Free Hugs in Korea

Free Hugs are not something Korean, well actually Australian, but they are quite common in Korea. Free Hugs are just the acts of hugging strangers. Its quoted by wikipedia as the "random act of kindness". I guess hugs make people feel better. Yes, I bet it would feel even better if hot girls hugged me!

Korea does the Free Hug campaign quite often. Well, often enough that there are so many videos of people wandering around the streets looking for people to hug. But, there was a slight alteration. A lot of the time, I see people wearing bear costumes. You know, the one with fluffy ears and big round paws. I thought it was quite effective, since people would rather hug bears, well since they are cute...! So, more people would  come and have free hugs =D

Ok... I lied a bit since I can't find a guy in a bear costume giving out free hugs, but I swear I saw tons in a Korean website! Its just that I am a bit lazy and its hard to post videos from other media sources on the blog other than youtube..!!! Anyways, I found a video of Joker? giving out free hugs haha But, it seems less people are getting free hugs since Joker is a bit scary...... Go give free hugs ppl!

Sick & Updates

Being sick in Malaysia, a tropical country, is probably the worst thing ever... Its hot, so you want the air conditioning to be on, while your sick so the air conditioning makes your sickness more enduring. So, you can't really do anything about it. Argh! I don't even really feel sick... like I don't have a major head ache or extreme coughing. Its just a light sickness. Still, if I stay in KLCC or crowded places I can't stand up straight sigh. Well, on the bright side, its better than being sick during school... That would really suck since school itself is a cold society, where nobody really cares if you are sick. 

Anyways, updates. I did pretty decent this semester, except I had to drop computer science since I was taking too many credit hours and programming... it takes a lot of time, if you suck at it. As for me, I did suck at programming so I ended up spending tons of hours devoted on the homeworks. Physics and math was insane... I started to not understand anything. Well, I still managed and managed better than some students. Japanese and English was pretty good. English I was lucky to have a friend who helped me explain stuff more clearly. 

I haven't seen any friends yet in Malaysia, partially due to the sickness. I also have this feeling of wanting isolation and more family time. It really doesn't feel right living in a different country alone. Hopefully I can endure it. My dad is moving to Korea this January while my mom and sister are remaining in Malaysia so that she can graduate. Basically our family is sliced apart. Kind of worried about my dad living alone, but I guess we can't help it and the doctor said his health improved. I really do hope everything goes alright. 

Just some updates on my friends. D started a blog, to stop nagging me about his life. Well, he doesn't really write much and I'm a bit worried since he hasn't chatted with me after I blocked him lol.... (I couldn't help myself since I was at my limits). I'm thinking of sending D a pack of milo since he said he wanted them on his blog. My friend S, broke off with his girlfriend. Quite unfortunate, since I tried to help them get together. Pew Pew. And its his first time having a relationship and first time to break up with someone, so a bit worried about him as well. I really hope they can maintain a mutual relationship at least. K and L went to New York, bet they are having tons of fun. hmmm what else? I don't really remember much more. Oh my Korean friend is joining the military.... well I'll join him in like 3 years argh!

I hope everyone had a merry christmas! Oh... I forgot to go to church!! FAIL.... I was sick.... hope Jesus can forgive me =D Happy belated birthday Baby Christ!

Cyber Cafes: PC Bangs

Its been a while since I have written anything. I was pretty busy getting ready for the finals (not really) and packing. Well, I also got a bit lazy as the year was coming to an end. I didn't find anything really interesting to write about, but I realized I forgot to write about Korean cyber cafes.

Korean cyber cafes are called PC bang. The word "bang" means room. A normal room would be called "bang". PC bangs are pretty ubiquitous. They are everywhere. In some places, there is a saturation of PC bangs. PC bangs are like regular cyber cafes. They have computers! (no duh). Some PC bangs are huge. They have around 100 computers. Some are smaller. They only have 20 computers. Moreover, they provide fast internet and computers with pretty good specs, making it better for gaming. Most of the games are available in the cyber cafes. The PC bangs also serve refreshments. Most provide coffee, green tea. They sell crackers, ramen, and frozen pizza. Technically, you can live off eating junk food in cyber cafes.

There have been cases where Koreans have died living in cyber cafes. I guess the reasons were that the gamers were too addicted to the games that they stopped eating, and had lack of sleep as well. Even if they eat the food provided from the PC bangs, they are not good enough in the long term, they lack nutrition.

Anyways, cyber cafes are pretty clean. I really like it there since its cool during the hot summer. I can't afford air conditioning so, its a great place to cool down. The cost of an hour of gaming is only 1000 won, which is only a dollar. Extremely cheap in my opinion. Its also a great place to socialize as I can play games with wo de friends.

Anyways have a visit to a Korean cyber cafe when you visit Korea!

Korean Street Food

Once a co- worker asked about Korean street food and I'm really hungry for some Korean street food. Hence, I wanted to blog about Korean street food.

Korean street food is quite widely available. A lot of people enjoy eating Korean street food. The most well known Korean street food is called 포장마차 pojang macha I can't really directly translate it, but its something like a restaurant on wheels.However, the food stall doesn't really have wheels, well most of them but some do. The reason is that they can travel to different places to look for people. So instead of people looking for the food stall, they go to the people.

They serve various type of Korean dishes that are relatively cheap. We have odeng, which are Japanese oden. I guess the colonization did influence more than we thing. These are really cheap. Only 500 won, which is 50 cents in the USD. The soup for the odeng is served in a cup and is free. Then there is spicy ricecakes! One portion of the spicy rice cake costs 2000won which is around 2 USD. Yes, its dirt cheap. It is spicy and sweet. So if your a spicy food lover, its definitely recommended. One of my favorite is called soon dae. Its pig intestines, liver and lungs. Well, a lot of people think its disgusting, but they are pretty good! Its only 2.5USD. They also have kim bab. Most foreigners know them as Korean sushi, but unlike sushi it has more vegetable/pork/beef. I am not sure about the price but probably 1~2 dollars. Lastly, there is chicken on a stick! Yes they put chicken pieces on a stick and cook it! Tastes wonderful. Some places have different flavors. They have the extremely spicy one that killed my tongue few years back...

Yes, compared to the U.S. its really cheap. Sometimes I wonder if American poor people go to Korea, they can afford their food at least.

But, I don't really go to pojang macha for the food, but the feeling you get when you eat a warm food in a somewhat cozy pojangmacha, to keep youself warm. Also, its a great place to get a snack!



Just Another Video!

North Korea & South Korea conflicts

Its thanks giving, and nobody is in my physics lecture ... I guess every one has a place to be that is more important than physics! Anyways, I wanted to write about the conflict South and North had couple of days ago. Couple of days ago I was studying and playing starcraft..  I thought everything was ok.. Then just yesterday, I saw my friends facebook post. It said "North Korea Attacks South"...? "WHAT????"

I saw the youtube video and found out that North Korea bombarded a South Korean island....I could not believe what I saw. North Korea directly attacked South Korea. WTF WTF WTF. I really do not understand North Korea's way in politics. I do not get what they are gaining from killing innocent civilians...I mean if they want to kill somebody, they could kill someone who is more involve with the matter. (Not that killing is good).

South Korea's ship was attacked few months ago. They killed around 47 marine soldiers. Now, they freaking bombarded an ISLAND. They kill around 3 people and a lot of people are injured. When the South Korean ship sank, we just had international criticism. But, I do not believe, international criticism is enoughㅡㅡ. I do not think they understand and care about international relationship. I wish the president comes up with a harsher punishment for North Korea. I mean we were spending tons of money for the military for years and years, and yet we don't really use it. I'm not saying we should have war, but do something about this matter!!!

North Korea and South Korea are the same Koreans. I don't hate them, I want them to join the South. Well, since at least from my point of view its doing better, and I think we might be able to sustain North Koreans as well. Its just freaking Kim Jung Il. WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM. I think he watched the movie Igor. I bet he wanted to create a country that would rule others with terror and they would give tributes to North Korea. 


Someday a North Korean hunchback would prove terror is wrong, if the movie is right!


Anyways I would like to say I'm sorry for those who were in the island and hope they can re build their lives. .. 


For those people who died. 고인의 명복을 빕니다.

Cyber Friends

This might sound weird to you but, I do have a quite of bunch of cyber friends, meaning that I have friends who I have never met before. I only met them indirectly through the internet and online games. Yes, I am pretty weird, but this is something that is quite common in Korea. A lot of people would have cyber friends.

How do you obtain a cyber friend?
For me, I am a quite hardcore gamer. So, in online games, I join clans and guilds. These people are the people who you would rely in the game for help or to exchange items. Hence, you get really close to them. Another way is to write blogs. Blogs are a more healthy way to find cyber friends but less interaction than online games

So, what do you do with a cyber friend?
Well, most of the time, I exchange ideas and thoughts about practically anything.

What are the advantages?
You definitely get the know more of their inside than outside, cause most of the time you never physically see who they are. Hence, its more about personalities that define whether he or she is a friend or not.


What are the disadvantages?
You really don't know who they are actually. They might be pretending to be a 13 year old boy or girl when they are 50. (there's nothing wrong with being 50, just pretending to be 13 is just... weirder.. than having cyber friends).  He or "she" might be a rapist!

So, its important to find good cyber friends. I have few... that I have stayed contact with over a year. Well, the thing is we decide to play the same game after we finish one.

Psh, I know what you guys are thinking. ' this guy must have no friends in real life!'


Well.... I do! hahhahahahha

A short post before going back to my hw... since i haven't posted in ages!

Talesweaver & Children of the Rune

This is a game that I have sacrificed my first semester of my freshman to. It has a really good story plot, so you won't be too bored of hunting. It involves tedious amount of clicking in order to make your character stronger. I reached level 200 and my fingers hurt a lot. So, if your not a very found of clicking, then the game might not be for you. Still, I love the game. I did manage to play it for about 3 years. So, I am very attached to the game.

So, here I am advertising the game

http://tales.gamengame.com/

It is a interesting game as the game is based off a very deep fantasy novel. The book is called the "Children of the Rune" More info can be found in

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_the_Rune_(Korean_novel)

There are many versions available in the Asian market. Translated into Chinese and Japanese. I don't think it was translated to English just yet. I would highly recommend people to read these books as they are truly amazing.

I wasn't really good at reading in Korean as I never got a real Korean education. Plus, I was sort of a retard as I could not read until I was 3rd grade? I am not sure, but my sister was able to read earlier than I could.

Anyways, the book is based on a character called Boris. He is the second son of a rich powerful family of travaches. He has a very cool brother who loves Boris dearly. His family also has possession of the most powerful armor and weapon. However, their father's younger brother destroys Boris's family. Boris and his brother barely manages to escape with the armor and the sword. They are not immune to the poverty they are in. They have to struggle in order to survive. Boris's brother suicides as he is poisoned by a monster and soon he would become one. Boris is left alone and struggles to survive himself.

Well, the book is way more complicated and better than the short description

I gave. Moreover, you would ask why they had to run if they had the most powerful weapon and armor. The reason probably was that they wanted to keep the existence of these legendary equipment secret as their exposer would result in more people attempting to destroy the family. So, why does Boris throw the sword away and run? Well, he has an emotional attachment. As you can see his brother who was infected, killed himself in order to prevent himself from turning into a monster and do harm to Boris. Moreover, the sword was given to Boris as a gift from his brother.

Its quite random for me to write about this game, but I did owe them the song I am using for my background. So this promotion of the game and novel might work out as a redemption? hahhahaha

Weezer & me

My relationship between weezer isn't anything particular or special. They were the first band I actually started listening to, but they were also the band I listened to while I was having a hard time in life(well not too hard since there are more people who have a harder time). And after that I would seldom listen to their songs since I have couple of thousands of mp3. Today, I was using Grooveshark which is a pretty good music player, since pandora has so many advertisements. I really didn't have any artist names that came in mind except for weezers. Wow, while I was listening to weezers a lot of flashbacks and emotions came through. This is really interesting since its like classical conditioning. I was conditioned to express nervousness(except that I'm nervous most of the time) when I listen to old weezer songs.

Still, I love weezer though. They didn't really encourage me to live for a better future, but they provided a distraction.To distract myself from my surroundings, well at least for a moment. Actually, Grooveshark gave me a whole bunch of weezer songs that I have not yet listened to . I guess I have plenty more to enjoy now :P

So, why am I writing this? No real reason. I just wanted to write something personal. So, this blog is like more of a MY blog. Maybe something like a open diary. So, the future me will see this and laugh about it. Who knows maybe this would be reference for aliens when humans are gone. Maybe I'm just personalizing this blog cause I'm used to writing diaries and its fun the re-read them.

Interesting though, I only have 20 more Korean blog posts to go! Then, I'm probably going to shift gears to another topic. I haven't decided on what topic I should write about. I am interested in making videos like those popular asian video makers on youtube.... But, I have no idea how they are so funny and interesting to watch!

Apple and Samsung

So, here I am waiting for this person to call me so that I can meet up with him and do a project together. Well, he was suppose to do most of the work since its not that important for me to do this project(we have to do 2 out of 3 and I already did one, he on the other hand didn't do any). Well, I still want to submit something so I figured I could help out. So... I kept on asking him about how far he went... and everyday... there is no progress LOL. He keeps on saying, he and this other person was trying to understand the project. So... finally they decides to start programming when the due date is tomorrow LOL.. and he asked me to help out. Well, they didn't really start since they didn't even make a program file for the code. So.. I was suppose to help them code their stuff, but here I am in a computer building abandoned ㅡㅡ.. So I'm just going to write a short blog entry sine I haven't done that forever and start working on my coding

I came across an interesting comment on youtube while I was excitingly reading these rage comments on youtube. It said that apple products are actually made by samsung or something like that. So, I googled key words like "samsung" "apple" "supplier" like a good student would do. And google gave me this website.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/hardware/Is-Samsung-benefiting-from-Apples-innovation/articleshow/6740264.cms

This was probably a WTF article since I always thought that Samsung and Apple were competitor and Apple would hate samsung for imitating their products while Samsung would hate Apple for taking its market share in the mobile&mp3 industry. Apparently,they are holding hands in the inside while they punch each other in the outside. They are collaborators. Samsung provides Apple hardware, since Samsung is one of the best hardware manufacturers. So, I assume that they are benefiting from each other. Apple gets the advanced hardware and Samsung gets the design. Maybe that is why Apple didn't sue Samsung yet. I'm pretty sure that is why since Apple does sue a lot of companies. Well, at least that is what I read in the newspaper now and then. But sadly, Iphones and Galaxy S are not within reach for me since I live on a student budget.

Well, at least its good to know that samsung and apple don't hate each other :P

Now back to coding stuff!

Introduction

Sorry lol I just wanted to personalize my blog a bit more so, I ended up uploading failure raps I like to make when I feel really strange :S Its a way to distract myself =D

Feel free to laugh at it =P I am not a pro and will never be one lol but I just like doing crazy stuff

Source for beat :http://www.youtube.com/user/EAProductions20

Introduce Myself

Hey MasterPanda!

Hey Master Panda. Well, about the beat, I just made a movie out of it :P So, I couldn't really send it to ya. So, I just made a blog post on it. Enjoy! Well, it was my first song so it was not that great but my friends loved it. :P

Beat Source : http://www.youtube.com/user/MasterPandaMusic

So... What happens to the cows???

For some reason I made a blog about the Korean cows! and Alena reminded me of Korean BBQ. Yes Alena I am going to ramble about how Korean BBQ rocks and I think they are better then anything (well thats a lie). Anyways Korean BBQ have different sorts of meat and taste. So, saying you hate BBQ means you hate eating any sort of meat :P

So.. I'll just give you guys a list.

1. 차돌배기 sounds like cha dol bae gi. Direct translation is car rock slicing. Nope nobody is going to give you cha dol bae gi if you ask for car rock slicing. It doesn't even make sense in english :P. Cha dol bae gi is thin slices of beef. We eat it with salt with sesame oil. Like all meat we eat it with a lettuce wrap with chili sauce. The best thing about this meat is that you really get to taste the freshness of the meat. Recommended for people who love meat and the taste of the meat itself.

2. 양념갈비 aka LA Ribs? I am not sure but anyways these are the normal BBQ that everyone talks about. Its one of the most common type of meat. They come in two different type of meat. Either beef or pork. Obviously beef will be more pricy :S . But, pork doesn't taste bad at all. The meat is seasoned with soy sauce, onions, sugar, and tenderized by fruits. Well, I could give you guys the recipe if requested . La ribs are sweet and enjoyed by many.

3. 꽃등심 Kot Deng shim. Direct translation is flower sirloin. This is another recommendation for meat lovers. Its just meat over fire like Cha dol bae gi. BBBBUUT, Kot deng shim has bigger slices. Still, we eat them the same way as Cha dol bae gi. We use salt with sesame oil.

4. 삼겹살 Pork belly. This is probably the most common! Well, its also the most affordable meat. But, Koreans love it. We eat it like cha dol bae gi. The best thing about pork belly is that we can fry Kimchi on the pork oil. God... fried kimchi taste so good. So, if you like kimchi and pork. Get your car and drive out to a Korean restaurant.

This was just a general overview of the type of meat you can order in Korean restaurants. Most restaurants have ban chan which are side dishes like kimchi given for free. Most likely, they'll also give out some type of soup. The soup really depends on restaurants lol Don't go demand free soup cause you read it on a blog :P . I would recommend you guys to have soju with meat. Well, soju isn't expensive and luxurious as wine or vodka, but its a way to enjoy your meal in an oriental way. My friends dad love soju. Its interesting how people react to new type of taste when they actually taste them.

My roommate finally had bullgogi. I didn't think he was into eating Korean food. But, after he tasted it he liked it and well at least didn't complain.

Well, I want to actaully try the chicken in the egg, a Filipino dish. I might hate it but I want to try it at least :P and I want to try rabbit ... :P Yes I am a heavy meat eater. Sorry you veggie ppl. I am evil. Argh writing this blog made me so hungry for meaaaat. Sadly, I can only get chicken in the dining hall. or processed paddies :( someone invite me to dinner

Korean Cows!

I have no real reason for choosing this topic. Well, I my mind is just so blur. Anyways, Korean cows are a bit different from foreign cows. They aren't black and white, they are brown! Traditionally, cows are represented as strong and hard working. Yes, they were strong and they were hard workers in the field. Well, these days they are more used for the meat. But, their prices have gone up a lot! They are so expensive that I never ate beef in korea loool well once or twice. Well, I live in Malaysia so its not that bad. Anyways! After the FTA failed Korean beef became extremely expensive. Since the demand for Korean cows increased and the farmers said Korean cows have to quality that made them super expensive. I would only see super rich people eating beef :S Sadly I am not one of those people.

Well, I guess its not bad as Japan but we're getting there. I think we should let cows have more babies so that everyone can eat Korean cows :P Personally, I think Korean cows are really cute lol I want to eat one one day when I get a job!

Back to Korea

I really got off track for the past few blog posts. Well a lot happened. I had to drop a course, my test scores weren't so great and etc. The good thing is I just had fall break and my friend got a girl friend haha. I was quite amazed, but I guess miracles do happen (Sorry but its true).

Anyways the singer I follow e.via made a comeback with her new song! I just wanted to post it up here so more people can know about her, since she is not really famous yet!

Another thing I wanted to write about is Korean snacks! There are a lot of Korean snacks and they probably will make you have a stomach ache if you eat too many of them, but one particular snack of my childhood memories is called Go re Bab. It means whale food!

There are few flavors and they taste pretty good! They're also shaped in different type of sea creatures. So, you can chop their heads off as you eat =O

Well.. thats how I ate them lol

Something

Removed :S I'll upload a better one later

Campus Compus

The campus compus is an app that is pretty much similar to a lot of apps already out there. The thing about this application is that once you enter your destination, the screen would only show you a compus. It would keep on pointing on the destination you want to go to. It would point through buildings so that you can find the shortest distance between classes.

The main purpose of this app is to help freshman find their classes ㅡㅡ. I was a freshman once. I ended up going around the campus 5 times before finding the office of international education cause I really suck at reading a map. That night I had a lot of blisters and couldn't walk properly.

If this application was there for me, I wouldn't have suffered that badly and I would have bought a smart phone no matter what!

I need to think about something interesting to write about Korea = S ...........emmmmmmmmmmm

I really can't think of a good one! I need something other than food, music, and games. How about the parks in Korea? Well, I could write about Korean military service ㅡㅡ... Since I have to be drafted sooner or later :S

Do not read this.

This blog was deleted :P Was too emo

Korean Rap Continued

I know a lot of friends who listen to rap music. I mean, Atlanta is the "A-town" where there is a lot of hardcore rappers. Unfortunately, there aren't many people who know about the Korean rappers. K-pop and Idols are the dominate music producers in Korea, but Korea's hip-hop and rap musics are pretty amazing as well. In this blog post I wanted to focus on few of the bad-a rappers in Korea.

Sorry my bad taste for music and I'm only focusing on music instead of other interesting topics. Well, I am having a tough time keeping up with my academics so, I can't invest as much time on the blog as I used to.

1. Drunken Tiger. He probably is the starter of the Korean rap industry. When nobody knew about rap in Korea, he came with his rap music. Not a lot of people appreciated him at first. Actually, a lot of people thought his music was a joke, but now his music is a must listen to.

2. Baechigi. They really know how to rap in my opinion. I mean their rap is just so exciting and powerful. They make you want to start nodding your head =D

3. Outsider. Remember the time I showed you guys about the fastest female rapper. Well, Outsider is the fastest Korean male rapper. But, the important thing is that his rap is not only fast but his fastness doesn't destroy the lyrics. Usually fast rappers tend to destroy the lyrics when the focus on the fastness.

4. Epik High. Probably the deepest rapper. Tablo the main rapper speaks fluent english since he was from the USA. His lyrics are really deep and meaningful.

5. MC Mong. Probably the funniest rapper. Well, he is currently having trouble because he tried to avoid military service. Its quite sad since I liked him a lot and when I listen to my mp3 player his songs come up, making me think of how his life just crumbled down just because he didn't go to the military.

I'll stop here =D I am too tired...

Korean Emo Band

Sugar Donut is a Korean band I like to listen to, especially Sugar Donut's "Loser". The lyrics are simple but expresses how I feel ... ~_~ yes, I am partially emo but, I have my reasons. Anyways, the lyrics goes something like this. (since I do not have time, I'll summarize). So, Sugar Donut would always regret and his regrets would not end. He believed that by working hard, harder and hardest, his life would become somewhat like what he had imagined as, in additionally, he wouldn't have to go through the pain of working again. This message is just repeated over and over again.

The lyrics are simple and dumb. But, sometimes they do tell the truth of our current society. This band is not well known since punk/emo rock is not yet popular in Korea!

Wished there were more punk/emo bands in Korea =S

Nervous break down

Its interesting how life turns out to be really different from what you imagined. My dream started off with becoming a fire fighter, moved on to becoming a scientist, changed to becoming hotel manager, and finally broaden down into becoming a businessman. However, its not just your dream that constantly changes. Fate, the biggest influential shareholder of my future, comes in. My shareholder, Mr.Fate is just too hard to control. Its like he controls 50% of my future share while I only have 30 %.

So, why am I having a nervous break down? Cause, I'm having doubts whether or not I have chosen the right path for a brighter and better future.

I am suffering a lot in school. All I do is study. Its not like I study for an hour and play games for another. I literary sit in my chair all day, lie in my bed reading, or going to the bathroom. Well, there are those times when I would surf the net, reading Korean news articles or checking out the exchange rate. The main problem is that I am not a "bright kid". I understand things slower than others! I learned to read slower than others, didn't have an idea what grades were until I was in high school, even when I learn new languages, they seem easier after the semester is over.

I am not sure if I am in the right school. The competition's too high and I think I'm a bit slow to catch up. Like, I would take hours just understanding few concepts, while my friends wouldn't even study for the test.. Programming as well, is really complicated. I need to try really hard.

Transfer schools maybe???

Depends on how this semester goes... But, this past 3 weeks killed my soul

e.via Female Rapper

This week of my life was just insane. I ended up coding for my homework until 2 am. It wasn't that I started late but I wanted my code to do more functions. Then, as it got more complicated, the code lost its original purpose. So, I had to find all the bugs and re-write part of my codes from scratch.!

Anyways, just wanted to let you guys know about a Korean female rapper. I'm 90% sure that I am not a big fan of rap music. I'm more into those hated emo bands. Well, I'm not extremely emo but I do like their music. They do lead my life in to a black hole, but I can't stop listening to them! However,this blog is not about rock music! Its about this girl who calls herself E.via aka Happy Evil. She looks cute, and harmless, but her rap style is tough. She could be one of the fastest Korean female rappers. I think her songs are great! but, since Koreans are focused on the K-pop, her talents fails to glow.

Personally, I'd say that she is somewhat like my ideal girl! =D Well I did say somewhat!

How do Koreans take baths?

Tomorrow is Friday. Tomorrow is the start of the 3 day weekend. Tomorrow is the beginning of your freedom from tiresome work. My first two weeks of school was just really horrible. When you think of American colleges you think of students studying on the grass relaxing, riding skateboards to class, and they have "fun" time studying, interacting with their professors. PSH. All of those BS is not true! You all have been lied by the media. I had like 5 quiz already. So out of two weeks, I had one week of quiz everyday. The skateboarding to class thing? its really not possible, unless you put a lot of effort riding your skateboard up hill. And down hill? its so steep that you would be thrown off. Well, its not that bad, it just that there is too many people that you can't really kick the board for speed. Interacting with professors are encouraged. Yes, I tried it last semester and it went really well with my psychology professor. But, that was probably the last time I went for office hours... The distance between my dorm and their office is just too far... Anyways, if your a student, bread winner, or a house wife, you life can really suck sometimes. Life is not fair and the world is a jungle. Only the strongest can survive. This is where the Korean public bath comes in! Korean public baths are so relaxing that they would blow all your worries away.

Where do Koreans take bathes?

Koreans go to places called "Sauna" or "JimJilBang". Translation of JimJil Bang is close to spa room. They have Sauna or JimJil Bang every few blocks or so. Most of them are within walking distance. They would usually cause $5 or $10 as an enterance fee. If you want to stay over night, it is possible. I too have done it with my friends! Messages would cost more. Around $30 would be enough to get one of those "sports" massages.

How are Korean bath towels different?

Korean bath towels are really different from towels of many countries. They call it "DeeMilYi". It means it removes stains or dirt. Like its name, it removes dead cells in your body, well thats my belief. Another belief is that it would make you have fair skin =D.

I'm quite unsure since I can't say I have awesome skin! Anyways we use these "different" bath towels. They are rough and make our skin red. But, we know they are removing dead cells in our skin. Something interesting about this towel is that it is part of our cultural instinct to help each other clean themselves. Like places which are hard to reach, usually the back, is done by another person. Many people would call helping each other wash their back GAY, but its better than not being able to clean yourself. I heard Park Chan Ho also had cultural problem when he asked another fellow baseball player to scrub his back. =) OK PPL WE'RE NOT GAY, we're just different.

*PS. Never use them on your face. You would end up with a scar!

What do we eat in public bathes?

Well, for Koreans, a public bath is a place to enjoy ourselves! Of course we get hungry after taking a bath and fooling around! I mean all that scrubbing is a lot of work! We get food from the store inside of the public bath. They have many drinks and snacks. But, the most prominent snack and drink is the baked eggs and sweet rice wine. Yum. If you never tried this, your missing a stuff that is enjoyable in life!

What Korean public bathes have cyber cafes?

Yes, Korean public bathes have cyber cafes. Not a lot of them does, but some do! The rates are a bit overpriced but people would still use them anyways. I never used the computers there before so I can't really say anything about them! Well, I saw a lot of kids playing there though...

Difference between JimJil Bang and Sauna?

This is very important because it would help you distinguish where to be naked and where you shouldn't. Just today, I read few MBA foreign students tried to go in naked where they aren't really suppose to be. JimJil Bang is a spa room, they give out clothes that you would wear to the spa. Jim Jil Bang has more stuff than the sauna. Sauna, is the place where you go naked. Like its name, its a place where you take bathes!

Are we embarrassed when we're naked?

Its more of a personal question. Do I feel embarrassed when I'm naked? NO. lol Everybody does it! So, its not something to be embarrassed of. Its like going to the nude beach, nobody is embarrassed since everyone does it! A lot of younger generations are a bit embarrassed though! Still they would go since its so relaxing.

Sadly, I'm not in Korea. But, at least I brought my own "DeeMilYi"!

Would you just go to South Korea for CHOCO PIES?

One snack that was always part of my life was Choco Pie. When I was young I would eat it cause I loved it. The sweet taste of chocolate and marshmallows made such a good harmony in my watery mouth. During high school, I ate Choco Pies while I studied for the SATs. I wouldn't have time to eat breakfast/lunch, so I would grab few Choco Pies and eat them in the subway. (If you ever saw a person munching on Choco Pies in the subway, its probably me!). Moreover, even in college, the first thing I would pack in my luggage is Choco Pie! Actually, I had a couple of those last night with my friend. And in the future, when(if) I do my military service I would eat Choco Pies!

Like "Every Korean plays Starcraft", it is also true to say that "Every Korean eats Choco Pie!

Choco Pies are pretty close to moon cakes. They have marshmallows inside a cluster of bread and has chocolate coating. Thought there were some conspiracy that the chocolate on the Choco Pies are not really chocolate, they taste really good! After googling about Choco Pie, I found out that Choco Pie is quite popular in Asian countries like Taiwan, China and Vietnam! (No wonder they had Choco Pie in China Town!).

The taste of Choco Pies is really fascinating. Well its not a lobster dinner, but for a snack, its pretty good! You'll probably eat it, be satisfied and eat another. By the time you finish an episode of My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox you would have finished a box of Choco Pies.

This is one phrase that I could always remember its from the movie "Joint Security Area". The movie is about the friendship that the North and South Korean soldiers have. The movie is RECOMMENDED. Anyways the South Korean soldier asks the North Korean to come over to the South. The North Korean looks back and the South Korean soldier says...

"you can eat choco pie til you burst "

The part is at 9:10ish on the youtube video below! Check it OUT!

First Day of School & Future of MSS & Silly Idea No.1

My first day of school wasn't easy. It was rather really hard. I had to walk, actually run, to classes since they were all in different locations :( And I was surprised that all the classes I'm taking have quizes which means I have to study a lot! I'm probably going to be really stressed for the whole semester.

So, I'm probably going to reduce the number of posts I can do. Maybe 2 a week? But, I'll try to write more. I'm really enjoying writing about Korea and introducing the life stories as a Korean. I'm also thinking of doing reviews on snacks of Korea. I really don't have access to any thing related to Korea. Getting Korean food in the U.S. is expensive and very far away. The processed snacks I brought with me are the only connection I will have with Korea for a long time =( ....

Lastly, I wanted to just write about this iphone application I thought about. This application is an alarm clock but would literately make sure you are awake. So this is how it goes. The app would use the camera of the iphone. It would detect the human head like the sony camera does. Then, the alarm would go off at a certain time. There would be only two ways to turn off the phone. One is to turn it off like any regular alarm clock. Another is to have the person lift his head. So if the person's head is above half of the i phone screen, the alarm would switch off but as soon as the person puts his head down, the alarm would go off!

This would probably be a really good application for a lot of people. I wished I could code it myself but I'm still an rookie in coding. IF someone does code it! PLEASE give me credit!

Korean Rent out Bookstores

Some Korean bookstores are different from normal bookstores. Instead of selling the books, they rent

out the books for a certain period of time. Personally I am not so familiar with the Korean book stores since I haven't been there a lot... Still I asked my sister to write this post and here it is!

One of the things that I miss Korea is the numerous venues in which one can borrow books from. There are public libraries, but I prefer the small bookstores-libraries. Unlike normal bookstores and libraries, one needs to pay in order to borrow a book. Of course, there are deadlines to follow.

In contrast to public libraries, these small stores are found places near apartments. Almost in every street, there is at least one of this bookstore. These stores are not only convenient to travel to, but also takes account of all readers of age. There are variety of comic books, and novels. Within the comic books section (otherwise known as manhwa or manga) the section divides up into action, comedy, romance, mystery and such. Surprisingly, comic books have developed over the years so that some are as deep as novels in plot and theme. Even a few adults credit their value and can be seen borrowing them. Otherwise, the genre of novels are also enormous. Again, this section is categorized into romance, mystery, fantasy, action, history and such. These stores have a different value from public libraries. Public libraries are mostly educational based books; hence, they are excellent resources. The small bookstore like libraries I’ve been mentioning are thoughtful of what the readers demand. It’s mostly because the owners need to earn a living with it, but it still fulfills the demand of the customers; these books are more entertaining than the books in the public libraries.

These bookstore like libraries are also economical. Instead of having to buy each book you want to read, you can just borrow that book for a couple of days, and return it. One comic book costs around 34 US cents (400 Won), and a novel costs approximately 68 US cents (800 Won). For a price of one novel, you can read 10 books.

One thing that’s unique about these stores are that they also lend you dvds and videos to watch. Korean cinemas are pretty expensive; hence, some people just wait for the dvd to come out in these stores to watch the movie.

If your Korean you must have THIS!

Many of you would have guessed that I am talking about STARCRAFT II. As I have bought Starcraft II just today, I wanted to introduce the Starcraft tournaments in Korea. Many people would stereotype that Starcraft is a national sport in South Korea. Well.... to be honest, it is not an understatement. Koreans do love Starcraft. Sometimes they even show Starcraft in Korean subways mini TVs and almost everyone would be staring at the TV screen as if their eyes are going to pop out.

But, why do Koreans just love Starcraft? when all the other people have moved on to other fascinating games. I would credit the commentators. They are very passionate about the game as much as the player and their narration would excite the viewers. Its like watching people play chess but, with the narrator shouting out what an outstanding move the player had and we could feel their passion of the game. Here are few videos I found amusing =D Emm to check out how boring SC would be just watch it without the volume sometimes.... Anyways here it is!

My Flight with K-Air

Previously I have wrote about me going on the plane, but I didn't mention anything about my flight yet. My flight was pretty gloomy. Starting a semester having to pay 50USD is quite unpleasant and as I am pretty darn superstitious, I can't help but to think that something bad would happen during the semester. Hence, my flight was gloomy; my mind was clouded with the unpleasant thoughts of something bad happening. So, my review of the airline would be quite bias but, I'll try not to be too extreme.

K-Air is Tech Savy

The technology K-Air invested into their planes are quite impressive. I think the plane I took was the newer version. The bathroom had automatic water dispenser. So, it was much easier to use. I wasn't expecting that so I spent a lot of time, trying to figure out how to use the sink.

They had newer touch screen mini TVs. The TV allowed the users to look out side of the plane while they were flying. This made my flight extremely interesting because I see the sky from the pilot's view and the bird's view. Moreover, the games in the TV improved. They added Tetris which was really sweet. A lot of Koreans were playing that. The TV was a bit slow, almost slow as a worn up netbook. Moreover, the TV was broken for a long time... which I guess is a disadvantage for having a Tech Savy flight.

K-Air's Bad Taste of Movies

It wasn't just this flight. A lot of times when I ride K-Air, I would watch a lot of boring movies! Well, maybe other people with better taste might like those movies. But, either way, K-Air should increase the variety of the movie selections. I mean, they don't necessarily have to put only the newer movies, but just have a whole bunch to choose from. Not having a greater variety of movies is decreasing the target-customers.

Another suggestion is to have Japanese animations on the TVs. Its not that I'm a animation freak, its that there are a lot of animation lovers who would love to enjoy their 13 hr flight by finishing a 13hr worth season of episodes.

One good thing was that they had the Starcraft League on the mini TVs. This was pretty nice! especially for me because I'm a KOREAN! Except, they could have added more tournaments ...I only got to see 3 or 4 I think.

I'm not saying that K-Air's movie sucks and are out dated. They had Sherk 3, How to train a dragon, and etc. Its just that they didn't have enough... I was expecting them to have Knight and Day, A-Team, and etc. I ended up watching Ironman 2 again =D Maybe K-Air can do something that KTX did. They had customers pay to watch the latest movies like a cinema, which is not a bad idea. Click here to check out what KTX did.

Fast Service

The stewardess deserve credit for helping out. They were really fast and efficient. I was worried they would forget about moi and I would have to remind them. But, this never happened. They remembered what I requested and would come back after a few moments. Just when you start wondering if you're order went through, they pop out like a genie and fulfill your orders.

Pens!

This is one aspect that I don't get. K-Air supplies slippers, tooth paste and tooth brushes. However, they don't supply PENS! I bet many of you have suffered from not having a pen when you are writing some paper work to enter the country. The best idea is to ask the stewardess to lend you their pens! but guess what? They already lend out a lot and they don't have any left! Moreover, even if you have brought a pen, its most likely that you have to search your bag pack. Just saying, airlines should provide PENS! Each pens only costs less then a dollar but I think providing pens would help K-Air a lot!

Decent Food

I think the food in K-Air is improving every year. (Or maybe I'm learning to choose better.) I had bulgogi which was pretty decent. It was pretty close from the stuff you can get in restaurants. After that I got Seafood. It was basically seafood plus potatoes with white bolognese sauce. It was pretty good but sadly I wasn't really full. =(

My Personal Bubble Popped =(

Well, this applies for every airlines. As I have to take the economy class (Boo to student budget), usually the spaces in between people are really tight. My personal bubble is completely destroyed after flying :( I just wish sleeping pills are allowed in planes so that I do not have to suffer this tragedy of my personal space being invaded. Especially, I'm not fond of the policy where girls are grouped and guys are grouped. Cause, guys are big and they consume more space, thus invades your private space more! I guess the only way to prevent my bubble from being invaded is to start loosing more weight and have a smaller body mass!

Overall, my flight was decent. I was tired after my flight but that cause I'm not really good at sitting down for a long time. I had fun playing Teteris and watching movies that I usually don't watch lol. The best part is that I arrived safely.

K-Air's Two Bag Policy

It kind of sucks when you lack information and end up having to suffer more than others. Its like being a goalie without knowing that you can use your hands to block the ball. In the end, you lose the game and realize that you can use your hand. All you can do is regret and blame yourself.

Today, I was carrying my huge luggage bag for college. Obviously it was full of "stuff" that I was going to use in college. Before I left my house, I was so worried that it would be overweight. And Yes indeed it was! It was 28kg, even though the weight measuring thingamajig was already at 1kg even before I placed my bag... I ended up having to pay 50USD for the extra 5 kg.

After I paid for my luggage, the person from K-air explain that I could have had 2 luggages with 23kg each. Resulting in 46kg in total!!! This was the moment I became the goalie who lost the game because I thought goalies were not suppose to use their hands like other players! Boohoo. So this is how I started my new semester of college stressing out wasting 50USD just cause I lacked information about the rules of K-Air!

So in conclusion.. don't be a victim of lack of information! Know your airlines before you fly =D

I hope my flight would be smooth and easy...

What are Korean Grandmothers Like?

Korean grandmothers are NOT your typical grandmother. Well obviously they aren't those grandmothers who would bake cookies and give way too many kisses. I can't really say that ALL Korean grandmothers are like this, but I'm going to generalize my experience with MY grandmother. I would really appreciate it if any other Koreans would share their experience with their grandmothers =D

Korean Grandmothers' are Naggers!

My Korean grandmother can nag about almost everything. As soon as I get out of the security checks and come out of the airport with my heavy luggage, she would scan from head to toe over and over again, like those robots with those red laser scans coming out of their eyes! Its like I'm going through security check all over again, its just more intense. It was OK, at the airport. She would just greet me and welcome me back. However, as soon as we get home, she can't stop nagging. She would start off with my physical appearance. She would ask why am I so fat =S (Well, sorry grandma, your genes didn't provide me with faster metabolism!) Next summer, I lost weight, although it was unintentional. Again, when we got back home, she would nag about how my "fashion sense" is so untrendy and baggy. Then, for the upcoming summer I bought a lot of clothes that would blend in with the "Korean" fashion trend( basically skinny jeans and tight clothes, which now I can't wear in the US since it would make me look gay!) She was please for a couple of days and when I finally was thought I was free from her nagging, she started nagging about how I don't get scholarship. =S Even though I told her numerous times that my school does not provide scholarship, she would still complain! So, basically I had to give up! Its TOO MUCH!

Korean Grandmothers Like to Try New Things!

Korean grandmothers are not those old people who would go against everything that is new! They would try to learn how to use new technology! My grandmother would ask me to sit down with her and help her learn how to open up a explorer window! Well, to us it might not sound so great but for my grandmother, it was a challenge. When she sent an email to her friends she would call her friends to read the message =D And thats not all, she would show off to her friends that she CAN send a email and she can still be young! Another challenge for her was to send a text message! She would take up to 10 min just trying to figure out how to send a message with my help. She would keep on trying and asking me how to send a message even though she would forget in the next hours. Still, its better than not even trying!

Korean Grandmothers would Discriminate themselves from the Young!

Its something like Korean Grandmothers United against the young! Well not in the extreme extreme lol but, she would talk as if elders are victims of the younger people. And trust me grandmothers would unite themselves for the better good for the elders! Couple of grandmothers scolding a child for being bad is not a pretty sight =S I guess its because the younger generations are stronger and they feel that they have to protect themselves and side with themselves.(Not always true though)

Korean Grandmothers are Babies!

Korean grandmothers act like babies. Well, definitely not in a bad way. Its more like that Korean grandmothers act in a cute way. They would be jealous if one person gets something more, they always like presents and would love to show those presents off to their friends!

Korean Grandmothers are Caring!

Although they are big naggers, they nag because they care about us. They just want us to be better so that we would be more successful in the future. They also always leave food so that the youngest can eat the last bite. In addition, a lot of the time my grandmother would pass me invaluable knowledge of experiences. One would be "Watch out for WOMEN" hahahaha Well, its a pretty sexist comment, but I guess she's just saying that to me since I'm a guy. She would probably have told my sister to "Watch out for MEN" I guess from her experience, her failure to find a good wife and husband for my aunts and uncles was her greatest regret. (Note: most of my aunt and uncles marriages ended up bad). Another experience that she told me about was about the 6.25 war. This was invaluable experiences since these experiences are not likely to be found in textbooks!

This is basically all I can say about MY Korean grandmother. I'm not so sure about other grandmothers. SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES =D

Current Life in Korea

I really don't like adding pictures in blogs. They make blogging hard and annoying; the moment I upload a picture and my paragraph organization crashes! I really do not feel like blogging with the hardship of adding pictures! I mean who would!

... I guess my frustration bubble created the anger of adding pictures just burst! So, I'm not going to add any pictures yet! I'll take pictures once I finish preparing my luggage

But, I don't mind just writing about my life in Korea. So...........

My day beings at 12 a.m. Yes I know, its a really late start but, I'm still trying to enjoy what is left of my summer holidays. Then, I would drink so milk. Not just any milk but Seoul milk! I have no idea but I just love the taste of Seoul milk...! (Maybe they do something to the cows =D) Then, I'll wash my face, brush my teeth and blah blah blah!

Around 1 p.m. my uncle would call me and he would insist that I should eat at their house which is quite close. However, I would lie to my uncle saying that I'm still sleeping so I would rather sleep more than go to his house and eat. Its not that his cookings bad... Its just that I only have 5 days and I would like to enjoy them by eating dishes I like! So, I head out!

Its really crowded in Seoul around 11-1 p.m since most of the people working in offices eat out. I would try to avoid those time periods since I'm eating alone =( I really don't mind but, the owners aren't so friendly with one person sitting on a two person table. I guess its not profitable for the restaurants. However, if I go after the busy hours, the owners are really nice. Would provide more service and sometimes waiter-moms would give me more food since they probably noticed that I am living alone.

After I eat something, I would go hang out with my friends. Its kind of hard to meet them since they live so far. But, not that far and the transportation is quite accessible wherever you are! Its just that my friends are lazy or I'm a loner!

Anyways after we meet we could go to the karaoke place, cyber cafe, or the arcade. I prefer the cyber cafe since the gaming culture in Korea is so much more developed than any other country. Except China =D

Then we can go eat dinner and go eat again and again. We quite often have Soju ( Korean national drink). I don't really like the taste but some foreigners would love Soju. This is probably I just drink these stuff just to get drunk :(... The final course that ends the day is going to Sauna. Well for some reason Korean Sauna opens 24 hours a day. So, people enjoy their night in Saunas! And it only costs around 5 USD which is super cheap!

Then I would probably sleep late like around 5 a.m. And in the end, I would wake up at 12 a.m. and this routine continues on and on! =D

Oh... I usually go for snacks at midnight... Staying in the U.S.A made me starve for Korean sweets!

How a Korean eat a ice-creamified "Pop Bing Shu"

After an exhausting flight I have arrived at Incheon Airport! I was really glad I made it alive! Well, I was half dead... since I really hate being packed in a crowded space... Anyways I managed and at Incheon Airport I meet my friend who was actually in the same flight! I was going to write about Incheon Airport for today's blog post but, today was too gloomy :S So, I couldn't get pictures that would amplify Incheon Airport's artistic design!

Instead, I wanted to introduce a treat called Pop Bing Shu! I don't think Pop Bing Shu was a traditional dish and even so it would have been only available to the wealthiest member in Korean society in the past. Thankfully, nowadays we can all enjoy the sweet taste of Pop Bing Shu in the summer heat!

More specifically, I would like to introduce the packaged Pop Bing Shu, that only costs 50 cents in USD. The reason is because a lot of people are not aware of how to eat this Pop Bing Shu properly that it is good as the hand made ones. Its really simple!

First you need two thing. The instant Pop Bing Shu and milk! The milk used could be strawberry milk, chocolate milk or just plain white milk. Normally, I prefer the white milk.

Then, you open the package and crush the ice by squeezing the sides of the package like the picture! It really doesn't matter if you decide not to break the ice in to small pieces. But by doing this milk can flow into the bottom of the bowl easily =D

Then, just add some milk into the plastic bowl! The milk would make the ice mix better with the sweets so that the Pop Bing Shu will taste like the handmade Pop Bing Shu! Just use the spoon to mix the milk + ice + sweets =D

Pop Bing Shu tastes somewhat like Cendol, and Halo Halo. They have a Chinese treat that is extremely similar to this as well but, I forgot the name :( Anyways, I hope everyone gets to enjoy their Pop Bing Shu! and have a pleasant summer!

Only few hours left!

Well, I should be happy that I'm going back to Korea but, again I'm really sad that I'm leaving my family. They were being so nice to me this summer!

I have around 3 hours left until I leave this sunny world. I'm not sure what I should be doing... Well I know that I'm suppose to be packing my stuff, but packing is always the hardest when you don't want to leave!

I'm also indecisive on what I should do for the long long flight... The movies going to suck lol and probably I'm going to have a hard time sleeping. Probably have to listen to the radio :(

The only good thing is that I'm going to get to enjoy my Friday morning eating some yummy Korean food.

12 Year Old Bboy!

I bring you Bboy Pocket! A 12 year old Bboy dancer from South Korea! He's probably the youngest Bboy there is ! I'm not so familiar with dancing so I'm not sure about his profile. My friend only told me about him a few month ago. The only fact I know about this boy is that he dances without shoes because he had an injury while dancing with his shoes on! He figured that dancing bare was more comfortable :D

Here's a video of him dancing!

Going to Korea!

I have planned to go to Korea for a week before my college starts. But, I'm not sure if I'll have time to travel. I have a lot of stuff to do in Korea. For example, I need to extend my military service due date, get some banking done, and get a Korean license. Moreover, I have to pack my Korean snacks so I can enjoy my miserable college student life in Georgia :D

Tooth Paste from Another World!

This was the current topic I wanted to talk about tomorrow! Its 3 am in Malaysia... So, I need some sleep for now. As soon as I wake up, I'll make a briefly describe the Korean tooth paste that most foreigners are not familiar with :S

Good Night!

Well, I'm back ! Woke up really late though :P Anyways I'll start my blog about tooth paste in Korea. In Korea, Colgate nor Mr.Freeze are popular. (They do have Colgate and Mr.Freeze, but they are quite expensive.) Instead there are numerous tooth paste brands that you never heard of. Moreover, Korean tooth paste kind of taste fruity to a lot of new users. I'll introduce couple of Korean brands I have used before.

2080 has the most familiar taste. It is minty and has green tea in it. Still, from my experience, the tooth paste itself was blue and it tasted something like Colgate but yet distinctively different!

Another tooth paste is called Jook Yum. This is the tooth paste I really like. Somewhat similar to Mr.Freeze but less minty and more salty. The idea is that they have used bamboo salt in the tooth paste since bamboo salt was originally used in medical treatment. Moreover, originally Koreans used salt to wash their mouth when tooth paste was not av

ailable.

The tooth paste similar to Jook Yum is called Song Yup. Song uses the smell produced from the leaves of the pines. The reason for choosing the pine leaves is probably because Koreans really like the smell of the pine leaves and in most mountains, the smell of pine leaves fill the air. (Really refreshing actually!) The taste is something similar to Jook Yum but has a minty flavor. Its probably the most familiar tooth paste brand I know because, the Woori Bank gave my family a lot of these tooth paste. Then, my family gave them to me to us

e them in University :D I ended up using that brand for one year :S I didn't mind the taste and my teeth were healthy!

The other Korean brands are not so familiar since I never used them. But, I did try some when I stayed at my relatives or my friends house. Most of them are really fruity. I had one that tasted like strawberry. The other one I had tasted like grapes but, something tasted weird about them...

Anyways Korea has various types of tooth paste. Maybe one day, Korean tooth paste could be a tourist attraction :D

Gang Negi: Korean Popcorn

The Korean popcorn is called Gang Negi. Well, I'm not sure whether it was really originated from Korea as many other countries have the similar form of Gang Negi. Even Malaysia has something similar to GAng Negi. Anyways the ones in Korea looks like this

They taste really good actually. I would prefer the Korean Gang Negi instead of the American Popcorn. This is mainly because Gang Negi is not too sweet nor too salty. Moreover, Gang Negi is really addictive. I finished a huge bag of Gang Negi by myself many times. Sometimes one bag of Gang Negi is huge!

Some of these Gang Negi are used for losing weight. Koreans believe that Gang Negi do not take up too much calories and yet they can substitute meals. I have tried this because I didn't have money for food and I was too lazy to cook! Gang Negi surprisingly go well with beer as complements. Most drinking places would provide Gang Negi as complements! I like to eat them in front of a TV. Well, pop corns don't last long, so I really enjoy eating Gang Negi. I wished they would sell them in the movie theaters :D

Anyways, Gang Negi is relatively cheap compared to the amount you can get. They are sold in super markets but people buy them from hawkers in trucks, this is how I usually bought them. There are also a lot of variety to choose from. yumm writing about this food makes me want to go buy some right now!