice smelling cream from Skin Food. : ) As part of my new explorations in London last month, my friend Siu Mai took me to Borough Market.

No, I had never heard of it which seemed incredible to her. This was kind of like how the conversation went:
SM: "We could go to Borough Market."
Me: "Where's that?"
SM: "You've not heard of Borough Market?"
Me: "No, where is it?"
SM: "You used to live here and you have NEVER been to Borough Market??"
Me: "No, should I have? I've not heard of it before. I've been to Camden and Portobello Markets." (Guess that didn't count in her eyes. :)
SM: "Borough... B-O-R-O..."
Me: "I KNOW how to spell Borough, I have just not heard of it and never been there! What kind of market is it?"
SM: "Oh, it's a really famous market for fresh vege and food. I just found it odd that you have not heard of it.

She went on to tell me about all the good food by the stall vendors like this best-in-the-world chorizo sandwich, the grilled cheese sandwiches, assorted of cheeses, pastries... oh an endless list of yummy stuff. I took lots of pictures and will describe through pictures. It's much better that way.

Walking into the lane that leads to the market from Elephant & Castle station. Some cheese vendors on the left. If I'm not mistaken, this shop sells $$$ cupcakes.

Fruit and vege.

Fresh flowers and plants.

These are peppers but apparently they are only decorative and not edible.

I love Hydrangeas and these were so vibrant!

Mmmmm... pastries! We bought a few from this stall. Check out the size of those meringues on the right!

More cake and pastries.

Main entrance. Big sign, can't miss it.

On the first floor on the right of that building is a restaurant called Roast which has very traditional English Roasts.

I had my coffee fix here.

Their version of fast drip coffee.

Ok, now this lady is selling those delicious chorizo sandwiches that SM was raving about. All her friends who tried it swore it was the best. I was not disappointed! The chorizo's are fried in olive oil (that's going on behind her) then put on a bap drizzled with more olive oil, topped with a roasted red pepper and lots of rocket leaves. The peppery taste from the rocket mingles so nicely with the slightly spicy chorizo. The sweet bell pepper just tops it all very nicely.

The chorizo is under all that rocket.
Ok the toasted cheese sandwiches here are filling and the best thing is they taste so good when they go down!

Here they are being prepared in bulk.

Fruit and vege.

These are all curries!

As the sign goes... seafood.

We stopped here for some scallops topped with bacon. It was only ok. The scallops could have been seared better and the whole thing could really have done without all the garnishing save for the bacon.

SM had some oysters from the same stall but was not impressed. Later she went to another stall which had fresher oysters near the entrance.

As you can see I am so impressed with their fruit and vege selection as I feel quite deprived here in Seoul.

Here we have dried fruits and nuts.

Turkish delight in all flavours and baclava.

Olives anyone? I did a bit of sampling here... yummy!

These Parma Ham with Melon and salad packages looked so good!

Ah... the other oyster stall which SM got her oysters fix from.

Plums and Apples

They had all these interesting banners hung around the market. This one in particular caught my eye. Truly eccentric throw on the artichoke.

I sampled the Thai Green Curry here which was pretty authentic.

If you are interested to visit Borough Market, here is the website: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

It was a totally fun and filling day for me.

Chicken & Spinach Masala ala Hamlyn

2009-09-23T16:45:00.004+08:00

Recently I stayed at my friend's place and while sitting in her sunny kitchen noticed a small cookbook. It's called Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook: 200 One Pot Recipes. First of all the sausage caserole (It's actually a Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash) on the front cover caught my eye and the following pages were a rich collection of delicious looking-easy-to-put-together meals... or are they?

Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash

I managed to find it in Waterstone's bookstore at Regent St. in London and when I got home tried the Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash first which was alright. Bought some deli pork sausages but cooking took a little longer than expected.

Tried another dish which is the Chicken & Spinach Masala. This was quite successful but I added some tumeric (about 1tsp) to add more colour. The recipe only needs cumin which gives that strong Indian curry flavour without the need of curry leaves. Very different from a Malaysian curry that relies more on coconut milk, this masala only uses cream.

Straight from the book

The finished product

Smell Yummy...

2009-09-20T19:15:00.004+08:00

Skin Food is prone to give plenty of freebie samples when you buy stuff from them. So my Mom brought back this sample which just sounded tasty! I like the smell of oranges and teamed with mint? Yum... I wasn't disappointed. Besides doing its job by doing a good job of moisturising my skin it also smells so good! I actually do cook a roast chicken with orange and mint that has a good combination of flavours and this sort of reminds me of it. ; )

Pucca is MINE!

2009-09-20T18:33:00.007+08:00

Talk about the coolest surprise gift! I got the Pucca USB Flash Memory the day after I posted that blog for my birthday from my Man. Surprisingly he was actually paying attention (for a change) to what I was raving about. : ) Kee kee kee kee kee!

You can find it at Yongsan Electronic Market for about KRW35k for the 4GB. It is twice the price on the Singapore eBay site. Here are some pics of my Pucca. My gadget of the year!!!

The cheeks glow when you plug it into the USB port.

Pucca 뿌까 USB Flash Memory - SOOO CUTE!

2009-09-15T22:21:00.002+08:00

I was recently introduced to Pucca 뿌까 and thought it was a rather cute anime/manga character. Pucca is actually created by a Korean company called Vooz Co Ltd and started out with online animated videos done in Macromedia Flash. You can find out more on Wikipedia.

I like her cos she's cute. My daughter having to look a bit like Pucca with hair like Garu has nothing to do with it either! ; ) Anyway, I found out that they have released a USB Flash Memory in 2GB/4GB/8GB! I have not found out where to buy it yet but I will. Here's the video I saw on the PuccaClub.com website that is too cool.

New Moon Trailer #3 is OUT!

2009-09-15T12:04:00.003+08:00

I'm a fan of the Twilight Saga... who isn't? (Ok, don't answer that!) I haven't come across a vampire series that I have liked since picking up Anne Rice's 'Interview With A Vampire'. I heard about Twilight through some girly mag's book and movies review. Since I was planning a long trip I decided to put the movie on my iTouch. *Gasp*

So, while waiting 5 hours at the less than efficient immigration department in Malaysia, I managed to finish the movie. Even through the tiny screen, the characters, scenery and mood just jumped out at me. I loved it. Bought the book as a box set and now I am waiting for New Moon to come out in the cinemas.

New Moon is in my opinion the weakest book in the series. I understand how Stefenie Meyer wanted to potray Bella's angst and pain but sometimes I thought it went on for too long. I also didn't particularly like the focus of over half the book on Jacob. Bring back Edward was what I was thinking! The book turned movie I am most looking forward to though, is Breaking Dawn.

So here are some of the trailers you can find on YouTube including their latest one with Dakota Fanning gone crazy with raccoon eyes.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Official Trailer

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Official Trailer #3

Making a Lover 애인 만들기 Piano Sheets - SS501 (Boys Over Flowers/꽃보다男子)

2009-09-12T19:37:00.015+08:00

Well it's certainly been some time since I have posted music sheets. Listening to the Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다男子) soundtrack recently inspired me to post one of my favourite songs on the OST which is Making a Lover (애인 만들기), one of 2 songs by SS501 on the OST. I think having Kim Hyun Joong on the cast really does help the other 3 to boost their exposure.

No music notes are missing so the scan was good. I couldn't help but post some gratuitous photos of Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo as well. These pics are from the piano book.

Page 1

Page 2
Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

I read somewhere that he has had his nose done. Not sure how true that is but his teeth have definitely had been whitened. I am not sure about some of his wardrobe choices though. Like the navy and white polka dot scarf with the outfit in the first picture!

Must not forget Gu Jun Pyo

Very stylish here

Bird's Eye Fish Fingers with a twist!

2009-09-06T17:21:00.004+08:00

Last weekend I was visiting my aunt in Brussels. I arrived about 11am and when I got to her place, I was suitably hungry. When I had visited her in Paris some 13 years ago, she made me fish fingers and I remember it well because as a student, fish fingers were a premium!

I made a request for fish fingers again when she asked what I would like to eat. So my first meal were these delicious fish fingers that were crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. Why gooey? Well they had a creamy filling on the top of the fish. You can get them at Carrefour.

Shame I forgot what they were called but I'm pretty sure they were by Birds Eye

She also had two side by side deep fryers... among a plethora of other cooking and baking products that would put Delia Smith (is she still around?) to shame!

Hobnobs with Dark Chocolate - Droooool!

2009-09-04T03:11:00.006+08:00

McVitie's has always made excellent oat biscuits. Not being a fan of oats, I was introduced to their sweeter version, chocolate covered Hobnobs. The chocolate is only on one side similar to the digestive biscuits you see in supermarkets but now they have truly edged up on their product!

You can now get Hobnobs with DARK CHOCOLATE! Talk about a big yum in every bite! I discovered them back in uni and used to have them with a hot cup of tea or Milo (a kind of hot chocolate drink very popular in Asia and Australia). The best way to eat them is to dunk them very quickly into to your tea or hot chocolate but mind you, only dip as much as you would bite off as they get soggy rather quickly. LOVELY!

The dark chocolate version only makes it all the more richer and isn't too bitter... they really got this one right! A very satisfied customer. Unfortunately, I could only lug 2 in my suitcase as I had lots of other stuff in my bag. Like a chorizo, which I will explain later when I blog about my trip to Borough Market. Oh and the annoying thing was, after I bought it at Sainsbury's, my friend found it in Tesco's for Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Don't you hate it when that happens???

(I actually have an image to upload but for some reason it is not loading from a url. I will have to reupload it later from a different source)

Funny announcements on Asiana Airlines

2009-09-04T03:01:00.002+08:00

The older you get the harder it is to adjust to time differences and jet lag gets worst! Hence my blog entry at 4am. On the plane today flying into Seoul after leaving a rainy London behind, the Asiana Airlines stewardess was happily welcoming us to Seoul. Of course high on Korea's agenda for people entering Seoul is the potential spread of the H1N1 flu.

The stewardess had me laughing when she told us that if we have any symptoms of "...fever, sore throat, runny nose or muscle ashes" to alert the health staff immediately. "Muscle ashes"? Sigh... I think she mispronounced "aches"! But otherwise her Engrish was very good. And no... I won't try to even say the same in Korean.

The Cioccolata Fiorentina

2009-08-28T00:02:00.003+08:00

If you ever have the chance to eat at Carluccio's Caffe, you have to try their Ciococlata Fiorentina. For chocolate lovers and chocolate sufferers alike, it will be melted heaven in your mouth!

The description in their dessert menu is: Thick drinking chocolate served in an expresso cup. I went to their caffe in St. Christopher's Place which is near Selfridges. It was a little packed but it is on 2 floors, so if you don't mind sitting downstairs you should be able to find a place. It was a nice day so the al fresco tables were all taken. Once you walk in you will find yourself in their deli which is packed full of good stuff! You will be drawn to pick something out. Food's good and I like their atmosphere. I especially like the marinated olives they serve at the table.

Marmite Rice Cakes

2009-08-27T23:49:00.002+08:00

Needs more kick!

I thought it would be more packed with Marmite flavour. But sadly it tasted more rice cakey than Marmitey.

FInally Found: Toast Rack

2009-08-24T06:02:00.002+08:00

I have been looking for a toast rack for years and finally found one at Peter Jones in Sloane Square, London. Peter Jones is the upmarket version of John Lewis. Not bad for GBP5!

Marmite Rice Cakes... What will they come up wth next?

2009-08-22T14:45:00.004+08:00

I love Sainbury's. I will say it again, I love Sainbury's! Wide aisles and plenty of choice. Not only did I find my usual favourites, I came across something that I can't wait to sink my teeth into and find out how it passed the food tasting department of Best Foods or Unilever as is the proper owner of the trademark.

MARMITE RICE CAKES!

Or should I say Marmite flavoured rice cakes. That's going to be an interesting combination. The bland taste of rice cakes combined extremely salty and strange overpowering savoury taste of marmite. I will try to keep my verdict of how it is a snack to a minimum number of words later. Now's not the right time for me to eat it. It's barely 8am on Saturday and I'm jetlagged.

Checking Out Lee Chul Hair Ker Ker

2009-08-22T03:49:00.002+08:00

In a previous post, I wrote about looking for a hairdresser. I found a place in Myeong-dong that is fairly well known called Lee Chul Hair Kerker. I have no idea why the Kerker at the end, I am sure it has some vague reference to hair in a language other than English. I first read it on Annalog’s blog, she went to the one in Apgujeong. After going to the Lee Chul website, I found that they had a salon in Myeong-dong which is easier for me to find.If are taking the subway, take Line 4 and get out at exit 6. You will emerge in front of Migliore shopping centre. (The shops are shut now due to renovation, try visiting the one in Dongdaemun if you’re interested). With Migliore on the left, walk down the street and take the first left. Keep walking about 25m and about 3 stores after the first lane on the right, you will see the sign for Lee Chul. It’s on the 4^th floor but they usually have a poster outside the entrance to the building.

Take the lift to the 4^th floor and you will see the reception desk a little inside and to the right. Tell them what you want done (eg. Shampoo, cut & blow dry, perm, colour etc…), then you will be ushered to a little waiting area with some padded benches to wait. They offer you coffee or tea while you wait. Once a stylist is ready, that person will bring you to one of their seats.

They spoke very little English so I used whatever basic Korean I knew to communicate how I would like my hair done, but I did ask for a magazine with hairstyle to make it easier for them to see what I wanted. They brought me a clear holder where they had inserted pictures of Korean stars to see which hairstyle I would like to emulate! I found that quite amusing. I am not too familiar with the Korean stars but there were quite a few of them there for me to get an ‘idea’ of what’s IN.

In the end, I found a ‘do’ that was similar to what I wanted to achieve and told my stylist, whose name is Linda by the way, with some adjustments to length etc…

Next thing I know I am getting a shampoo and the shampoo girl (for lack of a better title) did a decent job of washing and massaging my scalp. Then we move to the sinks and I like how we aren’t totally lying down like the salons in Singapore and Malaysia but you’re not sitting upright either like in Australian salons but sort of at a comfortable 45 degrees. This makes it a lot easier to get up after your hair is washed and your head feels heavier with the towel.

All in all, the cut was neat and nice. The layers were good, gradual and not too choppy which is important. I would feel more comfortable if Linda spoke a bit more English as it still felt a bit risky letting her have a go at my hair even with the picture.

I would definitely go back. KRW25,000 for shampoo, cut and blow dry is really reasonable and much cheaper than Singapore!

You can never have too many Yugwa (유과)

2009-08-11T22:43:00.005+08:00

Last weekend my 4th Uncle and Aunt from my father's side came to visit. Although it had been raining the week before, the weather turned nice and hot. On the day they arrived, I took them for the traditional summer food - Samgyetang at this restaurant that I rather like in Insadong. It's one of those places that I keep going back to because the service is good, atmosphere is pleasant and the food is good as well as being reasonably priced.

I don't actually know the restaurant's name but it's on Insadong 5-gil or Insadong 오-gil. It's somewhere mid-way along the main avenue of Insadong and there is a street sign identifying the alley. The restaurant is the first one on the right. There are of course plenty of quaint restaurants in Insadong to choose from in the many side streets.

After lunch I took them to try some Korean tea and traditional korean cakes. We ordered Jujube tea and Ginger tea. The latter was quite spicy but it felt good after a full meal. Ginger tea helps reduce gas which is always good. I wanted them to try a type of Hangwa (한과) which the term for traditional Korean confectionary and in particular Yugwa (유과). This particular tea house only has 1 type of serving and that is 16 pieces on a plate!

I think when I exclaimed "Sixteen!!!", everyone in the restaurant turned to look. The cute little waitress then said, "Oh you can pack to take away if cannot finish." Oh well then...

In the end, the 3 of us finished everything. They are so light and fluffy that it is easy to eat. They are crisp on the outside but honeycombed on the inside. So makes eating it very easy and not too filling. I guess that's how we managed to scoff all 16!

Top: Jujube tea; Bottom: Ginger tea; Right: Yugwa

Oh and the best thing is, we realised all the other customers got one each when they ordered their tea. So we could always have just ordered the tea and tried another dessert! In fact that means that we should have gotten 19 pieces of Yugwa!

Prawn and Mushroom Pasta at Sortino's

2009-08-11T12:38:00.004+08:00

I have found the best Prawn and Mushroom Pasta! What a find!! I had dinner at Sortino's at Itaewon last weekend (and that was only 'cos Macaroni Market was full) with family. We ordered a Diavolo pizza, Penne Arabiatta, salad and my Aunt ordered the Linguine alla Sortino's (which is the Prawn and Mushroom pasta).

The salad was fresh and whetted our appetite nicely for the mains. Next came the pizza which was crisp and they were generous with the topping which was nice. They did add a bit too much chilli flakes in my opinion. I like my Diavolo spicy but not mouth searing. Still, it did not kill the taste of the pepperoni/salami too much.

The Arabiatta was mediocre. The penne was a little undercooked and once again a little too much spice to the dish. Or maybe it was just simply overshadowed by the subtle and yet delicious taste of the Prawn and Mushroom linguine.

That dish was made with sliced (porcini) mushrooms in a creamy tomato and thyme sauce. Whatever it is the creamy tomato sauce was not heavy and had a delicate flavour, quite different from a typical cream based pasta and yet did not have the tangy taste of a tomato base.

They topped the dish with 2 jumbo prawns which... I didn't think was quite that jumbo. But it is a small discrepancy in an otherwise delicious dish. I would give it 5 out of 5 for taste. Sorry I have no pictures of the dish right now but I will be returning there shortly for their signature dish and this time I will bring a camera!

For details of their location and contact details, please go to their website: Sortino's

My Singer is finally here

2009-08-05T17:10:00.004+08:00

I had recently decided to tap into my more creative side. I am not terribly interested in crafts but am pretty alright with sewing. So began my quest to find a good beginner-intermediate sewing machine. The last sewing machine I used was the old machines from back in the 60's/70's that was in my grandmother's house. I had a lot of fun with that machine and did some pretty decent little projects.

I was also inspired by my aunts who were always quite nimble with their fingers and made some useful home decor and bags etc...

In my next post I will talk a little more about whats available out the for a beginner-intermedate model sewing machine. Here though is my new Singer Traditon 2273. Still in the box! Had not had time to take it out yet. Will do that later tonight.

For those who are interested, I bought it from Sunmart. I went to their store with my friend SY who is Korean and that was a good thing because they don't speak English. They have all their model there and you can try each one out. I found it extremely useful to test out the machine and have the salesperson show me all the functions and even how to thread, change the feet, fill the bobbin, etc...

After doing some more research I decided on the Singer and bought it online with the help of SY. I decided to buy it online rather than go to the store (which is in an office building and is really more like an office) because I could get a bigger discount online. I could not open an account with Sunmart because I am not Korean. This is quite typical of a lot of online shopping websites except for G-Market which is obviously ahead of its time. ; ) You also cannot pay with a foreign credit card. So your options are either a bank transfer, credit card or I think Direct Debit. (Not sure about the last one).

Front view of the box

Back view of the box

I can't wait to start using the machine!

Oh Churros, how do I love thee! Let me count the ways.

2009-08-04T10:59:00.005+08:00

Since going to Disneyland back in my teens, I have been rather fond of Churros and over the years it has grown to a honest to goodness love for the snack! Churros originated in Spain and apparently is normally eaten during breakfast dipped in hot chocolate.

The only way I have eaten churros is when it is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. I have been able to find it sold by street vendors in Japan, Singapore, Korea, Australia and of course the US. The ones in Japan are pretty spot on, Singapore sells them slightly shorter and less thick in diameter which makes them slightly dry when they keep it in the oven. The same goes for the ones I have tried in Korea. A little disappointing when the center is hard. It should be cruncy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.

My sister recommended this really yummy one at Victoria's Market in Melbourne. The vendor was in a van situated at one end of the clothing market and if a queue is any sign of a good thing in the making, this one certainly had a steady queue of customers. My sister bought it for me to try but in the end I only got one as she gobbled the rest.

I am happy to report that I have found churros in Seoul! You can now buy a box of 25 from Costco for about KRW13,000 and heat them in your oven for 10mins at about 200C. You can then enjoy them to your hearts content. They even come with their own bag of cinnamon sugar. YUMMY!

The best thing is, it tastes even better than what you can get from the street vendors here. Just the way I like it. Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. 10mins is enough. If you want it more crunchy keep it in for a little longer.

I am calling from the CDC.

2009-07-23T10:34:00.003+08:00

If you have had the chance to be out of the country recently and returned, you probably would have received a phone call from none other than the CDC. I have a theory that you will probably only be called if you have been to a country that has recorded high cases of the H1N1 influenza.

My experience goes a little something like this. A few days after I came back from Sydney, I was manouvering my overflowing trolley to the cashier at Costco and my phone rang. Not the best timing but I had been ignoring several calls from numbers I don't recognise and figured that this person was persistent... could be important.

Caller: Yoboseyo. <Followed by a string of Korean words that I did not understand>

Me: Hangukmal murumnida

Caller: I am calling from the CDC. (Me: CDC??? Center for Disease Control? Uh oh!) You have recently returned from Australia? (Me: Ooooh, nice sounding young man with good command of English)

Me: Yes.

Caller: Do you have any flu symptoms?

Me: No.

Caller: Are you sure?

Me: No cough or cold or runny nose.

Caller: Please monitor for the next week. If you have any flu symptoms please go to the nearest public health centre.

Me: Ok.

Caller: Goodbye.

Me: <Turns to M> **E! You are not going to believe who called me! CDC!!

Bring back those Chicken Wings, Mao!

2009-07-22T23:05:00.002+08:00

I know it's been ages since I've posted. I put it down to being away for long periods and just pure laziness... and not much going on (bummer).

However, something has inspired me to add a post tonight. I had dinner at Mao's Chinese restaurant in Hannam-dong (in the small lane a stone's throw from the Grand Hyatt) and had been looking forward to having their Hong Kong Style Fried Chicken Wings with Black Bean (and chilli). However, when I got there I was told they don't have it. Not that they no longer have it but the don't have it. Making me look like some kind of psycho who insisted that they had it before. I ate it twice! I remember.

So after some interrogation with the waiter who spoke a smattering of English, I find out that they had changed their menu 3 months ago. Yes, it had been awhile since I went to Mao. I made 2 attempts in the past to go but they both got foiled. Once we went to Ho Lee Chow (Itaewon, Hamilton Hotel) instead and the other time it was too late.

Later, I discovered much to my disappointment, that not only did they change the menu they changed the chef too. The food just didn't taste the same. I ordered the Pork in Black Bean Sauce with Chinese Buns and it was too sweet. Tasted better the last time. Same with the Beef with Peppers. At least the latter's sweetness was not overpowering. We did try something new which was the Prawns in Sweet and Spicy sauce which was quite nice. But the bed of brocolli it was served on was rather raw.

I don't think I will go to Mao for awhile. If I am lucky, after some time they will bring back those yummy Hong Kong Style Friend Chicken Wings in Black Bean!

Converting videos to MP4 for the iPod

2009-05-18T16:41:00.003+08:00

If you are ever looking for a software that converts video files, movies, dvd's, YouTube videos etc. into MP4 format for your iPod then I would recomment Videora. It's easy to use with step by step instructions and fairly quick at converting files. Only thing is it is, the interface is a little slow. You have also got the option to down load a YouTube Downloader programme that allows you to download videos from YouTube straight to MP4 format!

Here's the blurb from their website:

Videora iPod Converter is a free iPod video converter that converts video files, YouTube videos, movies and DVD's so you can play them on your iPod. The software, developed by the creators of Videora, can convert all types of video files (avi, divx, xvid, flv, x264, vob, mpeg, DVD's, YouTube, etc.) into the proper video formats (MPEG-4, H.264) that play on the iPod.

With Videora iPod Converter you can convert videos for any type of iPod that plays video. This includes the new iPod touch, iPod nano and iPod classic in addition to the 5th generation iPod. You can also convert videos for the iPhone. It is available for Windows and Mac.

Once an Apple fan, always an Apple fan

2009-05-18T14:46:00.003+08:00

The first computer my brother and I had was an Apple ll. This was back in the days of the green screen, dos, floppy discs the size of panckaes and typing C:/ run to start applications. My family had always had Apple computers back in the 80's. I remember playing Dark Castle with the Mac ll and then later fiddling around with the Macintosh.

Then came the invasion of the PC and the decline of Apple Computing. All that's history now that iPod gave Apple a new lease on life and it has capitalised on that by blowing our mind away with constantly evolving design and usability.

I recently got an iPod Touch as a gift and I am loving it! At first I thought t was the iPhone (which was a little silly as I knew I could not use it in Korea) then I was told it is the iPod Touch. Now I didn't know the Touch had similar functions as the iPhone but it just doesn't have the 'phone' element.

I just want to say that I LOVE IT! Yes I had to put tha in colour, that is how much I like it. I have already converted some .avi files to MP4 to watch on the Touch and it's great! Now I am going to download Skype onto it so I can call and video call with it when I am in a WIFI zone.

Yes it is Super Slim!

New buzzwords in Malaysia: 'Snatch Thieves' and 'Mat Rempit'

2009-05-16T16:36:00.002+08:00

It's great to be home. On the surface you think nothing has changed. Everyone at home is the same, I can be as childish and silly as I like and still get away with it with my family. The city looks the same, there are just as many cars and it's as hotter than ever. But underneath it all, there is an underlying feeling of danger.

I can't think of another word. I feel insecure. Whether it is my father sending me all these emails with stories and even live video recordings of robberies, corruption, kidnappings or just reading it in the newspapers here and hearing accounts of it from my mother from incidents involving her friends. The current menace (among many) is the emergence of 'snatch thieves'.

These are unsavoury people who may be dressed decently so you lower your guard and they accost you and grab your handbag. A common MO now is snatching your bag while they are on their motorcycle so they can make a quick getaway. Recently there were two cases of a pregnant women falling victim to snatch thieves while riding their motorbikes.

One fell off the bike afer her bag was pulled from her. She hit her head on the road and went into a coma. Unfortunately she later died in the hospital. Another incident last week also involved a pregnant woman who was on her way to pick up her 8 year old son (1 of 4 children). Her bag was slung over her shoulder while riding he motorbike but 2 snatch thieves on another motorbike pulled at her bag till the straps broke. Their bikes made contact and she fell off onto the road where she was subsequently rammed by a car coming from the opposite direction.

These are all sad stories and only 2 in the last week that made it into the papers. I see reports of the police coming up with plans to get these Mat Rempit and snatch thieves as well as an article where the government is saying that more has to be done to nip this in the bud before they become more bold as it will also affect tourism. Before they become more bold??? Affect tourism??? What about the security of their citizens?

I no longer feel safe even going to a shopping mall and parking my car. Especially with a baby where I have to put her into the car and put away the pram, I would be a prime target for someone aiming to diverse me of my wallet. Sigh... Safety in groups and move fast. Keep keys in hand and look out for anyone in the vicinity. Everyone is a suspect. Stay away from corners and alleys, even between cars.

Such a sad state of affairs.

Heat Wave in Malaysia

2009-05-12T00:33:00.003+08:00

I am finally on my holiday in Malaysia. It's great to be home but I don't remember it ever being THIS HOT!!! Although they say it's 34C but it feels more like 40C with the hummidity and the heat that's coming up from the ground. I cannot imagine being able to live here without air conditioning.

I'm too hot to post more right now. When I am ensconsed inside an air conditioned room I will blog again.

The kids get the fun stuff @ Namdaemun

2009-05-01T21:10:00.008+08:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I like Namdaemun? Some people might think I am mad. The mad crush on the weekend, the smell of food cooking from the Food Alley, Ajashi's and Ajumma's with their carts plowing through the crowd with a 'take no prisoners' attitude and the shoving is all just part of the experience.

I have found the Children's section of the market where there are 3 buildings dedicated to childrens clothes and it's fantastic! Clothes, clothes and more clothes in every colour and style. They have fairy princess type gowns, preppy school boy outfits, mini-polo sophisticated sports fashion, grunge, dress like your favourite Disney Princess or Superhero outfits, romantic follow the trends fashion and many many more.

Having also shopped for kids clothes in China, I must say it is not as cheap but almost as cheap. What I like most about it, like most of the clothes I have found in Doota is that they are made in Korea. One can go crazy. If you can, I would avoid bringing your kids there if they can't already walk by themselves. The aisles among the stores in the building are narrow and cramped. Bring cash, they don't take credit cards.

The closest 'obvious' entrance (to me anyway) is actually near Shinsegae. If you are coming from Shinsegae, walk up that street where the stalls start and hang a right when you see the Face Shop and the stores are on your right opposite the Samik Fashion Town. You will see quite a few vendors selling shoes and accessories outside those buildings.

As for the accessories, if you are so inclined you could walk to Entrance 6 then take a left to the Trillion building which is full of stores selling accessories wholesale. Just in the front entrance on the right is one vendor selling kids accessories. He mainly sells wholesale as in buy an entire strip of clips which has about 8 for a little bit cheaper than from the Ahjussi in the market. So if you are looking for gifts, that's the way to go.

Meanwhile, I couldn't resist getting these headbands from that particular store in Trillion.

Waffles & Coffee

2009-04-30T20:51:00.005+08:00

I was suppose to review this restaurant after my Samcheongdong post but forgot about it. But it was too good to not write about it at all.

I don't know what the name of the place was as I couldn't actually find a signboard but it does write Coffee & Waffles on the side of the building so I am just going to call it the coffee and waffles place. There is in fact many cafes that serve waffles in Samcheongdong-gil but I saw this one some time ago when I went to 8 Steps for dinner. What interested me was their brunch menu which looked pretty good and was reasonably priced. Ranging from KRW9,000 to KRW12,000.

It's easy to find, basically walk up Samcheongdong-gil from Geungbukgung. It's a bit of a walk as it's all the way in and slightly uphill. I would say its a good 15 minute walk at a leisurely pace. It's on the left side of the street and further up from Oz Kitchen.

Their menu is pretty limited but tastes good, probably why there was a decent crowd there at 12.30pm. The place is large with an alfresco area, inside dining and a sort of green house type dining area sans the plants.

The standard dish is the brunch set which is salad, a fried egg, sausage and choice of either waffles or french toast. As there were four of us we ordered 2 of each and gobbled it down as it was yummy. The salad was fresh and crunchy, the sausage is your korean style franks and the egg was nicely fried but not runny : ( The strange thing was they put some condense milk on the waffles but it tasted good!

You can see the chefs in the kitchen preparing the salad and cooking these by bulk. The wait was a little long, about 15 mins but it was a cozy atmosphere and comfortable place to just sit and chat. Here are some pics of the place and our dishes.

Back entrance

Brunch set plus French Toast

Brunch set plus Waffles which were soft and fluffy

Grand place to spend the day - Children's Grand Park

2009-04-30T17:07:00.005+08:00

Spring in Seoul is really quite lovely in the Spring. The weather is fair and it can be around 20C during the week for most days with a day or two of rain here and there. If you have time on the weekend and the weather is good, a visit to the Children's Grand Park is a really nice day out.

The Children's Grand Park is located in Neung-dong, Songdong-Gu (Gangnam'ish area). The park was opened in 1973 and is sprawling. It has a zoo, amusement park, numerous playgrounds, many water features including a waterfall, botanical garden, Bandukee park, Elephant Park etc...

The park is really well landscaped so bring a camera as there are many photo opportunites. There are obviously lots of families visiting the park but also couples and groups of friends having a picnic in many of the grassy areas.

One thing that struck me were the many Family Marts situated around the park in case you needed refreshments or snacks. The Amusemet Park was pretty well equipped. As good as any if you ask me. They had 2 roller coasters, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, the ship and an arcade too. You could spend quite some time here. Located in the Amusement Park is a food court and for fast food, you have Popeye's. I did not go into the zoo but I could see that it was also a decent size with at least 3 dozen cages.

Getting there is not going to be easy by car as it can get really congested and parking is a nightmare. Queuing to get into the parking lot itself will test your patience. The other option is the subway, the park is located on Subway Line 7. There are also 2 entrances to get into the Park both of which has easy access from the subway.

Entrance to the park

Fountains in a shallow pond for kids to play in

The other entrance is at the end of this flower bed

Amusement Park

People having picnics in the shaded areas

One of the many playgrounds

Kalbi Kalbi Kalbi!

2009-04-27T22:25:00.003+08:00

I used to love Korean BBQ but since I have moved here, I find that I seldom have the urge to eat it. It's like one of those things where you have too much of it or it's too available that it someow loses its appeal.

Going for Korean BBQ used to be a treat. Not only was it a little pricey it was something different like having Italian while you are in Mongolia. Since coming here, the only times I have had Korean BBQ (and I can count with one hand) was because I was being entertaine by clients or I was entertaining clients OR I had guests who naturally wanted Korean BBQ when in Korea.

I recently had some guests over and decided to take them to this little place in Itaewon, in the food alley behind Hamilton Hotel. If you still don't know where that is, it is opposite My Chelsea restaurant. It's called Guga Kalbi. It's a small place with the restaurant being split in two. The inner section has the low tables and you sit on tatami mats and the outer area has tables and benches.

It's run by Ahjummas as far as I could tell. Service was quick and friendly. However, they still do frown at you when you try to cook the meet yourself as we don't do it quite their way. : P The meat was fresh and yummy. I especilaly liked their side dishes and in particular this salad of spring onions and bean sprouts. It was a nice cozy atmosphere. I have tried Itaewon Galbi and Busan Galbi down the road and was unimpressed. The meat was only ok and the environment was too crowded and smoky.

A nice piece of beef steak

A side dish of raw crab marinated in their special spicy sauce

The salad I was telling you about

I will definitely go to Guga Kalbi again. 3.5/5

How I have missed my manicures.

2009-04-25T21:59:00.006+08:00

It's been ages since I have had a manicure. 10 months probably. I forgot how nice it was to see my nails all nicely shaped and coloured. Sigh! It used to be a monthly ritual to relax and be pampered.

Although it's not Snails at Wheelock Place in Singapore where we get partitioned reclining seats, Tiffany Nails in Itaewon is cheap and good. KRW15,000 for a manicure + massage/exfoliation for your hands. Located opposite Dunkin Donuts on Itaewon's main strip the salon is prettily decorated and convenient for me.

Although I personally dislike having my nails (or hair) done where passerby's can see, Tiffany Nails had a promotion price which I couldn't refuse. I know there is another Nail Salon called Bling Bling (Nails) further up the road that I will try later. Service was very polite and efficient. Some waiting is required if you go without an appointment on the weekend. I went on a Saturday and had to wait half an hour which is fine by me. I just wandered around and got a coffee.

My nails were shaped well but the lady serving me did push a little deeper than I would like when buffing my cuticles. If you plan to go, I suggest ringing in advance for an appointment on the weekend so you don't have to wait around. I will definitely be paying them a visit again as I get a 10% discount on my next trip because I paid cash the previous visit.

Tiffany Nail
Biz Hours: 11am - 10pm
Location: 1F 123-26 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu (Itaewon Station Exit #2)

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) Piano Sheets

2009-04-24T23:37:00.004+08:00

Ok, here are the music sheets for 내 머리가 나빠서 by SS501 from Boys Over Flowers that I scanned from my newly purchased piano books from said drama. I wasn't about to cut the pages out to get a more 'complete' scan so if you want it you just have to live with the fact that a slight bit is cut off (page 3 is missing the last notes).

Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다男子) Piano Books are now available.

2009-04-24T21:42:00.005+08:00

I've seen many requests on the net for the piano sheets for 리가 나빠서 (Because Im Stupid) by SS501 and although I did find one online, I found the chords to be a bit strange and didn't come out right. Good news though, the piano books by Music Tree are out! You can find them in Kyobo books store in Gwanghwamun in Seoul. There are 2 versions. There are some overlap of songs but as the books were only KRW10,000 I got them both and got a free poster.

There are some nice pics for the fans in there. The best pic is the one that Ji Hoo took with Jan Di at the park when they entered the competition for best looking couple. Here are what the books look like.

Publish Post

B-boys Style

2009-04-19T23:22:00.003+08:00

Some time last year my cousin told me he had just seen a documentary about break dancing and in particular how the Koreans had dominated the recent ‘world championship’ of break dancing. He was telling me how impressed he was by their talent and it was mind blowing stuff.

So when I was flying to Seoul via SIA and came across ‘Planet B-boy’, I thought this had to be it and selected it for the next hour’s entertainment. Planet B-boy is like a documentary that follows several teams with a focus on particular members as they prepare for the big battle in Germany.

We gain some insight to their views on dance in particular break dancing and hip hop. Although the director tries to spread the attention, I couldn’t help but feel that the more interesting stories were with the French and Korean teams. The members that they focused the documentary on were from less well to do backgrounds. Some faced opposition from their family from pursuing their passion and some others received a lot of support.

As the story follows their preparation for their competition in Germany, you can already see subtle differences in the style of dancing and performance standards from team to team. The Koreans had won the year before which was a first as they had only picked up this Western style of dancing recently.

The world champions from the year before automatically qualified for this year so Korea was able to send a 2nd team. The Americans were all talk and only managed top 5 if I’ m not mistaken… which is a little ironic considering the art originated from them.

Its really worth watching these talented boys wow you with their skill, technique, choreograph and passion. So when I found out that they had a small theatre in Hongdae which had a B-boy show, I got my tickets asap.

The theatre is at the basement of Samjinpharm Building near the main gate of Hongik University. The theatre is small but cozy. The front area of the stage is kept empty for the dancers and seats are available around the dance floor. They get pretty up close and personal which is all part of the experience.

Now wanting to ruin the story and there IS a story, the show was riveting which also had some contemporary/modern dance involved. It was interesting seeing the two mix but I was definitely more impressed with the fast pace of the hip hop and break dance style. One of my favorites was the Robot dance moves. Here are some pictures I took of the dancers after the show.

You can find out more and buy tickets here: SJBboys

Taking pictures with the audience after the show.

Springing along Samcheongdong-gil

2009-04-19T20:24:00.006+08:00

I recently had the opportunity to walk along Samcheongdong-gil during the day. I normally go there at night to check out a restaurant along that street. It was a warm weekend in April and the flowers were starting to bloom.

I just like the name of this shop: Coolgirls Room

After months of seeing bare and scrawny trees, I was seeing bursts of colour everywhere. I met up with some friends at Angkuk station near Insadong and we walked to Samcheongdong. The road that we walked along (and where all these photos are taken) is across the road from the main entrance to Geongbukgung/Geongbuk Palace and 100m down the road.

Some of the stores set up their displays outside so there was a bit of a market feel to it too.

There were plenty of people out enjoying the sunshine and the pleasant scenery around the palace. There are variety of cool boutiques and an extensive choice of eateries. There are bistros, cafes, restaurants with a mixture of specialties ranging from waffles, pizza’s, burgers to coffee and ice cream.

This place is quite famous for their waffles, I'm told.

This place is so cool! Designed to look like it just popped out from a Wizard of Oz story book. They serve Italian food here. Mainly pizza and a small selection of pasta.

If you are looking for ‘real food’... you’ll be spoilt for choice. High end Chinese, home style Italian, traditional Korean with specialized dishes, French with a twist and many more are found on this street.

Chinese Restaurant called Gong Li that looked promising.

We ended up in a cafe/restaurant that I saw awhile back that served a nice looking brunch menu. I will review it next.

Gee by Girls Generation

2009-04-05T18:12:00.004+08:00

I am not really into girl groups especially those formed by record producers (is that what we call them now or Music Executives?) ala Stock Aiken Waterman but I must say that there was always one that I liked in the each of the last two decades. 80's was Bananarama... they won over the Bangles who only had one song that I really liked and that's everyone's favourite "Eternal Flame".

The 90's it was the Spice Girls. Their songs are a Karaoke/Noraebang favourite of mine! Due to their limited singing abilities and narrow vocal range, their songs are perfect for untalented singers like me!

A K-pop girl group called Girls Generation has recently released a new mini album. They are collection of like 10 girls (not sure on the actual number but however many it is it is at least 5 too many for a group) called They are all 귀여워서 죽겠어요! (so cute). I am sure they would make a nice collectible Barbie series. Anyway, their song 'Gee' is really catchy and I keep humming the song after hearing it. Does it stick to you too?

A Taste of Eqypt in Seoul - Ali Baba Restaurant

2009-04-04T23:21:00.003+08:00

A few days ago, my OH asked if I'd like to go to Smokey Saloon for some burgers for dinner. Told me to think about it. Mid-afternoon he sends me a chat message and asks me what my suggestions were so I write back and say Kraze Burger (love their Onion Ring Burger, although I am sure that is not the name) or Smokey's. His reply pops up around the same time as I send mine (probably wrote it at the same time) "Greek or Middle Eastern cuisine?".

He has had it in his head to try out this Middle Eastern restaurant in Itaewon called Ali Baba. Going along with it, I told him that I didn't mind trying Ali Baba so off we went. It's on the main strip of Itaewon so it's dead easy to find. It's one on the same side as Hamilton Hotel but 2 blocks up. If I am not mistaken it is in the building just before Villa Sortino.

Take the stairs up to the first floor and you will find a cozy little place decked out with posters of Eqypt (one of them says something along the lines of "Egypt is not just mountains???") and little figurines of dead kings and queens of Egypt. The restaurant isn't large, they have about 5 tables of four and then 2 larger booths that are set slightly off to the side which gives a little more privacy.

There was only 2 customers there when we arrived but another 3 tables filled up while we were there. The service was efficient and the food was tasty. We ordered a starter of Baba Ghanoush (made from aubergines/eggplant), Shish Tawouk (grilled chicken chunks on a skwere) and a lamb special. Both mains were first grilled on skewers then served on plates with a yoghurt type dip. We were a little disappointed that the meat wasn't served on the skewers as we had before in Eqypt but it still tasted quite good. It would have been even better if it was infused with the taste of the coals that it would have been BBQ'd over.

I wouldn't recommend it for a family restaurant (the floor was a bit slippery from oil so kids running around would not be a good idea). It's be better as a first stop for a meal and then moving onto something else for the evening.

There are so many restaurants in Itaewon that have Middle Eastern cuisine and I certainly hope to try more. I'd rate it 2/5 for ambience and 3/5 for food.

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) - Translated (Eng)

2009-03-31T22:41:00.005+08:00

This is the English translation of the lyrics for the song. Credit goes to Emily for the translation. I have changed some lines so the translation is not as literal and conveys more the meaning of the sentence. But as with most languages there are meanings that are not always easily translated into English.

For example, the most common translation of 내 머리가 나빠서 is 'Because I'm Stupid' but that it means more like 'Because I'm a Fool'. It can also, depending on context how strong the 'fool/stupid' is.

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid)
by SS501
from the Boys Over Flowers OST

Because I am a fool
The only thing I think about is you
But I know that you are thinking about somebody else
And you probably don’t even know my heart

I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no thoughts of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And my tears keep falling

Just looking at your retreating figure
Is happiness to me
Even if you don’t know my feelings
Even if you simply brush me aside

CHORUS:
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

I probably don’t exist in your daily life
And I’m sure you have no memories of me
But for me, I spend my days thinking about you
And create my own memories

For me
Love is a beautiful scar
Even when I see your beautiful smile
I cannot smile with you

CHORUS:
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

Bye bye never say good bye
Even though I can never have you
I need you
I can’t say a word, I want you

I keep hoping and hoping
In those days when I desperately want to see you
Those days that are so hard to bear
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I love you”
Alone once again I cry for you
In those days when all I think about is you
Those days when my heart is cold and sad
My mouth wordlessly repeats “I want to see you”
Alone once again I cry for you
Alone once again I’m missing you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) - Boys Over Flowers OST Lyrics

2009-03-24T00:23:00.003+08:00

Here are the romanised lyrics 내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) song by SS501 (pronounced Double S 5-oh-1) from the Korean Drama 꽃보다남자 (Boys Over Flowers) followed by the original 한글 (Hangul). This song is the theme for Yoon Ji Hoo played by Kim Hyun Joong the leader of SS501. There is also another acoustic version sang by Kim Hung Joong and was first used in Episode 15 as the background music when he 'sang for his supper'.

nae mori-neun nohmuna nappaso
noh hanapakke nan morego
dareun sara-meul pogo-in-neun non
iron nae ma-eumdo moreuget-ji

noye haru-e naran optget-ji
tto chuokjo-cha optget-jiman
noman baraman bogo-in-neun nan
chakku nunmuri heureugoisso

noye dwin moseubeul
poneun gotdo nan haengbogiya
ajig naye ma-eu-meul mollado
ggeutnae seu-chideushi gado

CHORUS:
niga nomu bogoshipeun naren
neomu kyondigi himdeun nare-neun
noreul saranghanda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you
honja dashi tto missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

noye haru-e nan optget-ji
tto giokjo-cha optget-jiman
noman baraman pogo-in-neun na
honja chuo-geul mandeulgo isso

naegen sarangiran a-reum-da-un sang-chogata
noye yeppeun misoreul bowado
hamkke nan ut-chido mothae

CHORUS:
niga nomu saenggag-na-neun naren
kaseum shirigo seulpeun nare-neun
niga pogoshipda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you
honja dashi tto missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

Bye bye never say goodbye
irohke jabji mothajiman
I need you
amu maldo mothae
I want you
baraedo dashi baraedo

niga neomu bogoshipeun naren
nomu kyondigi himdeun nare-neun
noreul saranghanda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you

niga nomu saenggag-na-neun naren
kaseum shirigo seulpeun nare-neun
niga pogoshipda ibka-e maemdora
honja dashi tto crying for you
honja dashi tto missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

한글(Hangul)

내 머리는 너무나 나빠서
너 하나밖에 난 모르고
다른 사람을 보고있는 넌
이런 내 마음도 모르겠지

너의 하루에 나란 없겠지
또 추억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 난
자꾸 눈물이 흐르고있어

너의 뒷 모습을
보는것도 난 행복이야
아직 나의 마음을 몰라도
끝내 스치듯이 가도

CHORUS:
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

너의 하루에 난 없겠지
또 기억조차 없겠지만
너만 바라만 보고있는 나
혼자 추억을 만들고 있어

내겐 사랑이란 아름다운 상처같아
너의 예쁜 미소를 보아도
함께 난 웃지도 못해

CHORUS:
니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

Bye bye never say good bye
이렇게 잡지 못하지만
I need you
아무 말도 못해 I want you
바래도 다시 바래도
니가 너무 보고싶은 날엔
너무 견디기 힘든 날에는
너를 사랑한다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you

니가 너무 생각나는 날엔
가슴 시리고 슬픈 날에는
니가 보고싶다 입가에 맴돌아
혼자 다시 또 crying for you
혼자 다시 또 missing for you
Baby I love you
I’m waiting for you

내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) by SS501

2009-03-18T17:13:00.002+08:00

I really like the theme song to 꽃보다 남자 (Boys Over Flowers) which is called 내 머리가 나빠서 (Because I'm Stupid) by SS501 of which one of the lead male characters in the show, Kim Hyun Joong is the lead singer of. The English more common title 'Because I'm Stupid' sounds silly but the literal translation actually means 'My Thoughts Are Bad' romanized as Nae Moriga Nappaso.

Although SS501 is actually a 5 man group, as the lead singer is busy filming the drama and one other member is recovering from surgery, the remaining three have gone on to release singles quite successfully. Here's a video of them singing the song at a variety show in Korea.

*Will upload lyrics later.

꽃보다 남자 (Boys Over Flowers) - YIIIEEEEeeee!

2009-03-18T16:49:00.007+08:00

I feel like a teenager watching this new KBS drama called 꽃보다 남자　(Kodtpoda Namja) or Boys Over Flowers. It is based on a bishojo Japanese Manga of the same name (花より男子 Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio ). Some of you (who watch tv dramas) may remember a rather famous Taiwanese drama called Meteor Garden some years back. That was also based on the same manga.

With the latest tv version, I must say in comparison to the Taiwanese one, the guys are much cuter/hotter whatever. It makes watching the show much more enjoyable! Kee Kee Kee!!! What I like about the show is that it is also humourous and the producers add those funny cartoony sounds at just the right moments. What a way to spend a few mind numbing hours on the couch!

花より男子 Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio

Sypnopsis: The story surrounds 4 tall, good looking and rich teenagers called F4 (Flower 4) who go to a privileged school. The protagonist is Geum Jan Di (Koo Hye Sun), a dry cleaners daughter who through a life saving feat gets into the school. Although she comes for a totally different world, acts like a clumsy tomboy most of the time and is totally unaware of her own 'cuteness', she ends up being the love interest between the leader of F4 Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho) and his best friend (another F4 member) Yoon Ji Ho (Ki Hyun Joong).

Not wanting to ruin the rest of the drama for you, catch it on DVD soon (as it is still showing here in Korea), or you can find the torrents online (with Eng Subs) or just go to YouTube. Some Drama Addicts have already uploaded the episodes with Eng Subs.

Meanwhile, here is a YouTube video giving a preview of the story:

Instant Buttons

2009-03-17T15:24:00.006+08:00

Recently I was wandering through the Bandi & Luni's bookstore in the basement of Jongno Tower and came across these cute 'Instant Buttons' in their stationery section in the basement. Each pack has 6 fabric covered buttons and 6 safety pins. So for an instant lift to an otherwise plain top/blouse, just pin them on!

If you really like them then just sew it on. When you get bored of that top, take them off and reuse on another top. How cool is that?!

You can get to Bandi & Luni's by Subway Line No. 1 - Jonggak Station. They have a decent selection of English books. There is a larger store at the COEX Mall reachable on Subway Line No. 2 - Samseong Station. For variety, there is also Yong Poong bookstore across from Jongno Tower.

Found another Hair Salon in Itaewon

2009-03-14T08:11:00.003+08:00

Recently I posted a review on finding a hair salon with an English speaking stylist in Seoul. I found one in Itaewon called Green Turtle which above the Coffee Bean opposite Hamilton Hotel. I'm glad to say that I've found another one! It's a part of a chain and it's called Hair4U. I've added a link but it's all in Korean.

Hair4U is cheaper charging only KRW10,000 for Men's cut and KRW20,000 - KRW 25,000 for a Ladies' cut depending on length. It's located in the building behind the Dunkin Donuts on Itaewon Main Street. Walk around the corner from Dunkin Donuts and you will see a stairwell, just head up to the 2nd floor and Hair4U is just there.

Although the place is a little rundown, the people are friendly and speak a little English. I didn't feel as rushed as when I was at the Green Turtle which is a bonus as the last thing I want is to feel stressed when I am getting my hair done. I had a trim and a colour which turned out rather nicely.

Here's a pic of the building where the salon is located. At the top floor is a popular restaurant called Restaurant Terrace.

Seoul in Winter

2009-03-13T23:02:00.001+08:00

This animoto video is made of up pictures I took during my wanderings around Seoul this winter. These are the more popular tourist areas of Insadong, Myeungdong, the palaces of Chandeokgung and Gyeungbukgung; and the Namdaemun market.

SNL with Beyonce and Justin Timberlake

2009-03-12T20:24:00.002+08:00

Recently a friend of mine showed me this hilarious skit with Beyonce and 3 backup dancers, one of them being Justin Timberlake doing her 'Single Ladies' video. Justin Timberlake could really immitate those moves too. The other 2 guys weren't bad either. This was the best excerpt I could find on YouTube: Beyonce and JT on SNL: Single Ladies Video

The DMZ Tour

2009-03-12T15:41:00.004+08:00

Recently I was sort of dragged to the DMZ by my OH (who has been there twice before) purely to be a tourist of course. But hopefully one who wasn’t going to be shot 5 times in the back for allegedly trespassing. Although my experience was without the discharge of gunfire and subsequent headlines across the world it had its hairy moments.

I was quite the reluctant tourist. My OH’s family was in town so the DMZ was a natural destination for ‘sight seeing’. Personally, I had no great interest in looking at a great big fence or going deep underground to see evidence of the North Koreans efforts to secretly infiltrate the South. But I wasn’t about to be the spoilsport of the group.

Rugged up and ready to go at 10.30am, we climbed into our rented Carnival (that’s the only MPV that could seat all 9 of us – 3 people sat in front!) and we were off to Paju. To get to the DMZ we went to the Imjingak Tourist Resort which has a ticket office in the parking lot. Right next to the large parking is the ‘Hill of Music’ which is a landscaped hill with a covered stage in the centre. That day there were tons of people there flying kites so quite an impressive sight.

View of parking lot and Hill of Music behind it

Don't those look like Mozarella Balls? (Seen from the top of Imjingak Resort building)

After you purchase your tickets, you wait to board the red busses that will take you to the DMZ. The busses leave from the area to the right of the ticket office. Now, all commentary is in Korean which is of course extremely helpful to foreign tourists!!! What they don’t tell you is that you should NOT take photos. This here tourist did not get that message.

Ticket office

Red busses that take you to the DMZ

The bus takes you through a checkpoint where an armed officer with a really big gun comes on board to check your passport. This is where clever me, decided to surreptitiously (just in case we really weren’t suppose to take photos) take a photo of the guards at the checkpoint. I tried to be fast but the first 2 didn’t capture the shot as I moved the camera too quickly.

The 3rd shot got it but that was also the shot that got me noticed! The guard that saw me gestures to the other guards and start talking among themselves while glancing at the bus. Finally the same army officer comes on board slowly making his way down the bus looking at each passenger. I fessed up and showed him my camera with the picture I took and proceeded to delete it in front of him. But I did manage to capture a shot of his back which he didn’t see so here you go.

It was all pretty uneventful after that. We went to see the 3rd Tunnel which was discovered in the late 70’s when a defector told the South Koreans that the North Koreans have been digging a tunnel invade the South. The tunnel is 2m in width and height and was only 52km from Seoul.

To go into the tunnel, we took the train option. The train is a bit like those that you find in an amusement park so moved relatively lowly. Keep your arms in at all times and don’t lean your head out as the fit in the tunnel is rather snug. We go down the green lit tunnel for about 10 mins, made me think of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but not as fun.

Where we catch the train

The 'One Earth' Sculpture dedicated towards a unified Korea

We get to walk through part of the tunnel which was quite damp and cramped. 2m clearance is not enough for someone who is 1.7m tall. All in all it was quite interesting so a worthwhile visit.

Next part of the tour was the Dorasan Station which is located at Gunnaemyeon. It is famous for being the northernmost station in South Korea. The idea for this station is to some day connect through to the main continent and thus completing the Iron Silk Road. The station was very modern but as it is not a passenger station, it was empty except for two really bored guards. I think looking at the pictures in the brochure would have sufficed for this part of the tour.

Dorasan Station

Bored guards

Back in the bus we headed to the Dora Observatory. This is the where we can see North Korea. At the top of the observatory they have pay per view telescopes where you can get a better look at the North’s Propaganda Village. It was completely empty and apparently it was built to show the South that they are equally modern and lead fulfilling lives. RIIIIGHT!

We did not go to Panmumjeom (think light blue barracks split in half between North and South Korea) to truly feel the division in this peninsular as it was closed to tourists for some reason that day. It is the location of place where truce talks between the North and South were first held during the Korean War. In fact if it hadn’t been for this trip, Panmunjeom would have just meant a place mentioned in Billy Joel’s song ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’ to me. But now I am enlightened. It’s never too late for a geography and history lesson.

Carrot & Walnut Cake by White Wings

2009-03-11T15:40:00.000+08:00

I normally bake cakes from scratch following a recipe. But recently, my OH has introduced me to the 'instant' kind. Prepared cake mixes that you just add water or eggs or milk or butter and voíla its ready to go into the oven in 5 minutes or something ridiculous like that.

Being a fan of carrot cake, I decided to try the White Wings version of the Carrot & Walnut cake together with icing. It was pretty easy to make. The box contained 3 packets. 1 was the cake mix, the other the icing mix and finally the walnuts. I just had to add 2 eggs, 1 cup of water and half a cup of oil. I used extra virgin (not sure of the effect) and added some more walnuts for more texture.

After mixing it all together, I just popped it into the oven at fan assisted 160C for 55mins according to the instructions. I then made the icing mixture by adding 1 tbs of butter which I accidentally melted by nuking it for too long in the microwave. I popped it into the fridge for an extra 5 minutes to 'stiffen' it up a bit more. : ) Then 4 tbs of milk instead of the 2 and a half as the icing was too thick to handle.

The taste of the cake was pretty mediocre. I would give it a 5/10. The colour seemed a little darker than I was used to and it was a little too cinnamony. There was a lot of carrot peels inside so they definitely did't scrimp on that but the taste didn't impress me. It was also a little dry, so only a 4/10 for texture.

4.5/10 overall rating. Probably won't buy this again. Going to try the Profiteroles next.

우뎅 ‘U-deng’

2009-03-10T12:41:00.002+08:00

Another favourite street food of mine is 우뎅 ‘U-deng’. It’s fish cake that is boiled and rolled into a skewer. You spread this delicious soy sauce soaked together with onion, chilli and jujube (think red dates). They normally serve this with a bit of soup that has some kick to it too especially on a cold day. Thumbs up!

The U-deng are those in the skewers on the left. The things that look like French Fries at the front are actually Sweet Potato Fries.

허덕 ‘Hodok’

2009-03-10T12:37:00.000+08:00

Korean street food is a must try. Once you get past the wondering what that is and actually pay the KRW900-1,000 for it, you may find that it actually tastes quite good. There are plenty of street vendors selling food especially in the popular shopping streets like Insadong, Myeungdong and even around Dongdaemun area.

One of the best street food that I have tried is called 허덕 ‘Hodok’ (not sure if I have written it accurately in Korean). It’s a fried glutinous pancake with a caramel & crushed pine nut filling. It comes in plain or green tea flavour. Not being a fan of green tea, I have not tried it but I see plenty of people queuing to buy them anyway.

The best 2 hodok vendors I have found is in Insadong and Myeundong. The one in Insadong is manned by two ajumma’s and their stall is situated at the crossroads of the backstreet of Fraser Suites and Insadong-gil (main street). That’s about ¾ the distance if you were to start at the top of the street closest to the memorial. They sell them for KRW900 each and if you go in the evening the queues almost encircle their stall!

The other really nice one is near the top end of the street where Migliore in Myeungdong is. After you get out of Migliore turn left and you will see a line of vendors going down the middle of that pedestrian street. It’s about 20m away from the entrance. I am sure these vendors move around a bit but every time I find them there and there’s a queue at least 6 deep each time.

Be careful when eating hodok. The filling’s hot so when you bit into it, the caramel might spill out onto your for eg. Clean white coat. Yes it has happened. If that happens in winter, just let the caramel freeze then pick it off. Do NOT attempt to wipe it off as my clever Mom informed me just in time!

Unfortunately I do not have a picture to upload yet but will do when I go pass another stall. If anyone knows other nice hodok vendors, please let me know.

Skiing at Konjiam

2009-02-14T22:09:00.008+08:00

If you are looking for some decent skip slopes but not willing to take a trip all the way to Gangwon-do to resorts like Phoenix Park which is some 4 hours by car away, then you might like to check out Konjiam Ski Resort. It is just over an hour away by car from Seoul. We left Seoul around 7am and got there just after 8am as the skiing crowd started to arrive for the 9am – 1pm session.

Main Building

Ticket Office

Konjiam is a relatively new resort and is quite well organized. They have counters for ski and snow board rental which is pretty similar to Phoenix Park which is the only other resort I have been to here in Korea. They even have a pretty decent English website: https://www.konjiamresort.co.kr/index.html

You can choose to rent your skis at the resort itself or the many shops along the way there where you can rent your equipment and ski outfits. On the weekend that we went, there was a promotion so we got 50% off the lift tickets which was pretty nifty.

Ski rental

Snowboard rental

Lockers

Ski school desk

I’m just a beginner so started off at the beginner slope called Hanui which wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be. The slope was a little icy but manageable. What annoyed me were the snow boarders which all herded around the top of the slope which made maneuvering past them (for a beginner) quite challenging.

Hanui (Beginner)

They are pretty hi-tech at Konjiam using RFID cards to track usage of their ski lifts. You have to queue up and shuffle through turnstiles to get onto the ski lifts. At the turnstiles they have scanners, similar to those that you find in store entrances that go off if you take something out of the store that still has its tag on. So if you have a 9am – 1pm slot, after 1pm you won’t get through the turnstile. This is very efficient as it doesn’t slow down the queue as it would if someone had to check each person.

After a few runs down Hanui, I decided to try the intermediate slope Whistle which was a lot smoother and a lot steeper! Overall, it wasn’t ridiculously crowded and was very enjoyable. The food in the cafeteria was good too. They had a western choice of which I would recommend their Special Set which was a sausage on a stick, pork chop, coleslaw, chips and some other stuff that was deep fried. Their Udon was decent and even had an U-deng (think bean curd pancake) which made me happy.

Whistle (Intermediate)

Another thing I like about this place is the little snack hut just in front of the ski school. They sell Churros! And not your dinky little ones. These were a good foot and a bit long. Having them with a cup of coffee… what a good end to a bit of exercise.

We left just before 3pm and was back by 4pm. Now that was a Saturday well spent.

Here are some useful websites if you are looking for a decent ski resort close to Seoul (I’ve indicated amount of time needed by car):

Gyeonggi-do
Bears Town (1hr +)
http://www.bearstown.com/bt_eng/eng_01.php

Gangwon-do
Daemyung Resort Vivaldi Park (1hr 40mins)
http://www.daemyungresort.com/asp/language/english/vivaldi/accommodation.asp

Phoenix Park (4hrs)
http://www.phoenixpark.co.kr/english/default.html

Get Your Burgers at the Smokey Saloon

2009-01-25T20:35:00.008+08:00

I've been walking past this little joint in a side street in Itaewon for some time and always thought of trying it. It's got darkened windows so I can't see inside but there is almost always a queue on the weekend. I've come to regard that as a good sign.

Smokey Saloon's the name and I finally got to try it a few weeks ago. It's just this little hole in the wall with about 4-5 tables max. The decor is dark and somewhat reminiscent of a place you'd find in Soho, New York.

This is all part of the experience. I was not disappointed by the burgers! The patty was moist but firm, the bun toasted to perfection (no sesame seeds) and sufficiently large. Only gripe is the burger comes by itself without any sides. That you have order separately.

We tried the Sloppy Fries and the regular Fries. These aren't french fries but self-cut potatoes, chips as the British would call it.

The Sloppy Fries were DELICIOUS! My Man is a big fan of burgers and he was a very happy man. He had the Sloppy Joes and I had the Cowboy. Both equally yummy with the Sloppy Joes with a hint of chilli. The Cowboy had me wiping my chin as the juice was dribbling everywhere. Too good! One of the best burgers I've ever had.

I can't remember the prices exactly but be prepared to pay from KRW9,000 for burgers and sides from KRW4,500. A bit pricey but it made my stomach very happy so worth it.

To get there, look for Hard Rock Cafe (right in front of Hamilton Hotel) when you exit the station. Right next to the Hard Rock is a little lane that slopes upwards, walk up that lane. On the right of the lane you should see a Thai restaurant and on the corner a little restaurant at the bottom of a short flight of stairs called The Flying Pan. Turn right when you hit the end of the lane and after about 15m you will see Smokey Saloon with it's black tinted windows. Then, get in line!

UGH Boots

2009-01-24T00:54:00.004+08:00

Check this out... been meaning to upload this but totally forgot about this. Found these in Sydney in January. UGH Boots! I think they meant UGG!!!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2009-01-15T00:58:00.006+08:00

This Christmas that just passed, I decided to make some cookies as mini gifts after seeing some rather attractive looking cookies in the December copy of Better Homes and Gardens. I changed the filling though, as the recipe used cream cheese and I didn't think it would keep for long. The filling I used instead was a delicious chocolate ganache. The cookie part was only ok so I will only include the ganache filling which was Yummy! This ganache filling would also be very good wth Macarons.

Ganache Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons whole milk
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

To make the filling:
Bring cream to a boil in a small heavy saucepan ver moderate heat. Whisk in cocoa and remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and butter then stir until smooth. Cool filling, then refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to hold its shape when spread. About 30 minutes.
(Note: Although the recipe suggests to keep the filling in the fridge for 30 mins to firm up, I found that leaving it in a slightly cool room works just as well.)

Here are some pics on how it looks as it was being prepared and the end product:

Totoro Jigsaw

2009-01-13T15:53:00.004+08:00

This is my latest attempt at completing a jigsaw. So far they are all Studio Ghibli jigsaw puzzles and this is my largest jigsaw so far - 1000 pieces.

This is the box it came in with a pic of what it is suppose to look like when completed.

The frame is put together. The pure white pieces are not easy to put together.

Medium Totoro is completed!

Now this is the easy part. After this is the hard part.

Finally! Done. Had a bit of help towards the end as the tree on the left and the shrubbery on the bottom got me stuck for a bit.

Namsan in Autumn

2009-01-03T22:29:00.003+08:00

This is a little late but here are some great shots of the scenery in Namsan (translated means South Hill) in Seoul.

Papparoti bakes their way into your Seoul

2008-12-10T16:54:00.006+08:00

Now if you have been taken in by the smells of Roti Boy you will now also be assailed by the familiar smells coming out of PappaRoti! I first came across Roti Boy in Malaysia and it's pretty delicious. Can't miss that smell wherever there's a bakery nearby. I was quite surprised to find a Roti Boy in Seoul and even more recently to find a spin-off called PappaRoti. Apparently the partners who set up Roti Boy had a falling out so one of them came out to set up PappaRoti.

I found one in Lotte Department store in the basement and was hooked in by the smell. Managed to get a nice cup of milk tea too which was pretty authentic. The kind of 'Lai Cha' you get in those HK cafes which have sprouted up everywhere in Malaysia and Singapore. Definitely a quick fix and worth a try. Warning: Queues on the weekends are crazy. Here are some pics as they prepare and bake the buns.

Scrumptious Cakes at Lotte Department Store

2008-12-08T11:19:00.006+08:00

I was walking throught the Premium Food department at Lotte Department Store in Seoul the other day and came across their bakery section. Their cakes looked so delicious!

Getting a haircut in Seoul

2008-11-08T16:36:00.002+08:00

Getting a haircut is not a drama but it is when you've got a bad one 'cos you're going to be stuck with it for a looong time. Now if you hair grows as slowly as mine then you're going to be wearing a hat for an even longer time.

So when I decided that it was time to get a trim I decided to consult the blogs and forums to give me a clue where I could go to find an English speaking hairdresser here in Seoul.

The internet wasn't terribly forthcoming this time but managed to find out the names of a couple that have been recommended. One was Eunha near the Ewha Women's University but no directions. The website has a map but directs you to the one in Apkujeong (I think). Also, their site seems to have a big warning on it if you try to access certain pages as being 'unsafe'. The Hair Team at Hannamdong was also mentioned but no clue where in Hannamdong. Great.

Another pricey sounding place besides Toni & Guy where one would expect to pay upwards of KRW400,000 for a colour and cut (!) is Headrush but once again no clue where it was.

An older post recommended The Green Turtle (Nogku) in Itaewon. It was close by and although another post said their masseuse grabbed her "coochie" while giving her a massage... sounded a bit dodgy to me. Is it going to be one of 'those' places???

Got to Itaewon, the directions indicate that it is above the Burger King. Wrong. The Burger King no longer exists opposite Hamilton Hotel. It has shifted about 100m down the road. That lot has been replaced with an Ice Creamery on the ground floor(I think that's the name) and a Coffee Bean on the 1st and 2nd floor.

The Green Turtle Massage or Nogku Massage Centre is located on the 3rd and 4th floors. I rocked up and checked if they had any signs for a hair salon and they did. The haircut costs KRW20,000. You may have to make an appointment for weekends but luckily I got 'slotted in'. My hair was washed by an assistant and then Michel... Yes, a Korean looking Michel (pronounced in the French way... of course) gave it his best shot.

The actual cut itself lasted only 10mins. Honestly, all he did was cut following an imaginary line. He didn't layer at all as he said I still had layers. My previous stylist in Singapore spent about 45mins cutting my hair to get it into the style I wanted. Oh well... can't complain. I just wanted it shorter.

All in all, it was an ok experience. I wouldn't colour my hair there or expect any amazing haircuts either but if you are looking for a simple and reasonably priced haircut, I'd go there. The rest of the clients were caucasians if that means anything.

Here's their website: http://www.nogku.co.kr/

Yes! Gumi.

2008-10-25T17:38:00.011+08:00

During a long weekend, we decided to make a trip out to Gumi which is quiet city located in the west area of Gyeongbuk Province. It's a big of an industrial town as a LG and some other hi-tech electronics companies have set up factories here.

The actual distance by car can be covered in less than 4 hours counting the 2 hours alone that will take to get out of Seoul. However, if you tried to do this on a long weekend like we did, it will take you 8 hours!!! Travelling at 20-30kmph on a 4 lane highway can really test you. If you are driving a manual, you're screwed. Moral of the lesson is: Do not attempt to drive out of town on a long weekend if you live in Seoul!

The weather was mild and it was raining the whole weekend. It didn't put a dent on our exploration though. In fact the rain brought out the lushness in the greenery around Gumi. We took a easy hike up around the base of Geumo Mountain to see the fast flowing river then made our way up by cable car.

When you get to the top there is a temple called Yaksa temple. It is very serene there and surrounded by the hum of the closeby Daehye Waterfall. You will see some people praying but they pay no heed to the tourists that come by to admire the temple on their way to the waterfall.

Further up from the waterfall is a cave, if you brave the hike which can be a little treacherous in the rain, the view is pretty good. Here's a shot of part of the trail, the people waving in the pic are standing just before the cave opens up. The cave is called Doseon Cave.

A nice place to visit on a weekend. The food was good too and here are some quick snaps of the meal we had after the visit to Geumo Mountain. There are lots of restaurants in the car park at the base of the mountain so lots of choice - mainly Korean cuisine though. If you are wondering about the title of this blog, when you enter Gumi, you will see many signs that welcome you to Yes Gumi!

Unfortunately I cannot remember the dishes. The first one was a salad of sorts, naturally spicy, with pickled cucumbers and the brown stuff is a type of gelatine. The main dish is chicken cooked with barley, short grain glutinous rice and the chicken just comes off the bone. The chicken was not very tasty but you had a salt and pepper dip that you could dip the chicken into. All in all the meal was spot on.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2008-07-30T11:28:00.002+08:00

Well, it seems that it's been ages since I posted anything here. Been kind of caught up with stuff and a major move. Come Monday I will be in a new country so will probably not write for while but I'd like upload the piano music sheets for one of my favourite pieces. Tifa's Theme from Final Fantasy Vll (Piano Collections). I haven't been able to upload the original copy from the piano book as the first page is corrupted but here's another version of it that I found. It's fairly similar.