➹ yummy finds at the korean grocery part 4!

Found some really cute Pororo snacks for my niece and nephew! The tasty biscuits came in the shape of Pororo characters so they were a real treat for the kids.




I got myself some Hotteok cookies as well! The walnut and peanut flavor intrigued me so I couldn't resist grabbing a box. They were soft and chewy cookies which surprisingly not too sweet.





They can't compare to real Hotteok ofcourse ㅋㅋㅋ. These were really chewy and it gave my jaws a little workout! But I still love the texture plus the hint of cinnamon is just perfect.



I kind of like the Bungeoppang snacks better though. Maybe I am a sweet bean kind of person. I even love the ice cream version a lot!




I received some Korean snacks from my friend in Seoul as well.



I had 연양갱 before but it was my first time trying out the Ddeokbokki and the 쫄병 snacks so I was really excited. The Ddeokbokki snack was spicy but really delicious! ^^ I wanted to eat real Ddeokbokki for days after I had the packaged snack version. But my favorite amongst the 3 was the crispy noodle barbecue flavored쫄병! Snacking on these was such a guilty pleasure for me. Luckily, I found these same items on the local grocery so I managed to get them again afterwards.

I just keep finding more yummy stuff right? ㅋㅋㅋ I really miss Seoul as it will be nearly a year since my last vacation. Doing some random Korean grocery shopping eases my longing somehow~~

➹ korean gift package ^^

Gift boxes in Korea can pack so much thoughtfulness and goodwill! The ones I've seen in movies and dramas usually consist of many small gifts with cute handwritten notes on each special item. There is so much care, imagination, and sincerity poured into such pretty gift boxes so I have always wondered how amazing it would be to get one. I pictured how delightful it would be to open up such a package full of smiles and discover cute endearing messages multiple times.

And then one day, my Korean friend sent me one such package through EMS! I excitedly opened the box like a kid on Christmas Day. And just like those treasure trove of delights I've seen of movies and tv, I found so many sweet surprises from my dearest friend!




She knew how much I adored Korean culture so she gave me these ramyun, soju and mekju inspired trinkets for my phone! ^^ I also got the cutest Korean passport holder and post-it notes!!!




And then of course who can resist cute stuff?! I got some really adorable angel wings and bunny ears plug ^^ Yay!




And if those didn't make me feel like the luckiest unni in the whole world, I also received some traditional food, a personal letter and a handmade bracelet! I am IMMENSELY GRATEFUL!!! I seriously have the most amazing dongsaeng and I pray that I will be able to take care of her as much as she cares for me. Aigooo ...

➹ cutest korean cakes and pastries

So I raved about the pastries featured on Super Junior Donghae's new drama 판다양과 고슴도지 Panda and Hedgehog. I mean, there is no way those cute babies will fail to earn a gasp from every girly girl, right?

These really fancy creations are also found in Seoul's regular bakeries and cake shops. Check out some cute sweets from a shop in Hongdae:




I was also smitten by the holiday cakes on display at a Baskin Robbins shop last November. These cakes are just too amazing!





Here are closeups of my personal favorites. This Christmas cake tradition is such a beautiful and modern way to celebrate such a festive season.






Check out some more cute Hello Kitty pastries here.

➹ a trail of tickets

I don't know why I never got around to making my Korean travel scrapbook. I kept almost all of my tickets and boarding passes as souvenirs but I just can't find the time to piece them together into a decent memorabilia of sorts. Now, a lot of them have already faded after all this time so I figured I'll just write this blog post in an attempt to immortalize some of my most favorite travel experiences.

☁ Changdeokgung ☁
I still have my ticket from that day we got lost inside Changdeokgung! Our lack of a sense of direction and map reading skills ended in us being unable to find the Secret Garden. This is why I took a preference for the guided palace tours hehehe.


☁ Everland ☁
This ticket is far too PLAIN and NORMAL to reflect the vivid wonderland that is inside this park. I vow to someday return to Everland and ride the T Express ㅋㅋㅋ.


☁ Namsan Cable Car + Tower ☁
Oh so apparently, I haven't really blogged about my many misadventures going up Namsan Tower. One of them being the tortuously scorching summer day when we decided to hike up to the cable car station~


On another occasion, we got the package for the teddy bear museum and the observation deck admission.


☁ Airport Limousine Bus ☁
I recently wrote about how fond I am of the airport limousine buses from Incheon. The tickets look pretty generic and quite chaotic ... At least it had a lot more information that my frantic just-landed-in-Korea-brain can manage haha!


☁ KTX to Daejeon ☁
Ahh, the 1-hr ride to Daejeon always bring in nostalgia. The tickets have changed a lot in 2 years. I wonder how they would look now.

➹ kimbap and bibimbap

Ever since a Korean restaurant opened at our office building, some of my colleagues found that they have a liking for Korean dishes. But they often face some difficulties distinguishing the names of these 2: Bibimbap and Kimbap!

Bibimbap (my favorite!) is a flexible mixed rice dish which can include a range of different vegetables and meat ingredients. You often see kdrama characters dump their side dishes into a metal bowl and mix in red pepper paste gochujang before feasting on an impromptu bibimbap. This taste so good with a bit of sesame oil (yummmmm). Eat with a big Korean spoon for a more authentic feel.


Kimbap on the other hand is a rice roll which may be a little bit similar to the Japanese maki. I love how kimbap is sliced neatly and packed into dosirak boxes for picnics and whatnots. A single roll can make for a delicious and hearty meal. I wish we'll have some more restaurants selling kimbap for take outs soon.

➹ tv watchlist: a gentleman’s dignity 신사의 품격

Kyaaaa!!! Talk about such an addicting drama! It has been some weeks after 신사의 품격 has ended and yet I am still re-watching the episodes and re-laughing foolishly at the crazy misfortunes of the characters.



Ironically, this is one drama which was out of my must-watch radar. I earnestly followed Big, I do I do, and Bridal Mask (ongoing) while I left A Gentleman's Dignity on my bookmark list for a while. It's probably because I had no expectations from the drama that I was so floored at how amazing it turned out to be.

There are some absolutely perfect elements which got this drama into my MUST-RE-WATCH set!


★ The Formidable yet (oftentimes) Ridiculous Friendship of the 4 Gentlemen ★
The flashbacks at the start of each episode top my list of favorite things about this drama ㅋㅋㅋ! The loyalty and love these four friends have for each other are just astounding. Even though this must be very normal in Korea, I still find it amazing beyond words. I think this 애정 concept is one of the most charming and genuine element of Korean culture and seeing this deep friendship amongst men is just simply beautiful.











Perhaps it is because of their insanely amazing friendship that I adore them all equally and cannot pick biases! I thought everyone had fascinating qualities … But I think Lee Jongrok is the funniest hehehe~


★ Stubbornly CRAZY Women ㅋㅋㅋ★
Among the 4 ladies, I think my favorite is Im Meahri!!! Her pure determination was as impressive as it was outrageous hahaha~ but of course it all worked out well in the end. One of my favorite scenes was when Meahri pretends to be asleep in the car expecting some action from her Choi Yoon oppa. And then she abruptly wakes up and asks to be taken home since she wanted to go use the toilet ㅋㅋㅋ!!!



She cries like a spoiled brat and she mischievously does whatever she wants … And yet I still favored her because she lives her life without regrets. Because of characters like Meahri, I am (mis)led to believe that the world favors those who are fiercely decided to follow their hearts regardless of consequences *sigh*.





I also love Park Minsook, Lee Jongrok's wife! The scenes where his husband's friends would do everything to appease her wrath were totally hilarious! I thought she had it all together since she didn't make silly, embarrassing and irreparable mistakes like the other 3 ladies. But then her weakness was revealed in the end and her tears were just immensely sad ㅠㅠ.

I salute Hong Sera's snobbish character because she is unpretentious to herself which is really cool! And of course, I adore Seo Yisoo because she is just plain absurd.


★ Colin is ❤❤❤ ★
I spazzed a LOT about Colin here. I thought his mysterious character was endearing ㅋㅋㅋ. I loved the part where he chose highschool friends who had a legal issue with his dad earlier in the story … and that his dad had to rescue them from the police station. He might have just showed 2 expressions though: an incredulous face and an angry one hahahah.


★ Brilliant OST ★
What is perfect scoring!?!?! All the songs feels so right … that my heart was already crooning to unknown lyrics while watching the show! There is no other way to describe it. Just listen.

Ahhhh, too bad the drama is over... Any chance it could get a sequel? ㅋㅋ