Why do you like Korea?

I am quite amazed how many people like Korea. Its quite funny how a lot of foreigners love Korea whereas as most Koreans would rather live outside of Korea.

Let me explain the Korean side of why they don't want to live in Korea.

Korean education
Korean education isn't very diverse. It only focuses on English, Korean, Math and science. Other studies like social studies, music, computers and physical educations are not focused. Nobody really cares about them. Also, after school activities aren't great. Students rarely participate in after school activities because they are not that many activities available. Lastly, education in Korea is very rigorous. We are technically the Jews of Asia. Parents spend a lot of money on hakwons which are private institutes where students get more private education. When I was in high school, I would wake up at 6am go to school end school around 10 pm. I'll get home around 11 pm. I used to go to hakwon until 2 am. But, my health got bad so I started to just study at home. But, in the weekends I would go to hakwon from 9 am to 5 pm.

Korean customs 
Korean customs are quite annoying sometimes. Elders are respected whether they are capable or not. Usually younger people cannot speak up to their elders. Even a year difference in age changes what kind of respect you get. So, in business, if an elder or higher up says something, you just follow. No talking back and exchanging ideas. However, I heard this customs is getting more loose but it still exists

Korean Pays 
Korean payment aren't very high. Most people would get 2 thousand dollars per month initially and gradually go around 3 thousand dollars per month. Compared to the pay, the required specs as the Koreans call it are very high. For example, my sister got into University of Berkeley, which is a top school world wide. In Korea she barely got into the top engineering school in Korea. Its pretty funny. Same concept applies in jobs. In order to get a job in Korea, Koreans have to have the highest spec possible. That is the main reason why there are so many Koreans studying aboard. (My case is a bit different because I've been living aboard for so long). Koreans are going to Universities world wide to find create a better resume to get a decent paying job.

Foreign Food
Foreign food is over priced in Korea. A lot of my Korean friends love to eat western food but find it expensive. Obviously a lot of people are abusing the fact that the food is foreign. Pizza costs around 30 dollars in Korea.

Foreign Dreams
A lot of Koreans dream that foreign countries have better living standards and its a easy life. I think its a stereotype created because a lot of Koreans living aboard is well off. These Koreans probably live well even in Korea -.- Thus, creating a atmosphere saying outside of Korea is better. I sometimes agree because there are opportunities but it always comes with a tradeoff. For example, you'll have international friends, but you never get the opportunity to make friends in your home country. Or you'll learn a lot of English but suck at Korean. Its really hard to have a acquire everything.

For me, I love Korea for its food, culture, transportation, economy and sense of belonging even though I have no friends there. I used to hate Korea when I went to go to a Korean middle school and high school. I'm not sure if I'll hate Korea when I go to the military and work there. But for sure, for my children's education I want to intermix Korean education and Western education if I have to chance. Korea provides enough hakwons to master a lot of things, but it lacks the encouragement of studying that field of expertises, which western schools have a lot of.

Are you an naengmyeon addict?

I didn't realize until noodle(its a name of a person lol!) told me she didn't like naengmyeon that it was a unique food in Korea. Its hard to love it because its cold noodles. I mean who likes their noodle cold? ..... Me.... I love cold noodles. I haven't tried a lot of cold noodles but I absolutely love naengmyeon and soba. Naengmyeon is especially cold. We have ice cubes floating around the noodle. The reason I love them is because my body feels hot, I want something cold to go in. Plus I hate hot food, they burn my tongue.

So, as a naengmyeon addict I only ate naengmeyon for a week lol. Guess what happened? I got a stomachache  D: I couldn't eat it for a week or so. Of course I started eating naengmeyon at a reduced rate when my stomach got better. Also, as a naengmyeon I search for naengmyeon in the winter, which I did last winter. It was delicious! Lastly, I try to find the best naengmyeon place in the country. I've found two in Malaysia and on really amazing one in Korea(its harder because you want to find the BEST naengmyeon place). Unfortunately I haven't found one in the US. I don't have a car -.-

Why am I babbling about naengmyeon?... I want so right now...!

Winter Korea 2011

Although I was sick for most of my break I did have a couple of trip to the outside world of Korea. Well, for me it was more like exploring where I live. My parents moved back to Korea from Malaysia while I was in college in US. So, I haven't been home in Korea for a year -.-.

Apparently I'm living in Seoul again. And close to a lot of hotspots in Korea. However, I was more amazed how much infrastructure it had. It was very livable, meaning if I were to raise a family there, I wouldn't mind. It had a mountain, park, stream and it was relatively close to E-mart, and another big supermarket. The only problem I had was that I didn't like the restaurants there. The restaurants there were very expensive. It was more for adults with jobs. So, getting cheap tasty food was impossible. I guess, this summer I'll be going over to my old neighborhood to find cheap food even if its going to cost me 2,000 won round trip for the subway. 

So, here are few photos I took in Korea!

First, I ate 추어탕. Its a traditional Korean food where you eat mud loach. Pretty disgusting eh? Well, its not too bad. We grind the mud loach so we really don't feel the texture of it. As a Korean, mud loach are pretty common. When I was little we used to go in the water to catch few even though the water was disgusting lol! It was still fun because mud loaches are slippery and they escape as you catch them. Its one thing you should try in Korea. 

I've also went up the mountain near my house. It wasn't amazing. It was just nice that there was somewhere to visit if I'm really bored. The picture below is a stone temple? Something we Koreans do. We like to stack rocks! Actually, its for good luck. We wish good fortune and stack rocks. I'm not sure of the origins, but if your really curious, you can always ask me and I'll go research. But, as you can see we Koreans are very superstitious. I'm Catholic and I still do this.

The mountain was pretty dead. It was winter. Oh, no smoking in the mountain. Korea's winter is very very dry.

I was amazed how many play ground I saw. I think I saw like 2~3 on the way back to my house. Korea didn't used to have this many playgrounds. It felt nice seeing these. Kind of showed Korea is getting better for people to live in. 

That's the fat me! I was walking in the cold exploring the stream. Its really nice. I loved it. Only if I had a bike now... I would have been more fun! Can't wait to workout during summer!

Ok, I fainted when I saw ducks in the stream. And yes, with their ducklings... You don't usually see this in the city -.- As I said that to my sister, I saw a crane fly over to the stream... I'm amazed. I think I should go feed them next time. If they survived the winter lol!

Just a picture of the park, on the way to Emart. I thought it was pretty. Despite the traffic on the right, it was pretty nice. I mean it wasn't that loud and I live in a place where every freaking bus passes through. So, I guess its something I can't avoid being surrounded by cars. :)

Well, now I know where I live. I actually can remember how to get there hehe. Its still a bit awkward. But, I'll get used to it by this summer. Hopefully, I'll get to see more places this summer. 

I really want to travel to the rural parts of Korea and especially the ocean :)

I'm currently saving up for a new camera TeeHee! 

dslr ftw. 

Ask a Korean to draw a map of Korea!

Kind of reminds me how my homeroom teacher would ask us to draw the country we were born from. Obviously, I'm Korean. I drew Korea.

I drew something like this. Can you find something weird about this picture? Yes, I drew all of Korea. Both North and South.. I believe any South Koreans will draw this and possibly any North Koreans too. However, my homeroom teacher suggested that I should redraw my map.

So, I ended up drawing the South part of Korea. I wasn't too happy about it, but it kind of made sense from an foreign view point.  One thing I would wonder is how Germans would draw Germany. Would they draw just the half they are living in or the whole? (I do know Germany is united)

Cat Cafe In Korea

It was cold in the winter and I didn't have anywhere to go. 

So, I went to the Cat Cafe in Korea. 

There are a few different places and there is also the Dog Cafe. 

It was quiet & fun playing with the cats. 

I had trouble using the rat on a pole but I liked how the cats were pretty nice to us. 

The price was 8 dollars and you get a cup of coffee!

Korean Birthdays!

Haha, my American birthday was really disappointing. Well, I found respect for some people and disappointment from a lot more.

Just going to write about my disappointments.
- It rained, and most of my roommates didn't want to go eat out, although it was a close distance from our dorm.
- Didn't want to go out and eat for dinner because they were too busy.
- Nothing was prepared.

My new respect
- Went to eat out during the rain
- Went to take me out for dinner even though it was somewhat a fail
- Called me for my birthday

So, I'm really disappointed at my roommates, because I usually take care of their birthday. Treat them for food, or buy them small gifts, and make food for them. In return, they were afraid to go out to eat in the rain lol. And I usually don't celebrate my birthday during college. It was the first actual birthday that I tried to celebrate. And it kind of became a disappointment.

Yeah, so I'm back to the point realizing friends from college aren't really reliable. And I should stop caring about their birthdays.

But, I did find greater respect for those who bought me presents, gave me a call, or even facebook me. Well, I giving them more credit because they don't live near me lol. I also found new respect for one of my roommate who went to eat out with me in the rain, and for dinner.

Anyways, I would like to tell you what Korean Birthdays are like. We eat out like normal birthdays. I kind of eating out in Korean style because we get a plate of food and share among us. I don't know but sharing food makes it more enjoyable to eat. Then, we usually go watch movies, go to cyber cafe, or even a normal cafe. We sometimes do fireworks, Kind of fun.

But, this was during my high school. After high school, Koreans usually go drinking and karaoke.

For girls, I heard they book a hotel, and do a party there, eating sweets and drinking wine lol

Well, I think Korean birthdays are more about being together and hanging out rather than going to places.

This is my limited knowledge of Korean birthdays because I had very few Korean birthdays lol I lived more then half of my life abroad :S

Korean Gifts

As I was sick the whole break, I didn't really get to do much. Most of the time, I just went to E-mart, a Korean supermarket/walmart. I realized how different Korean gifts are.

Well, its not weird. Like the items are normal, its just that what we give as gifts are very strange. I didn't really notice this because I too thought it was normal. 

So, I'll give ranking to weird items to give as presents 

5. Fruits 

Fruits are pretty common in Korea. US does give fruit as present but not as common as Korea.

4. Cosmetics

 Koreans give lotions, perfume, toner set as gifts. This isn't too bad also, since it does happen.

3.Fish

Imagine getting fish as a gift. I bet nobody does this in America. However, in Korea, its pretty common. These fish gifts are pretty expensive as well. Usually they are high quality fish.

2. Meat

I believe a lot of Koreans would enjoy getting a Korean beef set. Korean cows are expensive -.-.

1. Spam

In the US, getting spam as a gift probably would be a joke. However, in Korea its a legit gift. I think its because spam is pretty expensive in Korea.

In Korea, anything can be gifts. Well, the thing is they have to be packaged and the mart usually have a specific section for these gifts. Also you should choose wisely on depending on who you are giving it to. Like any culture, you don't want to offend the receiver.

lol, we also give tooth paste as gifts.

Its kind of nice to get these gifts because they are efficient. You are going to save money buy not buying these necessities.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year! Its the year of the dragon this year. Koreans also like the Chinese and Japanese follow the zodiac signs.

This year, there is Euro 2012, and the London olympics to look forward to. In Korea, we have the election of the parliament members and Presidential election. I'm not too interested in political stuff, but these two events are something that will influence Korea greatly.

In Korea, its actually not the "real" new year. Korea used to follow lunar calendar and celebrated the new year of the lunar calendar.

So, what do we do during the solar new year?

We celebrate it like most other countries. We have fireworks, drinks and outings with family/friends. The only difference is that Koreans have a huge bell that rings to alert that a new year has come. A lot of people also make new year resolutions.

What about the lunar new year?
Our lunar new year is considered more important. I assume it is because there is more tradition involved with it.

We wear new clothes. Usually the traditional Korean costume. Originally, people would get new clothes as presents.

We do 제사 jaesa. It is a ritual where we prepare quite a bunch of food to serve our ancestors. When I say ritual it sounds really primitive and very un-modern. However, I really do like 제사 jaesa. It gives us a time to think about our ancestors and be thankful. Usually its gives a chance for my parents to thank their parents for raising them.

Then, we do 세배 saebae.  Saebae is when we bow to our parents and grand parents. Again we want to show respect to our parents. After we bow, our parents give us money.

After we do are bows we eat 떡국 duk gook. Its a traditional soup dish which has rice cakes in it. We also eat food that was used in 제사 jaesa. Yummm

Just an update in Korea

Sorry, I haven't been posting blog posts because I have been sick the whole winter break. I haven't been doing much. Pretty much I was just in bed.

I think my body became weak when I was studying in America, as I had a very depressing lifestyle.

Anyways, I'm going to start posting soon. My flu is gone, but I still have a stomach ache which happened after I was getting better.

Do you know Yearin???

I'm finally finally done with finals. Wow, it was intense. I had to write a 12 page essay during my final exams. lol, obviously, that final research paper nom nomed my time to study. However, I did manage to do ok on the final.

Just for people who are studying Korean. This probably is the Korean grading scale haha

A = 아싸 [A Sa!: Just like "oh yeah!"]
B = 발렸어 [Bal yeosoe "I got raped "]
C = 씨팔 [Sibal "Fk"]
D = 듬듬듬 [The doom sound "dum dum dummmm"]
F = FML

Anyways, I've been watching Yerin videos. Its totally good for your soul. So who is yerin?

Yerin is just the cutest Korean baby. She's pretty popular among international people.
You can check out videos at
http://youtube.com/bobaepapa


Few of her best moments are when

Yerin is sleepy,


Yerin knows how to say dad and not mom,



Yerin giggles,


Yeriin is stuck,


Yerin is sleepy,


and when Yerin Puchika Puchikas



Hope these videos purified your souls!

I'm going to pack tonight and get ready to go back to KOREA.
Later!

Back to Korea!

First, I can't update this blog for like 2 weeks because I'm too busy with my finals. So, instead I'll post more stuff after I get back to Korea. 

I'm going to Korea next week. I have been away for a year now. Its not long, but since I live alone, it feels like forever, and I am very, very tired of living aboard alone. 

I really don't have any plans, since its so short. But, I really want to visit some places that could be introduced. Well, we will see if I can manage traveling and resting at the same time.

Korean Idol/Girl Groups, is it money that makes them famous?

Warning, this is basically my supporting case. So, I'm probably incredibly bias. 

allkpop provided estimate of 60,000 dollars a month to maintain a girl group. In this link 

http://www.allkpop.com/2011/09/how-much-does-it-cost-to-maintain-a-girl-group-for-one-month#disqus_thread

lol, Although I'm not a kpop fan, I going to break down, why this article doesn't make sense.

"The biggest drain on money, not unexpectedly, is for the monthly rent on their dormitories. Approximately $22,000 dollars are spent on sheltering a girl group each month."

This doesn't make sense at all. There is no apartment that costs 22,000 dollars in Korea. Tower Palace costs 4,000~6,000. THE most expensive house in Korea costs 29,000, but as you have seen their house isn't close to THE best house in Korea. So, from my assumption what they did was, they just divided the 전세 to 12. In Korea, houses are rented in 전세 and 월세. 월세is basically how much you pay for a month. 전세 is where you rent by years. 전세, you just give the landlord a large sum of money and it would be returned after you move out, but again, its a large sum of money. So, the reporter just divided into 12 and posted an absurd amount. 

"Apart from that, money spent on hair and makeup comes to a whopping $19,000 dollars per month – and that’s with a 50 percent celebrity discount. For skin care, companies invest $9,000 dollars to keep their idols looking blemish-free."

So basically 1.5k per person. I wouldn't be surprised because they do work a lot. As for skin, if your really busy, its harder to maintain your skin. So, its expected for them to spend a lot. 

As for transportation they estimated 10,000 dollars. This includes airfare. Since its Girls Generation they are talking about, GG does travel a lot. They go to Japan almost once every 2 week. 

Despite my justifications, it still quite a lot, but we should realize they earn that much.

So, why am I being a fan boy? 

Because one person explained how money brought idols their fame. Based on this article. Heck no, this article is pretty bias. They probably inflated the prices. And even if its the truth, they picked Girls Generation to survey their cost. lol, Girls Generation is the most famous girl group in Korea and probably the most that costs to maintain. 

I kind of lost it when she said money made Kara who they are lol... Kara probably had the worst times of their life as new girl groups lol. Seriously, back then every program, they seemed to be powerless. Even Seung Hyun said that she had to do various strange programs to support the group. 

lol, I just wanted to rant about how hard it is to become an Idol. It money was everything it took, everyone would be one lol. Korean parents would stop spending thousands on tuition and use it to make their children idols lol

Marrying the Mafia 4 Review

Yesterday, I was watching a Korean Moive and thought I should do a Korean movie review. I decided to watch Marrying the Mafia 4 because I really liked their first 3 series. The fourth movie was very different and was not as good as the first 3. I can say this is quite cliche and I think its because you expect so much from its previous movies.

Firstly, It wasn't that funny. I'm going to be a bit harsh on the movie. I really didn't like 정준하 Jeong Joon Hwa. He acted as the dumb person who lost his memory and ended up working for the opposing side's mafia. He is literally very disgusting. I get like how he was trying to be funny, but it seriously was disgusting. I wonder how many Koreans thought it was funny, because to me it was quite hard to watch. But, the rest, was quite funny. I like the grandma, 김수미 Kim Su Mi. She is really good at acting and she plays the role of the mother of the 3 mafia brothers. She really fits the character and she is very very amusing to watch. The other brothers were amusing as well, but I thought they could been funnier, way funnier. I thought the director was too focused on 정준하's funniness, that the rest were quite forgotten. 

It was quite racist. If you are Japanese, I would really not recommend it, unless you are really open to racist jokes lol. I guess it was trying to poke fun out of our hatred of Japan. I mean, I guess, it was inevitable since they were mafia who didn't really have educations and our parent's generation who probably can relate more to Japanese rule in Korea. 

It also degraded Koreans a bit. I'm not sure, but to me, if I weren't Korean, I would have thought Koreans as very disgusting, low people. I guess it is because of all the disgusting scenes the director made.

It also illustrated Koreans as heros. So basically, the Koreans become heros. That is all I'm going to say because its somewhat a spoiler. But, I never said what type of hero or why he or she is. I had to mention this because, the director then makes a certain person a hero. Its very nationalistic but if he was going to show good aspect of Koreans, why show disgusting scenes?

I thought the plot could been way better. I think they should have focused on the Kimchi market and like did stuff with the yakuza or something. I thought it would be more interesting than the current stuff. 

It was exotic for sure. Because it takes place in Japan. No real exposure to Japanese culture, but somewhat different from Korea. 

I wanted to see the other female characters from previous movies. They probably made the movie funnier and their absences felt like a real lost. 

Overall, I thought the movie was weak. But, I would recommend people to watch it. Why? because people have different taste of humor. Some people probably found the movie hilarious, it was just me, who was too disturbed about the disgusting parts. I'll watch if 5th one comes out lol. Its probably worth it. 

Btw, just a question for people who read this post. Don't be shy. When it comes to cuisine, would you prefer the original or the altered one that fits your taste? 

Because, the movie talks about Kimchi and Kimuchi. Kimchi is the original, but Japanese can't pronounce Kimchi and pronounce it Kimuchi. However, the real problem for Korean companies is that Kimuchi sells better, than Kimchi. [The reason of the rage]. Apparently, most people like the Kimuchi better because it is less spicy and sweeter. 

So, just wanted to hear some opinions on, if your tasting foreign food, you want the original or the altered?

Just let me know what you guys think!

Gyeongbokgung Palace: Korean Royal Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace !!

I visited Gyeongbokgung Palace which is in Seoul.
Firstly, I’m gonna introduce this palace ^.^
In 1395, three years after the founding of the Joseon Dynasty by Yi Seong-gye, the new main palace, Gyeongbokgung Palace, was completed and the capital of the new dynasty was moved from Gaegyeong to Seoul(then known as Hanyang). The palace was named Gyeongbokgung, the "Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven." The king lived here and conducted state affairs.

I firstly looked around relics of the Joseon Dynasty at National palace museum of Korea. After that, I ate a packed lunch prepared by my boyfriend XD . Then entered Gyeongbokgung Palace.

- This is me in front of the gate named Heungrye.

-This is Geunjeongjeon. Geunjeongjeon is the Throne Hall, where the king granted audiences to his officials, presided over large official functions and met foreign envoys. Geunjeongjeon is the largest and most formal hall in Gyeongbokgung. The two-tier edifice stands on a high platform reached by stone steps. There is a spacious courtyard in front, where important events were held and corridors enclose it.

- This is Sajeongjeon Hall. The official quarters were where the king handled state affairs and studied Chinese classics with his civil servants in normal times. The quarters were also where he threw parties for his relatives and ministers and supervised qualifying examinations for the civil service.


Gyeongbokgung has separate bedchambers for the king and the queen. Gangnyeongjeon Hall is the king's living quarters and Gyotaejeon Hall, entered through Yanguimun Gate behind the king's quarters, is for the queen. The king and the queen carried on their routine affairs in the living quarters. They threw occasional parties for their relatives as well. It does not mean that state affairs were not handled here. The king sometimes called his court officials to his living quarters to discuss national affairs.

- This is Gyoteajeon. I’m in front of it. I think my boyfriend is the worst photographer..T.T Anyways,In the Joseon Dynasty period, the queen had to live only in this palace. Only in two cases the queen could go out of the palace. When the queen die and when the queen is deposed.

-Gyeonghoeru pavilion, built on the pond west of Gangnyeongjeon, the king's living quarters, was where the king threw feasts for foreign envoys or his court officials. The name means that the king is capable of handling national affairs only when he has the right people around him, it was used on joyous occasions.

- Sujeongjeon is the site where in the past, the king Sejong’s time, was Jiphyunjeon. Hangul- Korean language which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage property because of its excellence and scientific principle- was invented by the king Sejong and scholars.

-Every building's roof tile has these little animal statues. All of them are imaginary animals like gragon and Sonokong. People believed that these animals
protect from fire (In that time, most builings were made out of wood )

I introduced some of this palace. If you know more about Gyeongbokgung Palace, go http://www.royalpalace.go.kr/

My heart was fluttered because I was standing there where in the past normal people never could enter. I recommend Gyeongbokgung Palace to those who are interested in Korean history or structure :)

New7Wonders! Jeju Island

Wow! New7Wonders made an announcement and Jeju Island was selected as the one of the new 7 wonders!!! I mean really WOW. I knew visiting Jeju Island was one of the most memorable trip, but I didn't expect them to win the new 7 wonders. Note, Jeju Island being the most memorable trip means a lot because my dad always wants to travel somewhere; he can't stay home. So out of numerous places, being the most memorable place means a lot. Even still, winning the new 7 wonders means a LOT.

Jeju Island has a very nice sea view
Jeju Island probably is not famous for beaches. Malaysia, India and etc has better ones, I bet. However, I did find the sea view of Jeju Island really beautiful. Its not a beach, but composed of rocky surfaces. The water is clean, but very very dark blue. When you look at the waves, it makes you feel empty. Somewhat peaceful, despite the loud wave constantly throwing themselves to the rock cliff.

Jeju Island has one of the freshest sea food
I'm sure few of you know that fish taste better in cold water. Well, at least I believe cold water makes fish taste better. Jeju has a cold water current going through it, so Jeju island offers amazing fish cuisine. If your visiting Jeju-do, you should try eating hae(aka sashimi).

Its not just fish that taste good. Jeju island also offer a variety of treasures of the sea. Clams, crabs, octopus and etc. Jeju is a home of the hae nyos "해녀" which means sea women. They dive the sea and find fresh sea goodies. They slice it and the fish goodies are eaten raw. May sound disgusting, but what nature offers us, is purely delicious.

Jeju Island has a lot of horses 
I can't really comment about this. I lack knowledge. But I do know that Jeju has a lot of horses. And they have famous horse meat, which I have not tried. It is pretty common to see horses on the field.

Jeju Island has a mountain 
This mountain is actually a volcano. Thats why we see a lot of dark stones in Jeju. (I kind of like the dark stones, I find them pretty). The main mountain in Jeju is called Halla mountain. Apparently, it has all 4 seasons. But, I can't confirm this because I went during the winter. I honestly think its a lie..... But, for now, it is said to have all 4 seasons. Well, plants from all 4 seasons can be found. Its pretty amazing.


Jeju Island has a lot of history and culture
I assume this is the main reason that made Jeju island distinguishable to other places. I mean with just natural beauty Jeju isn't as appealing compared to other candidates, but truly how Jeju is merges humanity with nature is beautiful. I feels like your living in a very fresh environment. Moreover, Korean residents produce art, agricultural product and etc. Going to Jeju can bring a lot of learning experience of the history of the people of Jeju residents.

I love Jeju do. I probably am bias, because I love 회 hae. Able to eat good hae probably made me love Jeju do. I can't wait to eat hae there again.

Again, congrats!

Pepero Day 11/11/2011

This year is the ultimate Pepero day!!! In Korea, we have snacks called Pepero. It is exactly alike to Pocky. It is a long stick with chocolate covering. In South Korea, 11/11 is a celebration of Pepero! because 11/11 looks like 4 Pepero sticks! Its basically another form of a valentine day! Koreans give Pepero to each other, their classmates, friends, love, family!  It is interesting how we are celebrating Pepero day because its a event that is made only recently; its not a traditional celebration.

Anyways, Pepero day is meaningful to many and you can be very creative on your Pepero. Some people bake their own, some people decorate the boxes and etc.

Honestly, its pretty amazing how much effort people put into making Pepero day a success! Sometimes I think Pepero is purchased only during Pepero day... haha

The best Pepero box is.....

Korean Manhwa Noblesse

Again Manhwa isn't as popular as Manga. Well, technically they both mean the same thing, except Manhwa is made in Korea and Manga is made in Japan. However, Korean Manhwa are getting more popular. Its growing :). 

One Manhwa I really enjoy reading is Noblesse. Noblesse is a webtoon that is submitted in Naver, a Korean internet portal. Its not just funny but has strong main story underneath it. Usually, artists find it really hard to balance both, but Noblesse does it wonderfully. Moreover, it really portrays a lot of Korean culture. Well, the characters are mostly foreign looking, but a lot of Korean culture is expressed in the Manhwa. For example, eating Ramen. Koreans just love eating Ramen. Another was small backpacks the characters had. Koreans unlike Americans have tiny backpacks. This is probably because they think its fashionable. 

If your interested in Korean culture, reading Manhwa is a good way to approach it. 

Btw, this Manhwa is for both GIRLS and BOYS. :) 

Once funny scene is where the main character waits for his ramen is to get bigger. lol, this is when your noodles absorb all the water and gets bigger, but the main character who is a vampire doesn't understand it and waits for it to get bigger lol...

Want something fishy?

It was fall break, so we got a 4 day weekend :). My roommates and I went to H mart, its basically a giant Korean supermarket. I was able to fill my cart with Korean goodies and we also got "해물탕", which is pronounced hae mol tang. Its a spicy seafood soup. It has a lot of seafood XD... lol and is very spicy...

Again... like I did in previous post about the indian restaurant, I ate the chili in the soup -.- Yes, of course it was spicy... and I almost died. I will never learn and keep eating chili even though I know its going to burn!!!! ARRRGGGH

Anyways, if your tired of sashimi, steamed seafood, and want to try something different, you should try this dish. Its not just seafood but has vegetable in it as well. For me, I bought the ingredients for 9 bucks. This was really cheap because it gave us around 3 portion :)

Yummmm, I'll definitely buy this again.

Happy Gaecheonjeol!!!

Its national foundation day for Korea!

People usually set their flag in front of their house, but since I don't have one I decided to hang it on my blog <3

Sweet Potato Korean Style 군고구마

I  probably can't say much today. I have to go to class in an hour, have to check my homework, take a shower and eat. So Korean sweet potatoes....Can't say why I brought this up... I just felt like eating one right now.

First of all, Korean sweet potatoes are different from American. Its not orange inside, but its white. And its amazing how it tastes.

In homes we usually boil our sweet potatoes. However, we burn it in fire outside. Well, that  is how our parents did it. Right now we have these black round "thing" with fire inside cooking it for us.

Its pretty cheap and tasty. No, actually very tasty.

However, this can be done in homes as well. Just put your sweet potatoes in the oven. But use foils so that the potatoes become burn on the skin. (probably cause cancer, but... it taste good... <3)


And wala!

yummy potatoes!!!


You can also get them in Korean restaurants. Some places in Korea give free potatoes while you cook your meat.

Probably the most rushed post ever, but I hope it made you people hungry!