Hi team I am back !!! all refreshed !! and I just found this on youtube.. its Shinee doing a version of Neyos " So Sick " !! get into it !
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Korea.net
Team I just came across this nice little website.
If you want to know about all things Korea then you should check this one out !!!
http://korea.net/index.do
If you want to know about all things Korea then you should check this one out !!!
http://korea.net/index.do
South Korea v Greece 2010 World Cup 12/6/2010
Good win first up !!!
South Korea have indeed made a very solid start to the 2010 Soccer World Cup by beating Greece 2-0. Lee Jong Soo and Park Ji-Sung were the heros for the Koreans, scoring in the first and 2nd halves respectively. Lets hope they can continue with this form for an even more daunting challenge in Argentina that is to come next !!! Here are some highlights ...
South Korea have indeed made a very solid start to the 2010 Soccer World Cup by beating Greece 2-0. Lee Jong Soo and Park Ji-Sung were the heros for the Koreans, scoring in the first and 2nd halves respectively. Lets hope they can continue with this form for an even more daunting challenge in Argentina that is to come next !!! Here are some highlights ...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Korea world Cup song 2010 !
Well team its world cup time and you know what that means.....WORLD CUP SONGS !!!!! So without further ado, heres Kim Yu Na and Big Bang with THE SHOUTS OF REDS !!! Enjoy !!!
And heres more from Super Junior ....
And heres more from Super Junior ....
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Outback Steakhouse in Cheonho
Another shout out for good service here team !!!
My bud and I went there for a meal on Sunday Evening just past, and I must say they did a real good job so they did. From the time you walk in, everyone is smiling and genuinely happy to see you. The staff there are really fun and look like they are actually enjoying what it is they do. The food is great. The staff are willing to well... practice their english hehehe... with you too !!!
Yeh.. cant fault this one. If you come out of exit 5 I think it is, and just go straight up from Cheonho Station, you will indeed see it. You wont regret it team.
My bud and I went there for a meal on Sunday Evening just past, and I must say they did a real good job so they did. From the time you walk in, everyone is smiling and genuinely happy to see you. The staff there are really fun and look like they are actually enjoying what it is they do. The food is great. The staff are willing to well... practice their english hehehe... with you too !!!
Yeh.. cant fault this one. If you come out of exit 5 I think it is, and just go straight up from Cheonho Station, you will indeed see it. You wont regret it team.
Itaewon Nights
Ok Ok team,
I know you are going to slander me as being a typical foreigner in Seoul for doing what I did last Saturday Night. And yes, I deserve to be slandered. You have a fair point. I did the thing that basically every foreigner does at some point yet regularly wishes they didnt do. I did the debauche. I did the unsavoury. I did the regrettable.
I went to some clubs in Itaewon on a Saturday Night.
Yep it was the first time I had really been out on a Saturday Night here in Korea for a while, so I decided to head to an old stomping ground of mine, Itaewon.
During the daylight hours, Itaewon is an interestingly cosmopolitan mix so it is. Cafes, Markets, the odd clothing shop, and plenty of food stalls on the street add to a nice little eclectic mix of things to be mixed in to give a strong resonant positive feel and vibe for a place.
At night however, the place can indeed become a lot on the seedy side and whilst not overbearingly bad, it can indeed get a little irritable.
The place is basically jam packed with Koreans, US soldiers, English teachers and well... any one else tagging along for the ride.
Two bars I went into on the night include Helios and the UN bar.
Helios is by far the better of the two. Its basically set up like a sports bar. You can the usual things you do at any given bar there. The grub is good, the vibe good, and the time good. Its generally not so bad.
UN Bar on the other hand is a different thing altogether. Basically it has a lot of filipino waitresses and US soldiers in there, and it has an unfortunate ghetto like feel to it. It plays Hip Hop until it can play it no more. And it gets really repetitive and boring. Not to mention that the place still has a very dirty grungy feel to it. A place to avoid in the future I think.
You can have a look at some youtubes of Itaewon here..
Thats UN bar for you .. and more ..
Generally speaking, Itaewon is not too bad. But well... I will leave it up to you if you wish to go there at night. Cheers.
I know you are going to slander me as being a typical foreigner in Seoul for doing what I did last Saturday Night. And yes, I deserve to be slandered. You have a fair point. I did the thing that basically every foreigner does at some point yet regularly wishes they didnt do. I did the debauche. I did the unsavoury. I did the regrettable.
I went to some clubs in Itaewon on a Saturday Night.
Yep it was the first time I had really been out on a Saturday Night here in Korea for a while, so I decided to head to an old stomping ground of mine, Itaewon.
During the daylight hours, Itaewon is an interestingly cosmopolitan mix so it is. Cafes, Markets, the odd clothing shop, and plenty of food stalls on the street add to a nice little eclectic mix of things to be mixed in to give a strong resonant positive feel and vibe for a place.
At night however, the place can indeed become a lot on the seedy side and whilst not overbearingly bad, it can indeed get a little irritable.
The place is basically jam packed with Koreans, US soldiers, English teachers and well... any one else tagging along for the ride.
Two bars I went into on the night include Helios and the UN bar.
Helios is by far the better of the two. Its basically set up like a sports bar. You can the usual things you do at any given bar there. The grub is good, the vibe good, and the time good. Its generally not so bad.
UN Bar on the other hand is a different thing altogether. Basically it has a lot of filipino waitresses and US soldiers in there, and it has an unfortunate ghetto like feel to it. It plays Hip Hop until it can play it no more. And it gets really repetitive and boring. Not to mention that the place still has a very dirty grungy feel to it. A place to avoid in the future I think.
You can have a look at some youtubes of Itaewon here..
Thats UN bar for you .. and more ..
Generally speaking, Itaewon is not too bad. But well... I will leave it up to you if you wish to go there at night. Cheers.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Second Moon - 두번째달
This is some really cool fusion music here by the Korean fusion band Second Moon ! As an Irish - Australian I can really pick the irish in this ! Have a listen and you will see it !
Aaaaah to wee Seamus and his Bhodhran !!! They do a nice version of Danny Boy !!!
Aaaaah to wee Seamus and his Bhodhran !!! They do a nice version of Danny Boy !!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Super Junior - BONAMANA
Brand new track for Super Junior, from their latest album. You should listen to it. Its called BONAMANA
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Eateries in Korea
team I just came across this blog which is a restaurant blog. You should check this out when you wish to dine out. Here tis...
http://hiexpat.com/restaurants-bars-and-cafes
http://hiexpat.com/restaurants-bars-and-cafes
Seosan City
Team I was just given this link by a very special friend of mine. I am thinking of going to Seosan now to see the place. It looks really interesting and a little off the track so I think it is worth my visit.
You can see more about it here...
http://www.seosantour.net/cnt/en/main.do#pop2
I will give a full report of the place when I see it.
cheers.
You can see more about it here...
http://www.seosantour.net/cnt/en/main.do#pop2
I will give a full report of the place when I see it.
cheers.
Korean Air tribute
I just found this on youtube team. I think it is good. It shows the good things about KAL. A good video read indeed !
Fudgesicle built for Joyce Kwon !!!
This is really nice team !!
This time we get to see Joyce fronting the band in a much more jazzier setting then the one I set up here before. It kind of has a really nice little loose feel to it that still nicely holds itself together. Its called fudgesicle built for four, and I hope you enjoy to.
This time we get to see Joyce fronting the band in a much more jazzier setting then the one I set up here before. It kind of has a really nice little loose feel to it that still nicely holds itself together. Its called fudgesicle built for four, and I hope you enjoy to.
Incheon International Airport
Team
I managed to get out of this from Youtube about Incheon International Airport. This is a really cool video about a really nice airport. Its a young airport on the move team, and you should have a look at this and be a genuine part of it. View til your heart melts.
I managed to get out of this from Youtube about Incheon International Airport. This is a really cool video about a really nice airport. Its a young airport on the move team, and you should have a look at this and be a genuine part of it. View til your heart melts.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
heres the story of little Bo Peep !!
Well, its the story according to Tiara anyway !!!!! I love this song !!! Its cute and Korean !!!! Check out Bo Peep by Tiara !!!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
foreign eats and treats in korea
Hey there
I was fortunate enough to get to one of the Outback Steakhouse Restaurants here in Seoul the other night. Gotta say it, I was not disappointed.
Being Australian, I certainly do have a favourable affinity with this restaurant chain. Although its an American company, the theme of the place is unmistakenly Australian. From the boomerangs on the wall to the Australian Flag on the wall, it indeed has it all.
And there is the food. They have great steaks, sumptious salads, and some really great pasta dishes. I had a Queensland Chicken and Shrimp pasta and oh boy did it hit the spot. I have really come to appreciate the class presented by the Outback Steakhouse team. You should too. You can see more here...
I was fortunate enough to get to one of the Outback Steakhouse Restaurants here in Seoul the other night. Gotta say it, I was not disappointed.
Being Australian, I certainly do have a favourable affinity with this restaurant chain. Although its an American company, the theme of the place is unmistakenly Australian. From the boomerangs on the wall to the Australian Flag on the wall, it indeed has it all.
And there is the food. They have great steaks, sumptious salads, and some really great pasta dishes. I had a Queensland Chicken and Shrimp pasta and oh boy did it hit the spot. I have really come to appreciate the class presented by the Outback Steakhouse team. You should too. You can see more here...
Namdaemun Markets
Hi there team,
I was recently fortunate enough to be able to get to the Namdaemun Markets in Seoul. It sure is an interesting place !!
Its a smorgasbord of blend-o-rama. You can find almost everything and certainly anything here. You have scrumptious foodstalls, Weird and wacky accesories, gym and health supplements, all the latest sports merchandise.... you have it all team !!!!
Here are some neat youtubes about Namdaemun Market...
Thanks to Joytraveller for that one. And another...
Namdaemun Market is an institution team.
To find out more about it you can check it out here......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun_Market
http://www.namdaemunmarket.co.kr/
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273760
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/4
Do yourself a favour and drop on by. You are bound to find something here to tickle your fancy.
I was recently fortunate enough to be able to get to the Namdaemun Markets in Seoul. It sure is an interesting place !!
Its a smorgasbord of blend-o-rama. You can find almost everything and certainly anything here. You have scrumptious foodstalls, Weird and wacky accesories, gym and health supplements, all the latest sports merchandise.... you have it all team !!!!
Here are some neat youtubes about Namdaemun Market...
Thanks to Joytraveller for that one. And another...
Namdaemun Market is an institution team.
To find out more about it you can check it out here......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun_Market
http://www.namdaemunmarket.co.kr/
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273760
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/4
Do yourself a favour and drop on by. You are bound to find something here to tickle your fancy.
Friday, April 30, 2010
A little 2ne1 !!!
Heres the latest offering from Korean all girl pop act 2ne1 ! Its called follow me !!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Amsa-dong Prehistoric settlement on Youtube !
Heres a youtube of where I went to on Saturday team !!! I hope you enjoy it !
Deoksugung on Youtube !
Oh yeh team I found this video for Deoksugung, the place I visited yesterday. You should check it out !!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Deachu Jujube tea !!
This stuff is golden !!!!!
Whilst walking around Deoksugung Palace today, I stopped by the Coffee shop and tried some Deachu ( Jujube ) tea. It was golden !!!!!!
This tea is awesome !!!
Its a tea made from Chinese Dates, and has pinenuts floating on time, as well as a strong maple flavour and aroma to it.
Damn team ! Its gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood !!!!!!!!
If you search around the tea shops in Seoul, or indeed your local Asian Grocer, you will find it. Grab it and drink it. You will not be disappointed.
Whilst walking around Deoksugung Palace today, I stopped by the Coffee shop and tried some Deachu ( Jujube ) tea. It was golden !!!!!!
This tea is awesome !!!
Its a tea made from Chinese Dates, and has pinenuts floating on time, as well as a strong maple flavour and aroma to it.
Damn team ! Its gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood !!!!!!!!
If you search around the tea shops in Seoul, or indeed your local Asian Grocer, you will find it. Grab it and drink it. You will not be disappointed.
Deoksugung Palace, Seoul
Team,
Today I was fortunate enough to visit Deoksugung Palace in Seoul. I must say I quite liked the place. The old style architecture was really appealing and the place had a real genuine sense of peace and quiet about it.
Deoksugung Palace is located almost directly alongside City Hall in Seoul, so all you need to do is get off at City Hall station ( lines 1,2, and 3 ) and just head out the City Hall exit, and you will see it.
Deoksugung Palace was firstr built in the late 1400s as a residence for King Wolsan. It became somewhat of a royal palace in 1592, after King Seonjo took up residence there during the Japanese invasion of Korea, and it received its first name change back in 1607 when King Gwanghaegun gave it the name Gyeongungung.
The Palace also saw a coronation in 1623, when the coronation of King Injo took place there. It was also named Seogung until 1897
In 1897, King Gojong declared that it would be from the Palace that the " Great Han Empire " would come to fruition, and had the Palace renamed Gyeongungung for a second time.
A final name change to Deoksugung took place in 1907 under the reign of King Sojong.
You can see lots of pics and all about the Palace here team
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/seoul/65
http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english/royal_palaces_new/Deoksugung.jsp
http://english.visitseoul.net/en/subindex.do?_method=info&m=0002000001007&p=07
Its well worth the visit team, and you will be seeing a true Korean Icon in doing so.
Today I was fortunate enough to visit Deoksugung Palace in Seoul. I must say I quite liked the place. The old style architecture was really appealing and the place had a real genuine sense of peace and quiet about it.
Deoksugung Palace is located almost directly alongside City Hall in Seoul, so all you need to do is get off at City Hall station ( lines 1,2, and 3 ) and just head out the City Hall exit, and you will see it.
Deoksugung Palace was firstr built in the late 1400s as a residence for King Wolsan. It became somewhat of a royal palace in 1592, after King Seonjo took up residence there during the Japanese invasion of Korea, and it received its first name change back in 1607 when King Gwanghaegun gave it the name Gyeongungung.
The Palace also saw a coronation in 1623, when the coronation of King Injo took place there. It was also named Seogung until 1897
In 1897, King Gojong declared that it would be from the Palace that the " Great Han Empire " would come to fruition, and had the Palace renamed Gyeongungung for a second time.
A final name change to Deoksugung took place in 1907 under the reign of King Sojong.
You can see lots of pics and all about the Palace here team
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/seoul/65
http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english/royal_palaces_new/Deoksugung.jsp
http://english.visitseoul.net/en/subindex.do?_method=info&m=0002000001007&p=07
Its well worth the visit team, and you will be seeing a true Korean Icon in doing so.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Cafe 7 gram
Team I just came across this neat little coffee shop chain today.
I was just walking along the road to my selected place today, that being the Amsa-dong prehistoric settlement, when I came across this little franchise.
I was quite tweeked by this discovery so I decided to investigate further.
I was quite impressed so I was.
The store looked good. The place was tidy. The menu is plentiful. And my Jasmine tea for today was stirling indeed !!!
You can see it here team
www.cafe7gram.com
Do it !!!!
I was just walking along the road to my selected place today, that being the Amsa-dong prehistoric settlement, when I came across this little franchise.
I was quite tweeked by this discovery so I decided to investigate further.
I was quite impressed so I was.
The store looked good. The place was tidy. The menu is plentiful. And my Jasmine tea for today was stirling indeed !!!
You can see it here team
www.cafe7gram.com
Do it !!!!
Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement Site
Hi there team,
Today I decided to venture to Amsa-dong and see the prehistoric settlement village thats there.
Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site is a recreation of the largest neolithic site in Korea. Based near the Han River, the settlement was first inhabited by people 6,000 years ago.
The area that the site is on is basically full of pit huts and pit houses, and reflects upon a time when people existed on hunting, fishing and gathering for their existence. The local economy of the time in the area was indeed very much based on manual labor, so people of the time were also heavily involved in the manufacture of fishing nets, stone produce and spears to support the hunter gatherer lifestyle near the Han River.
Fishing and the fish industry was not the only source of food supply for the people on the Han River area. Acorns were also discovered in the area.
People in this area lived in Pit Houses, which were built by digging holes in the ground and covering the holes with huts.
The huts also had storage pits measuring 2 metres in diameter.
You can see it all here team
http://www.gangdonggu.seoul.kr/
All in all it wasnt too bad team. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon and its something I recommend you go and check out.
Today I decided to venture to Amsa-dong and see the prehistoric settlement village thats there.
Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site is a recreation of the largest neolithic site in Korea. Based near the Han River, the settlement was first inhabited by people 6,000 years ago.
The area that the site is on is basically full of pit huts and pit houses, and reflects upon a time when people existed on hunting, fishing and gathering for their existence. The local economy of the time in the area was indeed very much based on manual labor, so people of the time were also heavily involved in the manufacture of fishing nets, stone produce and spears to support the hunter gatherer lifestyle near the Han River.
Fishing and the fish industry was not the only source of food supply for the people on the Han River area. Acorns were also discovered in the area.
People in this area lived in Pit Houses, which were built by digging holes in the ground and covering the holes with huts.
The huts also had storage pits measuring 2 metres in diameter.
You can see it all here team
http://www.gangdonggu.seoul.kr/
All in all it wasnt too bad team. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon and its something I recommend you go and check out.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The forum for everything Korean ! its SOOMPI !!!!!
Team
I just found this really cool little forum to do with all things Korean Entertainment and popular culture ! It talks about everything, from latest gossip, to fun times, to whose who in the Korean entertainment world, to well... everything !!! you can see it here ...
http://www.soompi.com/
I just found this really cool little forum to do with all things Korean Entertainment and popular culture ! It talks about everything, from latest gossip, to fun times, to whose who in the Korean entertainment world, to well... everything !!! you can see it here ...
http://www.soompi.com/
Girls Generation - Oh !!!!!
Well heres a bouncy little number for you !!!!
Its by the Korean all girl group Girls Generation and its called Oh ! Hope you like it !
Its by the Korean all girl group Girls Generation and its called Oh ! Hope you like it !
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Shinee - Ring Ding Dong !!!!
Damn I have been loving this song for the last couple of weeks. Well team finally I found out who its by. Its Ring Ding Dong and its by Shinee. Sit back and enjoy !!!
Monday, April 19, 2010
A random act of Korean Kindness
Well team,
Sometimes, we as human beings tend to find our lives a little routine, dull and menial. We get up, we go to work, we come home, we eat dinner and go to bed. We tend to do this quite repetitively and regularly. Life pretty much becomes somewhat of a routine because of this.
Yet amidst all of this, there are moments of joy, glee, and times that do indeed make you smile. These are the moments that, even though they are small and seemingly insignificant, they do indeed make it all worth while.
Today, I had one of those moments team.
As I was working away in the computer room of my school, wittling down the last lesson of my day, my awareness was quite strongly fixed on one particular kid in the class. His english name was Tom, and well... lets just say he had a few little emotional issues. He was not a major handful, but well, he was distractive and found it difficult to pay attention in class.
Yet hows this team. Everything I wanted to Tom to do, he appeared to do it. I mean hey.. his screen was full... he seemed to have all his work done. I didnt think anything of it.
Then I checked the 2 boys next to him and realised something. There work was still going. I thought " O kay I will let them catch up, maybe they are mucking around.... " At least thats what I thought....
Until I turned around and saw one of the boys next to Tom actually helping him do his work.
And I mean seriously helping him. As in making sure Tom at least tried to concentrate. Making sure he wasnt playing computer games in class. Making sure that his diary was filled out.
That really made my day team.
Random acts of kindness seem to be a fading thing these days team, but what these two boys did a help out a classmate less fortunate then themselves was absolutely choice in my opinion. I wish we all learn a lesson from this team. And whats more, both boys were very modest about it when I congratulated them on their efforts.
They really did put the needs of someone else before there own here team, and you can never ever ever fault that.
I just hope I can learn a lesson from it and encourage others to the same thing for people.
Sometimes, we as human beings tend to find our lives a little routine, dull and menial. We get up, we go to work, we come home, we eat dinner and go to bed. We tend to do this quite repetitively and regularly. Life pretty much becomes somewhat of a routine because of this.
Yet amidst all of this, there are moments of joy, glee, and times that do indeed make you smile. These are the moments that, even though they are small and seemingly insignificant, they do indeed make it all worth while.
Today, I had one of those moments team.
As I was working away in the computer room of my school, wittling down the last lesson of my day, my awareness was quite strongly fixed on one particular kid in the class. His english name was Tom, and well... lets just say he had a few little emotional issues. He was not a major handful, but well, he was distractive and found it difficult to pay attention in class.
Yet hows this team. Everything I wanted to Tom to do, he appeared to do it. I mean hey.. his screen was full... he seemed to have all his work done. I didnt think anything of it.
Then I checked the 2 boys next to him and realised something. There work was still going. I thought " O kay I will let them catch up, maybe they are mucking around.... " At least thats what I thought....
Until I turned around and saw one of the boys next to Tom actually helping him do his work.
And I mean seriously helping him. As in making sure Tom at least tried to concentrate. Making sure he wasnt playing computer games in class. Making sure that his diary was filled out.
That really made my day team.
Random acts of kindness seem to be a fading thing these days team, but what these two boys did a help out a classmate less fortunate then themselves was absolutely choice in my opinion. I wish we all learn a lesson from this team. And whats more, both boys were very modest about it when I congratulated them on their efforts.
They really did put the needs of someone else before there own here team, and you can never ever ever fault that.
I just hope I can learn a lesson from it and encourage others to the same thing for people.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Funtwo and Joe Satriani jamming
Damn I know a few guitarists who would love to be in Korean Guitarist Funtwo's shoes doing this !!!!! Funtwo jamming with Joe Satriani !! Rock on !!!!!
Yiruma - Kiss the Rain
I love this team. Its called Kiss the Rain and its by the Korean Pianist Yiruma. Listen with your heart and enjoy ...
Chitty Chitty bang bang
Hehehe ...
I could have sworn I was watching a Beyonce Clip here... heres Lee Hyo Ri's new one
I could have sworn I was watching a Beyonce Clip here... heres Lee Hyo Ri's new one
Joes Sandwich and Coffee
Well team,
I decided to try something a little different today. I decided to go into a coffee shop that I had forever being walking past saying that one day I would go in there and grab something. Well today was that day team and I am very glad I went in.
I must say first off that, well, on first impressions, Joes Sandwich and Coffee shop located just across the road from Olympic Park is pretty basic when you walk in. Its not as decorated as some of the other coffee shops around, it doesnt have a ton of merchandise and it doesnt appear to have any special cards, offers or things like that to draw people in.
What it does have, however, is quality food and beverage.
Now I must admit that today, I only had a banana juice. It came with a catch, and this catch was a truely unique thing indeed.
It had REAL BANANA'S coming from the blender, and not banana flavouring. A truely unique thing in todays modern processed food society.
Another strange thing, given todays modern need to premake everything in order to display it, was the delightful fact that ... whoa... I was actually .. you .. you know... actually able to see someone out the back freshly making the food orders to order. The two girls in the shop were making sandwiches as I walked in.
It all sounds good to me team.
I know I will be going back in there again. You should too. Its just up the road a little from Olympic Park Gate 2 on the left as you come down from gang-dong station.
You can check out their stuff here
http://www.joessandwich.com/
I highly recommend it.
I decided to try something a little different today. I decided to go into a coffee shop that I had forever being walking past saying that one day I would go in there and grab something. Well today was that day team and I am very glad I went in.
I must say first off that, well, on first impressions, Joes Sandwich and Coffee shop located just across the road from Olympic Park is pretty basic when you walk in. Its not as decorated as some of the other coffee shops around, it doesnt have a ton of merchandise and it doesnt appear to have any special cards, offers or things like that to draw people in.
What it does have, however, is quality food and beverage.
Now I must admit that today, I only had a banana juice. It came with a catch, and this catch was a truely unique thing indeed.
It had REAL BANANA'S coming from the blender, and not banana flavouring. A truely unique thing in todays modern processed food society.
Another strange thing, given todays modern need to premake everything in order to display it, was the delightful fact that ... whoa... I was actually .. you .. you know... actually able to see someone out the back freshly making the food orders to order. The two girls in the shop were making sandwiches as I walked in.
It all sounds good to me team.
I know I will be going back in there again. You should too. Its just up the road a little from Olympic Park Gate 2 on the left as you come down from gang-dong station.
You can check out their stuff here
http://www.joessandwich.com/
I highly recommend it.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Black Day
Yes team
In Korea, you have Valentines Day, White Day and.... Black Day !!!!!!!!!!
Yes team, the koreans have invented another money making day revolving around relationships !!!! This one though actually celebrates singledom !!!!! Yep even the singles get to party and celebrate.
What happens is that people who didnt celebrate Valentines Day or White Day because they are single. Hence ... Black Day has been created !!!!! Black Day is on April 14 and involves people who get together and eat Jagangmyeon for their singleness !!!!!
Jajangmyeon is a noodle dish consisting of wheat noodles soaked in soy bean paste, meat, vegetables and sea food. You can see it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdmiNDhRYDk
Its really good team ! You should try it !!!!!
In Korea, you have Valentines Day, White Day and.... Black Day !!!!!!!!!!
Yes team, the koreans have invented another money making day revolving around relationships !!!! This one though actually celebrates singledom !!!!! Yep even the singles get to party and celebrate.
What happens is that people who didnt celebrate Valentines Day or White Day because they are single. Hence ... Black Day has been created !!!!! Black Day is on April 14 and involves people who get together and eat Jagangmyeon for their singleness !!!!!
Jajangmyeon is a noodle dish consisting of wheat noodles soaked in soy bean paste, meat, vegetables and sea food. You can see it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdmiNDhRYDk
Its really good team ! You should try it !!!!!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Vanilla Chai Tea Latte
Team I never thought I would top Tom n Toms. .. .. .. ..
But I think I just have .,...
If you are ever in Myongdong ( Seoul Subway Blue line ), you simply have to try the Vanilla Chai Tea Latte from Flash Coffee at Myongdong station ( its near the steps to exit 4 ). It is SUPERB !!!!! The extra vanilla flavour gives a chai tea latte an extra little bit of zing that other chai tea lattes seem to miss. I tried a Vanilla Chai tea latte today team and it seriously hit the spot. Like really seriously.
I think Tom n Toms, Starbucks, and Ediya have a new kid on the block to deal with team ... and a formidable new kid at that.
I loved it and I know you will too. Do yourself a favour and try it. You wont be disappointed.
But I think I just have .,...
If you are ever in Myongdong ( Seoul Subway Blue line ), you simply have to try the Vanilla Chai Tea Latte from Flash Coffee at Myongdong station ( its near the steps to exit 4 ). It is SUPERB !!!!! The extra vanilla flavour gives a chai tea latte an extra little bit of zing that other chai tea lattes seem to miss. I tried a Vanilla Chai tea latte today team and it seriously hit the spot. Like really seriously.
I think Tom n Toms, Starbucks, and Ediya have a new kid on the block to deal with team ... and a formidable new kid at that.
I loved it and I know you will too. Do yourself a favour and try it. You wont be disappointed.
Bokbunja ( Wild Raspberry ) Tea
Team
You should seriously drink this. This tea is magic !! I bought this at Lotte Mart yesterday and I was lucky enough to try it today before I went out for my Sunday afternoon language exchange.
This stuff tastes great.
As the title suggests, its a tea made from organic wild raspberry and it just hit the spot straight away.
Its made from the Korean black raspberry and its benefits include metabolic stimulation and increasing your energy levels. I found this to be particularly true, especially as I drank it before breakfast. I found it helped open up my stomach and my breakfast just went straight down so to speak, and not settle in my stomach like it can do at times.
The brand of Bokbunja I drank today is made by the Dowul company. I have read the company website and I must say I am very impressed by their product range and I will look to see about trying some of the other produce they have on offer. They are a company committed to producing solid, stable and viable organic meals and foods so I must try and find out more about them and their products
You can find out more about the company and the produce here.
http://www.dowul.com/eng/
http://www.dowul.com/eng/sub02_01.asp?step1=2&step2=4&step3=1&step4=3
I can't recommend it any more team. Just go out there, get it and simply enjoy it as I have done.
You should seriously drink this. This tea is magic !! I bought this at Lotte Mart yesterday and I was lucky enough to try it today before I went out for my Sunday afternoon language exchange.
This stuff tastes great.
As the title suggests, its a tea made from organic wild raspberry and it just hit the spot straight away.
Its made from the Korean black raspberry and its benefits include metabolic stimulation and increasing your energy levels. I found this to be particularly true, especially as I drank it before breakfast. I found it helped open up my stomach and my breakfast just went straight down so to speak, and not settle in my stomach like it can do at times.
The brand of Bokbunja I drank today is made by the Dowul company. I have read the company website and I must say I am very impressed by their product range and I will look to see about trying some of the other produce they have on offer. They are a company committed to producing solid, stable and viable organic meals and foods so I must try and find out more about them and their products
You can find out more about the company and the produce here.
http://www.dowul.com/eng/
http://www.dowul.com/eng/sub02_01.asp?step1=2&step2=4&step3=1&step4=3
I can't recommend it any more team. Just go out there, get it and simply enjoy it as I have done.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Lotte Mart Jamsil - excellent service
Its time for another shoutout to a company that went the extra mile to help me out today.
I went shopping at Lotte Mart in Jamsil today, and I was very impressed with the way I was attended to as I was looking for some cereals, teas, and other organic goods.
The lady who was attending to me made some happy suggestions, told me about specials and half price items, and even made some nice recommendations to me, which I took her up on, if only because she made an excellent effort to tell me things in my own native English. She even ran to get me a basket so I could take my items to the cash register, so as to make my shopping experience today that extra little bit more special and easier.
Thumbs up Lotte Mart at Jamsil. One of your workers has made sure I will be back there again sometime soon.
http://www.lotte.co.kr/english/s2_business/sub2_02-4.html
You should come and experience the service. Basically, you just get off at Jamsil station and follow the directions to Lotte Mart. You will also see Lotte World there also, and you also have Lotte Department Store. You won't regret coming here team.
I went shopping at Lotte Mart in Jamsil today, and I was very impressed with the way I was attended to as I was looking for some cereals, teas, and other organic goods.
The lady who was attending to me made some happy suggestions, told me about specials and half price items, and even made some nice recommendations to me, which I took her up on, if only because she made an excellent effort to tell me things in my own native English. She even ran to get me a basket so I could take my items to the cash register, so as to make my shopping experience today that extra little bit more special and easier.
Thumbs up Lotte Mart at Jamsil. One of your workers has made sure I will be back there again sometime soon.
http://www.lotte.co.kr/english/s2_business/sub2_02-4.html
You should come and experience the service. Basically, you just get off at Jamsil station and follow the directions to Lotte Mart. You will also see Lotte World there also, and you also have Lotte Department Store. You won't regret coming here team.
Technomart, Gangbyeon Station, Seoul
Team, if you are looking for your one stop, everything you need electronice shop, then Technomart at Gangbyeon Station is for you.
You will pretty much everything you really and truely do need here. Technomart is a 10 story electronics megastore. You can pick up cell phones, Ipods, MP3s, all your major camera, TV and audio gear. You can also get your gear from Korea and around the world.
I myself picked up a watch and a prepaid cell phone there today without too much fuss. There were plenty of both items to choose from, and I was served quite well.
On the bottom floor, you also have an array of coffee shops, drug stores, banks and other amenities to help you on your shopping way.
You can see a little more if you look here.
http://theseoulite.com/?p=721
http://www.tm21.com/main/
Have fun getting lost in Seouls wonderful techno-jungle !!!!!!
You will pretty much everything you really and truely do need here. Technomart is a 10 story electronics megastore. You can pick up cell phones, Ipods, MP3s, all your major camera, TV and audio gear. You can also get your gear from Korea and around the world.
I myself picked up a watch and a prepaid cell phone there today without too much fuss. There were plenty of both items to choose from, and I was served quite well.
On the bottom floor, you also have an array of coffee shops, drug stores, banks and other amenities to help you on your shopping way.
You can see a little more if you look here.
http://theseoulite.com/?p=721
http://www.tm21.com/main/
Have fun getting lost in Seouls wonderful techno-jungle !!!!!!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Xian Chinese Restaurant - Sadang Station - Pastelcity
Team,
When in Seoul, you have to check this place out. I was fortunate enough to get out to Sadang City today for work, and during break time, myself and 3 of my co-workers managed to get some Chinese for lunch. And boy oh boy this grub was good.
We stopped off at Pastelcity and went up to the 3rd floor to go to Zian, a really nice Chinese Restaurant there. I was lamenting that we didnt go to a Vietnamese Restaurant named Phobay on the 2nd floor, but after getting this good Chinese feed, my lament disappeared pretty quick.
We didnt do any feast or anything like that, and we pretty much went just for single dishes. Two of us had a spicy noodle soup with seafood and veg, another had like a blackbean noodle thing in soy sauce, and the last bloke had a chicken and peach kind of thing.
I loved my dish team. It was hot, spicy, and very delicious ! In fact, no one complained about our dishes and were quite complimentary of the food and the service. Team its just good solid food in a lovely environment.
To get to Pastelcity team, you just leave Sadang Station, and I think its exit 2. You just walk straight up and you will see a turn off on the left. Head down that and you will see Pastelcity there. Head up to the 3rd floor and you will find it there !!!!
Feast out and enjoy some good chinese grub !!!!!!
When in Seoul, you have to check this place out. I was fortunate enough to get out to Sadang City today for work, and during break time, myself and 3 of my co-workers managed to get some Chinese for lunch. And boy oh boy this grub was good.
We stopped off at Pastelcity and went up to the 3rd floor to go to Zian, a really nice Chinese Restaurant there. I was lamenting that we didnt go to a Vietnamese Restaurant named Phobay on the 2nd floor, but after getting this good Chinese feed, my lament disappeared pretty quick.
We didnt do any feast or anything like that, and we pretty much went just for single dishes. Two of us had a spicy noodle soup with seafood and veg, another had like a blackbean noodle thing in soy sauce, and the last bloke had a chicken and peach kind of thing.
I loved my dish team. It was hot, spicy, and very delicious ! In fact, no one complained about our dishes and were quite complimentary of the food and the service. Team its just good solid food in a lovely environment.
To get to Pastelcity team, you just leave Sadang Station, and I think its exit 2. You just walk straight up and you will see a turn off on the left. Head down that and you will see Pastelcity there. Head up to the 3rd floor and you will find it there !!!!
Feast out and enjoy some good chinese grub !!!!!!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Language Exchange Club - Myeongdong, Seoul
Team, I just discovered this little club for the first time today and I must say that I met some really fun people from Korea, China, Egypt, Canada, US, Australia and Russia all willing to reach out, learn a new thing or two, and make new friends in Seoul.
Basically, what happens is this. We meet up at 4 pm at the Starbucks located about a 2 minute walk from exit 6 out of Myeongdong on the 4th floor. We then proceed to study an article in English and answer questions about it. At 5 pm we then go off into some little groups and decide what other language we wish to learn, from Korean, Chinese and Japanese. I decided to renew my Japanese knowledge so I had some fun with about 8 others learning some Japanese for an hour or so.
After all the little study times finished we packed up and headed out for some dinner, where I had a really delicious noodle dish called bibim guksu
It was very spicy indeed !!!!
You can have a look at here..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_noodle-Bibim_guksu-02.jpg
You should come and join in the club ! its really neat and a great way to meet people.
You can find the club here http://cafe.naver.com/korean05exchange.cafe
Or you can email them at discgolf@naver.com
Its a really fun thing team, and you can meet some really nice people through it.
Basically, what happens is this. We meet up at 4 pm at the Starbucks located about a 2 minute walk from exit 6 out of Myeongdong on the 4th floor. We then proceed to study an article in English and answer questions about it. At 5 pm we then go off into some little groups and decide what other language we wish to learn, from Korean, Chinese and Japanese. I decided to renew my Japanese knowledge so I had some fun with about 8 others learning some Japanese for an hour or so.
After all the little study times finished we packed up and headed out for some dinner, where I had a really delicious noodle dish called bibim guksu
It was very spicy indeed !!!!
You can have a look at here..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_noodle-Bibim_guksu-02.jpg
You should come and join in the club ! its really neat and a great way to meet people.
You can find the club here http://cafe.naver.com/korean05exchange.cafe
Or you can email them at discgolf@naver.com
Its a really fun thing team, and you can meet some really nice people through it.
Foreign Food Mart - Itaewon
Another staple on the list of foreign food markets in Seoul is the foreign food mart located right next door to What the Book in Itaewon.
Foreign Food Mart is pretty recognised for its ample supplies of Indian and US foods, as well as decent International Calling Cards. You can also get deodorants, body products, European foods, and other well known foreign nicknacks.
To get to the Foreign Food Mart, you walk along the main street in Itaewon, until you get to the UN club. Turn right and walk straight up the hill and you will see the foreign food mart right up at the top.
Enjoy !!!
Foreign Food Mart is pretty recognised for its ample supplies of Indian and US foods, as well as decent International Calling Cards. You can also get deodorants, body products, European foods, and other well known foreign nicknacks.
To get to the Foreign Food Mart, you walk along the main street in Itaewon, until you get to the UN club. Turn right and walk straight up the hill and you will see the foreign food mart right up at the top.
Enjoy !!!
hannam supermarket
Alas !!! Decent foreign food supplies !!!!! yeeeaaaaah hoooooooo !!!!!
Hannam supermarket is the place to come team, especially when you are missing home and although you love that delicious Korean Cuisine, you just need a little something to remind you of the joys of your home.
Located on the basement floor of the Volvo Building in Hannam Dong, Seoul, you will find a nicely stocked little market full of goodies from various parts of the world. If you want Italian pasta and pasta sauce, you can get it here. If you need Danish Hvararti, its ready and waiting for you. If you want a Fosters and a XXXX, yes team, Aussie beer can be located here.
From Quaker Oats to Maple Syrup. From Gouda to Mozarrella. From Budweiser and Molsons to Sammy Adams and Psintao. Its all here team and its stocked up quite nicely. You can also visit Dandys Grocery Store located just outside the mart. Its kind of a little entree where as the Supermarket is the main dish.
If you want to see pictures and all team you can check it all out right here.
http://www.hannammarket.co.kr/
Alternatively team, you can just go straight there !!!!
Its only about a 5 min walk from Hangangjin Station. Basically you come out exit 2, you just walk straight, turn right, follow the path around, go up the bridge, cross it, go down turn right and the Volvo Building is right there.
The address is
726-173 Hannam-Dong
Yongsan-gu
Seoul Korea.
Maybe I will see you in there sometime !!!!
Hannam supermarket is the place to come team, especially when you are missing home and although you love that delicious Korean Cuisine, you just need a little something to remind you of the joys of your home.
Located on the basement floor of the Volvo Building in Hannam Dong, Seoul, you will find a nicely stocked little market full of goodies from various parts of the world. If you want Italian pasta and pasta sauce, you can get it here. If you need Danish Hvararti, its ready and waiting for you. If you want a Fosters and a XXXX, yes team, Aussie beer can be located here.
From Quaker Oats to Maple Syrup. From Gouda to Mozarrella. From Budweiser and Molsons to Sammy Adams and Psintao. Its all here team and its stocked up quite nicely. You can also visit Dandys Grocery Store located just outside the mart. Its kind of a little entree where as the Supermarket is the main dish.
If you want to see pictures and all team you can check it all out right here.
http://www.hannammarket.co.kr/
Alternatively team, you can just go straight there !!!!
Its only about a 5 min walk from Hangangjin Station. Basically you come out exit 2, you just walk straight, turn right, follow the path around, go up the bridge, cross it, go down turn right and the Volvo Building is right there.
The address is
726-173 Hannam-Dong
Yongsan-gu
Seoul Korea.
Maybe I will see you in there sometime !!!!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Sea Snails - Golbaeng-i ( bai Top Shells )
It pays to open your eyes in the Super Market team.
Its when you do this, that you might indeed find a little gem for your palate, like I did tonight.
Seeking something OTHER THEN Tuna to put on my salad for the night, I decided to actually see what else was on the shelf OTHER THEN the differing varieties of Tuna on offer. What caught my eye was a little gem named sea snails, or Golbaeng-i ( 골뱅이 ) in Korean.
I cant quite remember the brand name so that basically ends the potential brand name plug for this, but team, sea snails are great !!!!!! I got mine out of the can so they were de-shelled for me, but you can have a look here team to see what can indeed look like when shelled and all.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenkimchi/sets/72157606414977449/
This stuff is great. I found the snails to be very juicy, very nice and quite healthy indeed. I am certainly going to eat Sea Snails again thats for sure.
Its when you do this, that you might indeed find a little gem for your palate, like I did tonight.
Seeking something OTHER THEN Tuna to put on my salad for the night, I decided to actually see what else was on the shelf OTHER THEN the differing varieties of Tuna on offer. What caught my eye was a little gem named sea snails, or Golbaeng-i ( 골뱅이 ) in Korean.
I cant quite remember the brand name so that basically ends the potential brand name plug for this, but team, sea snails are great !!!!!! I got mine out of the can so they were de-shelled for me, but you can have a look here team to see what can indeed look like when shelled and all.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenkimchi/sets/72157606414977449/
This stuff is great. I found the snails to be very juicy, very nice and quite healthy indeed. I am certainly going to eat Sea Snails again thats for sure.
Seoul Olympic Pool - Good service
Team,
I am writing to give another shout out to a Korean person or group that I feel went out of their way to try and help and provide good customer service.
This time, I have to give mention to a young lady, whose name I didnt actually get but thats not an issue, and the fact that even though she didnt seem so confident speaking english, she actually tried the best she could to answer my query and help me become a member of the health club at the pool.
Basically she stepped in to try and help out when her colleague began to struggle and I didnt have a Korean translastion for what it was I tried to say.
She tried very hard to help me with my query, and ended up being able to help me out quite nicely in the end. I got what I wanted, signed up and become a member. She tried hard, went out on a limb and signed someone up.
Both parties ended up with a good result in this case, and its all good.
For more in on the Olympic pool, you can check out the site here.
http://www.sosfo.or.kr/english/biz2/biz_05.asp
I am writing to give another shout out to a Korean person or group that I feel went out of their way to try and help and provide good customer service.
This time, I have to give mention to a young lady, whose name I didnt actually get but thats not an issue, and the fact that even though she didnt seem so confident speaking english, she actually tried the best she could to answer my query and help me become a member of the health club at the pool.
Basically she stepped in to try and help out when her colleague began to struggle and I didnt have a Korean translastion for what it was I tried to say.
She tried very hard to help me with my query, and ended up being able to help me out quite nicely in the end. I got what I wanted, signed up and become a member. She tried hard, went out on a limb and signed someone up.
Both parties ended up with a good result in this case, and its all good.
For more in on the Olympic pool, you can check out the site here.
http://www.sosfo.or.kr/english/biz2/biz_05.asp
Monday, March 29, 2010
Good Service at KEB - Korea Exchange Bank
Team
I happily write to talk about the good service I found myself being offered by Korea Exchange Bank today.
Basically, if you want a bank in Korea that is pretty genuinely foreigner friendly, then KEB, or Korea Exchange Bank, is your go guys.
I have experienced this service on two separate occasions from branches in Jamsil ( right by Olympic Park ) and in Daegu ( just up from jungangno shopping district ). I must say have been quite impressed on both occasions.
On both occasions, I have been dealt with by staff that had good conversational command of the english language, and were happy and comfortable providing necessary banking services to foreign customers like myself. KEB is willing to deal in all the major currencies, Australian Dollars ( for my own personal needs ) included. Some banks wont do this so that is another big plus I find.
Staff at both branches provided me with adequate and up to that particular minute currency exchange rates for won - $AU conversions, and clearly and adequately demonstrated appropriate and proper calculations for what my required $AU amount equated to in Korean Won.
Tellers at both branches were concise and clear in telling me which parts of forms I needed to fill and were happy to highlight compulsory details and signatures on each form.
It may seem standard team, but it is so refreshing to have a bank where you know you are being looked after, and guided through the necessary processes as need be.
Good Job Korea Exchange Bank !!!!!
For more info on Korea Exchange Bank, you can check out their site at http://www.keb.co.kr/main/en/
Its nice to know your money is being dealt with by a professional hand in a most professional way.
I happily write to talk about the good service I found myself being offered by Korea Exchange Bank today.
Basically, if you want a bank in Korea that is pretty genuinely foreigner friendly, then KEB, or Korea Exchange Bank, is your go guys.
I have experienced this service on two separate occasions from branches in Jamsil ( right by Olympic Park ) and in Daegu ( just up from jungangno shopping district ). I must say have been quite impressed on both occasions.
On both occasions, I have been dealt with by staff that had good conversational command of the english language, and were happy and comfortable providing necessary banking services to foreign customers like myself. KEB is willing to deal in all the major currencies, Australian Dollars ( for my own personal needs ) included. Some banks wont do this so that is another big plus I find.
Staff at both branches provided me with adequate and up to that particular minute currency exchange rates for won - $AU conversions, and clearly and adequately demonstrated appropriate and proper calculations for what my required $AU amount equated to in Korean Won.
Tellers at both branches were concise and clear in telling me which parts of forms I needed to fill and were happy to highlight compulsory details and signatures on each form.
It may seem standard team, but it is so refreshing to have a bank where you know you are being looked after, and guided through the necessary processes as need be.
Good Job Korea Exchange Bank !!!!!
For more info on Korea Exchange Bank, you can check out their site at http://www.keb.co.kr/main/en/
Its nice to know your money is being dealt with by a professional hand in a most professional way.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Clara Hair factory in Jukjeon, Bundang
Team
I have to give a shout out here. I was impressed by the service I was given at Clara hair factory in Jukjeon here today.
Their salon is nice and small, yet still with room to move. The staff, all of whom spoke good english, were polite, even managing to tell me how long I would have to wait to be served. When I said what I wanted, they appeared a little unsure at first, but then pulled out the style book and went through some of the pictures with me to confirm with my preferred style.
My cut was also done in a clean, stylish and efficient manner. There was no unnecessary time waisting going on. The person attending asked me if my cut was ok at convenient intervals, and he even sought to go the extra mile by giving me a scalp massage, shampoo and condition.
All in all, I was very impressed. I dont have the exact address, but you can contact them at this number 31 889 2629. All the staff there speak good english, so you should be able to get the address from them. Alternatively you should be able to see their homepage here. You might want to get a Korean speaking friend to help you translate pages on the site.
http://town.cyworld.com/clara
You can trust your hair in the hands of the staff at Clara Hair Factory.
I have to give a shout out here. I was impressed by the service I was given at Clara hair factory in Jukjeon here today.
Their salon is nice and small, yet still with room to move. The staff, all of whom spoke good english, were polite, even managing to tell me how long I would have to wait to be served. When I said what I wanted, they appeared a little unsure at first, but then pulled out the style book and went through some of the pictures with me to confirm with my preferred style.
My cut was also done in a clean, stylish and efficient manner. There was no unnecessary time waisting going on. The person attending asked me if my cut was ok at convenient intervals, and he even sought to go the extra mile by giving me a scalp massage, shampoo and condition.
All in all, I was very impressed. I dont have the exact address, but you can contact them at this number 31 889 2629. All the staff there speak good english, so you should be able to get the address from them. Alternatively you should be able to see their homepage here. You might want to get a Korean speaking friend to help you translate pages on the site.
http://town.cyworld.com/clara
You can trust your hair in the hands of the staff at Clara Hair Factory.
Ediya Coffee
Well team
As I was walking around by the Campus of Dankook University today, I stumbled across Ediya coffee shop and, being on the hunt for good Chai Tea Latte that I am on, I decided to try out the Chai Tea Latte that Ediya have on offer.
I have to say it team. This product was quite good indeed. Its quite a bit like the Tom n Toms Chai Tea Latte in that the tea flavour is very strong at the start but dies off a little to allow to smooth latte of it all take hold. This is generally a good thing, however, where it falls behind is that the Latte flavour is not as strong as the Tom N Toms product. It could have had a little bang and zip to give it a little extra shot in the arm. I think the Starbucks product might also have to second to this one to tho, as the Ediya product tea flavour makes it much more favourable I feel.
If you are ever in Jukjeon in Bundang team, do yourself a favour and get in to Ediya and sample their Chai Tea Latte for yourself. It is worth it. You will find Ediya just down from the main entrance to Dankook University on Dankookdae-gil.
Tell them I sent ya !!!!!
As I was walking around by the Campus of Dankook University today, I stumbled across Ediya coffee shop and, being on the hunt for good Chai Tea Latte that I am on, I decided to try out the Chai Tea Latte that Ediya have on offer.
I have to say it team. This product was quite good indeed. Its quite a bit like the Tom n Toms Chai Tea Latte in that the tea flavour is very strong at the start but dies off a little to allow to smooth latte of it all take hold. This is generally a good thing, however, where it falls behind is that the Latte flavour is not as strong as the Tom N Toms product. It could have had a little bang and zip to give it a little extra shot in the arm. I think the Starbucks product might also have to second to this one to tho, as the Ediya product tea flavour makes it much more favourable I feel.
If you are ever in Jukjeon in Bundang team, do yourself a favour and get in to Ediya and sample their Chai Tea Latte for yourself. It is worth it. You will find Ediya just down from the main entrance to Dankook University on Dankookdae-gil.
Tell them I sent ya !!!!!
Dankook University
Hey there team,
I was fortunate enough to be able to get over to Yongin today and have a look at Dankook University. It wasn't necessarily a planned thing, but it was one of those opportunities that just happened to pop up and present itself. Alas, I got to see the school.
And I must say I really did like the look of the place indeed.
You know, it reminds me of my old school back home, Flinders University in Adelaide South Australia. Dankook University has a really modern, updated, clean, open, progressive feeling about it. It feels like a modern place of education should feel - like it has a passion for yesterday and today while creating a better tomorrow.
Inaugurated in 1947, Dankook Universities seeks to help society attain 3 central things - National Salvation, Independence, and Self reliance. If you know anything about Korean history up until that time, you will indeed know why the founders of the school sought to impart these 3 tennets. Between the years 1910 and 1945, Korea was colonized as an annexe of Japan. Korea suffered horrendously at the hands of the Japanese, and if Korea was to get back to its feet, then it was going to have to thoroughly embed the above tennets into its national psyche.
The plan for Dankook University to achieve its goals was to set up an educational system that would have students seeking truth and being better humans through development of respect, being prepared to be creative, and turning theory into practice.
Dankook University has a broad range of schools to help execute the disciplines necessary to be a force in todays world. The University has schools of Humanities, Law, Social Science, Business, Natural Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, Education, Arts, Music, Liberal Arts, Economics/Commerce, Bio-resources, Sport Science, Dentistry, and Medicine.
The school's Graduate Programs evolve from programs such as Industry/Business Admin, Legal Studies/Policy Admin, Information Technology, Special Ed, Real Estate, and TESOL.
Dankook is a University that is certainly moving forward indeed. You can read more about the school here..
http://www.dankook.ac.kr/web/eng/home#
Its schools like Dankook that sure help to make the world go round.
I was fortunate enough to be able to get over to Yongin today and have a look at Dankook University. It wasn't necessarily a planned thing, but it was one of those opportunities that just happened to pop up and present itself. Alas, I got to see the school.
And I must say I really did like the look of the place indeed.
You know, it reminds me of my old school back home, Flinders University in Adelaide South Australia. Dankook University has a really modern, updated, clean, open, progressive feeling about it. It feels like a modern place of education should feel - like it has a passion for yesterday and today while creating a better tomorrow.
Inaugurated in 1947, Dankook Universities seeks to help society attain 3 central things - National Salvation, Independence, and Self reliance. If you know anything about Korean history up until that time, you will indeed know why the founders of the school sought to impart these 3 tennets. Between the years 1910 and 1945, Korea was colonized as an annexe of Japan. Korea suffered horrendously at the hands of the Japanese, and if Korea was to get back to its feet, then it was going to have to thoroughly embed the above tennets into its national psyche.
The plan for Dankook University to achieve its goals was to set up an educational system that would have students seeking truth and being better humans through development of respect, being prepared to be creative, and turning theory into practice.
Dankook University has a broad range of schools to help execute the disciplines necessary to be a force in todays world. The University has schools of Humanities, Law, Social Science, Business, Natural Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, Education, Arts, Music, Liberal Arts, Economics/Commerce, Bio-resources, Sport Science, Dentistry, and Medicine.
The school's Graduate Programs evolve from programs such as Industry/Business Admin, Legal Studies/Policy Admin, Information Technology, Special Ed, Real Estate, and TESOL.
Dankook is a University that is certainly moving forward indeed. You can read more about the school here..
http://www.dankook.ac.kr/web/eng/home#
Its schools like Dankook that sure help to make the world go round.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Mongchontoseong, the Pit Hut and Seoul Olympic Park.
Seoul Olympic Park is an awesome exhibit of Seouls place on the Olympic stage team. Its basically where the good majority of Olympic events from the 1988 Seoul Olympics were held, and many of the gyms, stadia and arenae that were used during the Olympics are still in active use by the public today.
Located in Jamsil, you have the former Olympic Velodrome, Tennis arena, Olympic Pool, Gymnastics gym, Hockey and Boxing arenas, with the athletics, basketball, baseball, and soccer being held at the Olympic Stadium just a little further up from the Park itself.
Of course, being in Seoul there lots of other amenities being used to accompany the sports venues, so I am going to talk a little more about three of them - Mongchon Fortress, the Pit Hut, and the Seoul Olympic Museum, all of which are located in the Park also.
The Seoul Olympic Museum is a vibrant reminder of the Seoul Olympics as well as other Olympics past. Located just behind the Seoul Olympic Park Hotel, it provides a glorious reminder, reminiscence, and reflection on the highlights of some of the Olympics past. You can find out about the birth of the Olympic Movement, the various medal designs, highlights and dramas, the momentum moving the charge towards the Seoul Olympics, and the aftermath of hosting an Olympics.
The museum itself had 5 different little subsections, each detailing a different component of the Olympics.
As you walk into the museum, you will see the Place of Peace. Here you can get to see exhibits detailing what the basic premise of the Olympics is about - the meaning of it all, different athletes who have impacted the games, video footage of Olympics past, and details of the emergence of the movement.
Heading up to the second floor, you can see the Place of Harmony, you can see the evolution of how the Seoul Olympics came to be. Moving to the Place of Prosperity display, you can see footage of the development of the Olympic stadiums, the design of souvenirs and how the whole commercial sphere of the Olympics came to be. Moving on to the Place of Hope, you can indeed learn about the positive impact that sport has on our society, and how society benefits from the development of sports.
After seeing how sport helps society, you can enter the Place of Glory, where you can relive the great moments of the Seoul Olympics. From the ceremonies and torch relay, to the sheer athleticism of the sportspeople, you can relive it all. I am sure you will love doing this if you are a fan of sports and the Olympics.
Moving on from the museum, you can take a short walk to the Mongchon fortress museum. Mongchon Fortress Museum exhibits the wares, views, modes and ideals of prehistoric Seoul. You can see exhibits from the tombs in the Han River Valley, see remnants of the Mongchontoseong Fortress, and see exhibits of both the Goguryeo and Silla Cultures in Seoul. You can also see exhibits detailing the Baekje Culture, exhibits from various tombs, and even an ancient dwelling site !!!!!
Heading out from here you can visit the Pit Hut site. Its here that you can see a display of an underground dwelling site that was actually discovered in that exact spot for the first time back in 1988.
Once again team I dont have any pics but they are coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out
http://www.museum.seoul.kr/
http://www.88olympic.co.kr/
http://www.sosfo.or.kr/olpark/main/
Come see the park, and feel the Olympic Spirit !
Located in Jamsil, you have the former Olympic Velodrome, Tennis arena, Olympic Pool, Gymnastics gym, Hockey and Boxing arenas, with the athletics, basketball, baseball, and soccer being held at the Olympic Stadium just a little further up from the Park itself.
Of course, being in Seoul there lots of other amenities being used to accompany the sports venues, so I am going to talk a little more about three of them - Mongchon Fortress, the Pit Hut, and the Seoul Olympic Museum, all of which are located in the Park also.
The Seoul Olympic Museum is a vibrant reminder of the Seoul Olympics as well as other Olympics past. Located just behind the Seoul Olympic Park Hotel, it provides a glorious reminder, reminiscence, and reflection on the highlights of some of the Olympics past. You can find out about the birth of the Olympic Movement, the various medal designs, highlights and dramas, the momentum moving the charge towards the Seoul Olympics, and the aftermath of hosting an Olympics.
The museum itself had 5 different little subsections, each detailing a different component of the Olympics.
As you walk into the museum, you will see the Place of Peace. Here you can get to see exhibits detailing what the basic premise of the Olympics is about - the meaning of it all, different athletes who have impacted the games, video footage of Olympics past, and details of the emergence of the movement.
Heading up to the second floor, you can see the Place of Harmony, you can see the evolution of how the Seoul Olympics came to be. Moving to the Place of Prosperity display, you can see footage of the development of the Olympic stadiums, the design of souvenirs and how the whole commercial sphere of the Olympics came to be. Moving on to the Place of Hope, you can indeed learn about the positive impact that sport has on our society, and how society benefits from the development of sports.
After seeing how sport helps society, you can enter the Place of Glory, where you can relive the great moments of the Seoul Olympics. From the ceremonies and torch relay, to the sheer athleticism of the sportspeople, you can relive it all. I am sure you will love doing this if you are a fan of sports and the Olympics.
Moving on from the museum, you can take a short walk to the Mongchon fortress museum. Mongchon Fortress Museum exhibits the wares, views, modes and ideals of prehistoric Seoul. You can see exhibits from the tombs in the Han River Valley, see remnants of the Mongchontoseong Fortress, and see exhibits of both the Goguryeo and Silla Cultures in Seoul. You can also see exhibits detailing the Baekje Culture, exhibits from various tombs, and even an ancient dwelling site !!!!!
Heading out from here you can visit the Pit Hut site. Its here that you can see a display of an underground dwelling site that was actually discovered in that exact spot for the first time back in 1988.
Once again team I dont have any pics but they are coming soon. In the meantime, you can check out
http://www.museum.seoul.kr/
http://www.88olympic.co.kr/
http://www.sosfo.or.kr/olpark/main/
Come see the park, and feel the Olympic Spirit !
Friday, March 26, 2010
Pyeongchang 2018
Team
W e need to start supporting the PyeongChang bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Lets start with this video.
W e need to start supporting the PyeongChang bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Lets start with this video.
The Best Chai Tea Latte in South Korea
Ok team
I have decided that its mission time so I have !!! Yes team, you have heard it from James the writer of this muse, that a mission is being undertaken. This is history team. James hasnt necessarily ever had a mission before in his life !!!! Oh well, there's a first time for everything hehehe.
So .. on to the mission.
Damn it if it aint been mentioned somewhere in the blogosphere already, but I seriously believe that, based on the two samples I have had already, that Korea could have some seriously good Chai Tea Latte being brewed in its coffee shops.
I intend to go out, find, and report back to you on where the best Chai tea Latte in Korea is !!!
I have to hand props out to the Starbucks and Tom n Toms crews in Jamsil and Olympic Park respectively as their produce has serious good props being served up.
Team, I never thought I would say it, but I reckon the crew at Tom n Toms in Olympic Park in Jamsil have brewed up a better product than the Starbucks one ! Believe you me I love Starbucks and will go there regularly, but that Tom n Toms Chai Tea Latte has seriously grown on me. Starbucks is certainly creamier and has all the traits of a quality Starbucks coffee, but darn once you get passed the initial tea strength in Tom n Toms, the quality, ambience and flavor of the Tom n Toms produce really does hit you nicely.
I am really impressed by the Tom N Toms Product team. Its a shame that I dont have any pics of it because I would really love to show you and you can see for yourself. However, you can check out Tom N Toms here ...
www.tomntoms.com/eng
I will have my cam soon and all team so I will start getting some pics up and get this little competition up, up and away !!!!
I have decided that its mission time so I have !!! Yes team, you have heard it from James the writer of this muse, that a mission is being undertaken. This is history team. James hasnt necessarily ever had a mission before in his life !!!! Oh well, there's a first time for everything hehehe.
So .. on to the mission.
Damn it if it aint been mentioned somewhere in the blogosphere already, but I seriously believe that, based on the two samples I have had already, that Korea could have some seriously good Chai Tea Latte being brewed in its coffee shops.
I intend to go out, find, and report back to you on where the best Chai tea Latte in Korea is !!!
I have to hand props out to the Starbucks and Tom n Toms crews in Jamsil and Olympic Park respectively as their produce has serious good props being served up.
Team, I never thought I would say it, but I reckon the crew at Tom n Toms in Olympic Park in Jamsil have brewed up a better product than the Starbucks one ! Believe you me I love Starbucks and will go there regularly, but that Tom n Toms Chai Tea Latte has seriously grown on me. Starbucks is certainly creamier and has all the traits of a quality Starbucks coffee, but darn once you get passed the initial tea strength in Tom n Toms, the quality, ambience and flavor of the Tom n Toms produce really does hit you nicely.
I am really impressed by the Tom N Toms Product team. Its a shame that I dont have any pics of it because I would really love to show you and you can see for yourself. However, you can check out Tom N Toms here ...
www.tomntoms.com/eng
I will have my cam soon and all team so I will start getting some pics up and get this little competition up, up and away !!!!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
the wonders of a food named tteok
Team
One of the great advertisements for Korea is the food here. On most occasions, it simply is very very delicious indeed. And you have so many different varieties, kinds, and tastes of food going on that its hard to keep up with at times lol. You have it all here - Noodles, Kimchi, vegetables, exotic dishes, its all here. Heck even their snack food is great. And its on that note that I would like to talk about a delightful little snack food I had today. That food is called Tteok.
Tteok is basically a rice cake, usually in the form of Chapssal ( sweet rice ), and is made by steaming. Tteok is as common in Korea as say Chocolate is in the west, and it can come in many different forms, the most noteable being Pine nut, Jujube, mugwort, red bean paste and sesame seed.
Heres a pic to show you what Tteok is
One of the great advertisements for Korea is the food here. On most occasions, it simply is very very delicious indeed. And you have so many different varieties, kinds, and tastes of food going on that its hard to keep up with at times lol. You have it all here - Noodles, Kimchi, vegetables, exotic dishes, its all here. Heck even their snack food is great. And its on that note that I would like to talk about a delightful little snack food I had today. That food is called Tteok.
Tteok is basically a rice cake, usually in the form of Chapssal ( sweet rice ), and is made by steaming. Tteok is as common in Korea as say Chocolate is in the west, and it can come in many different forms, the most noteable being Pine nut, Jujube, mugwort, red bean paste and sesame seed.
Heres a pic to show you what Tteok is
Culture notes 1 - Korean Work Culture - the harder you make it, the more they work ....
Hi there team,
Well, this little topic for today stems from a rather interesting conversation that a group of us had with our foreign teacher boss last night where we all live. It was basically about what is considered to be one of the basic tennets of both Korean work culture and Korean culture generally, and I thought it to be really true and interesting, so I have decided to share it with you all here today.
Our chat basically centred around why Korean people are always going pretty hard at it, generally diligent, and never appearing to argue in times of adversity, and how this all compares with the western attitudes toward work and life in general.
It basically comes down to this. In the West, we seem to like to have everything as easy as possible, and we seek to make that a reality at every possible chance we get. We like to be entertained. We like to voice what we believe to be our perceived rights. We like to have everything stated in contract form. Basically, if its not 100 percent clearly documented and clear for us, we dont seem to adjust too well to it.
Well team, Korea is different. Very different. You see, Korea is like a lot of Asian cultures in that it is based upon Confucian cultural ideals of respect, sacrifice, virtue and right treatment. Korea is also a strong buddhist country and also partakes in the thought that life indeed is suffering.
You could say that, as a result of this, Koreans believe that life generally should not be easy. Koreans tend to percieve that if life is easy, then something must be a little amiss somewhere. Hence in the workplace, you see them putting in some very long hours, being paid a little less then us foreign counterparts, not being prepared to argue with their boss about matters, and having to show strong levels of respect most of the time.
Koreans are much more prepared to sacrifice for something higher then themselves than we westerners are. We tend to have a " Whats in it for us ? " attitude, where as the Koreans seems much more inclined to be prepared to make sacrifices as need be in order to keep things harmonious, even if they do put themselves out of joint in the process. They can tend to be selfless as a result.
This can indeed raise some pretty interesting conflicts between Koreans and westerners in the work place, and its something we need to be careful of as westerners I think. As co-workers in a foreign culture, we need to pay close attention to what that culture requires of us in order to fit in. Personally I find the Korean way of work is not a bad thing and its a medium that we as westerners can learn alot from. Maybe we westerners can learn the value and the importance of being able to put something higher then ourselves in a position of priority. Maybe we can relearn that if we really want something, then we must struggle at times and maybe even have to put ourselves out of joint in order to achieve our goals. In the workplace, we foreigners get it easy compared to the Koreans. Its not us that generally has to account for things, yet Korean workers are held accountable and even scolded quite badly at times by their bosses for getting things out of place so to speak.
People are expected to work hard here, as its believed that people get soft when things get easy. Hard work is believed to keep people on their toes and in line. It keeps people stimulated, always careful, and always having to give their best at all times.
I think we really do need to adapt that to the way we do things in the west.
Well, this little topic for today stems from a rather interesting conversation that a group of us had with our foreign teacher boss last night where we all live. It was basically about what is considered to be one of the basic tennets of both Korean work culture and Korean culture generally, and I thought it to be really true and interesting, so I have decided to share it with you all here today.
Our chat basically centred around why Korean people are always going pretty hard at it, generally diligent, and never appearing to argue in times of adversity, and how this all compares with the western attitudes toward work and life in general.
It basically comes down to this. In the West, we seem to like to have everything as easy as possible, and we seek to make that a reality at every possible chance we get. We like to be entertained. We like to voice what we believe to be our perceived rights. We like to have everything stated in contract form. Basically, if its not 100 percent clearly documented and clear for us, we dont seem to adjust too well to it.
Well team, Korea is different. Very different. You see, Korea is like a lot of Asian cultures in that it is based upon Confucian cultural ideals of respect, sacrifice, virtue and right treatment. Korea is also a strong buddhist country and also partakes in the thought that life indeed is suffering.
You could say that, as a result of this, Koreans believe that life generally should not be easy. Koreans tend to percieve that if life is easy, then something must be a little amiss somewhere. Hence in the workplace, you see them putting in some very long hours, being paid a little less then us foreign counterparts, not being prepared to argue with their boss about matters, and having to show strong levels of respect most of the time.
Koreans are much more prepared to sacrifice for something higher then themselves than we westerners are. We tend to have a " Whats in it for us ? " attitude, where as the Koreans seems much more inclined to be prepared to make sacrifices as need be in order to keep things harmonious, even if they do put themselves out of joint in the process. They can tend to be selfless as a result.
This can indeed raise some pretty interesting conflicts between Koreans and westerners in the work place, and its something we need to be careful of as westerners I think. As co-workers in a foreign culture, we need to pay close attention to what that culture requires of us in order to fit in. Personally I find the Korean way of work is not a bad thing and its a medium that we as westerners can learn alot from. Maybe we westerners can learn the value and the importance of being able to put something higher then ourselves in a position of priority. Maybe we can relearn that if we really want something, then we must struggle at times and maybe even have to put ourselves out of joint in order to achieve our goals. In the workplace, we foreigners get it easy compared to the Koreans. Its not us that generally has to account for things, yet Korean workers are held accountable and even scolded quite badly at times by their bosses for getting things out of place so to speak.
People are expected to work hard here, as its believed that people get soft when things get easy. Hard work is believed to keep people on their toes and in line. It keeps people stimulated, always careful, and always having to give their best at all times.
I think we really do need to adapt that to the way we do things in the west.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Lotte World Folk Museum
Hi there team. I am going to keep on with the history theme that seems to have started on this blog for the moment. I managed to get in and see the Lotte World Folk Museum, which is located on the third floor of the Lotte Department Store complex in Jamsil in Seoul, and is basically the entrance to the Lotte World theme park area. I made my mind up last week that I would do it today so after finishing my teaching job for the day at 12pm, I took myself up on that plan.
And it was a good thing I did.
I say that because even though the actual area of the museum is small, there was enough scenery, situation, and scent to give a really good feeling to the museum and its ideal of providing a small yet solid depiction of the history of Korea.
It really did start right at the entrance to the museum. It was like you were walking into a temple, with the initial set depicting a type of Korean architecture that is common place amongst the many temples and shrines in Korea. Admittedly I am unsure of the era of the architecture involved, yet I must say that it did appear to have what looked like a strong chinese influence.
But hehehe thats about the only Chinese stuff you are likely to see in the museum. The entrance being done away, the path then leads on to a rather solid insite into Korean history through the use of model, act, and visual.
The museum is pretty much divided up into sections. You have a Traditional Wedding Hall, a historic exhibition hall, a miniature village, a performance hall and a Jeojagori where you can sample some delightful Korean traditional food.
The Jeojagori is pretty much the first place most people in the museum tend to encounter when they first come in. It is pretty much divided up into four sections, named Songpa, Jumak, Seokchon, and Mongcheon. Each of these sections contains food that is said to be representative of the food eaten in Korea during the Joseon Period, a period which lasted for 5 centuries from the year 1392 to 1910, when the Japanese entered Korea and pretty much colonised it.
You know what team, I honestly believe that there would have been many fat people in Korea in this time. Do you know why I feel this ??? Well, if the food I was able to look at today was any indication, people would have eaten so much of it because it was so damn good !!!!!! Many Korean specialities that are around today were the staple of the diet back then, and these included well known Korean favourites such as Bulgogi, Octopus jeon-gol ( a type of Octopus soup ), Spiced soup with room, Pajeon ( a kind of pancake ), a traditional Korean alcoholic drink named Makkeoli, Bibimbap ( rice and veg ), spicy bean soup, cold noodle soup, and Samgyetang ( Ginseng Chicken Soup ).
Now thats a feast that is sure fit for a king let me tell ya !!!
After leaving the sweet scents and aromas of the Jeojagori, I ventured through to the traditional wedding area of the museum. I must say I was quite interested to see the various exhibits pertaining to the customs and culture of a traditional Korean wedding, especially as I was able to witness an enactment of one. A traditional Korean wedding is not too disimilar from a western wedding, yet has quite a few little intricate differences that really do set it apart.
Back in historic ages, the wedding was generally held at the brides house, with the groom coming over to pick up the bride and take her back to his parents house, where they would live together. The wedding costumes would be very traditional in nature, and the grooms family would carry a chest of gifts to the brides family. Both the man and woman would wear what is called a Jeogori, which is a form of wedding jacket, special headware, and Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress.
Aside from special clothing and costumes, the Korean Wedding also shares what you could say was a set procession for things to happen. It was generally common practice that the bridegroom would arrive first, and would of course be followed by the bride. Both would reach the altar where I do believe it was a buddhist priest would perform the ceremony. The next thing to happen would be the offering of a goose, as a sign of good luck for the married couple. Traditional wedding bows would then take place, and there would be a kind of toast to celebrate the wedding. The final act would be of course the procession out of the house as newlyweds off to lead their new lives.
Just as I decided to head off to the main exhibition hall hehehe. This part of the museum was quite visual and stimulating indeed.
The Hall is pretty much divided into 7 different little subsections, each little sub talking about a different part of Korea's history.
You have the prehistoric room where you can see exhibits displaying life from the caveman period, caves, huts, the making of bronze and relics from this time. You can then go to the Goguryeo and Baekje rooms, where you will see tomb relics, early buddhist exhibits, and tomb relics from the King Muryeong period. Heading into the Gaya room, you can early exhibits of Korean iron and pottery development, much of which would eventually be used in Goryeo pottery, a famed Korean pottery set. In the Silla room, you can see an exhibit for the Daewangnam Rock, which is said to be the underwater tomb for King Minmu. You can also see Sokkuram Cave Temple, and also meet up with an exhibit of Queen Sundeok. Heading from the Silla room to the Goryeo Room, where you can see exhibits of the pottery making and metal fabricating that took place in Goryeo era, said to be a proud era for Koreans. Another great thing to see here is the Goryeo Tripitaka, often referred to as the corner stone of the development of Korean buddhism.
Its from here that you can pretty leave the main hall and go into the Miniature Village room. The miniature village has over 2000 little characters set up over 43 different scenes. You can see the model scale depicting life in the joseon dynasty, showing such things as Royal Court proceedings, Harvesting, Kimchi making, Sacrifices, Funerals, weddings and even a 60th birthday !!!!! hehehe ... got to have a little celebration huh !!!!
So there you have it team. Lotte World Folk village really has gone to great lengths to give people a great insite into the history of Korea. You can also pick up lots of souvenirs when there. I saw some wonderful little things that really are great depictions of Korea. I even bought a museum T-Shirt hehehe ! Seriously team, if you want to see some wonderful Korean history, you really should check out the Lotte World Folk Museum. You will not be disappointed.
You can check it out here
http://www.lotteworld.com/
Come on team. Do it. You know you want to. ;)
And it was a good thing I did.
I say that because even though the actual area of the museum is small, there was enough scenery, situation, and scent to give a really good feeling to the museum and its ideal of providing a small yet solid depiction of the history of Korea.
It really did start right at the entrance to the museum. It was like you were walking into a temple, with the initial set depicting a type of Korean architecture that is common place amongst the many temples and shrines in Korea. Admittedly I am unsure of the era of the architecture involved, yet I must say that it did appear to have what looked like a strong chinese influence.
But hehehe thats about the only Chinese stuff you are likely to see in the museum. The entrance being done away, the path then leads on to a rather solid insite into Korean history through the use of model, act, and visual.
The museum is pretty much divided up into sections. You have a Traditional Wedding Hall, a historic exhibition hall, a miniature village, a performance hall and a Jeojagori where you can sample some delightful Korean traditional food.
The Jeojagori is pretty much the first place most people in the museum tend to encounter when they first come in. It is pretty much divided up into four sections, named Songpa, Jumak, Seokchon, and Mongcheon. Each of these sections contains food that is said to be representative of the food eaten in Korea during the Joseon Period, a period which lasted for 5 centuries from the year 1392 to 1910, when the Japanese entered Korea and pretty much colonised it.
You know what team, I honestly believe that there would have been many fat people in Korea in this time. Do you know why I feel this ??? Well, if the food I was able to look at today was any indication, people would have eaten so much of it because it was so damn good !!!!!! Many Korean specialities that are around today were the staple of the diet back then, and these included well known Korean favourites such as Bulgogi, Octopus jeon-gol ( a type of Octopus soup ), Spiced soup with room, Pajeon ( a kind of pancake ), a traditional Korean alcoholic drink named Makkeoli, Bibimbap ( rice and veg ), spicy bean soup, cold noodle soup, and Samgyetang ( Ginseng Chicken Soup ).
Now thats a feast that is sure fit for a king let me tell ya !!!
After leaving the sweet scents and aromas of the Jeojagori, I ventured through to the traditional wedding area of the museum. I must say I was quite interested to see the various exhibits pertaining to the customs and culture of a traditional Korean wedding, especially as I was able to witness an enactment of one. A traditional Korean wedding is not too disimilar from a western wedding, yet has quite a few little intricate differences that really do set it apart.
Back in historic ages, the wedding was generally held at the brides house, with the groom coming over to pick up the bride and take her back to his parents house, where they would live together. The wedding costumes would be very traditional in nature, and the grooms family would carry a chest of gifts to the brides family. Both the man and woman would wear what is called a Jeogori, which is a form of wedding jacket, special headware, and Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress.
Aside from special clothing and costumes, the Korean Wedding also shares what you could say was a set procession for things to happen. It was generally common practice that the bridegroom would arrive first, and would of course be followed by the bride. Both would reach the altar where I do believe it was a buddhist priest would perform the ceremony. The next thing to happen would be the offering of a goose, as a sign of good luck for the married couple. Traditional wedding bows would then take place, and there would be a kind of toast to celebrate the wedding. The final act would be of course the procession out of the house as newlyweds off to lead their new lives.
Just as I decided to head off to the main exhibition hall hehehe. This part of the museum was quite visual and stimulating indeed.
The Hall is pretty much divided into 7 different little subsections, each little sub talking about a different part of Korea's history.
You have the prehistoric room where you can see exhibits displaying life from the caveman period, caves, huts, the making of bronze and relics from this time. You can then go to the Goguryeo and Baekje rooms, where you will see tomb relics, early buddhist exhibits, and tomb relics from the King Muryeong period. Heading into the Gaya room, you can early exhibits of Korean iron and pottery development, much of which would eventually be used in Goryeo pottery, a famed Korean pottery set. In the Silla room, you can see an exhibit for the Daewangnam Rock, which is said to be the underwater tomb for King Minmu. You can also see Sokkuram Cave Temple, and also meet up with an exhibit of Queen Sundeok. Heading from the Silla room to the Goryeo Room, where you can see exhibits of the pottery making and metal fabricating that took place in Goryeo era, said to be a proud era for Koreans. Another great thing to see here is the Goryeo Tripitaka, often referred to as the corner stone of the development of Korean buddhism.
Its from here that you can pretty leave the main hall and go into the Miniature Village room. The miniature village has over 2000 little characters set up over 43 different scenes. You can see the model scale depicting life in the joseon dynasty, showing such things as Royal Court proceedings, Harvesting, Kimchi making, Sacrifices, Funerals, weddings and even a 60th birthday !!!!! hehehe ... got to have a little celebration huh !!!!
So there you have it team. Lotte World Folk village really has gone to great lengths to give people a great insite into the history of Korea. You can also pick up lots of souvenirs when there. I saw some wonderful little things that really are great depictions of Korea. I even bought a museum T-Shirt hehehe ! Seriously team, if you want to see some wonderful Korean history, you really should check out the Lotte World Folk Museum. You will not be disappointed.
You can check it out here
http://www.lotteworld.com/
Come on team. Do it. You know you want to. ;)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Would you do the one beer bet !?!?
You know team, there are times in ones life when one must take up the challenge. One must take up the slack. One must sow his wild oats and just say stick it !!!!! And this is one of those times....
We all have a mountain to climb in our lives team. We all have a rock that makes us roll. We all have a thing that says to us, " its my way or the highway " .....
and in this case.....
ITS A DAMN HUGE HIGHWAY !!!!
And its going all the way across America team.... on foot !!!
Team, meet my buddy Woody. This young man, currently residing in Busan, is going to take it all on. He is going to walk across America for a beer !!!! Yep I am serious ! he starts his epic trek on May 1 in California and hopes to be in Delaware by December... on the other side of the US !!!! Come on team ! Check it all out and lend your support to him as he hits the big wide road...
You can see it all here
http://www.onebeerbet.com/
We all have a mountain to climb in our lives team. We all have a rock that makes us roll. We all have a thing that says to us, " its my way or the highway " .....
and in this case.....
ITS A DAMN HUGE HIGHWAY !!!!
And its going all the way across America team.... on foot !!!
Team, meet my buddy Woody. This young man, currently residing in Busan, is going to take it all on. He is going to walk across America for a beer !!!! Yep I am serious ! he starts his epic trek on May 1 in California and hopes to be in Delaware by December... on the other side of the US !!!! Come on team ! Check it all out and lend your support to him as he hits the big wide road...
You can see it all here
http://www.onebeerbet.com/
Newer Epik High !
Just found this little gem on the tube. Its called Wannabe and its some recent stuff from Epik High .... enjoy !!!!!
The House of Sharing - A respite for the Korean Women who suffered as sex slaves to the Japanese in World War 2.
Hi there team,
Tonight I wanna write to you all about something different then K pop and Baseball lol ! Yes team I know its going to be a shock and all but hey you will like the idea I am sure.
I am going to write about a place I was very fortunate to visit when I was in Seoul in 2007. It is a place that is directly attached to the heart and soul of Korea, and has certainly played a part in the how and why of the relations Korea has with its neighbours, especially, utterly and particularly Japan, and the everlasting memories of what regularly is a tempered and testy relationship indeed, even at the best of times.
The place I visited is referred to as the House of Sharing, and it houses those unfortunate poor elder women who, in their youth, were subjected to some of the most brutal, inhumane, and horrific treatment ever dished out to a human being at the hands of the Japanese soldiers during World War 2.
It certainly was a moving experience. I mean we as humans, and indeed readers of my blog, we complain about the basics of life with consumate ease. We moan about our boss, our rent, our partner, and whatever else happens to be on our mind at that given time. Well team, maybe its time for us to put our simple issues aside and consider that some people in the world have it far more horrific then we do.
And trust me, these women suffered horrendously.
The House of Sharing will prove to be a lasting testament to this.
The memories of the horrors suffered by these poor women are now forever enshrined not just in the psyche of the Korean People, but in a commemorative museum in a small town in Gwangju-si, in the Gyunggi-do province area about 50 minutes out of Seoul.
From an aesthetic viewpoint, the house is pretty much like any other house, except for a few extra amenities, in the form of a meeting hall and museum area. Some may even wonder what the fuss is indeed all about.
Well team. Aesthetics mean nothing here. Its when you go deeper inside and see the replica of the kind of room that young Korean women were forced to have sex with the Japanese soldiers and the other museum exhibits that your mind starts to role and acknowledge the very magnitude of this tumultuous and periless time in Korea's history.
The house itself was first commissioned in 1992, and is currently home to 7 former comfort women, their helpers and a buddhist priest who is the director of the house. Age may have wearied them physically, yet I can assure you, their memories of the horrors that happened to them have not dimmed.
They can still recall the horrendous pain and suffering inflicted upon them. The having to eat fellow comfort women. The forced sex with at least 20 men a day. The total dehumanization experienced. The seeing of their friends being cooked. The horrors of it all.
Team, words really cant describe just what it was these women went through. I remember in the tour group I was with, we had about 20 people. When we were inside the museum, we were asked if we wanted to go into a replica of the kind of room that the women were forced to have sex in. Only 3 people took up the chance. People were really strongly emotional about this. I know I felt it when I was inside the room and standing right next to the replica bed. It was kind of surreal. I could basically visualize a young woman lying there in agony as she is having her dignity removed from her, and just feeling helpless as I am unable to do anything to stop it from happening.
That, my friends, was a horrible feeling.
Its sure not something I wish to feel again anytime soon.
But I couldnt help but feel it. I mean you cant fully understand what these women went through unless you are fully prepared to allow yourself to do so. You will not be effected by the experience if you dont. You have to allow yourself to feel it.
Another touching moment is when you are able to hear one of the former comfort women actually talk about her experiences. We were able to hear one of them talk about how she was raped numerous times, tortured, made to eat her dead friends, and have so many internal problems that her child bearing abilities had been rendered non existent. Yep, she went into a lot of things.
What she talked about certainly made me think about a lot of the supposed problems I have in life, and how, compared to these women, my issues are basically insignificant. I learned to acknowledge and understand that in my life, I have had it very easy, and that some simply have not had it as good as I have.
Even though I love japan and the Japanese people, I am not going to sugarcoat what they did. The soldiers committed horrible atrocities and I hope they are never forgotten and that one day the Japanese Government accepts responsibility for these actions and officially apologises on the matter. Only time will tell of that ever happens.
Team you owe it to yourself to visit the house of sharing when you come to Korea. You will be a changed person by doing so. And that change will be for the better.
To plan your trip, you can go here...
http://www.nanum.org/eng/index.html
You really do owe it to yourself to check this out.
Tonight I wanna write to you all about something different then K pop and Baseball lol ! Yes team I know its going to be a shock and all but hey you will like the idea I am sure.
I am going to write about a place I was very fortunate to visit when I was in Seoul in 2007. It is a place that is directly attached to the heart and soul of Korea, and has certainly played a part in the how and why of the relations Korea has with its neighbours, especially, utterly and particularly Japan, and the everlasting memories of what regularly is a tempered and testy relationship indeed, even at the best of times.
The place I visited is referred to as the House of Sharing, and it houses those unfortunate poor elder women who, in their youth, were subjected to some of the most brutal, inhumane, and horrific treatment ever dished out to a human being at the hands of the Japanese soldiers during World War 2.
It certainly was a moving experience. I mean we as humans, and indeed readers of my blog, we complain about the basics of life with consumate ease. We moan about our boss, our rent, our partner, and whatever else happens to be on our mind at that given time. Well team, maybe its time for us to put our simple issues aside and consider that some people in the world have it far more horrific then we do.
And trust me, these women suffered horrendously.
The House of Sharing will prove to be a lasting testament to this.
The memories of the horrors suffered by these poor women are now forever enshrined not just in the psyche of the Korean People, but in a commemorative museum in a small town in Gwangju-si, in the Gyunggi-do province area about 50 minutes out of Seoul.
From an aesthetic viewpoint, the house is pretty much like any other house, except for a few extra amenities, in the form of a meeting hall and museum area. Some may even wonder what the fuss is indeed all about.
Well team. Aesthetics mean nothing here. Its when you go deeper inside and see the replica of the kind of room that young Korean women were forced to have sex with the Japanese soldiers and the other museum exhibits that your mind starts to role and acknowledge the very magnitude of this tumultuous and periless time in Korea's history.
The house itself was first commissioned in 1992, and is currently home to 7 former comfort women, their helpers and a buddhist priest who is the director of the house. Age may have wearied them physically, yet I can assure you, their memories of the horrors that happened to them have not dimmed.
They can still recall the horrendous pain and suffering inflicted upon them. The having to eat fellow comfort women. The forced sex with at least 20 men a day. The total dehumanization experienced. The seeing of their friends being cooked. The horrors of it all.
Team, words really cant describe just what it was these women went through. I remember in the tour group I was with, we had about 20 people. When we were inside the museum, we were asked if we wanted to go into a replica of the kind of room that the women were forced to have sex in. Only 3 people took up the chance. People were really strongly emotional about this. I know I felt it when I was inside the room and standing right next to the replica bed. It was kind of surreal. I could basically visualize a young woman lying there in agony as she is having her dignity removed from her, and just feeling helpless as I am unable to do anything to stop it from happening.
That, my friends, was a horrible feeling.
Its sure not something I wish to feel again anytime soon.
But I couldnt help but feel it. I mean you cant fully understand what these women went through unless you are fully prepared to allow yourself to do so. You will not be effected by the experience if you dont. You have to allow yourself to feel it.
Another touching moment is when you are able to hear one of the former comfort women actually talk about her experiences. We were able to hear one of them talk about how she was raped numerous times, tortured, made to eat her dead friends, and have so many internal problems that her child bearing abilities had been rendered non existent. Yep, she went into a lot of things.
What she talked about certainly made me think about a lot of the supposed problems I have in life, and how, compared to these women, my issues are basically insignificant. I learned to acknowledge and understand that in my life, I have had it very easy, and that some simply have not had it as good as I have.
Even though I love japan and the Japanese people, I am not going to sugarcoat what they did. The soldiers committed horrible atrocities and I hope they are never forgotten and that one day the Japanese Government accepts responsibility for these actions and officially apologises on the matter. Only time will tell of that ever happens.
Team you owe it to yourself to visit the house of sharing when you come to Korea. You will be a changed person by doing so. And that change will be for the better.
To plan your trip, you can go here...
http://www.nanum.org/eng/index.html
You really do owe it to yourself to check this out.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Korean baseball first impressions
Today was a great afternoon team as I got to see my first of what I plan to be quite a few baseball games in the Korean Baseball League this year. Even though it was raining here in Seoul, the inclement weather did not dampen the joy, enthusiasm, and sheer pleasure of being at Jamsil Stadium to see the two stadium co tenants, LG Twins and Doosan Bears, go at it in the first official preseason game for season 2010.
And like the crowd, the vibe, and the atmosphere, the game didnt disappoint either. If todays game was any indication about the prospects of both the Twins and the Bears for this season, then this year will be good for both teams. Period. Doosan ended up winners today 9-8 in a game that had some good solid action, was close and was generally a decent spectacle for those of us who braved the inclement weather out here on the western side of Seoul today. I will leave the actual game chatter at that though as today was my first game so I need to start researching the teams some and gaining a handle on all the stats, players, foreign players and all to make that legitimate so to speak. But what I will chat about is the whole atmosphere of proceedings.
The crowd today at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul turned it into a real loud, happy, boisterous, carnevale like affair with the constant singing, chanting, noise and of course clapping that goes with a baseball game here in Asia. They love it team and today they really went hard at it to show just how passionate they are about Baseball here in the far east. They constantly sing, they chant, they love it. I was honestly taken aback by the sheer joy that the crowd showed today with every good play, every foul ball caught in the crowd, every out and of course every homer. These guys go at it non stop. Even the girls in the crowd get right into the thick of it. ITS GREAT !!!!! I can remember at times today just having to sit back, switch off, and soak it all in. The passion the Korean crowd showed today was awesome. Its a true pity I didnt have my camera with me today, because I would have pic'd and recorded everything just to give you an indication of what I am talking about here. Its truely something that did have to be seen and heard to be believed.
Heres an example. Todays game was between 2 teams who share the same stadium. When the game was tight today at 8-7 with LG leading, you had the Doosan crowd singing " We want Home Run ! We want home run !!! " and the LG half singing " Boooooooooooo !! " at the exact same time to drown out the noise lol. Damn I wish I had my cam with me to record it and show it here.
It was awesome and it really gave me a favourable opinion on Korean Baseball. Now I really want to go and see much more of it !!!!! I have set myself an aim of getting to the 8 Korean Baseball League Stadiums this summer to catch all the action. I now have a really crazy appetite to soak up what is not just a baseball game, but a true carnevale on a Sunday afternoon.
And like the crowd, the vibe, and the atmosphere, the game didnt disappoint either. If todays game was any indication about the prospects of both the Twins and the Bears for this season, then this year will be good for both teams. Period. Doosan ended up winners today 9-8 in a game that had some good solid action, was close and was generally a decent spectacle for those of us who braved the inclement weather out here on the western side of Seoul today. I will leave the actual game chatter at that though as today was my first game so I need to start researching the teams some and gaining a handle on all the stats, players, foreign players and all to make that legitimate so to speak. But what I will chat about is the whole atmosphere of proceedings.
The crowd today at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul turned it into a real loud, happy, boisterous, carnevale like affair with the constant singing, chanting, noise and of course clapping that goes with a baseball game here in Asia. They love it team and today they really went hard at it to show just how passionate they are about Baseball here in the far east. They constantly sing, they chant, they love it. I was honestly taken aback by the sheer joy that the crowd showed today with every good play, every foul ball caught in the crowd, every out and of course every homer. These guys go at it non stop. Even the girls in the crowd get right into the thick of it. ITS GREAT !!!!! I can remember at times today just having to sit back, switch off, and soak it all in. The passion the Korean crowd showed today was awesome. Its a true pity I didnt have my camera with me today, because I would have pic'd and recorded everything just to give you an indication of what I am talking about here. Its truely something that did have to be seen and heard to be believed.
Heres an example. Todays game was between 2 teams who share the same stadium. When the game was tight today at 8-7 with LG leading, you had the Doosan crowd singing " We want Home Run ! We want home run !!! " and the LG half singing " Boooooooooooo !! " at the exact same time to drown out the noise lol. Damn I wish I had my cam with me to record it and show it here.
It was awesome and it really gave me a favourable opinion on Korean Baseball. Now I really want to go and see much more of it !!!!! I have set myself an aim of getting to the 8 Korean Baseball League Stadiums this summer to catch all the action. I now have a really crazy appetite to soak up what is not just a baseball game, but a true carnevale on a Sunday afternoon.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Joyce kwon
I have just come across a little gem team !!! I was actually flicking through the page here in my blog when I came across an ad for Joyce Kwon. I am so damn glad I did !!!! Her music is awesome !!!! I have just done some reading on her from her site and it sure does look like she has used music to help her find her voice in life. She is soulful, eclectic, and smooth, and has combined the soothing soul of Jazz and the hot sound of brazilian latin- and she does it really well !!! I know that I am going to investigate her much further and I hope that I inspire you in the blogosphere to do so too. You can check her out here and even listen to some of her soulful Jazz
http://joycekwon.com/
You can also listen to her here...
She sure does have her own unique style. I think its really good because its very individual. I am sure you will like it as much as I do. Please enjoy.
http://joycekwon.com/
You can also listen to her here...
She sure does have her own unique style. I think its really good because its very individual. I am sure you will like it as much as I do. Please enjoy.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
LG twins - Samsung Lions Baseball
Team,
Speaking of baseball,. I was just flicking through Youtube when I found this. Its highlights from a game l ast year between LG twins and Samsung Lions from Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Thanks to KMS850328 and Youtube for this....
Speaking of baseball,. I was just flicking through Youtube when I found this. Its highlights from a game l ast year between LG twins and Samsung Lions from Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Thanks to KMS850328 and Youtube for this....
and now for some more..... K POP !!!!!!!!!
Yes team ! I love it and I will show it ! Heres another little ditty I managed to hear in my time here. Its called Pretty Girl and its by kara. Sit back and enjoy !!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
tis time for Korean baseball season ... PLAY BALL !!!!!!!!!!
Hi there team !
Well yepsy I have been back in Korea now for nearly a week and last Sunday, I managed to get out and go for a little 4 hour walk around my area. It was well, you know, your standard walk, blah, just getting to see the place and all. I must admit I do quite like the area of Jamsil. Its not necessarily central but it does have all the right things and amenities to keep me satisfied so I am sure to not be in any need of anything per se.
Especially as Baseball season is here !!!!
Yep, and even more especially so as Jamsil is the home of Jamsil Stadium, the home of the Doosan Bears and LG Twins Korea Baseball League teams. Like dude, seriously, I only live about 10 mins subway from the stadium - and the stadium also has an added bonus- its right in the vicinity of the Seoul Olympic Stadium ( yep thats the one that held the Seoul Olympics ) and the home of the SK Knights Basketball team. You could say that its a multi purpose area purpose built for sports !!!! And if you know me, you know I loooooooove sports !!!!!
Admittedly though I am not so sure which team I am going to go for, as I still do have strong feelings for my old Samsung Lions team in Daegu. Hmmm... but I must admit I do like the LG twins uniforms for this season !!! Blah I am not a fashiobista in any way, shape or form so maybe I will just need to stick to the Lions lol !
yeh .. that sounds like the best choice to undertake I think.
If you want to read up on some more info on the Twins, Bears, and Korean Baseball League generally, you can search these sites...
http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgtwins.com%2F&lp=ko_en&.intl=us&fr=yfp-t-701-s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doosan_Bears
http://www.koreabaseball.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_baseball_league
yeh hehehe I can just see my summer weekend nights being put to good use now... hhehehehe.
Well yepsy I have been back in Korea now for nearly a week and last Sunday, I managed to get out and go for a little 4 hour walk around my area. It was well, you know, your standard walk, blah, just getting to see the place and all. I must admit I do quite like the area of Jamsil. Its not necessarily central but it does have all the right things and amenities to keep me satisfied so I am sure to not be in any need of anything per se.
Especially as Baseball season is here !!!!
Yep, and even more especially so as Jamsil is the home of Jamsil Stadium, the home of the Doosan Bears and LG Twins Korea Baseball League teams. Like dude, seriously, I only live about 10 mins subway from the stadium - and the stadium also has an added bonus- its right in the vicinity of the Seoul Olympic Stadium ( yep thats the one that held the Seoul Olympics ) and the home of the SK Knights Basketball team. You could say that its a multi purpose area purpose built for sports !!!! And if you know me, you know I loooooooove sports !!!!!
Admittedly though I am not so sure which team I am going to go for, as I still do have strong feelings for my old Samsung Lions team in Daegu. Hmmm... but I must admit I do like the LG twins uniforms for this season !!! Blah I am not a fashiobista in any way, shape or form so maybe I will just need to stick to the Lions lol !
yeh .. that sounds like the best choice to undertake I think.
If you want to read up on some more info on the Twins, Bears, and Korean Baseball League generally, you can search these sites...
http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lgtwins.com%2F&lp=ko_en&.intl=us&fr=yfp-t-701-s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doosan_Bears
http://www.koreabaseball.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_baseball_league
yeh hehehe I can just see my summer weekend nights being put to good use now... hhehehehe.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Yesasia.com Korean music website !
Team
I have been meaning to check this site out for a while, but have finally got around to doing it. Yesasia.com is a site dedicated to being the shopping mall for all things Japanese pop, Korean Pop and Chinese Pop. You can buy stuff here, buy sheet music, get digital stuff here, buy clothes online... You can do it all here !! its all at your fingertips ! So what are you waiting for ! GO HERE !!! DO IT !! NOW !!! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO !!!!
www.yesasia.com
I have been meaning to check this site out for a while, but have finally got around to doing it. Yesasia.com is a site dedicated to being the shopping mall for all things Japanese pop, Korean Pop and Chinese Pop. You can buy stuff here, buy sheet music, get digital stuff here, buy clothes online... You can do it all here !! its all at your fingertips ! So what are you waiting for ! GO HERE !!! DO IT !! NOW !!! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO !!!!
www.yesasia.com
Back in the land of the K !!
Well team I am now back ! A little disappointed that I didnt get to travel on my Malaysian Airlines flight or get to meet beautiful Singapore girl on the plane, but I really can't complain I must say. Yeh I eventually got to Korea this time by Qantas, and I must say that the service was pretty good. Qantas did have a few little problems there a few years ago, but it looks like they have taken great strides to fix things and get things back into good working order again and it has shown up well I do so believe. So, as a result of their good service and tiding, I am back here in the land of the K....
And its cold weather !!!
Like seriously team, its really really nippy here at the moment ! Its currently 7 degrees C ( 45F) and thats at 8 pm. Trust me guys it didnt improve much in the day either ! And it was especially cold at 5.00 am this morning when I got off the plane. I guess you could say I was getting the cold shoulder first up.
Well from a weather standpoint anyway.
Luckily, the airport itself was a little more welcoming. As it should indeed be. After all, an airport is the first port of call into a new life, a new country and a new existence for basically all travellers, and as the old adage goes, first impressions count.
And if Incheon airport is anything to go by, they you could indeed be up for a good stay here in Korea.
One of the first things you notice about Incheon airport when you enter the terminal is its space. It nice and spacious and you really do have plenty of room to move should you wish to utilise it. It may seem like quite a trivial thing, but if you have just come off a long flight and are generally tardy and looking for a decent stretch, then space is what you do need. Its also pretty quiet in the arrivals area too. Maybe its the space that does it, but whatever it is, its pretty good. If you have had a long flight, then it might just be suffice to say that excessive noise when you get off the plane just might not be the first thing you wish to hear. Its nice to gain ones bearings in quiet surrounds and Incheon certainly does provide this.
The initial administration and entrance requirements into the country are also quite efficiently expedited also. I think the only thing that slowed me up was just having to wait a little while to pick up my bags, but hey I was not the only one, so no real issues there I don't think.
I think I will leave the whole arrivals thing there. How about we go into some details about the actual airport itself. Sounds good ?? Yes I think so.
In Seoul, you generally have 2 major airports, Seoul Incheon and Seoul Gimpo. Incheon is the younger one of the two, as it was opened in 2001. Gimpo Airport was the original International Airport in Seoul, but this has now been reduced to largely domestic duties, with shuttle flights also occuring between Tokyo, Shanghai and Osaka.
Korean Air and Asiana, the 2 major South Korean international airlines, are the major space holders at Incheon.
Incheon airport is located to the west of Seoul, and is connected to the main CBD by the Incheon International Airport Expressway. This expressway also connects to Gimpo domestic airport, and also allows easy access to the major connection points in Seoul itself, particularly Seoul railway station and CBD bus terminals.
There are 2 main terminals in Seoul Airport, the main terminal and Concourse.
The main terminal is one of the largest in the world. You can board planes from 44 different locations in the terminal, and there are ample numbers of facilities available to accomodate the required movements, processings and other needs for travel.
Heck, it also has a golf course, spa, indoor gardens and a sleeping area if you need them !!!!
I guess these are just some of the reasons why Seoul Airport has been voted the best in the world for the past couple of years lol.
Pity I can't show it to you here though. I seem to be be having issues with the Cut and paste function on the comp for the minute. But I can direct you over to this sites here for you to have a look.
http://www.airport.kr/eng/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_Airport#A_Terminal
Seoul Incheon airport really is a nice place team. You should come up here some time. I am sure you will enjoy it and you will also find it as a really pleasant gateway and delightful little intro to your sojourn here in Korea.
And its cold weather !!!
Like seriously team, its really really nippy here at the moment ! Its currently 7 degrees C ( 45F) and thats at 8 pm. Trust me guys it didnt improve much in the day either ! And it was especially cold at 5.00 am this morning when I got off the plane. I guess you could say I was getting the cold shoulder first up.
Well from a weather standpoint anyway.
Luckily, the airport itself was a little more welcoming. As it should indeed be. After all, an airport is the first port of call into a new life, a new country and a new existence for basically all travellers, and as the old adage goes, first impressions count.
And if Incheon airport is anything to go by, they you could indeed be up for a good stay here in Korea.
One of the first things you notice about Incheon airport when you enter the terminal is its space. It nice and spacious and you really do have plenty of room to move should you wish to utilise it. It may seem like quite a trivial thing, but if you have just come off a long flight and are generally tardy and looking for a decent stretch, then space is what you do need. Its also pretty quiet in the arrivals area too. Maybe its the space that does it, but whatever it is, its pretty good. If you have had a long flight, then it might just be suffice to say that excessive noise when you get off the plane just might not be the first thing you wish to hear. Its nice to gain ones bearings in quiet surrounds and Incheon certainly does provide this.
The initial administration and entrance requirements into the country are also quite efficiently expedited also. I think the only thing that slowed me up was just having to wait a little while to pick up my bags, but hey I was not the only one, so no real issues there I don't think.
I think I will leave the whole arrivals thing there. How about we go into some details about the actual airport itself. Sounds good ?? Yes I think so.
In Seoul, you generally have 2 major airports, Seoul Incheon and Seoul Gimpo. Incheon is the younger one of the two, as it was opened in 2001. Gimpo Airport was the original International Airport in Seoul, but this has now been reduced to largely domestic duties, with shuttle flights also occuring between Tokyo, Shanghai and Osaka.
Korean Air and Asiana, the 2 major South Korean international airlines, are the major space holders at Incheon.
Incheon airport is located to the west of Seoul, and is connected to the main CBD by the Incheon International Airport Expressway. This expressway also connects to Gimpo domestic airport, and also allows easy access to the major connection points in Seoul itself, particularly Seoul railway station and CBD bus terminals.
There are 2 main terminals in Seoul Airport, the main terminal and Concourse.
The main terminal is one of the largest in the world. You can board planes from 44 different locations in the terminal, and there are ample numbers of facilities available to accomodate the required movements, processings and other needs for travel.
Heck, it also has a golf course, spa, indoor gardens and a sleeping area if you need them !!!!
I guess these are just some of the reasons why Seoul Airport has been voted the best in the world for the past couple of years lol.
Pity I can't show it to you here though. I seem to be be having issues with the Cut and paste function on the comp for the minute. But I can direct you over to this sites here for you to have a look.
http://www.airport.kr/eng/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_Airport#A_Terminal
Seoul Incheon airport really is a nice place team. You should come up here some time. I am sure you will enjoy it and you will also find it as a really pleasant gateway and delightful little intro to your sojourn here in Korea.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I am off to Korea with a little Epik High !!
Yep team ! I am off at 9.30 am Adelaide time tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it !!!! I will fly from Adelaide to Sydney, then from Sydney to Hong Kong and then the red eye flight from Hong Kong to Seoul. I would love to call all of you when I get in but hey it will be 4.45 am and I will be pretty stuffed yeh !!! So regrettably I will refrain from calling you lol. And any way, it will be on a Saturday Morn and well the only worse day to call is the Sunday morn hehehe !!! Its ok though I wont be drunk as I am not a drinker and even if I was I would not do it on a plane because I would get very dehydrated and all.
Meanwhile I have some more K-pop for you and this is a song that really does capture how I am feeling at the moment .... Its by Epik High and its called One. It starts off with " Time is tickin... Time is tickin tickin". Yes team the time sure is tickin !!! and I am excited !! Have fun !!!!
Meanwhile I have some more K-pop for you and this is a song that really does capture how I am feeling at the moment .... Its by Epik High and its called One. It starts off with " Time is tickin... Time is tickin tickin". Yes team the time sure is tickin !!! and I am excited !! Have fun !!!!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Do you know this song ???
Hmmmm.... Whats this song team ??? I mean... I know its in Korean and all... and it is a Korean version of it... I think I have heard it before ... but I am not quite sure.... do you know it ..... hehehe .... kkk....;)
yeh it sounds familiar yeh .... I mean .... it goes.....Mahiya Hee... Mahiya Hoo....Mahiya Haa...... Mahiya Haa Haa........hahah...hahaha.....hahahahahaha .......;)
yeh it sounds familiar yeh .... I mean .... it goes.....Mahiya Hee... Mahiya Hoo....Mahiya Haa...... Mahiya Haa Haa........hahah...hahaha.....hahahahahaha .......;)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
I like Super Junior !!!!
Ok team, Its time to fill you in on another little Korean pop number that I enjoy. Its Super Junior !!! This is indeed a real catchy little number indeed I feel !! Its called ROKKUGUH !!!! Have a listen to it and enjoy !!!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Interesting things to do in Korea
Well team its not long now until I head back to the Land of the Morning Calm !! My visa is in hand, my contract signed and I am just waiting for my ticket to arrive and then its up, up and away !! I just hope that I get to fly Singapore Airlines this time ( I really want to try them - I have tried cathay pacific and Malaysian, so now I have got to travel with Singapore from my home town in Adelaide, Australia. ) . I also want to charm Singapre girl hehehe !!
All in all, I am really quite excited to be going back. I feel that, even though I have already lived in Korea for 3 years, there is still so much for me to see and do. I really want to open my mind a lot more to this wonderful country and experience more and more of what it has to offer.
I really want to try and cross Korea a few times and capture all of it. From the temples, to Apkujeong, to various festivals, to maybe even trying some differing foods; I want to do a lot. So lets get started on what I want to do yes !!!! Okay ... ready ... set... and here we go !!!!!
Well, lets start off with where I will be staying. I will be staying in a place called Songpa-gu, a part of Seoul that has been touted as a major economic development hub. One place that I really want to visit is the Garden 5, one stop shopping distribution hub with over 8,300 shops. It is widely required as the biggest shopping mall in Asia. You can see it here
Thanks to 박미례 and wikipedia for this image. This place looks pretty good in the picture hehe. It might just even make me like shopping after all hehehe.
Another place I would like to vist in Songpa-gu is the Garak Market. Garak Market is a major distribution point for maritime and agricultural produce, much of which is completely eco-friendly. Sounds like somewhere for me to visit yes !!!
Aaaahhh !! I have just seen somewhere else I wish visit in Songpa-gu -- The Seokchon Lake area !! I have just seen a picture of it and I think that it looks really, really good indeed !! And while I am there I really must visit Lotte World amusement park !! Oh I can see it now I will feel happy, excitable, and just like a little kid again running around on all the rides. tides and fun things to do there ! I hope I can see Mickey Mouse there yes !? Oh damn man .. hang on Mickey is in Disney World yes ... Oh poop !!! Hehehe ! Check this out
This is a picture of the Seokchon Lake area in Songpa-gu. If you look a little closer, in the top half of the lake lol, you can see Lotte World right in the middle of the water. Check it out here.
Theres nothing like a little indoor theme park to get you in the mood for some fine yes !!! Thanks to Khitai, 박미례, and wikipedia for the above pictures.
Hmmm this just makes me want to stay in Songpa-gu - BUT ALL SONGPA-GU AND NO WHERE ELSE WILL JUST MAKE JAMES A BORING PERSON LOL !! I think I know just the place to fix this little ill..........
APKUJEONG !!!!!
Seriously team, this place rocks. I was lucky enough to get to Apkujeong and neighbouring Kangnam when I was living in Seoul, but trust me, my appetite has been seriously whetted and I want to see more !!! Put simply team, Apkujeong is the centre of opulence in Korea. Period. If you want to go Lamborghini, celebrity, Louis Vitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Latte, and lots-a-dollar-ama watching, the Apkujeong is your place !!!
Put simply, Apkujeong is known for 2 things - HIGH END SHOPPING AND A HIGH END NIGHTLIFE scene. It is the home base for exclusive European brands such as Prada, Gucci and D and G, and Rodeo street is the home of Haute Couture fashion in Seoul. Its nightlife compliments it day life nicely. Absent are the dingy, dirty, basic clubs you may indeed find in SIncheon and Hongdae, being replaced by cool, suave jazz clubs, exclusive night spots for celebrity spotting, and some really high end stuff indeed.
Here is a basic picture of Apkujeong team.
However, if you want a really cool description of Apkujeong along with some great pics, then I seriously recommend you check out this article from Grace Travel. Its succinct, pleasant, informative and pretty much direct and straight to the point. Check it out here.
http://english.triptokorea.com/english/viewforum.php?f=352
Another place I really want to visit again is Kangnam. This is pretty much located next door to Apkujeong, and is often talked about in the same high level of esteem that Apkujeong is. Kangnam is pretty much the business capital of Korea, and houses many of the noted business houses in Korea, including AMI Korea, Google, and IBM.
One of the major streets in Kangnam is the Teheranno, or simply Tehran Street. As I said just prior, Kangnam is the the major business district in Korea, and Tehran Street really does opitimize this. Teheranno is the home of internet giants such as Daum, Naver and Yahoo; electrical giants Samsung and Hynix, and noteable financial institutions such as POSCO, Standard Chartered and Citibank. As a little footnote, its believed that somewhere in the vicinity of $200,000,000 in venture capital money has been invested in Teheranno ( You can see this on wikipedia too heheh .. right here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teheranno
Heres a little visual of Teheranno and Kangnam
Another place I really want to visit is Jogye-Sa, one of the chief Buddhist temples in Korea. Its located in Jong-no, which pretty much located in the central part of Seoul.
Jogye-Sa is also probably the most well known of the temples amongst foreigners and it has several attractions to bring people to the temple. Visitors to the temple can here Buddhist Dharma talks, can take part in retreats, and participate in daily buddhist ceremonies.
You can see a little more on the temple site.
http://en.jogyesa.org
One other thing I also really want to this time around is finally catch some Baseball, Basketball and Soccer whilst here in Korea !!!!I seriously didnt catch any before, even though I lived really close to the home the Samsung Lions Baseball team and the Daegu World Cup soccer stadium !!!! Mind you being in Seoul will be good in that I will be living right near Jamsil Baseball stadium, and not too far away from Seoul World Cup Stadium. I am so looking forward to seeing some good old fashioned sports this time around !!! I also really want to try and get to see some K-1 and UFC this time around if possible also, and more so if Remy Bonjarsky and Mirko " Crocop " Filipovic are in the ring pounding the crap out of opponents. I might even try and get down to Busan and hit up Giants stadium to watch some Lotte Giants baseball in the summer time. Peek here
Daegu World Cup Stadium
Jamsil baseball stadium
Incheon Munhak stadium
Munhak Baseball Stadium, Incheon
Another place I really want to go to this summer is Haeundae Beach in Busan. Haeundae Beach is widely regarded as one of, if not the most popular beach in Korea, and has been heavily commercialised in the last few years. You can have a little look here.
Thanks to SJ Yang and wikipedia for the above pic.
Okay !!! Lol its time for me to rest up now hehehe. This of course is by no means an exhaustive list of where I wish to go this year, but hey - it is a start !!!! I will eventually get around to telling you more about the places I wish to go to, and will soon even tell you in more detail about my favourite city in Korea-DAEGU !! Daegu is a really cool place team and I really do look forward to letting you know about it ! seeya !!!
All in all, I am really quite excited to be going back. I feel that, even though I have already lived in Korea for 3 years, there is still so much for me to see and do. I really want to open my mind a lot more to this wonderful country and experience more and more of what it has to offer.
I really want to try and cross Korea a few times and capture all of it. From the temples, to Apkujeong, to various festivals, to maybe even trying some differing foods; I want to do a lot. So lets get started on what I want to do yes !!!! Okay ... ready ... set... and here we go !!!!!
Well, lets start off with where I will be staying. I will be staying in a place called Songpa-gu, a part of Seoul that has been touted as a major economic development hub. One place that I really want to visit is the Garden 5, one stop shopping distribution hub with over 8,300 shops. It is widely required as the biggest shopping mall in Asia. You can see it here
Thanks to 박미례 and wikipedia for this image. This place looks pretty good in the picture hehe. It might just even make me like shopping after all hehehe.
Another place I would like to vist in Songpa-gu is the Garak Market. Garak Market is a major distribution point for maritime and agricultural produce, much of which is completely eco-friendly. Sounds like somewhere for me to visit yes !!!
Aaaahhh !! I have just seen somewhere else I wish visit in Songpa-gu -- The Seokchon Lake area !! I have just seen a picture of it and I think that it looks really, really good indeed !! And while I am there I really must visit Lotte World amusement park !! Oh I can see it now I will feel happy, excitable, and just like a little kid again running around on all the rides. tides and fun things to do there ! I hope I can see Mickey Mouse there yes !? Oh damn man .. hang on Mickey is in Disney World yes ... Oh poop !!! Hehehe ! Check this out
This is a picture of the Seokchon Lake area in Songpa-gu. If you look a little closer, in the top half of the lake lol, you can see Lotte World right in the middle of the water. Check it out here.
Theres nothing like a little indoor theme park to get you in the mood for some fine yes !!! Thanks to Khitai, 박미례, and wikipedia for the above pictures.
Hmmm this just makes me want to stay in Songpa-gu - BUT ALL SONGPA-GU AND NO WHERE ELSE WILL JUST MAKE JAMES A BORING PERSON LOL !! I think I know just the place to fix this little ill..........
APKUJEONG !!!!!
Seriously team, this place rocks. I was lucky enough to get to Apkujeong and neighbouring Kangnam when I was living in Seoul, but trust me, my appetite has been seriously whetted and I want to see more !!! Put simply team, Apkujeong is the centre of opulence in Korea. Period. If you want to go Lamborghini, celebrity, Louis Vitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Latte, and lots-a-dollar-ama watching, the Apkujeong is your place !!!
Put simply, Apkujeong is known for 2 things - HIGH END SHOPPING AND A HIGH END NIGHTLIFE scene. It is the home base for exclusive European brands such as Prada, Gucci and D and G, and Rodeo street is the home of Haute Couture fashion in Seoul. Its nightlife compliments it day life nicely. Absent are the dingy, dirty, basic clubs you may indeed find in SIncheon and Hongdae, being replaced by cool, suave jazz clubs, exclusive night spots for celebrity spotting, and some really high end stuff indeed.
Here is a basic picture of Apkujeong team.
However, if you want a really cool description of Apkujeong along with some great pics, then I seriously recommend you check out this article from Grace Travel. Its succinct, pleasant, informative and pretty much direct and straight to the point. Check it out here.
http://english.triptokorea.com/english/viewforum.php?f=352
Another place I really want to visit again is Kangnam. This is pretty much located next door to Apkujeong, and is often talked about in the same high level of esteem that Apkujeong is. Kangnam is pretty much the business capital of Korea, and houses many of the noted business houses in Korea, including AMI Korea, Google, and IBM.
One of the major streets in Kangnam is the Teheranno, or simply Tehran Street. As I said just prior, Kangnam is the the major business district in Korea, and Tehran Street really does opitimize this. Teheranno is the home of internet giants such as Daum, Naver and Yahoo; electrical giants Samsung and Hynix, and noteable financial institutions such as POSCO, Standard Chartered and Citibank. As a little footnote, its believed that somewhere in the vicinity of $200,000,000 in venture capital money has been invested in Teheranno ( You can see this on wikipedia too heheh .. right here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teheranno
Heres a little visual of Teheranno and Kangnam
Another place I really want to visit is Jogye-Sa, one of the chief Buddhist temples in Korea. Its located in Jong-no, which pretty much located in the central part of Seoul.
Jogye-Sa is also probably the most well known of the temples amongst foreigners and it has several attractions to bring people to the temple. Visitors to the temple can here Buddhist Dharma talks, can take part in retreats, and participate in daily buddhist ceremonies.
You can see a little more on the temple site.
http://en.jogyesa.org
One other thing I also really want to this time around is finally catch some Baseball, Basketball and Soccer whilst here in Korea !!!!I seriously didnt catch any before, even though I lived really close to the home the Samsung Lions Baseball team and the Daegu World Cup soccer stadium !!!! Mind you being in Seoul will be good in that I will be living right near Jamsil Baseball stadium, and not too far away from Seoul World Cup Stadium. I am so looking forward to seeing some good old fashioned sports this time around !!! I also really want to try and get to see some K-1 and UFC this time around if possible also, and more so if Remy Bonjarsky and Mirko " Crocop " Filipovic are in the ring pounding the crap out of opponents. I might even try and get down to Busan and hit up Giants stadium to watch some Lotte Giants baseball in the summer time. Peek here
Daegu World Cup Stadium
Jamsil baseball stadium
Incheon Munhak stadium
Munhak Baseball Stadium, Incheon
Another place I really want to go to this summer is Haeundae Beach in Busan. Haeundae Beach is widely regarded as one of, if not the most popular beach in Korea, and has been heavily commercialised in the last few years. You can have a little look here.
Thanks to SJ Yang and wikipedia for the above pic.
Okay !!! Lol its time for me to rest up now hehehe. This of course is by no means an exhaustive list of where I wish to go this year, but hey - it is a start !!!! I will eventually get around to telling you more about the places I wish to go to, and will soon even tell you in more detail about my favourite city in Korea-DAEGU !! Daegu is a really cool place team and I really do look forward to letting you know about it ! seeya !!!
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