Happy Tiger Year!

Wishing you all a Happy Tiger Year and Happy Valentine too..

It's my first post after a while since I'm just back from a long holiday, nearly two months since my last post around Christmas last year so hopefully I'll be able to catch up with latest issue soon.

Merry Christmas!

My posts have been slowing down over the past month, it doesn't mean that I have given up blogging neither I've lost my passion about Korea. It's merely just because I've been very busy lately at work, working back for every single day including weekends. Well, it's Christmas time! It's the busiest time of the year, hopefully after new year I'll manage to update this blog with interesting post about Korea.

Well... Merry Christmas everyone, hope you have a joyous Christmas ever!

My tiny Christmas tree..

Good Morning Panda

The first Hallyu Star I fell for, Song Hye-kyo, has been appointed as Asia's first panda goodwill ambassador by the Chinese government in June. Song will shed the light on the pandas' hidden world and the threat of their extinction during the documentary, 'Good Morning Panda,' co-produced by South Korea and China. It will be broadcast through EBS TV's Docu Prime Wednesday.

Song, who visited a panda habitat in Sichuan Province after becoming a goodwill envoy, has been working to publicize the need to preserve pandas across Asia while calling for international support for the project.

(source: Korea Times)

Ninja Assassin

Jeong Ji-hoon or better known as Rain, said that he did over 90 percents of stunts on his new Hollywood movie 'Ninja Assassin' himself. Actually it's his second Hollywood movie after his supporting role in 'Speed Racer' which was a flop.

Ninja Assassin is a ninja movie set in modern world, full of action and graphic violence so it's definitely a movie for fans who love martial arts and action. I am looking forward to seeing this in the cinema but I think I have to wait a bit longer since it won't be showing in my city till next year.

'Bump Bump!'

BoA has released her 28th single, "Bump Bump!" in Japan on Oct.28, a dance with jaunty rhythm. She plans to hold Christmas concerts in Tokyo Dec.4-5 and in Osaka Dec.8.

Here is BoA with her fresh look, some says her short hair cut just looks like Utada Hikaru's style.

Hallyu Festival in Tokyo

The craze for Hallyu stars has spread all over Asia and especially in Japan, some Korean stars have huge number of fanatic fans since the success of Winter Sonata which triggered the Korean wave culture in Japan. In recent years, the wild success of Korean dramas driving up the popularity of Korean actors in Japan.

Four Korean drama stars: Lee Byung-hun, Jang Dong-gun, Song Seung-hun and Won bin will take part in a special 'Hallyu' festival in Tokyo in this December. The event, to take place December 17 at Tokyo Dome, will be directed by renowned Japanese writer-producer Yasushi Akimoto. The four actors will give a theatrical performance set to an audiovisual piece by acclaimed Korean director Hur Jin-ho. The top stars will also introduce fans to their latest films and TV dramas and take part in an interview session.

(source: Korea Times)

2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards

2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) is the new form of KM Music Festival previously organised by two cable channels, Mnet and KM. This year, Mnet Media announced that they are creating a new event that would attract not only Korea's most popular singers, but those from around the world. MAMA will be held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium on Nov.21, 2009. The six-hour event will be aired live on Mnet.

Mnet also enabled foreign fans to vote for their favorite singers and groups through a separate web site. Those who have overseas IPs will only have the chance to vote through this particular web page.

Talented artists will compete in 29 categories divided into five different sections, including singer, genre, music video, grand prizes and others. The nominee for the Best Male Singer are Drunken Tiger, Rain and G-Dragon, among others, while the Best Female Singer category includes Bada, Baek Ji-young, and Son Dam-bi.

Who would you vote? For me, definitely I'd vote for one of my favorite singers, Son Dam-bi!

(Picture courtesy of: Korea Times)

(Source: Korea Times)

White Night

'White Night' (Baek Ya Haeng) is coming soon to theaters on November 19, a new movie from one of my favorite Hallyu Stars, Son Ye-jin. It's been a while since I watched Ye-jin's last movie Open City last year.

'White Night' is a thriller movie based on a popular Japanese novel by Keigo Higashino. The original novel by Higashino, one of Japan's top mystery writers, centers upon a fateful love story of a man and a woman who committed a murder 14 years ago in self-defense. The story was adapted into a TV drama series in Japan in 2006.

Here is the trailer I found on youtube:

Unfortunately I have to wait a bit longer till the movie released on DVD since no cinema showing Korean movie in this city of Australia.

Custom designer by Shinsegae

Wanna design your own t-shirt in 3-D? Go to Shinsegae! This week in Shisegae Dept. Store customers can get 3-D computer models of themselves and try out their new look in 3-D. After being measured by a 3-D scanner, customer will be able to customize the shirt they want to buy, choosing colors, collars and cuffs, as well as other details.

Although other brands have offered similar design-it-yourself package using avatars, this is the first in which the avatar is a 3-D model of the customer, the store said. The pilot service, available for free in the Event Hall on the sixth floor, will be limited to shirts, but the store hopes to branch out into more items in the future.

Shinsegae, literally means 'New World', was originally part of Samsung Group and separated in 1990s. The main store in Jung-gu, Seoul is the oldest department store in Korea, opened in 1930 as a branch of Mitsukoshi Department Store of Japan. The Shinsegae also owns the biggest shopping complex in the world Shinsegae Centum City in Busan (registered in the Guinness Book of World Records)

(Shinsegae Centum City map, courtesy of Korea Tourism)

(Source: Korea Herald)

Makgeolli onboard Asiana Airline

Makgeolli, also known as Takju is a traditional Korean rice wine. This milky white drink may well be the oldest Korean liquor. Makgeolli, the once-overlooked drink, is now gaining popularity in Korea and Japan, and has made its way onto passengers airplanes. Asiana Airines said it will served the thick, white rice wine to all customers for free on all 22 flights linking Korea and Japan.

The in-fllight makgeolli is a specially modified strain made with fermented raw rice. Without odor, it is rich in dietary fiber and decarbonated. A company official said makgeolli is popular because it's healthier than other alcoholic drinks and tastes good. The carrier has decided to serve the rice wine on board to help promote Korean cuisine abroad and boost the consumption of rice. A fad for makgeolli in Japan encouraged the airline to serve it on flights from and to Japan first, nearly 90 percent of Korea's makgeolli exports go to the island country. Asiana will soon serve other Korean side dishes like an assortment of tofu and kimchi, and fired mung bean patties.

(Source: The Chosun Ilbo)

(Makgeolli I bought from Korean Festival last weekend)

As for the growing interest in this milky liquor, many makgeolli makers have added twist by inventing 'makgeolli cocktail', the colorful drink mixed with fresh fruits which hit young and old fans especially women.

All about Kimchi!

A kimchi lover? I do love kimchi even not as maniac as a friend who eat kimchi as a snack :) If you love kimchi then you should come to Gwangju Kimchi Festival (I wish I could..)

This all-about-kimchi festival will be held in Gwangju from October 23 to November 1. Gwangju has successfully established the image of the home of kimchi. Marking its 16th anniversary, the 2009 Gwangju Kimchi Culture Festival will offers various programs through diversified approaches toward kimchi and providing kimchi making experiences, and holding contest for making kimchi, which will serve as a venue to enjoy and experience Korean kimchi.

If you want to travel to the 'world of kimchi', visit this 'Speaking of Kimchi' page from Gwangju Kimchi Festival web and you'll find all you need to know about kimchi.

(Picture courtesy of Gwangju Kimchi Festival)

Korean Festival

My most-anticipated event for this October has come! Korean Festival 2009 which run through this weekend (Oct 10-11) at Eastwood Park. Eastwood is home to one of Australia largest Korean communities together with Campsie and Strathfield. It originated in the late 1980s as a Campsie-based event that was part of the Carnivale multicultural festival program, co-ordinated by the NSW Ethnic Commision and now is organised by the Korean Society of Sydney.

I was a bit late today and missed some morning performances like Korean Folk Game and Drum performance, but I still enjoyed the Korean traditional dance while hopping around from one food stall to another. Some others performances like Korean Pop music, Soul & Funk Band, singing and talent contest did entertain the folk and the food stalls satisfied my craving for Korean food like pajeon (seafood pancake), kimchi, tteokbokki and odeng. There were also some stalls selling Korean wines and served free tasting. One stall from Sydney's Korean Tourism was attracted folks with some free brochures and Korean books including travel guide and Korean food book.

I bought some Korean red ginseng product and a bottle of Makgeolli, a Korean traditional wine made from rice which gives it a milky, off-white color and swetness. Makgeolli and Pajeon, what a perfect combination!

(A stall from Korean Tourism office providing free brochures and travel guide books)

(Korean red ginseng products on display)

(Odeng)

(tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes)

(A stall selling some Korean wines)

Some stuffs I brought home: Honeyed Korean Red Ginseng, Red Ginseng jelly and candies, and a bottle of Makegeolli

Chrysanthemum Festival

Autumn is a season full of natural beauty and one of them is the blooming Chrysanthemum. For those who visiting Korea this fall, you can't miss the beautiful and elegant Chrysanthemum festivals across Korea.

Masan Gogopa Chrysanthemum Festival, first held in 2000, celebrates its eighth year under the theme 'Flower & Island & Sea' from Oct. 24 to Nov.2 at Dotseom (island) Ocean Recreation Park this year, promoting not only the Chrysanthemum but a comprehensive festival that could enjoy the green ocean and islands of Namhae. A total of 5 billion Chrysanthemum will delight the visitors around Dotseom and the downtown of Masan City.

Ten Million Chrysanthemum Festival at Iksan Joong-ang (main) Sports Park in Iksan City (North Jeolla Province) welcoming visitors from Oct. 29 to Nov. 8. The flowers will be displayed in the shape of famous characters including famous Korean figures and animation characters. The whole town is in a festival mood decorated with chrysanthemums around Iksan station, traffic station and here and there.

Gochang Chrysanthemum Festival, claimed to be the nation's biggest Chrysanthemum Festival where the organizer will set up a special promotion booth and offers visitors free tea and drinks made by using chrysanthemum cultivated in Gochang. The festival will take place for a whole month from Oct. 22 to Nov. 23.

Chrysanthemum Fragrance Festival at Daechengho Lake in Daejeon city (Dong-gu district) will exhibit more than 100 million Chrysanthemum from Oct. 20 to Nov. 8.

(Source: Korea.net)

A taegeukgi, Korea's National flag made of Chrysanthemums in Daejeon.

(Picture courtesy of : The Chosun Ilbo)

Mickey Mouse iRiver

Yesterday I got home and found an 'unsuccessful delivery' card from DHL express on my mailbox and since I wasn't expecting any parcel from family or friends the first thought was 'wow..might be from Korea?'. Today I picked up my parcel from DHL express and yes, it's a parcel from Korea! It's a Mickey mouse design iRiver MP3 player in sky blue color with 2 GB capacity, an initial prize for blogging about Korea. Thanks KTO and VANK!

My new Mickey mouse MP3 player comes with USB 2.0, ultra fast data transfer with iRiver plus 3 software firmware, built-in Li-ion battery and support music file such as MP3, WMA, and ASF.

Lee Hyori, Son Dambi, Lee So Young, Wonder Girls, Rain.. some drama series' soundtracks.. um ..what else..now I am preparing some of my Korean songs collection to be uploaded to my new MP3 player :)

I L♥ve Korean Food

The 'I L♥ve Korean Food' promotion just started last weekend. The so-called 'Dine and Win' promotion from Korea Tourism in Sydney offers a chance to win a trip to Korea for two person while you can enjoy the 'special $10 dish' from the participating restaurants across Sydney.

I couldn't wait longer to enjoy the 'special dish' as I reckoned $10 is pretty affordable for a Korean food in this city, so I dropped in Kobow restaurant in the city last weekend. I picked this restaurant since I had never been there before and heard that the ambience is quite unique and they got friendly staff. Well, they indeed are friendly and as it was Chuseok day they gave free complimentary of colorful Songpyeon to enjoy the spirit of Chuseok. One disappointment was I couldn't find the 'special $10' dish on the menu, a short story that I hesitated to ask, I picked bulgogi and kalbitang (short ribs soup) to warm up the wet and chilling evening. After they served the 4 small plates of banchan (side dishes), my bulgogi came in a quite different look with 'plenty of' veggies, not the usual bulgogi I normally had but the taste wasn't a disappointment though. For those who love Korean music, they have LCD TV's playing latest Korean music to livened up the atmosphere.

(My Bulgogi with colorful veggies)

(My hot and yummy kalbitang)

(Banchan: seaweed and potatoes in sweet chili sauce, seasoned soy bean sprout and kimchi)

(Colorful Songpyeon to celebrate Chuseok)

Happy Chuseok!

Chuseok, originally known as 'hangawi', is a major harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Chuseok also means a mass exodus of Koreans heading to their hometown to pay respects to the spirit of one's ancestors and visiting their family back home.

One inseparable thing during holidays, especially Chuseok holidays, is holiday-gift culture. Some would opt for hampers or boxes of meats and ribs for a 'heavy' gift or Korean sweets and cookies for a more delicate one. One of the Koreans' most popular holiday gifts is Ginseng, or red ginseng in a healthy gift set to be exact. Another popular items on shoppers' list are fruit and wine. If you are a wine lover, Chosun ilbo has some tips on choosing the best wine for Chuseok, wine that goes well with your Korean food (focusing on French wine) such as Bordeaux for meat dishes, white wine for fish dishes and sparkling wine for pan-fried food and seafood.

Koreans also enjoy the holiday with big feast at home, and one of the major food prepared and eaten during the Chuseok holiday is songpyeon, a crescent-shaped rice cake which steamed upon pine needles. While the half-moon shaped songpyeon is perhaps the most popular one, it also comes in a variety of colors and shapes depending the region. There are rice cakes in shellfish, dumpling and flower shapes in different areas. Even the thickness of the rice dough varies, as the ones in Gyeongsang and Gangwon areas appear to be thicker. Korea Times has a neat article about songpyeon including the best recipe to make songpyeon with a delicious flavor, chewy texture and the fragrant scent of pine needles.

Well... Happy Chuseok Holiday!..

(Photo courtesy of Chosun Ilbo)

Dancers perform a fan dance at Seoul Station Plaza celebrating Chuseok holiday.

Winter Sonata Anime

Winter Sonata was the second part of the KBS TV drama series Endless Love. This original hit drama was broadcasted in 2002 in Korea, and the 2004 Japanese broadcast triggered the ongoing 'Korean wave' of pop culture in Japan. Winter Sonata has been a major part of the Korean wave both there and throughout Asia.

I am not really into the teary drama though but I did enjoy this drama with the beautiful locations of Nami island. One of my favorite scenes is where the snow falling on Jun-sang and Yu-jin (two main characters) when they held hand while walking down the pine-line road of Nami island. The white snow, redwood trees, nice songs and every bit have perfectly created the favorite romantic scene of the series! This big hit drama made me decided to visit Korea in winter time almost three years ago and eventually visited the beautiful Nami island where many scenes were shot.

Now the anime version has been confirmed to be aired in Japan in mid October with 23 members of the original cast voicing the characters.

Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo pose for photographers during a news conference in Tokyo to promote the anime version of Winter Sonata. (picture from: Japan Today)

The screen shot from Winter Sonata anime official website.

And here is the Winter Sonata Anime MV I found on youtube:

Taste of Nature, Heart of Sharing

'Taste of Nature, Heart of Sharing' is the theme of 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival which will take place at Bongnyeongsa Temple in Suwon from October 8-10. Korean Temple food is a precious cultural heritage Korea has long nurtured.

The three-day event will be held in a quiet and and serene Buddhist University located in Suwon city, about an hour drive from Seoul. Showcasing a series of exhibitions including a temple food market, tea ceremony, tea talks with monks, temple stay programs (for selected international students only), and 'balwoo-gongyang' (communal Buddhist meal service). Eating is called gongyang in Budhism while balwoo means bowls containing rice and vegetables. In this unique and special way of eating in Korean temples, the meal is eaten in total silence and not a single grain of rice is wasted.

This festival is admission free and visitors can register via www.templefood.org until September 30, to get there go to Gangnam Subway station line 2, exit 3 and take buses 3001 or 3007 or take bus 7, 77-1 or 700 from Suwon station. For more information, visit the 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival website.(source: Korea Herald and Korea Tourism)

For your who interested in temple stay program, you can find the detail information on Korea Tourism web.

The beauty of autumn

The beauty of Autumn leaves is on the way.. but be patient since it's coming a bit late this year. The Korean Meteorological Administration said that the autumnal tint this year will appear 1-8 days later than usual, which means that the middle regions of the country and Mt. Jirisan will see the colors of autumn leaves from October 20th to November 5th. (source: Korea Tourism)

For you who visiting Korea this autumn and wish to enjoy the warm foliage of reds and yellows may check the timing on Korea Tourism web as well as the best spot's list. The schedule shows the first foliage and peak time on each region. If you are visiting Seoul only and don't have much time to visit the mountains, don't worry.. there are some famous spots to enjoy the beauty of autumn in the city. The Palaces in Seoul including Changdeokgung has its own special walking tour to enjoy the autumn foliage while Hyang-wonjeong pavilion at Gyeongbokgung is a place you shouldn't miss. If you choose to have romantic walks, Deoksugung will open till late to give you the autumn warm when the night is getting cold.

(Picture courtesy of Korea Tourism)

Yeongam County will host F1

Yeongam County (Yeongam-gun) is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.

FIA, the Formula One racing's governing body has released the calendar for 2010 world championship and the inaugural Korean Grand Prix will take place on Oct 17. The 5.6 kilometer race track along the harbor side will be named The Korean International Circuit and designed by the famous race track designer Hermann Tilke.

Yeongam is surrounded by the beautiful Mt. Wolchul National Park and the Yeongsan River, as a historical site Yeongam has 'Yeogam Wangin Cultural Festival', which was named the 'Best Cultural and Tourism in Korea for year 2008. For full info about beautiful spots like Mt Wolchul National Park, Gurim Traditional Village, Historic site of Dr. Wangin, Doseonguksa and Dogapsa Temple, please visit the official website of Yeongam.

Mascot of Yeongam is inspired by the vitality of the Ume flower, the county flower.

(Picture courtesy of Yeongam-County)