Yoogane (유가네), Myeongdong (명동)

Aaaaaaa, will always feel bittersweet whenever I think about Yoogane (유가네), especially the one in Myeongdong. I read a lot of blog posts especially by Malaysian bloggers saying that Yoogane is one of the must go restaurants whenever you're in South Korea. So, naturally, I made a mental note to go to Yoogane when I was in Myeongdong. 

Yoogane (유가네), Myeongdong (명동)

This particular Yoogane that I went was crazy packed when I came. However, I got lucky as I got a seat after 2 minutes of waiting. What a miracle, eh? However, I did not get the best seat in the house. In fact, my table was so close to the next table that it looked like we came together. The server then handed out the menu. I knew what I was gunning for before I entered the store but I pretended to read through the menu. I had no idea why I did that. lol!

Tip: For Muslim travellers, I believe the only option for us is the seafood fried rice.

I read that one should order the fried rice with cheese to taste the goodness that is Yoogane. I was not fond of the idea of mixing my fried rice with cheese at that time. So, I chose the regular seafood fried rice without any add-ons. After the server took the order, she brought the pan to my table and started cooking.

Tip: Banchan (반찬) are self-served and free flow. Feel free to help yourself while waiting for your food to be cooked.

Seafood fried rice

KRW 5,500

I did not get any banchan at all cause I was not interested with them. I just ate my seafood fried rice as it is. Honestly, I did not get the hype and the rave about Yoogane. For me, it tasted just okay but a lil bit weird. But then, maybe it was because I was not used to the seasonings used. So, there's that.

Portion wise, I think it was on a little bit smaller side. Or maybe because I was starving at that time. I almost cried when I first saw the portion because I did not think it will be enough for me T_T Price wise, it was definitely one of the cheapest and decent meals that I ever had in South Korea.

Service wise, I think they could do better, My server was a not-so-old ahjumma (아줌마). She wasn't the friendliest server around. In fact, she was a lil bit grumpy. Would love to give the benefit of doubt as the restaurants was constantly busy but other servers looked okay?

Muka kena paksa senyum by the server ^^''

Will I go to Yoogane again if I have another chance to be in South Korea?

50-50. I would love to try other places but I'm open to the possibility of eating at Yoogane again because it is quite convenient, cheap and decent. Well, I actually had a brunch at Yoogane Hongdae when I was on my transit last year.

P.s: I was denied when I came for the second time though they had empty tables because I was alone. So, make sure you come in a group especially during the peak hours.

My Songs of April 2018

I couldn't make what this April meant to me. All I know I was busy? I was pretty busy moving out and moving in; I was busy surveying my flight tickets and AirBnB places; I was busy thinking about my decision to quit my job; and I was busy convincing myself that it's okay that I no longer want to apply for a PR here.

As such, I did not really get to indulge myself with a lot of songs. Pretty sure that I only listened to a handful same songs again and again this April. Most of them have been featured on this blog. These two songs that I'll mention might be the only two new songs that I listened to this April.

Paul Kim (폴킴) - Every Day, Every Moment (모든 날, 모든 순간)

I freaking love this song! I must have listened to this song for about 700 times since I first heard it. My iTunes count shows that I have played this song for 166 times but I have played this song on loop on YouTube during my shift, so it had to be more than 166 times. lol!

WeAreYoung (위아영) - Only I Love You (다만 널 사랑하고 있어)  (Re; Version)
[This video is the original version. Click here to listen to the snippet of the Re; Version]

Not exactly a new song but this one is a new version. I have to say that I actually like this version more than the original version. My iTunes count shows that I have played this song for 114 times. Mind you, that was 114 times in 5 days :D

Edit: I finally found the Re; Version on YouTube. Feel free to indulge yourself in this goodness called Only I Love You! :)

SPRING & DUCK GIVEAWAY BY BLOG NADIAIZZATY.NIA

Another post that caught my interest while I was trying to catch up with all the blog posts that I missed for the past few weeks is this giveaway; SPRING & DUCK GIVEAWAY BY BLOG NADIAIZZATY.NIA. The terms and conditions are easy-peasy and all the prizes are from South Korea, if you put the dUCk aside! #sisrindukorea

Click the banner to join!

Or, you can click here :)

What I like about her blog?

This going to sound repetitive, but I like her flatlays that she used in almost all her blog posts. I also love the pictures that she used to accompany her blog posts. #sissukagambarcantik

Topic recommendation

As she just got back from South Korea, how about another South Korea travelogue? #pleasespamgambarcherryblossom

Room for improvement

First of all, let me clarify that this is not really a problem but it's a matter of preference. While I love all her flatlays and pictures, I find them a lil too big for my liking? Maybe she can consider to resize her pictures to a size smaller after this? I usually take some time to finish reading one post as I have to keep scrolling down due to huge picture size.

Add: Okay, I just tried reading her blog using my phone. The picture size is not a problem on mobile version. In fact, I love how clear and big the pictures are on the mobile version. Maybe I should start reading her blog using my phone and leave a comment using my laptop? :)

Letter of Happiness Giveaway by Blog Siqahiqa

I finally have spare time to catch up with almost all blog posts by other bloggers that I missed for the past few weeks. Apologies if I did not get to leave a comment on your posts but I did read almost all of them :)

So, one of the posts that caught my attention is this giveaway; Letter of Happiness Giveaway by Blog Siqahiqa. The rules are easy and the prizes are to die for! :)

Click the picture to join!

Or, you can click here :)

What I really like about her blog?

I don't think I'm a visual person but I really love seeing beautiful pictures. Siqah's blog is full with eyes-pleasing pictures especially her flatlays. The so-called photographer in me really feel happy whenever I'm on her blog. Additionally, I love her book reviews. They are quite detailed and accompanied by the quotes from the books. Granted, I don't really leave any comments on her book reviews but that is because my comments will be repetitive as I have yet to read all the books that she reviewed and I don't have any access to all those books. #sisdudukdekatgunung

MBC World (MBC 월드)

MBC World (MBC 월드) was not on my initial list of places that I want to go in South Korea. It was by a pure luck and chance that I got to go to MBC World. I received an email about this opportunity on one fine day and decided to send my details. Few days after that I received a reply saying that I was one of the lucky 20. So, off I went to MBC World on the set day.

This place should be familiar to avid Korean drama fans. It has appeared in so many dramas that I have lost count on it.

Tip: MBC World does offer tours in different languages such as English, Japanese and Chinese but at different time slots. So, make sure to check the tour time and the language offered respectively.

I think MBC World is divided into few sections and experience. I can't recall the exact names of the sections and experience since this happened ages ago. lol! Again, I might be wrong as I did not really remember much about the whole thing. 

Familiar radio studio, anyone?

This radio studio was one of the first places that we got to take a glimpse on. As an avid K-popper, this studio really felt familiar as I have watched dozens radio interviews of different K-idols that took place in this studio on the YouTube. At that time, Yang Hee Eun (양희은), one of the Korean veteran singers was hosting her radio show. She said hi to all of us while she was on air. Hehe ^^

In case you're wondering how do I know her, let alone recognize her, I used to watch Immortal Songs 2 every week and Sweet Sorrow's rendition of one of her songs is really famous in South Korea. So, there's that :)

VR Experience, what an experience!

Then, we were taken to this section where we had a chance to experience few things, such as wearing digital hanbok or experiencing being a news anchor, experiencing being a K-pop star by singing and dancing along with the digital K-pop star. I think there were few more things but I can't really remember. None of that grabbed my interest, so I decided to try the VR experience. It was my first time so I really enjoyed the whole 5 minutes! Everything felt so real that I actually laughed at myself. I must look so stupid and funny to the staffs and other people in that 5 minutes.

After that, we were led to the hologram theater for a 15-minutes hologram concert. No picture on this section as camera is not allowed. It was BIGBANG's concert. Honestly, the whole thing looked and felt so real. Few of the girls were squealing hard and treated it like a real concert. I'm not a VIP but I did enjoy the concert :)

They were busy staring at King's seat :D

We then got to peek at one of the recording studios for music shows and variety shows. It was empty but the guide mentioned that Infinity Challenge often used the studio when they had indoor recordings.

After that, we were led to the historical drama experience. Nothing much to do here honestly. There was a King's seat where you can pretend to sit and act like the King. They also had few backgrounds similar to the historical dramas. Additionally, they had few life-size cutouts of the actors and actress like Changmin, Kim Soo Hyun, Han Ga In, etc.

We then moved to a different building where it got all these variety show-themed booths. On top of my head, I remember they had We Got Married booth, I Live Alone booth, and My Little Television booth. The most popular booth in my group tour was We Got Married. I lol'd, okay!

If BIGBANG is your thing :)

VIP will be overjoyed if they decided to come here as MBC World had this photo zone with life-size cutouts of the BIGBANG members. It also had this section where you can pretend that you're taking the same celebrity van with BIGBANG members and have your photo taken. Again, I lol'd!

Can you spot the outlier?

The last place of our tour was the 3D museum? Okay, it was not really a museum but you got me, I bet? All the 3D things were inspired from all MBC shows. Like the one above, this was from Infinity Challenge. If I remembered correctly, they had things from Personal Taste, I'm A Singer, The Moon Embracing The Sun, Angry Mom, Fated to Love You and few others.

Thank you! ^^

The whole tour took about 2 hours, I believe. Short and sweet, anyone? You may enjoy the tour according to your pace but I think it's up to your guide's discretion. I personally enjoyed the tour at most parts and I kinda liked the pace though we were bit rushed by the guide at some parts. 

Is MBC World worth visiting?

I would say, yes if you're a big fan of K-anything like me. I think you really need to enjoy K-dramas, K-music and K-variety shows to thoroughly enjoy this place. Otherwise, you will think it's kinda meh. 

Having said that, if MBC World is not really your cup of tea, maybe you can linger around the area. I think this is one of best spots for celebrity spotting. Mind you, I did not spot any idols while I was there but I did bump into a gagwoman; Song Eun Yi and few other celebrities. I also got to watch a filming of one show. I think it was a pretty famous show in South Korea as the crowd was quite large. I still do not know the show's name until now but there was this guy (he's a celebrity, not sure of his exact occupation) walking his 3 dogs - corgi breed.

Thank you Seoul Metropolitan Government for this opportunity! I enjoyed my time at MBC World and I truly appreciate the effort :)

My Favourite Spring Songs

Wow! It's been a while eh? I have always wanted to update this blog of mine since few weeks ago but I was busy with other stuff. For one, I was busy moving out from my previous apartment and moving into my current apartment. It took me almost two weeks to finally settle in at my current apartment. I also have been busy surveying flight ticket and AirBnB places. On top of that, I have been experiencing constant heartburn that all I wanted to do was to sleep and hope that the pain will go away.

Enough with the boring life updates. 

I would love to share with you guys my favourite spring songs because it's spring right now. Though I have to say that my spring is kinda different cause it surely does not feel like spring here at this side of the world :|

Some of the songs are not considered spring songs but I personally think they give spring vibe and I really feel happy whenever I listen to them. Hope you will enjoy listening to them as much as I do :)

10cm (십센치) - What The Spring?? (봄이 좋냐??)

Sweet Sorrow (스윗소로우) - Sign (짜리리릿 )

K.will (케이윌) - Love Blossom

Sweet Sorrow (스윗소로우) - Wonderful Days (멋진 날)

Do you have favourite spring songs? Do share them with me :)