Seasons: Autumn 2017

Anyone in KOREA now? Seems like AUTUMN preparing to say GOODBYE isn't it?? Below are some PHOTOS of autumn FOLIAGE 2017.. I'm NOT there at this MOMENT but as usual I got some PHOTOS most likely every SEASONS from my KOREAN friends. ^^~ㅋㅋ Hope you guys enjoy these GIFTS!~~ 

p/s: Anyone can GUESS where is it?? O-o I've BEEN to this place and its looks DIFFERENT    

       now!>-<

Photos Credit: Baby Dragon

Places: Seosan

It's OCTOBER now, TWO more months before 2017 FINISH. Time flies so FAST.. soon AUTUMN will arrive and spectacular COLORS will awe your EYES if you are in KOREA! I miss that FEELING, seeing orange,yellow, red and some brown foliage for the FIRST time makes me so GRATEFUL! For those who LIVE in 4 seasons countries, they might  think its NORMAL or too BORED for them, ㅋㅋ but for those who NOT living in 4 SEASONS countries, we ENVY those seasons!However during WINTER, I rather LIVE in WARM area than living in 4 seasons countries that pill up with tons of SNOW!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Anyway I've BEEN to Korea 3 TIMES but of course there are so MANY places I HAVEN'T visit! Too bad!!ㅠㅠ GOOD news is even I CANNOT visit those, I'm LUCKY to have some KOREAN friends who sometimes TRAVEL and share their PHOTOS with me! Yay!! ^^ For today I will SHARE with you some NICE places to visit when you are in SEOSAN!Wonder where is Seosan?? Well if you see SOUTH KOREA map, you will notice CHUNGCHEONGNAM-DO. Still have NO idea??O-o Ok anyone know SONG JOONG KI? He come from DAEJEON isn't it??Daejeon is the CAPITAL city of Chungcheongnam-do. Hence SEOSAN is located in Chungcheongnam-do.

This city is very FAMOUS for 생강 (saenggang) which is GINGER. This city might be OUTCAST from many others CITIES in Korea as it is said this city is a very QUIET and unimportant city to visit. However if you looking for a laid back HISTORIC sites where ONLY known well by LOCAL, Seosan is the BEST choice! Not many FOREIGNER visit this city so you can ENJOY spending time at HISTORICAL sites without have to wait for a LONG queue or CROWDED!

But I'm NOT going to talk about those HISTORIC sites today, today I'm going to talk about DOBISAN and OKNYEONGBONG. These TWO places located at DIFFERENT area but still BOTH within SEOSAN. As AUTUMN approaching, some might thinking wanna HIKING isn't it? If its happen that you VISITING Seosan, why NOT heading to DOBISAN? Not only BEAUTIFUL scenery will AWE your eyes, if you are ADVENTUROUS person, you might CONSIDER of trying HANG GLIDER. Don't know what is hang glider?? Well lets PHOTO speak the words. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Next is OKNYEONGBONG, what is so SPECIAL about Oknyeongbong? Have anyone heard about SEOGWANGSA Temple? This temple LOCATED near Oknyeongbong. This temple was BUILT on the end of SILLA period by Great Mong Daegyeong. Seogwangsa is NOT the ORIGINAL name for this temple though, the ORIGINAL name of this temple is SAMSEONAM but its been CHANGED on 1987. Not only the FOLIAGE looks stunning here during PEAK of autumn, it also held SMALL festival of 국화 (GUKHWA) which start from 25 SEPTEMBER to 30 OCTOBER.  Lets take a look for the PHOTOS that my friend gave me! ^^

p/s: I CANNOT imagine myself doing HANG GLIDER! It's looks FUN but I think I CANNOT!ㅋㅋ

Sources: My friend
              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seosan
              http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=996333

Credit Photo: seizethejourney.com
                      my friend

Throwback#Places: Gwangchigi Beach (Jeju-do)

Hi EVERYONE, its been a MONTH I MISSED writing here..ㅠㅠ Been so BUSY with my little brother WEDDING I CAN'T find a good TIME to put my WORDS. Here I go AGAIN ^^. Anyway I hope all of YOU are in the PINK of HEALTH!~

Lets THROWBACK my LAST visit to KOREA, its on 2014.. Almost 3 YEARS ago~I KNOW, I know it's been a WHILE but I've got many PHOTOS to REMIND me about it.ㅋㅋ I AGREE with this phrase "A PICTURE SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS" that's why I really LOVE taking many PHOTOS!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

During my 3RD visit to KOREA, once I landed at INCHEON I was rushed to GIMPO airport to catch my FLIGHT to JEJU Island. From SEOUL to JEJU-DO its takes ONLY an HOUR by AIRPLANE. There are many DOMESTIC carrier that you can CHOOSE with an AFFORDABLE ticket price. Mine, was ASIANA Airlines. It was a very PLEASANT journey, even I'm might be the only FOREIGNER in the flight. ㅋㅋㅋ

The FIRST place I VISITED in JEJU is GWANGCHIGI beach. Maybe some of you NEVER heard this beach before isn't it? O-o I believe MOST people visited SEOBJIKOJI while in Jeju, at first I PLANNED to visit SEOBJIKOJI too however I got LOST!ㅋㅋ END up I FOUND out this beach. At that time I have NO idea the NAME of the BEACH though.ㅋㅋㅋ After few YEARS I discovered the NAME after read someone POSTING on the internet!ㅋㅋㅋ

As NOT many people known this beach, so here I will REVEAL this UNDERRATED beach. This spectacular beach LOCATED near  to SEONGSAN sunrise peak. This RARE beach is unique as its have many GREEN rocks ALONG it, and guess what; during LOW tide it ALLOW you to WALK far into the OCEAN!However while Im THERE the TIDE is NOT that LOW, it does NOT allow me to walk ALONG it ㅠㅠ. I just snap some of PHOTOS though. Below are some PHOTOS of GWANGCHIGI beach, hope you guys enjoy the PHOTOS!~  

p/s: For THOSE who like to SPEND time at NOT touristic area in JEJU, and wanna RELAX you can CHOOSE this beach~

Coffee Addicted: Cafe Bene

Hi everyone!~ It's been soo LONG since my LAST posting.. SORRY I was too BUSY as during RAMADHAN I prefer to MORE worship, concentrate my FAITH than surfing internet. ㅋㅋ MUSLIM completed 30 DAYS fasting during Ramadhan and celebrated EIDULFITRI. ^^ so here I am, I'm BACK!

Recently, I READ an article mentioned that for O type of BLOOD should AVOID coffee. Oh NO!! I should AVOID it but I'm ADDICTED to it!LOL WHAT do I do??? O-o  Lucky I'm LIVING at small town, there is NO big chain COFFEE at my TOWN.ㅋㅋ I only can ENJOY 3 in 1 INSTANT coffee. ㅠㅠ However when I GO to BIG city like Kuala Lumpur (KL) I will STOP BY at coffee cafe.ㅋㅋ GUESS what? I DON'T have to go to SEOUL to grab KOREAN coffee, some KOREAN Coffee chain cafes' are AVAILABLE here!^^

One of it is CAFE BENE. My FIRST experience of Cafe Bene is somewhere at SEOUL. My KOREAN friend said he love that CAFE compare to other coffee cafe.When I hear his suggestion, why not??! Plus I love to try NEW coffee cafe while I'm in Korea.ㅋㅋㅋ BEFORE this I only ENJOY Latte, Cappucino or Mocha but its the FIRST time I experience CARAMEL MACHIATO! I fall in LOVE with it!ㅋㅋㅋ Ever since I TASTE it whenever I GO to any coffee cafe, I will ORDER Caramel Machiato.ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's my FAVORITE!>-<

Some people might DON'T like it as its has SWEET taste than others, but I really ENJOY it! Creamy sweet taste oh I'm LOVING it! The cafe NOT only FAMOUS for the coffee, but it FAMOUS for WAFFLES and GELATO too! PATBINGGSU also one of HOT selling item at cafe.However I HAVEN'T get a chance to TASTE it while I'm in SEOUL regarding to it STATUS, I'm NOT sure if MUSLIM can consume those DESSERT.ㅠㅠ Earlier I DID mentioned right that they have THEIR branch here at KL and some other big CITIES, I WENT to some of their BRANCH and TRIED their dessert, including PATBINGGSU, WAFFLES and CAKES. It's TASTE good but I'm NOT sure if it taste like the one in KOREA.ㅋㅋㅋ

p/s: The ambiance of the CAFE is so relaxing, above are some PHOTOS while I'm in Cafe Bene somewhere at Seoul. Fourth and fifth photos was taken at Cafe Bene in KL.

p/s: For Muslim readers, Eid Mubarak to you!~

Event/Trend: 2017 Seoul Rose Festival

안녕하세요! Hi~
It's been a WHILE since my LAST post, I'm BACK! How are you guys DOING? I hope all of you in the PINK of health~ ^^

Its already MAY, almost HALF of the year 2017, time flies so FAST!O-o Half year GONE!ㅠㅠ As SPRING will CLOSE its CURTAIN soon, there are many EVENTS to attend at KOREA, if you are there now. For those in SEOUL this WEEKEND,if you are TIRED with normal TOURISTIC spot or BASIC itinerary you can CHANGE your mind! How about catch up with 2017 SEOUL ROSE FESTIVAL?

This festival will START on 19 May to 21 May 2017. The LOCATION of this festival is JUNGNANG-GU Seoul. How about the ADMISSION fees? No WORRIES, this festival is FREE for all EXCEPT if you wanna JOIN some EXPERIENCE event. ROSE, we all know that this flowers create such ROMANTIC atmosphere isn't it?, however this event NOT mainly for COUPLES only!ㅋㅋㅋ This event can be PARTICIPATED by ALL age, including KIDS as there are VARIETY programs that every level AGE can ENJOY. 

For those who wanna make a SURPRISE event for your LOVE one you may bring HER here! ^^ Another GOOD news is, for SEOUL residents that keen on SELECTED item at participating STORES, you will get 20% DISCOUNT upon receiving ROSE STAMPS during the festival period. Wow!! 대박!

STROLLING around the 5.15 km ROSE tunnel without a CHILL beverage might makes you TIRED! ㅋㅋ How about ANOTHER surprise for your LOVE one?? O-o In CONJUNCTION of this EVENT and month of MAY (ROSES), you might wanna COMPLETE the romantic atmosphere by buying ROSE LEMONADE at G25 too! This rose lemonade is a LIMITED edition during this May and its just 1000 WON per can!!

p/s: NO plan for this WEEKEND? What are you waiting for?? JOIN this event with your LOVE one and create BEAUTIFUL moment together. The LOCATION can be reached by SUBWAY too. For more INFORMATION about the event, you can read here. 

Source: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_2.jsp?searchWord=&fid=41027&cate=&cate=&areaCode=&dateStart=05/18/2017&stype=&out_service=&cat=1&gotoPage=3&dateEnd=08/18/2017&eventCategory=A0207&cid=2492336

Photo Credit: english.visitkorea.or.kr
                      topsy.one

Event: Canola Festival in South Korea?

For 4 SEASONS countries like KOREA, Japan, China and Taiwan,SPRING seasons is a SPECIAL period for them as its mark DOWN the COLD that they experience for few MONTHS. This seasons NOT only the beginning of BEAUTIFUL seasons but overall FAMOUS for CHERRY BLOSSOM! Even though the CHERRY BLOSSOM normally just BLOOM for around 1 to 2 WEEKS every year! However do YOU know that, APART of cherry blossom there are FEW more FLOWERS that can be ENJOYED during SPRING seasons?

Anyone KNOWS what those FLOWERS are?? O-o Honestly I EXPERIENCE these TWO types of FLOWERS during my SPRING trips but I still MISS a chance to see CHERRY BLOSSOM. ㅠㅠ Maybe NEXT time??ㅋㅋ The FLOWERS I'm talking about are TULIPS and CANOLA. For TODAY lets talk about CANOLA. Canola flowers basically being DEVELOP from the plant breeding of RAPESEED. This OIL seed plant been USED as FUEL in the ANCIENT civilization.Its shows that this PLANT is such important COMMODITY in the PAST. Ok lets MOVE to the EXACT topic, I am NOT going to explain CANOLA scientifically lol! As I'm NOT good at it.ㅋㅋㅋ

Back to our TOPIC, for THOSE who have FLIGHT ticket to KOREA now but you already TIRED seeing CHERRY BLOSSOM? You may HEADING to somewhere else.Wonder WHERE to go?? O-o Are you READY to SWIM in the OCEAN of YELLOW canola? If YES why not HEADING yourself to GYEONGSANGNAM-DO! I know some of you might SAY ah its quite FAR from SEOUL isn't it? YES it is but heading to other CITY, outskirt of SEOUL might bring you more BEAUTIFUL memories? ^^ People at COUNTRYSIDE are more FRIENDLY than in the BIG cities!BELIEVE me! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

This EVENT start TODAY (14 April) to 18 April 2017. CHANGNYEONG NAKDONGGANG YOUCHAE FESTIVAL is an ANNUAL event normally held EARLY April to MID April every YEAR. I'm sure MOSTLY when we talk about CANOLA, our head directly heading to JEJU-DO isn't it? Me MYSELF seen my FIRST CANOLA ever at JEJU-DO too! However do you KNOW that to see CANOLA at JEJU-DO we need to PAY for it?ㅠㅠ However for THIS event its FREE!ㅋㅋㅋ Plus you DON'T have to WASTE your money for buying FLIGHT ticket to JEJU-DO (buying on the SPOT is COSTLY since its PEAK seasons of SPRING)! To go to this EVENT all you have to do is taking INTERCITY bus at SEOUL! ^^ For more INFORMATION regarding the EVENT you can click here.

P/s: I've NEVER been to the FESTIVAL however here are some PHOTOS of festival in the past. Plus my CANOLA photo as a BONUS!ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola

               http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_2.jsp?searchWord=&fid=41027&cate=&cate=&areaCode=&dateStart=04/14/2017&stype=&out_service=&cat=1&gotoPage=2&dateEnd=07/14/2017&eventCategory=A0207&cid=1802975

 

Photo Credit: Korea Tourism Organization

                      VisitKorea     

Seasons: Spring 2017 Cherry Blossom? O-o

Hi EVERYONE!^^
Finally its MARCH! My MONTH. Wee ^^ How are you guys doing? I'm doing GOOD but extremely BUSY these days even though I'm NO longer WORKING now! ㅋㅋㅋ so many THINGS to do at HOME everyday! Still worry about how can I SURVIVE by being UNEMPLOYED though. ㅋㅋ Some people might think WHY I made this DECISION knowing its quite HARD to manage my commitment.Well, after finish PAY OFF my big BURDEN a.k.a my STUDY loan, I think its TIME to think about my FUTURE!^^ I mean for LONG term future~ I fell in LOVE with BAKING since I was a KID? so I decided to ENHANCE my BAKING skills! ㅋㅋㅋ Hope I make a CORRECT decision!

Since its MARCH, SPRING already said HELLO but still NO sign of CHERRY BLOSSOM yet in SEOUL?ㅋㅋ PLUM BLOSSOM had bloomed right?  so it's on the way SOON!! Wee ^^ Any of you have TICKETS to SOUTH KOREA?? Counting DAYS to see CHERRY BLOSSOM? If you have, I bet you must be CAN'T wait to set your FOOT PRINT at KOREA!ㅋㅋ I MISSED to see it TWICE while I'm in KOREA!ㅠㅠ Too BAD! SOMEDAY I hope I get a CHANCE to SEE and TOUCH it! ㅋㅋ or PERHAPS let its fell on my FACE?? ㅋㅋㅋ Don't CARE if it in KOREA, JAPAN or anywhere else!lol My KOREAN friends says its still quite COLD in SEOUL now, so there still NO sign of CHERRY BLOSSOM blooming yet compare to JAPAN! At JAPAN, currently at CERTAIN area, they have like DOUBLE seasons? SPRING and WINTER at the SAME time?? Wowee O_o

For those who PLAN to see CHERRY BLOSSOM in KOREA, you should CHECK their EXPECTED date for every PROVINCE. I know weather FORECAST is UNPREDICTABLE and their expected date is VARY/CHANGE every time. However if you are LUCKY, you will ABLE to see it. They expected the FIRST cherry blossom will be in JEJU on MARCH. As SOUTHERN part is more WARMER, most of SOUTHERN part will have CHERRY BLOSSOM first compare to SEOUL and NORTH part.^^ For more INFORMATION about cherry blossom EXPECTED date, you MAY refer here.

P/s: For those who will visit KOREA and expecting to see CHERRY BLOSSOM, you guys SHOULDN'T crack the CHERRY BLOSSOM branch or PLUCK the flowers itself. Let it BLOOMING NICELY!

Sources:  http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1985915
                https://www.facebook.com/arabinkorea/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE

Photo Credit: 90daykorean.com
                      onthegotours.com

Life/Culture/K-Food : Strange Tea in Korea???

Most of COUNTRIES in EAST NORTHERN of ASIA are RELATED to either BUDDHISM,CONFUCIANISM or TAOISM. You must be WONDER why I suddenly TELLING you this and what is the RELATION between these FAITHS with the TOPIC for TODAY isn't it?? Since these THREE faith is popular in East Northern of Asia COUNTRIES, TEA play such an IMPORTANT roles in their DAILY life. I LOVE to write about COFFEE but somehow why I mentioned TEA now??O-o

Did my TASTE bud CHANGE?? lol In these THREE faith, TEA is NOT just a TEA but there is a SYMBOLIC meaning behind the TEA ceremony. For today I will NOT explain about it though.ㅋㅋ NO worries! I need to STUDY a lot if I WANNA write about that!ㅋㅋ. Lets talk about it in LIGHT way.ㅋㅋㅋ

We are AWARE that most of KOREAN practice CONFUCIANISM aspect in their DAILY life regardless what their RELIGION is. That's mean TEA ceremony is ONE of BASIC that they should KNOW at home, but in these MODERN era, I'm NOT sure if every Korean YOUNGSTERS knows about this TRADITION well. For THOSE who ever BEEN in KOREA, I am sure MOST of us seen COFFEE Cafes are ALMOST everywhere COMPARE to TEA cafe isn't it?? COFFEE culture is totally a DIFFERENT lifestyle, abruptly took OVER their TRADITION, its more to WESTERN culture. 😒 

Back to the TOPIC, at my COUNTRY, we DON'T have many POPULAR type of TEA, if you asking around we normally either have NORMAL tea or TEA with MILK which is FAMOUS as TEH TARIK! However in KOREA, they have VARIOUS kind of tea, Some TEA might be WEIRD for us as FOREIGNERS! I mean NEVER thought or HEARD about it! It's like a NEW world to me when I HEARD about it at Korea!ㅋㅋㅋ TEA in Korea known as CHA. Now lets take a look at some of their TEA.

Have you ever HEARD about JOB'S TEARS Tea and SOLOMON'S SEAL Tea?? The NAMES of tea itself is WEIRD isn't it?lol Well maybe because they TRANSLATED it to ENGLISH name??ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ For KOREAN name I guess its just FINE.ㅋㅋ JOB'S TEARS Tea or known as YULMU- CHA(율무차) is very HIGH in PROTEIN, one of FAVORITE beverage among Korean sipping in BETWEEN of classes. This tea also known as best beverage in helping STUDENTS to do EXCELLENT in their ACADEMIC if taken daily. Well I have NO idea since I'm NOT a Korean.ㅋㅋ For those who like THICK and SOUPY tea, YULMU-CHA might be your BEST choice as it been made by COMBINATION powder of JOB'S TEARS, a grain plant and nuts like WALNUT or sometimes they use BLACK BEANS.

Next is SOLOMON'S SEAL Tea. Solomon's Seal Tea is very FAMOUS among Korean and they said its COMMON to get this tea at any GROCERY store. However if you ASKING them using the ENGLISH name, it might make them CONFUSED ㅋㅋㅋ, instead tell them that you WANNA DOONGGUL-RAE-CHA. (둥굴레차) This tea is LIGHT, NUTTY and SLIGHTLY sweet, even you LEFT it for a long time, it DOESN'T brew heavy. Doonggul-rae-cha is GOOD to keep your body MOISTURE and COOL.

CHUNMA-CHA(천마차) is another STRANGE tea type. Why I SAID it strange, let's HEAR about it ENGLISH name first, TALL GASTRODIA and CORNFLAKES tea. CORNFLAKES tea?? Isn't that WEIRD??ㅋㅋ Plus what is TALL GASTRODIA? O-o Tall gastrodia basically is a TUBER of orchidae family. The taste is SWEET and MILD. Seems like NOT related to CORNFLAKES at all! ㅋㅋㅋ Well this TEA, normally they ADD with BROWN RICE POWDER or any other GRAIN that they BLEND. This kind of tea OFTEN considered as TEA or EQUAL part of BREAKFAST as there is CEREAL in it.ㅋㅋㅋ

Last but NOT least is GUGIJA-CHA (. Gugija-Cha is a GOJI BERRY tea.This berry RECENTLY known WORLDWIDE as one of SUPERFOOD as it have HIGH anti oxidant. However in KOREA for Gugija-Cha, they COMBINE this DRY berry/DATES with GINGER. They said it CREATE even, sweet FLAVOR. Have NO idea about this,ㅋㅋㅋ maybe I SHOULD try it when I go to KOREA again SOMEDAY~   

Yulmucha 

Doonggul Rae Cha

Chunma Cha

Gugija Cha

p/s: For those who INTERESTED to watch KOREAN soap, you might WANNA watch Love on a rooftop. It's about TEA industry in Korea. ^-^

Sources: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/10/10-strange-and-wonderful-korean-teas.html

Photos Credit: imgrum.net
                        amazon.com
                        ebay.co.uk
                        younique-lifestyle-of-korea