Showing posts with label Gong cha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gong cha. Show all posts

Monday, October 20, 2014

Seoul Weekend


As I’m writing this post, I am sitting in the most tight-est awkward spot on the train...since I didn’t purchase the train tickets ahead of time, so the tickets were sold out. I had to stand for 2 hours…I just love to procrastinate... TT.. this is what I get for not buying it early…When I arrived at Seoul station, my friend came to pick me up from the station and took me to Wangsimi to Pink nails to get my natural eyebrows and eyeliner retouched since are appointment was at 3. The second time around, is called a touch up. It hurts like a b*&%$. When I first got it done, there was barely any pain, however the numbing cream did get into my eyes and that *&#@!!! stings. I was literally yelling, “Appa, Appa!!!” hahaha the tattoo technician laughed at me because she knew I couldn’t speak Korean. (J.F.Y.I “Appa” in Korean means hurt by the way.) It took only an hour and I was finished. I was happy with the results and my eyes and eyebrows were swollen for the day. After getting my touch up done, of course I wore a hat the entire day to hide my swollen eyes. We went to the popular Bong Chu Restaurant. The restaurant was packed and there was a line that was formed outside of the restaurant, but we decided to wait. We were both so hungry because we usually don’t eat breakfast.hahah..






The food was really good but it was spicy hot..it is one of those spicy Korean food,,haha..were you take one to three bites but if you take more than that, it gets spicier and spicier every bite.…it tastes very similar to Galbi-Jim but much spicier and it was with chicken. Of course, after lunch we had to get dessert… my favorite bubble tea, duh…duh..dun…“Gong cha”.  I got taro milk tea with pearls….so good!! I wanted to get another one but my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach. I also tried Gong Cha’s Green Chou Chou for the first time. It was a roll cake that was really dense and the filling inside also was really dense like thick thick whip cream. However I didn't really like it even though it is a famous cake in Taiwan. It wasn't my cup of tea. Just because it's famous doesn't mean it is good all the time.


After are indulgences in sweets, we went to Seongsu-dong…why Seongsu-dong?...hahha well, the last time when I visited my friend she was talking about getting my shoes customized because it was so hard to find my shoe size. She herself bought 2 pairs of customized shoes from Tandy…she also has a difficult time finding shoes since her feet are too small...she is a size 5…baby feet!!! Lol…I happen to be the other way around….to big!!! And that is the sad part; Tandy didn’t make my shoe size they only go up to 290. However the sale rep. told us about Seongsu-dong, so he was forgiven. He was very helpful and that is when we decided to go to Seongsu-dong.





Seongsu-dong is the largest shoe place in Korea. In Seongsu-dong they have endless strips of shoe boutiques, customize shoe shops and shoe factories. Seongsu-dong is well known for best prices for customized shoes ranging from 100K-500K Won. I happen to walk into several shoe shops but most of the sale associates said they don’t know if they were able to make my shoe sizes…and they would get back to us later…so I was a bit disappointed. After walking around Seongsu-dong, we came across Kimme Shoes. The sale associate was great. My Korean friend did all the talking. I was glad that she was there because I wouldn’t be able to get this far. The sale associate was super nice and she took down my foot measurements. My shoe size in women is a size 13 W. My feet are a bit weird. I have arched feet but when I walk, my feet becomes super flat… Even in the states, it is really hard finding my shoe sizes and I usually wear men shoes, but when I buy men shoes I’m a size 12 or 12 W. At Kimme’s shoe store, I picked up two pairs of shoes one is a dark cognac oxford and a burgundy flat with a cute bow tie to finish it off.  She said it would take up to 2 weeks. The sale rep said after making my feet mold, she said it would be easier for me to purchase more shoes. I don’t know about getting anymore, two pair of shoes was enough for me. My bank account is looking really sad right now, but I am super excited to check out my new customized shoes. In two weeks…babyyy!!!

After Seongsu-dong, we had dinner at Kind Octopus!!! 


 Most Delicious Octopus Jun I ever had!!!

Cold soup to cool down are blazing hot mouth..


********************************NEXT DAY***************************************










 

The next day, we got up a little late. We ended up going to a few more places before I had to go back to my little town in Korea. We went to my favorite shopping mall, Garden 5 plaza, and a jewelry store. One Sterling Time (OST) and had lunch. This time around I really didn’t buy much since I spent a butt load of money on two pair of shoes. I wanted to get some sweaters but they range from 30K-50K for knitted sweaters. I remember that I have so many in the states that I didn’t want to get any…I didn’t bring them because the weight limit issue. I was worried about bringing all my candy, coffee, necessities and personal care. IF ONLY IF I KNEW!!!…. They had it in Korea…everything would have been so much more easier, honestly… I will do a what you should pack guide for Korea hahaha… seriously… to help others..if you are going to be teaching in South Korea..Time flew by so fast this weekend that I literally felt like I just arrived and now I’m going back home. I had a great weekend with my friend catching up with her and her gossip at work… I’m so grateful that I meet such good friends in college… My friend was again super nice and took me to Seoul Station…and I gave her a giant hug and off I went on the train back to my little town…<3 <3 <3 xoxo-chuiee

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Chuseok Korean Thanksgiving


The first week of September was a Korean holiday known as Chuseok. It is compared to Korean Thanksgiving. The holiday was from September 6 to the 10. From what, I experienced it wasn’t really like an American Thanksgiving. It was more like paying your respects to your family members or relatives who have passed away. That day was full of delicious food after the early morning ceremony at the Baekryeonsa Buddhist temple in Seoul. 



When I say early, I mean early for me…haha I had to get up at 5am in the morning.. I literally found out by my Korean friend when she asked me what I was going to do during that break. My co-teacher is always a bit late telling me when a Holiday or school event is happening. I would like to know ahead of time so I can plan for a exciting trip in Korea, but there is a language barrier. I understand but at the same time, it gets on my nerves…grrr….

Anyway back to my Chuseok holiday, I arrived in Seoul on Saturday morning. I stayed at my friend’s house until the very last day of the holiday break. I didn't want to leave Seoul. I ended up getting her parents some plums...you know you are a real Asian when you don’t go emptied handed to a friends house…especially her parent’s house.. Her parents were adorable, loving and very caring… Her mom even invited me to come visit them every month…Her family is very loving and warm…They even invited me to go to a jimjilbang together. Her parents are in love with jimjilbang.When I say they love it, I mean that they go every weekend...hahha<3…I love Seoul a lot. I’m a city girl. However, I was placed in a small town in S. Korea but I don’t mind it. My town is very pretty with lots of nature, rice patties, apple orchard farms, permission farms and lots of other farms. I could say I am satisfied with the place I’m placed in. I’m running off topic again….but in Seoul the first day, I got my natural eyebrows and eyeliner done. 

My eyes were a bit swollen but I wore a hat to hide my sore eyes…but I stick out like a sore thumb everywhere I go anyways…but seriously thoo…6’3 female Asian is rare…lol..After that, I did some major shopping on clothes because I didn’t bring my entire wardrobe from the states because it would be way to much. I bought pieces majority for the fall seasons…which I will do a outfit of the day…(ootd)… once I catch up with blog… Shopping was a major stress reliever for me. I had a good friend in college that showed me the best cheap places to shop in Seoul. I was a bit worried because I thought I would have a difficult time finding clothes my size. I am not a normal typical petite Asian...I'm tall, curvy and a little extra to love. hahhah but they have my size here in Korean clothing...We went to Garden 5 Plaza, Myeong-dong, Hongdae, Seoul underground shopping terminal and another large underground shopping area, which I don’t recall…. So for the couple days I in Seoul, it primarily consisted of sleeping in until 10-11 am and shopping until 6pm…My friend and I forgot to eat lunch every time when we went shopping that is how hardcore shopaholics we are….hahaha..Technically, we are not shopaholics at all, but we have those urges for a shopping binges when we don’t have enough clothes, are clothes are falling apart, or clothes are stained and etc…During my Chuseok, I had an urge for a shopping binge….After shopping for hours until almost 5, we ended up getting a light snack…and that is when I tried my first Gong Cha!!! I wished I tried this place sooner but in my small town there is not much so you have to go to the larger cities. I was in heaven....Hallelujah bubble tea heaven....I went to the king of bubble tea!!! Gong Cha is a popular bubble tea chain booming in Korea right now…  I will do a dedicated blog on Gong Cha…sooon…and link it here. 


Snacktime!!! Deliciousness!! 

 Garden 5 Plaza!!! Love this place!

I was enjoying my time in Seoul a lot… I had a friend to keep my fashion trend in check when choosing out the pieces. And we chatted a storm every day. I love the subway transportation system. It is very sufficient and easy to use. After 2 and a half day of shopping, I was exhausted…shopping is not easy…you have try out the clothes and see what you can match it with…etc…However there was not a lot of trying on clothes in Korea when you are shopping underground, it was more like estimating…(putting against your body to see if it fits..hahha) For the most part, all the clothes I picked out fits perfectly but there are 3 pieces that I want to get altered.

The last day I stayed in Seoul was relaxing and being lazy…My friend and I had lunch and than headed to the Seoul train station for coffee. We talked until it was time for me to depart back to my town… I didn’t want to leave her or Seoul…and she told me to just move to Seoul and find a position there…I was laughing…lol
Glimpse of my meal...Delicious Galbi-jim!!!
Side dishes of spicy side dishes.

Spicy salad...

Galbi-jim...delicious!!!

It was great, she was trying to encourage me...it was tempting, I have to say but I told her I didn’t want to leave a bad impression…hahah and I don't mind where I live. I had to board the train (ToT) and there we said our goodbyes until next time.. After a couple hours, I was back in my good old joly town.

until next time xoxo- chuiee <3