Fast-foodie

Ok so I mentioned about watching the movie August Rush on my previous post and prior to that, I grabbed a bite at Popeye's (which I have to blog about). I had an hour to wait till the show starts so instead of dining at Pizza Hut, I chose Popeye's for a fast-food fix. It helps that there's a streamer just outside the entrance saying huge discounts for LG and Samsung card users. After I gave my order and was just about to pay, I noticed I had to still pay in full eventhough I handed her my membership and credit card. She annoyingly responded that they don't give discounts to chicken meal orders and only chicken meal orders... I had to ask myself, "Aren't these people going to Popeye's for their chicken?" After giving the reciept, she said I need to wait for 20 minutes to get my order... I was really peeved that time and it showed as I find my way to an empty chair and impatiently wait. I checked the time in my reciept and punched it in my cellphone's timer. Exactly 26 minutes had elapsed before she handed me my order and boy...I am pissed! It was the longest time I waited for a 'fast-food'. Do these people understand the meaning of fast-food? It's pretty literal I think... It's even more annoying than ordering something from Jollibee which turns out isn't available then they would offer you another thing which is but will ask you to wait for like 11 minutes while flashing their sweetest smile . The chicken turned out not so good (even pink on the inside), the cajun rice is cold, the fries are limp and the crew are annoying. I barely managed to swallow the last bite of biscuit before running to catch the show. I still can't get over the fact that it took them 26 minutes to serve that load of crap!

A date with "August Rush"

It's a rather cold and chilly friday evening when I went to Aekyung Shopping mall for a late night stroll. I don't know what I should have for dinner and I guess my tastebuds are not up for something 'spicy'. When I reached the top-most floor (home of CGV movie theater), I was enticed to go and watch 'August Rush'. Well, I actually thought about watching 'Beowolf' but the wait is rather long so I ended up with my second choice.

I had a little less than an hour to catch up with my dinner, and was confused whether I should go to Pizza Hut or Popeye's. Since there is a reservation policy at Pizza Hut I made a choice to go with Popeye's as I couldn't spare anymore time to wait. I ordered a 'lunch set' menu, and yeah... I know it's weird for dinner but it's what they call it there! After dinner I hurried to go and watch 'August Rush'.

I feel like giving a review about this film though I'm not a good critic by all means. The story is about a young music prodigy who sneaked out of the orphanage to find his missing parents. The young boy believes that the 'mysterious' music which he hears around him helps find his way back to his parents. He went to New York and his talent starts to grow while learning how to play instruments. He believes that if he plays the instrument his parents will hear it and eventually find him. August Rush is a tried-and-tested formula and everything shown has been done a dozen times over with previous movies. The story lacks depth and originality and the audience are basically clueless as to what is the story all about or how the story is evolving.

The director showed the child's impeccable talent in a very surreal way and the turn of events unfolded in the most preposterous ways imaginable. Though I find so many flaws about this film, I actually enjoyed it. The best thing I like about it is the musical score. I was captivated as to how artistically orchestrated the music was performed... They also made a marvelous job in creating the musical soundtrack "August Rhapsody" which was played in the near-end... All the thrills, frills, heartache, joys, laughter, pain felt by the boy showed through the music he composed. I am raring to buy the official soundtrack of this movie and but I think it wont be available in stores here anytime soon....

A tribute to sheep-o slippers

As I was rummaging through the closet and cabinets to tidy things up, I saw this very special pair of slippers bought at Everland Resort. It was actually summer last year and it was raining by the buckets then, and while waiting for a cable ride to take me to the other side of the resort, I found a place to shelter from the rain. It was a gift/souvenier shop with lots of cuddly stuff toys and adorable gift items. My attention brought me to a pair of slippers with a shape of a sheep. It's white and fluffy and so cute, oh by the way I'm a SUCKER for everything cute and this one really ticked me.

With a sense of guilt, and $20 lost, I brought home the cutest slippers I have ever seen and promised myself that I am never to set foot in that place again. It's not actually a bad place, it's a haven for people like me who loves cute stuff... but their prices are sky-high!!! It's more of an impulse purchase since people there bought a thing or two for themselves, and I didn't wanna get something which I really don't need nor go home empty handed. I used it for a couple of weeks but it still looks new. But now, it's taking up space in the shelves so I decided to throw it away. I thought, just before I head it to the trash, I should take a picture and write down a thing or two about it. Well, I really like 'em and it's probably the cutest slippers I've ever had!

My little panda

Say hello to my little panda named Zhen-zhen (name is written at the back..). I have a lot of stuff toys back at home but this is my first panda... It's cute and it resembles the real one a lot!

I don't know why but pandas (real ones) have always intrigued me... I've seen several bears and even polar bears in the zoo, but I don't think they come close to pandas. I think they are really cute and meek... Can people actually touch them?! I'm not sure if we can, cause I only see them from afar.

I mentioned that I'm a huge sucker for everything cute and that rightfully include stuff toys, something I've never had enough of since childhood. Zhen-zhen is a gift and for that it makes it even more adorable.

Tteokbokki

One of my favorite snack would be tteokbokki. For anyone who is familiar with Korea, would have heard about this spicy rice cake soup as translated in english, one way or another. It's very popular with schoolchildren here and there are stores selling this everywhere.

By the way I don't think it's a soup like translated, it's more of like rice-cake in spicy sauce for me. Whoever coined the term spicy-rice cake SOUP is at fault here. But whatever shortcomings it may have, it makes up for it's taste. One caution though, it's very spicy! I first thought it's very weird to mix spicy with sweet. Yes, it's sweet n' spicy but in a good way.

It's very easy to make; I just put 'tteok' (cylindrical rice cake), gochukaru (red-pepper powder), broth, some fishcake, and vegetables (carrots, cabbage but I prefer none) and boil it till it reaches a ketchup-like consistency. Others put ramyeon noodles, eggs, and even smother kimbap pieces in it's sauce but for me, I'd stick with the basic. For presentation purposes, I sprinkled it with sesame seeds... It doesn't do much for the taste but it adds a distinct flavor and a crunch element.

My friend's wedding (2)

I mentioned in my previous post before that I went to attend a friend's wedding at J's hotel in Daegu. It takes about 4 hours to get to Daegu so I went there one day earlier and I was hoping that I could do some sightseeing and visit some places there. It was 5 pm when I arrived so I couldn't do much except going to Palgong-san peak and see the whole of Daegu. Later that night I had dinner at a Korean traditional restaurant which is rather expensive but I had the most delicious samgyeopsal I've ever tasted! Tired and cold I've decided to retire early so I went on looking for a place to stay for the night but at that moment my friend (the groom) called to say that he and his bride made a reservation for me at the same hotel where the wedding is going to be held the following morning.

Upon entering my hotel room I was surprised to see two beds when I'm all by myself so I called him up and asked why he chose this room, but he said something like there are no other available room at that time. It looks like a typical 4-star hotel but for the very steep price of $170/night, I demand something more.

The following morning I woke up at 9 and hurried to get dressed and ran to the wedding hall where the wedding will take place. The bride looked pretty in her creme-colored cinderella-inspired bridal gown. I didn't recognize the groom at first cause he cleaned-up pretty well. He also wore creme-colored suit. The wedding was over in 30 mins and next came lunch at the reception hall where they served korean, american, italian, and japanese food buffet-style which were all not good except for the salmon sashimi.

Going back home took more than 4 hours but eventhough I was tired as hell I don't regret coming down to Daegu and witness a good friend's wedding. I sincerely wish him all the best.

Bad weather

It hasn't stopped raining since I woke up, there must be some kind of storm or something. The sky is so dark and it's gray everywhere I look. I took the picture at 3 pm, but it looks like it's already night time. When the weather is like this, I feel gloomy. I made plans previously for a Friday night like this, but now.. I am just not in the mood to be outdoors where everything has wetness written all over it.

When it rains, it's difficult to get a cab, buses are seldom and are always full, and it seems like there's traffic jam in almost every intersection. So I really hate it everytime it rains.

I took this pic just outside my place. The quality is not good because it's raining and it's quite difficult to take a picture while holding an umbrella. My hands just couldn't stop shaking cause it's chilly outside. I wish this rain would just stop...

Cranky Sunday

I'm feeling cranky today! Every little thing annoys me... from the dry cleaning lady, to
the Indian guy at the subway who kept on talking to me with a bad case of bad-breath, and everything that is wrong inside the house. I'm having my regular bout of P-M-S and for all I care, it makes me a total bitch from time-to-time! Sunday means relaxation supposedly for me, but not today. After I came back home I'm more than pissed to know that I left the boiler running! I scolded myself for not remembering to turn it off. I was gonna use the computer to calm me down but heck!...the internet doesn't work. And I've got loads of laundry that needs to be washed uhm..as in NOW or I wouldn't have anything to wear. And it's messy everywhere I look so I decided to turn this place inside-out and clean every nook and cranny.

So I did several batches of laundry and hang it dry. I did the dishes and cleaned the stove which I hate by the way! I changed my sheets and fixed the bed really neat. I went through the cabinets and arranged the things inside. Cleaned the fridge and got rid of stuff beyond two weeks except for the good 'ol kimchi of course! The hardest part is mopping the floor... here in Korea we sit on the floor while watching TV or eating and the reason for that is the unique heating system called 'ondol' where it heats up the floor. So it's rather comfortable for most people to sit on the floor rather than on the couch. Koreans never wear their shoes inside the house but use indoor slippers instead but I prefer to be barefoot around the house like most people. I used the verb mopping but we don't use a real mop while cleaning the floor. I use a white cloth to scrub the floor clean and do that 2 or 3 times until it's spotless. Used Windex to clean the windows and glass fixtures and Oxyclean for others. I even cleaned the door knobs and faucets which I think is so-necessary after watching an episode on 'Tyra'. With the influence of the said show, I switched my normal detergent to one that promises to kill 99.9% of germs and started using anti-bacterial dishwashing and liquid soap.

I practically did all the things and there is nothing left to do. I didn't know cleaning can be therapeutic too!!! It's 1 am now and am just about to hit the shower. I feel more relaxed knowing everything is neat and spotless clean...

My little pieces of heaven

Say hello to my little pieces of heaven... These cheap but heavenly desserts can turn my terrible day a little bit worthwhile. Dars white chocolate is the name of the bar, costs around $1. I think it's imported from Japan though I tasted it a couple of times in China as well. The Ice cream name is World Cup, (giggle-)... I know it's tacky as hell kinda name but it's absolutely decadent for $1 price . But wait till you hear 'Goo-goo Ice Cream'... you might think it's rinky-dink nonsense name, but it's the best I've tasted straight from a convenience store... ^^

First snow

Last night marks the first snow this year. I think it's about -3 degrees celsius now and the forecast warned us that it's going to get colder and will have heavy snowfall on the days to come. So cold that it's difficult to go outside... everything's frozen and slushy.

It's a habitude for couples to meet at the first snowfall of the year and leisurely walk together. It's supposed to be romantic and all.

Whenever it snows it reminds me of the song 'I'm dreaming of a white christmas' which makes me think about christmas back home.

The bag

One of the most difficult things I have to encounter living abroad is related to food. I needed to adjust my tastebuds to dishes that are so foreign to me. I am not a fan of spicy dishes before coming here (but I've grown to love it now) so I had to adjust big time. The sad part is, my stomach doesn't really go well with some korean dishes. So I'm extra careful eating outside and I'd rather cook for myself. Thinking about this, I made a plan and went to Homeplus to do my weekly grocery shopping. While I was packing my stuff, a korean couple helped me as I was having difficult putting it all inside one bag (which eventually broke cause my stuff is too heavy). It was nice of them to help and give me this bag. I used it to put all my stuff which I bought. It's not something fancy but they are so generous to give it to a total stranger like me. I thanked them and took a cab back home carrying it.

Korean Street-Food (no. 2)

Whenever I have a chance, I always buy Hotteok from vendors on the street. It's only available during the cold season (I don't know the reason behind this... ^^). I suppose, to make people feel warm?

Hotteok resembles a fried pancake, it's made of glutinous rice, black sugar, and peanuts... It tastes sweet and chewy like that of rice-cake.

I sometimes taste a hint of cinnamon but the taste differs from place to place. It costs 500 KRW for each or about half a dollar. In some place, it's cheaper than that. It's served straight from the pan so it's very hot so I often eat it with a cold glass of milk.

Korean Street-Food

When I'm not in the mood to cook I usually resort to buying street-food here. Not to be wary, street-food here is nothing like what we have back home. It's clean, cheap, and very delicious. Don't have to worry about getting stomach ache for everything is sanitarily prepared. In summer, I am reluctant to buy street-food for obvious reason that food get spoiled easily at this time. I included two of my favorites here in this post.

I like eating Sundae... Although it's spelled like the cold dessert everybody likes it's nothing like it. Sundae means pork blood sausage made from korean vermicelli, sticky rice and coagulated pork blood all stuffed inside pork's intestine. It's steamed then sliced just before serving together with portions of liver and tripe. It may seem gross to some people but I assure you it's delicious... It costs about $2 and the portions are big you can even share

Pinoy Breakfast

Whenever I get tired of eating cereal for breakfast I try to concoct something that resembles food back home. Usually trying a new brand of cereal helps me a bit with battling my cravings for Pinoy food. Sometimes it just doesn't do the trick so I had to prepare it by all means. Scouring the cabinets I found a can of Maling which I brought here from Manila. I just fried the maling in little oil (I don't like it when it's drenched in beaten egg before frying), made some sunny-side up (I like it when the yolk is still intact and a bit runny), and some boiled sticky rice which I prefer than what we have back home. I read an article about Japanese and Korean rice being the finest rice in the world. It's rather chewy in texture, shiny in appearance and it even smells good. I used to hate kimchi, but now... a meal without one is 'incomplete', even if I'm eating pinoy food.

1st day of Winter

Yes, it's already winter... I heard from the weather forecast that the temperature will drop below zero so I armed myself with a thick coat, gloves and scarf before heading out to visit Hyewha Catholic Church and attend a mass officiated by a Filipino priest. The mass attracts thousands of attendees and it is entirely done in Tagalog... The church became a gathering spot for Pinoys from all over Seoul and Gyeonggi-do.

Just outside the church the streets are flooded with people selling everything from hotdogs, century tuna, bagoong, longganisa, ampalaya and to my surprise they even have tilapia and bangus. The usual selling price is 3 or 4 times higher than the original price so I hesitated to buy.

The air is so dry thesedays that I have to put on lotion twice a day and I perpetually use the humidifier. Before I came here, I didn't know what a humidifier is or how it looks like (since manila is sooo humid I never had or will ever have an opportunity to use it there!). Well, it's just a simple machine that is filled with water and using ultrasound or heat energy, it heats up the water to produce steam and make the air moist.

I got this one last winter and it still works very well.

The Weekend

Last weekend I headed out to Kangwon-do, it's the Eastern-most part of the country. It feels nice to be away from city; the crowd, the noise, and the pollution. Kangwon-do is said to be the most rural place in the country with agriculture being it's top most source of income. For a place that is almost covered with mountains, I didn't expect it too be so beautiful. It's a great place to see the many colors of Autumn so it is quite popular with tourist both foreigners and Koreans alike.

It's a 4 hour drive by car and a 5 1/2 hour via train so the trip going there can be exhausting. Upon arriving, it's already mid-afternoon and my first destination is Seoraksan, it translates as beautiful snow-rock mountain and it's said to be the most beautiful place in the whole country. To climb the peak one must ride a cable car first and climb by foot for 15 mins. Since it's the major tourist attraction in Kangwondo there are so many people. Getting a ticket for a cable car ride can take up to two hours so I did a little hike at one of their hiking courses.

I just managed to get past the river and I had to go back to catch my ride to go to the mountain. I'm glad I wore my thickest coat as it was really cold at the top. Then I had to climb to get to the peak. My knees are shaking ang trembling in fear, the 15 minute climb was so much difficult than I anticipated. With one simple mistake one can lose his life so I am very cautious. There are no rope, no safety harness whatsoever, you just use your hands to climb. I haven't done rock-climbing so I'm very nervous... Half-way, my foot got stucked in a crevice and I can't move. The people behind me were quite annoyed because they cannot move as well. One ajussi offered to help me and grabbed my hand so I was able to inch my way up. At long last I reached the top, I had to sit because it is really windy and one can lose his balance and fall. I have never been this close to dying I said to my self.

But the view is breath-taking and it's all worth it. The panorama at the peak resembles Himalayas to me, quite picturesque. I spent 10 minutes before I decided to go down, I was the last person to do so and I'm not proud of it. Descending from the top was even more difficult. I lost my balance twice, sweated profusely but I'm very thankful that I managed to go down safely. It was the most nerve-wracking event in my life but it's also exhilirating at the same time, and if I would be given a chance I'll do it all over again.

I headed out to a port in Seokcho afterwards to meet some people. The place looks like a night market where there are endless street-vendors, restaurants, seafood vendors and patrons. It's known for sashimi so all the fishes, crustaceans, and other seafood are alive and prepared before your eyes. I had sashimi, squid sashimi (which are eaten while it's still moving), clams, and prawns with baekseju or in english 100 year old wine (it's just a brand name, it's not really fermented for a hundred year).

The next day, I went to DMZ, the border between North and South Korea. After lunch, I went on my way to Gyeongpo beach which I heard the second most-beautiful beach in Korea next to Haeundae in Busan. The water looks great and it's not crowded. But I cannot really appreciate the sea when it's so cold to even touch the water. We had to drive thru Daegwallyong before we can reach our final destination. It's said to be the most difficult driving course in Korea. It's such a steep place, full of sharp curves, and very foggy, so foggy that there are numerous caution signs to drive slowly and carefully. I can't imagine if it's winter and snowing, it could be a very, very dangerous drive for beginners.

The last stop was the lamb petting zoo. I really couldn't stand the smell, it's intoxicating. But somehow, people like touching them and feeding them. I can't get really near because of their smell and it's the time they'd close the place, but nevertheless, it's worth seeing them even from afar. They are so cute and meek but the children that can't get their hands off them, and by the way their fur looks really neat!!!

The 4 hour drive home became 5 because of the heavy traffic. Had to stop twice to get some snacks and use the bathroom. I noticed how the air has suddenly changed that night. It was a little below zero and my breath was all foggy like a dragon's. Is it winter already?! I hope not...It's difficult to go on a trip when it's below zero degrees. I pray for more warm days to come.....................

Sudden freeze in Autumn

We experienced a sudden freeze in Gangwon-do today. Since it's raining here at the capital city, it snowed in some parts of the northern peninsula where it's much colder. This incident proves that winter is on it's way. The streets are filled with fallen leaves, trees have withered and most of them bare. I'm stowing away my light jackets to make room for winter coats. Autumn has been my favorite of all seasons... the air is so clean and crisp, the trees changing into wonderful colors, mountains are like a beautiful painting so pleasing to the eyes.

Trees slowly turn bare. Whenever I see trees in this state it makes me a bit gloomy because something so precious as their wonderfully colored leaves shouldn't be desolated. I love seeing snow but I really dread winter. It's such a pain to go out at this time. There are countless times my feet went numb while walking in snow. Here, we have to spend a lot to heat up our places and it can be such a pain when the boiler go bonkers...! Not to mention all fruits and vegetables are so expensive cause they grow it in greenhouses and not outdoors. Korean people like drinking when it's cold, it's suppose to give their body warmth. Ehyu, I don't know what my winter will be like. I just hope it'll be fun.

The Bed

It's drizzling right now and I just finished eating tteokbokki. With this weather I normally just lie in bed and cuddle-up. My blanket is thick and soft makes makes me warm and all. I like reading magazines while drinking hot chocolate or just veg out in front of the TV the whole day. It's dark and foggy outside so I guess I'm just gonna eat ramyeon for dinner (too lazy to go outside!).
Rainy days makes me gloomy... It reminds me a lot back home. Being alone is kind of depressing. There's only me and one faithful bed.

It's very dry these days and it's going to get worse even more soon. I've been using my humidifier almost every night. I noticed my skin got very dry though I religiously put on moisturizer in my face. I thought about retiring my old product and buy a new one this season. I used that last spring and it worked well but it doesn't suit me now.
Upon the recommendation of a friend, I recently purchased DeAge Red Addition by Charmzone. I instantly fell in love with it! The Red Addition means it has the essence of red wine, pomegranate, tomato and several other red fruits that are very high in antioxidants.

After cleaning my face I put the Toner first then next is the emulsion. I haven't used the control cream (middle-one) because I don't have any idea how to use it... It's like a facial wash with beads but it doesn't lather up. It'll stay in the shelf for now...

Baths

Since the temperature is rapidly dropping day by day and the nights are getting colder, I feel that taking a shower seems to be more like a burden (eew!). I normally take a shower twice a day back in my country but here, I usually do it once.
In my country, taking a bath is usually done in the morning before going to work. In Japan and in Korea, people normally take a shower night time. I asked my friend the reason for this and I was told that they are very busy and don't have time to spare in the mornings. And unlike in Philippines where tardiness is a forgivable offense, here it can be a ticket to losing a job.