Buypyeong Underground Shopping Street, South Korea.

On my recent trip to South Korea, I have planned to visit the biggest and longest underground shopping street that I can see. Bupyeong Underground Modoo Mall is definitely a large space to cover as it consists of 7 sections from A to G in color coded.

Get off at the Bupyeong station as this is using Line 1 and you won't go wrong. Everything you see left and right is either cosmetics-skincare, clothes, hand phone covers and jewelry.

All of us ended up purchasing some mobile phone covers (you must bargain to get the best price). I bought a pretty hairband, mobile phone cover, key chains and Mom got some of her Face Shop cosmetics at a cheaper price. They are even cheaper than in Myeongdong!

You can get out from the Bupyeong Underground Mall and head up to the nearby market and stores. We went to Bupyeong Cultural Village Street however that day weather was rather freezing and cold. 

 

Our tummies are grumbling and we decided to fill our hunger at the nearby market. Thank goodness for me being able to read Korean language, so we walked upstairs to a local 'sik dang' restaurant and had the standard Kimchi Tofu stew, Soy bean paste stew with rice which costs around KRW$6000 each. The side dishes came to the table was plenty that we were full by just eating them without the mains! We were even served a plate of korean curry chicken with potatoes that tastes so different. Loved it!

Bupyeong is a place for one to start buying clothes, accessories and knick knacks. It's a heaven for shopping however one needs to take a long ride on the subway from Seoul. Bupyeong is near towards Incheon port so weather can be a bit cool if you are coming during the winter months.

For directions coming here- take the Seoul Subway Line 1 and get off at Bupyeong Station Exit 6.

Tea-time at Victorian Garden Tea Room & Cafe.

Spending my weeks in Penang, I started trying all the high tea sets in the cafes that are newly opened in the state. One hot afternoon my parents and I went to Victorian Garden Tea Room and Cafe located at 33 Irrawaddy Road. It's rather interesting to know that their sister shop is Jenni Cake and Bakery at Pulau Tikus. 

The tea room is decorated with very lovely pastel wallpapers consists of tiny flowers and roses. The interior decor are all decked looking in Victorian times. The cutlery and tea pots are all in English style. The high tea set is around RM 48 (if I am not mistaken) and consists of ribbon sandwiches, scones with butter/jam, a pot of hot brewing tea of your choice, slices of cakes, croissants and tarts.

Even the windows were decorated with white cute looking curtains. They do refill hot water in your teapot. I must say that the high tea set was quite lovely and tastes good.
The place is fully air-conditioned and you can find parking spots in front of the cafe.

Price: 3.5/5 stars
Food: 3.5/5 stars
Overall: 3.5/5 stars

Budan's Brew Coffee bar at Pulau Tikus, Penang.

Budan's Brew Coffee bar is located on 1st floor of the narrow looking building at 31-M Cantonment Road, P.Tikus in Penang. You will need to board the small elevator that lifts you up to 1st floor and you can see a narrow L-looking shape cafe.

The place is not too fanciful but has various types of coffee and lattes. I ordered a peach latte and my parents has the standard americano latte. They did a fair great work in designing the foam on the coffees. We ordered some danish pastries which I must say was a bit of let down- too dry and not that great in taste.

The cheese garlic bread was heaven...crispy at the sides and filled with butter and garlicky taste. Now that's what I want for a garlic cheese toast. Prices are not cheap either.
There are not many variety of cakes and sweets in this cafe. Probably people head up for drinks at this place. 

Price: 3/5 stars
Location: 3/5 stars
Taste: 3.5/5 stars

An evening trip to Black Kettle cafe in Penang.

It was a nice cooling evening at 8.00 pm when we visited Black Kettle Cafe located at 105, Beach Street, Georgetown in Penang. I have to stress that lately the streets along the heritage area is well lit up for tourists and locals to walk at night. It does get a bit ghastly if no shops and banks are open. Thank goodness the place is all scattered with many small cafes, pubs and convenient stores that lit up the area at night. Good on them!

The cafe coffee beans are inspired from the coffee in Australia. The cafe is pretty big for its space and location wise is great especially in the evening, night time and weekends when there are no people working in the banking district.

The cafe boasts a variety of croissants, danish pastries, buns and variety of cake slices.
A small cup of hot chocolate sets the price at RM 11. I ordered the Matcha Iced Latte which was RM 13. The almond croissant comes in a nice size however I must say the filling for the croissant is too little and it fails to bring out the almond taste. The chocolate danish pastry was average but it's cheap for its price.

The humble rhubarb crumble priced at RM 8.50 was the cheapest of all the cakes but i felt it was a bit dry to my palate. Nevertheless the place served many comfort food and drinks for hungry diners in the evening. It can even hosts birthday parties and events.

There is free Wi-Fi in the cafe and the owner of the cafe is obliging and polite.

Price: 3.5/5 stars
Taste: 3/5 stars
Ambiance: 4/5 stars
Overall: 3.5/5 stars

Visit to the Loke Thye Kee restaurant.

After reading few reviews online regarding Loke Thye Kee restaurant in Penang, we have decided to try out the place. The place is located at 2, Burma Road, Georgetown.
It has 3 levels, been newly renovated and taken over by a Singaporean entrepreneur.

The place boasts plenty of Hainanese cuisine including the famous Hainanese Chicken Chop, Pie Tee and local Chinese cuisines. The customer service is great and I must say the food is nice with big portion. We were recommended the western set lunch that costs RM 19 and if added with Cream Soup of the Day and an Iced Lemon Drink it will be additional RM2.

The soup comes in a pretty big bowl and the Hainanese Chicken Soup. 
The Hainanese Chicken Chop is fried to perfection and topped with nice gravy along with mushrooms, onions and side dishes were coleslaw dusted with some almond flakes. The chicken dish is served with crispy potato wedges as well.

The restaurant has the old shanghai feeling with internal decor of Chinese painting and fully air conditioned. It even has a little lift for people with mobility problems. Behind the restaurant is the Loke Thye Kee residences. 

Price: 3.5/5 stars
Food: 4/5 stars
Ambiance: 4/5 stars

Lotte Duty Free new web drama- First 7 Kisses.

Lotte Duty Free is launching its new web drama starring the mega hit Hallyu stars from various agencies to promote tourism and its popularity of K-dramas and actors. 

The web drama is entitled 'First Seven Kisses' - a story about a Lotte Duty Free female employee as its main character.

The drama co-stars the main ambassadors such as Choi Ji Woo, 2PM's Tacyeon, EXO's Kai, Lee Min Ho, Park Hae Jin, Ji Chang Wook and brand newly signed in models/actors Lee Jun Ki and Lee Jong Suk. 

While the content of the drama is yet to be revealed, we certainly know that Choi Ji Woo is the only Hallyu actress in Lotte Duty Free so she won't be the main lead of the drama.

Well who will be the lucky female actress to score this role to star with the handsome looking stars? Stay tune for it...

** I am picking Lee Jun Ki at anytime! He's my bias... * 

Snapshots for drama 'Goblin' with Lee Dong Wook and Kim Go Eun.

On 22nd November, there were plenty of photo shoots at Gangnam for the presentation of the upcoming drama 'Goblin' 도깨비 starring Lee Dong Wook, Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun and Yoo In Na. 

Famed writer Kim Eun Sook who wrote the mega hit drama Descendants of the Sun is full on this project. 

A 19 year old high school student Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) sees a demon who claims to be a 'goblin god' named Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) who requires a human bride to end his immortal life. Kim Shin was betrayed by a jealous young King and is knocked down with a knife in his chest. Writer Kim mentioned she wanted fantasy yet interesting story line. 

Looking at the trailer and preview of the drama, the loneliness of Kim Shin is depicted with the laid-back atmosphere of a relatively bubbly student Ji Eun Tak. Sharing a mysterious appearance with a dazed eye, "I know it's a goblin," and "I'm going to marry you.".... 

Ji wanted to be an ordinary high school student but she has lived as a loner since she saw her souls dying from her childhood.

Gong Yoo's last drama was 'Big' in 2012. He has been filming more movies such as Age of Shadows and Train to Busan so the schedules for the drama are tight. 

First episode is to be broadcast on December 2nd. 

Lee Byung Hun, Kang Dong Won and Kim Woo Bin's Master film exported to 31 countries.

Lee Byung Hun, Kang Dong Won and Kim Woo Bin who has filmed the Master exported to 31 countries before the opening of the film.

According to CJ Entertainment,  'Master' was sold to 31 countries including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, India, Macau, Malaysia, Turkey, Philippines, Mongolia and Indonesia. The movie was confirmed in North America next month, followed by Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia in January and Vietnam in February.

The Hong Kong distributor Delta Mac said the the film 'Master'  will show a new side not only showing three of the most attractive male actors from South Korea but also showing their charm in full play.


Taiwan's distributor Movie Cloud also said the combination of actors Lee Byung Hun, Kang Dong Won and Kim Woo-bin is definitely fresh and appealing. They are very excited about how the actors would express the relationship between the masters who cheat and cheat each other without a break.

'Master' is a story about a strange fraudsters who caused a group fraud case, an intelligent criminal investigation chief who chases them, and a story about a brawler's brain. 

The movie is directed by PD Cho Suk Seok, who was recognized as a director in 2013 for the movie "Watchers" (final audience: 5.5 million).


'Master' movie will be released in cinemas throughout South Korea in December 2016.

Kim Jun Su and TOP will enlist in early 2017.

Kpop JYJ member Kim Jun Su (29) and Big Bang's TOP a.k.a Choi Seung Hyun (29) will be serving their duty as police officer next year.

Kim Jun Su and Choi Seung Hyun (TOP)

According to the official website of the Republic of Korea Obligatory Police on the 21st November, Kim Jun Su and Choi Seung Hyun have passed the 348th Special Police Selection Examination. The two guys will join the Nonsan Army Training Center in Chungnam on February 9th, 2017. 

Previously, Kim Jun Su has been awarded to the Gyeonggi Nambu Public Relations Group, and Choi Seung Hyun has passed the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Special Band division.

The two guys will digest their tight schedules and events leading to the date they enlist.

Jun Su will be holdimg a brand-new concert- '2016 XIA Ballad & Musical Concert with Orchestra vol.5' at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium from 9th to 11th of December. In January of 2017, he plays the character 'L' in Death Note, a licensed musical reenactrf at the Seoul Opera Theater.

Big Bang members will be having their Japanese tour along with TOP at the end of the year. The Big Bang concert will be held in Sangam World Cup Stadium on January 7-8 next year.

Lighthearted comedy from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.

MBC has also released its latest Wed-Thu drama prime slot entitled Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo 역도요정 김복주  which I can say is comical yet quite enjoyable. It is not just an ordinary university student drama but it also depicts the life and path chosen by these athletes who suffer from their own trauma and dark past.

Lee Sung Kyung plays as the chubby weightlifter athlete Kim Bok Joo who has one goal in life that is to win a gold medal. She stands up against naughty boys who often tease the girls however deep down inside she is a big teddy bear. She is seen as a tall lanky weightlifter but is shy when she's around the guys. One day unexpectedly she is greeted by a childhood friend Jang Joon Hyung played by Nam Joo Hyuk. Joon Hyung belongs to the national swimming team however he suffers from a disorder after making a false start at the pool. 

Often Bok Joo's two best friends tease her friendship with Joon Hyung since he is tall and handsome unlike her. Joon Hyung finds it fun to interact and poke around Bok Joo by calling her Chubby. Bok Joo has to help out her father's fried chicken shop when he's undergoing dialysis at the hospital. Though Joon Hyung lives happily with his brother Jae Hee played by Lee Jae Yoon however he misses his biological mother. Bok Joo stumbles across Jae Hee who is a kind doctor assisting obese patients. She starts going head over heels on Jae Hee who is not only charming yet polite towards everyone. 

Joon Hyung's ex-girlfriend and gymnast Song Shi Ho played by Kyung Soo Jin returns

from Taerung after failing to enter the preliminaries. She is ambitious in her career led her to break up with Joon Hyung. 

I must say the weightlifting team is been constantly bullied by the gymnastic team since the girls were more feminine and prettier. Poor weightlifters who were often seen as the opposite by eating so much and behaving roughly. 

Viewers were treated by some cameo appearances by Jota and even Lee Jong Suk who plays his own role from W: Two Worlds. He is truly an eye candy in the drama which they said he looked like a character from a cartoon! How true is that! 

We wonder how the romance will go ahead with the awkward looking Bok Joo trying to date a man while Joon Hyung might end up with her at the end... let's see how the story goes.
The drama is written by the well known writer who wrote Oh!My Ghostess under tVN.
This round, Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk are reunited after starring together in tVN's Cheese In The Trap series. 

And we do see a big difference of Lee Sung Kyung who often dresses very classy, elegant yet bitchy in her previous roles. She has chopped off her long hair and dressed bulkily to look tomboy in this series.