Experiencing Korea - Korean Ramen

Jin Ramen, the first Korean food that I bought. I bought this at our supermarket and it is worth 45 pesos. I’m so excited to go home when I bought this. I chose this brand of noodles because Micky Yoochun is advertising it, he only advertised the Gis Myeon Ramen not the Jin Ramen. I also want to buy the Gis Myeon Ramen but it is not available in the supermarket.

When I arrived at our house, I immediately boiled some water over the stove. I read the instructions on how to prepare the noodles; I also read some Korean characters on the cup. I can read Korean but I could not understand it. I opened the cup noodles, and then smelled its spicy aroma. After the water has boiled, I poured it to the cup noodles and waited for a few minutes.

Minutes have passed and I opened the cup, its aroma filled our house. I was so very excited to eat it, especially because I will use chopsticks to eat. Before eating it, I prepared my room (I usually eat my snacks at my room) and also myself. With the excitement to eat, I accidentally burned my tongue (hehe…so careless). I have attempted to imitate Park Ha’s way of eating the ramen (Drama: Rooftop Prince) but I think the taste of the ramen is not complete with that kind of eating. I want to eat the ramen noodles along with the soup. I tried to use the chopsticks but not so long, I have decided to use a spoon.

At the beginning, the taste of the ramen was not so spicy, but after a few minutes of eating it, the ramen was so spicy that I have to drink water every time I swallow it.  Overall, the ramen tastes good even though it’s spicy. I have tasted the Philippine made Korean noodle named Jjampong, manufactured by Lucky me. They have the same spiciness but the Jin Ramen of Ottogi satisfies me the most. 

PSY's Wiki Korea - YASIK

PSY's Wiki Korea asks, what are the most popular type of Yasik in Korea?

Here's my answer:

Have you ever heard the word “Yasik”? Well, Yasik is a Korean term for late-night meals. If you stay awake late at night, you need something to energize yourself and that is the time when you will give a call to a restaurant for some “Yasik”. There are many restaurants in Korea that offers Yasik, just give them a call and they will deliver your yasik at your doorstep. This Yasik culture in Korea still continues because many people stay awake late at night, for example, students studying, workers having overtime, others just stay awake because they’re having fun. Yasik also becomes popular during major sporting events like the world cup.

With this Yasik culture of Korea, the foods for Yasik have become popular. There are many foods that you can have as a Yasik, but there are popular ones that you can try. The most popular types of Yasik in Korea are the following:

RAMYEON

Bought a Ramyeon

Ramyeon, a food with curly noodles in a hot bowl of soup. This meal/snack is very popular in Korea, not only as a Yasik but also a food that you can eat anytime. It is a popular Yasik because it is easy to prepare, you, yourself can prepare this meal. With just little time, you can cook this meal. Ramyeon is available in restaurants and grocery stores. In grocery stores, they’re available in cups and pouches. This type of food is very popular, as what I have read in Korea Tourism Organization’s website, this food is hailed as the food of the people. If you’re health conscious, you can add vegetables, and mushrooms in this kind of meal.

TTEOKBOKKI

Tteokbokki, a popular Korean snack food made of cylindrical shapes of rice cakes, spices, and hot sauce. This snack is also a popular type of Yasik because it is affordable and you can purchase it everywhere, like in street food stalls and pojang machas. Because of its spiciness, Tteokbokki can be great for the cold atmosphere at night. Also if you eat tteokbokki while you’re studying, this food can take off your drowsiness.

CHICKEN

Chicken is also a very popular yasik in Korea, especially fried chicken. From what I have read in Korea Tourism Organization’s website, in every small town in Korea, there are at least two or three fried chicken franchises that offer delivery services. The chicken is best when accompanied with beer. Today, there are many varieties of chicken in Korea; you can choose what kind of cooked chicken you will buy. The chicken in Korea ranges from the light-tasting rice bake to the traditional Korean chicken covered in hot and spicy sauce.

HOPPANG

Steamed white buns with beans or vegetables as filling, a really good snack to eat especially during winter.

KIMBAP

I made my Kimbap.

Kimbap or Korea sushi is a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed) and served in bite-size slices. If you want a healthy type of Yasik, then Kimbap would be good for you. You can order Kimbap or you can make your own. It is good to make your own because you can decide on what ingredients you would like to put in. I think Kimbap is also popular as a yasik because based on what I have seen in some Korean dramas, they eat Kimbap also late at night. Although Kimbap can be classified as a Yasik, you can also eat Kimbap at anytime, day or night.

Sources:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AK/AK_EN_1_4_9_4.jsp

Korean Cuisine by Korea Tourism Organization

KTO Miss Flower Spring Review

"Spring is the season where flowers bloom, it is also the season to fall in love."

Spring Love
By: Karen Dangco

When winter's over, flowers bloom with love
It is the time of Spring that came from above.
Beautiful flowers and fresh spring breeze
Takes away all the winter's freeze

Beautiful Azaleas on the mountain tops
Attracting tourist to have a full stop
Passion and fragility, its hidden message
Giving our lives a little essence.

Fresh green trees everywhere
A pleasant place to rest our hearts in despair
Marvelous persimmon trees
a resting place to be at ease

When the love is growing,
Pure beauty is what were hoping
in love, that is important
like the cherry blossom's nature importance

Memories give meaning to love
It is a gift from God above
Treasured days that you can never forget
especially the day that you first met

Cheerful as you can be, 
because you found you're meant to be
Happy as the sunshine,
like the Cole flowers in the line

Wonderful, attractive and colorful tulips 
flowers that are admired by the tourists
A time of declaring love, is what they mean
makes you more happy in spring.

Green and beautiful as the Barley
Love will show clearly
Flourish it to grow
even though it is slow

Miss Flower Spring is a short film released by the KoreanTourism Organization (KTO); it is a promotional video that promotes the wonderful sites of Korea’s spring flowers. 

With the spectacular sites of Korea's spring flowers, the vibrant and colorful flowers, and the fresh  and clean surroundings. This video really inspired me, it really made me want to go to Korea.

The stroryline of the short film is also similar to that of other Korean dramas, with the growing  love of the two characters, love triangles, and the cute but romantic scenes. The storyline will make you watch the video from the beginning until the end. If you are a fan of Korean dramas, like me, you will surely love this video.

The actors in the video absolutely did a great job. They portrayed their characters well. They're all beautiful like the flowers. Even though the characters did not say anything through the course of the video except when the girl said "ubbujwo" to the boy, you can still understand what their roles are all about. You can see it through their actions, that they're falling for each other.

The cinematography of the video is really impressive. It is like you're watching a movie. The lightings, the camera movement, you can really see the natural beauty and elegance of Korea. The still images of the flowers shown in sceneries is very alluring. Its like they're just there right  in front of your eyes, waiting to be touched and admired. I like it when the flowers are shown one by one in the video, then showing their elegance through the still images. I also loved the scenes where in every flower there is a hidden message, and it is  then interpreted by the actors.

The background music of the short film is very calming and relaxing. The background music was a piano composition of Han Ju-Heon. It is very soothing, and invigorating. With the music you will love the video more. 

Overall, KTO Miss flower Spring Video, is an inspiring and captivating short film that inspires us to visit Korea. 

KTO Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ktomanila?fref=ts

BUZ Korea: http://www.ibuzzkorea.com/eng/theme/cafe_youtube_view.html?sn_cafe=120&sn=14183&page=1sn_cafe%3D120&&q&flag&cat1=120&cat2=131&s

KTO Miss Flower Spring Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVp2uybE9mA

Korean Foods That I Want to Try

Here's a list of Korean foods that I want to try someday. If I would have a chance to visit Korea, these are the foods that I must try. 

• Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki, also known as ddeokbokki or topokki, is a popular Korean snack food which is commonly purchased from street vendors or Pojangmacha. Originally it was called tteok jjim (떡찜), and was a braised dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning. 

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokbokki)

• Naengmyeon

Naengmyeon (Korean: 랭면 (North Korea), 냉면 (South Korea), also known as raengmyeon (in North Korea), naeng-myeon,naengmyun, or naeng-myun, meaning "cold noodles") is a Korean noodle dish of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients: buckwheat (메밀, memil), potatoes, sweet potatoes, 칡냉면, naengmyun made with the starch from arrowroot (darker color and chewier than buckwheat noodles), and kudzu (칡, chik). 

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naengmyeon) 

• Kkultarae/Honey Strands

Kkultarae (Korean: 꿀타래), also known as Korean court cake, is a Korean dessertmade of fine strands of honey and maltose, often with a sweet nut filling.
(source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kkultarae)

My K-POP Journal

Just made a Kpop journal. I made this a view days ago. The cover might not be Kpop related but I like it to be that way. I planned to cover it with colorful papers but I said to myself that I will just use its original cover. The cover has a picture of a girl from the past, and has "Golden Years" as its title. 

Inside the journal, there are pictures of my favorite Kpop bands, their band members, and their songs. B1A4 was the first Kpop Band that I put on my journal. I have included the lyrics of their songs, the translation, and some of the screenshots of their music video. Beautiful Target and OK are the B1A4 songs that I included in my journal.

The next Kpop bands that I will include in my journal are TVXQ/DBSK,  EXO, Super Juniors, Shinee, Sistar19 and many more.

Beautiful Target - My Fave Kpop Song

Beautiful Target by B1A4, is one of my favorite Kpop song this year, even though it has been on since 2012, its still one of my favorite Kpop songs. Jinyoung is so cute and handsome in this video. He's my bias in B1A4, and also Gongchan. They're so cute. B1A4 group has become my favorite since I have watched this video.

Jinyoung is so cute ^_^

Gongchan, so handsome in curly hair.

here's the lyrics of the song ^_^

Beautiful Target by B1A4 - Lyrics

(Jinyoung) Sumi meocheul geotman gatta sarangi un geotman gatta

Moreu gesseo moreu gesseo moreu gesseo moreu gesseo moreugesseo

(Baro) Drop it

Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom heart like a rocket

Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom heart like a rocket

I like it like it like it x3

(CNU)Nae mameun boom boom boom boom neottaeme soom soom soom soomeul

Motswieo nan seul seul seul seuljak dagaga neoege ppajyeobeoryeosseo

Nae style jeokhabhae nan nege banhaeseo heowujeokdae

Neowa hamkeramyeon eonjena na

Seoul New York Roma Praha!

Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom heart like a rocket

Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom heart like a rocket

I like it like it like it x3

(Sandeul) Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom my heart like a rocket

Naetteugeoon simjangi geudaereul gidaeryeoyo

(JinYoung) Micheobeoril geotman gata neogabeoril geot man gata

Neo ttaemune neottaemune neottaemune neottaemune neottaemune

(Baro) Oh oh I'm up & high, nae nune ddwie eosseo neon nae style yeah

Deo isangeun ppeoge motjido ma nal norijima ma na eoddeokhana

Mareunchimi goyeo onda yeah

My target is you naraga hu

I'm like a Robin Hood, what you gonna make me do

Oh yes, sir! Gotta shoot!

(Sandeul) Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom my heart like a rocket

Nae tteugeoun shimjang geudaereul gidaeryeoyo

(CNU) Oh my beautiful lady nan neoman boyeo na eoddeokhae

Nae deugeoun sarangeul geudaeyo badajwoyo

Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom heart like a rocket

Oh my beautiful target, you zoom zoom heart like a rocket

I like it like it like it x3

(Come into nae mamdat ggeom I'd Password neoui luv

Nae mameul kkok damaseo I love you like a love song

I like it like it like it x3

Come into nae mamdat ggeom I'd Password neoui luv

Nae mameul kkok damaseo I love you like a love song

I like it like it like it x3)2x

My Favorite Foods

One of my favorite foods is Adobong Baboy. I like the combined flavor of the soysauce and vinegar, along with some spices. I like it more if the meat is super tender. Sinigang na Baboy is also one of my favorite foods. I like to sip the hot soup of the sinigang. Sometimes I would make a dip out of calamansi juice and fish sauce, that would be my dip for the meat and vegetables. I really like pig's meat to go with these recipes because it is much tender than that of a chincken's meat.

Adobong Baboy

Another favorite food of mine is Spaghetti. I like a sweet and spicy spaghetti, with mushrooms, to go along with the meat sauce. I really like the spaghetti of Greenwich and Jollibee. Every time I went to these restaurants, I will just order a spaghetti with drinks. 

Spaghetti

Ensaladas are also my favorite, especially ensaladang pipino (cucumber), ensaladang ampalaya (bitter gourd), ensaladang labanos (radish), and ensaladang gulaman. Ensalada means salad. This vegetables are mixed with vinegar and salt, together with other spices. I really like the flavor so much. 

Ensaladang Pipino (cucumber)

Fun at Baguio City

Burnham Park, Baguio City

On the 27th day of December, year 2008, we woke up early in the morning to pack our things. We had prepared jackets; I also bought my pillow and small bedding. From our house, we hired a taxi to bring us to the Terminal of the Victory Liner Buses which was located at Mayhaligue, Manila. At around 10:30am we arrived at the terminal. My father bought tickets while we sat down and wait for our bus. We were so excited at that time. After 30 minutes, our bus arrived. I chose a seat that was near the window. 

In the bus, we only watched some movies and eat our snacks. At around 3:00pm we came to a stop over, there, we bought some snacks. After a few minutes, we left the stopover. During the travel, we have passed many towns, I don't know what towns are but there's map that can guide you during the travel. At around 5:00pm, we arrived again to another stopover. And at around 7:00pm we arrived at Baguio City.

Stepping outside the bus, I felt the cold atmosphere of Baguio. I immediately put on my jacket. We went to a pension house; its name was Calla Lily Inn. When we arrived at the Inn, the security guard brought us to the topmost floor, where there’s a narrow hallway with rooms. The security guard showed us our room. The room is small but it had 5 beds and one double deck bed, the room had no TV, but it had a small comfort room. The security guard asked us on how many days we would be staying in Baguio, and my father answered him that we will be in the inn for two nights. The secu then charged us, 2,000 pesos for that 2 night stay (that’s too much!). After my father paid the security guard, we prepared ourselves for sleep. That night, I could not sleep well because it was very cold.

My mother and father. Burnham Park, Baguio City 

Next morning, we went first to Burnham Park, there were many colorful flowers and the lake has a beautiful green color matching the bright atmosphere. There we took pictures, and we rode on the boats.  We also bought many strawberries here because there a lot of vendors that sells strawberries.

Then, after going to Burnham Park, we went to the Grotto of Lourdes wherein you must take 200 or more staircase steps before you can reach the Grotto. At my 100th step, I was so tired; maybe it was due to my lack of exercise (hehe). But once we came at the top, we were fulfilled (even though were not Catholics). There we took pictures. There was a place there where you can see the whole Baguio City, and it had many Bougainvillea Flowers.

Our next stop was SM City Baguio. SM City Baguio do not have air-conditioners, but its still cold inside. There we ate our lunch. 

SM City Baguio, Baguio City

After eating our lunch, we went to another tourist spot, "The Mansion". When we arrived there, I thought that the mansion would be big, but instead of a big mansion, it had a green, wide, grassy area. There we took pictures. There were many people taking pictures. Tourists were not allowed to go inside the mansion. In front of the mansion's gate, there was a park, I don't know if it was a park, but I know that it is still part of the mansion. 

After the Mansions, we went to Baguio City's Botanical Garden; we ate some snacks there, and brought some souvenirs. After eating our snacks, we roam around the botanical garden. There were different kinds of plants, especially different kind of flowers. There were also some tribe houses. There were also large statues of ethnic people. 

Grotto of Lourdes, Baguio City

Our next stop was the Mine's View Park. It was on the top of the cliff, and you can see mountain ranges from there, it was a breathtaking view. There were some horseback riding there but our father won't permit us to ride. There were also some small horses were you can take pictures. After the Mine's View Park, we went to Baguio City's Market. There we bought some "pasalubongs" and souvenirs. 

After that one day of traveling we decided to go home that day, but when we went back to our inn, the owner said to us that we could not refund our money even if we will not stay there for the night. That's why my parents decided that we would go back home on next day.

Mines View Park

We went back to Manila early in the morning. Even though our travel at Baguio City was just a short time, it was still fun. There were many places in Baguio that we did not visit, it includes, The Lions Head, PMA, and many more. I want to go back again to Baguio City, and go to the places that we did not visit. 

Baguio City is a place where you can have fun with your family; it is a place where you can experience the cold like in other countries (even though it’s not snowing...hehe). I would recommend Baguio City in your traveling list if you would go out on a vacation.

My First Blog

Hi everyone! I'm Karen, 19 years old from the Philippines. This is my first time blogging, although I have tried Tumblr, but this one is different. You can write/type your feelings on this type of blogs. This can practice my English writing skills. In tumblr, I just post and reblog photos of animes, I have never tried writing anything about my feelings.

This blog of mine will be my blog of travels with my family, the things I want to achieve in life, the things I like , and many more...It will be a blog of my personality. So feel free to browse on my blog. Happy Browsing! :)